Makeup
- BeautyJunkieAmber » See my profile
- Points: 11770
- Reviews: 231
Here are all my reviews:
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Despite the fact that scrubbing black hair color out of my shower every 2-3 weeks isn’t one of my favorite past times, I haven’t been able to keep up with my recent root re-touch because my scalp is very upset with me. It seems it just knows when our shower filter needs to be replaced…apparently sooner than I do! I had an event to attend over the weekend and I didn’t want to go with my lovely gray roots showing, but I couldn’t color my hair either because my scalp is extremely sore and irritated. And that was when the hair fairies reminded me (or more like I remembered) that I had the perfect product for the situation just waiting for me to evaluate. TouchBack is a temporary hair color marker that claims to instantly and effortlessly disguise gray roots until your next shampoo, so it was a perfect time to put it to the test! Somewhat resembling a big fat Sharpie, TouchBack contains a temporary hair color (available in 8 shades) without any ammonia or peroxide that actually bonds to your hair and will stay put through brushing. In bona fide hair color emergencies, I’ve used hair mascaras before but they flake and are a serious pain to use! Being realistic, I knew that if I was going to get away with this little secret of mine over the weekend that I’d have to make a sacrifice on my hairstyle. So I opted to wear it up and applied TouchBack (in Rich Black) only where my hair parts and to a few spots around my hairline. And what do you know? It totally worked and got me by without looking obvious or consuming a lot of time to camouflage my gray. It washed out easily this morning and now I’m back at square one waiting for my scalp to behave so I can stop this madness once and for all (well–at least for 2 weeks) and properly color my hair. The TouchBack marker should last for about 40-50 uses and retails for $29.95, it’s something I personally would consider purchasing to keep on hand as part of a beauty first aid kit for use when I can’t carry out the whole drama of coloring my hair. It was easy, mess-free, and quick. Now only if we could get hair color brands to make our at-home color re-touches as painless…
May 1, 2010
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When I first spied these Milani lippies, I figured they were just another collection of chunky, glittery glosses that I wouldn’t find very wearable…and I guess it’s true that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (or a lip gloss by it’s tube for that matter). Imagine my surprise when Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss ended up pretty much rocking my world, it was true love at first swipe! Believe it or not, I actually dig it when I’m wrong about things like this. I guess it would help if I told you what I found so awesome about them, right? Beautiful twinkle! Almost like I had thousands of little stars on my lips, an enormous amount of shine with a glass-like finish, Smooth texture--not sticky or tacky at all. Typically, this might not be your everyday lippie of choice–especially for an office setting. But these are super fun to amp up boring glosses and lipsticks without the MAC Dazzleglass price since these go for about $6.99. (I’ve spotted them at CVS on sale too.) I didn’t detect any flavor but I did think the scent was pretty pleasant, it was a little on the vanilla side. I was especially impressed that these glosses didn’t have one trace of a gritty texture for being so glitzy as the particles are extremely fine.
May 1, 2010
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Atmosphere Luminous Foundation is love in a blue tube! It blended so smoothly and easily, imparting just the right amount of coverage that didn’t look like makeup, it looked like my skin. It didn’t sit in my pores or lines at all! (If you struggle with very oily skin, you still might want to use a mattifying primer.)
April 15, 2010
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I didn’t experience any clumping or flaking from the unique formula which I found easy to build. You know how some mascaras are dry, some are really brittle, and others are too wet? I can’t think of another way to describe LashBlast Fusion other than elastic. As I layered one coat on top of another, I noticed that it was grabbing on to itself, almost stretching–which I found pretty cool. Removal with a standard eye makeup remover worked perfect, no chisels required!
April 15, 2010
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If you’ve ever felt like your skin was about two sizes too small for your hands after you’ve gotten in bed for the night, you might wish to keep a tube of Avoplex on your nightstand! A healthy dose of cocoa butter, avocado oil, and sweet almond oil in this cream delivers skin nourishment and protection to your hands and nails (it feels pretty great on my heels, too). The yummy sweet citrus scent doesn’t hurt either!
March 14, 2010
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If you have a shiny t-zone by lunchtime, listen up! I haven’t had this product in my purse since high school, and believe me–that was a long time ago! Recently rediscovered with it’s updated compact (that’s less likely to pop open), I’ve been using it to dab just a touch on my shiny spots throughout the day without disturbing my foundation underneath. I’m so glad I’ve opened up my eyes to the power of drugstore products again! I remember my old-school compact used to fling open all the time and the powder puff would fall out, but it doesn’t do that with this one–the shape has been improved, there’s enough space in between the powder and the mirror via a deeper “well†for the puff to fit inside when closed. I’m very fair and Classic Ivory (#510) is a great match.
February 25, 2010
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I was initially concerned that the bristles would be too stiff and scratch my skin, but they’re actually quite soft and flexible. If it’s a concern of yours, you’ll see what I mean when you feel it! These are definitely more like long massaging “fingers†if you will, not so much a scrub-let in my opinion. To use The Brusher, I simply twisted the collar of the bottle counterclockwise, moistened the brush, lightly squeezed the bottle to allow some of the cleansing gel to come through the slit, closed the collar, and then applied it by lightly massaging the brush on my face in small circular motions. The initial squeeze of cleanser was plenty, this doesn’t require you to keep squeezing the bottle while you’re using it (that would be a mess and a half!). I wouldn’t rely on this to remove all of your makeup if you are the type of gal that runs straight for her cleanser without using some sort of makeup remover first, it’s not going to provide a super-deep clean all on it’s own if you’ve got primer, foundation, and the whole nine yards on, and we should all probably be using a makeup removing wipe of some sort anyway! But what it did do for me was massage and stimulate my skin (making it look brighter), cleanse effectively, and provide extremely light resurfacing benefits. This will not take the place of your exfoliation treatment products, in my eyes–it’s really more like an extension of and an added benefit of using the cleanser…an upgraded version of good old-school manual cleansing. I do like the formula of this gel, it lightly foams from the brush movements and didn’t make my skin feel tight or dry after cleansing. I have combination skin–oily t-zone, normal-to-dry everywhere else, so it was a good fit. It also smells pretty darn good–kinda fruity, very clean. After a week of use, I found it to be pretty gentle, yet stimulating thanks to the brush. If your skin just seems a little “blah†and you prefer gel-based cleansers, I would say give this one a shot. You may either love the whole brusher idea, or not like it at all and I think that might be the deciding factor for you. The reason I like the brush is because I feel like it’s waking up my facial skin’s circulation and telling it to get perky! To be completely honest, I would be interested in the cleanser all on it’s own minus the brush, even if it wasn’t marketed as The Brusher Gel-Cleanser.
February 25, 2010
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The texture: It comes out of the pump almost like a whipped foundation and glides on the skin like buttah! The coverage: This foundation offers medium to full coverage depending on application. I was able to get full coverage with my fingers, and medium coverage by using a foundation brush. The finish: Soft and smooth, adds a subtle matte finish with a little bit of pore minimizing effects. Long wearing, it holds up pretty well for a routine day! The multi-benefits: Stila One Step Makeup Foundation is a 4-in-1 product! Need primer, foundation, concealer, and finishing powder? You’re all set in one step! It gets even better! With 100% mineral pigments, it’s a high definition worthy formula that controls oil, balances the skin, and is both paraben and fragrance free. See why we’re hooked now?
February 25, 2010
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Patricia Wexler M.D. Anti-Aging for Sensitive Skin Starter Kit
Great way to find a new sensitive skin product
While I didn't have a chance the try the cleanser in this kit, I did use the serum, peel, night cream, and daytime moisturizer with SPF 30 and experienced results I was very happy with. As a matter of fact, I used the night cream until the jar was bone dry and was sad when it was gone! It was just that good :) While I don't think my very fair skin is exactly sensitive in terms of tolerating products, it does redden very easily during cleansing (thanks to my Irish genes) and can take some time to calm down which isn't helpful when I'm getting ready to head out the door. Unless there's an anti-inflammatory effect somewhere in my skincare routine, I find myself waiting before I can apply foundation and it's super inconvenient. The daytime moisturizer in here paired with the serum really takes down the redness in my skin quickly so I can carry on! Once the serum is on and dry, I don't feel or see it on the skin at all, no residue left behind. The daytime SPF is nice and lightweight, but if I use too much on accident it can be hard to blend down and also has just a little bit of a "sunscreen" scent. I don't really mind the scent part because it dissipates and I need the protection, but you'll see what I mean if you test it. At night, I used the peel under the night cream and had great results. The peel in here is a good choice for sensitive skin that can't tolerate physical exfoliants or if regular lactic/glycolic peels are too strong for you. The night cream makes my skin feel like silk, instantly cuts the redness, absorbs quickly, and also doubles as a fantastic neck cream. I think the price of this kit is a good value so you can decide which products in the line you want to buy full sizes of--all of the products in here are great, but I would honestly pay more than the asking price of the full-size $39.50 night cream if I had to!
January 31, 2010
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This reminds me of a Stila Smudge Pot a little but I think the texture is a little more on the creamy side of a gel. The formulation of the gel itself is very cool, it’s a paraben-free formula with natural lash conditioning ingredients. (I don’t know of many eyeliners with honeysuckle, jojoba, tourmaline, and biotin in them.) On my top lashes, I closed my eye and held it taut (kinda like tightlining), then applied Buxom Lashliner as close to the lashline as possible--and with that Buxom Lashliner brush, believe me it wasn’t hard! On my bottom lashes all I did was fill in between the lashes, kinda like connect the dots. I don’t think it’s too crazy or in-your-face but it still gives beautiful definition. I have to say that liner this thin and close to the lashline is very worry-free. It’s less likely to smudge, it stays put all day (and night), and gives you plenty of room for intense shades of shadow if you choose if you're someone like me who doesn't have a whole lot of landscape on the lid (I'm all brow bone it seem). Unless you already have a very thin and tapered point liner brush, I definitely recommend using the Buxom Lashliner brush with this for the thinnest and closest line to the lashes as possible :) My other MAC, Stila, and even my Bare Escentuals eye liner brushes don't give a thin enough line for the desired effect.
January 31, 2010
