satojoko
Member Since: April 14, 2010Reviews
MAC Cosmetics Prep & Prime Eye Primer
For the woman who first reviewed this product, try Coastal Scents CamoQuad concealer as an eye shadow base. Amusingly, it doesn't work well as a concealer, but it does work wonders for me as an eye primer. I believe it's still around $5 and... +
For the woman who first reviewed this product, try Coastal Scents CamoQuad concealer as an eye shadow base. Amusingly, it doesn't work well as a concealer, but it does work wonders for me as an eye primer. I believe it's still around $5 and has 4 colors. It goes really far and shadows cling to it. I haven't experienced any creasing with it whatsoever. It'll last you forever and won't break the bank.
I tried this primer from MAC (always ask for a sample before laying out the cash on their often overpriced products) and found that it didn't work any better than the Coastal Scents product. This one actually works better and is far cheaper. For me, anyways.
The other thing you may not be aware of is that you can take your MAC products back at any time if you're not satisfied with them. I've returned so many of their products for exchanges or refunds, even without my receipt and even their products that I bought overseas. I'm notorious for losing receipts and can't be bothered to hang on to them, quite honestly. Don't waste you money. Go get it back!
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MAC Cosmetics 263 Small Angle Liner Brush
I bought this brush when I took my first foray into the land of MAC. The artist who did my face that day used it to do my brows and my eye liner. I decided right then and there to buy it, even though it was way overpriced. This brush has multiple... +
I bought this brush when I took my first foray into the land of MAC. The artist who did my face that day used it to do my brows and my eye liner. I decided right then and there to buy it, even though it was way overpriced.
This brush has multiple uses. As mentioned above, it works great to fill in brows with wet or dry powder, or even a more waxy brow filler. It's somewhat stiff, although not overly so, and can be even wiped over the top of a soft shadow crayon to apply it as a liner.
I regularly use this to apply gel liner, top and bottom, as well as MACs Liquidlast Liner. While the linr itself has spectacular staying power and does not come off under any circumstances, I'm not a big fan of the brush that comes with it as it doesn't give me as much control as I'd like. You've got to have a dead on steady hand with it because it is very hard to get off once on the skin. Mistakes are not so easy to correct.
If you're into fantasy makeup, this brush can be used in many ways to get really nice thin lines with great curves in them and even thinner, angled lines with a bit more width.
I suppose you could also use it as a lip brush in a pinch, but I'm quite sure it wasn't meant for that. Because of the angle and the stiffness of the bristles, it would probably work quite well to get a precise edge with your lip liner.
Definitely a must have brush. It is overpriced, like most things MAC, but it is a brush you will use for many years to come. If you can find one similar to this in a craft store for a fraction of the price, definitely pick it up.
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Coastal Scents Camo Quads
I bought this concealer quite some time ago as it gets rave reviews on Coastal Scents website. I ordered the Medium quad. I really had high expectations of it. Sadly, the product did not live up to those hopes. As to the claims that it's... +
I bought this concealer quite some time ago as it gets rave reviews on Coastal Scents website. I ordered the Medium quad. I really had high expectations of it. Sadly, the product did not live up to those hopes.
As to the claims that it's creamy, I don't find it creamy at all. I find it oily but dry, if that makes any sense. It almost reminds me of MACs eye primer, the way it goes on. When I first received it, the product had little beads of oil on the top of it which may have separated due to the temperature outside. I just let it sit for a few days til they soaked back in.
As a concealer, especially under the eye, I don't like it very much. If you're in your 20s, you might be able to get away with it. But for somebody in their mid 30s and up, I think they'll find that it accentuates fine lines. NOT what anybody wants.
Considering I wasn't very impressed with it as a concealer, I was surprised to find that it works absolutely spectacularly as an eye shadow primer. Probably the best of any I have tried. For approximately $5, you get a base over which your shadows cling really well and blend extremely smoothly. I've tested it as a primer with MAC eye shadows, Coastal Scents shadows, many mineral makeup companies' eye products and found that it works great with all of them. Considering Coastal Scents shadows are nothing to rave about and many mineral makeup shadows are very faint when applied, that's saying something. This really makes the colors show their true potential.
I tend to use the white as a base under darker colors that I want to fade out softly around the edges, for which it works beautifully, and the 3rd darkest one under colors like browns and greens and one color washes that I don't want to be too light. The darkest one gets used when I want my deeper shadows to really have a POW underneath them or when I want bright greens and blues to be very vibrant. In all cases, it is hands down the best product to be used as an eye primer.
No need to pay big bucks for Urban Decay's product or even MACs eye primer, of which I've tried both. They're good but they're simply not worth it when you can get this so cheaply and for such a large amount. This baby will last you for a very long time. It takes very little on your lid to get your eye color looking great. Just remember to blend the concealer out around the edges so you don't have light raccoon eyes and blend your shadow really well, which is so easy with this product underneath. Once it's on, you can also wet foil over it. Because it works so well, it really cuts down on the amount of time it takes me to finish doing my eyes. Without it, I'm looking at 30 minutes to get my eyes looking how I want them.
The other nice thing is it is very easy to apply with just your finger tip. I've found this works best for me when blending out the edges of it as well.
I am giving it a 2-1/2 out of 5 though for effectiveness because, as a concealer, as it is marketed on Coastal Scents' website, I found that it just doesn't fit the bill. Likewise the quality. As a concealer, NOT the best I have tried, by any means. I've used powdered mineral makeup concealers that make my fine lines completely disappear, of which this product does not. But as a primer for the eyes....wow! Very impressive! They should keep the formula as is and start selling it as a primer rather than a concealer, because that's its only saving grace as far as I'm concerned.
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U by Kotex Click Regular Tampons
I received these as a free sample with some of the company's panty liners. I wasn't prepared to be impressed as every tampon I've tried other than OB in the past 20 odd years has been junk. Tampax swell lengthwise, making you very often... +
I received these as a free sample with some of the company's panty liners. I wasn't prepared to be impressed as every tampon I've tried other than OB in the past 20 odd years has been junk. Tampax swell lengthwise, making you very often feel like you've grown a male appendage. If I want a sex change, I'll go to Thailand, thanks. Playtex are simply a joke. It's like using an internal parachute hoping to catch some liquid with it, and they LEAK! OB is small, expands properly, takes up no room in my bag, the wrapper doesn't ever come off in my bag and they are super absorbent. As I said, I was prepared to NOT be impressed by these new kids on the block. I was seriously wrong.
The packaging was a bit confusing, firstly, as the insert that comes with it shows that each absorbency has a different 'hue'. But when I looked at mine, I had extra colors that weren't listed in the product insert. Mine also had an R on them. No mention of that on the brochure. I guessed that meant they were 'regular' absorbency. Regardless, I decided to try them. I was spending the day at home, so it was very unlikely I was going to have any horrific tampon terrors happening.
The plastic package didn't make me happy because my experience in the past with tampons in these types of wrappers is that they end up coming off when they're floating around with all the junk in my bag. Which renders them unsanitary for use. Which means I waste money. I opened up the wrapper and immediately noticed the plastic applicator is color coordinated with the packaging LOL Amusing, and so not necessary, but whatever. If the product works, I don't care what color they decide to make them. Pulled out the PLUNGER as instructed, til I heard a small click. So far so good. And popped that bad boy in! Just for good measure, as I was expecting to have a flood happening later due to it being a 'high flow' day, I reinforced my ladies under things with one of their pads - also a free sample.
Lo and behold, I went ALL day with no problems. Not even a spot. I was in shock, I tell ya. Seriously. Every other tampon other than OB has failed me, multiple times, miserably. Not this one. It worked so well that I didn't wind up changing it til the recommended tampon standard time for usage. I don't want to get too graphic, but when I did change it, I immediately noticed these things are constructed EXACTLY like an OB tampon. Which would explain why I had no leakage, no torpedoes shooting out of me, nothing. No problems at all. Absolutely amazing.
Yep, will buy them again, especially with the coupon. The only test I have left for these is if the plastic packaging comes off the tampon while it's being banged around in my bag. They're a bit bigger than an OB because of the applicator, but because they do have an applicator, that means my hands remain clean. For you ladies who are embarrassed when your girly things suddenly flop out of your bag in front of a date, male co workers, etc these may not be for you. They are super duper neon colored. Just one of these things dropping out of your bag onto the floor could been seen for miles. It's like looking at a homing beacon, for god's sake. For me, I couldn't care less. We're women. We bleed. Everybody knows it. At least if my tampons do come flying out of my bag, they'll look cute LOL And I can always lie and say it's candy hahaha There is a plus to them being neon colored, though. Easily found in your bag if your wimmins stuff is always loose in your bag.
Have fun, girls :-)
BTW, I personally hate the commercial and their website. SWAG they call it....LOL....really? SWAG? Yeah......not.....a lame attempt at their marketing people to make themselves look hip. At which they fail miserably hahaha
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U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners
Nothing impressive here. I got these as a free sample, along with some coupons the company sent me. As advertised, they are extremely thin. You really can't feel them. That's a plus. But if you've been wearing one for several hours... +
Nothing impressive here. I got these as a free sample, along with some coupons the company sent me.
As advertised, they are extremely thin. You really can't feel them. That's a plus. But if you've been wearing one for several hours during the day, these puppies bunch up. It's like having a bum sandwich. Best way I can describe it. Not pleasant, to say the least.
As to absorbency, not really sure. It was too scrunched up in my knickers to be able to tell.
They do have a great glue strip on the backing, which means they stay in place very well. But for the price, I'll continue to use my Always with Driweave panty liners. I'll be using my U coupons for the tampons in this line of products. Those are far more worth the price, coupon or not.
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Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette
I bought both of these palettes, the Coastal Scents Warm Palette and the Coastal Scents Shimmer Palette. Firstly, I'll say that they are packaged very well. The cases are not flimsy pieces of junk. They've also got a mirror in the lid, as... +
I bought both of these palettes, the Coastal Scents Warm Palette and the Coastal Scents Shimmer Palette.
Firstly, I'll say that they are packaged very well. The cases are not flimsy pieces of junk. They've also got a mirror in the lid, as well as 2 sponge applicators in each - which are useless, BTW.
As to the quality of the products, forget it. They are loaded with talc. Which means the color payoff is not that great. If you don't use a primer, they quickly come off. When you blend them, they also get very muddy. Some are so loaded with talc that they disintegrate when you touch them with your brush. Being as small as they are, that means they will quickly be gone just from blowing away in the wind :-)
As for the colors, there are far too many that are almost exactly the same. I'm sitting here looking at mine now and have counted 21 that could be used as highlighters. This is just in the Warm Palette. Ridiculous. Out of the 88 in the Warm Palette, there are 4 shades of green. 4! One light minty green, one a dark green/black, one kahki green with hardly any color to it at all and the other a powdery sage green. Again, ridiculous. 4 out of 88? And crappy colors at that.
There are also far too many brown shades in this box. I wind up using some of the matt ones as brow fillers more than anything else. I haven't even touched 48 of the other colors.
Are there some decent colors in here? Some, but I would rate them as less than average in color, payoff and quality. I mean, come on....talc? A well known filler known to make it cheaper for a company to manufacture their cosmetics. It also causes reactions in a lot o people and clogs pores.
As for the Shimmer Palette, dear mother of god.....what can I say? I've never seen so many hooker blues in my life, especially not in one place. There are also far too many red toned shadows. Red? That just draws attention to dark circles and imperfections all over your face. Exactly what we're all always trying to avoid and fix. The brown shimmers are nice, but in this palette, there aren't enough. As for the greens, again, they are of circus type quality. If I want to look all cracked out and strung out, I could accomplish it just by not washing my face and letting my mascara smear all under my eyes. Free of charge.
There are some nice highlight colors in here, and not too many of them in this case. But I can count 3 shades of green that are pretty much identical, along with 9 pinks shadows that are also nearly the same. I mean, almost dead on. What a waste.
Out of this palette, I can honestly say I've used a total of 6 of the 88. So that is now a grand total of 176 eye shadows that I wouldn't even use HALF of. Hold crap, Batman.....in my books, that's junk. no matter how cheap the junk is. The color payoff of the Shimmer Palette is much better, but that ain't saying much as it has never been my goal to have bright RED or ORANGE eye shadow screaming across the distances at people. Oh, did I mention that the Shimmer Palette STAINS your eye lids? LOL For days! Again, if that's the look you're going for, go nuts. Buy every palette they have!
All in all, I can't say I'd buy either one of these palettes again, even for this price. If I could use at least half of the colors, I wouldn't say that. But with this substandard quality, the talc in their formulas, the over abundance of one type of color in each palette, definitely not. I also wouldn't give this as a gift as it would come off as a very cheap, dollar store type gift that didn't require a lot of thought. Not the impression I'd like to create when I'm giving somebody a present. And for the love of god, DO NOT buy their lip glosses!! Worst stuff I've ever tried in my life. They went straight in the garbage. Their brushes however, especially the badger type, absolutely rock and are dirt dirt cheap.
Don't bother wasting your money on these palettes. You'd be better off trying some of their loose shadows (which also have talc, incidentally) and pigments and mixing some of your own using the raw ingredients they have on their website. Which I've done and have come up with far superior products and exactly the colors I want. And it costs next to nothing. The loose shadows and pigments are also available in sample sizes, which prevents wasting money if you find out a product is crap. Pigment sample sizes are enough to last a very long time and allow you to also create your own custom shadows with the other bulk ingredients they sell (serecite, etc).
Their customer service is great, shipping is fast, shipping charges are cheap, and products damaged in transit are quickly replaced with few questions asked. But these palettes are a definite miss in my books. Unfortunately, I read all the rave reviews on their site before buying them and believed them. Makes me wonder what quality of makeup women out there are using that they think this stuff is so great LOL Ground dirt?? Never again hahaha
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COVERGIRL Smokey Shadowblast
I also had higher expectations for this product. Firstly, the colors come off much more brightly in the package. Once on the skin, though.....they are kinda disappointing. Might be good for an extremely understated eye look, maybe for the day... +
I also had higher expectations for this product.
Firstly, the colors come off much more brightly in the package. Once on the skin, though.....they are kinda disappointing. Might be good for an extremely understated eye look, maybe for the day. It's just far too sheer.
Secondly, I bought one in every color. After the first use, the pink end of one snapped off at the base. Ditto for the green one. They both got taken back. This happened before I even twisted them up at all.
Thirdly, the colors were also what I would consider to be crappy. The one that looks bronze shows on the skin as very orange, as well. Hate that.
In addition, there is also very little control over them. For example, try laying down a line on your top lid as a liner, or god forbid, under your lower lash line. Good luck to ya, girl! Always comes off like you were drunkenly applying it. NOT a good look. Unless that was the look you intended......the narrower side, which you should be able to use for lining your eyes is useless. Too thin, therefore it snaps off at the base as well. It also doesn't give a clean line. More mess to clean up.
The only thing I have found them good for is using them as a base for powder or mineral eye shadows. They definitely increase staying power and make your eye makeup show it's full potential. You can foil minerals over these sticks as well. Apply a good coating of your shade stick, foil with a little bit of water and your pigment over top. Works well under the eye too, in the case of the white and the beige crayon, to highlight or to lay a base to smudge some powder over. But have a q-tip handy to clean up the mess. Likewise for highlighting the brow bone, although not much of a mess to clean up there.
When I apply them, I find it works better if I use the stick first and then spread it out evenly with my finger tip. Then apply shadows over top, mineral or solid compact shadows, packing it on rather than swiping it over the lid. Once it's packed on, I blend it out to even things up. You need a good brush or two for this.
Anyways, yeah, not as spiffy as they make them out to be. Nowhere near. Thank god I got them with 2 for 1 coupons, or I really woulda been DISPLEASED (an extremely polite word for it).
If you want a good shadow stick that works well as an eye shadow and a powder eyeshadow base, buy a Rimmel Eye Twist, if they still make them. One side is a thin liner, the other a fat shadow stick. They both work phenomenally, and double as a base really well. Another good Rimmel product that walks all over this Cover Girl one is the Eyeful Eye Glistener, another fat shadow stick, but one ended in this case. It's very soft, doesn't pull at your eyes, a tad shimmery and glossy, and is an excellent base for shadows, as well as giving some nice, soft color. Far better than these ShadowBlast sticks. I'd be more likely to name them ShadowCrap, to be quite honest. Nothing worth buying.
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MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow
I've been using MAC eye shadows for as long as I can remember. About 15 years. Yes, they are overpriced, but they really are nice, last a very long time (on the face as well as in the package) and blend beautifully. Quite honestly, I've got... +
I've been using MAC eye shadows for as long as I can remember. About 15 years. Yes, they are overpriced, but they really are nice, last a very long time (on the face as well as in the package) and blend beautifully. Quite honestly, I've got some that are ancient, and I still use them. They haven't gotten all yucky or too hard to use. They still work very very well. And they are OLD. So that in itself is pretty impressive. But because they're so pricey, I now tend to buy only colors that I use a lot from them, like my earth tone and green shades, and then purchase highlighting shades/base colors, etc from cheaper companies. If I had all the cash in the world, I'd probably use MAC eye shadows exclusively, But I don't. So I don't.
Compared to some of their other products, they are worth the price. Affordable, no. But worth the price nonetheless.
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Clairol Nice ‘n Easy Perfect 10
I tried this product a few months ago. Other than the applicator being SOMEWHAT better than the usual, I can't say it did anything great for my hair compared to other hair colors. Yes, the smell was not harsh. Yes, my hair wasn't damaged... +
I tried this product a few months ago. Other than the applicator being SOMEWHAT better than the usual, I can't say it did anything great for my hair compared to other hair colors. Yes, the smell was not harsh. Yes, my hair wasn't damaged after using it. Yes, they provide a good sized tube of conditioner in the box that lasts several uses and is actually quite good. But after hearing all the stuff about how spectacular this is and the constant hype, I have to wonder, were those people using the same product I did?? My husband still had to help me get it through my hair properly, and ohhhh, the big one, it did NOT take 10 minutes. More like 20 to 23. And the resulting color?? Not impressed. It looked the same as any cheaper, older brands I've used in the past. It certainly wasn't glossy, either. The day a color can actually make my hair glossy, I'll kiss the ground it was created upon.
Considering the price of this stuff (thank god I used a coupon), it isn't worth it. I saved the applicator for my next hair coloring with another cheaper product. I definitely won't be purchasing this again.
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L'Oreal Double Extend Waterproof Mascara
I agree with the first reviewer. This stuff makes your lashes very long and thick and does separate them. The 1st step is to brush on the white stuff. Let it dry. Don't panic. The 2nd step will cover all the white stuff up. While it looks kinda... +
I agree with the first reviewer. This stuff makes your lashes very long and thick and does separate them. The 1st step is to brush on the white stuff. Let it dry. Don't panic. The 2nd step will cover all the white stuff up. While it looks kinda hairy with just the white coat on, don't worry. It's got a lot of fibers in it, which you can see after brushing it on. Get the black stuff on over it. It takes about 3 coats to get it on properly, but once you do, wow. Yes, lashes are thicker and definitely without a doubt longer. The formula doesn't have a strong perfume or odor to it and it doesn't flake, smudge, smear or sweat off. It also doesn't make your eyes irritated or cause them to tear up. You do have to brush it out little bit, but not much compared to other mascaras, especially compared to L'oreal's newest martian ball monstrosity which I absolutely abhor.
Regarding not needing makeup remover, not the case for me. I take a cotton pad, soak it in my makeup remover, also L'oreal, and let it sit on both of my closed eyes for a minute or so before wiping it off. You have to give it some time to break it up, otherwise you wind up really tugging at your eyes. Not something I want to be doing at 41 years of age. It takes some work to get it all off, but for what it does to your eyes, it's worth it. Because it's got such great staying power, I've never had it run once, not even when having a good cry or getting stuck out in the rain. It really is waterproof! Definitely the best mascara I've bought in the past 2 years, and that's saying something, cause I've bought at least 9. This is the best of the bunch. Keep both ends of the tube TIGHTLY closed because the formula at both ends is fairly thick. If it starts drying out, it'll be more difficult to apply due to the fibers in it.
Is it worth the price? Before, it was overpriced, even though it's good. It has come down now, though, because of all of the other new crap flooding the market lately. I'll stick with this one.
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