Product Review: Essence of Beauty Bent & Straight Eyeliner Brushes

Product: Essence of Beauty Bent & Straight Eyeliner Brushes
Packaging: 3 out of 5
Overall: 1 out of 5
Price: I got these on ebay for $3.25 including shipping
Would You Buy This Again? No

PROS: None at all.

CONS: The brush head is way too flimsy and there aren't enough bristles to keep it dense. It's impossible to draw a straight line.

OVERALL: Don't waste your money on this. I ordered this on ebay because the idea of a bent eyeliner brush interested me. I'm sure there are better bent eyeliner brushes out there (Just don't buy this one!)

Product Review: Eyeko Face Off Wipes

Product: Eyeko Face Off Wipes
Packaging: 3.5 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
Price: £5.00=$8
Would You Buy This Again? Yes

PROS: Each facial wipe is individually packed making it great for taking one or two wipes on the go without having them dry out. After usage, it didn't leave my face dry or sticky. It seemed to moisturize my face while taking the makeup off.

CONS: I don't know if it completely takes off all makeup like foundation. It does for the most part, but everytime I wiped over an area of my face that I already wiped and thought was clean, more makeup would come off. It also took a few scrubs over my eyes to get my eyeliner off (but then again, it is waterproof). It came off eventually, but it just took some work to get it off.

OVERALL: It's great for those lazy days when you don't feel like washing your face. The wipes do the job, but I wouldn't recommend using them over washing your face everyday. I'd buy these wipes again. Each box comes with a pack of 20 wipes.

If you order from the Eyeko website, you get free shipping worldwide. If you order more than £10 worth of stuff, you get a FREE FULL SIZED ITEM with code E165

Product Review: Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme

Product: Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme
Packaging: 3.5 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $8
Would You Buy This Again? Yes

PROS: Moisturizes even the driest cracking/peeling hands! I used to work at a place where I'd get my hands wet a lot and it really really dried them out to the point where the skin around my knuckles was so dry that it hurt :( This hand creme isn't like other lotions. It soaks INTO your hands and that's what makes it so moisturizing. You know how when you put on other lotions and you go to wash your hands maybe 15 or 30 minutes later and you can feel all the lotion soapy up and running off your hands? Well this doesn't do that. Even after 5 minutes of applying, it's completely soaked into your skin and doesn't run off when you're washing your hands.

CONS: It smells SO GOOD like almonds in the container, but once you put it on, it smells like plastic!! It's also extremely greasy and oily so you have to wait for it to soak in before you touch anything lol. I also don't like that it's in a container like this because I hate dipping my fingers in and getting some caught in my nails!

Overall, I really love this hand creme. It's especially great if you need some intensive creme, but it's also good if you need something to pick your skin up if it's a bit dry from time to time.

Product Review: Mario Badescu Facial Spray

Product: Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 2.5 out of 5
Price: $7 for 4 oz and $12 for 8 oz
Would You Buy This Again? No, probably not.

"A refreshing, hydrating mist to use anywhere anytime. Formulated simply with fragrant Herbal Extracts and Rosewater for a pleasant, pick me up for dehydrated, tight and uncomfortable skin. Spray your day and night creams for a boost of hydration or use it to set make-up or spray on dry hair throughout the day. Safe for all skin types, gentle, non-irritating."

PROS: It's a great alternative to MAC's Fix+ Spray and it's also a lot cheaper. Fix+ is $16 for 3.4 oz and the MB spray is only $7 for 4 oz. I refrigerate my spray and I do find that spritzing some on at the end of the day is very refreshing. It also soaks into the skin pretty nicely.

CONS: As a makeup setter, I didn't really notice any differences using the spray versus not using the spray. Either way, it seemed like a bit of my makeup would rub off during the day. I also don't like the smell because it's too strong. It smells way too much like heavy rose/floral perfume. I also didn't notice any added hydration when I used it in my hair.

Overall: I only like this spray as a refreshening spray because it does the trick. I haven't used it to wet my brushes to apply pigments yet because I didn't really want to put this on my eye like Fix+.

Product Review: Too Faced The New Romantic Peacock Palette

Product: Too Faced The New Romantic Peacock Palette
Packaging: 4.5 out of 5. It's beautiful! The cover has felt on it and the peacock is a made out of rubber!
Overall: 3 out of 5
Price: $11 at Beauty Crunch and $27.50 at Too Faced
Would You Buy This Again? Maybe. I'd buy the black palette over getting this one again though.

PROS: The packaging is really cute and it comes with a brush. I don't use the sponge tip applicator, but I do use the other side for the lip products. The eye shadows are quite pigmented--especially the pink one and the dark brown one. The blush is also pretty pigmented and it made my cheeks pop :D

CONS: I had a REALLY hard time trying to use these eye shadows WET! I thought they'd have more pigment if I used them wet--wrong! The color barely even stuck to the wet brush and to my lid. Shrugs? The lipglosses are also really dry and sheer... It's not a bad thing though if you like sheer. I had to put some clear shinier gloss over these to make them not so dry.

Product Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser

Product: Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 0 out of 5
Price: $20 for 8 oz, $32 for 16 oz, $40 for 24 oz
Would you buy this again? No!!

PROS: It seemed to clean my face very well.

CONS: It cleansed my face well, but that's because it stripped just about EVERYTHING off. I used it for a couple of days and the first day & second day, it left my skin feeling tight and dry. Okay so, no problem I just moisturized. The third day left my face so dry that it hurt and almost felt like my skin was peeling. It was definitely extremely dry and crackly. It hurt a lot and I've never EVER had any facial cleanser do that to me.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with dry skin. STAY AWAY from this! Lol. Don't know why it won a best of Sephora award! Farrah, you might have better results with this if you don't have dry skin... and you should see if you can get a sample of it first. I know Nordstrom gives out samples and Sephora might too.

Product Review: Tresemme Weightless Body Extra Hold Mousse

I wanted to do a review on some hair care products since I've been having a hard time finding the right one!



Product: Tresemme Weightless Body Extra Hold Mousse
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Price: $4.29
Would You Buy This Again? Maybe

PROS: O___O TALK about the VOLUME that this baby gives! Work it into damp hair, blow dry upside down, and your hair magically appears 3x thicker and fuller.

CONS: It did nothing for my frizz and also made my hair really dry and crispy feeling lol. I tried putting in some leave in conditioner afterwards to try and counteract the dryness and it did hinder the volume a bit. It also felt a little sticky after I blow dried it.

Overall, this is GREAT for adding extra volume to your hair. Just make sure you put in something that conditions and tames frizz before you put this on and blow dry.

Colour Forms

EDIT: I added some more pics of the brushes for comparison. Hope this helps!

I had a really hard time deciding whether or not I should cancel my Colour Forms order. I did actually call them to cancel, but they had already charged my card so my options were to either go pick them up and keep them or go to the store on pick up day and get a refund... I decided to pick them up and play with them to see if I really want to keep them... I got the advanced brush set & Naked to the Core l/s. I have to say that I'm definitely keeping the lipstick! When I pre-ordered them, I didn't swatch them on my lips since I would never let one of the tester lipsticks ever touch my lips so I swatched them on my hand and decided I liked it enough... But I tried my new one on today after I picked it up and I LOVE IT! It's now my HG nude lippie! It doesn't make me look washed out and it has a hint of pink in it. I think it'd make a really nice color for the winter time.

I think I might keep the brush set too... The 187 SE is nowhere near as stiff as the regular 187 that I already have, but it would make a good brush for powders and blushes. When I was washing it, a whole bunch of black dye came out which I thought was disgusting (a good example of why you should always wash your new brushes!) Also, it didn't shed too much. Only 2-3 hairs came out which surprised me a lot since I was expecting it to shed more. The 187 SE's brush hairs also aren't as good quality as the regular brush. You'll notice that on the regular brush, there are long white hairs and shorter black hairs that are separate. The shorter black hairs densely pack the longer white hairs together and that's what makes the brush so stiff. On the 187 SE, there are no longer white hairs and shorter black hairs (except on the outside). The bristles are all the same with the tips being white and the base being black.







The 168 SE is just as good quality as the regular one except it's so much smaller! meaning the handle AND the brush head itself. I prefer the regular sized one for everyday use, but I guess the small one would be good for traveling. I haven't used any of the brushes yet so this is all from feeling their texture, bristles, and stiffness. The 168 SE might be good for small blushes like ELF blushes or sample jars.





The 219 SE is tapered like the regular one, but the SE is not as pointy (meaning not as precise), but it'll still do the job for putting color on the lower lash line and in the crease. It seems like the SE has more brush hairs than the regular which is weird in my opinion... Why waste money on producing a brush with more bristles than the regular one? lol.



I don't own the regular sized brushes of the 275 SE and the 212 SE, but they seem alright. The 275 SE is pretty soft and very very flimsy. The bristles practically bend over when you put pressure on them. It does seem like it'd be very easy to just sweep color across the lid though since it's angled.

I can already tell that the 212 SE is going to be a good brush. It's a flat liner brush and the only liner brushes I've used are angled ones. This one is very stiff (EXTREMELY stiff!) which makes it ideal for putting on eyeliner. It's small and I think that's a good thing since I'll have more control over applying my eyeliner.



I had no intention of keeping this brush set until I washed them lol. Now I'm kinda growing fond of them. I think I just need to kick myself in the behind for hoarding things that I do not need and just want. I also checked out the Electro Flash, Sonic Chic, & New View collections, but surprisingly enough, I didn't like ANY of them! All of them were just way too shimmery for me and I usually like a little bit of shimmer, but those babies were super shimmery! Sucks for the MA that kept trying so hard to push for a sale. I hate when they do that! Why can't they do it when I need them at the right time when I actually want a makeover and actually need help? lol.

Product Review: Everyday Minerals Cosmetic Wet Wipes

Product: Everyday Minerals Cosmetic Wet Wipes
Packaging: 3 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Price: $3.75 for 80 sheets
Would You Buy This Again? Of course!

PROS: Gets off even the toughest waterproof eyeliner! It's very gentle on the face and DOES NOT dry my face out at all. It strips my face of makeup, but not of moisture! These also don't leave your face feeling greasy or oily like MAC wipes do. They're just the right amount of moisture to leave your face feeling fresh and soothed.

CONS: None that I can think of!

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I'm sorry it took me so long to do this review! I've been buying so many things that I forgot to do some reviews :P Anywho, the antibiotics that I've been taking for my bladder infection totally knocked me out yesterday. The side effects were dizziness, drowsiness, and all the usual which I never listen to cuz it usually doesn't affect me, but it did yesterday! I took it in the morning and I was fine, but when I took it around 5 pm, it made me REALLY dizzy and it felt like I had a huge headache... So I slept at like 7 and didn't wake up until 8 this morning! And I took it again twice today and I was fine... I think I got really dizzy and light headed cuz I didn't eat for like 8 hours... I can't eat 2 hours before I take the antibiotics and 6 hours after I take them... so I'm basically starving for like 8 hours lol. It sucks!!!!!!! I'm on the meds for 3 days and tomorrow is my last day, but I don't think my infection is going away by tomorrow cuz it still hurts! I think I'm going to have to call my doctor and see if they can prescribe me meds for more days... :(

Product Review: Origins Checks and Balances

Product: Origins Checks and Balances
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Price: $17.50
Would you buy this again? No

PROS: Cleanses well. You can definitely tell that it's not a weak or mild cleanser. It gets all the dirt off of your face.

CONS: It dried my face out with continuous use. It was fine the first few times I used it (it didn't leave my face feeling dry or tight and I thought that I had finally found my HG cleanser), but it did after a while... Also, I noticed that since it's a pretty thick face wash, it was a little hard to get it off of my face. I usually had to double check to see if I washed everything off since it would stick a lot mainly around my nose and eyebrows.

It is best for combination skin so if you have dry skin like I do, it may not be the best cleanser for you.

Product Review: L'oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base

Product: L'oreal De-Crease Eye Shadow Base
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
Price: $6-8
Would you buy this again? Probably not

PROS: Conveniently comes in a clear tube so you can see how much product you have left. It's easy to apply and is more creamy than it is watery. It's super cheap compared to Urban Decay's Primer Potion and I think it's a bit thicker in consistency.

CONS: It creased on me after a few hours :( I don't know if the product in my tube was dried out or if it's supposed to have a dry chalky consistency. If you're looking for something fast to use for a short amount of time, this could be it, but I wouldn't use it for long days where I need my eye shadow to stay put.

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Anywho, I'm back from my camping trip a day early... My co-workers and I were camping around Northern Cali (around Santa Rosa/Calistoga) and we had to come back because there's been TONS of wildfires lately and all we've been breathing in is smoke. During the day, all you see is this hazy smoke way off in the horizon lol. It's even worse in the morning. I thought it was fog until the sun came out and it never cleared up!! We knew something was up the first night we got there because everyone with asthma started having problems... But even though we left early, it was still fun and we made the best of it :D There were about 30 of us in one little house so it was crazy! We also got to go to an observatory and look at stars and planets! We saw Jupiter & Saturn and a whole bunch of constellations.

The boyfriend and I are okay. We worked things out (thank God lol). I'm going to LA next month and I haven't a CLUE what to do there. I don't want to go to Disneyland or Universal Studios since the lines for the rides are so dang long! Anyone have any ideas?

Product Review: Bare Escentuals Blending Brush

Product: Bare Escentuals Blending Brush for eyes
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 1 out of 5
Price: $18
Would you buy this again? No

PROS: The brush does not shed at all. I've had this for a good 3-4 years now and the silver lettering is still intact. It's been jumbled around with the rest of my makeup, but the lettering still holds up.

CONS: This DOESN'T work! First of all, the brush size is way too big for eyes. It looks like it'd be more appropriate as a face brush. It also doesn't BLEND like it's supposed to. One swipe over the eyelid and it ERASES the eye shadows that are on there. It literally swipes all the color off as if I never even applied eye shadow in the first place! If you're looking for a good blending brush, check out MAC's 217 or 224 brush.

Product Review: MAC Brush Cleaner

Product: MAC Brush Cleaner
Packaging: 3 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Price: $10
Would you buy this again? Yes

PROS: It cleans brushes extremely well. I have a few brushes with white bristles and this cleaner make them look brand spankin' new every single time. It's also not that expensive compared to other brush cleaners out there.

CONS: Sometimes the bottle head leaks. It's a pop top lid and sometimes liquid will spew out of the opposite side where you're supposed to pour. If you have a lot of brushes, this cleaner will probably be used up pretty quickly. I'd give it a month or so.

P.S. MAC's 15% off sale for ONLINE only is TODAY AND TOMORROW. You get free shipping as well! The code is MACFF8. Enjoy!

Product Review: Stila Convertible Eye Color

Product: Stila Convertible Eye Color
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $20
Would you buy this again? Yes

PROS: Great for beginners! This was actually one of the first makeup items I purchased way back when. It's also great for people on the go because you can line, smudge, and apply shadow all with this stick.

CONS: Nothing really... Except for the first one that I bought, one of caps didn't click quite as tightly so I was always worried about it falling off, but the second one I bought was just fine.

Product Review: Origins Make A Difference Skin Rejuvenating Treatment

Product: Origins Make A Difference Skin Rejuvenating Cream
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Price: $32.50
Would you buy this again? No

PROS: Great moisturizer especially for people with sensitive skin. It goes on very light so it doesn't feel like you're putting something really thick on your face. I didn't experience any breakouts with this moisturizer. The container is also pretty big so this will last a long time.

CONS: I have really dry skin so after using this product for long term, I noticed that it wasn't as moisturizing anymore. I'd put it on and it'd moisturize my face for an hour or so, but then my dry skin would show up again. The same thing would happen if I put on some more moisturizer within a few hours.

This worked great for me when I first got it, but with gradual time and use, it just didn't hold up anymore.


P.S. Wish me luck on my physics final tomorrow!

Product Review: MAC Wipes

Product: MAC Wipes
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
Price: $16 for 45 sheets and $24.50 for 100 sheets
Would you buy this again? No

PROS: This takes does its job and removes makeup very well. I also like how the packaging comes with a plastic top that clicks to close to prevent the sheets from drying out. These may also seem expensive, but if you buy the 100 sheet pack, it's really not. Neutrogena sells a 25 sheet pack for $7-9 so 100 sheets for $24.50 is really not that bad.

CONS: These are alcohol free, but they sting my face. (I have really dry and sensitive skin though). If I use these to remove my makeup at night, I usually wake up with a whole bunch of tiny red dots on my face so I wouldn't recommend this for people with dry or sensitive skin. They also sting around my eye area. I also couldn't find if these are eye safe or not because the packaging doesn't say (neither does the website) so I wouldn't use them continually on the eyes if I were you. These also feel a tiny bit greasy after you remove your makeup. I noticed it more on my hands as I was holding the sheet though rather than on my face.

These are also the wipes that MAC stores have for customers to use to wipe off any makeup from your hands or face so you can try them out before buying them. I'd definitely recommend trying them on your face because I used to always use these for removing makeup swatches on my hands and thought they were great but never on my face.

Product Review: Philosophy 3 in 1 Shower Gel

Product: Philosophy 3 in 1 Shower Gel
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $16
Would you buy this again? Maybe, leaning towards no.

PROS: Most of them SMELL AMAZING! It is definitely a waker-upper in the morning. The bottles look small, but they actually last a very long time. Mine lasted for at least a few months-- used as a shower gel and occasional shampoo/conditioner.

CONS: $16 for a bottle!! Also, the fragrance does not linger meaning once you get out of the shower, the smell is gone. (Although I do find that some last a little longer than others like Cinnamon Buns and Eggnog). The packaging is super cute and it comes with a recipe on the bottle. The cap however is a disaster. This is horrible for traveling. I had to tape my cap down so it wouldn't spill and two of my bottles' caps have broken off. I'd also only recommend this for use as a shower gel. I tried desperately to use it as a shampoo/conditioner (like Philosophy advertises), but it dried out my hair sooooo much that I just had to stop using it on my hair. I have about 12 bottles of these and for a while I was crazy obsessed with them, but now that I think about it, they are way too pricey to be used just as shower gels. Also, if you use them for bubble baths, the product will pretty much disappear right before your very eyes. You have to dump in about 1/8 of the bottle for a bubble bath (and I couldn't even smell the fragrance after that).

For reference, I have Lemon Custard, Cafe Au Lait, Pumpkin Pie, Carrot Cake, Melon Daiquiri, Berries and Cream, Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, Vanilla Cupcake, Eggnog, Cinnamon Buns, and Chocolate Chip Cookies if you have any questions on how they smell.

Product Review: MAC Microfine Lip Refinisher

Product: MAC Prep+Prime Microfine Lip Refinisher
Packaging: 2 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $14.50
Would you buy this product again? Yes

PROS: This works as a great lip exfoliant especially if you have dry chapped lips. I usually get dry peeling lips after my lipstick dries off and this is a great exfoliant to get rid of that dry skin. It leaves soft smooth lips that last all day into the next. When you purchase this, it also comes with some instructions. The instructions tell you to apply it flat on your lips (some of the black stuff will come off) and you're supposed to rub your lips with your finger to remove the dead skin. Then rinse your lips with water or a damp cloth and apply lipstick like usual.

CONS: The packaging is horrible! You have to make sure that the cap is popped on tight or else it could dry out. I also dropped this yesterday and now the plastic part inside the tube that holds the stick is a little wobbly. This is also a great exfoliator and conditioner, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are only looking for a lip conditioner since there are other chapsticks out there that condition just as well.

Product Review: Clinique 3 Step Skin Care System

For the longest time, I couldn't find a cleanser that my face meshed well with. I have really REALLY dry skin especially around my cheek area. For the facial soap, I use "Very Mild" which is for very dry to dry skin and #1 for the clarifying lotion. The first product is to cleanse, the second product is to exfoliate, and the third is to moisturize, which is their dramatically different moisturizing lotion. I find that this product works my skin type because it doesn't dry out my face AT ALL. It's a very gentle cleanser--it's just like the bar soap version so it's not foamy. All the liquid soaps are clear in their bottle except the Very Mild one. The Very Mild one looks like the texture of lotion.

The clarifying lotion comes after the facial soap and it's supposed to get off any residue left by your facial soap. The bottle says to use a cotton ball to apply it on your face and even your neck if you want. The main ingredient in this is alcohol whereas a lot of toners are alcohol-free. I've found that even though this is an alcohol based toner, it doesn't dry out my face and still does the trick. So I guess it just depends if you're picky about alcohol or non-alcohol toners. I'd also recommend buying the bigger bottle for this one because I find that it goes pretty quickly.

The dramatically different moisturizing lotion is a little bit on the heavy side. It's the same one for all skin types whether you have dry skin or oily skin. I only use it around my dry areas during the day and I put it all over my face at night. This has never made me break out or anything though.

I'd highly recommend these products to anyone who needs a new facial routine. I think Clinique might even offer some samples. You should check with your local store to see if they do.