Beauty Product Reviews | Page 6
The only liner that I want to collect them all!
If you're a false lash junkie, like me, then you know you need to take the time to invest in a good eyeliner. Before this liner, I never really put much thought into liquid liner quality and how it can really finish and polish your look. I've only used two other liquid liners before this one, both lower in quality (L'Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Liner & ELF Essential Liquid Eyeliner), but I just assumed you had to make a liquid liner work for you because it's liquid and hard to work with.
The Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner is extremely easy to use, easy to line with - either super thin or dramatically thick, wears ALL day without smudging or running, and it's very easy to remove. My favorite thing about this liner, and what really sold me on it, is the felt tip. It's stiff enough to hold the liquid without dispensing too much product on your eyes. The felt tip is also flexible and can be pressed down to expand and create a thick line. The swatch photos show thin lines created when I just run the liner along my skin, thicker liners to show you can apply a little more pressure to get a fuller liner, and some artistic swiping to show you can easily line and flick without working too hard.
The Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner comes in 15 other shades (which I want to collect sooo bad!); Diamond Gold, Iridescent Emerald Green, Diamond Lagoon Green, Diamond Turquoise Blue, Iridescent Navy Blue, Diamond Black Purple, Iridescent Electric Purple, Iridescent Fuchsia, Iridescent Red, Diamond Burgundy, Mat Mocha, Mat Black, Diamond Multicolor Black, Iridescent Anthracite, Diamond White.
Great shadows, inexpensive, PLUS B2G1 FREE on Cherry Culture!
A few months ago I bought three LA Colors Single Eyeshadows off of Cherry Culture, they have these on Special Offer all the time as buy 2 get 1 free, and at $2.00 each. I initially wanted to buy every shade they had to offer, but decided that since I've never used these before, I should see what the quality is like first. The three shades I bought are Army Green, Violation and Cosmic Blue.
The consistency is a little powdery, a bit sheer at first, but very buildable and easy to blend out. Used without an eyeshadow primer, these shadows are decently pigmented and last up to 6hrs before fading away. Used with an eyeshadow primer, these shadows are very pigmented and last up to and probably well past 8hrs before fading away.
I definitely recommend these, especially since they are so affordable AND if you buy them on Cherry Culture you get the B2G1 FREE deal!
Super shimmery! Great highlights!
I browse Forever 21's beauty section on their website at least once a week, and a few weeks ago they added the Springtime Shimmer Shadows. These looked so adorable, so I took a chance and bought all three of them. I've had great reviews on their shadows in the past so I hoped these had the same quality.
Peach (F21-FJE-PE): frosty pink/peach, sheer to medium when applied dry, medium to full when applied wet, very glittery Gold (F21-FJE-GD): yellow gold, sheer when applied dry, medium when applied wet, very glittery Silver (F21-FJE-SI): white silver, sheer when applied dry, medium when applied wet, very glittery
The packaging is a cutesy pink plastic container with a twist closure, this is actually pretty sturdy as my clumsy self kept knocking these off the counter during the photo shoot and none of them were damaged or opened. The top has a window to see what the shade is, which is great because the label underneath doesn't say the shade name, rather it states the shade or product code. The pan is larger than a MAC e/s pan, but I'm not sure the exact size, I think it's close to 36mm. The shadows are heavily pressed, you have to really wiggle the brush a few times to pick up enough product OR you could use your fingers like I did which picks up a lot more product and cuts down the time you waste with a brush.
The pigmentation of these shadows is sheer to medium, they're significantly less pigmented than I expected, but enough to show up on pretty much any skin tone. The shimmer in these shadows is quite chunky and glittery, similar to my Urban Decay eye shadow in Snatch, but with less fall out. Swatched and worn, these shadows look extremely glittery with a very high shine. The lasting power, however, is only about 6hrs (with a lid primer) before creasing begins BUT these shadows did not fade at all, so that's a plus!
Loving the NEW Beauty School Party palette!
This palette has 6 shadows; glittery sheer white, sheer matte baby blue, satin royal purple, sheer satin taupe, shimmer deep silver (same as the deep silver in the ELF Essentials Brightening Eye Color Quad in Drama), silver shimmer pitch black (very similar to the shimmer black in the ELF Essentials Brightening Eye Color Quad in Drama). The lightest shades are pretty sheer, just a hint of color - nice for highlights or a full wash of color on the lid for a quick and easy look. The darkest shades are very pigmented and a little goes a very long way - extremely helpful when creating smokey looks because you can stamp the color on your lid or crease and then just blend away to get that smokey gradient look.
The packaging of the palette is probably the best out of the entire Essentials line, it's sleek and black, with little windows to see the shadows and a little mirror strip inside for easy on-the-go makeup application. It does come with a tiny brush, but it's so stiff that it's really only useful as a liner brush. My favorite part of the packaging is the closure, it closes firmly and doesn't pop open when you drop it - which I do quite often as I'm pretty clumsy with my makeup.
As far as staying power, these shadows are the same quality as most of the shadows in ELF's lines (if you're new to ELF - their shadows are hit or miss but mostly pigmented and easy to blend), the only thing is the powdery consistency is a bit more in these smaller pans, so I definitely recommend an eye shadow base prior to application to ensure your look will last all day. Without a base, these shadows last about 4-6hrs before significant fading starts to show, and even some creasing on oilier lids.
In conclusion, this palette is only $3.00 and I think it's great to have in your collection - especially for traveling. The packaging is sturdy and the shadow selections are really nice - owning even one of these makes creating a flattering eye look very simple and very inexpensive.
My new weakness! I LOVE them!
I decided to try out the 'Tini Beauty line because a while back I was strolling through the Beauty 360 at my CVS and realized all their polishes have beverage names; Mai Tai, Bloody Mary (which is the next one I want to get!), Pina Colada, and many more. I chose Grenadine which I later realized is exactly the same shade (maybe a smidgen deeper) to CND's Raspberry Parfait. Let me just start off saying how much I love the little cardboard box the polish comes in, matte black with shiny silver letters - very classy! This whole polish line is right up my alley! I love the creative cocktail names, the simplistic retro style of the martini glass on the bottle, and the surprisingly sexy slender body of the bottle. I think I've found my new nail polish weakness! The brush is square cut and fans out very easily making the application very smooth and clean. I didn't even need to do any cleaning to take the manicure photos. I'm so impressed with the formulation too. When I first shook up the bottle, the mixing balls inside paired with the slender shape of bottle made it sound like the polish would be thin. I was able to get an opaque application in one coat, except for my thumbnails that needed two coats because they have ridges that were showing through the first coat. I even used this polish on my toes (mainly because I love this color almost too much!) and all my toes only needed one coat. Before applying my top coat, this polish had a really nice shine to it. Of course for longevity purposes, I added the top coat anyways so I wouldn't get any chipping this weekend. When I feel the urge to treat myself, I will most likely be picking up a new bottle from Nailtini! I couldn't be happier with this brand.
Photo attached is of the shade Grenadine
PERFECT for Summer looks!
The packaging is a golden, shiny, magnetic closure box with a medium sized mirror (which I don't use because it tends to get scratched up somehow). The tray that holds the eye shadows has tiny walls about a 1/4" tall, and each eyeshadow has a dome top. There are four baked eye shadows; a frosty white with a gold sheen, a shimmery gold, a deep olive green with a slight golden sheen, a shimmery wine.
When applied dry: - very smooth - very pigmented, I only had to dip my brush into the shadow a few times to get it as opaque as it is in the palette - a bit powdery but patting them on during application will reduce fallout - easy to blend out or into each other - long wearing, they lasted up to 6hrs without an eyeshadow primer before any fading or creasing began to show - applied on top of an eyeshadow primer they lasted up to 12hrs before fading or creasing began to show
When applied wet: - very smooth - extremely pigmented, I only had to use one swipe to completely fill my lid with color and to have an opaque or painted on look - you can wet your brush first and pick up shadow directly from the palette without ruining the shadows consistency by sealing - extremely long wearing, they lasted up to 12hrs without an eyeshadow primer, and might have lasted longer had it not been time to remove my makeup and go to bed - applied on top of an eyeshadow primer or base didn't really change the shadow's effects or color pigmentation, but it did prevent creasing throughout the day
Turns you into a Bonzed Goddess!!!
The packaging is pretty standard; squeeze tube with a flip top and a tiny hole to squeeze the product out of. Simple. When I first squeezed a dot of this bronzer onto the back of my hand to swatch, I literally said aloud "OH-EM-GEE!" This bronzer looks exactly like a natural tan would - add in a bit of shimmer to give the illusion of glistening skin. It has a tint of red mimicking that sun kissed look, micro shimmers - not glitters - to make your skin actually glow! The sheen this gives off is amazing! It almost reminds me of Barbie's legs, in a less plasticy way though. This formula does have to dry for a few good minutes before you can get dressed because it will transfer, good thing though - it does not stain. Since the bronzer is tinted, and comes in one shade, I can definitely see it working on nearly all skin tones.
I've worn this on my arms, legs, chest/shoulders, and on my face as a blush or bronzer. It can easily be built up or tinned out with a translucent moisturizer for a more subtle glow. I personally wouldn't wear this out in the daylight because it's very shimmery and could be a little over done, but I do plan to wear this when going out at night, especially on my legs! It's so gorgeous at night because it really does give you that red carpet perfect skin look.
Before/After photos can be found on my blog if you're interested in body swatches rather than small hand swatches: <a class='textlink' href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011/07/lorac-tantalizer-body-bronzing.html' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011...</a>
Hydrating, Sun Protecting, Medium Coverage
The packaging of this product is really nice, I like the tube with the pump action. It stands on the pump end so the product stays towards the opening, but since it is a pump action product I store mine upside down so I never get air bubbles when pumping out the moisturizer. Also, I find that tubes are best for cosmetics because when you start to run low, you can cut of the seal and scoop out the remainder into a little pot so you get your monies worth.
The moisturizer has a slight sunscreen scent to it - but mostly it just smells like a standard foundation would (that cosmetic-ey makeup-ey smell). The scent does not last long on your skin though, so if you are sensitive to fragrances, like I am, this shouldn't cause any reactions or give you a headache. Directly from the tube, the consistency is on the thicker side, similar to a hand cream. When blending it out onto the skin it thins out and spreads very evenly. I found no streaking or harsh lines, the moisturizer is subtly tinted but once it's worked into the skin it just melts in like any other moisturizer would. I point out there is no harsh lines because tinted moisturizers tend to feel like diluted foundations and leave behind a smeared-makeup look. This moisturizer is a smooth formula, allowing you to build it up in "problem" areas for a fuller coverage minus the cakey or splotchy appearance. It dries to a naturally matte/slightly dewy/fresh-looking finish, and you can even powder it for longer lasting coverage.
The feeling of this moisturizer after 6hrs of wear is pretty much the same as when applied (I have dryer skin along hair lines and chin area, and oily skin in the T-zone area and cheeks), I experienced no dryness or oil build up. The sunscreen factor of it is perfection, plus it didn't give off a white cast when I photographed it for this blog post. After 12hrs of wear, this moisturizer still felt really good my skin was hydrated and fresh looking all day. The only thing I disliked about it was when I applied it right after my skincare routine, the sunscreen portion of it burned my chin area just a little, but this was probably because I just finished my exfoliating and cleansing routine and should have waited a bit longer.
If you are looking for a hydrating, sun protecting and light coverage tinted moisturizer, I HIGHLY recommend getting a sample of the Fusion Beauty PrimeResults Tinted Moisturizer +SPF15 Sunscreen. This has actually taken the place of my ELF Essential Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 that I used to have in my vanity drawer, mostly because the wear-time is much nicer by the end of the day plus no touch-ups are needed with this product.
What I use to apply this product: - ELF Studio Powder Brush - Crown C404 Small Duo Fiber Face
Perfect For Travel!
I purchased the ELF Elements Custom Compact solely out of curiosity and for blogging purposes, most you know by now that I definitely don't need more makeup. I have seen this on the Eyes Lips Face website, and have debating on getting it for a very long time. I don't remember what pushed me, but I finally purchased it and now I'm asking myself "Why didn't I buy this sooner?"
The compact is sold separately from the eye, face and lip pans you purchase to customize your own quad. The compact is only $1.00, it has a full size mirror inside, a slot for the included lip brush and shadow sponge (double ended) applicator, and then 4 magnetized slots for the pans you choose to place inside the quad. The compact is great quality for only one dollar! The magnetism is strong enough to hold your pans in place with no shifting and if dropped onto your counter and then onto the floor, it will survive the fall and your makeup won't shatter (can you tell I've experienced this?). The pans you buy separately are $1.00 each and a tad bit thinner in size compared to a MAC pan. They currently offer 10 eye shadows, 5 face powders (a mix of blushes and bronzers), and 10 lip colors (which seem to be their original lipstick shades based on the names). The quality of the products are just the same as the full size products they sell, which is pigmented, long-lasting and great shade selections for all skin tones.
I chose to fill my compact with 4 eye shadows; Golden Glow which is a pure gold, Mocha which is a bronzed brown, Moondust which is a rosy taupe, and Dusk which is a dark gray. The pigmentation is outstanding, with a shadow base these lasted 10+hrs, and the compact protected them enough that there was barely any crossed particles - which I describe as the dusts from eye shadows mixing into other pans from them moving around in the palette.
I think this is a great concept and I hope ELF will expand their pan selections soon because I honestly plan to buy them all so that when I travel and can switch out what I want to bring with me! I love this product and highly recommend it! A palette for only $5 AND you can customize it to your liking?! Amazing!
Flattened my curled lashes, sticky formula, clumping
Since this mascara is called "They're Real!", I assumed it's claiming to give me that false-lash effect. I have used this mascara for about 2 weeks now and I feel that it's just not the mascara for me. I documented two different demonstrations to show how this mascara looked on my lashes curled and uncurled. I also included a demonstration of how I normally wear my lashes.
The brush of this mascara is plastic with rather short teeth, and the tip is a rounded shape with longer teeth. I used the shorter teeth to apply the mascara to my lashes horizontally, then I used the rounded tip to apply the mascara to my bottom lashes and inner/outer corners.
My lashes normally don't like plastic mascara wands (they prefer the traditional bristle wands), and this mascara did not prove to be any different. I find that the wand applies too much mascara to my lashes, making them look spidery and clumping multiple hairs together instead of separating them like it claims to do. Even after combing out my lashes (which I usually do in my regular lash routine), the formula dried to a sticky consistency which just clogged up my lash comb and made my lashes look even more spidery.
The first demonstration is with my lashes curled: The first week I was almost embarrassed to be seen with such clumpy lashes, but for reviewing purposes I toughed it out. I also hoped the mascara would begin to work for me a bit more... nope. The formula actually weighed down my lashes and flattened my curl. It did, however, lengthen the lashes quite a bit. The formula seems to dry pretty quick, so by the time I applied my second coat I could feel the product attaching to my lashes and applying more rather than removing what's already there. I think this quality would be perfect for shorter lashes to really extend them. (sorry, photos are on my blog, I can only attach one photo here) <a class='textlink' href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011/06/benefit-theyre-real-mascara.html' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011...</a>
The second demonstration is with my lashes uncurled: I was thinking since the mascara didn't look flattering on my curled lashes - it might work better on uncurled lashes, which it did perform a tiny bit better than the previous week. I still experienced massive clumping, but the mascara performed well and lifting my lashes and creating a slight curled effect. I think this method would be perfect for short lashes that naturally fall or are stubborn straight. (sorry, photos are on my blog, I can only attach one photo here) <a class='textlink' href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011/06/benefit-theyre-real-mascara.html' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011...</a>
You might see the above photos and think the lashes look fine. But, I personally want my mascara to separate and enhance each hair while adding some volume and length. I normally use and LOVE Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara, so the last demonstration is to show the quality and performance that I love for my lashes: (sorry, photos are on my blog, I can only attach one photo here) <a class='textlink' href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011/06/benefit-theyre-real-mascara.html' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com/2011...</a>
My Final Thoughts: I feel the Benefit They're Real! Mascara is not suitable for longer lashes; the formula is thick, wet and tends to clump, plus you really need to work with it to look as decent as I got them in my photos. On the other hand - if you have short lashes and need more product on them for them to stand out, this mascara might just be up your alley. I did notice this mascara doesn't smudge, melt, or flake all day (tested on many 12hr days). Overall, I won't be switching from my staple Benefit BadGal Lash Mascaras. I also wanted to add, there are a lot of positive reviews on this mascara as well, so for me personally this mascara just didn't flatter my lashes at all - but if you check out Benefit's Facebook page, there's tons of ladies with before/after photos to show how it boosted their lashes.
*Product(s) were received for trial/review; these are my honest opinions