Beauty Product Reviews | Page 3
Love it!
Who knew Goat Milk was made out of MAGIC!? I've used several different brush cleansers and this is one of the winners. If you are used to regular bar soap or castile soap, this is a similar formula. The main difference is that this shampoo is much more gentle than those alternatives, meaning your brushes live a little longer! The lather is also much more fine than regular bar soap which means less buildup trapped in the ferrule, which means a happier brush!
SKIN IS IN!
I have seen a lot of complaints about I'm Nude and Mannequin since the recent release and it all made me realize that I haven't even reviewed one of my favorite and most used shades, CELEBRITY SKIN! This color reminds me of coffee with cream: a cool mid-tone brown-leaning nude shade. This brand has one of the only liquid lipsticks that is actually compatible with pencils once the product has SET. Most other liquid lips will flake or peel if you try to draw over them with a pencil, but JSC's formula holds really well. This liquid lip paired with a good pencil (M.A.C. Stripdown, for example) is a perfect formula for the "Kylie lips" everyone wants these days.
KEEP ABUSING ME BABY
We are no strangers to Jeffree's formula blowing our minds, but Abused really has made me very happy. I remember reading reviews about other makeup brands' blue/green shades (apparently they are hard to get right without sheering out?) and being worried that buying Abused could be a gamble. This shade performs just as well as the others -- there is no sheer aspect or necessity to 'build up' the product. I had full, wearable, kissable coverage in one swipe. I don't know why I was so scared -- JSC has never done me wrong! Try tapping a highlighter in the middle of it to fake a pout! (like JSC Mint Condition Skin Frost!)
What just happened?!?!
Okay, so when I first saw Clean Apothecary's shampoo formula I was excited right away because I am a big fan of Argan Oil and I know that it's got a lot of great uses for skincare/cleansing/etc. When I was picking through the scents I noticed that they had grapefruit and thought that was a refreshing change of pace from the usual gamut of aromas (lavender, for example, which is also available from this brand) so I decided to go with that one. What a lovely scent, without being too overbearing! When you wet the product the fragrance activates a bit more and it makes the shampoo smell like it's actually "juicy" as opposed to the concentration of fragrance from, let's say, hand soap. Moving on to the performance, I decided to compare it to a few of my old standbys (Dr. Bronner's Castile Bar soap, London Brush Company Goat Milk, and good ol' Dial Antibacterial) to see how the formula held up. I used this product on a wide range of bristles: synthetic, vegan, white and black goat hair, horse, sable, and blue squirrel. After using this shampoo to deep clean about 30 of my regular-use brushes, I can confidently say that this product has vastly outperformed my other methods. I wet the bristles, give them a swirl or two (or three -- I got carried away with the scent!) in the shampoo, and work the brush in my palm until I see the color successfully lifting from my bristles -- then I rinse. One of my favorite things about this shampoo is the fact that the lather is much more subtle than my other methods, and as a result it doesn't seem to make such a mess or get trapped in the ferrule. (my other methods get VERY foamy. Not so much with the LBC but still noticeable enough) Even further beyond that, I am happy to report there is indeed truth in the company's claim that this shampoo conditions your brushes. I didn't think Blue Squirrel hair could get any softer, but lo and behold, I was made a believer. Regarding the lack of instructions, this shampoo conforms directly to my preferred method of cleaning brushes, (bar soap style, swipe in palm and rinse) so when I saw it, I felt instantly familiar. No instructions needed here! I am genuinely torn now, because my current favorite method (Castile Bar soap) is very inexpensive by comparison, but this product does its job SO WELL. I am also a firm believer that a good SAFE soap is an invaluable tool in your makeup arsenal. I only own one blue squirrel hair brush, and that brush alone is worth over 80 dollars. I am not going to use DIAL Antibacterial soap on an 80 dollar brush, you feel me? I wasn't even too thrilled about using Castile soap, but this Clean Apothecary shampoo... I could see myself having a future with this shampoo -- wife and kids type of deal. The thirst is REAL! Give this product a try if you want safely cleaned brushes that are soft, not stripped!
HI THERE, MY NATURAL LIP COLOR!
So, I pigged out recently when Gemini restocked with Rose Matter and Mannequin and decided to buy all 3. The pigmentation and consistency of Gemini, right of the bat, was incredibly impressive to me. The shade itself, for me anyways, is truly a MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade. My lips have a lot of natural pink so I suppose that may explain why Gemini leans more neutral than orange/terracotta on me. (I am also Pink undertoned with my skin so that may fight the orange in Gemini) Not a complaint, it does exactly what I was planning it would. I plan on using it for a nice ombre lip with Androgyny (or if you have Dominatrix/Unicorn Blood Gemini would make a lovely combo with those IMO). Consistency's great, coverage is superb, wear time lines up right... all of these aspects are what you would expect from the JSC line. I have great respect for a cosmetics purveyor who maintains consistent product (or at least works to make products better) and Jeffree works hard to do that for his customers.
Bronzing heaven!
I have a few different shades from RCMA and they all make me very happy. This one, for my slightly pale complexion, serves as a preliminary contour shade until I blend and deepen with other shades. After it is buffed out it acts as more of a bronzing contour but I am a big believer in using 124382345897 different shades to make a face. I try to avoid my nose with this product because it leans very warm, but it serves as a fabulous bronzer or light+warm contouring shade for other areas. Good for use on the neck and chin area to cancel out the beard-tones from drag makeup if you don't use beard corrector.
The hype is REAL!
This has to be, without a doubt, the most pigmented foundation formula I have EVER come across. I actually went in blind and bought this based on Tristan L.'s stellar review, and it has NOT let me down. I use KN-2 for cream bronzing but this is SO intense. How do I put it effectively? It just GETS TO THE POINT. Bing, bang, boom. Hit your contours with a brush for buildable control or warm some up on a spatula for INTENSE payoff. Although this looks/feels very dense, it warms up to become a slightly emolient, VERY pigmented formula. RCMA really is one of those TRUE make up artist's secrets that just opens up that third eye a bit bigger! I have very fair skin and I use this shamelessly to contour! Don't be scared, IT'S SCIENCE AND MAGIC!
The GRANDEST of Tiaras
I never had the chance to try out the original Tiara but Tiara is one of my favorite words ever. It takes me AWAY literally to princesses and dragons and all that jazz. So when I received Grand Tiara and opened her up to look at it in person, I was absolutely floored. Sugarpill's Loose Eyeshadows are seriously fabulous. I have used a few different brand formulas but I like Sugarpill's best. Great adherence and blendability. These shadows layer so well over other eyeshadows. Usually, the problem with loose pigments is they don't adhere to the skin/base and fallout occurs. It feels like Sugarpill's formula truly marries my skin to the color and creates a long-lasting, high-impact effect. I will never be able to tell you in complete detail just how much love for this brand I have. Amy Doan, if you ever read this, you are one of my favorite people on Earth. Please keep doing what you're doing!!!
No fuss, no fight -- Clean makeup all night!
Even though I don't personally do makeup too often on other people, I get pretty messy using it on myself. I don't really get too worried about my skin/eye getting infections or anything like that. I clean my cosmetics because if you don't, bacteria can form and compromise the integrity of any makeup it comes into contact with. I've got girlfriends who have never cleaned their makeup, and some of it they have had for YEARS. They complain that they "dont work like they used to" and you can see a dark film of oil and bacteria from where a layer has formed over the eyeshadow/foundation and it grosses me out REALLY REALLY BAD. I was on the verge of this nightmare with one of my beloved blushes but after a spritz of this bad boy, i dusted off the top layer and she was good as new! I'm a convert now -- I'll never be without this product.
Lovely tools!
I am going to be very real with everyone and confess a terrible secret: I am a recovering nail biter. I used to do it all the time and it's very difficult to stop! One good way to keep your hands out of your mouth is by keeping them in tip-top shape. This kit saves me from the nail salon (a place I don't particularly love) and keeps me from feeling insecure about garbage-can chewed-up nails. With this kit, you have everything to make sure your nails stay looking healthy and clean. It's kind of a no brainer for me. Manicures are expensive (most of the time more expensive than this kit) so it's already saved me tons of cash. All function, no flourish. No bells and whistles, just professional-grade tools doing a professional-grade job. I love you. Tweezerman.