Makeup
- tallredamanda » See my profile
- Points: 98485
- Reviews: 434
Here are all my reviews:
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I'm a big fan of tinted lip products, but I feel like many of them wear off quickly and require almost constant reapplication. I have this product in the "sugared fig" shade which is a nice mauve-ish (they call it "plummy" but I don't think it's that purple-ish) shade that looks very natural on me. Kind of the my lips but better type of look. It has a tiny bit of sparkle, just enough to be fun, but not so much that I feel like I'm too old to be wearing it or like I shouldn't wear it running errands in the middle of the day. It has a hint of a sweet smell, but it's nothing overwhelming (to me, but I have a weak nose, please be sure to sniff it before you buy if you have a very sensitive sense of smell). I like that it's in a normal chapstick-type tube, not a pot I have to put my finger or a brush into. I'm always a fan of straight from the tube application! (Yes I know you get a better look with a lip brush, but I'm lazy!) The tube also makes it easier to fit into a small purse or pocket! I have some tiny purses and some of my lip products simply cannot hang in a bag that size if I also want to carry my phone and keys (and I almost always do). This product isn't as moisturizing as some others I've used, but it definitely isn't drying and I have been very impressed with the lasting power of the tint. This shade works especially well for me because it's such a natural shade on me that it can wear off a little and I don't feel SO compelled to reapply immediately. But it really does take a long time to wear off even a little. For those who are into it, you should know this is a totally vegan and cruelty free product! The tube is also recyclable which is nice, I just hope I can remember that someday when I finally use up the last of it. That's the nice thing about not needing to reapply constantly, I'm not going to run out of this five minutes after I start using it! (That's an exaggeration, but I know you know what I mean.)
June 25, 2015
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I have a super short pixie cut and I like a product with a little bit of shine. I also like a decent amount of hold, but it needs to also be flexible, not stiff or sticky, because I do mess with my hair sometimes throughout the day. Also because I don't like my hair to look gross. This product looked very much in the jar like it might be the perfect hair product for me and I was really excited to try it. I like the reasonable prices on Garnier's hair products, and they always have really great, fresh scents that I enjoy. The texture of this when I put it in my hands was thinner than I thought it would be. It was barely sticky at all, especially compared to other products I use (I tend to rotate between two or three). But I have also occasionally used products that weren't super sticky and they turned out great, so I dove right in and threw this into my hair and styled as usual. It's not a bad product, but it's definitely not MY product. I would say this was low medium hold when I prefer a solid medium or even medium high hold product. It also had no shine at all. Not even a little. Some people are into that or prefer it (require it, even), but I like a little shine so those two factors ruled it right out for me after just one use. But the product lives on with a friend who requires a product with no shine at all, so at least someone gets to enjoy it.
June 25, 2015
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I have a sample of this that I think a friend sent to me. I'm not sure, I just know it was kicking around my bathroom drawer for months and I finally decided to try it out. This is not a product I would ever buy for myself. It's too expensive and while I like a nice eye cream, I'm not really into the eye treatments. It only stays on 3 minutes, but it's still kind of a pain. Anyway, this came in a little bubble pack instructing me to use one full bubble per eye. How big are people's eyes? I only opened one bubble and still managed to cake the product onto both eye areas with some left over. The product was an odd brownish color with actual chunks of plant (seaweed I would guess?) mixed in. So you might say I was really not a fan of the texture of this product. The scent was vaguely minty, as the other reviewer mentioned, but I have a weak sense of smell so I didn't pick up very much of it. What the other reviewer referenced as a tingling sensation felt like burning to me. And it started almost immediately. Thank goodness it only had to stay on for three minutes because that burning feeling made me nervous, but I was determined to give it a fair chance. Three minutes passed (I brushed my teeth and stared at the clock which is not a terrible use of time, I suppose) and I wiped it off with some tissue. And I honestly didn't notice any difference except the burning feeling finally stopped. Luckily there was no irritation to go along with the burning sensation, but there also didn't appear to be any results. Maybe it's something you need to use for several weeks before seeing results, and if you're into that, fine, give this a try. But it's not my kind of product and the performance of this one did not turn me into a believer. If you have a true interest in this, I definitely recommend scoring a sample to make sure you like it and feel it's worth it before dropping the cash on what might be a huge disappointment.
June 25, 2015
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I'm not a huge fan of black eyeliner but I'm trying to get more into it since I have a million of them and black is always the shade given out as a sample size for a new product or brand. And so I found myself with a small size of this item in black! I love that it's a twist up so there's no need to fuss with a sharpener (or worry about remembering to bring a sharpener when traveling). The consistency is soft, as you'd expect for a "gel" product, which makes it glide on so easily for a beautiful, smooth line. I rarely line my waterline, but I have friends who do often and are always looking for a good liner for that purpose, so I always try it out. This one! This one is amazing. The liner glides right on then doesn't budge. If you're looking for a perfect liner for your waterline, I think this might be in. Overall I really like this pencil. It's pricey, at $25 per pencil (currently on Sephora). My favorite liner has a very similar consistency for only $19 per pencil...but it is a pencil that requires sharpening. So when I start running low on my favorites I'll have to decide whether not needing a sharpener is worth the extra cost. I just might switch over! Given my past disappointment with my Marc Jacobs lip gloss, I'm pretty excited that this gel liner crayon performed so well.
June 17, 2015
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I like Dr. Brandt products a lot, but this one did not impress me. I had a sample packet, and I will say a little bit goes a long way with this one, which it should since it's $150 for just over an ounce (currently, on Sephora). That's way outside my budget, so I guess I'm glad I didn't love it? It is a nice, light moisturizer and I enjoyed putting it on every night. But it did not deliver at all on the promises for fresher, smoother, younger looking skin. My skin definitely looked the same every morning, even after several days of use. Usually a product like this will at least brighten my skin a bit, so there's SOME noticeable outcome from using it, but this one was just...nothing. Light moisture and that was it, and that is not worth that price to me!
June 17, 2015
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So it's the same as the quad, just multiplied by two, so I'm reviewing it here anyway. Since the 8 pan set isn't an option for review on TB. I bought the "A Black Honey Affair" set as I have always been a huge fan of the Black Honey shade from Clinique and I love love love purple eye shadows. This set is amazing! For one thing, it has several shades in it that will allow me to weed out other shadow sets that I only like one shade in the set. Space saver! The shades are all very flattering on brown eyes, in my opinion, and there's a nice range of shades from warmer neutrals to the cooler purple/lavender shades. The shadow is soft without being messy and so easy to blend with little or no fallout. I honestly get more fallout from my Dior or Urban Decay shadows than I get from this Clinique set. I'm really, really impressed and genuinely wish I had given in and purchased this palette months ago when it first caught my eye. The range of shades are really fantastic as it's easy to create multiple looks depending on the occasion. I've done simple nude-type looks for work and I've done a gorgeous deep purple smoky eye look as well. The darkest shade could also easily be used as a liner if that's something you're into. Really, truly in love with this set and could not recommend it more.
June 17, 2015
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This face wash. Wow. I had a tiny sample and was so blown away I not only bought the (HUGE) full-size bottle, but I also haven't replaced either of my tried and true favorites. I'm using this instead! It's a smooth gel with a hint of mint and maybe also grapefruit in the scent and it feels so cool and refreshing on my skin. There are a few pink microbeads mixed in--I could take or leave those, as they don't seem to do much. But the scent and feel of this wash is amazing. My skin feels so fresh and clean after I use it and nothing gets my face so ACTUALLY clean. Nothing! It even takes off almost all my eye makeup (probably could get it all, but I'm lazy) but is gentle enough that it has never hurt my eyes. It's a decently thick gel, too, so I don't need much at all to clean my whole face. As previously mentioned the bottle is enormous. So many cleansers charge a small fortune for just an ounce of product. Not this one! I was worried at first because Sephora listed it as a "limited edition" product, then I realized that for $25 I was going to get sixteen point nine (I can't use digits, for some reason? odd rule) ounces of face wash. SIXTEEN POINT NINE OUNCES!! It's so unheard of my husband was confused at first when he saw it in the shower. If you prefer those smaller bottles because they take up less space? Not a big deal, you can grab a small reusable bottle at Target or CVS (like the ones meant for air travel) and refill it as needed. The bottle is tall and relatively slim so it will store nicely in a bathroom cabinet if needed. This is definitely a new favorite and I hope they decide to stop with this "limited edition" product and make it a regular item because I will keep buying it for as long as they'll keep making it! I first tried this as a tiny sample from Sephora and it was a major score. EDIT: I was wrong. I still like this cleanser, but it cannot replace both my favorites as I originally thought. Used daily for weeks on end, it can be a bit drying. It doesn't prevent breakouts as well as my favorites and it has those microbeads that everyone's hating on these days. Now I'm GLAD this is a limited edition because I'll finish my bottle, but I wouldn't buy again.
June 17, 2015
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Let me start by saying I love all things Lush! I try not to go in too often or I would spend too much money there, but I especially love their bath products. Which is how I came upon a generous sample of this product. I was purchasing some bath bombs, including Sakura (one of my favorites), which has a cherry blossom-type scent (mimosa blossom is what they call it on their website). The nice lady at the register asked if I had tried Rub Rub Rub which is the same scent, and I told her no. I didn't even know they had any other products in that scent! So she made me a sample. What fascinates me about it is that they call it a shower gel, but you find it on the website under "shower scrubs" and many of the reviewers, myself included, think of it as a scrub. Which it sort of is, but it also sort of isn't. The gritty particles are salt and they seem to dissolve away pretty quickly once I start rubbing it on my body. This is not anything I've experienced with any salt scrub ever before and even though I seem to get less exfoliation from it, I don't mind because it's also less harsh on my skin and easier to rinse off. It's also a crazy bright blue color, which kind of bugs me, but not for any reason that should prevent anyone (including myself) from buying it. The product photo shown here (as I'm writing this) shows the product being sold in the bottle but right now the store is selling it in a tub. Which really makes the most sense, because it is thicker than a regular shower gel. In fact, it's even thicker than some scrubs I've used. The scent is amazing--exactly the same as the Sakura bath bomb, as the employee promised me. But I haven't decided yet whether I want to purchase the full size (currently $22 for not quite twelve ounces). They say a little goes a long way, so perhaps I'll give it a try and if I can't live without it after one tub, then it will be worth the cost!
May 18, 2015
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For those with sensitive skin, I would definitely proceed with caution! This is called "microdermabrasion" for a reason, as it is much more intense than your average facial scrub. The particles are smaller and there are more of them, so you really get that exfoliating feel. And I like how specific the instructions were about waiting at least 3 days between each use. Unfortunately my sample only had enough product for 2 uses, but I liked how clean and fresh my skin felt after each use. I see other reviewers referencing a lemon scent, which is odd to me, because I thought it had a subtle mint smell? Maybe they've changed it or this is another case of my nose not being sensitive enough to pick up a scent correctly. As much as I enjoyed it, I won't be purchasing to use regularly because right now Sephora is selling it for $78 for two ounces. I don't like any product that much! There are plenty of microdermabrasion products out there, and I'm sure at least one of them works as well as this for less money.
May 18, 2015
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If this is the oil free eye makeup remover I have (and the bottle does look like the one I have), this stuff is really amazing. There IS some light oil, or oil-like substance, in it because you can see the separation in the bottle and you need to shake it up (vigorously!) before use. But it never leaves my eye area looking or feeling greasy like some of the removers I've used that were meant for waterproof makeup. Yet it is really very effective at taking off every bit of makeup. That's what I really love about it. Prior to this product I was using a remover marketed as "gentle" yet it felt like I practically needed to scrub at my eyes to get everything to come off. This product is the opposite of that and it's such a relief. Usually just one cotton ball will take care of both eyes with just a couple of swipes. Occasionally if I don't work at it, I still wake up with some mascara smudges under my eyes, but it seems that happens to me a lot no matter what remover (or mascara) I use. This remover, in my opinion, is the perfect balance between gentle and effective and I plan to continue using it for as long as they'll make it.
May 18, 2015
