Beauty Product Reviews | Page 2

This smells EXACTLY like Whimsical by Anchor Blue...

My old HG perfume from highschool was called, "Whimsical" and was only found at Anchor Blue stores. It smelled EXACTLY like this! Then, it was discontinued, and lost to me forever... until I realized this was its EXACT dupe!

It is a bit embarassing to have a Britney perfume on my vanity, but I adore the smell. It brings back cherished memories on days I feel like using it in a casual environment. Of course... I guess it's not as embarassing, since I have the Sephora Hello Kitty Perfume [I'm such a sucker for the diffuser bottle!] and my Bvlgari Omnia Crystal.

The lasting power is incredible, but then so was my Whimsical's lasting power.

I am SO CONFLICTED!!! Original NAKED was more buttery in texture... NAKED2 = chalkier.

I didn't like the original much and gave it to my bf's little sister, which barely knows how to use makeup and has none... so it's FANTASTIC for beginners. The problem with the original was that it was too much shimmer/glitter, and NO MATTES... UD remedied this with NAKED2...

...and I am def. disappointed. The colors are chalkier, more fall out, the black is garbage, and I really HATE the glittery "Chopper" color with a passion. The thing is, I LOVE the tonal shades selected for NAKED2, which is on the cool side, where as the original is warm toned. The shadows are still usable, but require more work to blend and apply to get the desired effect.

On my NC30 skin, I much prefer cooler toned shadows for contrast, and it works well with my personal comfort level. I'm used to bolder looks, but I needed to learn how to tone it down for office situations... which is where this bad-boy comes in.

I love the packaging! WAY cleaner than the old velvet-flocked original. The dual-ended brush is not bad... the blending side is effective and is a bit fluffier than my MAC 224. The shader side is garbage and better used with cream products, but when there are no cream products in this eyeshadow wardrobe, why would I need a brush for cream products when everything is powder-based??? Silly, developers... give me a shader brush that works! I tossed this brush out and replaced it with my STILA#30 dual-ended brush [think MAC's 239 and 226 on one brush!] and I am now a happy camper.

The gloss that came with it is fantastic! Def. a "My lips, but better!" shade, and is FAINTLY sticky. Pretty nice as a freebie, but if you want the same shine without any stickiness, check out any of MUFE's labshines or glossyfuls.

I like it, but it's once again... not a must-have. I've yet to be impressed by a preset palette, and still enjoy the control over finishes and textures by personalizing my own. GREAT gift idea for anyone just starting or lacking neutrals.

I don't have to waste $30 on MAC's MSFs anymore???

So I have MAC's By Candlelight, but was curious to see if I could find something cheaper and easier to attain, and this is it! I have Honeymoon and Pin Up... And I gravitate towards Honeymoon more. Once blended out, these produce the same sheen as my MSF on my skin, and has smaller shimmer particles than that of my MSF as well! The only downfall is it has mineral oil in it... But then again, the MSF might too... No ingredients listed on the MAC website, boo.

An alternative to the MSF for only $7??? Uh... SOLD!

Ps: tried the HC illuminator in Tiki and the shimmer bits were bigger than the ones in their blushes. These blushes are much better for highlighting.

I have the travel version with case, and I love it!

it really does take out the knots and tangles, especially when my hair is wet. There's no tugging and pulling, and amazingly, this lightweight plastic tool tames my tangles with ease!

Tea Tree = natural disinfectant! AMAZING foaming brush cleanser technique, read below to STRETCH your dollar!

My brushes are my BABIES, and I spend more money on those than I do on my makeup... TRUTH. I used to use a homemade recipe I tweaked from Enkore, but it required more work...

With this, I dilute it in a foaming cleanser bottle by this ratio: 1/4 soap, 3/4 water. It foams like a DREAM and I SAVE SO MUCH PRODUCT! I have the large sized bottle I ordered via Amazon, and I think at this rate, I'll have this bottle for at least 5 years before I finish it up. Recycle an old foaming soap/cleanser bottle, or find one at your local dollar store or Daiso.

Tutorial: <a href='http://www.beautylish.com/v/grypa/save-money-and-water-by-cleaning-your-brushes-with-foam' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.beautylish.com/v/grypa/s...</a>

Buy now, and you can get a free full-sized #23 to go with it!

Upon reading numerous reviews, I figured I was around a #23 or 27... [I'm an NC30] - and to be quite honest, bb creams scared me for a very long time. I'm much too familiar with the grey cast or colors made for very PALE girls... and I'm a med. yellow that is considered unattractive to many Asian beauty standards... so it was always daunting to find a brand that made a color specifically for my needs...

Enter Missha - the first to actually have shades for darker skin tones. I read many girls around my coloring say they had the #23 and it would take 30 min. before it melted to match their coloring... I can't wait that long!!! Then I heard girls were mixing #23 w/ #31, but I really didn't need an extra step of mixing in the morning when BB creams were supposed to be a time saving product like tinted moisturizers... [Ridiculous!] So when I heard #27 was coming out, I was ELATED!

I received it in a good week - I was concerned I ordered at a bad time with all the flooding going on in Seoul, but they had distributors here in the US. Not only did I receive a #23 full-sized for free, I received a brightening duo of lotion samples and a deluxe sampler kit of all their different lines of BB creams. for spending over $40 on their site. [I love shopping Asian brands, they hook you up~!]

Anyways, onto the product:

This BB cream is MUCH nicer than others I've tried - there's no grey cast in it at ALL! I don't even need concealer, since this is a medium-full coverage product and it's buildable. The #27 would be PERFECT for me during the winter, but since it is summer, I mix it with my MUFE HD 123 so I have SPF coverage during the day... [MUFE does not have SPF protection... boo.] Def. be careful with this if you're planning on taking photos though - it strobes back light like crazy w/ such a high SPF content... but I still appreciate the protection it provides.

My only complaints?

- Slight tacky finish... needs to be set with powder product for sure. - retains dewey/semi-matte finish for a good 4 hours for me before I get shiny and need a touch of powder or blotting. - It's a PAIN to take off. Great staying power, but I hate having to wash off my Clarisonic's brush head because I can't stand seeing stained brushes. Guess it's a definite plus for you ladies looking for something long wearing. I can see this being semi-waterproof for sure.

My face hasn't reacted to it, and I do see a small improvement in my skin's texture after almost 3 weeks of use.

Just make sure you exfoliate and moisturize well when using this - because it will cling to dry patches or flakey skin.

My first face product... But left me shiny...

I stuck with this for years not knowing any better when I first started with makeup. I would always be the shiny girl in pics and thought I was extremely oily by nature. Probably better for dry to normal skin.

These make brow grooming a breeze!

I know it's a little gimmicky, but this definitely delivers with ergonomics and usability! I hated using the pointy-straight scissors to trim my brows... something that sharp should be nowhere near your eyes or face!

These make it so you can stare straight into the mirror w/o any obstruction to trim away those pesky long strands that can't manage staying put. It's a no-brainer tool for me to have, especially since I am so clumsy with scissors... [you're hearing this from the girl that managed to cut herself badly with plastic safety scissors, here...] =P

Great for beginners, but received in a purchase from their 11pc. Studio line set for 50%...

I don't think this is awesome enough to purchase as a single on it's own. The hairs are cut unevenly, and it's really nothing special. I much prefer Ecotools for their blush/powder brushes - they have the same qualities, except the Ecotools version is actually cut nicely and is much softer.

Nothing special, but not a bad tool to have if you received it as a part of the 11pc. brush set and you're a beginner on a budget.

Quick tip: use a spray nozzle to save product instead of using it as a brush soak or pouring it out!

I <3 this stuff... and if you dilute it just a bit 1/3 distilled water to 2/3 cleanser ratio - and add a spray nozzle, you can really stretch the lifespan of this product to last you longer. I get irked out watching videos where people pour this out and use it as a soak or pour it directly onto a washcloth to clean their brushes with... [what a waste!]

If you want to recycle, I used a spray nozzle from one of my travel sized body sprays from Bath and Body Works. Works like a charm!

Best I've tried, and happy enough to never stray. =D