Beauty Product Reviews | Page 4

Gentle yet effective and multi purpose

I love Dr Bronner's soap! It's so cost effective and a little really goes a long way on their soaps. There are so many uses for it that you can use around the home, which I haven't gotten around to trying yet, just as a body wash and for cleaning the hair, but eventually I plan on using this to wash my laundry with. I've also used this to clean tattoos before and it works wonderfully, doesn't strip or dry out the skin and leaves it fresh and bright looking. I bought my bottle maybe almost two years ago and I'm not even halfway done with it!

Creamy but matte and a breeze to apply

When I first saw the release photos, it was very hard for me to not want EVERY SINGLE SHADE in this line. We do have to practice restraint somewhere, right? So far, I own Glastonberry and Amazing Grace, two colors that are very different in color but both equally awesome. Glastonberry is like a deep berry, vampy but perfect for fall. Amazing Grace is like a tea rose shade, not a normal shade for me I felt that I was missing neutral YLBB colors in my arsenal. Amazing Grace definitely gives color to the lips but not in an overtly bright way, enough to give life to the lips but in an everyday wear. Both are very creamy when you apply and feel very comfortable on the lips, not drying at all, which is what you usually would think from a matte lipstick. They don't dry patchy and application is very easy and seamless. I love Charlotte's lipsticks because they just glide on effortlessly and you don't have to work with the product per say to get a good application. And while a semi-matte finish, I don't have to apply any gloss on top at all, I can just wear them as is. Now for which colors to pick up next....

brightening and illuminizing for my tired eyes

Let's be real. Staring at a computer all day is not the business for your eyeballs. It definitely can cause eye strain and worst of all, leaving my peepers feeling super tired by 4pm. Enter Charlotte's new Miracle Eye Wands. The eye cream side helps to hydrate and lift the eye area (and leaving it feeling refreshed) but I also detect a bit of a cooling sensation, which is nice too! The other side highlights and illuminates the eye area, thus giving it more of a brightening effect. Definitely let the eye cream side dry before going in with the highlighting side to get the most smooth finish. I will say, this is not really meant to be a concealer, so if covering is your main concern, look at the Retouchers for that. It definitely made me look more wide awake and any slight darkness was erased. I love a pen applicator bc it makes throwing into my purse super easy and it's pretty easy to dispense the product too. I'm about a shade 6/7 in her Light Wonder foundation and shade 2 works perfect for me, 3 was a bit too peachy for the intended use. 4pm afternoon tired eyes, BE GONE!!

Creamy yet lightweight and perfect for day

I picked up the Dual Action Serum because while my skin is pretty good overall (thanks mom and dad!), I would like to maintain and my main concerns are preventative care and anti-aging. This one is perfect for my skin. It's not too heavy for daytime (which I hate), feel creamy yet moisturizing and absorbs quickly into the skin without feeling sticky or tacky. I've noticed that when I do my makeup afterwards, my skin actually looks a lot more smooth and refreshed and just overall....better, if that even makes sense! I use the Cleansing Toner once I wake up and once that absorbs into the skin after a few minutes, then I massage the serum into my skin and neck and if I have any excess, onto the backs of hands (these places need love too!!). You can use sunscreen after, so since I'm using the IT Cosmetics CC Cream as my coverage right now, I usually just apply that after the serum has absorbed. I haven't broke out at all from using Mila's products and I am truly hooked. I plan on using her products for a very long time and hey, if it's good enough for Jen Aniston, it's good enough for me too!!!

Seriously amazing. Radiant and even skin!

ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? It's ridiculous how much I love this product (Although the price, maybe not as much but I realized that the older I get, the better invested I should be in my skincare). I've used some alpha hydroxy acids in the past, like Dr Dennis Gross but never really stuck to it. Lately I noticed that my skin was just not looking as great (getting older) and realizing that I should really be adding more active ingredients and using actual products that are going to not only maintain my skin, but help make it look even better. I was a little scared that the high percentage of glycolic acid might irritate my skin even though my skin can pretty much take anything I throw at it. Luckily, my face adjusted well without any burning or irritation. The first time I applied this (at night only, please) when I checked myself out in the morning, I saw a difference right away. And it converted me to a Mila believer. Seriously. It's not often that I say that or see that much of difference with just ONE use. Thank you Mila. It's seriously a pleasure go through my skincare regimen each time and to know that my skin is feeling and looking the difference that it makes!

this toner made me a believer!

So my past experience with toners was a Dickenson's witch hazel toner. You know, it came in a giant bottle from Costco, I thought it would help my acne prone skin when I was 17 but really, it just dried it out and seemed to do nothing. So I hadn't touched a toner since then....until now. This has made me a convert, for SURE. My skin feels soft but additionally cleansed and just has better overall tone and radiance. It just feels really good being swiped on. I like to let it fully absorb into the skin for a few minutes before following up with either her Refining Serum or her Dual Action Serum. I also love that Mila's philosophy is to not cleanse in the morning (which, disclaimer, I was already doing so I was already on the right path woohoo!) so using this in the morning to tone my skin and take off anything from when I was sleeping makes my skin feel refreshed and ready for the day.

Smells nice and non drying

Can I tell you that I love the word milk? Milk, cream, anything related to this dairy liquid I love. In a cleanser on the other hand, not something I normally gravitated towards because if anything, my combo skin will run a bit more oily than dry. This though, it really cleans my skin without stripping it or making it more dry or oily and just has a really light pleasant scent. I only need a few pumps and and it really does the job nicely, no breakouts or anything! Gentle yet effective, which I realize I need to stop using harsh cleansers that just pull everything from skin.

the only facial oil you will ever need

I am a huge HUGE advocate for facial oils in your nighttime routine. Skin feeling a bit tight and dry? Facial oil. Flakey skin? Facial oil. Want that nice glow? Facial oil. It all started the day I was introduced to the legendary Shu Uemura cleansing oil line and from that day forward, I couldn't get my hands on enough oil related products (especially after learning that contrary to belief, oil does NOT make you more oily, oil and oil cancel each other out). I've tried argan oil, that Tarte Marujuca oil, the Nude skincare one, the list goes on and on but this one is by far my favorite of the bunch. It smells delightful, light, not strong, sinks in very well and doesn't leave a greasy residue all over. Rather, it absorbs pretty fast. In the morning, my skin looks refreshed and glowy, less tight and just overall, amazing? I'm blessed with pretty amazing skin the majority of the time so when I notice in the morning that my skin looks extra amazing, whatever I used the night before is downright going to get big points from me!

Everything I need in one set

I'm not one who usually gravitates towards brush sets, mostly because I always find there are a few brushes I just end up never using. But with this set, I actually end up using every single brush quite frequently, which happens like NEVER. Every single eye brush I can use to handcraft my daily look: (neutral but slightly smoky with lots of eyeliner winged at the ends and a clean filled in brow), bronzer and blush with the Deluxe Kabuki (bc honestly, I've been wearing only the IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Medium these days), using the Pro Powder brush to apply my RCMA No Color Powder to set everything, and the lip brush to apply whatever lipstick I wear that day. On the plus, Rae's brushes are so darn light that when I travel, they don't weigh my makeup bag down. The hairs are really soft too, so there is no scratchy feeling on my face or eyes. My favorite brush is probably Precision Bent liner brush - it's thin but allows me to get really detailed with my liner work or thicken as I go. Most importantly, the angle helps me to create a perfect wing, every single time. Although it was quite a splurge for me, I'm totally pleased with my set and plan on it using it for a very long time!

soft. beautiful. excellent for travel

Okay so, since I started using Japanese brushes such as Chikuhodo and Wayne Goss, I realized that I had been merely putting up with my other mediocre Sephora and Urban Decay brushes for FAR TOO LONG! The Sakura set definitely takes the cake, in that they are SO soft and definitely very luxurious. No more scratchy hairs on my eyes (which I finally realized that over time, is probably not the best for the delicate area of the eyelids). The handles are really pretty and sturdy, the blossoms aren't going to smudge off with continued use and I'm thinking about investing in a Brush Tree to show them off on my dresser more. As far as the selection of brushes, I can comfortably bring all of these when I travel without having to add any additional brushes in (okay maybe 1 or 2 but that's my OCD kicking in and fearing of being without everything I own). This set is my new favorite and I find myself reaching for them quite a lot lately. I love the tiny detailing brush, as I apply eyeliner and wing it out every day, it's important to me to be precise and this does the trick. A definite must!