Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2
pretty good dry shampoo
The first thing I noticed when I used it was that the fragrance is pretty strong. Its a nice fragrance (a bit floral), but it definitely isn’t subtle. It does leave a bit of a white cast, but it brushes out fairly easily and I’ve also found that its much better at absorbing oil than other dry shampoos I was using. Its probably not the best dry shampoo out there, but it gets the job done and is much better than the Tresemme one.
Meh
I received a sample of this in my most recent Glam Bag. I only used this product on my forehead, because that's the only place that I’m really oily. I was a little unsure when I was supposed to apply this, but I did it after toning and before using serum (not sure if that’s correct). I noticed that my forehead wasn’t as oily by the middle of the day as it usually is, but it was still oily. This product also contains alcohol, which is a big no no for your skin. I probably won't be using it again.
Best Balm I've Tried!
I have heard so much hype about this balm, so I got super excited when I saw a deluxe sample of it as an option for my Sephora 100-point perk. Being the lip balm junky that I am, I was interested to see if this balm was really worth the hype and if it measured up to any other balm products I have tried.
Well, in short, the hype is definitely warranted! This goes on thick and creamy and is very long lasting. Even after it fades, it keeps your lips very moisturized. The flavor I received as my sample (.1 oz) was “Black Tea & Blackberry”. The scent is very strong, but that’s not something I really mind. Its a very clean, berry scent but not one that I would have personally chosen. There are quite a few other flavors available. It also contains antioxidants as well as SPF 25, which just makes this balm even better! The full size (which, if you can’t already guess, I will be picking up pronto) is .25 oz and retails for $7.50, which is a good price, in my opinion, for a “high end” lip balm considering the Fresh Sugar ones retail for over $20.
Smooth and Creamy foundation!
I absolutely love this foundation! I researched a bunch of different drugstore foundations online, and decided to give this a try based on great reviews! It goes on feeling really cool and refreshing. Most liquid foundation makes my skin feel dry, which luckily this cream foundation did not. I’ve applied this using a stippling motion with both my flat top kabuki brush and my round top kabuki brush, which really gave me that airbrushed look. When using the round top kabuki, I buffed it in a little bit more which looked nice as well and I was able to get into the corners better. As for the sponge, it works well but tends to pack on too much product which can look cakey. My skin seriously looked and felt amazing after using this! It didn’t bring out my dry flakes too much (if you looked closely they were noticeable as they usually are, but barely). It has a super dewy finish, which is ideal for normal to dry skin. My skin is combination so I had to apply powder on after to tone down the shine in my t-zone a bit. This foundation feels so refreshing and hydrating, and best of all the coverage is great. I would say its a medium coverage, which is more than the light coverage I’m used to with most mineral makeup. I still had to use concealer, but this foundation really blended out my skin to airbrushed perfection! On the downside, its not super long lasting (though it does not claim to be). I would think that using a setting spray and primer would help with that, though, which I have not done.
As for the packaging...its kind of silly. 80% of the packaging is devoted to holding the sponge applicator, and the small part at the bottom unscrews and holds the actual makeup. Not very practical, but it is what it is. I also had a lot of trouble with shade selection. Their shades don't seem to be ordered very well (the numbers don't necessarily correspond to lightness/darkness). I had to try 3 shades before finding mine with is "Light 5: Creamy Natural". I have never in my life worn anything in the "light" category before so I'm not sure how that works. Regardless, I really do love this foundation and would re-purchase!
In "Nude York City"
The shade of this lipgloss I got in my Influenster Vox Box is #582 “Nude York City”, and its basically a nude/peach color. Although it looks darker in the tube, its almost clear when you apply it (hence the fact that its a “nude” shade)…there is only a tiny tinge of peach color, which reminds me of the Maybelline Baby Lips balm in the shade “Peach Kiss”. Personally, I really love the color of this gloss even though it is barely noticeable. I’m definitely glad I got this color because I’m all about nude shades as opposed to super bright lip color.
The texture of this gloss is very rich and super moisturizing (it contains Vitamin E), and it lasts a long time too! Its also not sticky at all, and smells really nice! And of course, it makes your lips super shiny. At first I found the applicator kind of weird becaues its a doe-foot but straight, but I’ve grown to love it.
Overall, this is a great gloss and I would love to try more colors. And you really can’t beat the price!
Birchbox Pink shade
Jouer specially made this gloss for Birchbox, and its called “Birchbox Pink”. I really like how this gloss looks and feels on. Although the color is hot pink in the tube, it goes on like a very sheer pink, which I actually prefer since I don’t like bright lip color.
Not for me, but still a good product
I was super super excited for this product when I got it in my Birchbox! It was something I was thinking about getting anyway, and then it happened to appear as a Birchbox sample so its nice that I can try it first. It is supposed to minimize the appearance of pores and also act as a primer. To be honest, I don’t think I’m going to purchase this product anymore (its a good thing I got to try it out first!). It is a decent primer, but I feel like the texture dries out my skin. It really does get rid of large pores, though, but the finish is just too matte and powdery for me and my flakes seem to come through when using this product. If you have really oily skin, this could be a great primer for you, though!
Nice and refreshing
This is the product I’ve been using the most out of my Birchbox! I really love this mist. I actually just ran out of my leave-in spray (Bumble and Bumble’s Tonic Lotion), so I’ve been using this spray as a leave-in conditioner after I get out of the shower. It definitely helps with frizz and conditioning. I’m not sure if I’m going to buy the full size, but I do like it!
Great for mineral makeup!
There was definitely a learning curve to using this brush in comparison to what I had been using before. The size of the brush head was probably half of my Coastal Scents brush, so it takes a little longer to buff foundation onto your entire face than it would with a big brush. However, this brush lets you get into smaller crevices on your face like around your nose and eyes much better than a larger, flat brush would. Because of the size and shape, the application is more even and efficient because I’m able to really cover every area of my face. The brush itself is super soft, the same amount of softness as my Coastal Scents synthetic buffer. The only two downsides I have to this brush are; the handle is very long, so if you’re holding it by the handle, your hand is going to start hurting after a little while unless you hold it at the very base of the brush (like you would do with a regular short kabuki). This isn’t really that big of a deal since I hold it like that anyway. The second thing is that because it is so incredibly dense, the Sigmax brushes take foreverrrr to dry….so definitely have a backup if you can! I shampooed mine on Friday night. It is now Monday morning, and it is still damp. I think I may pick up the Sigma Shape and Dry to speed up the drying process!
Great for blush!
This brush is ridiculously soft! Its extremely dense, so it will take a long time to dry when you wash it. I had to get used to the density of this brush since my other blush brush was a little more fluffy, so applying blush was a different process because I could get a lot of product on the brush and not have all of it apply to my cheeks. With this brush, I only need to literally tap it into the blush, and plenty of product applies to my cheeks! When I first used the F84, I had a bit of a shock when I swirled the brush in my blush (like I was used to) and applied it. I looked like a clown! haha. Definitely take it easy on this brush when applying product, as it picks up a lot with just a tap. This would also be a great brush to use for contouring as well!