Makeup
- strawberrytime » See my profile
- Points: 5585
- Reviews: 32
Here are all my reviews:
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I got a bottle of this sent to me to review, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! Upon my very first initial application, I was skeptical. The texture was a little bit weird at first (kind of like a cream + light oil texture, like almost watery?), and I'm not the hugest fan of the smell, BUT, the results were pretty good! The weird texture felt really good once it was rubbed into my skin. My skin felt lightly moisturized, not too greasy (which I HATE), and it really felt like the product soaked right in, and didn't just hang out on top of my skin. That last point was the best part. The next day, my skin still felt soft and moisturized, which is also important to me. I can't stand when you moisturize after a bedtime shower, and then when you wake up the next morning, you're ashy all over again (ugh!) Despite the smell I'm not super into, and my lingering question about how is this a "serum" and not just a "lotion," this does have the makings of a decent moisturizer!
February 16, 2015
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Convenient (I LOVE the stick format, I seriously love it so much), portable, easy to blend, great coverage, above average lasting power (given other tactics I use to control makeup meltdown), perfect color match (it LITERALLY looks like my skin), what more could I ask for? My ONE complaint with this product is that if you have even the SLIGHTEST of dry patch on your face, this stuff is a Stage 5 Clinger. It will CLING like there is no tomorrow to even the tiniest of skin flakes. I have OILY skin, but in the winter (which is when I like to use this foundation instead of my most favorite tinted moisturizer ever from Bobbi Brown), I do get the occasional irritated dry patch (particularly around my mouth) and have to take extra care to moisturize a little more in that region and to make sure to exfoliate. My suggestions for making this last through the day are as follows: moisturize well, PRIME, apply foundation (I just apply straight from the tube and blend out with a flat top kabuki), set with translucent powder, set with a setting spray, and then if you are obsessive like me, set again with powder (this entire process takes maybe a good 3 minutes). This may seem like a lot of steps, but I would most likely do this with every foundation anyways, so to me it's no different. If you are oily and you just swipe this and go, especially if you blend with your fingers, this stuff will most likely not last and you will suffer from makeup meltdown. With that in mind, this stuff is fan-effing-tastic.
January 7, 2015
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Seriously...this stuff is actual magic in a bottle. I had my concerns and apprehensions prior to buying this, since I basically have the Exxon Valdez oil spill hanging out on my face (READ: my face is very oily), and I was like, "Girrrlll, you ain't gettin' no additional oil near my face!" Much to my surprise, I LOVE IT. The REAL magic happens when you rinse this ish off. I seriously cannot believe how non-oil-like this stuff responds to water. I really can't even put it into words. It just comes right off, with all the make-up in tow. There is not a single oily residue to be found. It removes ALL the makeup, including ALL the waterproof mascara, and I don't have to "double wash" (aka, wash my face with regular face wash again) after using it. My face is clean a whistle (I don't really get that phrase...), soft, and the perfect amount of dry (not too tight, not too oily). I simply follow-up with my standard toner and moisturizer and I am good to go. I'd say if one beauty product was hauled back from the apothecary in Diagon Alley (that's a Harry Potter reference, for those who didn't get it)...this would be it; PURE MAGIC.
January 7, 2015
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This is for Dragon Girl only; the iconic red lipstick that makes its way onto top-pick lists everywhere. I give top marks for this pencil's ease of application, color pay-off and length of wear. Even with a dull point, this was still really easy to apply and precise (a sharper point is obviously better, though). I got a good 3-4 hours of wear with eating, LOTS of chatting, and a pretty decent amount (ok...a lot) of drinking going on. I do use MAC's Prep & Prime Lip (which is also uh-maze-ing!) religiously with pretty much any lipstick I wear, so I can't say with certainty how this would perform without that. My minus one star comes from how it feels on my lips. I find it to be kind of drying and not as smooth as I would like it to be. After a couple hours of wear, I can see those little lipstick+lip flakes you get when you wear a drying lipstick. Now granted, there aren't as many flakes as there might be with a less awesome lipstick, but there are still some none-the-less. I expected complete flawlessness, and I didn't get it. It is quite possible my expectations were a little too high. Anyways, with that said, this is still a pretty amazing lip product and definitely worthy of the hype. I also really do think this would work on a variety of skin tones, I can see it being a perfect universally flattering red.
October 13, 2014
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For a low-priced, drugstore mascara, this stuff is amazing. Adds volume, definition, and length all in one go and doesn't take a long time to do so or a million coats. It is darn near perfect, and that is saying a lot. I have pretty high expectations for mascaras, and this one fits MOST of the bill. The only reason I'm giving it 8/10 is because I discovered The Falsies. UPDATE: forget Falsies, this stuff is my jam!
August 12, 2014
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Oh my. This is good stuff. This is a product that dreams are made of (my dreams, anyways). It really does blur out imperfections, and give you a soft "airbrushed" type of finish. I once read a review that claimed it was "photoshop in a powder" or something to that effect, and I really do agree with that. Now, granted, I have not taken any photos with this powder on, so I am unsure of how those photoshopping capabilities are translated onto film, however, IRL, it looks stunning. STUNNING. On the daily, I wear this over a tinted moisturizer (shout out to my girl Bobbi Brown!) and concealer and then apply blush and bronzer afterwards. I find that if I apply this Nars powder after any blush or bronze powdered products, it does tend to lighten them up a bit (good for if you apply too much on accident, though!). The BEST part of this product though, for me, is its OIL CONTROL. A surprising/amazing benefit of this product is that it does keep my oils at bay for a really good portion of the day (I say a good 5-6 hours). I don't think oil control is the main point of this product, but I'm telling you, miracle working. I have used the loose version of this powder as well, and while it looks and performs VERY similar on the face, the oil controlling is MUCH better with the pressed (as is usually the case). On me, this performed better (and looked way better doing it) than the MAC Blot Powder, which IMO is sub-par compared to this one. I do also use a plethora of other products to keep my oily skin under control, and even with using those other products, I can see a marked difference in this powder and the MAC Blot. Another added benefit that I saw was the extension of makeup wear. I really do think this helped my makeup stay on and stay put for pretty much all day, at least compared to the other powders I have used. Oily faces (and all faces, for that matter), REJOICE! A powder that does it all.
August 12, 2014
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I cannot believe no one has reviewed this yet!!! Seriously, why does LM (you know..that OTHER tinted moisturizer lady who gets ALL the street cred...) get all the love, when BB deserves just as much, if not more! The Bobbi Brown offers better coverage, better color matching, what seems to be longer staying power (granted, TMs overall aren't really meant for staying put for a 16 hour or so day, so with that said...), and a better feel on my face. I found the LM to be really oily and too slippery (yes, I was using the oil free version) whereas the Bobbi was a little thicker and had more stick or grip to my skin, all without being heavy or too "moisturizery" in the least. I felt like the LM slid right off of my face and offered ZERO coverage or skin tone evening, whereas the Bobbi stuck to my face (in the best way possible) and offered the RIGHT amount of coverage I was looking for which was light but not sheer in any way. The one con I can think of is the Bobbi only offers an SPF of 15 where the LM offers SPF 20. Not that big of a difference, and neither are really effective for long bouts in the intense sun (you should probably layer a higher SPF under both TMs for those times), but some might want a higher SPF. ALSO, I also tried the Bobbi BB Cream, and I must say, unimpressed. The oil free tinted moisturizer satisfied more of my needs and performed better, IMO.
July 18, 2014
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This stuff lives up to the hype, for sure! Holds really really well, with ZERO stiffness or crunchiness and I spray A LOT of that ish ON. It literally lasts ALL DAY, a good 8 hours or so. The scented version smells pretty good, but I like the unscented better since I like to wear perfume and don't want my hairspray interfering with those scents. My ONE unfortunate complaint (hence the loss of one star) about this is the nozzle hole - it clogs FREQUENTLY and you have to like peel the dried/sticky little piece of hairspray out of the hole to get it to spray properly again (running under hot water did not work for me...maybe I wasn't patient enough?). When the nozzle is fully functioning though, even the spray is amazing! It's light and airy and like this fine mist of hairspray awesomeness that I want all over my hair.
July 3, 2014
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Unfortunately, this was my first Lush solid shampoo experience, and it did not go well. I have heard such great things about their solid shampoos, and was SO excited to try this. After consulting with the sales associate at my local Lush store, we had come to the conclusion that I needed to get this one - Soak and Float. Despite its WEIRD scent (smells like a campfire...which I don't necessarily mind...), the supposed benefits were very appealing which was essentially nipping dandruff in the bud. I have HORRENDOUS dandruff, and was like "YESSSS, FINALLY something that is natural and convenient and exciting and new and not Head and Shoulders which is what my parents use, yay!!" OH EM GEE. The first day I used it, I noticed an exponential increase in dandruff already...and it seemed to just get worse from there. I used it for about a month about 3-4 times a week, and it got BAD. Way worse than any dandruff I had before. I thought maybe it would take some time to work its magic, but no. I gave it 4 weeks of my life and hair to no avail. I switched back to my beloved Aveeno dandruff shampoo (which is getting really hard to find...), and was relieved by week 1. Review to come on that later. The 3 stars I did give this product are for the following: hair cleanliness, convenience of product, and sheer novelty and fact of it being a solid shampoo (which I loved). Overall, a pretty big disappointment. WOMP WOMP.
July 2, 2014
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Maybelline New York Volum' Express The Falsies Waterproof Mascara
Why isn't this rated higher?! (at first, anyways...)
What. Why doesnt this have all the stars??! This stuff is awesome! Obviously only until something better comes along, but for the time being, it's the best! I had reviewed the "flared" version of this, and did not like it (pretty sure it's a different formula), but I guess something inspired me to try the regular version (in WP, of course, for maximum curl holding). The results were amazing. Amazing length, volume, separation/definintion, and curl holding! Also, with the formula being waterproof, it literally lasts ALL DAY without budging even just a little bit. I really couldn't ask for more in a mascara. My ONE complaint is that the brush definintely has a learning curve...which could be the reason I gave up on the "flared" version, who knows. Give it a few tries to get the hang of the weird, curvy flat brush sitiation, and you will not be disappointed. Yes, I did mascara all over my lids, and yes it was clumps galore at first. Trust though, keep at it, and you will master the application. Excellent drug store buy! Update: a few stars lost because the longer I had this tube, the worse and worse it performed. I think around week 5 or 6 of use, I started to wonder if this was even the same product. :( And that was sad.
July 2, 2014
