Beauty Product Reviews | Page 17

Looks great in pan, harder to work with than other MAC shades

I wanted a shadow that screamed gothic-chic. In the pan, the shadow appeared to be the most beautiful deep blackened burgundy purple shot through with red glitters. Unfortunately, it goes on differently than it looks. Applied dry with a brush, it looks like a chalky mess of black/gray and loses all the red glitters. Perhaps it's because of its general texture; MAC "Velvets" aren't known for having the easiest texture to work with in comparison to Veluxe Pearls or even Satins. It was a sad day.

But THEN, I decided to experiment with its application. I put on a dark creamed based base (such as MAC blacktrack fluidliner) all over the eyes, and then patted on Beauty Marked on top. VOILA! The shadow showed up how it was supposed to. All in all, I'd say there are way too many burgundy-glittery-reddish shadows on the market for you to try this hard to make Beauty Marked work for you, but it sure is pretty to stare at.

***Please see my review on Sumptuous Olive for a quick and general overview of MAC eyeshadows

The most amazing peachy gold you will ever meet.

I was always on the hunt for that elusive peachy gold eyeshadow. The one that matches with any other eyeshadow, but can look hot on its own with some black liner and a swoop of mascara. Hallelujah, because I found that shade in MAC's "All that Glitters", another shadow from their brilliant Veluxe Pearl line. ATG is a stunningly smooth and rich peachy gold. It brings out every eye color I've ever seen it on (and makes the gold pop in my hazel/brown eyes). The texture is not overly frosty, more of a glistening glow on the eyes. It's stands out on its own even in comparison to MAC shadows. it's more peachy/gold toned than Shroom or Goldbit, but definitely less bronze/orange than Woodwinked.

If you are creating a MAC 4 pan palette and need a staple everyday shadow that will make your eyes pop, get this. Since it is a shimmering shade, I recommend pairing it with satin toned or matte shadows to complement its texture. Pair it with chocolate browns, blacks, maroons, deep forest green, and any jewel tones for effortlessly twinkling eyes.

***Please see my review on Sumptuous Olive for a quick and general overview of MAC eyeshadows

Gorgeous mid-deep khaki olive with gold iridescence

Sumptuous Olive is a gorgeous mid-deep khaki olive shot through with gold iridescence. It’s part of MAC’s Veluxe Pearl range of eye shadows; the texture is creamy and, well….sumptuous! It glides on my lids and can easily be built up or packed up with my finger for more pigment. With my Urban Decay Primer Potion, it lasts all day and doesn’t fade.

I have pale skin with peachy undertones, hazel/brown eyes, and chocolate brown hair. This enhances the gold bits in my eyes and looks gorgeous when paired with beiges, golds, peaches, and apricot shades (try MAC Rubenesque paint pot or MAC Shroom eyeshadow). Sounds weird, but try pairing this on the lid with a blue-violet liner on the lash line for a totally mystifying look (I use MAC Royal Wink Fluidliner)!

************* It's hard to go wrong with MACs large spectrum of eye shadows. You will find something for every look you need. They come in typical MAC black plastic eyeshadow packaging (which contains .05 oz at $14.50). Compared to something like Stila’s eyeshadow, (priced at .09 oz for $18) it’s slightly overpriced. However, if you decide to depot the shadow pan for the container you can use the plastic packaging for MAC Back 2 MAC program (recycle 6 empty MAC products and get a free eyeshadow or lipgloss). Then, insert the depoted shadow into a MAC empty palette system (sold in 4-pans or 15-pan) for completely customized palettes.

Does a good job, but too expensive to purchase.

I don't really like to splurge on "necessary" items, like soap, razors, and even makeup remover. I feel like its taking away my fun money for bright and shiny eyeshadows :) However, I received this as part of a gift with purchase, so I had to try it. It's a really great makeup remover, but at the price, I do not recommend purchasing it on your own. For $26, you get 4.2 fl oz of product which is a lot, but it goes by quickly. I highly recommend Neutrogena's makeup remover instead, which has the same consistency and does the same job.

Awesome and good value!

With drugstore makeup prices increasing all the time, I had some serious expectations for this mascara. Fortunately, it fulfilled all my eyelash dreams, for under $7! I use Very Black 800 and it shows up as a pure inky black on my already dark lashes.

This is formula is not waterproof formula, but it rarely smudges on me all day. The design of the wand is innovative and effectively separates, defines, and plumps lashes (Chanel’s Inimitable copied the same design, so save yourselves $20 + dollars and try this version instead). For optimal results, curl your lashes before applying mascara (I recommend either the Shu Uemura or Shiseido lash curler depending on your eye shape). Place your mascara wand at the root of your lash while looking up. Then wiggle your mascara up through your lashes several times so they are fully coated. Voila! You now have gorgeous voluminous lashes for under $10. I’ve repurchased this at least 3 times and will continue to ☺

(pic included shows me wearing lashblast on tops and bottoms of lashes)

Vivid color. Long Lasting.

I'm always on the hunt for fun eyeliners and these are totally up my alley! I absolutely love these pencils. Bright, saturated, creamy color that lasts and lasts.

Electric: Bright clear turquoise Covet: Exotic jungle green Honey: Molten gold

All three impart a rich and shimmery pigment on the skin, totally worth the $15! Wear them on the lashline with shimmery neutral colors on the lid to make eyes completely pop!

Amazing water-based foundation

Again, Makeup Forever hardly disappoints. Their face and body foundation is 50% water, and feels like nothing when applied on the skin. The coverage is buildable and layerable, your skin will not cake! I have combination fair skin and wear shade 20. If you have slightly oily skin I recommend a very light setting powder or something like MAC Blot over it just to prevent the oilies.

The texture can be a bit off-putting at first. In the glass jar, it looks like a weird watery gelatinous substance. Once you take a little bit either on your finger or with a stippling brush like the MAC 187, it blends onto your skin really well, making it transform your skin (it photographs AMAZINGLY) Lasts all day as well. Do not hesitate to buy this, and make sure to go to a sephora store to get color matched/samples

If you want your skin to seriously GLOW, have no fear because this is the palette for you!

I purchased Fresh Satin Luster palette 2 years ago and use it at least 5x a week. It comes with 3 shades of shimmery white cream, beige peach, and rose pink. All 3 colors are cream based but feel extraordinarily light on the skin, their texture is like silk. I have fair-light skin with peachy undertones and use all three highlighters on the inside corners of my eyes, on the brow bone, on the tops of cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and anywhere else that light would naturally hit. Even though I have fairer skin ,I feel like these shades would look good on many skin tones depending on product placement and coordinating makeup selection.

This palette costs $45, but the product itself has lasted for over 2 years with heavy use, and contains 3 individual shades of highlighter, making it a great value. Highly recommended :)

Gorgeous pop of color!

I love lipgloss as much as the next person, but I hate how quickly it comes off, especially when I go out at night! I'm really into lip stains at the moment. I wanted something that would give my lips some oomph WITH lasting power. Usually a lot of stains turn fuchsia on my lips, so I wanted something that wouldn't make me look like a clown. Posie tint from BeneFit is a gorgeous shade of sheer coral pink which would look universally flattering on basically all coloring! It enhances my lips VERY subtly (I have medium pigmented lips). I usually apply it with my finger from the brush, not straight on. It lasts for about 4 hours, but I do tend to lick my lips a lot. It doesn't advertise that it's a moisturizing product, and it does dry out the lips a bit. I recommend putting on some balm before applying.

There is ample product in Posie Tint and enough to last you for quite some time. All in all, I would rebuy this stain as a subtle lip/cheek tint.

Gorgeous Packaging. Not much color payoff.

Ok, let’s just talk packaging here. I instantly fell in love with the vintage inspired Dandelion. It’s a little cardboard box covered with adorable print, and houses a mini brush within. Inside, it looks like a soft ballerina pink in the pan; I was expecting it to make me look like a ballerina glowing in the wintertime.

Unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken….this product has very little pigment. On my fair-light skin, it barely showed up. Perhaps this is more appropriate for extremely pale complexions to highlight. For all you packaging lovers out there, its gorgeous to look at, but the pigment payoff might deter you. That said, I still love the way it looks on my vanity ☺