Beauty Product Reviews
My Favorite brand of brushes
Let me just start off by saying that I'm a brush fiend; I probably have around 100 brushes, ranging from Crown Brush, to Sigma, to MAC, to Inglot, to OCC, and various other brand-less brushes. OCC is by far my favorite. Synthetic, soft, uncommon shapes, and a nice, sturdy handle. Additionally, they have never shed on me-- and when I say never, I don't mean like, "Oh maybe one or two hairs, but I'm just going to hyperbolize and say that they've never shed." I mean-- literally-- never. Also, as a side note, when I went to OCC's New York shop, the normal sales-girl was out sick, so the creative director helped me; he was so incredibly sweet and genuine-- he gave me his honest opinion of product, even if it risked a sale. I wanted to add this to my review only to speak for the brand's real persona. I highly recommend these brushes and the brand, as both of them hold a special place in the "OH MY GOD I LOVE BRUSHES AND OCC" sector of my heart. :)
Amazing when they're right; terrible when they're wrong
MAC's limited edition quads are unbelievably inconsistent. Their more recent palettes that debuted with their spring 2012 collection, "MAC Cook," are wonderful; creamy with incredible pigmentation, they're the paragon of MAC eyeshadows. Conversely, their 2011 fall quads were extremely disappointing; I would literally push my finger into the pan and rub back and forth and barely any pigmentation was visible in the swatch. In addition, because there are four shades in each palette, there's generally a lot of variation in quality within the quad; for instance, in MAC's spring 2012 collection, the gray shade in "Color Added" was course with low pigmentation while the other shades had strong pigmentation with a buttery and soft texture. It's a hit or miss kind of job. I'd recommend just checking them out, taking into account their price ($38 as of 2012), and deciding whether or not you think it's worth it. I will say that, regardless of the quality, the color combinations are usually very creative and appealing.
Not a go-to item, but definitely brightens!
I went to Yves Saint Laurent's website (<a href='http://www.yslbeautyus.com' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>www.yslbeautyus.com</a>) to look at what they claim this product can achieve; they said... "With a few strategic strokes of this award-winning complexion highlighter—dark circles, fine lines and signs of fatigue virtually disappear."
For concealing under-eyes: I use this product off and on; while it truly adds a chic, bright effect, it does not conceal the purpley shadows that curse fair-skinned under-eyes. For this reason, it does not meet my specific needs nor does it uphold the company's claim; however, I imagine it could work quite well for those with less shadows beneath their eyes, and therefore maintain YSL's description. For highlighting: This product works wonders for highlighting; the lightest shade has a pinkish undertone with a subtle radiance that creates vibrant, healthy-looking skin. ... But only for a few hours. I have "normal skin" on my cheekbones, yet, even so, Touche Éclat begins to fade after about 2-3 hours. So annoying. So there's my two cents; I suppose I'd recommend it for people with shadow-less under-eyes, but if you're never without circles, save your money and get M.A.C. "Select Cover Up" (great for covering circles) and M.A.C.'s "Carefree" Pro-Longwear eyeshadow to use as a highlighter.
Quick way to thick lashes
Amazing mascara-- it quickly provides thick lashes (and when I say thick, I mean the THICK, too-good to be true type ) and build-able volume. But, as always, there are a few small turn-offs: the wand can sometimes irritate your wetline when you try to wiggle it at the base for added volume, and you really can't get definition outta this formula-- which is okay, seeing as how the volume is impeccable. I own the mascara in black and plum; while the black is just about as black as it gets (maybe not quite as black as Dior's extase though), the plum is only somewhat visible if you look for it.