Shelly T.'s (shellygrrl) Beauty Product Reviews
Very Versatile Palette
I love that this has a mix of neutrals and colours. I'm also happy with the inclusion of the matte shades, and that the shimmery ones aren't glittery (yay for no fall-out!). The packaging is also a plus, with the zip, making it perfect for travel.
Shade-by-shade (swatch photo attached)...
Kinky ~ Very smooth and buttery, easy to work with. For me, a near-perfect skintone shade (you can barely see it on my arm in the swatch; I'm a NARS SG Siberia).
Freestyle ~ Also very smooth and buttery and easy to work with. If you've a more medium skintone, this may be a good skintone shade for you.
Mushroom ~ Gorgeous taupeish colour.
Backdoor ~ Also very smooth and easy to work with. For dark-skinned beauties, this could be a skintone shade. For me, it's my perfect brow colour. \o/
Blackout ~ This is much better in terms of texture than the version in my Naked2 palette, which is a bit on the dry side.
Barlust ~ It's an easy shade to work with, but I'm not sure if I'll be using it much. It kind of reminds me a bit of shades from the Naked palettes. I may need to do some comparison swatching to see.
Rockstar ~ Gorgeous shimmery purple colour. I think mine is just a touch dry, though. Speaking of dry...
Evidence ~ I am disappointed. It is a gorgeous blue, but in order to get a visible swatch, I had to really work it. It is so dry. I sincerely hope the permanent version isn't like this. :(
Loaded ~ Much better in terms of texture. Great shimmery dark teal.
Asphalt ~ Fantastic gunmetal gray.
Perversion pencil eyeliner ~ It is much blacker than Urban Decay's other black eyeliner, Zero. It is very creamy and easy to work with, particularly on the lashline. It holds up better on the waterline than Zero, but it's still not great, in my view.
Great for blending and creasework
I love this brush for blending and for applying a slightly softer wash of colour where I want it. The tapered shape of the bristles also means it's great for crease work. Bristles are soft, the brush itself is easy to handle. I also think it's a good choice if you want something in a similar shape to the MAC 226 or Sigma E45, can't find the former (as it was limited edition), and would prefer to spend more money on your brushes.
Hello, waves.
I like the wavy effect this gives to the hair; it doesn't look much like your hair's been crimped. I also like the price; it's a very affordable option. On the downside, it is very heavy, and it can be tiring on the arms after using it for a while.
Personally, I think it will work better for those with longer hair (i.e., past the shoulders). If it's shorter, you may want a smaller iron. (Revlon does make a smaller version.)
All-rounder
The LY14 is a brush you can use to place colour on the lid, to define your "outer V", to draw in a strong crease, to smudge out some eyeliner, or for blending work. The bristles are resilient but soft, so they don't tug on or poke your eyelid. It's larger than a pencil brush, but it's smaller than some of the other blending brushes on the market -- which, in my view, makes it "just right".
Beautiful and subtle
This is a fantastic fragrance, definitely great for the summer months, and also my go-to. It's not overpowering; it's quite subtle, actually -- a good one to have in your collection if you want to wear something but want something soft.
It needs a spray nozzle!
It's not a bad brush cleaner for spot jobs. However, I don't like the flip top; I wish it came with a spray nozzle instead. (I lucked out because the spray nozzle that came with my old brush cleaner fit the MAC bottle perfectly so was able to swap them out. That said, I shouldn't have to do that!)
A must-have!
After I started using this brush, I began to wonder where it had been most of my life. In my view, this is a must-have for packing colour on the lids. It's fantastic.
Ugh. Run away!
I bought this on a whim to see if I'd like it better than the Tresemme heat protecting spray. I don't like it. At all. It's all down to the spray nozzle. It doesn't disperse product well at all; it's completely useless. If you were thinking about this one, skip it and go for a different heat protecting spray. (However, if you insist on buying it, at least decant the product into a different spray bottle. One where the nozzle actually WORKS like it's supposed to.)
Bigger brush for the win!
I am so happy Maybelline gave what is likely their best mascara of all time a larger wand. Like the original, my lashes don't clump, the formula is excellent. If you like Great Lash but wish the wand was bigger, this is the answer to your hopes/prayers.
My pencil eyeliner holy grail!
I bought this in three colours on a whim one day, as I was in need of pencil eyeliners and heard good things about the brand (in general) in this regard.
They are more than worth the $5.50 (US) each I spent. And, since then, I bought a fourth one.
First, these do. not. move. Second, they are very pigmented. Third, they're quite creamy and easy to apply. The one downside I can see is there are only eight colours available, but to me, I don't consider that much of a downside because I think most people don't need more than those eight colours. Definitely a "Holy Grail" product for me.
So if you want a pencil eyeliner and you're on a budget, definitely give these a go!