Target Up & Up Eye Makeup Remover Liquid Oil-Free Makeup Magician - Review

 

 

I think I mentioned to you guys that I went away 4 weeks ago to the States on a little shopping trip. Well lo and behold I forgot something. I always do. I forgot to pack eye makeup remover. While I was in Target, I picked this out. It's one of those eye makeup removers that has two types of liquid in it which you have to shake up to activate. It's like oil and vinegar only this is supposedly oil-free.

 

It's not bad. I am just not crazy about it. It reminds me of the Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover which is a much pricier item. If you love the Lancôme Eye Makeup Remover you may love the price of this.

 

I don't love the Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover by the way. I find both of these products greasy. I guess that is why you are supposed to wash it off afterwards....It just reminds me of taking my makeup off with baby oil and I hate doing that.

 

Does it work? Yes, but you have to do a few applications to get stubborn mascara off. It makes fairly quick work of eye shadow. This is not a miracle product or "magician" by any means. It's your standard, greasy, eye makeup remover. I don't remember what I paid for this, but it was only a few dollars. If "greasy" doesn't bother you, this isn't a bad choice, it's just not for me. The ingredients are so-so.    

 

Packaging: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 7/10

Removal Magic: 7/10

Texture: 2/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 6/10

Would I buy this again? Only If I Was in a Jam    

Overall Rating: 7/10



Schwarzkopf got2b Guardian Angel Heat Protection - Review

I've had this product in my cupboard for nearly 3 years. When I say this product, I mean this actual bottle. I don't use it much. That is not to say that it is bad, because it isn't, it's just not something I reach for. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I quite like my Silk Elements heat protection product and I use that mostly.

This product is supposed to shine, protect and b divine. Ha ha. It is suitable for flat irons and blow drying. I assume it is also good for curling irons. I would say that this protects hair well but I can't say that I notice the shine factor. This product has a slight smell, nothing off putting which is good in my book. What this product lacks for me is that this product is only a heat protector, it doesn't aid you in styling your hair like my Silk Elements does. This product doesn't make my hair soft and silky. Maybe I ask too much but hey I am spoilt with the Silk Elements.

If you are just looking for a heat protector, this is a very good option. I think I paid between $5 to $8 for this bottle at the drug store so it's inexpensive too.

Packaging: 10/10 

Easy to Work With: 9/10
Hair Texture Created: 4/10
Double as a Styling Aid: 5/10
Protects Hair: 9/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: 7/10
Would I buy this again? Maybe
Overall Rating: 7/10 (wish it made my hair smooth and soft)

Makeup Geek MUG Eyeshadows in Drama Queen and Brown Sugar - Review and Swatches

I finally got around to trying out some more of those Makeup Geek eyeshadows that I bought a few months ago. Today I will be reviewing Drama Queen on the left and Brown Sugar which is on the right above.

I like both of these colours quite a bit. They aren't my favourite MUG eyeshadows, but these are of couple of the better ones. I have no complaints about either. Both are very pigmented, apply easily, are long lasting, blend well and are nice and smooth. Drama Queen reminds me a little of MAC's Young Punk but is not as sparkly. It's a dark, shimmery purple.

Brown Sugar looks like well...brown sugar. It's a medium to dark brown shimmer and it has some copper undertones. If you like brown eyeshadow, you'll like this one. I have done a gazillion posts on the Makeup Geek eyeshadows on this blog so feel free to check out my other reviews. I swear I will have a best of MUG eyeshadows list ready one of these days to post.

Here are the swatches. Drama Queen on the left and Brown Sugar on the right.

Rating Below Applies to Both Shades

Packaging: 9/10 (small and convenient providing you have a Z palette)

Pigmentation: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 8/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 9/10 (parabens are now on the may contain part of the ingredients - kinda odd)  

Travel Worthy: 9/10 (small and convenient providing you have a small Z palette)

Attractiveness of Product: 10/10

Would I buy this again? Yeah   

Overall Rating: 9/10

eos Hand Lotion in Berry Blossom - Review

Okay, please don't laugh at my peeling label above! I have now ripped it off! Today I am going to talk about the eos hand lotion. I feel weird spelling eos all lowercase but there it is. I have loved eos products for a couple of years now - namely their lip balms and shave creams. Fantastic stuff. I was planning to move on to purchasing the hand lotion, but I before I got to that, I was sent this product for consideration.

First of all, I love the packaging. Very ergonomic. Easily fits most purses. Convenient snap opening. This product is very moisturizing but I noticed something I wasn't used to immediately. This product isn't greasy which might be a bonus for a lot of people.

The scent I have is Berry Blossom. Since I have a sensitive nose, I find the scent of this one a little strong for me - I think I would do better with one of the other scents such as Cucumber or Petals. That being said I can and will easily use up this container as the smell is not a deal breaker. I have seen the price of these fluctuate between $3.99-$6.99 which I have to say is a high price point considering how small this is. It is 1.5 fl. oz. or 44ml. Easily fits into the palm of my hand. It is, however, paraben-free which is a big plus for me.

Packaging: 9/10 (cute - outside of the box) 

Longevity: 8/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Price: 5/10
Ingredients: 7.5/10
Travel Worthy: 9/10 (little concerned about it opening in my purse if it gets knocked around)
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? Sure
Overall Rating: 8/10

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette - Review and Swatches

I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I have just been feeling a little uninspired lately for a few reasons. One, I have been doing a lot of overtime lately at work so I have been pooped. Second, my allergies have been bad for the last few weeks so I have been wearing little to no eye makeup. My eyes have been so itchy! Third, all of the products that I have been trying lately have been so middle of the road, it isn't funny. What I mean by that is that I have neither loved them nor hated them. The UD Naked Basics palette is one of them.

From left to right the colours are Venus, Foxy, W.O.S., Naked 2, Faint and Crave. Here are two pictures in two different lights for you.

A lot of bloggers have suggested that this palette is an excellent compliment to the Naked palette and the Naked 2 palette. I see their point and I would have to agree. This palette is basically matte and the Naked and Naked 2 palettes are mostly frosts and shimmers. I am not a boring blah brown eye makeup gal most of the time. Needless to say, I can therefore not get too excited about this palette. This retails in Sephora for $27 U.S. and $32 Canadian.

First of all, I really like the packaging. It is small and compact. The case is sturdy and the outside plastic has a cool texture. The inside looks bit cheap though. The mirror is a good size. This would be perfect for travelling or throwing into your purse. That being said, there are only so many looks you can get out of this palette. I quickly got bored with this.

Venus is a great highlight colour and has decent pigmentation. I am not so keen on Foxy as it is kind of yellow and that is not my thing. W.O.S. is a nice nude shade with a pink undertone but it, like Foxy, does not have the best pigmentation. I find myself repeatedly applying both to get it to show up on my eyelid. Naked 2 is a very nice cool beige - it reminds me of a mix of MAC's Malt and Wedge. I just wish it was more pigmented but it is buildable which is good. Faint is really nice. It is a good basic medium brown but it is a bit warmer than I would like. I think most people will like this colour. Finally, Crave is the best of them all. An awesome smoky black. Crave has great pigmentation and is easy to work with.

The swatches are as follows: Venus, Foxy, W.O.S., Naked 2, Faint and Crave

 

 

I will use this palette. I don't think I will reach for it all that often, but I will use it as all of the colours are useful. I think I am likely to pull it out and pack it when I go away overnight for work. That being said, I have a million dupes for each colour in here. Many of my dupes are better than the colours in this palette! Because I love the Naked palettes so much, I had to buy this and try it. I got sucked in the way most people did. I did resist for awhile as I knew from reading other bloggers posts on this that all of these colours are easily duped and let's face it, the colours are nothing to get excited about. It was the makeup collector in me that finally decided to make the purchase.

 

If you aren't a makeup collector like myself or if you are on a budget, don't waste your money on this. I beg of you to resist! This isn't a bad palette like I said, it is just nothing to get excited about. If you own very little makeup and you want to start building your collection I would say maybe consider buying this. You can likely do better for cheaper though with another similar palette elsewhere. I used birthday gift cards to buy this myself.

 

Packaging: 8.5/10 (cheap inside keeps it from being a 10) 

Pigmentation: 5/10 (Foxy and W.O.S are pathetic and Naked 2 is subpar)
Easy to Work With: 7/10 (Foxy and W.O.S are pathetic) 
Longevity: 9/10 (stays on and stays put) 
Colour Stays True: 9/10
Texture: 7/10
Price: 8/10
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 6/10 (Foxy and W.O.S are pathetic)
Would I buy this again? No 
Overall Rating: 7/10



Milani Lipsticks in 26 Nude Creme and 25 Naturally Chic - Review and Swatches

So I am finally getting around to reviewing those other 2 Milani lipsticks that I talked about the other day in my Milani pink lipsticks post. One the left we have Nude Crème and on the right, Naturally Chic. These are obviously more neutral than the pinks, so if you like nude lipstick, both of these are solid choices. They will not wash you out but they are bit on the pink/orange side so they may not work with everyone's colouring. I think they will work for most people though. I like to use a pink or purple lip liner with Nude Cream to make it less "orange" looking and more low key pink nude. I also like to put a gloss over it and pair it with smoky eyes. The colour is not too "in your face" which is nice if you want a nude lip with some colour but keep it subtle. Naturally Chic is a deeper colour and is more of a dark traditional nude.

One the left above and below we have Nude Crème and on the right, Naturally Chic. As I mentioned in my last Milani lipstick post, they are all smooth, highly pigmented, very moisturizing and they last a really long time. I paid $6.99 Canadian for each and they are well worth the money. The ingredients are not too scary either. These are seriously the best drug store lipsticks I have ever tried. They all smell like watermelon though so if you don't like watermelon then maybe you won't like these. The only place in Canada where I can find them is at the Loblaws Superstore.

All are solid colours and all are well worth the money and checking out. I really can't think of any con to these.

Packaging: 8/10 (not crazy about the brass package but love the colour appropriate bottoms)

Pigmentation: 10/10 
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: 7.5/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? In a heartbeat
Overall Rating: 9/10

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Razzle Dazzle Rose - Review and Swatch

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages! So sorry guys! Well let's get to it. Today, I am going to do a review on the Too Faced La Crème lipstick in Razzle Dazzle Rose. I had been hearing good things about this lipstick line so I thought I would get one. I bought this lipstick a few months ago from Sephora and then I misplaced it. I just found it a couple of weeks ago. First of all, I love the packaging. Very 1970's Charlie's Angels. The tube feels solid and its heavy for what it is. It doesn't feel cheap at all. It looks and feels like an expensive lipstick and frankly, I like that!

The formula is extremely smooth and creamy. Glides on like a dream, is very pigmented and it lasts on the lips a long time. It feels great on and is very moisturizing. Too Faced claims it has strengthening properties but I think I would have to use this daily for a long time to test that theory. I really like this lipstick and the colour I have, Razzle Dazzle Rose, is perfect for summer. These lipsticks are $21 U.S. and $25 Canadian. There are 3g or 0.11 oz. I am kicking myself because I was just in the States last weekend and I didn't remember to pick any more of these up! Sob. I will definitely get at least one or two more of these over the next few months. I have tried some really good lipsticks lately as you can see from my blog, and this one is up there too. I think by the end of the year I am going to have to put together a top lipsticks of the year list. Here is the swatch:

I find this lipstick to be more pigmented on than my swatch indicates. This is some seriously good lipstick. I am impressed with this. I didn't notice any really bad stuff in the ingredients list so that is a definite plus. I just bought a new Too Faced palette also so I will try that out and get back to you on that as well.

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 9/10 
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 8/10
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? In a heartbeat
Overall Rating: 9.5/10

L'Oreal Wear Infinite Eye Shadow in 501 Violet Petal - Review and Swatch

Hello! Sorry I have been missing in action for a few days. My husband and I took a road trip to the Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland area over the past few days. I had a couple of my blog posts scheduled in advance so it wouldn't look like I dropped off the face of the earth.

While I was away I bought some makeup of course. Makeup is so much cheaper in the U.S. and there are a few things I can't get here in Canada that are easily available as soon as you cross the border. Kmart was having a buy one get one 50% off sale with L'Oreal and Wet n' Wild so I went a little hog wild. Lots of reviews to come I grabbed the eye shadow in this post because I needed another L'Oreal item for my 50% off. I didn't want this, I just liked the colour in the pan. Normally, I would not have purchased this.

 

Sorry guys, we bought a new camera on the fly while we were away (hubby left ours in the hotel room one day) so I thought I would try it out for today's blog post and I am not thrilled with it. Also, it won't let me crop off the date and time stamp on my computer. I am sure there is a way around that, but frankly I have better things to do than mess around with that for ages. Back to the old camera next time.

Anyway, I wore this eye shadow while I was away. It is super pigmented and super frosted. It applied and blended well but it is quite loud. I would recommend a light hand when applying this. It stayed on all day but I found the colour changed a bit. It was more violet when I applied it and a few hours later it was very silver, not so much violet. This is why I hate a lot of drug store eye shadow - there is always a quality control issue with them. You really do get what you pay for sometimes. The texture was dry. I also found that the colour started looking dry on my lids by the end of the day like it was hardening and about to crack. Not hot looking. It was slightly stubborn to remove.

I think after the discount I paid around $2 or $2.50 U.S. for this. Not a king's ransom by any means, but I can't say that I like my purchase. Maybe this could work as a centre lid dusting colour for some pop. I have no idea what the ingredients are by the way - not listed on the packaging. This makes me nervous. I would not rush to pick this up. Here is the swatch. It does not look like this after a few hours - sorry I didn't get a picture of the "after" look for you guys.

Packaging: 3/10 (compact but looks cheap)

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 8/10 
Longevity: 9/10 (stays on and stays put) 
Colour Stays True: 2/10 (changed colour and lost it's sparkle)
Texture: 2/10
Price: 8/10 (but it's kind of crap)
Ingredients: ?????
Travel Worthy: 9/10
Attractiveness of Product: 4/10 (because it changes colour and not in an attractive way)
Would I buy this again? Heck No 
Overall Rating: 3.5/10

Milani Lipsticks in 11 Fruit Punch, 15 Hot Pink Rage and 20 Uptown Mauve - Review and Swatches

I finally got my hands on some of those Milani lipsticks everyone is talking about. I got 5 in total, but I will only review 3 of them here today - 11 Fruit Punch, 15 Hot Pink Rage and 20 Uptown Mauve. I have to say that I love all 3 colours. They are all pretty loud though so these are not for the faint of heart. They are all smooth, highly pigmented, very moisturizing and they last a really long time. I paid $6.99 Canadian for each and they are well worth the money. The ingredients are not too scary either. These are seriously the best drug store lipsticks I have ever tried.

From left to right we have 11 Fruit Punch, 15 Hot Pink Rage and 20 Uptown Mauve. They all smell like watermelon though so if you don't like watermelon then maybe you won't like these. The only place in Canada where I can find them is at the Loblaws Superstore.

For the swatches, same again, we have 11 Fruit Punch, 15 Hot Pink Rage and 20 Uptown Mauve. Fruit Punch I think might become my lipstick of the upcoming summer. It is a bright warm matte pink and reminds me of strawberry lemonade. Hot Pink Rage is a loud pink which really brightens up your face when you wear it. Best if paired with black clothes and muted makeup. Uptown Mauve is really something. It's a bit classy looking but super bright so you have to go easy on the eye makeup when wearing this and also keep your clothes tame or this will look cuckoo. All are solid colours and all are well worth the money and checking out. I really can't think of any con to these.

Packaging: 8/10 (not crazy about the brass package but love the colour appropriate bottoms)

Pigmentation: 10/10 
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: 7.5/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? In a heartbeat
Overall Rating: 9/10

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 45 Orchid Hush, 30 Candy Coral and 70 Hot Tamale - Review and Swatches

So I broke down and made another drug store purchase and overall, I must say, I am not impressed despite all of the hype online about these puppies. The Maybelline Dreamy Bouncy Blushes come in a variety of colours and retail for around $12 Canadian at most drug stores. I snapped my 3 up at the Loblaws Superstore on no tax day when they were on sale for $7.94 each. I wish I could say that I did well with the price, but I can tell you that $7.94 is too much for this sad product.

This product has a strange consistency. It's kind of like a mousse sponge. They are very delicate. It is easy to ruin them. Just look at the mess I made with the first victim far left - Orchard Hush. I can not stress enough that you need to handle these with kid gloves. The only way I can see you getting a decent application with some of these is if you use an angled synthetic blush brush. They are 5.6g or 0.19 oz. each. From left to right both photos above we have Orchard Hush, Candy Coral and Hot Tamale.

Let's start with the very bad. Orchard Hush. Looked gorgeous in the store. I thought I could double it as a highlight. This colour does not show up on my face, nor my arm and barely on my fingertip. There were no testers in the store so that was my bad for not checking it first. Lesson once again learned. I can not tell you how many times I tried this product with different brushes and dipped repeatedly. Nothing. All I ended up doing was irritating my face and rubbing off some foundation. Dreadful, useless stuff this Orchard Hush. Pass, for the love of Pete, pass. Do not waste your money on this one.

Candy Coral. TiffanyD loves it. Looked great on her and I didn't have anything like it in my stash. It is not bad, but the colour is just not me. I can apply it lightly though and make it work. It's really orange and would look better on someone with a honey complexion. It is not super pigmented, but it does show up. I will wear this again, but not anytime soon. I wish I hadn't bought it.

Hot Tamale. Lots of bloggers have raved about this colour. This one is actually kind of interesting. It is not as loud as it looks. I was scared when I bought it. Looks CRAZY. It is quite pigmented but you can easily apply just a little for a lot of effect. I thought for sure this would not suit me but it sort of works. Really brightens the face. This one also has the best consistency I think of the three. It's smooth and applies pretty well. It's kind of rosy and not so "hot" in real life.

From left to right the swatches are - Hot Tamale, Candy Coral and Orchard Hush. I couldn't get two of the colours to show up on my arm so I did the fingertip thing instead. If cream blush scares you and you find powder blush too dry, this is a good compromise. I can only vouch for Hot Tamale and say that this one may be worth trying if you want something different in your blush collection. I will be immediately "archiving" Orchard Hush and maybe I will give Candy Coral another shot when I have a tan this summer. Hot Tamale I will leave in my rotational stash for now.

I finally found the list of ingredients on Maybelline's website. It's not a long list and is a lot better than I was expecting. Overall, I gotta say that I was not impressed with these. They feel and look cheap. They remind me of kid makeup. I think Hot Tamale is a bit of a novelty but I would never buy these again and I wish I had my money back.

Packaging: 5/10 (compact but looks cheap)

Pigmentation: 1/10 Orchard Hush  6/10 Candy Coral  8/10 Hot Tamale
Easy to Work With: 1/10 Orchard Hush  6/10 Candy Coral  8/10 Hot Tamale
Longevity: 0/10 Orchard Hush   4/10 Candy Coral   8/10 Hot Tamale
Texture: 2/10
Price: 8/10 (still not worth it)
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 9/10
Attractiveness of Product: 0/10 Orchard Hush 5/10 Candy Coral 7/10 Hot Tamale
Would I buy this again? No Way
Overall Rating: 4/10