Beauty Product Reviews

Pretty Meh

This was a product that I really wanted to love not sure if it was the flashy advertising the sleek pink and black packaging or what but I had high hopes for this mascara despite hearing about bad first impressions, I bought it wanting to make my own mind up Verdict? still undecided. I don't hate it, but I just really don't love it for my upper lashes, my lower lashes is an entirely different issue which I think is why I'm so torn on this product. Let's start with the brush It tapers into quite a thin point which isnt the worst design of all time but it's quite flexible which makes it a little harder to use. I've used wands that have a little but of give to it but this is very flexible, I can bend the wand to 90 degrees without breaking it The overall design of this flexiblitly is to me it's greatest downfall. It's just really hard to get the bristles through my lashes properly and I find it tends to clump. If I brush it out with a disposable mascara wand or a lash comb it's not so bad, but I find I can't use it without something to comb through afterwards. I do find with the taper that its easier to get onto the lashes towards the inner corners of my eye, and I think the thinner end is the reason why I really like it for my lower lashes, I can really get it on them without smudging, as tends to happen with other mascaras. For the price I paid ($9 CAN) I can't complain too much and as I said before I don't dislike this mascara at all I just don't love it, and I do think there are better drug store mascara than this one out there.

Must have for winter

I seriously don't know what I did before I found this. I have always battled with dry chapped lips and since I started using this I find my lips have never been nicer. You don't have to use it every day just every once and while your lips start to get chapped and flaky. It has peppermint in it so you can leave it on for further moisturizing, though I usually throw on some lip balm after just for good measure. It goes for about $18US/$21CAN and is entirely worth it. There are only two things I would change about this product. 1) It does contain parabens in it, which is always a downside for me personally, I usually like to have my products contain as little toxic ingredients as possible. 2) Somebody at Smashbox decided it'd be a great idea to have a clear container with white product in it, and use white lettering on the container. Makes it always impossible to read anything on the bottle. But other than that I love this lip exfoliator!

Highlighter not a blush!

Okay so this is a confusing product. It is not considered a blush. It is marketed as a highlighting powder, and is definitely not pigmented enough to really be a blush. However in my opinion it's a little too pink to be a highlighting powder - though it is quite shimmery. However I am starting to love this product. I usually use this on the apples of my cheeks with a stronger colour on the cheekbones. The packaging of this product is amazing. The box is so cute and comes with a little brush inside and smells fabulous. This runs for about $28US/$36CAN which is a little high for something that does so little - though for some people like me it is totally worth it. I would suggest looking at this product in person before buying it as it seems to chalk up fake expectations, even I thought it would be more pigmented but the key word with this product is highlighter. Overall a good highlighter with a bit of colour but don't buy this thinking what a great light pink blush this will be because it will probably disappoint.

Small bottle big colour

I have this in both #6 Quickie and #14 Star Struck. Originally what drew me to this product was actually the ad in Sephora for it, it was such a beautiful picture I immediately bought the blush listed in the ad to recreate the photo. (Which was Quickie) The blush comes in little pump bottles, and is very creamy, but beware press very very lightly as a lot tends to come out at once, and you end up wasting product, which is pretty much my only criticism about this product. Both colours are long lasting and it is highly pigmented, the colour isn't watered down. As for the price it is pretty reasonable, about $25US/$29CAN, and comes paraben free. Quickie is a pretty salmon pink colour akin to very flushed cheeks, and is very natural looking. Star struck is a pale peach (the blush used in the MUFE Rockstar ads) This is definitely my favourite of the two I love the way the pale pink colour looks on my skin and it is nice to see a paler blush colour. I usually apply this with a brush (Sephora’s I.T angled synthetic blush brush which is amazing for cream blushes) sometimes I do use my fingers and apply in a circular motion though blending isn’t as great with your fingers as is it with a brush, and afterwards I powder to set the blush. I am definitely planning on getting more for my kit, as this is quickly becoming one of my favourite cream blushes!

Great Colour Match: Skin Issues

Liquid foundations and I have a love hate relationship. I used liquid back in high school but couldnt find a good colour match - plus I wanted more coverage. I have been using cream foundation since makeup school but really wanted to try liquid foundation again. I went into Sephora and tried a few but once I sampled the Makeup Forever HD foundation I stopped looking. The colour match was extraordinary. I have never been able to find any foundation that so perfectly matches my skin colour right out of the bottle, which is evident in the photo as I had to circle where I had applied the foundation because otherwise you couldnt see it! Usually I have to buy two and mix them and at their price I couldn't afford to do that. The price always seems to be a downside; this sells for about $40US and $46CDN, compared to MAC's foundations, MAC is about $10 cheaper, and MAC comes with an spf in most of theirs which might be a downside to some, but I react badly to sunscreen so it's definitely a pro for me.

I applied it right after I got home and it looked fantastic on my skin, coverage was pretty sheer though you can build but I just mixed cream concealer with the liquid foundation and added that to the places I needed more coverage. (which I recommend if you are looking for more coverage in specfic areas. If you are looking for more coverage liquid foundation is probably not your best bet, as liquids tend to provide sheer coverage, try a cream foundation if you are looking for something with a lot of coverage and if applied properly can still look flawless and light) About an hour later I decided to do my eyes and when I looked at my face in the bright lights I noticed that my skin didn't look nearly as good as it did when I put it on. It had settled into all my fine lines (and made me notice some I didn't even know I had!) I wasn't too happy about that, as I felt I looked a little worse for wear instead of flawless like I had intially. Not one to give up I tried it the next few days with different techniques and powders. All the same results, but complete with little bumps all around my cheeks and jaw. Apparently my sensitve skin couldnt handle the liquid foundation seeping into my skin as it did. Still not wanting to give up on liquid foundation all together I decided to buy a primer. (Smashbox's photo finish colour correcting in green.) With the primer the foundation was honestly so much better. It stopped the foundation from seeping into the fine lines in my face and causing bumps. Though even with the primer I find I have to exfoliate my skin every few days to avoid any more bumps or breakouts, but I have extreme sensitive skin (I'm allergic to most bubble baths and sunscreen!) and most people won't have the same skin reactions to this as I do,though I still recommend a primer with the liquid foundation to stop from seeping into fine lines.

I do like the pump compared to liquid foundations that you have to pour. It's a lot easier to use and you have better control over how much product comes out. Plus if you bump it over it won't spill out.

Overall if you are looking for a good liquid foundation with a wide range of colour choices I would definitely recommend this. But as I said before if you looking for something with a lot of coverage go with a cream over a liquid.

Lovely Colour, Weird Consistency

I fell in love with this colour and absolutely had to buy it, even the expensive price didn't sway me, though I can see it affecting a lot of people. It's about $38US and $46CDN unfortunatley I had to pay the latter.

Now when applying you're suppose to to just swipe it on with your fingers, which probably works very well, but as with most of the products I use, I like the be able to double it and use it for me and my makeup kit (the price doesn't really sway me to buy one for each) so I spatulate it out of the tube, which has proven very difficult. The consistency is very strange as it's basically powder suspended in liquid, but this has made it very difficult to use for my makeup kit. Even with the appropriate brush it balls up and is hard to apply. I'm debating whether or not just to use it on me as it would be a lot easier. All in all it's almost been a total failure for my kit which breaks my heart since the colour is just so amazing, but I have not given up yet as I am constantly mixing it with other products.

Its very sheer and shimmery and I find for my preference I have to build up a lot on to be satsfied, but as I said before this colour is just so amazing and once on looks fantastic. I am also in love with the colour Luxor and will probably end up buying it as I would have bought that before Orgasm but Sephora was out of stock of Luxor.

Overall wonderful colours, though they are pretty expensive (as the majority of Nars products seem to be) But if you are looking for a sheer shimmery blush or whatever (as it can be used for an array of things) then I would definitely recommend this for personal use but not so much for kit use. And if like me you love the colour but aren't totally stoked on the sheerness/consistency then consider the powder blush version of this.

Lovely Natural Looking Cheek Stain

Recently I've become quite enamoured with cream blushes and cheek stains so of course I had to try Tarte's famous cheek stain. I decided to go with "Ten" their limited edition 10th anniversay cheek stain. It's the same size as the regular cheek stains and is packaged in purple with "TEN" written in little gold balls. The first thing I noticed about it other than the lovely natural pink colour was the delightful almost fruity smell. It does not have the same consistency as the regular Tarte cheek stains, which is almost gel like, Ten is a lot creamy though it is still a nice consistency and easy to use. I spatulate it off the tube so I can use it in my makeup kit, though you can use your fingers or apply straight on. I use a synthetic cream blush brush to apply and usually powder over top to set it. I love Tarte's products because they are formulated without parabens, sulfates and other chemicals which are not so good for you. This is probably one of the more organic cheek stains on the market. Which would explain the price of it, which is a little high, about $30US and about $39CDN, but pre usual anything organic is more expensive, and I'm sure this will last quite awhile. This is a marvelous natural cheek stain though if you're looking for something with shimmer or sparkle in it, you may have to use something overtop as I believe these are all pretty matte. Though they are very mixable, I mix Nars the mutiple with this cheek stain for when I want a shimmery look. I am planning on getting the other colours of these cheek stains and would definitely recommend these cheek stains for anyone looking for a natural looking blush thats easy to use!

Works Wonders

I started to get bumps from the liquid foundation I started using as it would settle into my skin and unfortunately any sort of line in my face. (I usually use cream foundation which wouldn't sink into my skin like the liquid) And stubborn me not about to give up on the liquid decided a primer was my best bet. I wanted something with colour correcting in it as I have naturally VERY red cheeks, without makeup I always look flushed which has caused all sorts of comments about being sunburnt or embarrassed because it looks like I am blushing. So off I went to Sephora to test a bunch of products. Hands down this was the best. It wasnt oily and felt very silky and light. (Plus it doesnt have a whole lot of bad stuff like parabens etc.) Once I got it home I immediately tried it on my face. The redness did go down and made my skin feel very silky and smooth. My mom also tried it and it worked for her rosacea and broken capillaries. It also keeps my liquid foundation from settling into my skin and displaying every line in my face, and the best part no more foundation related bumps! I've only given it 4 and a half stars because One: in Canada it was $48 plus tax which is pricey compared to other colour correcting primers on the market, but it does work and as I said before doesnt have a whole lot of bad stuff in it. Two: I have only been using it for about a week and a half, two weeks so I have to see if there is any long term issues, or that prolonged use with cause my skin to break out. But as of right now I am in love with this product and would like to get the other colours for my kit!

Shimmer City

I bought this as something to hold me over until I could make it to a big mall to buy my usual translucent pressed powder. At first I was pretty happy with it, but then halfway through my day on set, I noticed that the actor looked shimmery. I couldn't figure out what was causing it until I took a good long look at the powder. This powder is so full of shimmer it's almost ridiculous. It's hard to see under normal tungsten lighting but under the lights on set it really brought out the sparkles. Now if you don't mind looking sparkley then this is a great pressed powder. Unfortunately not so great for my male actors, and needless to say I made the 30-45min trip to a big mall to get my usual pressed powder.