Makeup
- HeathRene » See my profile
- Points: 62380
- Reviews: 285
Here are all my reviews:
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Of all the mascaras I have tried over the years, the ones from Lancome are my absolute favorites. When a new mascara gets released, I always look forward to trying it. I love the Hypnose line from Lancome and especially like the Doll Lashes mascara. I received a sample of the Hypnose Star and have been enjoying it very much. The brush is tapered, much like the Hypnose Doll Lashes brush, but this one also has two flat sides to it. This makes it easy to apply mascara right at the roots of lashes for that extra volume that Lancome promises. The formula of this has a great consistency. It's not so wet that it gets all over the place, but it isn't dry and clumpy either. I get great length and decent volume with this, but what I am the most impressed with is the curl it gives my lashes. I can't really be bothered to curl my lashes each morning and since my lashes aren't super straight, I don't give it much thought. But I noticed that after I apply this mascara, the tips of my lashes curl up significantly. I noticed it when I wasn't even looking for it or expecting it. This formula is supposed to have a glossy finish. I don't really notice that. It is nothing sparkly, which I was afraid of, but also nothing too different from the other mascara finishes. Like several of Lancome's other mascaras, this lasts really well on me throughout the day. It doesn't give me raccoon eyes and it doesn't flake off. At the very end of the day (like twelve hours later) I notice a couple flakes at the outer corners of my eyes, but it is nothing noticeable and it doesn't happen on regular eight hour days. I still prefer the Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes or the L'Extreme mascara to this one because I think they provide more volume, but I would say this is another winner from Lancome.
February 21, 2013
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I have had my Clarisonic Mia for about a year now and it has been a real game changer for my skin. The brush head that comes with the Clarisonic is the white sensitive brush head. I liked this one a lot and it in no way irritated my skin. I use the Clarisonic almost every night, but do not use it for my morning cleanse. Toward the end of the sensitive skin brush head's 3 month life span, I noticed it started feeling a bit more rough. It still didn't cause any irritation or sensitivity, but it didn't feel as nice as when it was new. Since then, all of my replacement brushes have been the light blue delicate ones. I love these brush heads even more than the sensitive. Since I use my Clarisonic pretty frequently, I like the more gentle option so I know that I am in no way harming my skin for in the long run. Even as I approach the three month mark, this brush head still feels soft and nice. For me, it cleans and exfoliates just as well as the sensitive brush head. Just before I toss my old brush heads, I pop the outer round of bristles off and use just the inner bristles for a deep cleaning around my nose a few times. I always purchase the two pack of the brush heads (for a $10 savings) but I also plan ahead and purchase these when there is a 20% off sale from either Sephora or other beauty websites I shop from so they are even less expensive. Since I only have to buy the two pack twice a year, it is easy to time my purchases for a sale. I don't have particularly problematic skin...just blackheads and large-ish pores around my nose and parts of my cheeks. I don't feel the need to try the deep cleaning brush or the one for acne prone skin because I just don't have that type of skin. I will continue to get the delicate brush heads since they leave my skin feeling baby smooth and ultra clean!
February 21, 2013
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I picked this up from The Body Shop because I wanted an alcohol-free toner. I don't use toner everyday because I feel like my skin doesn't always need it, but it is nice to have for those extra oily days or when my skin could use a pick me up. I have combination skin, so the Seaweed line usually appeals to me the most. This is OK, but nothing spectacular. It has a sweet scent that lingers after you use it. It is a fairly strong scent for me and I would prefer something unscented or less fragrant. It does have a slight tightening affect, so I don't like to use this when my skin is feeling more dry. This actually stings my skin a bit which I don't like. It feels very cooling. Perhaps on a very hot day I would like that, but on average nights, I don't like the way it makes my skin feel. This toner is very affordable. The almost 7 ounce bottle costs $12.50 and The Body Shop always seems to have specials (buy one get one half off, buy two get one free, etc.) that bring the price down even more. The Body Shop boasts that it uses sustainable and high quality seaweed for this, which may be true, but there is also a lot of other junk in the ingredients list that I would rather do without. I have moved onto using a gentle toner from Lush that is more soothing and refreshing than this one from The Body Shop and has much more natural, whole ingredients.
February 21, 2013
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After eyeing these convertible cream blushes for months, I picked up the color Lillium. It is a nice, natural color that is a cross between a peach and a dusty rose. It looks really nice on my fair skin. A little of this goes a long way, but it is easy to blend out to make it look really natural. Many of the reviews I read said that the colors were great for the cheeks but not for the lips. I can only speak to the color I purchased, but I love Lillium on my lips. It shows up as a nice, nude peachy color that is quite flattering. It goes on creamy but dries down to a fairly matte color. I like to top it with a bit of some natural colored gloss. I love the dual-purpose formula and application of these so much I would love to pick up more colors. I would definitely recommend playing around with these in a store because the colors look very different in person than they do online. The descriptions are not very good either. Nonetheless, this is a great lip and cheek product that applies nicely and has great staying power.
February 20, 2013
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After hearing good things about Clarins' self tanning products I went to Sephora intent to buy something for my pasty legs. I spoke with a sales lady about my concerns (mainly streaking since I am so fair) and I bought the mousse. She said it was the easiest to apply and gave a light, natural color. No matter what way I tried this, it streaked horribly on me. The color looked orange and was so uneven. Priced at $42.50, this is not a cheap self tanner, yet it worked terribly. I didn't want to give up on this because I spent the money and still wanted a fake tan, but I ended up tossing it. I would give this a single star, but I think the mousse consistency is unique and feels luxurious and I actually like the smell of this. It smells like self tanner, but high end self tanner if that makes sense. This has no tint to it, so you won't know if you are applying it evenly. I tried using this on its own, mixed with my regular body lotion, with a washcloth, with a mit, etc. and nothing worked for me. I tried using the tiniest amount and it would still streak. My coworkers and friends teased me about how streaky and orange my legs looked! Definitely save your money on this and look into some of the many other self tanning lotions on the market.
February 15, 2013
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I have tried a couple of translucent loose powders in the past but they weren't anything that blew me away. Definitely nothing worth leaving my traditional pressed pigmented powder for. Until this. I messed with it a bit in a Sephora store and was surprised by how finely milled it was. It felt so smooth and nice that I ordered a jar online that same day. I absolutely love this. A little powder goes a long way and it may take some practice to find the right way (and amount) to apply. I pour a bit into the cap and dust a synthetic buffing brush it and apply to my face to set my makeup. With this, my makeup lasts so much longer than before! I have combination skin that has been getting really oily by midday, making my makeup appear blotchy and uneven. This powder has helped my foundation and concealer last all day. I don't have to worry about touching up at all. I'll check my face in the mirror expecting to have to fix something, but I'm always amazed that everything stays in place for so long! This works better than other powders I have been using to set my makeup in the morning and to touch up. The finish it gives is really flattering. It makes my face look smooth and satiny (not matte but not shiny). This powder really does come out translucent so it should work for all skin tones. Since I get dry patches on my face, I often have issues with face makeup gathering on my dry patches, but this powder doesn't do that at all. And since it stops my foundation and concealer from moving, nothing else gets to my dry patches either. The packaging of this is sturdy and the lid lends itself well to swirling your brush in the powder without the inside of the lid coming loose or anything like that. If you are thinking about venturing into translucent loose powder territory, this is worth checking out!
February 13, 2013
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I wish I would have looked more closely at the ingredients of this toner before i spend over $30 on it. One of the first ingredients in this is alcohol which can dry your skin out. I have combination skin, but I don't want a toner that makes me skin feel tight and dry. I do like the packaging of this toner. This sprays a nice, light mist and it smells great. I like that the bottle is clear so you can see where you stand with this. I stopped using this at home because I found a more gentle and soothing toner that works better and costs less. Since I didn't want to waste all of the money that I spent on this, I keep it on my desk at work and use it mainly for oil control. If I start looking shiny throughout the day, I give my face a spritz of this and it helps. I definitely would not use this after cleansing though because it makes my skin too dry. For just being a basic toner with a high alcohol content, this is very over priced.
February 11, 2013
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I had heard good things about this primer so I was excited to get a deluxe sample of this as a gift with purchase from a Sephora order. One downside for me is that this comes in a jar, so you have to stick your finger into the jar which isn't as sanitary as a tube or a pump. I was also surprised by the amount that I had to use to cover the areas of my face that need priming (t-zone). Apart from that, the application was really nice. It felt smooth and silky on my face and filled in my fine lines and pores. This was definitely effective at making my face makeup last through a long day. Wearing a light coverage foundation, my skin still looked airbrushed, even hours after application. For $32, you receive half an ounce of product. Benefit's POREfessional works in a very similar way to this and it costs $30 for three quarters of an ounce. The packaging is also more sanitary. Having tried both, I would purchase the full size of Benefit's primer instead of this. Per ounce, this Clarins primer is even more expensive than my absolute favorite primer, Hourglass Mineral Veil, yet it doesn't have the same amount of benefits and uses more product per application. I am glad I got to try this and will enjoy using the rest of my sample jar, but will continue using other primers that are less pricey per ounce and easier to use.
February 11, 2013
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I love using this brush for cream and powder highlighters, mainly. I ordered this online from Sephora and when it came I was impressed with the quality of this brush. The handle is very long, which I love because you have the flexibility of using a really light touch by holding the end, or choking up on the handle for more control and heavier product application. The bristles on this are synthetic, soft and dense. This picks up product very well and is easy to clean. This is advertised as a foundation brush which it does work well for but I have a couple other brushes I prefer to use for foundation. I love this as a highlighting brush because the shape is perfect for applying product on the tops of the cheeks. If you turn the brush, it can be pretty narrow, making it nice for applying product down the bridge of my nose. This could also be used for blush or bronzer. The shape fits nicely along the hollows of the cheeks for contouring. Since this is synthetic it is great for liquid, cream and powder products, making it even more versatile. Product washes out of this very easily and it dries fairly quickly. This costs less than many of the MAC face brushes and works just as well, if not better.
February 11, 2013
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In my quest for a natural, aluminum-free deodorant that works well I bought the Aromaco deodorant from Lush. I ordered it online and when the box came, I could already smell the deodorant, even with it packed up and the box taped shut. This smells SO STRONG. I personally prefer unscented or lightly scented deodorants anyway but the smell of this was offensively strong. The patchouli scent is completely overwhelming. Lush describes this as delivering "happy, hippy pits" and hippy is right. This smells like nasty incense mixed with dirt. Apart from the terrible, strong scent, this is inconvenient to use. It comes in the form of a bulky block of waxy product that needs to be kept fresh. It is hard to find something to store this in to ensure that it doesn't dry out. If you leave this out, it could collect bacteria. Also, if this isn't kept in an airtight container your whole house will smell like dirt and sandalwood. The deodorant part of this also didn't do much for me by way of odor control. I think Lush figured that they could claim that this has odor fighting properties, just because it smells so strong, the scent could cover up any odor you have. Patchouli mixed with body odor still smells bad. I'm interested in trying the T'eo deodorant because the scent seems much better and the consistency is different. If you are considering the Aromaco, I would definitely recommend going to an actual Lush store and smelling it for yourself. If you (and everyone around you) loves the smell of patchouli, then this might be for you. If not, there are a couple other deodorants from Lush that could be worth checking out.
February 11, 2013
