Beauty Product Reviews
As Good As My High End Exfoliators
Good Molecules recently dropped their Pineapple Exfoliating Powder. I purchased the product from Beautylish. I've had the chance to test this multiple times.
For reference, my skin is generally normal. I have some fine lines around my eye area and mouth. I also have an occasional blemish. I can also sometimes have a dry patch or appear t-zone oily. I like to use an exfoliator a few times a week. I subbed this product for my regular, much more expensive, exfoliator for testing.
The instructions say to use about a teaspoon of product and mix with a few drops of water. I used much less product. I added enough water to make the product into a thin paste. I followed the remaining instructions. After using the product, my skin was bright, glowing, and healthy. The product did not smell like pineapple or fruit but to my nose had a soapy smell. I feel the results were very good and comparable to high end products I've used. Easily worth the cost of $16!
QC Issues?
I purchased Daisy bc it was described as "Classic pink beige with a satin finish". I looked at the online swatches. The lipstick I received as daisy is not even close to the description or swatches. So disappointed as the shade I received won't work for me. The lipstick applied smoothly so no complaints there. However, since there are clearly quality issues, I won't chance buying any other shades. I feel that I wasted my money since I will need to destash Daisy.
Superb Launch Into Satin and Glitter Finishes
Creamy, opaque in a swipe, moisturizing, adorable bullet - what's not to love? (I have no clue about those posting that these lipsticks are grainy. NONE of the 6 different shades I bought are grainy...they're smooth like butter! In fact, I just ordered a 7th shade.)
Superb Launch Into Satin and Glitter Finishes
*Apparently I need to post 6 reviews in order to post the 6 swatches. I wasn't going to write a review but after seeing all of the reviews saying the lipsticks are grainy, I felt I needed to post my take. I purchased 6 of the Lip Ammunition: Baby Spice, Beauty Pageant, Unicorn Blood, Starfish, Jeffree’s Girl, and Ex Super Model. none of the lipsticks are grainy. All of the lipsticks (satins) are opaque on a single swipe. They are creamy, pigmented, and long lasting. Beauty Pageant, the glitter shade, is a sheer. You can feel the glitter on application but not during wear. this shade wore just as long as the satins.
Superb Launch Into Satin and Glitter Finishes
I wasn't going to write a review but after seeing all of the reviews saying the lipsticks are grainy, I felt I needed to post my take. I purchased 6 of the Lip Ammunition: Baby Spice, Beauty Pageant, Unicorn Blood, Starfish, Jeffree’s Girl, and Ex Super Model. none of the lipsticks are grainy. All of the lipsticks (satins) are opaque on a single swipe. They are creamy, pigmented, and long lasting. Beauty Pageant, the glitter shade, is a sheer. You can feel the glitter on application but not during wear. this shade wore just as long as the satins.
Beautiful primer for glowing skin!
Ok, so I almost didn't buy this product. I read the reviews and was terrified of the feedback of this primer being "glittery" and highlighting pores. After all, I'm almost 49 and frankly don't have perfect skin...yes, I have pores, fine lines, and adult acne (sheesh!) I certainly don't need a product that's going to bring out the flaws in my skin. But since I was already using, and happy with, the Tilbury Light Wonder and Air Brush Flawless Finish powder, I thought I should give this a go to.
The Wonderglow is in a package exactly like the foundation. On the one hand this is good since the product is easy to hold and dispense just the perfect amount. (A little goes a long way with this primer so a drop or two is all you need for full face application.) The drawback is that they look very similar in the vanity! The primer is said to have three uses: for a dewy glow alone, as a makeup primer, or as a highlighter (on top of makeup). Since I have only used this product as a primer under makeup, my review will only cover the single use.
Before I go any further, let me clear something up - this product does NOT contain glitter. The product is illuminating and has a slightly warm sheen. Upon dispensing, it may seem to appear overly shimmery, however, on full face application, the shimmer lessens to a diffuse glow.
The product is slightly moisturizing. I have normal skin and used a moisturizer prior to applying this product. I was a little concerned about the rose hip and camellia oils in the product (added to restructure, retexturize and moisturize the skin) but they did not make my skin greasy, oily, or shiny. Additionally, the oils did not add any fragrance to the product.
The Wonderglow primer wore perfectly for me about 10 hours (until I removed my makeup). The picture attached was taken after having my full face makeup on for 7 hours. (This includes the Wonderglow, Light Wonder foundation - 4, Air Brush Flawless Finish powder - fair, and By Terry concealer - 3.) Again, my mea culpa since I am a lousy photographer - the pic was taken with a cellphone and no filter or special lighting was used.
Wonderglow made my skin appear glowing, youthful, and healthy. It did not accentuate any of my skin flaws but instead the light-diffusers in the product actually camouflaged them. I highly recommend this product.
New Favorite Go-To Palette
I'll admit it. I hesitated at the thought of spending so much money for an eye shadow palette. I hesitated for a while. But the gorgeous colors and the track record of the company's products won me over. I paid out my money and crossed my fingers. I'm so glad that I did.
The Color Design palette is a work of art. The finely milled shades are a joy to look at in the pan. The packaging is lovely and the velvet pouch makes the palette easy to take along in your makeup bag. Did I also mention that the included dual ended brush is the first brush included with a palette that I have ever thought was even worth using?! The brush is well made and does a great job of applying the shadows both as shadows and as eye liners.
The palette itself is comprised of 10 shades, mostly satin with varying degrees of shimmer (nothing too frosty or metallic) with 5 cool tones and 5 warm tones. All of the shadows are extremely pigmented. The cool tones (moving from left to right) are deep navy grey which appears more to the grey; mid-toned lilac which appears somewhere between a purple and lilac; light pinkish lilac which appears true to pan; neutral pink which appears lighter than pan; and light cool pink which appears much lighter than pan. The warm tones (moving from left to right) deep neutral brown which appears true to pan; copper with a gold shimmer which appears true to pan; shimmery yellow which appears much lighter than pan; shimmery peach which appears lighter than pan; and matte mid-toned orange which appears true to pan.
All of the shadows are easy to work with, blendable, and can be applied to achieve more or less pigment (or vibrancy) depending on the look you want. The shadows are designed to be worn "as is" or mixed to create different shades altogether - giving the user an extensive number of color options. I have been using the palette for it's vibrancy, however, I tested the shades as a sheer wash of color as well. In both cases, all shades wore beautifully all day. In fact, the first day I wore shades from this palette (the cools) I applied the shadow at 3 a.m. (don't even ask!) and they lasted without fade until I removed them that evening at 7 pm! Unbelievable wear.
I read other reviews where the user described either less vibrancy or poorer wear. I suspect this may have something to do with the eye primer that was used. I have consistently gotten 10+ hours of wear from every color in this palette without caking, fall-out or creasing. This is currently my favorite palette because of it's color options, ease of use, and long wear. Since a little shadow goes a long way with every shade, this palette should last a long time and was a great investment.
(NOTE: I tried to capture the shades by swatching. However, I apologize for being a lousy photographer with poor lighting. The shades are actually slightly more vibrant than they appear in my picture.)
Worth $115? YES!
Is a foundation that will set you back $115 worth it? The answer is a resounding YES and I'll explain why.
The By Terry Wrinkle Control Serum Foundation is as it seems: a serum and a foundation. So basically it's a two-for. But like anything else, a product is only worth the deal if it actually works and this foundation lives up to it's billing.
The foundation comes in a lovely glass bottle with a pump. You only need a very little bit of this foundation for a flawless application. The foundation itself has a bit more consistency to it than a liquid foundation (after all it is a serum as well) but isn't quite a gel. The feel is extremely smooth and it applies beautifully either with fingers, a blending sponge, or with a blending brush.
Coverage is on the more natural to light side. You can easily build up coverage to about a medium. I did not find that this foundation could be built to a full coverage. That being said, in my opinion full coverage is not necessary with this foundation.
The feel on the face is as if you are wearing nothing at all. I tried the foundation both with and without a primer so I would be able to offer a fair assessment. (Since I am currently using the By Terry primer, the primer only added to the flawless coverage - there will be a separate review of the primer.) The Densiliss technology is combined with the Mimetic Factor (patented) to simulate fibroblasts and collagen synthesis by mimetism. The foundation not only refines and firms the skin and diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles but the effects last beyond the wearing of the foundation. A light application of this foundation, with no primer, easily disguised my fine lines around my eyes - it literally was as if they disappeared! I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.
The foundation wore flawlessly all day. It did not fade or transfer to clothing. Since very little product is required for good coverage, this product should last a long time. So because of it's gorgeous coverage, skin-saving serum benefits, and seemingly inexhaustable bottle, $115 is a great deal for this product. <a class='textlink' href='http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeautyblog#!By-Terry-Terrybly-Densiliss-Wrinkle-Control-Serum-Foundation/c1rfl/3589B751-1899-422B-AF20-B630C1855B50' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeaut...</a>
Lovely for Contour Too!
It's all about the contour and highlighting. For me, it's been a long, tiring, and expensive search for just the right shade of contour powder. This one's too dark, this one's too orangey, this one looks like "fake-a-tan"... And then I stumbled across Glow Up by Ellis Faas. The product line launched in 2009 in Amsterdam by MUA Ellis Faas. The powder itself is actually marketed more as a highlighting powder. I, however, having fair-light skin, thought it might also work well as a contour powder. I was right. The powder is very finely milled with a very subtle shimmer. No, not that glittery or overly sparkly club-type shimmer. It imparts a very flattering light-reflecive healthy glow. The powder is scent-free and also free of parabens. It does contain vitamin E making it a wonderful environmental protectant that is great for any skin type.
I purchased my Glow Up from Beautylish for $31.50. Please note, it does NOT come with the powder case which must be purchased separately for $12.50 (or $35 for a classic holder that holds additional product).
The powder is extremely easy to work with. Using a contour brush, I only had to lightly tap the pan to pick-up the perfect amount of powder for use. The powder did not fall off the brush and applied and blended smoothly. On application, I was able to achieve a perfect contour that looked very natural. The reflective properties of the powder does wonders to mask imperfections. The powder wore seamlessly all day (10 hours) until I removed it. I suspect it would have continued to wear well beyond the 10 hours. While I used Satin Glow as a contour, it would work very well as a highlighter; also imparting a satin, luminous glow (well-named product!)
Glow Up is available in three shades: Porcelain Glow, Satin Glow (which I purchased), and Deep Glow. The Satin Glow was true to pan shade on application. Because of the shade selection and the builability of coverage, most skin tones will be able to select just the right shade for the best match. <a class='textlink' href='http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeautyblog#!Ellis-Faas-Glow-Up-/c1rfl/8EC4FC59-D532-4E40-8B49-FE5752AA711A' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeaut...</a>
Nice for quick fixes
Recently launched at Beautylish in the U.S. with special package deals, this French pharmacy soap-free micellar cleanser is touted as skin soothing, fragrance free, and perfect for all skin types including sensitive. It is also stated that it removes face and eye makeup including water-resistant ones. I picked up one of the deals at Beautylish and thought I'd try it out. The product itself has the feel of a "soft water". The directions for use instruct to use on cotton pad and remove makeup/cleanse. You need to be careful dispensing the product onto the pad or coton ball as the consistency makes it dispense quickly - after all, you are pouring out a water.
First I attempted to remove the eye makeup I had been wearing all day. I saturated my cotton pad and wiped. Nothing. I repeated and a bit of my eyeshadow came off but nothing else. I repeated a third time with similar results. At this point I stopped as I did not want to aggressively rub the delicate eye tissue. Was I wearing waterproof makeup? Nope. The eye makeup it failed to remove was: Urban Decay eyeshadow primer, Stila shadows from the In the Garden palette, Stila Kajal eyeliner, and Armani Eyes to Kill mascara. I grabbed my cotton pad and my trusty Lancome Bifacil and in a quick swipe, the eye makeup was gone.
Next I attempted to remove my facial makeup. I followed the same process for usage and in 2 pads, my makeup was almost completely removed. A third pad completely removed the balance of my makeup. My skin was left clean and softened. (The makeup removed: Armani Master Fluid primer, Armani Luminous Silk foundation, Aramani Maestro Eraser concealer, Makeup For Ever HD powder, Korres blush/contour/highlighter.)
My takeaway from this test use, is that I would buy this product again for the ease of use for removing facial makeup and for the softened quality it left my skin. I would not depend on the product to remove eye makeup at all since it failed to remove eye makeup that was not water resistant, let alone waterproof. I liked the product's gentleness. I believe this would be a superb choice for either quick late-day makeup touch-ups or changes or for a quick correction during makeup application.
<a class='textlink' href='http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeautyblog#!Bioderma-Sensibio-H2O-Micelle-Solution-For-Sensitive-Skin/c1rfl/04420DB2-2330-498E-8B48-71FB5B60241C' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://mmrkt1.wix.com/binxcatsbeaut...</a>