Beauty Product Reviews

Huge Fan!

I recently picked up these bad boys (sample sized) for free at Sephora. Well free because it was the birthday perk for Beauty Insiders this month . I love these lip balms. They go on a bit shiny, but not sticky. The Rose one has a hint of pink to it, but certainly not red like the product looks, which is a good thing because I am not a fan of red lip color. They contain SPF 15, an added bonus, and are supposed to rehydrate and protect your lips. Since it's the Winter and my lips are a bit chapped, these balms have been perfect! They last a lot longer than your traditional balm, and keep my lips smooth long after application. The top one smells like lemon squares, no joke, heaven in a tube! Also, the caps screw on and off so no more open lip balms in your makeup bag!

Now I know these are a bit pricey at $22.50 a tube, but I feel they are well worth it. When my sample sizes run out, I will certainly be purchasing the original!

Easy to Apply and Long Lasting

I have been a user of Cover Girl eyeliner for as longer as I have been wearing makeup but when I received this product for review, I decided to branch out and give it a shot. The eyeliner is a bit creamy which allows for easy and precise application. It also lasts throughout the day, only needing to reapply in the evening. This is all in regards to the black eyeliner, when it comes to the colored ones however, they do not apply all that well and there is not much color. If you are looking for a creamy stick eyeliner I would certainly pick up the black, but skip the colored ones.

More Suited For A Younger Crowd

What a bummer this set was. I received it as a Christmas gift from my fiance's mom (I would have preferred the Naked pallet but I won't go there). The colors are bright in the case but once applied are quite disappointing. Even over primer and NYX crayons as a base, the colors do not pop much. The ones with glitter are basically just glitter and no color while the shimmer ones look promising but fade after an hour of wear. The blushes are not very pigmented as well and actually caused me to break out in a rash. The lip colors are not much to be desired either and are terribly sticky. Overall, save your money and purchase a higher end pallet like Urban Decay or Too Faced. You may not get as many colors, but at least you'll be able to use it.

What a Miss..

My first MAC makeup purchase was the Miss Piggy Pink eyeshadow and what a waste of money it was. I had been searching for a pink with a blue undertone for awhile so I figured why not give this color a shot. The color is quite sheer upon application (even over NYX Crayons and primer) and did not last long. It faded off in less than an hour and I had to constantly reapply it. I was quite disappointed in the quality of this for the price. I was truly hoping it would last as it was a nice sheer color for work, but that was not the case, it actually worked better as a cheekbone highlighter than it did an eyeshadow. For all the hype and $$ surrounding MAC, I certainly will not be purchasing their high price items again.

Everyday Pallet

This is my first Too Faced product and it certainly will not be my last. I use this product on a daily basis since it is easy to apply and lasts throughout my work day. (I used a UD Primer to insure long lasting application.) My favorite color is Silk Teddy. It is a great iridescent pink that can be used to easily blend dark colors or for highlighting. Cocoa Puff and Honey Pot are my other favorite colors. The three combined create a great day look that can be easily added to for a night out. They are crease free, but expect a bit of shimmer fallout during application, but not with wear. I suggest applying before your foundation so you can wash your cheeks off after.

Smooth and Pigmented

I did not instantly jump on the Lip Butter bandwagon as I am not a huge fan of lipstick, but this lipstick is more of a colorful balm, which works great for me. It's very smooth upon application, unlike drying lipsticks, and the color is sheer enough that I can wear it daily. The only down side is that it is not very long lasting. I probably would not buy any other colors as this one is a good neutral and I would only recommend it to those who are not big lipstick fans. It's a good "transitioning" product from balm to lipstick.

Heaven in a Bottle

I received a sample of the guava a few months back in my Birchbox. I fell in love instantly. The shower gel creates a great foaming lather, with or without a loofa. The smell is fresh, clean and natural. Aside from being thrilled about the lack of "toxins" in this product, I was even more excited when it did not irritate my skin. Most drugstore shower gels cause my skin to break out in small red bumps or even cause acne and this shower gel was the first I've tried that did not negatively affect my skin. Overall I would certainly recommend this product to girls with sensitive skin. The only downfall is the price.

Perfection!

I have struggled with acne and "not so great" skin for as long as I can remember. I have tried everything from over the counter to harsh prescriptions only to find out nothing worked, and most made my skin worse. Over the years my skin has naturally started to clear up but I still suffer from a weekly breakout (usually stress induced). I was afraid to go back to the standard over the counter treatments for fear of causing a larger breakout or damaging my skin. When I heard Burt's Bees made herbal skin care (aside from their lip products) I decided to give it a try. I figured something with less chemicals and more natural products might be what I needed. This blemish stick certainly came to the rescue. The rollerball allows easy application. No more sticky mess on your fingers from topical gels. Within 1 to 2 days of once a day application, my blemish cleared up. I truly wish I had found this product years ago. I would recommend this product to anyone suffering from a mild breakout who needs a quick fix. An added perk: the smell of the product. It smells fresh and earthy, not chemically.

A Must Have!

First off I am a PF addict so liking their products is nothing new for me but this blush was truly exceptional. The biggest plus about PF powders and blushes is how each contains more than one color so application is never solid or fake looking, the multiple colors add dimension. This blush has just the right amount of shimmer and I did not experience any fallout. A word of advise: The bright/magenta pink goes on very pigmented so make sure to swirl your brush around to pick up all the colors and tap off before applying.

Nothing Too Special

I won the Essie Summer collection awhile back and was quite excited to try out the polishes since it would be my first time using Essie. Upon initial application I was impressed with the colors and formula. The only down side was how long the polishes took to dry. After an hour, they were still tacky, even with a top coat. Drying time aside, the colors were bright and solid after two coats. These polishes, however, took a turn for the worst the next day. My tips started to fade and rub off (I do not do any manual labor, just typing all day) and near my cuticles started to chip. By day 3 about 40% of the polish was missing from my nails. Overall, these polishes were disappointing despite my original excitement.