Beauty Product Reviews | Page 3

Maneater, Money Eater

I really do think that MAC gets over-hyped sometimes. MAC is a great company but because the brand name is so renown, I think they can get away with not having the best of the best products out there on the market but this is only my opinion. The eyeshadow I have from MAC is called Maneater and it is a beautiful lilac color. This is from a discontinued line and I have yet to see it resurface in the past few years. Although the eyeshadow tins do look small, they do hold enough product to last you for quite some while and a little eyeshadow can go a long way. However, with this particular color, I do have trouble with its staying power and its color pigmentation. Although the color really is gorgeous, when it's swatched or used, it doesn't live up to it's pretty color in the tin versus on the skin. I expected a lot more just because, well, MAC is MAC. I usually have to use water to mix in with the color to really make it pop and that's after eyeshadow primer, so it is a lot of work.

I expected a lot more from this eyeshadow but I still love the color and I can manage with it. However, I don't think it's worth what it costs.

O.M.G

Are you familiar with gel liner? Yes Do you know how to use an angle brush? Yes Do you want a liner that will last forever? Yes

Then you NEED Mac's fluidline. I do not kid you. Once I got the hang of using gel liners as well as angle brushes, I knew I had to get my little hands on Mac's fluidline just because I had heard so many good things about it in the past. It is AMAZING. The consistency of the product is not watery and it isn't really hard as well, it's perfect. It glides onto my eyes effortlessly and the staying power has really proved itself since I've fallen asleep with my makeup more than once after a night of hanging out with the girls. Even though everything else had smeared off, Mac's fluidline remained. But beware that if you do apply the fluidline and it dries (which it does fairly quickly), you can not use just a regular ole' Q-tip to remove it. You really need to get water or use makeup remover on a Q-tip to do so since the staying power really is that awesome. The color I use is Blacktrack and it is the blackest of blacks I've ever seen and I love how I rarely, or rather, never have to reapply the fluidline to make my liner darker since it already is so pigmented. And a little bit of the gel liner goes a long way. I've had this little tin for a while and I've barely made a dent in it.

I do agree that Mac Cosmetics is not the most affordable brand of makeup. If you are just starting out with gel liners, I strongly urge you to try using drug store brands like Maybelline until you get better at applying gel liner and don't make to use all of the Mac fluidline up just for practice. And if you have a discounted cosmetics store or outlet near you, they usually have great deals when you can buy the fluidline at a discounted price. So keep on looking for those great deals bargain beauties!

Something I can't live without

I first purchased this from Sephora because I really loved the packaging and for the price of $39, getting 12 really gorgeous eyeshadows, 2 blushes, and 1 bronzer was a STEAL. And the little tin it comes in is perfect for me to store even more of my crazy makeup stash in. The pigmentation of the eyeshadows really is amazing. The Royal Pride palette is a gold/bronze palette that has some awesome earth toned eyeshadows that are perfect for neutral looks or to add a little spice to whatever look you're trying to achieve. It comes with a bronzer but it's just a regular ole' bronzer so it's nothing to scream about. The Arlecchino palette was disappointing in that the 4 eyeshadows in the palette are beautiful but the pigmentation stinks. They don't swatch well at all and applying them is very painstakingly long. The blush in this palette is alright, but again, nothing to scream about. Now my favorite palette out of this bunch is the Rapina palette. It is my go-to palette for my smokey eyes. It has the most pigmented colors of all the palettes and the lasting power is amazing. These are more silver-toned and dark colors that are perfect for dramatic looks and the blush that comes with the Rapina palette is this gorgeous bright pink with red undertones that makes your face have that rosy in the snow look. Really amazing.

This palette set is perfect for a beginning or someone who wants some basic eyeshadows and the price is really affordable for everything you're getting. Definitely something I recommend but beware of the Arlecchino. You're going to have to work some magic to make those colors pop.

On the fence

Buxom lashliner was my very first gel liner so it has a soft spot in my heart since it broke me into the world of gel liners and how to use angle brushes. However, I can't necessarily say that this is my all time favorite gel liner. I find the consistency of the gel liner to be a little too watery for my taste and it doesn't dry as quickly as I would like in comparison to the other gel liners I use. I've had days where I would close my eyes just because I had to whilst applying gel liner and then hello raccoon eyes. The liner would smear all over me even though I had waited a few minutes for it to dry. It applies on evenly though and it does wonders once you get the hang of keeping your eyes open for a little longer for it to dry. It lasts all day so no worries about having to reapply it. And I got the Buxom lashliner in leatherette, which I believe is the darkest black they have so it's definitely a keeper. The only thing that turned me really off about this product is that it didn't really condition nor thicken my eyelashes. I have terrible short and frail eyelashes that no one can see unless I pack on the mascara or wear false lashes. Unfortunately, no improvement. The Buxom lashliner is one of my backup gel liners I keep in my makeup stash and I reach for it whenever I do my everyday makeup versus really dramatic, going-out makeup. If you're a beginner, this may be a decent option for you but I'm still on the fence about it. I wish my lashes would grow then I'd be sold.

Not Too Shabby :)

I was skeptical when I first bought the NYC Minute Quick Dry Nail polish. I've had my share of nail polishes that have failed me miserably. However, I am very, very pleased with my purchase. I got 2 polishes from my local CVS only for 50 cents each because they were having a 75% sale. Definitely worth my time and money. I got two colors: Chinatown which is a very dark purple that almost looks black when it's on my nails and Greenwich Village which is a beautiful magenta, hot pink color. I'm not too fond of Chinatown since it is so dark but I love Greenwich Village-absolutely love it. And since they were only 50 cents a piece, I won't be complaining all too much since it was such a steal! Although the polish solution seems very watery, I only needed two coats of polish to really make the colors pop. They've stayed on great for the past week with very minimal chipping! And they really do dry pretty quickly! I'm so impatient whenever it comes to painting my nails so I usually end up with chips the day I paint them. However, this was not the case with these! I definitely recommend buying them and I think the sale is still going on so stock up because that's what I plan on doing :)

Love/Hate Relationship

Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste and I have a love/hate relationship. Some days, he will be kind, gentle and blend into my skin quite nicely, all the while, making my hereditary dark circles seemingly disappear. And then on other days, he will be cruel and unmanageable to the point where I'm trying to rub the skin under my eyes off just to blend it. The erase paste has a thick consistency which I like but blending it, it's a hit or a miss some times. To deal with his sometimes unruly attitude, I'll warm the concealer up on the back of my hand for a while before blending it into my skin so that it's easier to work with. The coverage is very good and works phenomenally as an eye brighter. Unfortunately for me, my dark circles are very, very deep set so I don't think that erase paste and I will be reuniting after I finish up this can. I need something that will give me much more coverage for these hollows they call eyes. However, this may be suitable for someone who doesn't need too much coverage as a concealer so this is definitely a suitable candidate.

It was fun while it lasted but alas, our story must come to an end.

My First Love

When my skin first started to give me problems such as redness, acne, blackheads, etc, I was at a complete and utter loss at what to do. But then, I found St. Ives Blemish & Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub. It was by pure accident too. I remember just standing in the facial wash isle at the grocery store, flabbergasted by the sheer number of products staring at me menacingly. So I just picked up a random bottle and ran away as fast as I could. I am so very pleased that I picked up this scrub because it ended up being my first love and I haven't looked back since.

It is a scrub, a legitimate scrub. Therefore, it may feel very strange at first on your skin because the texture is so rough. But once you slather that baby on and wash it off, your skin will feel amazing. There is something about the way the scrub really gets into your skin and roughs it up that makes me feel reassured that my skin is getting the cleansing it so very much deserves! It makes your skin feel so smooth and clean afterwards since all the dead skin cells have been "scrubbed" away. You also get this after glow that makes you look so fresh and awake! This definitely helps for early morning classes and work! I sometimes use the scrub as a mask by slathering some more on my face, neck, and a little bit of my decollete and letting it sit and harden. After 15 minutes of looking like a strange, mutated creature, I'll wash it off. The effects of the scrub mask are 10x better than just using it as a quick scrub. However, I only use it as a mask once in a while since I don't have the patience to sit there and let the product harden for 15 minutes every day and night and because I only use the scrub as a mask when my skin really needs to be pampered and a good detoxing. Regardless, this scrub is amazing and will always be a long time favorite of mine.

Safety Net

Maybelline's Great Lash Washable mascara was the very first mascara I ever bought. Now this was in the ancient, caveman days where mascaras didn't vibrate or oscillate or have enormous bristles. So I was drawn to this hot pink and neon green packaging whilst perusing the drug store in middle school. I picked it up, bought it, and it has remained my faithful backup ever since. Although I have my favorite, more expensive mascaras now, whenever I'm in a rush or need a quick touch up, I'll grab this mascara in a heart beat. It's packaging also makes it very easy to find in the clutters of my obscene makeup collection. You can't really miss something that looks like a fluorescent watermelon. If you're a beginner or just want and/or need a decent and reliable mascara to use as a backup or a safety net, this is just the item for you. But beware, if you want to get some va-va-voom lashes, you're going to have to wait a while because you need lots and lots of coats to even get close to that effect. And it sometimes takes a while to dry so keep your eyes peeled just for a smidgen longer than you normally would!

Love the product, hate the packaging.

Urban Decay is both infamous and famous for their primer potion. I remember hearing raves and reviews about it before I even got started in makeup. And I am a fan. I am currently on the brink of finishing up my first bottle of the .34 oz original. It is wonderful. I make sure to put the primer potion on my lids every single day just to make sure my eye makeup doesn't smudge. It really does keep the product on and pigmented throughout the day and from my experiences with it, I have never ever had to worry about creasing, ever!

I remember the days where I would very naive and didn't bother using primer potion. After a night on the town, you didn't want to see how I looked like-that being, a hot mess with smeared makeup that looked like I had haphazardly thrown it on with a cotton ball. Yes, that bad. But once I was introduced to UD's primer potion-it was love at first sight and now I am in a committed relationship.

My sole complaint about this product is the packaging. I despise the genie-esque packaging. It is useless and since I'm running low on primer potion, I really have to dig into the bottle to even get a small amount of the primer potion. I will soon be cutting open the bottle and transferring the product to an alternative canister/bottle so I can actually use all of the product I bought. Thank goodness UD came out with the new packaging that is just a squeeze tube. Even though the squeeze tube version is $19 in comparison to the bottle version that is $18, that dollar will go a very long way and save you a lot of time and effort.