Saturday, January 31, 2009

Urban Decay, meet my wallet...

I recently took a trip to San Diego for a visit with my college roomy (now an awesome attorney - love you, Anna!) and took the opportunity to go to Sephora and Mac. There are NO stores of either of these near me in Oregon, so this was a massively exciting experience for me!

I had no products by Urban Decay until this trip, so I thought checking them out in person instead of playing "guess the color" online would be beneficial. I love this brand now, and got a better idea of the products they offer and the sizes they come in.
I finally picked up the Primer Potion (I'll have to order the new one, too, as it looks GORGEOUS)and am seriously pleased with the quality of this product. It is very emollient, as in smooth and lotion-like, and stays ALL DAY LONG. I need so little of it, I'm amazed. Yay!! Mac Prep + Prime, eat your heart out.
Next, I picked up two glitter pencils (I didn't get Zero because I have tons of black liners that I love). The colors are Stash (a dark crystal green) and Dime (a beautiful, bold silver) and I am truly in love with these. I think all three products were only $16 each, so very reasonable!

For you green and hazel eyed ladies, Stash is awesome at drawing out the eye color. Dime is perfect for a glittery highlight. You can outline your entire eye and it's not obnoxious at all. I'll be doing a video with Stash soon for Tarugga (Paola) to make a green smokey eye. Part of the awesomeness of these is that they can double as eye shadows and look beautiful. They smudge well before they "set" and don't crease that I've noticed.

Monday, January 5, 2009

MAC Holiday Pigments Review

I bought both 08 holiday pigment sets. I thought- "what a steal at $29.50!" There are 5 colors in each holiday set, and MAC pigments usually sell for $18 or more in larger quantities.

Here's the rundown ~
The Cool Set: Frost, Quietly, Pinked Mauve, Teal and Reflects Red
The Warm Set: Melon, Gold Stroke, Gold Mode, Gold Dust, and Reflects Gold Antique

Bottom Line: Not worth it. I tried each, figuring I'd find at least one I liked in each set. The colors look amazing in the bottle, but there's little true color once applied. I ultimately returned both sets, sadly. This way, I can buy 3 full-sized awesome pigments for the same $60.
MAC isn't turning out the quality I'm wanting lately. Dame Edna is another case in point.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Sephora Ultimate Blockbuster Review


The Sephora Blockbuster Kit was one that I waited by the door for. I was so excited to see that Sephora had made such a great compact kit. The colors looked delicious in the pictures, and I think the case with pull-out extras is classy.

First Impression: Not worth the $48. I was disappointed that the cream shadows were so bleh with little pay-off. The lip palettes are okay, but I had to do some brush testing because they are fairly sticky and will tear the bristles off of some brushes.

I contemplated returning it. For a while. Then, it grew on me.

I started to ignore the parts I didn't like, and began using the pressed shadows and face powder/blush tray on the bottom level. The highlighter isn't the worst, and the shimmery bronzer has worked for contouring. The pink on the lower left side is thick and doesn't blend well. The pink on the top right is fab, and I'm using it often.

The shadows have been a lot of fun - now that I'm giving them a second chance. I love that I can move on step over and darken up if a color isn't working out perfectly, and the pigments in a number of the shadows are excellent. Some are cakey, but that's with any mixed palette, I believe.

So, 4/5 stars on this one.

Philosophy Purity Facial Wash


I love this wash. I was hesitant, as I have very sensitive skin. Ordering online is risky, but this order paid off!
Purity is excellent for morning and night. I wet my face and neck, drop about a dime-sized amount on my hand, and lather away. While it doesn't look like a foam, you should use it like one. Apply it all over your face, then use a warm cloth or your hands to massage it into your skin for about a minute total. It will leave your skin feeling sexy soft and supple - and it removes makeup buildup around the nose.

I recommend this product to anyone with sensitive combo skin who wears foundation on a daily basis. I tend to use it after I've wiped off my eye makeup, just in case it doesn't agree with my sensitive eye area.

Follow up with a moisturizer - I've used unscented original Eucerin cream for almost a decade - and you're done!

The Bare Escentuals/Minerals Starter Kit


I've been wanting to write about the Bare Escentuals (or Bare Minerals) Kit for a while. I know some people swear by them, and I understand why. They are weightless yet provide coverage that's perfect for moderate makeup days.

I gave it one week. I wore it every day without any other cover up or foundation. Then, I broke out like mad. My skin is combination oily/dry, and pale, so I ended up with really dry patches (I moisturize like mad, I swear!) and pimples, with redness, too. Such a disappointment. Again, just my skin.

The warm bronzer is buildable and can be worn with anything. The mineral veil isn't as magical for me as I thought it might be, but I still enjoy the feel of it on my skin. These items are all in the starter kit from sephora for $65.

The brushes pick up a lot of whatever they touch, so use them sparingly for full coverage anything. I love brushes, and the more the merrier!

Happy New Year,
Tanya

I post videos at www.youtube.com/user/Tanyas247.