Makeup
- simplysweet » See my profile
- Points: 1560
- Reviews: 26
Here are all my reviews:
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I've always been drawn to shimmery products; the being said, I am very particular in the sort of shimmer that I want. I don't want chunks of kiddy glitter or something that looks like it would be appealing to a teenybopper. And I've found that many brands who introduce a shimmer lotion or powder have the term "shimmer" confused with the word "glitter" and many of them put the latter in their products, which is the opposite of what I want. This one by Urban Decay is beautiful though, because it's a very fine, subtley sparkly glimmer instead of a gaudy, disco-ball glitter. The color is a gorgeous chocolate bronze, perfect for complimenting a tan. I use it especially during the summer to highlight my shoulders, collarbone, and neck area and it's also ideal for a night out when you want a little extra something. It imparts a pretty sheen on your skin and smells and tastes just like cocoa! I don't find it to have any trace of an artificial scent, which is a major plus. The packaging is sweet with the little leopard puff, and the shifter it comes with makes it even easier because it doesn't allow too much product to get on the applicator. I find nearly $30 to be pricey for a shimmer product, but it has the redeeming quality of making your skin glow and one container lasts forever, so it's not as if you will be having to repurchase this often. The shimmer particles do well with staying put; I don't have any problems with them traveling to my clothing or transferring onto someone else when I hug them, etc.
September 3, 2008
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I absolutely love the Bare Escentuals line, so naturally when I purchased my Multi-Tasking Bisque and Foundation, I bought the brush to go with it because I wanted to ensure that I applied the product properly. This brush really does deliver perfect results when used correctly with your Bare Escentuals makeup. It's really important to use the "swirl, tap, buff" technique when applying the minerals, and this brush allows you to do so. It provides a light, even finish and glides the makeup on smoothly. The hairs feels silky soft against your skin, not scratchy at all like a lot of brushes do. It also lasts for a long time if you clean it with a mild shampoo or brush cleaner rountinely. The hairs are cut into a nice arc and they pick up just the right amount of product and deposit it over your skin seamlessly. This is NOT a full coverage brush, however, and it's not meant to be. Rather, it helps to allow the makeup to diffuse out your imperfections and makes them much more subtle. For precise blemish coverage, you would need to use the Maximum Coverage Concealer brush and for full coverage, the Kabuki brush is wonderful. But this one is perfect to use after you've done your spot concealing and when you want to distribute just a light dusting of product. The price is definitely steep for a makeup brush, but it's not more expensive than the other high end brands out there and its works the best out of any that I've tried, especially since it's made specifically for the bareMinerals products. Definitely recommended!
September 2, 2008
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This one is an old favorite of mine. I've never been one to splurge on makeup tools like this, so I have my reliable drugstore favorites that I use instead. And this is definitely one of those! When I first started curling my lashes a few years ago, I always had problems with this pinching my eyelid/pulling out my lashes/just being painful and bothersome in general. I think those issues are present when you're first starting out with any brand though. But once you get the hang of using this properly, it gives you a beautifully upswept fan of lashes. I hold it as close to the base of my lashes as possible and pump it upwards three times, progressively moving it from the root to the tip as I angle it outwards. This gives you a successful, natural curl and it sweeps your lashes up and out. Just finish with a touch of mascara and your lashes look full and healthy. I have to say that it's hard to get the tiny lashes as well as the inner and outer corner ones. I've yet to find a solution for that problem. Perhaps using one of those mini curlers for those particular lashes? Because this one is metal, it works wonders when you heat it up slightly underneath a hair dryer for a couple seconds before using it because it sets the curl of your lashes better; though you have to take care not to burn yourself. I haven't had a problem with the pads falling out as others here have, but I do find it difficult to replace them because I can never seem to find the refills in stores. Other than that, this is a fabulous, inexpensive find! Highly recommended once you get the hang of using a curler!
September 2, 2008
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I've been in love with this stuff for years! It's super moisturizing and has a beautiful, unique scent; it smells like a blend of spices and herbs with some fruit essence as well. It lathers richly, and is a multitasking product because it's not only a wash, but also works wonders for shaving and is good for baths too. It leaves your skin silky smooth and softly fragranced. What more could you ask for?
September 2, 2008
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I have this one in Cola-float (a soft blush), Berry Bella (a bright fuschia), Strawberry Tart (a deep watermelon), Cherry Berry (a true apple red), and Cinnamon Apple (a deep crimson). With these glosses, it seems to be a hit or miss experience because they all have different scents/flavors and the shades range from almost invisible sheer to medium coverage, with/without shimmer and glitter, etc. The Cinnamon Apple is my least favorite thus far, as I prefer shimmer in my glosses instead of glitter particles, and this one is overloaded with latter. I adore the Berry Bella shade because its a vivid yet wearable pink; one swipe and it gives you a nice flush, two or more and you have a pop of color. It works well to offset any tan you might have as well. I do have an issue with the scents of most of these glosses, however. They are overpowering much of the time and take quite a while to fade, most of the time being overly chemical/artificial. The Berry Bella is one that I can stand more than the others because its a strong yet pleasent fruit punch fragrance. The staying power of these is incredible; they even stay put through a bite to eat or a drink of water. However, because they're so long wearing, that aspect is accompanied by the fact that they are fairly thick and sticky. But hey, if you want your gloss to last, you can't expect them to not be a bit on the heavier side as far as consistency goes. The original applicator tip on these is one that I really loved; thin and fuzzy with a hole in the center for the gloss to come out of. They have since changed the tip to a wider, hard plastic one that I'm not as fond of. These impart a juicy shine on your lips, and wear off evenly; as the shine fades, the color of some shades like Strawberry Tart remains for a while longer. These are a great value as well because you get .45 oz of product in the tube, so they last for a long time and aren't costly. I find a couple shades to be more moisturizing than others, and like I said, it's pretty much a hit or miss scenario with these. Overall, once you find a shade you like, you'll find that you keep coming back to this one.
September 2, 2008
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This polish is one of the better ones on the market. I have it in Sheer Satin Slip, which is a creamy & natural petal shade, perfect for everyday wear. I found the initial drying stage to live up to the claim of taking about a minute, but for me, this is just how long I wait for between coats or before applying the top coat. Even though it's advertised to be a "fast drying" formula, I find that if I only wait 60 seconds before beginning to do things, the impression of the couch, a smudge from accidentally knocking my finger against a cabinet, etc, can be found on my nails because though the polish is dry enough to be ready for the next coat as I said, it's still at that in between stage where it has some tackyness to it and is not fully hardened. The brush provided distributes the product evenly over your nail, and the consistency of this is both thick and opaque, so I find that I need at least two coats; it dries to a glossy finish. The longevity of your manicure after using this is surprisingly quite a few days, and I find that applying a glossy top coat makes it last even longer and prevents chipping even better. For about $3, this is a good quality polish and is recommended for when you need a quick nail fix/are heading out the door!
September 2, 2008
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I have this in the Glistening Rose (a medium melon-raspberry), Honey Drizzle (a warm, golden brown sugar), and Peachy Sheen (a coral peach). I find the available colors to be mostly universally flattering for a range of complexions, however I was disappointed in the orangeness of the Glistening Rose and the Peachy Sheen. I would prefer the rose to have more of a pink undertone and for the peach to be less orange based. I have Italian olive skin, so I'm not super pale, but I could see these two shades being too loud for those on the fairer end of the spectrum as they are borderline there for me. The Honey Drizzle is a gorgeous shade to compliment tanned summer skin, and to warm up your face during the winter because it's not muddy like a lot of shades are in this color family from other brands. I find the formulation of these to be perfect in that they smooth onto your lips evenly, enveloping them in a pretty flush of color. And the color is buildable; you can make the coverage sheer with just one swipe, or add another coat to darken the hue. The fine shimmer in these is pretty, but does tend to linger on the lips after the glossyness has worn off. Since the particles aren't big enough to be called "glitter" though, this isn't a huge issue for me. These leave a natural, soft shine on your lips without stickyness, and I find them to be fairly moisturizing as well. The SPF is an added bonus. I do wish that they could be more long-wearing, as reapplication is frequent for me with these, and you don't get much product in the tube. The slim black & gold case is sleek and fits easily in your pocket or purse though, and overall, these are a well made hybrid of a lipstick-balm-gloss, as they combine the benefits of all three in one product.
September 2, 2008
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I'm not a frequent user of Victoria's Secret beauty products, as I find most of their scents to be much too heavy or overly sweet and cloying. I purchased this in the Slice of Heaven and the Juiced Berry, though, because surprisingly I really liked the smells of them! If you're not inclined to enjoy foody or fruity fragrances, I would steer clear of these. But since I'm the opposite, I love them! Slice of Heaven is a warm, vanilla scent that reminds me of a cupcake with buttercream frosting. It's not too sweet, and it doesn't smell artificial like a lot of scents of the vanilla variety do. Juiced Berry is a pretty blend of raspberries and strawberries and smells fresh and summery. It's of utmost importance that you SHAKE these up very well before spraying in order to properly mix up the two layers; the conditioning oil and the fragrance. The mist is very light, and, as its an oil, it makes your skin feel soft and supple upon application. For this same reason, the scent fades really quickly, which I'm not happy about. I want the scent to be lasting and noticeable enough that if you're standing close enough, you can smell it oh so faintly. Unfortunately, with these, that doesn't deliver because your skin seems to soak up the hydration from the oil so fast that the scent can't linger much. It would be perfect if they altered the formulation of these to make them longer wearing because the scents of these two are lovely. The other scents, however, I found to be much too sweet and fake smelling, so perhaps VS could also make improvements there as well. Not sure whether I will repurchase these once I run out for these reasons.
September 2, 2008
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I think that the Satin Lips Balm and Mask are a vital duo to have on hand as staple lip products. The mask is wonderful in that it gets rid of the peeling, dry & chapped feeling that is especially prominent in the winter time, or when your lips are sunburned during the summer. You can really notice how revitalized your lips become once you exfoliate them with this. I use it about once a week and I find that its perfect for keeping my lips healthy looking and feeling. When you follow it up with the balm, its both soothing and nourishing, and you will immediately notice the difference. I find the balm itself to be incredibly emollient and hydrating with its vaseline-like consistency. There's no offensive scents to speak of with the balm or the mask, which is another plus. It's a great step to add to your nightly routine before bed because the moisturization will work all night so that you wake up with beautiful lips! I do, however, find the pricing of these to be fairly steep for the amount of product you receive.
September 2, 2008
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These glosses have wonderful staying power and come in a wide variety of wearable shades. I find the fruity scent to be somewhat plastic-y and artificial smelling, but not overwhelmingly so, as it tends to fade fairly quickly. The consistency is on the thicker side with some stickyness, but from my experience with glosses, these qualities are necessary in order for the product to be long wearing, which these are. The shine is juicy while not being too vinyl-like, and I find that after the shine fades, the color, especially with the Watermelon Crush shade, lingers for quite a while and fades evenly. I love the fact that you get .5 oz in these, because one tube lasts an incredibly long time, even if you reapply a couple times during the day and use it on a daily basis. There are so many colors available and new limited edition ones debuting so often that you can find ones that flatter your complexion pretty easily, and they're pigmented enough while still being sheer. I'm not crazy over the application of these; I think a slanted tip would be a good improvment because its hard to spread the gloss on your lips with the rounded tip. I find these to be comparable in quality to Lancome's Juicy Tubes, and much less expensive. Overall a great gloss!
September 2, 2008
