Beauty Product Reviews

Great for dewy summer skin

I have been looking for the perfect summer foundation for months when I came across this in Sephora. The finish is light and dewy, which I usually don't do since my skin tends to get oily after a few hours with a dewy finish. This was remedied by setting it with a bit of translucent powder, and it stays put my entire workday. I loved that it has an SPF - a must for any summer face coverage. I was a bit wary at how dark the color comes out. I'm about a MAC NC15-20, and my skin only gets about a shade darker in the summer. This is sheer enough that the light blends well with my skin, but I do wish it were a bit lighter. It won't translate to my winter skin - it will be too dark, but one bottle at 2.15 oz will last me all season!

I was really interested in these shadows - they're not a powder or a cream, but a gel - it takes a little practice to get used to the texture and figure out the best way to work with the product. I find this works well with a flat stiff brush - I use my MAC 239 to sweep the color all over my lid. The salesgirl told me that she uses multiple colors together on her eye. I haven't tried blending them together, but they do blend beautifully with powder shadows, over a primer. These have a lot of shimmer. While I am sometimes turned off by that, the shimmer is sheer and iridescent - really beautiful when it catches the light. You really don't need a lot of product for each use - they go on smooth and can be buffed out easily. They are meant to build, so they can be a sheer wash of color or a strong statement. I have the red color - Ebloui - and, with a light layer, can easily pass for a simple day look or be used for a dramatic eye. At $36 they are pricey, but there's a lot of product in there - .14 oz (about as much as a MAC Fluidline pot). I want more, but the price is holding me off.

I didn't know what to expect from this unique lip product. It's super soft and creamy out of the tube - it feels like silk! Once I got familiar with how to use these, I bought several more shades. They take a few minutes to dry, but once they do, they really are matte! Because of that, they stay on the lips a long time - I usually don't reapply all day. I sometimes put a gloss over these once they are dry to amp up the look. You definitely need to make sure your lips are naked and moisturized if you apply this - it will settle into lines otherwise.

This is not my favorite. You definitely need to use a primer with this, as it will crease right away without one. I like having a white base to make colors pop, and this will do in a pinch. If you're looking for something with a low price point (around $5), this will work. But I recommend Nyx jumbo eye pencils for the range of colors and texture - I definitely find myself reaching for those more often. This has a very thick texture, which is not great for tender eyelids.

Great liquid for those who don't use liquid

I got this a part of a set from Costco last holiday season, and wasn't expecting much. I'm definitely a gel liner gal, and have had a really hard time getting liquids to work for me. I'm no whiz with those tiny little brushes they usually come with.

The felt tip on this makes it really easy to use. You can easily give a great dramatic cat eye, my go-to look. It's very black. After my success using this, I tried a couple other felt tip liquid liners, but this one is still my favorite. I use it when I'm feeling impatient with gel - I can get a quick look with this.

I've had it for about 6 months and still no sign of drying out. I don't use it every day - maybe a couple times a week at most. I'm planning on getting a replacement when my current one runs out.

My go-to!

I find it hard to judge mascaras in store, since you really can't play around with the wand and get the full effect. So I had apprehensions when I brought this home.

I have to say, this is my favorite mascara now! I have pushed my Dior aside and am having an exclusive relationship with Smoky Eyes! It just makes my lashes full and long, and doesn't stays in place all day! I use a couple coats on both top and bottom lashes daily. I feel like this is a great mascara to use without eyeliner (a look I don't go for a lot), because it really sticks to them. I don't get that tarantula-lashes-look a lot of mascaras give when they say they make your lashes look "full".

I will say one "con" with this product is that it's tough to remove. you definitely don't want to be tugging at your delicate eyelids, so use an oil-based remover. I got a deluxe sample size of their "sens-eyes" remover with this, and that does the trick, too.

I see a lot of people are unhappy with the price on this, but there are definitely lots of mascaras out there with higher price points. In fact, at $22, it beats my Diorshow $24.50, and is in line with my Buxom amplified and my Stila major MAJOR lash.

The salesgirl warned me that these dry really quickly, and she wasn't kidding! The work great on their own, but really don't blend with other products. I have tried them with a variety of different brands and formulas, and the shadow really just sits on top of it. I like them for a quick wash of color, and they really do stay put - no need to check for creasing! I found I have to be very precise - my mistakes are difficult to remove. I usually use just my finger to apply cream shadows, but I have to use a brush and be more careful with this product. I like having the one shade, but I won't buy more of these.

These shadows have great color payoff and are soft and creamy. They come in a ton of colors, and for about $4 each, it's hard to not go overboard. I have a drawer full of the things.

I did order a bunch of these from the Ulta website, as there are no stores in my area that sell Nyx. I ordered twice, and both times at least a couple shadows broke during shipment. I thought it was because they hadn't been packed well, but I eventually realized this is because they're really soft. I get a lot of fallout during application - I can never apply face makeup before using these shadows.

I do find myself reaching for these a lot, because there are a lot of unique colors. I do wish they had more matte shades available in stores - there are a ton on the website.

I agonized over spending $30 on this spray, but an employee at Sephora pointed out a travel-sized one. For $11 it was still a little pricey (I only used it a hadful of times before I realized I needed to bite the bullet and buy the full-sized product). But, this is a really good setting spray that does not clog my pores. I notice that by the middle of the day my face looks oily. This has really helped cut down the need to bring out my face powder for touch-ups. I stay matte much longer. I'm happy with this product.

These eyeshadows are amazing. I purchased two 10-palettes with shadows from their website, without having ever seen any of their products in person. I bought a variety of shades and formulas to try out.

Others have already said this, but what a great deal! Even if they had not been the quality they are hyped to be, I would have been satisfied. The shadows go down in price the more you buy, and the palette itself is only $5 when you purchase enough shadows to fit into it! So the entire palette ended up being $50 - really, you can't beat that even in drugstore brands.

The shadows themselves are creamy, highly pigmented, and stay put! To be fair, I do use a primer every day, but these really do not need a base to make them pop! I could sleep in these and be confident they wouldn't budge.

I also have to say that putting these palettes together was half the fun! Playing with color combos and slipping them into the strong magnetic pot made me feel like a kid. I do wish that these had a place to read the color numbers - it's hard to remember, since they don't have names. They absolutely stay put in there - I've had problems with other palettes where shadows slip out and you run the risk of dropping and breaking one. Not the case here, although you can easily slip them out by using the small magnets on the lid.

There are only a couple drawbacks, and neither are product-related.First, shipping from the website is a little expensive. You gat free shipping after $150, but that is a lot of makeup, especially if you are purchasing just to test their products. I think my shipping was $11 for this order. Second, the $5 price on the palette itself is only on the first one you buy for each order. For the second, I had to pay $15 - a savings of $5 off that palette. I still felt like it was a bargain compared to other brands I use - I see a lot of people comparing them to MAC, but I also use UD, Tarte, Nars, Benefit, Nyx, etc.

The only thing that has kept me from buying a lot more of these is that I want to play with them in store! I will have to wait until I go on vacation to do that, as there are only a few stores in the US.