Tomublog
Member Since: March 24, 2017Reviews
Alterna Caviar CC Cream LEAVE-IN
I really, really love this product. My hair is very fine and pretty lifeless, but this product made my hair feel much thicker and more manageable. It says its 10 properties are: moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, anti-breakage, heat protection... +
I really, really love this product. My hair is very fine and pretty lifeless, but this product made my hair feel much thicker and more manageable. It says its 10 properties are: moisture, shine, smoothness, softness, anti-breakage, heat protection, light hold, UV protection, manageability, and strength.
My hair definitely felt smoother and softer after use and was shiny. It made it more manageable and it actually felt stronger, thicker and healthier. I love the way it made my hair feel and I have to confess to being completely surprised at how much difference it made.
This was a sample size products and i have just purchased the $50 full size. That's how much I loved it!
-
Lise Watier Smokey Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
This palette caught my eye because the shades looked really pretty and easy to wear. The top row of the palette are all mattes and the bottom are satins, with 12 shades in all. I have now used the palette several times with different combinations... +
This palette caught my eye because the shades looked really pretty and easy to wear. The top row of the palette are all mattes and the bottom are satins, with 12 shades in all. I have now used the palette several times with different combinations, so here are my thoughts.
All of the shades without exception work better over primer. You get a much better colour payoff over primer and they do not have as much fallout either. The mattes are much better than the satins as they have much more pigmentation and blend really nicely. In my opinion, the satins are definitely inferior to the mattes. The colour payoff is much less and there is more fallout. They blend okay, but I'm really not enjoying these shadows. When I wore them the mattes lasted about 6 hours before creasing and fading over primer and the satins about 5 hours.
So, my thoughts on the palette are that I like the matte row and would buy them, but I an not in love with the bottom row of satins. They just don't have the pigmentation or the lasting power that I want to see from a palette costing $65 CND.
-
Clinique Sweet As Honey Eyeshadow Palette
When you open the palette, you will see the 14 shadows neatly laid out in logical order. There is also a double-ended brush and a decent size mirror in the lid. I purchased this palette beacuse of the pretty purples and pinks at least that is what... +
When you open the palette, you will see the 14 shadows neatly laid out in logical order. There is also a double-ended brush and a decent size mirror in the lid.
I purchased this palette beacuse of the pretty purples and pinks at least that is what I thought from the photo on Sephora's website. You should be able to see from my photos that these are not the purple and pink I thought they would be from the image on the Sephora website. They are more towards browns and taupes.
Although I found the shadows applied slightly better over primer, there was very little difference in the colour, so that's good. There was a little more fallout without primer and I would guess that they would last longer on the eyes with primer. I personally always use primer due to my oily lids. If I don't my eyeshadows crease and vanish after an hour or two.
The top row has the paler shades, even though they don't necessarily look paler in the palette, they are. All shades apply really nicely. They are richly pigmented and blend well. There are enough shades to be able to create a lot of different looks from this one palette. So overall, I think the palette is a nice one that will work well for many people.
My biggest issue is the shades. Although I have nothing against the shades themselves, I purchased it thinking it was going to much more towards the purple and berry shades, which I do not feel it is. When I look at my palette collection, I have a lot of similar shades and I just cannot justify this additional palette so, I am going to be returning this palette to Sephora.
I must stress, that this has nothing to do with the quality of the palette, it is in fact really good. It is simply that I feel I was misled with the shades that were represented on the website. Had I have seen this in person in the store, I would probably have bypassed it. But, oh well, you learn from your mistakes.
-
Alterna Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Conditioner
The conditioner felt silky as I massaged it into my hair and I left it on my hair for a minute or two before rinsing. After, my wet hair felt soft and my comb did not get tangled as it sometimes does. The product claims to hydrates dry hair... +
The conditioner felt silky as I massaged it into my hair and I left it on my hair for a minute or two before rinsing. After, my wet hair felt soft and my comb did not get tangled as it sometimes does.
The product claims to hydrates dry hair, improve shine and softness and improves texture and manageability.
I would say it does, but no more so that some other shampoo and conditioners I have used. I could not justify paying the much extra cost over some of the cheaper brands which get similar results.
-
Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo
I found that I did not need to use too much of this product to get good results. The shampoo lathered up well and I only felt I needed to shampoo once. It rinsed out quickly and my hair felt clean after. The products claim to hydrates dry hair... +
I found that I did not need to use too much of this product to get good results. The shampoo lathered up well and I only felt I needed to shampoo once. It rinsed out quickly and my hair felt clean after.
The products claim to hydrates dry hair, improve shine and softness and improves texture and manageability.
I would say they did do all of these things, but no more so that some other shampoo and conditioners I have used.
Although I enjoyed using this luxury product, I could not justify paying the much extra cost over some of the cheaper brands which get similar results.
-
tarte cosmetics Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
I love mascara and having very fair lashes means it's a must. I got this mascara as a sample and fell in llove with it. It applies just the right amount of product without clumping. Makes my lashes appear thinker and longer. It also comes off... +
I love mascara and having very fair lashes means it's a must. I got this mascara as a sample and fell in llove with it. It applies just the right amount of product without clumping. Makes my lashes appear thinker and longer. It also comes off easily, but doesn't smudge whilst wearing. Love it. -
Smashbox Photo Strip Eyeshadow Palette
This palette was one that I really wasn't sure I wanted. I loved the look of the shades, but I've been disappointed with some Smashbox eyeshadows before so I really had to think about whether to order this or not. It comes in a pretty box and when... +
This palette was one that I really wasn't sure I wanted. I loved the look of the shades, but I've been disappointed with some Smashbox eyeshadows before so I really had to think about whether to order this or not.
It comes in a pretty box and when you open the box the palette is wrapped in black tissue paper. When I unwrapped it, I could perhaps see why Smashbox felt the need to do this. The actual palette has quite a cheap feel to it. It is made of plastic and looks like an old-fashioned film strip, hence the name.
It opens from the shorter end and the catch is quite poor and I doubt that it will stand the test of time, but I could be wrong. The lid flips over, so you end up with double the length of the palette. Not the best idea in my humble opinion. The hinge feels equally feeble and I can really see this lid cracking or simply falling off. The base of the palette is fine, but I really think the lid leaves a lot to be desired on every front.
The palette has 10 shades in both matte and shimmer finishes. The shades range from cream to deep purples with peachy, oranges and pinks in between, so how do they stack up? Well, I have to say, I've used this palette several times over the last few days and I'm really pleasantly surprised.
All the shades work equally well on primed or bare skin, but I did find there was more fallout with bare skin. Without exception, the colour payoff was great for both the matte and shimmer shades. The shades blended really well and lasted over 7 hours on my oily lids (with primer).
Overall, I'm really impressed with these shadows and they have really won me over. I really thought this might be a palette that I ended up returning, but that will definitely not be the case. I know for sure this will become one of my staple palettes.
I do have concerns about the longevity of the palette construction, particularly the lid, but as long as it is handled carefully I'm sure it will be okay.
-
Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette
I adore purples and mauves, so this palette called to me as soon as I saw it. I've never experienced Huda Beauty eyeshadows before and had seen mixed reviews, but wanted to give this a try. First off, the palette is on the small side, and I've... +
I adore purples and mauves, so this palette called to me as soon as I saw it. I've never experienced Huda Beauty eyeshadows before and had seen mixed reviews, but wanted to give this a try.
First off, the palette is on the small side, and I've seen other reviewers criticise this, but for me personally, I have no problem as it makes it a very portable palette. It measures 3 inches square and contains nine pans containing 1.1g of shadow each. For comparison, the Huda Beauty Desert Dusk palette pans are 1.4g each.
The pans are tightly packed together, so no wasted space and there is no brush, but I never use palette brushes so this is not a problem for me.
These shadows, although they swatch well, work on the eyes even better. They blended well and when I used them over primer they stayed put for over 7 hours. I also have to say that I experienced no fallout whatsoever. The shimmers take a bit of extra layering to get good coverage and I found they did not blend quite as well as the mattes, but overall they were all great shadows.
I would say they look more like berry shades once swatched or applied to the eyes, rather than mauves which I associate with purples. In use, they are more towards the red and burgundy range, rather than purples.
-
lipivir
I have had cold sores for as long as I can remember and they are awful things. Anyone who hasn't had one can't appreciate the pain and discomfort they cause, let alone the fact they look horrendous. I tend to get them, not just on my lips, but on my... +
I have had cold sores for as long as I can remember and they are awful things. Anyone who hasn't had one can't appreciate the pain and discomfort they cause, let alone the fact they look horrendous. I tend to get them, not just on my lips, but on my nose too. Every year I can get anything from a couple to five or six each winter season and one or two during the summer.
Many of the treatments I have tried are reliant on applying them when you first get the cold sore tingle. But, with me, I find many of my cold sores come up overnight. So. I'm perfectly okay when I go to bed, but wake up with a cold sore, by which time it's a bit late.
Lipivir needs to be applied morning and night, every day. You simply apply a small amount, a little goes a long way, to the areas affected and remember to wait five minutes before applying skincare and makeup products. The tube it comes in is very tiny and contains 2g of product which they say should last 2 months.
I have been using this for a week now and find it very easy to integrate into my routine. As long as I allow it to dry for five minutes before applying skincare and makeup it does not affect them. Lipstick and foundation, for example, go on fine and I've had no coverage problems.
The product is in a gel format that does have a very bitter taste if you happen to taste it, but it soon goes away and I've managed to avoid licking it after the first time. It goes on very easily and spreads well.
I did notice on the info leaflet inside the product that it says it does not offer any SPF protection, so you will need to use another product for this purpose. I personally would do this as the extreme sun can be a trigger for me. It also says it can cause lips to feel dry, so perhaps a lip balm with SPF is the answer.
I really have my fingers crossed for this product. If I don't get any cold sores during the winter months, I think I can safely say it works. I have never gone a whole winter without an outbreak or two.
Lipivir costs $26.99 CND, and I, fortunately, got this one free, but if it works, I won't hesitate to buy it. Anyone who suffers from cold sores will understand that this is a very small price to pay for a cold sore-free existence. Fingers crossed!
-
Tarte Rainforest of The Sea Eyeshadow Palette - Volume II
I received the tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II eyeshadow palette in my August Boxycharm. I have now used it several times so can now give my honest review. The shades range from the lightest cream to almost black and are all neutral tones... +
I received the tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II eyeshadow palette in my August Boxycharm. I have now used it several times so can now give my honest review.
The shades range from the lightest cream to almost black and are all neutral tones, which I particularly like. It is very different from the Amazonian Clay formula which I'm not keen on. This is very velvety and creamy in the palette. It applies smoothly and is much more blendable. In my opinion, this formula is far superior to the Amazonian Clay.
The first thing I noticed is that there is very little difference between the swatches over primer and those on bare skin. All of the shades worked equally well on both, although I would imagine they would last longer on the lid with primer. I have oily lids, so always use a primer.
As I have mentioned the shadow goes on very smoothly and all shades had great colour payoff and no kickback or fall out. There are no really shimmery shades in this palette which is great for me. All the shades tend towards matte and satin finishes, although Sunset is the most shimmery.
The shades can be used to make a neutral look or a more dramatic smokey eye. The shadows all lasted well on my (with primer) for a good eight hours. I had no smudging or creasing during that time.
-
Looking for more?
Check out our other review websites:
