Makeup
- ElphieGranger » See my profile
- Points: 30470
- Reviews: 80
Here are all my reviews:
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I had the shade gun metal, and ended up having to toss it. Pros: It's a pretty shade, and I liked the liner brush. Cons: Intense burning of the skin on contact. At first I thought it might be just me, so I gave it a break and tried it again a week later. It still burned. This eyeliner is also a bit unwieldy. The dry down is slow, which means you have to be very still after you've just applied it, or it's going to end up under your eyes, or even IN your eye. It's not like I'm a novice either. It's easy to apply, but difficult to keep in place until it it sets. If it didn't burn, this long set time might have been something I would be willing to deal with. It also flakes off. Fall out under the eye isn't the issue, The problem with the flaking of the liner is that it leaves a very patchy looking line after just a few hours. the its like the shimmer and vibrancy of the color falls off, and what remains in it's place is a dull line of color, the best way to describe what is left behind is a stain of a line. Conclusion: Nope. Although I love NYX I won't re-buy this particular product, and I would caution a friend against this one.
March 12, 2016
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Please note my review applies to the Tinted Brow Gel. Pros: This stuff is the best. It is buildable, which is something I didn’t know a brow gel could be. One swipe gets some shaping out of your brows, which is extremely important for me. I very straight black eyebrows that grow downward at the arch, and need something to get them to go upward. Additional swipes allow the color to build and fill in any little gaps you have. It’s definitely a learned skill, but allowing this stuff to make contact with the skin under the eyebrow is nearly as good as using a pencil, which can save you major time if you are having a morning where you don’t have time to shape. It washes off at night at the sink, but I’ve never had it run in the ever present northwest rain. I’ve been using it for 5 months now, and I’ve never had it flake or bleed. The spoolie is simple looking, but it works great. The bristles are stiff and gives you control of your brows without clumping. I love this spoolie so much that when run out of the tinted gel, I plan to wash it and see if it fans my eyelashes out and removes clumps. Cons: It’s wet, so if you are using it on your skin in place of a pencil for shaping and filling, it can be a bit unwieldly until you get the hang of it. You’ll want a Q-tip handy for anywhere you go out of bounds. Conclusion: I LOVE THIS. It’s kinda spendy, but so delightful. Tip: go a shade or two lighter than your brow color. They don’t make black, and I suspect it’s because it would be so over powering for the face. My eyebrows are as dark as natural black hair gets, and the espresso shade has been working wonderfully.
March 12, 2016
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Pros: Full coverage, with excellent dry down that lends itself to buildability. I have very dark circles under my eyes and this concealer works very well to cover them up. Very highly pigmented and will last forever. I’ve been using nearly daily for 5 months and I’m not halfway through yet. I agree with the other reviews that say that this will last you years, should you choose to keep it that long. I agree with the label that it is waterproof. Humidly and sweat is no problem, I’ve worn this stuff to the gym and it hasn’t traveled at all. In a pinch, I’ve been able to dry down this concealer until it’s tacky stage and use it as an eye primer. Unlike some moisturizing concealers I’ve used, this one doesn’t make my eye make-up run the second it makes contact. It’s hasn’t irritated the sensitive skin around my eyes, which is surprising considering it is so heavy. Cons: It will settle into fine lines and accentuate dry skin. I think it probably makes the texture of my skin look a bit older, but the alternative is nasty circles which age me even more. Conclusion: This isn’t the best for skin texture, but if you have something difficult to conceal, this is the way to go. I’ve never found anything else that was provided coverage this full. I will be buying it again. If you are looking for medium coverage, get something else that isn’t so harsh in terms of texture. And take the tip about buying two shades lighter than your skin tone the dry down on this stuff makes it darker. A second tip, this stuff has minimal slip, once you get it onto your skin it dries sets quickly, so you have to put it exactly where you want it, and work fast. Once it’s dry, there’s no more blending.
March 12, 2016
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Pros: This line has lots of colors for a great match- a big plus for me as asiany yellow/green undertones can be difficult. For the record I’m NW 18 in MAC Studio Fix fluid, and Bamboo Beige in LM. The foundation is super blendable and feels super smooth and creamy during application. While coverage is light, it will wear for a full day if you set with powder. I’ve been using it on and off for 4 months now and haven’t any issues with it clogging my pores or irritating the sensitive skin around my eyes. Cons: The coverage isn’t complete enough for me. I asked the associate at Sephora for LM’s heaviest coverage foundation, and this is what she recommended. This just didn’t cut it. With my usual MAC foundation I can build coverage over my eye circles to the point where I don’t need concealer, there’s no change of building that kind of with this, there’s just too much moisture in it. For me, this foundation never fully sets on its own; I only bother putting it on if I have time to set it with powder, and trying to build after setting with powder is a gross looking disaster. There’s no sunscreen in it, which means this isn’t a quick application foundation. You have to have the time to apply both your sunscreen base, AND set the LM with powder. If I didn’t set it with powder, it didn’t wear till the end of the day, and worse, the foundation would travel into my eye make-up and make it run. Conclusion: This foundation will work for you if you are seeing a natural dewy look. I ponied up the extra cash for it, and will use up the tube (on days I only need very light coverage) but I won’t be buying it again.
March 11, 2016
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Works beautifully on my dry skin, and removes make-up well with a tissue if you're in a pinch!
January 14, 2016
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This is a review for the translucent version of this power, which ELF refers to as “Sheer”. The Good: -Milled super fine, feels like silk on skin, never cakey. -Truly matte, no shimmer -Sets make-up quickly and easily. The powder is super forgiving in terms of accuracy, I give myself a quick dusting to set my foundation and concealer, and apply my pencil eyeliner right on top of this stuff. It helps keep my eyeliner from running during the day and I get to skip eyelid primer. Please note that this a sufficient primer for my pencil/liquid liner, but it certainly won’t do anything to enhance the staying power of your powder eye shadows. - Kind to sensitive skin. I’m almost to the bottom of my first jar and haven’t had a break-out. - Kind to dry skin. One of my skin’s biggest issues is dryness and the powder has been just fine with it. The Bad- -The applicator it comes with, the “puff”, is totally useless. It picked up my foundation and looked dirty after the first use. The shape doesn’t allow for the powder to be applied evenly into smaller areas of the face, like the contours of the nose, or eyes. However, I have no problem with the cheap/useless powder puff as I am thrilled to pay only $6.00 for the powder. I recommend applying with ELF’s kabuki brush. -Questionable packaging. I travel a lot and have always put this jar in a zip-lock baggy. The container hasn’t opened in my suitcase yet, but I don’t trust it. - I lose the product around the lip of the jar, which is wasteful, but not a particular mess-maker, and not even close to a deal breaker. Other thoughts: AMAZING for setting red lips. Even with liner, bold reds used to bleed on me. I still line before using red lipstick, but after a dusting of this stuff, the red never bleeds. I can even carefully eat something, and my lipstick will be mostly intact. The red clown mouth stops here! -Theater make-up. I’ve never had the privilege of using Ben Nye setting powder, but I found that this powder works pretty well to set Kryolan Aqua Color.
August 31, 2015
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As someone with very dry skin, and a long term user of Cetaphil, the thickness of this formula pleased me. My dermatologist sent me to Amlactin as a low cost solution for my keratosis pilaris, and the ultra hydrating cream was my first purchase from the brand. I thought the ultra hydrating formula was a plus because my dermatologist said that minimizing exfoliating on the KP, and maximizing hydration is key to getting rid of it. I made it through the whole bottle, using morning and night (granted, I missed a day or two here and there) and didn’t see much improvement of the severe KP on the backs of my arms. From the ultra hydrating cream, I moved on to the 12% lactic acid Amlactin lotion, which I feel is a bit stronger. However, even the 12% Amlactin wasn’t strong enough to clear up my KP. I’ve started doing at home glycolic acid peels every 3 weeks, and then using the 12% lotion daily to maintain. If you are looking to Amlactin because you have KP, I recommend the 12% lotion. But if you have run of the mill, patchy dry skin, I recommend the ultra hydrating cream. The hydrating cream is far more luxurious and enjoyable to use, and I found that I could use it on more sensitive areas of my body, like my legs- which sting when exposed to the 12% formula. Both products made my elbows look great. A final note, I was concerned that Amlactin would have some kind of reaction that would turn my self-tanned skin into a mess. I never put a self tanner immediately on top of freshly Amlactin treated skin, but I did use self tanner and Amlactin on the same day, multiple times, and I never had any weird color changes, or hard lines.
August 21, 2015
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One of the cheaper over the counter options for keratosis pilaris. I was told by my dermatologist to use this for my KP morning and night, and also to avoid exfoliation. She said everyone’s natural instinct is to try and slough the bumps off, but that scrubbing can actually make them worse. The Amlactin seems to improve the KP over the long term, but the 12% lactic acid seems very weak for me. After about a month of twice a day use, I noticed some improvement, but not enough to make me particularly motivated to keep using the Amlactin twice daily. I ended up doing an at-home glycolic acid peel on the back of my arms, the day after the peel I resumed use of the Amlactin. As the Amlactin didn’t do much for me on it’s own, I’ve found that it’s best purpose is for maintenance of the chemical peels. When I bought mine, Costco had the best price on it, and free shipping.
August 21, 2015
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I’ve been using Prevage Serum in the morning and at night for about a week and a half. The Good: -This has evened my skin tone. The mild freckles I had on my cheeks are almost non-existent. -Has not irritated my sensitive skin. The wrong product will turn cause my skin to break out into a rough orange rash. I’ve been putting this serum on my delicate eye skin and have had zero reaction. -Despite using twice a day, I haven’t had single break-out. Woot! -The serum sits beautifully under my make-up. I’m always somewhat concerned that any product I place beneath my make-up will affect the make-up’s longevity, but that hasn’t been an issue. My make-up still stays put. -Awesome dispenser. The pump provides the serum sparingly, so none is wasted. Other Thoughts: -Gradual wrinkle improvement. There are two areas on my face where I would like to improve the effects of aging. The crepiness at the corners of my eyes where crows feet are just beginning to set in, and a smile line below the corner of my lips. After using the serum for just under two weeks, I have noticed a slight improvement in the appearance of the line below my lips. However, the crepiness at the corners of eyes hasn’t improved much, but I’m holding out hope. It’s only been a week and a half! Prevage contains an antioxidant, and is meant to improve, as well as protect and maintain your skin. I suspect that over the coming weeks, as my skin cells naturally turn over, the condition of my skin will continue to improve, and the thin skin around my eyes will firm up a bit more. I will be sure to leave an update after I’ve been using the product for a full month. -I feel that Prevage was formulated to have corrective effects, but also protective effects. I’ve made sure my face was protected by SPF every day of my life, and when I put the Prevage serum on under my make-up, I feel like I’m taking that protection against skin damage to the next level. The SPF I use protects against UV damage, and the Prevage takes care of environmental pollutants.
August 20, 2015
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I loathe waterproof mascara, and avoid it whenever possible. To me, it always feels like I'm swiping an irritating glue all over my lashes. But as far as waterproof mascaras go, this one is pretty gentle on my eyes, and the delicate skin around them. I bought this mascara for a funeral, and it did it's job, and stayed in place, but over all, I vastly prefer the washable version of falsies.
December 14, 2013
