Makeup
- HeathRene » See my profile
- Points: 62380
- Reviews: 285
Here are all my reviews:
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I have two of these, one in a really pretty cobalt blue and then the basic black. The tip on these is nice. It comes to a very fine point. The major problem I have with these is that the liquid liner does not extend enough to the tip. All the color and product is concentrated at the base of the felt tip pen, so when trying to draw a fine line or point using the tip of the brush, very little product is there to work with. It is only at the thicker base of the pen that the liner is dispensed with ease. This makes it so frustrating to work with! Only when I lay the pen on its side can I get any real product out and it comes out messy. I have used several types of liquid liners...brushes and pens and this one had one of the most fatal flaws I have ever seen. The only thing worse would be if it came dried out completely. It couldn't be that my pen just dried out at only the tip, because I experienced this difficulty on my very first use of each. I thought I may have had a dud (I tried the blue liner first) but I experienced the same frustration with the black liner. Other reviewers seems to love this liner from Stila, but I will never purchase these liquid liner from Stila again.
April 12, 2013
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I debated getting the Beauty Blender for such a long time, despite the major hype that surrounds it just because it seems like a glorified makeup sponge. I also don't like that Beauty Blender tries to push its own (expensive) cleaning solution. I finally bit the bullet and bought the Beauty Blender but did not get their stupid cleaning solution. I clean my blender using normal baby shampoo and water. Despite my skepticism, I have been thoroughly impressed by this tool! It is easy to use once you get used to it, and it makes each foundation look so smooth and flawless on the skin. I love using this with my heavier foundations because it prevents foundations from looking in any way cakey or heavy. This is probably because you are supposed to use the sponge damp. The dampness helps dissolve and distribute liquid makeup so nicely. What I don't like is that even after one use, your beauty blender gets stained and looks grimey. Even after you wash it, it doesn't look like new again. There is also no real easy way to store this sponge. Beauty Blender recommends using the original packaging to stand the sponge up, but who the heck wants to keep cheap looking plastic packaging on their vanity?! I worry about this collecting bacteria and at $20 a sponge, these are not cheap to replace. This is why I had to dock some stars. I am willing to invest money in quality makeup brushes because I know that when cared for, they could last a lifetime. The Beauty Blender will not last a lifetime, no matter what you do. It is an innovative product, but its price is too steep, in my opinion, for a sponge that needs to be replaced on a somewhat regular basis. Still, I will enjoy using this sponge and keep it as sanitary as possible. If you have issues getting foundation to apply evenly and aren't pinching pennies, give this a shot.
April 9, 2013
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Like the name suggests, this shampoo is great for using once a week or so to rid your hair of product build up and oil. I love Bumble and Bumble products. Their shampoos are sulfate free and smell amazing. Sunday Shampoo is no exception. It smells divine and lathers well, even when my hair is extra greasy (eww!). My hair feels totally clean after one wash, but not dry at all. This would be too clarifying for color treated hair, but for my fine, limp hair it works wonderfully. I only wish that it made a more long term difference on my hair. Being such a clarifying shampoo, I would hope that this would buy me an extra day or two between washes, but I am lucky to get just one extra day. Still, this is one of the best clarifying shampoos that I have tried.
April 5, 2013
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I bought this lip liner in "Perfect Nude" and it is just that! I have been on the hunt for that perfect nude lip liner, both to give my nude lipsticks more staying power but also to use with other lipsticks that I don't have an exact lip liner match for. My lips have practically no pigment, so it has been really difficult for me to find a nude lip liner that is not too dark. I have had several failed attempts! When I swatched this color on my hand, I doubted that it would work for me. It seemed too dark for my pale lips. However, when I applied this, it really was the perfect nude color. I would even wear this all over my lips as its own nude color. This is a very creamy, twist-up lip liner so it is easy to apply and comfortable to wear. The twist-up also makes it super convenient for your makeup bag. I am so happy that my search for the perfect nude lip liner is finally over! If you have a hard time finding a lip liner that is a true nude, check this one out from Too Faced.
April 5, 2013
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When this shampoo came out from Bumble and Bumble, I snatched it up from my salon. Having fine, oily hair, I was attracted to this because the stylists told me it was great at getting hair really clean and helped hair stay that way. I did not get along with this shampoo at all. I wash my hair every other day, but with this, my hair was greasy by the end of day one. I would have to wash my hair twice in the shower with this for my hair to feel clean. The smell also wasn't as nice as I am accustomed to from Bumble and Bumble. These shampoos are not cheap either! It makes it that much more disappointing when a full size bottle just doesn't work for you. Bumble and Bumble make great shampoos and conditioners and I think they're styling products are some of the best on the market, however, this shampoo is not one of their winning products.
April 2, 2013
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I got a sample of this with this year's Sephora birthday gift. Having heard so much (good and bad) about this mascara, I was really excited to try it for myself. I have been so impressed with this! The wand is a little crazy. It has the stiff, plastic bristles that I don't usually care for and a ball of spikes on the end. Still, I find it fairly easy to work with and the results are fantastic. I get excellent length and definition with this and a bit of volume too. This hasn't flaked off on me, smudged or irritated my eyes at all (and I have sensitive eyes). With most mascaras, by the end of the day, my lashes feel hard and my eyes start to itch a bit, but I couldn't even feel this mascara on my eyes, even by the end of the day. One negative thing I heard about this was this it was impossible to remove. I hate mascaras that are such a booger to remove! When it came time for me to take this off, I was pleasantly surprised that this was at least as easy to remove as most of my other mascaras. I didn't have to tug at my eyes or use several cotton pads soaked with remover to get this off. It came off surprisingly easy considering how well it stays on throughout the day. I probably like this even more than my former favorite from Benefit, "BadGal". I will definitely consider this mascara when I am next in the market.
April 2, 2013
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I give these the same rating as the Yes to Blueberries "brightening" cleansing wipes. Thankfully, these don't make the false promise of brightening your skin or anything like that. I also like the smell of these much better than the Yes to Blueberries because it is lighter and doesn't linger as long. These wipes are very soft and contain plenty of moisture so they won't dry out by the time you are almost done with your pack. Just as with almost all makeup wipes, these are not the best at completely removing makeup, especially if you wear a lot of it. These are, however, a good first shot. On an extremely lazy night, you could probably get away with a thorough wipe with these and then a toner, but that would be if you are dead tired or drunk (and don't have very problematic skin). We've ALL had those nights. An oil or balm cleanser, in my experience, has been the best thing for thoroughly removing makeup, but there are nights that you just don't care enough to bother with all that. Still, I would follow up your makeup wipe with an actual cleanser of some sort. A package of thirty wipes costs $5.99, but I was able to buy these on sale and use an additional coupon, making them much cheaper. I doubt I would buy these again for full price. They just aren't special enough for me to be loyal to them.
April 2, 2013
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I have a couple bottles of Color Club nail polish and overall, they are fairly good. I love their bright, opaque shades and the application is really nice. I get the true color with the standard two coat application. I am accustomed to my polish lasting about a week (using a base coat and top coat) without any (major) chips. Usually by day four or five, my polish starts to recede a bit which I am used to, since I have longer nails. Unfortunately, my wear time with Color Club has been less than average. I noticed significant receding after just two days, even though I wrapped the edges of my nails with the color and top coat. By day five, the polish was chipping. This isn't anything too crazy, but I am just used to my polishes performing slightly better than that, especially since I use a good top coat. Color Club polishes cost $8, whereas OPI nail polishes now cost $9. I would personally prefer to pay the extra dollar to have the OPI polish that applies just as smoothly and lasts much longer without receding or chipping.
March 27, 2013
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I was stoked to get a deluxe sample of this antioxidant-rich serum to use under my moisturizer and makeup during the day. Having read that antioxidants help fight free radicals and therefore help prevent signs of aging, I have been wanting to incorporate antioxidants in my daytime routine. This is a very lightweight, thin serum. You don't need much to cover your entire face and it sinks into the skin fairly quickly. It doesn't leave any feeling of tackiness on my skin. This I really like because it means I can get my moisturizer on that much sooner in the morning. Although I use this as a preventative treatment, and don't expect my skin to transform, I still just can't tell if this is doing anything for me. It certainly hasn't done any harm. I haven't broken out or experienced any sensitivity since using this. I just think it is doing a status quo job. Like other reviewers have said, it is a good value for money because it costs less than many other serums and the full size comes with a full two ounces. I will use the remainder of my sample since it works well under makeup, but I have bought a full size of a different serum that I feel does more for my skin.
March 26, 2013
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I have combination skin so it can be difficult for me to find a daytime moisturizer that nourishes my skin, but doesn't make my skin overly oily or mess with the makeup I apply over it. This is the first oil-free moisturizer that I have used in years. Since I get some dry patches, I never really considered oil-free options because I didn't think they would be nourishing enough. But since my makeup had been breaking down by midday with the moisturizer I was previously using, I decided to give oil-free a shot. The PTR moisturizer actually feels MORE moisturizing than the L'Occitane moisturizer I was previously using and yet it sinks into my skin very well, prevents me from getting oily and works nicely under each of the foundations I have worn with it. The dry patches that I tend to get on my cheeks and near my nose have also improved since I started wearing this. I love that this has antioxidants in it to help fight free radical damage and premature aging. This is also fragrance free and hypoallergenic so it is great for sensitive skin. The SPF 3 is great. Since I have fair skin and have already had a minor skin cancer taken care of, SPF is a must. I wish ALL daytime moisturizers would put a minimum of SPF 30 in their products. The nearly two ounce bottle costs $42 which I consider reasonable considering that I love this and it should last be about six months. Others I have used more recently (L'Occitane and Lancome) were more expensive than this and had less beneficial ingredients. I'm so happy to have found a winning moisturizer for my finicky skin!
March 20, 2013
