Makeup
- shriekingviolet » See my profile
- Points: 4050
- Reviews: 76
Here are all my reviews:
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I've been a Venus razor user since the line was first introduced and generally have very favorable opinions about the brand. But this? I thought it sucked. The razor itself is fine, works just as well as other Venus razors but I found the shave gel part to be rather useless. For one I was surprised by how small the parts were, as there seemed to be no way they'd last for as long as the blades would. Second, I just wasn't impressed by the lather it produced. Maybe my legs just need a little more care, but I found it to be less effective than a good bar of body soap and I wouldn't use just that to shave with unless that's all I had. So after using this twice (and getting more nicks and feeling more raw post shaving than usual), I started using it conjunction with my usual shave gel. At that point, the razor worked fine, but no better than an ordinary Venus razor. I won't be repurchasing.
March 29, 2009
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I've been using Satin Care shave gel for years and really enjoy the silky lather it creates. It's moisturizing and really helps to protect my skin from my razor. Every time I run out and use shower gel or soap instead, I can really tell the difference. My razor glides up my legs so much easier when I use this and my legs feel better afterward. It has a good price on it too, so I'm rarely tempted to stray to another brand.
March 29, 2009
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Very similar to Urban Decay's 24/7 pencil. Very rich and emollient liner that applied like a dream, but it sets up easily and is more smudge resistant than your average pencil liner. Offered in a few fun colors, but several of their shades are nearly identical to Urban Decay's. Mermaid is basically the same color as UD's Covet pencil and the Turquoise is similar to UD Peace. This line would be more attractive if more colors were offered, especially if they weren't so reminiscent of their competition! Still, great liners. I have no complaints about the product itself. Application is a breeze and my liner looks pretty good even after 8-10 hours of wear.
March 28, 2009
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I have fair skin and many bronzers on the market are a little too dark to look natural on me. Not this one! It gives me just enough color to make me look sunkissed and healthy without making my face look dirty or like I've been hitting the tanning beds. It's also light enough for me to use all over rather than just concentrating on certain areas. The shimmer in it gives a nice glow too without making me look sparkly. I love my Snow Bunny and would absolutely buy this again.
March 28, 2009
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I love too faced shadows. They're soft and highly pigmented, making them easy to blend and apply. They also wear really well, lasting all day over a good base (TF's Shadow Insurance works very well). The shade offerings are really nice having both bright fun colors and more neutral, work appropriate options. The price point is pretty good for a high end brand too as the compact gives a generous amount of color, and having two shades makes it feel like more of a value. My only complaint is that the two colors are in the same pan. It makes for attractive presentation, but can be messy as one color can start to bleed over. Overall, I can highly recommend these. Quality is on par with MAC and Urban Decay, two other brands whose shadows I adore.
March 28, 2009
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Great pigmented colors, but perhaps more suited to stage makeup than everyday
I own two of these and am really impressed by the color range and the quality of the cream eyeshadow in every respect by its staying powder. Its creamy consistency is easy to work with, its colors are rich and striking, and it works well both alone or under another shadow. Using it as a base can really make other powder shadows pop in ways that I haven't experienced with other products and its wet consistency can be a real help for shadows that have poor pay off or don't adhere to the lid well on their own. That said, these cream shadows do not dry to a powder finish. They stay creamy and moist until you take them off. This really hurts the wear of a shadow and can lead to creasing, smearing, etc. especially if you don't set it with a powder on top. Even applied under a powder eye shadow, the wear time on these is significantly lower than what I get with most powder or cream to powder shadows I've tried. I think my best run was 6 hours, which makes this eyeshadow impractical for me for regular wear. That said Make Up For Ever is a line marketed at professional makeup artists so I don't think all of their products are intended for the casual user who just wants to be able to apply their makeup in the morning and have it look decent when they return home at the end of the day. Some of it seems intended for stage and photography, purposes where longevity is less of a concern. For that, this product might be ideal as there are some effects that cream can produce that powders can't match. I, however, am a more germane user of cosmetics. I love dramatic makeup, but I only need stuff that can get me through the day. This won't. So while I don't want to poorly mark down this product because of that as I'm pretty sure I'm not using it quite as intended, I can't say I'd repurchase or recommend it to others. It's fun to play with, but it's not going to work for most women.
March 28, 2009
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Despite owning several of their duos, I have a love/hate relationship with Nars duos. On one hand, they have some of the most pretty and fun colors anywhere. On the other, I think they're grossly overpriced especially since their quality can be hit or miss. While some of their eyeshadows are wonderfully silky, pigmented and easy to apply, others are chalky and difficult to work with. For $32 a pop, they should all apply like a dream. And even with the quality of the good ones, the price tag gives me pause. I don't mind paying top dollar for makeup if I feel a certain product is that much better than cheaper brands, but the quality of Nars really isn't much better than their cheaper high-end competition. When it's good, it's silky, pigmented, blendable and long wearing, but no more so than nearly every other decent high end brand and that makes the price point hard for me to bear. Still, occasionally they'll release something just too gorgeous for me to quibble about the price over. And once paid for, I never regret the purchase. But still, this is not a line I'd turn to if I was looking for something basic and everyday. For that, I'll look to less expensive brands.
March 28, 2009
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As many are really different! Not just in terms of scent like with the body butters of many companies, but in intended use and consistency. This is likely having hand cream and facial moisturizer grouped together on the same review page. I love Buffy and King of Skin, they're pricy luxurious that I can't resist buying whenever I'm near a Lush shop (which thankfully isn't often). The other ones I'm not so wild about. Buffy is my favorite scrub ever, and has remained so for years, no matter how many other scrubs I've tried. It has just the right level of abrasiveness for me (one side is usually scrubbier than the other, and I stick to that side) and leaves my skin feeling gloriously soft. The bar medium is also much easier for me to use than the usual type of scrub that you scoop out of a jar. I feel like I do a more thorough job in less time using Buffy than when I use anything else. King of Skin is a life saver for me in the winter when the skin on my thighs and torso can get unbearably itchy and uncomfortable. I'm bad about remembering to apply lotion consistently as for much of the year I don't really need to use it daily and it always feels like it takes forever to really do a full body application. With King of Skin, it's a breeze. I rub it all over my body while in the shower like it's soap, rinse off the bits of....whatever it is, that are in the bar off my skin, and then rub it in as I'm drying off after I get out. The bar has the perfect amount of slip so that it's no too greasy or too waxy and just glides over my skin like body oil. It's lovely and really soothes my dry winter skin. Unfortunately, with as much as I love both of these items, I think they're grossly overpriced. I've been a user of both products since Lush first introduced them years ago and have watched the price on how inflate dramatically, and IMO unreasonably, over time. Every company has regular price increases, so I'm not shocked by the idea that things I use cost more now than they used to, but the rate of price increase has been much more steep for my Lush items than any of my other luxury cosmetic items. Many of the things I used to use as a part of my regular routine have doubled in price and are no longer in my price range for things I can use of a weekly basis. Instead, they're now special occasion and/or emergency items. Especially since neither are built to last me for more than a few weeks at most, as they both melt away fairly quickly even if you cut them up and store them somewhere cool and dry. It doesn't help either that I know for a fact that most of the ingredients in both Buffy and King of Skin are dirt cheap, and thus the prices are harder to swallow. But I just haven't found anything similar that I like even a fraction as much, so I still keep buying them when I can. They really are great products.
March 27, 2009
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This is a great scrub, especially for oily skin that needs some serious scrubbing but the alcohol content (vodka!) could inflame some skin some people with dry or sensitive skin should proceed with caution. It's great for me in the summer, but it can be a bit much for me in the winter when my skin is more dry. Still, I've yet to find another scrub that leaves me feeling as clean and smooth as Ocean Salt so sometimes even in the winter I'll take the risk. It cuts through dead skin build up like a knife.
March 27, 2009
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These are really just glorified baby wipes. They're gentle, convenient and easy to travel with, not in my experience are not enough for serious cleaning. It was able to get my foundation and eyeshadow off, but it couldn't take off my eyeliner and mascara without more rubbing than is prudent to do on the delicate skin around the eye. It's convenient for freshening up, but not enough to replace a real facial cleanser. Also, after I was about halfway through the pack and I started feeling a bit guilty about all of unnecessary waste disposable cleaning cloths create. Unlike a normal cleanser where you can wash and reuse your washcloth, you're tossing out a towelette every time you wash your face. That might not a big deal if you only use these occasionally for times where a towel and sink won't be available to you, but if it's your regular cleanser it strikes me as very eco-unfriendly.
March 27, 2009
