Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

Smells (or rather "smelled") lovely, but probably needs a better emulsifier...

I received a sample of this and loved how lovely it smelled and thought it was even amusing that it felt like pepper-spray (as in "prickly", like cactus). LOL. I had a chance to meet some of the company people and they said it was normal (as the natural ingredients would have felt the same on your skin). I trust them when they say it's "natural" because it goes bad REALLY fast, like within less-than-6-months after opening the tube (it probably needs a better emulsifier in its formula, like the E ones on BBC Knowledge Asia that they use for food, as the oil and the cream begin to separate before the 6 months after deflowering the tube). Which is disappointing because it's in the same price-range as "Orlane Anagenese 25+ First Time Fighting Care Eye Contour" and "Kiehl's Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate", but it couldn't last the 6 months. Also, I get that this is supposed to be "exotic", but it was ridiculously hard to re-stock on it (while I liked this product), I'd literally have to attend a post-FW private viewing to obtain a tube. And then it started smelling dull/dusty. Too bad, it smelled really nice when it was new. Because it was SUPER CREAMY and SUUUPER RICH and lovely. Was. Everything in past tense with this one.

Hm...

I guess it's okay for a beginner's eye cream (like The Body Shop's Vitamin E Eye Cream). Not sure what this does to puffy eyes, but I can tell you that it doesn't help much with dark under-eye circles. I wouldn't have originally bought this (I got a 5ml sample in a pouch from the nice BAs at the counter the department store, after buying a load of Clinique stuff for Mother) because it doesn't really offer anything special (not even aging-prevention).

Very rich/heavy, but I like it...

I recently revisited this perfume (like 7-8 years after a foreigner boy bought me a bottle during his business trip from Paris—it worried me at the time, because giving a girl perfume is considered bad luck in certain Asian cultures). I found it too strong and rich and heavy the first time I tried it on (to be fair, I was probably too young for it anyway). But now after I let it evaporate a bit, I think I like it more, and it's sweeter after it reacts to my body chemicals. I'm not sure if it's because the scent changed over time, or I just feel differently about it (there are certain perfumes that end up smelling like sweet tea after a while). IDK. But PLEASE DO note that I'm reviewing a 7-8 year-old perfume. It may not smell the same if you get a fresh bottle.

All the time...

OMG. WHY are matte brown eye-shadows so rare? I'm very grateful that this exists and will be so upset if Clinique ever discontinues this. Mostly wear the two colors on the left and the one of the far-right. The darkest color falls-out a bit, which is kind of upsetting, but I can tolerate it because they colors are lovely in general (as they're cool-toned and the only other set of matte browns that I own is Revlon Wet/Dry in "Fleshtone" and that's warm-y). Don't use the applicators, tho, I prefer my tiny brushes.

Nice. But...

It is very helpful, and it keeps eye-shadow in place/doesn't let stuff smudge. But I wish it did more help with fall-outs (though I'm not sure if that's an eye-shadow primer's responsibility). Tried this on my arm with my ELF '80s eye-shadow (magenta, light cobalt, and purple) + NYX SoHo Glam, and it made the colors pop. Most of the time I just use this with matte browns, tho. I wish UD made one for eyebrow creams, because once I feel asleep in class and it left two eyebrow stamps on my text book.

No animals!

These aren't made of animals and bamboo is biodegradable. And they're very soft. I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the brushes (especially because don't wear concealer/blush) and still don't know what a Kabuki brush is for. But the blending brush is the best thing in the whole wide world and I wouldn't even bother wearing eye-shadow if the blending brush didn't even exist (someone finally figured out why eye-shadow always made her look awful instead of better).

Labels.

I like how these are ethical brushes (they're all synthetic, no animals were plucked during the making), they don't shed, and they're not too big. Also, the best thing about them is that they have labels/names, so you know what they're all for (although they're really also great for applying stuff that weren't originally intend each brush). Like, the brow brush is good for swiping dark brown like a vague eyeliner (before blending) and that makes your eyes look bigger.

The best thing in the world...

A lot of people think this is a sucky "concealer" (because they seem to miss the fact that it's a highlighter, NOT a concealer). Love this on my under-eyes and some other parts of my face (for people who prefer me to look a certain way). I also love how YSL launches two tones (for warm/cool undertones) per shade, even in certain Asian countries where certain skin colors are considered most attractive. It's such an un-racist company. Also, I would never go out and audition/attend an important event without it. It DOES make a difference.

Hm.

This was my favorite until The Body Shop released the "Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash" one (which isn't as drying). This one (combined with the toner and moisturizer) kind of dried me up, so I had to make up for it using a serum. I still keep a bottle, though, to clean makeup. But on days where I don't wear makeup, I still prefer "Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash".

Effective spot treatment...

Although it stings like a [bleeeeeep]. Also, it's nice now it's transparent. It's nice to 'seal' spots before applying makeup (just to keep that part of your face 'sterile'). It's harsh, but I don't mind it being harsh because it's spot treatment (unlike the moisturizer/toner from the same range, which really dries your skin).