All posts filed under: Reviews

LUSH Cream Eyeshadow in Sophisticated

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A while back, LUSH released a color cosmetics line and I’ve always wanted to try something from there out but didn’t really get a chance to. Until recently, that is! I finally took the plunge and got a cream eyeshadow. I figured that I might as well try some CF cream shadows that I like before saying goodbye to the ones I love and have. Anyway, I picked out Sophisticated, a shimmering taupe cream color. I tried out a couple, but I couldn’t take my mind off of this. It’s a beautiful taupe shadow that I felt would go with most of the colors that I owned. I really fell in love with it. This is an opaque swatch, and below is a blended out swatch: Here, it’s Sophisticated with shu uemura’s ME medium brown 885 in the outer corner and crease: These don’t crease, by the way. The line on my eyelid is just my eyelid. 🙂 I can’t put my finger on if it’s warm or cool, to be honest. I feel like …

Makeup Inventory: Highlighters & Illuminators

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In one of my recent posts, I decried the hype of a cult favorite—the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade, which I reviewed here—and a number asked Well, what’s a good highlighter for you? I don’t own the most favorite one I’ve tried (I don’t know why), but I do own eight others (again, I don’t know why). I’ve been planning this for a while, and never got around to it, so I hope you appreciate the effort and I hope this short overview helps you out. 🙂 Let’s begin with the one I don’t own, but whose effect I loved—the NARS Illuminator in Orgasm. I received it as a sample, which dried up. I never got around to purchasing the full size, just because. Here it is, in action: It’s a really pretty, peachy-golden pink creamy highlighter that you can put on the “high planes of your face,” or just mix in with your face base. I thought I would hate the shimmer, but I really don’t. To be fair, it actually has more of …

Quickie: Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush

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Here’s a super quick post on one of my favorite tools as of late: my recently-acquired Blush-Up Brush from Illamasqua! It’s a very tightly-packed, narrow brush with short, soft bristles and a long handle. It’s supposed to apply blush in a revolutionary~ way, eliminating the need for a contour. Here is a tutorial from the Illamasqua team, explaining how. As you can see, it deposits pigment in a different way than brushes usually do. Going by the shape of the Blush-Up Brush, it’s supposed to apply blush in an angular way. When placed right under the cheekbone, it creates a stark line that highlights the hollows of the cheeks, which I suppose is what they meant by it “eliminat[ing] the need for contour.” I don’t know if it works all that well for me if I use it like that, but it does really well for normal blush and contour application, which I think it should be recognized for. Tarte’s Exposed used to be my “standard” for a good blush brush. If the brush can …

Quickie: The Body Shop’s Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream

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Today, I’m quickly featuring a current bag staple of mine, the Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream by The Body Shop. I’d been eyeing it in Japan, but I couldn’t really bring myself to buy it for whatever reason. Because The Body Shop has been on sale for what seems like forever, I took the plunge and bought myself the hand cream. Product Description: “A pure sensation for hands. This ingenious everyday cream with absinthe extract moisturises hands and leaves them feeling soft and super-fresh. — Moisturizes — Leaves hands feeling fresh — Heady Fragrance notes of bergamot, petit grain and neroli” My favorite part about this is the smell. It’s a very crisp and clean smell—I don’t think it’s heady at all, though a lot of people have said that it’s masculine. I feel like it’s a very neutral smell, but that could just be me. I actually detect more of a verbena scent, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. It’s supposed to get rid of yucky smells on your hand. …

Quickie: too cool for school Marshmallow Puff

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Here’s one of the Beauty Blender dupes that have been released upon the world. Since I have no Beauty Blender myself, this isn’t necessarily a comparison post. I just wanted to share with you guys how this worked out for me. From what I can see in other people’s videos, though, these imitations don’t really “work” in the same way as Beauty Blenders do. From what I understand, wetting the Beauty Blender causes it to kind of expand. These don’t do that. They don’t seem to have the same kind of “bounciness” and softness as Beauty Blenders do either, so I don’t know how much that affects application and actual results. HOWEVER, these are pretty awesome at applying liquid application. Here’s an example of me using it with L’Oreal’s Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation: I think that’s kind of a decent job. No streaks or patchiness or anything like that. That’s a pretty good foundation job for something I got for $5. They are not that durable, though, the first one I got tore in the …

IDGI: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

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I really don’t get it. The MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade has apparently been a cult favorite and everyone’s perpetual lemming (because it always sells out) since it was first released as part of a 2005 collection, aka the beginning of time. It’s since been repromoted only a handful of times, and most recently in MAC’S collaboration with Hayley Williams, who insisted that they include it in her collection since she loves it so much. (Speaking of which, I really want the eyeshadow from that collection, but none of the online sellers I frequent had it.) I bought it because the promotional pictures were pretty. And I guess I was having a weak day. I didn’t even know it was a “cult favorite” until after I started looking at reviews online. About 90% of those sang praises to this pretty little orb. I figured I was maybe using it wrong? Based on what I’ve read, I wasn’t. A dusting on the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the browbone, and the cupid’s bow. Maybe an …

Sample Stash Sunday: AHAVA Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer*

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Here’s a quick review of the AHAVA Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer, which I got from the first BDJ Box Elite. This is supposed to kind of bring out the skin’s natural moisture, and allow it to gain back its natural glow. Ahava products are usually formulated with Dead Sea minerals, and this particular product “effectively replenishes, rehydrates, and recharges the skin.” I was super excited to try this out. It has a very nice consistency and spreads well and evenly. The best part about this moisturizer, though, is that it sinks into the skin very quickly, allowing you to do the rest of your face in the morning without waiting a long time. It’s a great moisturizer for the day time, also because it’s not at all heavy or too creamy. I was really pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. Full size: 50ml, Php 1945. Sample size: 15ml, Php 448.50. AHAVA is cruelty-free. * I received this from the BDJ Box Team, but I am …