All posts filed under: Reviews

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Color Whispers

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I was going to put these Maybelline Color Whispers as an “overhyped product,” but I realized that I really liked them. I just felt guilty because these were the first non-CF items I got after I made my cruelty-free pledge. Though I didn’t commit to completely eliminated non-CF products, I still said I would try to minimize my consumption of animal tested products. So these felt like a failure. But they are good products, so I can’t, in good conscience, put them in the “overhyped products” post, out of guilt. Anyway, I got three colors: Mocha Muse, Lust for Blush, Petal Pusher. The one I really wanted but couldn’t get a hold of was Coral Ambition, I think. These were really hard to get photos of, because they were so glossy-shiny. L-R: Mocha Muse, Lust for Blush, Petal Pusher. They are also incredibly sheer and somewhat milky-looking. It’s a similar effect to some of the Korres Lip Butters, Jasmine in particular. I’m not sure if these are marketed as an alternative to those, but they …

Quickie: MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Fiery Impact

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I have here today a beautiful blush, the MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Fiery Impact. This was an impulse buy that I’ve hauled previously but never properly reviewed. Like most of my online purchases, this one was bought sight unseen, which means that I had no idea what “extra dimension blushes” are, other than the fact that they are pretty. But, because I’m resourceful, here’s what I dug up: Product Description: “A liquid-powder blush with prismatic reflections in five shimmering shades. Impact ranges from sheer crystallized light to a highly polished metallic effect. Lasts up to 6 hours.” So, that doesn’t tell me much, except for the ff: — Extra Dimension blushes come in “five shimmering shades” — color is buildable from sheer to a fuller coverage/higher pigmentation — lasts 6 hours I picked out Fiery Impact, which is a “burnt, red bronze.” The reason for this is that I wanted to try this range and I had no brick red blushes in my blush stash. I rather liked Flaming Chic as well, which is …

Quickie: NARS Trio in Ramatuelle

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Ramatuelle is a NARS trio that came out as part of their Summer 2013 collection, if I’m not mistaken. I think it was my first NARS eye product purchase, and it was the only eyeshadow I thought to bring on a month-long trip to Europe… for some reason. Anyway! It has three colors: “silver, icy peach, apricot,” and it is something that is way cooler than I would normally have chosen, if I knew then what I know now. Luckily, I bought it blindly, because I am pretty in love with it. It’s a very unassuming trio with such a soft selection of colors. The lighter two, which are a satin and a shimmer, look pretty close to each other and don’t offer a lot of contrast. However, I am so impressed by how the cool and warm tones complement each other in a way that you wouldn’t expect. It’s inspired by Ramatuelle, a city in the South of France. Eugenia from Ommorphia Beauty Bar talks more about that here. I love how François Nars …

Quickie: MAC Lustre Lipstick in Plumful

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Here’s a quick review of Plumful, a Lustre lipstick from MAC. This is one of my favorite MAC lipsticks, and predictably so! I’m very much into plum and grape shades, especially if they are sheer. One of my first lipstick loves was NARS’ Sheer Lipstick in Vendanges, which I featured on Day 2 of Lipstick Week, in which I picked out my Most-Loved Lipsticks. Another similar color is Revlon’s Lip Butter in Sugar Plum. There is a very juicy feel to these lipsticks that I think is similar to MAC’s Plumful. On the right is one pass of Plumful, and on the left are several passes. Since it’s a “lustre” lipstick, the color comes off very sheer even though it looks fairly dark in the tube. I’m wearing it here! While it is technically buildable, its opacity isn’t really very solid and the finish is somewhat shiny. Since it is sheer and a little glossy, it is a bit more forgiving on the lips than other finishes like creamsheen (the worst, in my opinion) or …

Drugstore Finds: KATE Matte Black Gel Liner

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Here’s a little gem I dismissed when I first got it, as ‘nothing special.’ The KATE Matte Black Gel Eyeliner is one of the things I got from my Japanese drugstore explorations, because of many wonderful reviews online. I tried it and didn’t really care much for it, until I tried it with another brush. The line it draws is very black and opaque. It’s rather creamy, though it’s not especially creamy, if that makes sense. It’s a little hard to glide it onto your eyelids, so I usually either pack my brush with a lot of product, or double-dip (lol) after doing half the length of the eye. The great thing about it, though, is that it stays put pretty well. This is after I smudged it off with a makeup remover wipe. Impressive, yes? I think this would be particularly awesome for humid climates like the Philippines! While it comes with a brush, similar to the Maybelline gel liner and the MAC 211, I find that I had the easiest time and best …

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in Bahama and Dolce Vita

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The NARS lip pencils have always intrigued me, and Krysty’s review of the Satin Lip Pencil in Sex Machine convinced me to finally go ahead and check them out. I was originally set on getting that, but I went with my gut instinct that told me I wouldn’t like a cool blue pink on myself, so I looked for a different color. The first one I got was a warm, deep brown with red undertones called Bahama. Here it is in action. I rather like it, though it’s a bit too dark a brown than I prefer. I do love wearing it, though with fresh, clean eyes and strong brows, like in this look. The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils glide on with an effortless smoothness, carefully coating each inch of lip with a beautiful opaque shade. I loved this so much, I decided to get myself another matte shade, this time in Dolce Vita, which is a deep pinky red. This is another color that seems to be great for everyday wear, if you are …

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars & Loose Color Concentrates

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I wouldn’t call this a haul, really. I originally bought three products from OCC, but they sent the lip tars without the loose color concentrate, and long story short, they sent one more LCC along with my missing item. So, yay for me. 🙂 This was a very old post that I hadn’t finished doing, but I thought I would post it still because I haven’t spoken about these yet. Anyway, here are some quick thoughts on the Lip Tars, which are what I have gotten around to using. I love both colors that I got, namely Lydia and Strumpet. Here’s the description on the OCC website: Product Description: “A stunning new innovation in lip color, OCC Lip Tar combines the longevity of a lipstick, with the ease of application of a gloss. Goes on slick and moist, and dries down to a satin finish. Ultra-saturated in color, Lip Tar contains an unprecedented amount of pigment – a little goes a very, very long way! An intense yet featherweight layer of color that never looks …