Makeup
- lissasioux » See my profile
- Points: 2300
- Reviews: 41
Here are all my reviews:
-
like many reviewers , this is the best foundation-so far, for me. i've tried: MAC (studio sculpt, studio select, studio tech), DIOR (Nude, mineral based), Bare Escentuals, Chanel, Revlon and many others i can't remember, and this is by far the best. How do i judge the foundation? the truth of color (amazing, #125, i'm finally not sallow anymore, thanks to their insane selection that covers yellow, pink, olive and beige tones) , the blendability (instant! self-leveling almost, and absolutely no demarcation lines!) the wear ( virtually no transference, NONE with the HD microfinish powder), coverage (full yet light and not mask-like) cost/quantity ($40 for 1 oz, but 1 full pump covers the face!) & finally staying power (i tend to be shiny in the T-zone. this foundation did NOT cover that, but i suspect that's due to my MAC prep+prime primer which is really a moisturizer. i started to use the MUFE HD microfinish powder and it zapped that. next experiment is to ditch the MAC primer. however the foundation did STAY all day). The highest marks are from the true invisibility of this foundation. it is true- you cannot see this in harsh light or under magnification. (i'm starting to convert over from MAC into other MUFE products due to this foundation...next up the microperfecting primers.) *try Illamasqua MATTE primer with this for a true matte invisible perfect face.
March 25, 2011
-
This is my fav go-to color for French Manicures and pedicures. it's self-leveling so don't worry about streaks. 1 coat will be opalescent baby pink , and it gets more opaque with each coat. I normally do 1 coat, my french line, then another coat and sealer. lasts and lasts and is very non-obvious with growth. it's also very flattering with or without a tan on the feet!! it's getting hard to find, so ebay, amazon, etc.
March 31, 2010
-
i am disgusted to recently have learned that this company and its products are complete hoaxes! i purchased a tube of StriVectin-SD on recommendation of a GYN for my pregnancy stretch marks. Imagine how anxious i was for a product and at the advice of a Dr. no less, i was impatient to try it and forked over the 80EURO for 50 ml/1.7oz. (that size is not even available in the US). I became severely disheartened when i read reviews about the product on am*zon.com and at s*phora.com. they were love/hate at best. and many accused the product and its company of fraud stating over-zealous claims that are being investigated by the FDA. between this, the exorbitant price and the late logic that there is no such thing as a cream that will clear stretch marks in a few weeks (especially with run of the mill ingredients) i returned it, thankfully in time to stringent French return policies. upon my new quest to find another product i came across striadril. seeing the cognitive link, i put the product in wikipedia's search engine and read that BOTH products are made by the same company under different sub-names (Basic Research makes Strivectin-SD and Generix Labs makes Striadril) , both made by the same manufacturer at the same location (Salt Lake City, Utah) however the only difference is; "This company sells the product Striadril, which is billed as a generic version of the Strivectin-SD product at a fraction of the cost. Many customers are not aware that Striadril is the exact same product as Strivectin-SD, manufactured by the exact same company, just with a different package and price point to attract a lower-end consumer." !!!! How GROSS! Striadril can sell for $30 USD and StriVectin-SD $135!!!! (again not taking into account the price gouging in Europe!) it's worth noting that there is a prevailing myth circulating that StriVectin-SD used to be a prescription and is now "public". Complete and utter BS. What's more, the cream is not only a stretch mark eraser but a wrinkle remover!! a veritable all-in-one beauty cure-all!! Ha! (** reviews i read on am*zon.com a few days back also cited that many of the 5-star reviews were by 1 time reviewers made on the same days, ie possible deliberate company contributions!! i checked it out myself and that was indeed the case!) when Americans are so lawsuit-happy, where's the uproar over this?? more regulation in the cosmetic industry is overdue.
December 7, 2009
-
There is no such thing as a stretch mark remover, or even sure fire preventer. Good moisture of skin that will be stretched is essential of course, as is water, exercise, eating balanced, and NOT eating for two while pregnant. Not too much fun and not so appealing as a cream that promises to erase and prevent stretch marks! it's lovely smelling and has some great essential oils which if used throughout pregnancy might help to reduce or at least stall the inevitable, but SM are largely in the dna of your skin, how elastic it is and how it heals. SM's are tearing of the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. so something topically applied isn't going to penetrate that deep or work miracles. personally, i didn't have a stretch mark in sight until 2 weeks before delivery (oh the luck!) and they continued to develop up until about 2 weeks after. i used a combination or argan oil, mamma mio tummy butter, this cream and its sister product Mustela Intensive Stretch mark repair. Living in France this is a trusted brand, unfortunately the premise isn't possible. it's a great moisturizer however, not tacky like the intensive version (which is horrible and leaves little balls of lotion all over you and your clothes!! ). i finished the remainder on my feet before socks, and of course still hoping- on my stomach!! So all in all, unfortunately not to be a party pooper, but i learned with my 1st pregnancy that i should have watched what i ate as tedious as that was, more than the cosmetics. 5 stars for its emollient, long-lasting moisturizing properties. *p.s. i used this at least twice a day--
October 18, 2009
-
I so wanted this to be a new classic in my polish collection. i hate going for trend colors, but the new Dior display of Parisian Spring made me buy #219, Nude Chic. I don't know if it's the color (one of the most true nudes i've seen) or it's the formulation, but i don't feel like wasting another $20 to find out. the polish acts like it's a few years old, sticky & stringy. it goes on streaky and thick. again, maybe it's the color, maybe it's the formula, but i suspect a little of both. then again i've worn $3 matte purple and haven't had the problem of applying coat after coat just to cover up the last one's streaks. the brush is good and i know how to do a great swipe job so it's not the application. it takes long to dry too. i used it with and without a base coat, getting the same results each time. i kept crossing my fingers that it would self-level, but it didn't. if you really want to waste money on a polish (cuz let's face it, $20 IS a waste) then go for Chanel instead. my experience with their Black Satin color was a lot better. still didn't last that long but the formula was great. If crazy colors are your thing, try Illamasqua.
October 17, 2009
-
i think the big deal with this foundation was it's revolutionary concept and format. it was pretty much the original in the whole mineral makeup market. the texture is great, and i wouldn't at all call it heavy (don't understand those who said it was, then what would you consider liquid or cream formulas to be???!) however my 1st pet peeve with this product began immediately. the APPLICATION. i believe they're working on this as i've seen the new "matte" formula with a twist opening. basically you must tap some out in the lid and then do the technique (swirl, tap, buff...)you either get too much or too little. even if you DO get just the right amount you always have to come back for more. my 2nd beef with the product is the packaging. obviously many people carry their makeup with them, if only for travel. this design usually causes a lot to come out into the lid while is being moved around, so that upon your next opening, you are poofed with powder, and loose a lot of your product. either that or you must be absolutely calculating when opening the top. this was super annoying especially with the bronzer color that left brown powder everywhere. so be prepared to wear a bit of the product during application on your clothes, sink area, etc. we all don't have the time or the alertness to do the super-specific application process sold as part of the marketing of this. a lot of times, rushing this product causes a messier result. my other complaint is with the format again. i feel like this in a cream formula would be heaven. (not just for the above mentioned reasons) when you press this powder on, trying to conceal (either with your finger or a brush) the concentrated pressure makes the product creamy and the coverage is INCREDIBLE, probably due to the super-milled quality of the product. it does work as a concealer amazingly well. but with all the buffing and puffing, as an overall face foundation, you end up needing a few applications to get full coverage. it will however hide redness and darkness alike. i did my mom's face with precision and time and it came out great. again daily morning application starts to render the end result lacking. i will say, i don't know how it can manage to be simultaneously sheer and concealing, but it is. it is lightweight and the colors are amazingly adaptable to several skin shade variations. the final grievance that made me wander away from this was the ridiculous amount of bare escentuals products on the market. i hate when there is too many versions of something, it makes me question the marketing greed. the mineral powder has a concept of a healthy foundation; how does mineral lip gloss matter?!?!?! now BE. has come out with a Matte foundation. wasn't the original supposed to be touted as matte?!! the original does tend to get a little too dewy looking in the T-zone areas, especially for combination skin. and i do agree with other reviewers that it definitely wears off. but on the flip-side it does have true mineral ingredients, feel and looks very natural. you can touch your skin and brush against things without transference. the line of facial products blend amazing. and the product called "warmth" is one of the best to give you just what it's name implies, however it's dangerously messy (read: brown smudged powder everywhere). *as a side note, almost everyone's 1st BE. application, especially if at a beauty counter, will come out looking great. it's a revolutionary product, but dealing with this foundation on a daily basis is what lost it stars. UPDATE: i've been using up my left over product and i have a few quick additional notes: 1) it takes a relatively lot of product to get full coverage and blemish covers. significant blemishes need to have the product pressed into them with a finger or concealer brush. regular buffing won't cover them. 2) my biggest beef is that the finish is satiny/dewy IMMEDIATELY after application! so if you are combi-oily forget about it! the mineral veil product they sell to combat this will do so in the beginning but there's no way 1 morning application of translucent powder with counteract shine all day long. and this contributes negatively towards the products overall wear too. Perhaps this is why they came up with the "Matte" version just recently? i still think the formula is unique in the sense that it is completely blendable and practically invisible. however it's not the HG of foundation. i left the 7 stars because it's an option for someone who hates other foundation formats yet doesn't like the finish of traditional powder.
September 26, 2009
-
am i alone in thinking that a standard concept and texture i short of amazing? i believe the format is ultra convenient but i wouldn't call it a staple because so many other products do the same thing! also for me, this disappears after about an hour unless i draw a few heavy layers and blend super lightly. perhaps the color is hard to find (that perfect peach/pink nude) but my Revlon matte. eye shadow in "Peach Sorbet" serves the exact same purpose for only $4, compared to the crazy $21 tag. brow products are ireally just clever marketing. UPDATE: still disappears faster than i like, perhaps due to the creamy texture, however i've experimented with placement and instead of the typical underbrow, i use it on the inner corners and UNDER my eyes, where they appear a little dark near the lash line. it is a pick me up. the creamy texture makes it super blendable. i'm still on the fence about repurchasing because i love that Revlon shadow i mentioned earlier for a fraction of the price, but i bumped it up from 4 stars 6 because the PENCIL does seem to last awhile.
September 26, 2009
-
L'Oreal Paris Extra-Volume Hydra Collagen Plumping Mascara
amazing drugstore mascara! very surprising find!
I was tired of trying designer mascara and mostly all of them falling short. Between the hefty price tags, the poor formulations and the personal feeling that i need to repurchase mascara fairly often, i turned to Target and strolled the aisles. I was a fan of L'oreal's Voluminous a while back and my mother still uses it. But it didn't do something for me last time i tried it so i turned to this, extra volume collagen mascara. I don't really believe much cosmetic marketing, and since i couldn't test it or open it i was a bit nervous. but i took it on the design of the mega brush (similar to DiorShow) and the price ($5.99)worst case it was just another black mascara. however i was more than pleasantly surprised that it was truly voluminous and the application wasn't gunky and not a clump in sight. it passed my mascara test: overnight wear. no flakes and the tips pretty much stayed on (whereas most tips flake off overnight). One of the best features of this mascara: buildability (i just made my own word, lol). coat upon coat, and still no clumps , just super black mascara (blackest black 680) . for me the container isn't too bulky, i'm used to that, and in fact it adds some chic. not to mention a pretty gentle smell. it picks up every lash and i use the tip for my outer edges to give me that faux lash effect. now i can buy 4 of this for the price of what i normally paid for 1!! :)
September 22, 2009
-
I've know about this product for years, as my best friend always used it. I've recently had problems with sparsity and wanted a more defined shape than powder can give. I remember her using this and that it was ultra precise, so i picked up #3, the dark brown color. i bought the refill because i didn't feel like spending the $30+ on the kit that comes with two mini brushes. i tried it out and while it was totally unique for a brow product, the result was way too dark and garish. i have black hair and fair skin and i looked like i tattooed my eyebrows on. you are supposed to obviously use a light-handed approach to fill in your brows, but by the time you end up defining your ends, it's all too much (that plus the color was way too dark). however it's extremely long wearing. it did get oily and smear between my brows where i used it because i had overplucked and spaced them too far apart. i returned it. for awhile i couldn't find anything that fit the bill, so i repurchased it , this time with the kit, thinking that the mini brushes (one angled, one line drawing) would be so ultra-precise that it would be a more natural result. the line drawing one is too fine (maybe a dozen hairs) so that one took forever. the angled brush, while compact and short is THICK and the ends flare out- so it constantly went outside the lines i was trying to create. and ultimately in the end, the color was again too harsh and i looked washed out and cheap. the final drawback from this product is the color selection. while 4 might sound typical for brow colors, they are a strange bunch. #1 is for blondes, #2 could be a nice option for brunettes but was wayyy too warm, it didn't match at all and looked like i had put dye on my eyebrows. #3 is brown black, and again even too strong for my black hair, and the #4, well who uses black eyebrow color??? if the line comes out with a better color selection, i might be back, with a better brush of course!
September 17, 2009
-
I tried this at a local Sephora after hearing it's a go-to for shimmery highlights. I was afraid it would be too creamy and wear off, or that it would be an obsene shimmer. NOPE! i loved it! above the cheek bone and lightly down the nose, it highlights and gives a great quality convenient glow. i usually use a shimmery white eyeshadow on the insides of my eyes for a pop, and a bare escentuals illuminating mineral veil for shimmer, which i love but is messy. this format is more convenient, more targeted, blendable and very surprisingly, it stayed on several hours! be careful, you can overdo this shade, but otherwise if you don't mind the price tag, this would do the job and last a long time (and could be nice in the summer on the shoulders. ) You could even use it lightly UNDER foundation for a dewy look.
September 13, 2009
