Beauty Product Reviews | Page 9

Surprisingly Great Quality for $3!

After using and loving the ELF Essentials Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, I decided to try out the ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 hoping this might be the same great quality or better than the Essentials tinted moisturizers. These moisturizers are $3.00 per .7oz tube and comes in 7 shades; Porcelain, Nude, Beige, Sand, Almond, Mocha, Espresso. This moisturizer provides a very sheer tint to the skin, but can be built up to a medium coverage if needed. The consistency of these moisturizers is thinner than the Essentials tinted moisturizers, similar to a face lotion. The scent is very fresh, having key ingredients of aloe, cucumber and vitamins A, C & E.

I personally have been using a couple of these moisturizers on/off since I got them, and I really like the coverage and hydration that it provides. It's very smooth and easy to blend into the skin. Most impressively, the sun protection it provides really does keep you from burning throughout the day. I have pretty sensitive skin, and I have not shown any irritation to this moisturizer. I recommend this to tinted moisturizer lovers, it's great for non-makeup days, keeps you moisturized, is buildable for a medium coverage, and protects your skin from the sun throughout the day.

Swatches of all shades can be found on my blog <a href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com</a> Swatch attached is the shade I personally use on NW25 skin

Surprisingly Great Quality for $1!

A few months ago I bought all shades of the ELF Essentials Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 for my kit, at $1.00 per .42oz tube, I thought this would be perfect to use on clients and inexpensive to repurchase when needed. This tinted moisturizer comes in 7 shades; Ivory, Light Beige, Rosy Beige, Apricot Beige, Honey, Spice, Toffee. This moisturizer provides a sheer coverage, but can be built up to a medium coverage if needed. The consistency of these moisturizers is quite thick - comparable to a liquid concealer almost. I find that mixing it with a face primer makes it easier to apply and blend into the skin, and reduces the amount you need per application.

I personally have been using one of these moisturizers on/off since I got it, and I really like the consistency - especially on my no-makeup days. It's very creamy and leaves a smooth surface on the skin. This is a great tinted moisturizer for only a dollar! I have pretty sensitive skin, and I have not shown any irritation to this moisturizer, plus it does keep my skin moisturized throughout the day. I recommend this to tinted moisturizer lovers, it's great for non-makeup days, keeps you moisturized and is buildable for a medium coverage.

Swatches of all shades can be found on my blog <a href='http://www.beautybykrystal.com' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.beautybykrystal.com</a> Swatch attached is the shade I personally use on NW25 skin

Have Glowing Skin on "No Makeup" Days!

I received a .5 fl oz sample of Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 Illuminating back during the holiday online shopping I did in 2010. At first I was not happy with this product because I had hoped I could just wear it on it's own like a normal tinted moisturizer. But after going on their website and realizing this is the illuminating line, and it's formulated to attract light to the skin I quickly began to LOVE this product!

- This product is very light weight, almost like a facial lotion kind of consistency. Because it is so light, you only need a pea size amount to cover your entire face. This is an illuminating product, so there is a subtle shimmer to it - and yes, if you have wrinkles or large pores the shimmers will magnify those crevices because it is attracting light to those areas. To avoid highlighting the wrong areas, do not apply this to any problem spots. I suggest using this on the smoothest areas of your face - forehead, cheekbones, nose bridge, brow bone... pretty much anywhere that has a smooth surface will be illuminated and therefore flattering your features more.

- Because this product is light weight, it is also buildable. You can either wear this underneath your foundation to create a lit-from-within look or you can dab this on top of your foundation for a highlighter effect.

- If you have healthy skin and don't need extra coverage but want a healthy glow, apply a thin layer of this moisturizer, then powder your skin with a setting powder or sunscreen powder. This will highlight your features while still looking natural. I like to wear this combination mostly on weekends for a break from the full-face routine during the week.

I honestly recommend this product to people looking for a sheer liquid highlighter or a sheer illuminating moisturizer - you can find many creative ways to use this product, and for the retail price of $42.00 for 1.7 fl oz, this will last a long time. My little .5 fl oz sample is maybe half empty and I've been using it on/off for the past 4-5 months.

My favorite products to pair with this illuminating moisturizer: ELF Studio High Definition Powder Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna MAC MSF Natural in Medium Dark

A shadow you can wear on its own!

LA Splash has recently released a few new 2011 Spring products, and among them is the Diamond Lux Pressed Shadows. These shadows are .07oz/3g worth of shadow, there are 9 shades (Vintage, Antiqued, Heavenly, Golden Leaf, Emerald City, Mystifying, Chromium, Wild Orchid, Supernatural) and each one comes in a twist top pot and is embossed with a gorgeous filigree pattern.

The pigmentation in the Diamond Lux shadow is purely vibrant and the sheen it gives off is so attractive that you can wear these shadows on their own and still have dimension to the eyes. Of course, you can still pair these with other shadows and create looks to fit your liking. I experienced a tiny bit of fall out, but it's really not enough to be an issue. The great thing about these Diamond Lux Pressed Shadows, is that you can apply them wet and still get that great pigmentation, sheen and dimension - in a very surreal vibrancy - it's gorgeous!! These retail at $5.49, and normally I would say that's too much money for one pot of shadow - but I think this is an adequate price for the quality of this product. I honestly only dipped my brush once per eye - the color is so rich that you need just the smallest amount to apply to your entire lid!

(You can find a look using this shadow in my profile photos) (Swatch attached is of Antiqued) *Product(s) were received for trial/review; these are my honest opinions

I interviewed my cousin, Kristen, to get a review on this product: Kristin has naturally dark brown hair and 3 weeks after she dyed her hair, she filled out the product review questionnaire. Here is Kristin's review on the product: What are some stand out qualities you like about this product? The conditioner it came with was creamy and made my hair feel like silk. I was able to use it twice because my hair is short.

What are some stand out qualities you dislike about this product? Even though my hair is short, its very thick. It felt like I maybe didn't have enough product to color my <a href='http://hair.So' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>hair.So</a> I had my guy help to comb thru my hair and make sure I didn't any. The product is very thick.

Will you repurchase this product? Why or why not? I will definitely repurchase this treatment. I just really loved the way the color turned out. A very nice black.

What brands/products did you use before getting this product? I used Loreal before using this.

How is this product better/worse than what you previously used? Loreal was ok. It is after all purchased in a drug store. But after coloring my hair it looked like I had low lights. And I wanted full color. I was definitely able to get full color with Garnier.

How is the longevity of this product compared to other brands you've tried? Well I think with any drug store hair color there is fading with time. But this did fade slower.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the worst and 10 being the best) how would you rate this product? Solid 8

*I loved her review, and it has stood out for my next hair coloring session.

Travel Friendly, Smokey Eyes in a Box!

For being signed up with Tarte's website, I received a 10% discount code, plus a free lip liner for my birthday. I had never used any Tarte products before, so after browsing through all their products, I just had to have the Peep Show Palette in Onyx, but it kept going out of stock - so after waiting about a week, I finally was able to add one to my cart. I purchased it for $19.20 (after my 10% discount) on the Tarte website, but unfortunately it's no longer available on the site. I did, however, hunt it down and found it listed on Ulta's website for $18.00, so if you're interested in this palette - you better jump on them quick before they're all gone! This palette is a travel friendly box with a magnetized top and built in mirror, 3 eye shadows, an eye primer, a side drawer holding a black eyeliner and 2 double ended brushes. The eye primer is creamy and easy to blend onto the eye area, and it prevented creasing and color fading all day. The eye shadows are a bit powdery but still great quality; there is a sheer white shimmer, a shimmer gray, and a matte dark gray. The eyeliner is fantastic! It is a pitch black, creamy enough to blend on the lid as a base or wear all day on the waterline, it can even be worn on the lash lines without smudging away. The double ended brushes are actually good quality, I was surprised. There is a flat shader brush, rounded fluffy crease brush, flat liner brush, short liner brush. I absolutely love this palette and I'm so glad I was able to grab one. I recommend this to smokey eye lovers and people who enjoy travel friendly palettes!

Fabulous Mascara - Conditions & Stimulates Growth!

Ever since I was little I have always had naturally long and voluminous lashes, but after giving birth to my daughter in October 2010, my lashes looked thin and short and my heart did break a little because I was scared they would never get back to normal. So, I began to look into lash conditioning or lash growth mascaras. I quickly found out about Revlon's Grow Luscious Mascara, and during my Christmas shopping I picked up a tube of Blackest Black at my local Target for about $7.99 (initially I was expecting a lot from this mascara because that's a bit expensive in my eyes!).

First Impression: I loved the large brush because I'm all about giant mascara wands/brushes! But, I actually hated this mascara. I used it about 5 times, off/on during a 2 week time period, and quickly put it to rest in my makeup case. Like I said before, my lashes were short and thin, and this mascara just made them stand out even more and it didn't add any volume or length. I did however like the consistency of the formula, the rich black pigmentation, the fact that it didn't flake or smudge, and that it didn't clump my lashes together.

Product Revisit: After the new year I began to use the Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara again because my other mascara (Cover Girl Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara) ran out. I did dislike it still, but since I had nothing else to use, I toughed it out and actually wore Ardell Demi Wispie lashes to hide my pathetic natural lashes. After using the mascara for about a month, I began to see a slight difference. My lashes started looking longer, but not fuller at all - just wispier. So, I kept using it to see how my lashes would end up looking after using a full tube of this mascara.

Here's a before/after photo of my lashes in January and then again in April (attached) In January I had worn about 4 coats of mascara to get them to look their best. My lashes were thin, short, and pretty sparse. The January lashes have a LOT of mascara on the ends to make them look longer - they really weren't that long ;) In April I'm now wearing about 2 coats of mascara to get a full coverage on my lashes. My lashes are longer and I have even noticed new lashes are growing in between my lashes making them looking fuller. Even my bottom lashes are fuller and longer!

Final Review: My Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara has made many appearances in my previous makeup looks and tutorials. I have received a TON of compliments and questions about my lashes in the last month or so, and it's all due to this mascara. I feel that this mascara has conditioned and rejuvenated my lashes back to there original state! It's truly amazing and I'm so grateful for this mascara, haha, it's well worth the $8!! I recommend this to people looking to enhance their lashes, it takes a while, but regular use of this mascara makes a big difference.

TIP: I have recently found this mascara on WalMart's website for under $6!

Loving the cleansing beads!

I bought the Pomegranate hand soap a couple weeks ago to try out. My boyfriend and I have our own bathroom in our room, and I wanted a fruity soap for our vanity. At first use I thought this soap didn't lather up great, but after using it for a couple weeks, I like that it's not all soapy/quick to lather. The beads in it massage the hands and in conjunction with the liquid leave our hands very smooth and very clean. We have a baby, so we wash our hands VERY often, and I haven't had cracking dry hands since using this soap - I love it!!!

Great Pigment, Matte Finish, NON DRYING - Very Creamy and Comfortable to Wear ALL Day!

Okay, so this lip color completely shocked me! It applies pretty dry, like a usual matte lipstick does, but once you press your lips together the formulation is quite smooth and moisturizing. I haven't even worn a gloss over this because it's conditioning enough to not need help. I love matte lipsticks, and anyone who loves mattes too should definitely try this out. To be honest, I prefer this matte lip color over my MAC matte lip colors. The shade range in this line is fantastic! There's nudes, neutral pinks, red, browns, pretty much a color for everyone. The pigmentation is outstanding as well - almost a mix between a matte lipstick and a tinted lip conditioner. I have even worn this sheered out by using my finger to apply and the color comes off as a pigmented stain effect. (Photo attached is of Vintage Red)

Luxuriously Smooth and Hydrating to the Lips!

This lip color applies smoothly and lasts all day long - I opted for a nude shade (which I never do) because if I want a long lasting color - it should be a color that goes with every look. When I first applied this lip color I actually said aloud "OH EM GEE!" It's luxuriously smooth to apply and the conditioning sensation you get on first application, lasts most of the day. I only had to reapply in the evening after eating because my lips felt a bit dry - to my surprise I unknowingly grabbed this lip color rather than my chap stick. The shades in this line are definitely more neutral and daily wearable - this will be one of the lipsticks in my purse's makeup bag. (Photo attached is of Pink Buff)