Wednesday, June 30, 2010

June Favourites

June went by too fast, or maybe it was just me. Here are my favourites for this month.

MAC Fix+: A nice refresher for the hot weather.

Stella Mccartney Sheer Perfume: This is quite soft and flowery, but I like it for everyday and have been reaching for it a lot this month. This was limited edition, I don't know if you can get it anymore. It's old, but I still love it.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous: Love this mascara and have a full review of it here. Most used mascara for this month.

Maybelline Double Perfector Concealer/Highlighter: Picked this up this month and really took to liking it, it's double ended and smooth to apply, alright coverage. Full review of this coming soon.

MAC Refined Golden: I have to include a bronzer every month, this month's most used was this one because it's very pigmented for my fair skin and gets the job done quick.

NYX Champagne and Caviar palette - I picked up this from Cherry Culture recently, it's a nude/browns palette and I have been using that top left gold colour for about half the month everyday, it's a good all over lid colour, as many of the colours in this palette are.

L'oreal Colour Juice in Pina Colada - Nice sheer your lips but a tad paler colour.

The Body Shop Vitamin C SPF daily moisturizer -  Love the smell of this and the kinda fresh, citrus feeling that it leaves on your skin.

Everyday Minerals Flat Top Kabuki - I think I've had this brush for like 3 years at least. It has never shed and is really dense and great for applying any kind of foundation, is very portable and does not smell rancid. Perfect brush ever.

The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Foam Face Wash - one cleanser that does not strip my skin of all the moisture it has, really gentle and fresh. I could see myself using this up quick.

What were your June favourites?

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

OPI NOTDs: Feelin Hot Hot Hot, Hot & Spicy, Ate Berries in the Canaries and More

opi feelin hot hot hot, hot and spicy, ate berries, dating a royale, collins ave
I picked up some new OPI nail polishes recently and have included the swatches below. I think these are great for summer, as they are bright and colourful, except for OPI Dating A Royal, which is just a good classic colour that I was missing.

opi feelin hot hot hot
OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot is a medium pink creme, almost like a barbie pink. This one was part of the 2009 South Beach collection. I think this is similar to OPI Strawberry Margarita. This one was a bit runny, this is with 2 coats and you can see my nail line still. But the colour is great so I will excuse that.

opi ate berries in the canaries
Ate Berries in the Canaries, love the name! is a cool combination of purple and fuchsia. I think OPI has a lot of colours similar to this one, but I still like it anyway and think it's perfect for summer. This one came out in the Espana collection.  It applied really nicely, perfect with two coats.

opi hot and spicy
Hot and Spicy is basically an orange to me. I know some people call this a coral, others call it creamsicle, which seems more appropriate. But it's orange.. maybe a bit muted orange which makes it less intimidating. It came out with the Hong Kong collection. I passed on it at first, but couldn't help to get it as it's awesome for summer.

opi on collins ave
On Collins Ave is an orangey red. Also came out with the South Beach collection last year. This one didn't photograph too well, it isn't just a straight up red, it has lots of orange in it. I have read that it's similar to Cajun Shrimp.

opi dating a royal
OPI's Dating a Royal is one of those classic colours that everyone should own. This is a deepish royal blue. Now that I think about it, this may work for summer, as it has that nautical feel to it. This one came out Summer 2008 OPI Mod About Brights collection. One coat was just watery, two coats was better. It has that jelly feel, so it can be hard to apply.

Do you have any of these?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Review: NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils Swatches

nyx jumbo eyeshadow pencils
You guys probably know by now but, Cherry Culture has a 20% off storewide sale on now until June 30. It's a good opportunity to pick up some NYX stuff. I ordered last time they had this sale. I know the NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencils are a big hit and I thought I would help you guys out by providing some swatches and a review of these. These retails for $3.25 (on sale) on the Cherry Culture website, they come in a variety of colours, I have 7 here to show you. These pencils are a pretty cool product, many people them as eyeshadow bases, however I would recommend using a eyeshadow primer underneath them to keep them from creasing throughout the day (as they do crease on me). These can also be used as your eyeshadow alone on your lids.

nyx jumbo eyeshadow pencils

nyx jumbo eyeshadow pencils swatches
Now I am going to go over the individual colours that are posted in the swatches above.

Milk - is a pure matte white colour. This is a must-have from the jumbo eyshadow pencils in my opinion as you can put any colour over this.

Cottage Cheese - is the shimmery version of milk, really pretty and perhaps more wearable if you don't like the stark white look.

Yogurt - shimmery peachy colour, really pretty and one of my favourites, goes with a lot of the eyeshadow colours that I like to wear.

Black Bean - matte black. If you going for smokey looks, this would make for a good base. Sorry about the swatch, it is more pigmented than that, there was some moisture in mine and it didn't apply the best.

Horse Radish - Shimmery light green, not very versatile, but still a cool colour.

Dark Brown - matte dark brown colour. I found this one to be more pigmented and smoother than black bean. I really like this one.

Pots and Pans - shimmery silver, this one almost has a duo colour in it, looks blue in some lights. Really pretty and I use this one a lot.

* A pencil that I would recommend that I do not have myself is French Fries, it's a shimmery brown, would really work well with neutral, everyday looks. 

These are really a good buy for the price. They are very smooth and very pigmented. They also blend very nicely on your lids. I know some people have compared these to the MAC shadesticks, I do not own any of those myself. If you have oily lids, I probably wouldn't recommend these are they are very smooth and would probably smudge and move around a lot.

I haven't got to the point where I need to sharpen mine but I am wondering how you guys sharpen these? I know NYX sells a sharpener and I have also seen youtube videos of girls who have depotted their pencils, which looks like a good opinion as well. For my Canadian readers, I know some Rexall Pharma Plus stores sell NYX, but the stock is pretty limited, Cherry Culture does offer free shipping for orders of $40 or more, but that is US only, shipping to Canada is unfortunately by weight and last time I ordered I think I paid like $10 or so in shipping. The only downside that I have about this product is the packaging, I keep these in my bathroom and I feel like I get a lot of moisture that builds up in the cap and when I open them up, it's just wet inside, this could be ruining the product and is just icky to touch. So I guess you have to keep these in a cool place, I haven't experienced this with any other product before.

I hope this was helpful, if you like this product, or have any questions, please comment below! :)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Review: MAC Petticoat MSF

mac petticoat
Since MAC's Petticoat MSF is being re-released in the "In the Groove" collection coming out next month, I thought I would make a post about this popular, hyped up MSF, in case people are looking swatches and stuff on it. My petticoat is brand new as I just bought it off another beauty blogger recently I haven't used it too much yet, but I am happy to finally have it.

mac petticoat msf
Petticoat is a different kind of MSF (mineralized skin finish), it's a raspberry swirled metallic sheen. I think it's more a blush than a highlighter, as the colour is quite pigmented. MSF's are a really neat product, and probably my favourite items from MAC, as each one is different depending on the amount of veining that it has. This MSF is also neat in that you can build it up and make it dramatic or just apply a touch and get a nice sheen. If you want one that is more a subtle pinky sheen and not as pigmented just swirl your brush in the lighter areas, or pick up a Petticoat with less veining in it. I like getting the ones with lots of veining, if I buy them in person because they just look lovely. I have included a pic below of the variations of colour that you can get with Petticoat.

mac petticoat msf
I totally recommend getting this when it comes out in the new collection next month, it's a MSF that is highly sought after and has been re-promoted several times now, but is not a permanent product. MSFs from MAC are beautiful because they are never chunky and add that something something to your face. I have a ton of bronzers, so having a rosy MSF is perfect for me and this one deserves all the hype that it gets, definitely a "must have".

Do you have petticoat? Or are you planning on picking it up with the new collection?

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Review: Maybelline Superstay Lipcolour in Petal

The Maybelline Superstay lipcolour is a long-wearing lipstick with conditioning balm that promises 16 hours of wear. This product retails for about $10 CAD, I got it on sale for about $5. The Maybelline website describes this as "flexible formula moves with your lips for no caking or flaking, Ultra-conditioning, refillable balm seals in softness for all-day comfort, Golden Shimmer Balm refillable topcoat available for extra dazzle on any color." I have this in the colour Petal, #700. It was the only light pink they had. I think it would be awesome to have a lip product in a pretty shade that does not wear away over time, that you don't have to re-apply throughout the day. That is what Maybelline was going for with this product, and it's a good try, but it just doesn't deliver.

maybelline superstay petal
This should really come in a package with instructions cause I would first assume that you put the balm on first, as you would with a chapstick to prep your lips and then apply the lipcolour end, but no, you apply the lipcolour first, wait 2 minutes for it to set or whatever and then apply the balm over it. The product is numbered #1 lipcolour, and #2 conditioning balm. I found this kinda messy because the balm got pink chunks on it with repeated use, kinda gross. The application is really uneven too, it comes with a sponge tip applicator, which does not apply well.

maybelline superstay lipcolour in petal
First applied. Pretty pale pink colour. You can see the subtle shimmer in it.

After about 5 hours of wear, nowhere near the 16 hours as the product suggests that it lasts. Notice only remnants left on the corners of lips.

My main complaint with this product is that it is very drying on your lips. I would not want to wear this for 16 hours. I wore this product on two occasions, to test out it's staying power before I wrote this review. The first time, my lips were bare, did not apply anything to them in terms of a conditioner or anything, they were pretty dry, but I found the lipcolour stayed on better as it seeps into your lines of your lips, which was not a pretty look, but the colour stayed longer that way!. The second time, I moisturized and it wore away much faster (pictures above are with moisturized lips), but my lips didn't feel awful wearing it. I have a hard time with lipstick, as I am a compulsive smacker and nothing stays on, but I don't have a problem with re-applying, however it would be nice not to have to. Think of all the lipstick that we eat every year! crazy stuff.

I like the concept of this product, but it just didn't work for me. I would not re-purchase. Have you tried this?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Productrater on Twitter!


So I added a twitter account for this blog, it's networked so if I post anything here, it will update there too. Snazzy eh? Anyway, if you guys want to see my tweets or tweet me, tweet me? Follow me on twitter. I have a twitter account myself, but never really caught onto it, but can see how it could be really neat for a blog.

I have added a follow me icon to the sidebar, the blue bird, click it and follow me please, or go to the link below. And post your twitter link here if you like and I will follow you too. Aside from that, I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Enjoy the sun! :)

http://twitter.com/productrater

American Apparel Nail Polishes: Mouse, Factory Grey and California Trooper Swatches and Review

American Apparel nail polishes are awesome in my opinion. The bottles are rectangular and flat so they fit together nicely for storage, they have a variety of colours and they apply very nicely, great pigmentation. Their polishes are all cremes, which is my favourite finish. My only complaint about them is the brush stem design, their brushes are really tall, and the entire thing gets dipped into the polish bottle, so it picks up lots of product and you have to be careful not to spill it all over the place. I have dropped blobs of it on my coffee table, sink, and other areas where I do my nails, but if you are careful (I am clumsy at times) this shouldn't be a problem at all. Onto the swatches of a few new ones that I got recently, these are all 2 coats.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Review: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer

maybelline dream mousse concealer
This is Maybelline's concealer version of the Dream Mousse. I was hesitant to try this because the Dream Mousse foundation didn't feel right on me, I don't think I really gave it a chance though, threw it out after a few uses. So I picked up the concealer in the lightest shade, Light 0-1. It's really not all that light, but it works for me. It retails for about $7 CAD. I got it with a coupon so it was like $5.

maybelline dream mousse concealer light
This is a kind of whipped cream consistency. It comes in a heavy glass jar, I find the lid is pretty cheap and doesn't really feel like it's on really tight. Once you use it a few times the product starts to deflate to the bottom of the jar because of the air that is in the product (b/c of that whippedness).

The coverage isn't spectacular and I wouldn't turn to this concealer at all if I am having an extra tired-looking day. It is light and smooth, which is nice. It did crease on me after only a few hours, when I applied it in the hollows under my eyes. It definitely settles into fine lines. Also, I found that I either put on too little and it did nothing for me, or I put on too much and it looked cakey on my face. I found it applied better with a foundation brush, that way you got more coverage faster. This would work better for those with oily skin, as I have dry and it made my undereye area look drier than usual! Make sure you moisturize well under your eyes before applying this. I bought his primarily just for under the eyes, but turned out that I put on too much, so I applied some to my cheeks as well where I get some redness.

I tried...but I don't really like this for me.  Maybe if you are young, don't have much darkness or areas to cover and do not have fine lines, this will work for you. But I guess that also shows that this product is not very good at all. To me, the Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer isn't dreamy at all.

Have any of you used this product? or the foundation?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Tag: Favourite Drugstore Products

So I am a huge bargain shopper. Most of my makeup collection is from the drugstore. And why not? I can get a ton more products for less money than buying high-end stuff. I love my MAC, NARS, Chanel, YSL and other brands, but I gotta really ponder over products that cost a lot of money, whereas with drugstore I can just grab and not be too disappointed when the product does not work out for me. However, over time, I have found many items from the drugstore which I really like and will share these products with you today.

Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover
neutrogena eye makeup remover
As you can tell, that is in fact an empty bottle. I am just recently out of my bottle of this product, I use it everyday and it's been a fave of mine for years.  I am using the Lancome bifacial right now, it was a freebie in a gift with purchase, and I know people swear by this, but the idea behind it is the same as this Neutrogena product and like 1/3 of the price. This Neutrogena eye makeup remover has that dual liquid thing going on, you have to shake it to combine the two. It's gentle, takes off waterproof mascara. This is something I would rebuy over and over again.

Revlon Colorstay Blemish Concealer
revlon blemish concealer
The Revlon Blemish concealer serves two purposes, it is a concealer that you apply over acne, but it also has salicylic acid, so it doubles up as a treatment to help them heal as well. I have this in fair, the lightest colour. As you can tell it is very well used and beat up, the applicator on mine is bent and cracked.

Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer
maybelline mineral power concealer
 Maybelline's Mineral Power concealer is a good one. This is probably my favourite liquid concealer, the colour is good and it goes on smooth and is nice for under the eyes, the coverage isn't spectacular compared to some cream concealers, but it is alright.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss
revlon super lustrous lipgloss
 I loooove the Revlon Super Lustrous lipglosses, they are pretty pigmented, some in a variety of colours and have nice packaging. Recently with the daydreamer collection, there were several new limited edition colours, I picked up three of them (you can see them on the bottom of the pic above).

Maybelline Mascara in General
maybelline mascara
 Maybelline makes my favourite mascaras, here are some of the ones that I have, left to right: Volume Express Turbo Boost, The Falsies, Colossal, Lash Stiletto Voluptuous (new fave) and Full and Soft. Their mascaras are affordable, give length, separate well and volumize. I will continue buying any new ones that they come out with.

Face Primer Alternatives
drugstore primers monistat, rimmel and revlon
Primer is something that isn't necessary in my opinion, but it does help keep your makeup on, and for summer that is more important than ever. The ingredients in high-end primers such as Smashbox are also in these drugstore ones, so they do the same thing and are much cheaper. The Monistat anti-chafing gel is a cult favourite to use on your face as a primer, the other two are Rimmel's Fix & Perfect and Revlon's Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer.

Revlon Nail Polish
revlon nail polish
 I'd have to say Revlon makes the best drugstore nail polishes, most of them apply nicely and there are lots of colours available. There are scented ones too, which is neat. I have a pretty big collection of Revlon polishes, some of the ones I have are above.

Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment
clean and clear advantage acne spot treatment
 This product is good to use when you sense a zit coming along and then to apply it at night to help heal it faster. Be careful though, as it will dry out that area of your skin. You only need a tiny bit of this product and I have had this tube for a long time and it hardly even looks used.

Cetaphil Skincare
cetaphil skincare
Cetaphil is a really good quality, affordable skincare line that can be bought at the drugstore. Their products are very gentle, and good for those with sensitive skin. I use their skin cleanser regularly, I accidentally bought the oil skin type, my skin is not oily, it's dry, but this cleanser is so gentle that it doesn't dry out my skin at all. I also have here their spf 15 daily moisturizer, which comes in a sleek bottle with a nice pump on it, they also have an spf 50 type.

L'oreal Lash Serum
l'oreal lash serum
Gone are the days when we need to use expensive prescription lash growth products to enhance our eyelashes, the L'oreal Lash Serum works really well to help condition your lashes and make them appear thicker and healthier. I have definitely noticed a change in mine and was very skeptical of this product at the start. I have a full review of this, that you can read here.

I've tried to keep this short, and only chose 10 products, there were many more that I could have chosen. What are your favourite drugstore products?

Anyone feel the earthquake in Ontario today!?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Swatches Pt 2

sally hansen insta dris
 Some more Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish swatches coming your way. There are sooo many of these and I am always finding ones that I want.

sally hansen blue blast
 Blue Blast is a  pretty pale blue, lighter than Brisk Blue which I had in my last swatch post. This is 2 coats.

sally hansen urgent orchid
Urgent Orchid is gorgeous, probably my favourite Insta-dri colour. This is a purple, similar to OPI's A Grape Fit, which I do not have. This is 2 coats as well.

sally hansen sea breeze
Sea Breeze is a turquoise, really pretty as well. This is 2 coats. This one experiences the same awful staining that Mint Sprint had.

sally hansen mango motion
Mango Motion is another beautiful colour from Sally Hansen. This is 2 coats as well. I took this picture with no flash as the colour did not show up true to life at all with flash. This one is a creme coral colour.

I think these polishes are meant to be applied as ONE thick coat, it is really difficult to get the brush to apply the amount of product that you actually want, it always applies more as it drips down the brush. I still have to master the application on these, my swatches are super messy, but I hope they gave you a good idea of what the colour applies like.

Monday, June 21, 2010

*Entering Over* Productrater's 100 Follower Giveaway!

 THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER!!

you so much ladies for following my blog and posting lovely comments. I celebrate every new reader that I get and having people read this blog and enjoy it makes my day. ;)

To thank my readers I am doing a giveaway.... here are the det's

The prizes are as follows, there will be 3 prizes, for 3 different people because I am feeling generous and more prizes and more winners is how I do things, makes more people happy, so I hope you guys don't mind ;).

Prize 1:
* MAC Lipstick or Eyeshadow of your choice
* Revlon Colorburst in Soft Nude
* ELF Undereye Concealer and Highlighter
* ELF Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink
* ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
* Maybelline The Falsies Mascara (Very Black)
* China Glaze Nail Polish in Flyin' High
* Joe Fresh Nail Polish in Powder Blue


Prize 2:
 * MAC Lipstick or Eyeshadow of your choice
* Maybelline Lipgloss in Lolly Pink
* Revlon Colorburst in Baby Pink
* ELF Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph
* ELF Lipstain in Birthday Suit
* Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara
* Joe Fresh Polish in Powder Blue

Prize 3:
 * MAC Zoomlash Sample Size
* Milani Neon Nail Polish in Pink Rocks!
* Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Nude Lustre
* Maybelline Sensational Born with it Lipgloss
* Annabelle Smoothliner in Black
* ELF Eyelash Wand
*ELF Blending Eye Brush

Rules:
- This is a giveaway for followers, so you must be a follower.
- This is open internationally, so anyone can enter.
- Enter only once below. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. 
- Please enter a comment below with how you found this blog, whether it was searching google, friends' blog roll, whatever, I am curious how people came across Productrater.
- Leave a link to your blog and your email (so that I can contact you if you win) along with your comment.
- If you would like to link me on your blog or post about this giveaway in your sidebar, that would be totally cool, just let me know if you did for an added entry into the giveaway!
- Oh and the MAC eyeshadow/lipstick choices must be from ones readily available currently on the mac website, I am not going to go running around for any from past limited edition collections.

This giveaway officially opens today, June 21 and will run for a month and ends July 21! I will chose three winners through random.org and will announce it shortly after the deadline.

Good luck to all and thank you for participating! ;)

My Bronzer Collection

bronzer collection mac physicians formula nyc benefit
 Happy first day of summer everyone!

To celebrate summer, I am talking about bronzer today! I wear bronzer year-round cause I am pastley white. Although in the summer, it is more necessary to get that bronzed look. I have a variety of bronzers. I prefer them to be matte, but a good matte one is hard to find. I am more about all over bronzing than contouring. My most used is probably the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster and MAC Golden/Refined Golden. I loooooove bronzer, I would pick bronzer over blush anyday.

What's your favourite bronzer?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Body Shop Haul 3 for $30

I love when The Body Shop has this sale, they have it from time to time where you can get ANY three items in store (excluding other sales and gift sets) for $30. Which is hella good cause some of their products can be $30ish. I take this opportunity to pick up some of the more expensive items. However, I was pretty stocked up on The Body Shop since the last time they had this sale, so I only got a few things. Also my bf and I picked up 9 of the Wise Woman day cream for his mom, she loooooves this stuff, I think I got her hooked on it after buying it for her on Mother's Day.

Also, check out your local The Body Shop because they are reformulating the Vitamin C line and the current stuff is really marked down (if they have stock remaining). I picked up the Vitamin C daily moisturizer for only $8, regularly $20.  I got both for only $1 something because it was my 4th point on my Love Your Body card (which I bought that day!). I was worried that they made off with the Vitamin C line, it's my favourite, but no, it's coming back and so are the products.

Here at the goodies that I picked up.
the body shop items

If you want reviews of any of these products, just let me know. ;)

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Review: MAC Fix+ Rose

mac fix+
Fix+ is one of those products that you ignore thinking it's just glorified water in a spray, but once you get it, you wonder why you didn't earlier. I recently got this in the rose version from another lovely beauty blogger, eleventh0fparil. It was a limited edition product from MAC, released with the "A Rose Romance" collection. It retails for $21.50 CAD. The MAC website describes it (the original Fix+) as "an aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!"

I like spraying this on my face before applying foundation. I have dry skin so it calms that down a bit and gives my skin a pick me up. And it smells awesome! You can also spray it after foundation, over powder foundation it takes away that powdery look that you may get and gives your face a glow. I find it really similar to The Body Shop's Vitamin E face spritz, which is rose scented as well. I've read that girls use this to foil their eyeshadows as well.

mac fix+ and other spray products
It might be kind of strange to douche your face in water, but the spray is more of a mist. The pump on the Fix+ is more targeted or focused, instead of spraying out everywhere, if that makes sense, that's the part that I like most about this over other face mists. I have used the evian mist, aquafina and two of The Body Shop ones (vitamin E and vitamin C) (pictured above). I like the packaging on the Fix+ too, it has the locking option so you can put this in your purse or travel with it. The bottle is also quite large, 100ml, so it will last you a long time.

Having this now, makes me want to go out and buy the original. I wouldn't say this is a necessary item in your collection, but if you have dry skin, it can be quite the lifesaver. The smell of a MAC counter is this spray, that light, fresh, kinda cucumber smell, it's nice and would be great for summer to refresh your face when you are hot.

Thanks again for sending this to me Winnie, I really like it. :)

Review: Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Mascara

maybelline voluptous mascara
Lash Stiletto Voluptuous is a new(ish) mascara from Maybelline, I bought it for $8 CAD. I haven't tried the original Stiletto mascara (most reviews I read were bad), but this one intrigued me because of the curved brush and anything that promises volume is great for me! I love the packaging of this too, the red tube with the black tip on the bottom (made to look like a heel).

maybelline voluptuous mascara brush
The brush on this mascara is really cool, I like curved brushes like this because they make it easier to get the little lashes in the centre of your face. And the bristles on this are also dense and short, which I like. It has a sort of wave to it, which is supposed to assist in plumping and stretching your lashes. Definitely a unique brush, kudos to Maybelline for that. I don't think many people know, but, you can get many mascara from drugstores in the curved variety, just look for it on the package. Also, mascara is a product that is not one size, fits all, mascaras work for some, and not for others, it's all based on how your lashes naturally are and what you need them a mascara to do for you. Also, I've read that this mascara doesn't last very long in the tube, people are reporting that it dries up within 3 weeks. I haven't had it long enough to really tell yet.

So the verdict... It dries quickly, so if you want to do extra coats, you gotta do it fast because your lashes will look hard and brittle otherwise. This is a very glossy formulation. I definitely got length with this one, as for volume, not so much. But I like the kinda fluttery effect that it gave. It did not flake on me and I really like it. I like how the cap screws on, so you know that it's really closed shut, many L'oreal mascaras do this.

maybelline vuluptuous mascara
maybelline vuluptous
I feel like I shouldn't like this because most of the reviews are on the bad side..but I do! It lengthens like a dream, separates and gives decent volume I think. And with this brush I can do what I can't with many others, apply mascara to my bottom lashes! It worked for me.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Pink Lipsticks Comparisons and Review

pink lipsticks
So my nude lipsticks post was quite the hit, so I decided to do one for pink lipsticks too. My collection has grown this week with the 50% off lipsticks sale at Rexall/Pharma Plus in Canada. Unfortunately yesterday was the last day of that sale, so I went over and got a few more. I like pinks, maybe a bit more than nudes, pale light ones are my favourites. I know MAC has TONS of gorgeous pinks, and I am hoping to get some soon, please post your favourite MAC pinks below.

nyx harmonica
NYX Harmonica is a frosty baby pink. If you don't like frost, I would not recommend this one, since it definitely has that to it.

nyx strawberry milk
NYX Strawberry Milk is a lovely creme baby pink, it's like the flat version of Harmonica above, much more wearable because it's not that ugly frosty look. Although be sure that you use lipblam under these cause I find they really show the lines in your lips.

maybelline born with it
Maybelline's Born with it is a nudey pink, it's not very pigmented and I am not crazy about the texture. This one is pretty much the colour of my natural lips. I have read that people say these either smell like coconut or playdoh, well mine is the playdoh, so they are pretty icky to apply. Also this one leaves shimmers on your lips after you remove it.

maybelline pink please
Maybelline's Pink Please is almost the same colour as Born with it (above), but a bit more pink. I like this one better. However, I've had mine for a few months and it's gotten really hard. Like I have to pull it across my lips to get the lipstick to come off... I don't know why it did this, not a good sign. Also, this one has that terrible playoh smell. Ewwwy.

revlon persian melon
Revlon's Persian Meon is a hot, fuschia pink colour. This is part of the Moon Drops collection, it has the green packaging. The lipstick itself smells very much like old lady! but.. the colour is totally hot. I love this one.

This is my favourite drugstore pink, Revlon's Pink Pout. This is in the matte collection, be sure to moisturize your lips because applying this one because it can be quite drying and doesn't go on very smoothly if your lips are dry. This is a pale cool-toned pink with lilac undertones.

Revlon's Gentlemen Prefer Pink is a pretty pink with some frost in it. It's a classy pink. And the texture is very nice, something that I have noticed with all the Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks, they all feel really great on your lips.

revlon paparazzi pink
Revlon's Paparazzi Pink is a pink with purple undertones. I am not crazy about the frost/shimmer in this, but the colour is pretty. It applies a lot lighter than it looks in the tube, which disappointed me.

revlon carnation
Carnation, which is from the Revlon Colorburst collection is a cool-toned bright pink. This one is okay, not my favourite from the Colorbursts though.

revlon baby pink
Revlon's Baby Pink from the Colorburst collection is a frosty pale pink, not very pigmented, disappointed with this one. It looks paler in person than it does in that picture. My main problem with these lipsticks is they are so creamy that they are breaking! I may have to write to Revlon about this one in particular, which after 3-4 uses is dipping into the bottom of the tube, on the sides and is cracking all over. Not nice at all.

mac creme cup
MAC's Creme Cup is a nudey pink colour. Very hydrating, really pretty colour, love this one. It's described as a light blue pink on the mac website, I don't really see this on myself however. And its a cremesheen finish, so it's absolutely lovely.

mac lady gaga
MAC's Gaga is one of the nicest blue pinks ever, it is really pale, but bright pink. You can build it up to look sheerer or more pigmented, because it is a lustre finish. Definitely get this one while you still can (I have a backup).



What's your favourite pink lipstick?