Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

I DIED OF CUTENESS!!!

Okay, so I recently tried the Cle De Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer (I got it for cheaper because there's this airline employee I used to know and she flies to Japan often, so she brought me back one!) and I fell absolutely in love with the performance of the product. However, when it came time to invest in another shade from the range, I realized that the compact it comes in is sold separately for a whopping FORTY dollars. I already have one of the cases, and since I didn't see the necessity in having $80 worth of plastic compacts on my table, I went with this baby Z Palette instead. When it arrived, It was just so cute to hold in my hand. It really is very tiny and, as you can tell from other reviews, will only effectively house 2 or 3 eyeshadows (and even then, watch out for your pan size) but for what I needed it for, it does the job perfectly. There's just a hair of room on either side if I place the compact directly in the middle, and it is magnetized very effectively (does not shift or move at ALL). I love that there is a transparent insert, because the powder is GORGEOUS to look at. For anyone considering this palette, make sure you read the reviews and consider the price relative to their other palettes. Also, it's very important to read the measurements prior to purchase. I'm just so pleased at how perfectly this product worked out for my CDP powder! :)

True quality!

I bought Wayne's Air-Brush when it released this year as my first brush, and now I'm hooked! I could probably have lived without this brush but I am SO glad I don't. When I discovered that it was blue squirrel I just about lost my mind, because the price point is FANTASTIC, especially considering the bristle type. This brush applies highlighter like an absolute dream -- you can pat it on, sweep it on, stab it on, whatever! What blows me away about this brush is that it appears to pick up LOTS of product (almost like a black goat hair brush) but deposits it in such an elegant and beautiful fashion that you wonder where it all went! My highlights have honestly never looked better than when using Wayne's blue squirrel brushes -- I am so glad I started investing in this brush line. I also plan on using this brush to blend out the outer contours of my face. Wayne suggests using this brush with blush, which is a stunning idea, especially because the shape of the brush rests nicely on my dimples! I picked this one over the 00 because I wanted more precision and I could not be happier! However, I do believe it should be noted that Blue Squirrel hair is very delicate, and has a tendency to soak up the oils in any cream or liquid products it comes into contact with. These oils, once absorbed by the delicate bristles, cause damage and can even lead to breakage and shedding. I do not use ANY blue squirrel brushes until my skin has been set with powder by a non-squirrel brush. I don't mean to tell people how to use their tools, but this brush is a true TREASURE and as such the appropriate amount of research and care should be invested. Enjoy and stay flawless!

I gave this so much effort...

This will be the first time I ever give something from Jeffree Star a 'less-than-glowing' review. I have only ever had problems with 4 of the 13 shades I have tried from his Velour Liquid Lipstick line. I didn't bother reviewing the other shades because they weren't so ridiculously problematic that I felt it was worth voicing, but they were all from 2016 so I am afraid this may be a continuing trend of me not loving his liquid lipsticks. Queen Bee is the single most problematic article of makeup I have, and hopefully will ever use. I received my package, opened it and immediately tried it, right away. I thought to myself, "WHOA, this looks gummy. Whatever, look at that pigment -- I'm sure it required a lot of concentration" and I went to swipe away happily. Streak, streak, streaking everywhere! I rationalized, "You can layer it again, Jeffree's products never break up on your lips so you are safe!" and after my second (very necessary) layer, I finally had achieved what I hoped would appear to be even and full coverage, once it settled. I give it a minute to dry, and before you know it, like an illustrated story, you can see every attempt at layering over every single splotchy area. The smile test -- Every single line in my lip cracked like the earth was opening up to reveal HELL. This product cracked and crumbled on my lips more than Colourpop's Ultra Matte Lip. After 20 minutes of wearing Queen Bee, the inner corners of my mouth were a crumbly, flaky, broken-down mess. After an hour, my entire lip (even my bottom pout, which is particularly smooth and good at holding on to product) was cracking and flaking off, no matter what movements (or lack thereof) I made with my mouth. I was heartbroken! I tried that BS tip about putting the products in the fridge for 20-30 minutes and letting the formula settle. Good luck -- didn't change a thing! I even tried mixing this with my other VLL shades that are particularly excellent. This colour will make whatever color you mix it with turn to absolute garbage! I tried it with Jawbreaker -- it made a beautiful neon green that unfortunately fell apart on my lip within an hour. I tried mixing it with Watermelon Soda -- same thing. I even tried mixing it with Gemini, one of my FAVORITE and best-performing shades. SAME THING!!!!! I bought TWO of this shade because I was so ready to make it my lip-art BAE and now I don't even want to know it exists, because it just breaks my heart.

Might have to buy another!!!!

Okay, so you could totally figure out something else to use on the cheap that would do the job just as well as this, BUT WHY WOULD YOU? OMG THE CUTENESS! Ever since I got this bad boy my makeup game has been a lot cleaner! I am a forgetful and sloppy queen so I'll have a huge spackle of white foundation on the back of my hand. A minute later, I'll forget and go to scratch my back and... oops, I ruined another shirt. Not any more with this bad boy! I have my eye on the big glittery one next, but this one has plenty of space for what I use it for! I'm quite pleased!

MOST FRIENDLY LIP FORMULA!

I never realized it up until now but I LOVE mixing liquid lipsticks together! It's so much fun trying new formulas together and seeing how they interact with each other, how well they handle additives (extra pigments/micas/glitters/etc) and how these mixtures affect the wear of the product! I am happy to say that Jeffree's Velour Liquid Lipsticks have one of the most versatile and adaptable formulas I have ever used! I have mixed these with other brands of liquid lipstick, with pigments, with glitters and every experiment has been such a joy! In particular, I have so much fun using the color Jawbreaker to see how its tones balance out other shades! I mixed it with Dirty Money and it made a spot on dupe for Melt Cosmetics' Blitzed lipstick. I can't wait to see what Queen Bee does when mixed with this color! SO excited for the Summer release!

A NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE...

I'm not going to lie -- my lips get forgotten about quite often. I come home from work, and some days I just want to mix/swatch a bunch of different lipsticks and go nuts for an hour or so, trying on like 5 or 6 different colors. As much fun as it is, unfortunately it dries out my lips pretty intensely! This wouldn't be such a problem if I wasn't so bad about forgetting to regularly apply lip balm! I have like 6 different lip balm/care/prime products between my bathroom, vanity room, and work office and I constantly forget to use them! I bought this on a lark hoping that maybe a new product would entice me to get back into the swing of things and it arrived (lightning-fast shipping, I might add) on a day where my lips were feeling particularly beaten up. I tried it on that afternoon, evening, and wore a bit to bed. When I woke up the next day, somehow my lips no longer appeared as though I had been drinking cheap beer all week! It was a MIRACLE! They were nice and smooth with plenty of retained moisture, and when I exfoliated them later they didn't feel dried out! I really like how the product doesn't have any greasy slip to it like most lip balms, making it a suitable makeshift lip primer. Usually, formulas like this tend to 'sit' on the lips and have trouble absorbing, but I did not have that issue with this product. This is definitely a welcome change of pace for me because I've been using Smith's Rosebud Salve (slightly goopy and temperature sensitive) and have been looking at the Lucas' Papaw to try next, but I might just sit pretty with my Antoderm Lips for a minute!

Don't sleep on this one!!!

Okay, now that my disclaimer is out of the way (see my last note on this product) I can continue on with the review of what I am sure will be one of my most frequently used brushes. This brush is more delicate than your average makeup tool and it shows from the moment you get your hands on it! This is my first foray in to Wayne's line and after this experience I strongly doubt it will be my last! First things first: the price. For the quality and bristle type, the price of this brush is truly unheard of in terms of affordability. If and when this brush restocks, do NOT miss out! Many similar-sized blue squirrel brushes from other companies cost twice as much (and more) than this little wonder, making it an insane value for what you are getting!

In terms of aesthetic, this brush is unlike any other brush I own. I have been considering trying one of the recently-released NYX Pro brushes, which represent the only aesthetic comparison I can provide. Black handle and ferrule (very streamlined and sleek-looking) with his name on the upper handle. The hairs appear to be typical blue-squirrel -- a cool-toned, almost jet-brown color, and are shaped in a similar fashion to that of a flat paddle foundation brush, except that one of the two sides is not flat, and comes to more of a tapered point. (think doe-foot, but not so angular)

I only own one other blue squirrel hair brush (Hakuhodo K002) and while the K002 is larger and more full, it cost me 83 bucks, so this is a welcome change in price point. When the Air-Brush arrived, I was very excited to test it next to my K002 to determine whether or not there was any discernible difference in the quality of the brushes. I was unable to notice a difference among the respective bristles, which says to me that Wayne Goss has managed to curate a brush with the same level of quality as luxury and artisan brushcrafters, many who already have years of experience in the game.

This brush can apply any powder product with ease and control. Blue Squirrel hair is very soft, and as a result it picks up product much more gently, which equates to a more subtle and buildable effect. I would not use this brush to localize a heavy concentration of product -- The Air-Brush lends itself more to the act of blending and 'buffing' to create a truly AIR-BRUSHED (see what I did there?) effect. If you have any highly pigmented products that you've been staying away from, try them out with this bad boy. This brush is a godsend for any highlighting product -- even Jeffree Star's Skin Frost, which is undoubtedly one of the most high-impact formulas currently on the market. I have slightly lighter skin (I'm a RCMA Gena Beige) with strong pink undertones, so when I use Ice Cold, it has a tendency to lean VERY silver on me. I bought the Morphe M510 (Jeffree's HG highlighter brush) and I've never been happy with how it applies Skin Frost. I have a fan brush from Hakuhodo that sort of does the job, but Wayne's Air-Brush is the most effective tool I have ever used for creating highlights at MY pace, instead of putting on too much and trying to fix it. (which seldom works out, let's be honest.) If this brush restocks, I might just have to buy ANOTHER. I have seen a couple people on Temptalia and other places post that they were so blown away they ordered 2. After getting to use this fantastic brush, I can understand why. This Summer has truly been one of many outstanding cosmetics releases, and Wayne has staked his claim as one of 2016's cosmeceutical powerhouses. Good on you, sir!

DON'T USE TO SET CREAMS!!!

This brush is wonderful and I will post a full comprehensive review soon but the following needs to be clearly stated for anyone who uses this brush: Blue Squirrel hair is not like other bristles, and should not be used to set cream or liquid foundations or concealers. If you set your concealer/foundation with this brush it will soak up the oils in the product, and this will severely damage the very delicate bristles!!! (This causes breakage, splitting and shedding) Please do your research on this bristle type and take very good care of this brush! As a consumer in the cosmeceuticals industry, it is very important to be aware of what you are buying, so although its price may be deceiving, do not mistake this special gem for any ordinary powder brush!

Spaceship fantasies!

When I first saw Goober Grape in person, it blew me out of the water. I was worried this color would lean more actual grape-colored, as indicated by the name. I could not find many helpful swatches of this shade online so for me, this one was a gamble. Oh my god, I am so glad I went through with getting it. It has gorgeous pastel glitter reflects set to this gorgeous color that I have trouble pinning. It's like if periwinkle, lilac, and indigo all had a gorgeous glitter baby together!

So vivid!!!

I bought a couple of these bad boys on a lark and my heart soared the first time I used them. I'm pretty sure I'm going to stop buying other glitters. I love the fact that Lit Cosmetics offers different glitters in varying sizes, SUCH A NICE TOUCH!!!! This color is very versatile -- good for a subtle overwash of glitter if you like, or buildable for a SOLID WALL OF GORGEOUS LIGHT-REFLECTING YELLOWS, GREENS, PINKS AND BLUES. I've never heard a bad thing about Lit Cosmetics OR their adhesive, which I bought with this product and LOVE!!! Match made in heaven!