Makeup Geek MUG Face Buffer Brush - Review

At long last I am finally doing my blog as promised on the Makeup Geek (MUG) Face Buffer Brush. This brush is $17.99 U.S. In the past I have used mostly Sigma Beauty Kabuki brushes for my foundation. While I like the assortment of Sigma Kabuki brushes that I have for foundation, I just had this feeling that I could do better. Also, one of my Sigma brushes fell apart a few months ago after 4 years of on and off wear and tear.

I also bought a pricey Sephora #56 Pro Brush a few months back and was not impressed. I should have returned it. Anyway, I decided to pick up the MUG Face Buffer Brush and I was not disappointed. The bristles are densely packed and it glides around my face so easily. It has now become my favourite foundation brush. I do have to wash it quite regularly though as it is only good for 3 to 4 uses tops. I have to sub in the Sigma ones while this one is dirty and/or drying.

I just find that this brush is easier and faster to work with than the Sigma ones. It's softer too. Don't get me wrong, as far as I am concerned, the best thing that Sigma does is their foundation brushes and I still use mine quite a bit when this one is out of commission. I also think that my foundation looks less streaky even after a couple of initial swipes when I am applying foundation when I use this brush versus the Sigma ones. I just have to work less with it to get a good result.

Holy cow! I just noticed that Sigma is now selling their Kabuki brushes starting at $24 U.S. Things have certainly gone up since I last purchased one.

Well given that little surprise I have to say that the MUG Face Buffer Brush is cheaper and as mentioned, works better in my opinion. The rounded head works perfectly for me. I purchased this brush myself from Makeup Geek and I am not sponsored by them in any way. Just a little disclaimer there.

Packaging: 10/10 (lightweight brush)     

Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: time will tell
Usefulness: 10/10 
Texture/Softness: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Overall Rating: 10/10
Would I buy this again? YESSSSS

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics OCC Lip Tar Matte in Lydia - Review and Swatch

First of all, I wanted to say how happy I am that I hit 200,000 views to my blog this past week. I know for some of you that isn't anything to get excited about, but for me it is. I don't have a youtube channel and I don't go crazy promoting my blog, so for me, this was a good accomplishment. Thank you to all of you who read my blog for letting me reach this milestone!

I have been pretty M.I.A. for the past several days I know. I just got busy with work, social engagements, appointments and gardening etc. I am not so busy this week so I will try to get a few posts up!

Okay, on to the matter at hand. I bought this OCC lip product because I loved the colour. It is described as a darkroom plum. The shade is called Lydia. The picture above shows it in the tube with the flash on and in the pic below with the flash off.

I will start off by saying that I do not like the packaging at all. I don't like any lip product to come out of a squeeze tube unless it's lip balm. It's a pain and sloppy to apply. The formula is very thin and runny.

The colour is gorgeous. No doubt about it. When you first apply it, it is so shiny and fun looking. Within 2 hours it's almost totally absorbed into my lips. It has faded and only a little colour is left. Yes, this is even with lip liner! So longevity is poor.

Each tube is 0.33 oz. I got mine in an OCC set of cosmetics. They are normally $18 U.S. or $22 Canadian on their own. I believe I got my set for about $27 Canadian and it came with a beauty powder (I haven't tried it yet), a lip liner and a lip brush. I really like the lip liner by the way and I will do a review on it soon. This set that I bought is actually now on for $23 U.S. but $57 Canadian which makes no sense. This is at Sephora.

The product feels great on and it's moisturizing but you have to keep reapplying it frequently. That's a pain in the butt if you ask me. I don't see myself buying anymore of these lip tars as a result. I have two pictures below. The first is of the product running down my arm after I applied a tiny dollop of it. The product separates as you can see.

The next picture below is of it swatched out on my arm. Not pretty.

 

Packaging: 2/10

Pigmentation: 4/10
Easy to Work With: 2/10
Longevity: 1/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 7/10 (for what you get in return)
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 8/10 (oozes a bit)
Comfortable to Wear: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 8/10 (before it fades)  3/10 (when it fades)
Would I buy this again? NO
Overall Rating: 5.5/10 


Bits and Bites

• Makeup Geek Brush review coming this week (sorry for the delay but it needs cleaning!)

Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Clear - Review and Swatch

I got a generous sample of this awhile back as part of some Sephora promotion. In fact, I got 3 generous Fresh samples together in a set at the time. The regular size of one of these tubes is 0.2 oz. My sample is exactly half of the regular size coming in at 0.1 oz. Not too shabby. A full size tube is $22 Canadian or $18.50 U.S.

I have the one in Clear and it is exactly as it sounds...clear. It does have a bit of shimmer to it. I am almost done my tube and I have been struggling to do a review on it for weeks because it's one of those products that is not easily loved or hated. I will say that it is far more moisturizing than I expected. It smells like lemonade to me, like a lot of Fresh products do. It looks fine worn alone or you can layer it over a lipstick for some extra shine and moisture.

It is a good product but its very underwhelming as far as lip products go. It's hard to get excited about it. It is a little sticky but not overly so. I don't find it to be overly long lasting. I find myself doing frequent touch ups when I wear it. Not an exciting review, but there it is. Here is the swatch, such as it is:

Packaging: 8/10

Pigmentation: N/A
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 5/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 7/10 (a little steep but a good product nonetheless)
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Comfortable to Wear: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 7/10 (not much to see)
Would I buy this again? Maybe
Overall Rating: 8.5/10 

Bits and Bites

• I didn't bother to do an April favourites this month. All I had was 3 eyeshadows (all Makeup Geek) and one hair product. I will perhaps merge them into my May favourites.
• Makeup Geek brush review coming next!

Makeup Geek (MUG) Foiled Eyeshadows in Grandstand and Mesmerized - Review and Swatches

I recently bought two Makeup Geek foiled eyeshadows in the shades Grandstand and Mesmerized. These are super shiny and extremely pigmented. They are $9.99 U.S. each in the pan as shown above. In terms of size they are 1.8 g or 0.064 oz.

Grandstand is described as a medium rose gold with slight taupe undertones and a foiled finish. When Marlena from Makeup Geek wears this shadow in videos it looks almost champagne coloured. In person, I find it to be super copper coloured. I confess I am not a copper eyeshadow lover so I was a bit disappointed. That being said, if you like copper toned eyeshadows, this one is a real winner. The colour stays true, it's easy to blend, it's super pigmented and on the right person, the colour would be an absolute knock out.

Mesmerized on the other hand, is right up my alley. Pair it with silver eyeshadow and you have a serious winner. It is described by Makeup Geek as deep medium taupe with strong purple undertones and a foiled finish. I wish it was a tad more purple, but at the same time, it is lovely as it is. Swatches are below with Grandstand on the left and Mesmerized on the right. Just look at that shine.

I have full intentions of purchasing more Makeup Geek foiled eyeshadows after seeing how these perform. I know there was some talk about these crumbling during shipping but I had no issues and they had to travel to Canada. The butter fingers at Canada Post managed to get them to me unscathed. I believe Marlena was going to work on them to cut down on the problem and perhaps she has it resolved since mine would have been from a later or more recent batch. There is some very minor fallout with these, but frankly it's hardly worth talking about. They are just super creamy and feel great gliding onto your lid.

Packaging: 10/10  (the are palette refills so nothing to get excited about but they serve their purpose)

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Colour Stays True: 10/10
Texture: 9/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: 10/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? HELL YES
Overall Rating:  10/10

April 2015 Empties!

My empties bin was not very full this past month. I am in a slight spring cleaning mood so I am trying to get rid of some items hanging around my stash that I was not particularly gaga for.

The Nuxe Paris Contour des Yeux Prodigieux, or Anti-Aging Eye Cream if you will, was subpar. I had this mini sample for I dare not say how long. The smell was very medicinal and the formula was thin. I used it at night for a couple of weeks until it ran out. My eyes felt comfortable, but not fabulous, with it on but really I had no love for it. Will not purchase in future.

One of, if not my favourite, face moisturizers is Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream. Another one bit the dust. Here's the full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2012/01/dr-hauschka-rose-day-cream-and-rose-day.html. Will definitely repurchase.

My bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2O Make-Up Removing Micelle Solution is finally gone. I think it took me just over 4 months to finish. I don't get the hype of this product at all. It's terrible at taking off eye make-up, especially mascara. Now some people have said I am a silly goose for not using a make-up remover oil on my eyes first. What I don't understand is that there are products on the market that remove all of your make-up, including mascara, and no cleansing oil is needed. So I don't think I am the silly goose at all. I have repurchased my beloved Klorane make-up remover that removes everything gently as a makeup remover should! Here is the full review for this Bioderma product: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2014/12/bioderma-sensibio-h20-make-up-removing.html

You guys know I love me some Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup in my shade 2.0. I have gone through countless tubes of this. Already repurchased. I still have not done a full review of this product on my blog. I talk about it so much that I figure you might be sick of hearing me talk about it. Already repurchased.

Speaking of Estee Lauder, I finished another small sized Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 02 Light Medium. This stuff is fantastic and blends in with a variety of foundations and BB products etc. I love it for anywhere on my face except under the eyes. I have never bought one of these because I always manage to snag a free sample of one when I am at the Estee Lauder counter buying my foundation. I think I only have one left in my stash though so I may have to break down and actually buy one. Holy cow! I just noticed that I have never done a review on this product. Shame on me.

As if two Estee Lauder products weren't enough for my empties, it appears I have a third. Estee Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Crème SPF 15. I love to use this in the summer months. I had this particular jar lying around in my bathroom almost finished from last summer so I decided to finish it off. I already have a few gwp replacements in my stash. Full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2013/09/estee-lauder-daywear-advanced-multi.html.

Caudalie Premier Cru La Crème or The Cream is not a bad night cream in my book. This sample was so small I only ever got maybe a week's use out of it. It felt very nice and nourishing on the skin and the smell seemed suitable for bedtime. It was nice, but is pricey. I wasn't over the moon with it so I may not repurchase, but I will gladly take another free sample of it from Sephora.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream. I just decided I am not going to throw out the empty jar or put it in my blue box for recycling as the jar is nice and tiny. Perfect for travel purposes. Okay, got sidetracked there. So I did a review on this recently and basically it fells great on, lovely stuff, but if you have major dark circles under your eyes like me, this does nothing for them. Review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2015/03/bobbi-brown-hydrating-eye-cream-review.html

So that is it for April empties! I have a few Makeup Geek (MUG) items to do blog reviews on this upcoming week so stay tuned!

Ouidad Botanical Boost Moisture Infusing & Refreshing Spray - Review

I saw a list on another bloggers website awhile back about the best curl refreshing sprays on the market and this was listed as one of them. I had high hopes for this one. It was a bust sadly.

The first thing I noticed about it was the smell. It has a really strong, spicy pungent smell. When I spray it, it makes me cough like crazy. I have to spray, hold my breath and run out the room immediately. I don't know what Ouidad was thinking when they created this product. The smell is really nasty and wicked on your throat and lungs. I don't suggest lighting a match after spraying it.

How does the product perform? Not so good. I find that it makes my hair feel soft at first but my hair looks matted in areas when I use this. It doesn't loosen nor refresh curls. After a hour or so my hair starts to feel like straw and it looks like crap. It makes my hair look flat and sometimes makes my natural curls uncurl and hang at odd angles. Sorry, no way to sugar coat it. I have used a lot and I have used a little. No difference either way.

I wish I could return it to Sephora but I have had it a few months and I just feel like a moron returning something so late.

If I need to wet my hair a smidge I sometimes reach for this as it's there, but it really does jack squat for me. I totally regret this purchase. A bottle is 8.5 fl. oz. or 250 ml and it costs $25 Canadian or $20 U.S. This may very well be the worst product that I have found this year so far.

Packaging: 8/10
Easy to Work With: 0/10
Touchable Hair: 0/10
Humidity Resistance: 0/10
Hold: 0/10
Volumizing: 0/10
Price: 0/10 for what you get in return
Ingredients: 7/10
Value for Money: 0/10
Would I buy this again? NO WAY JOSE
Overall Rating: 0/10

Bourjois Paris Volume 1 Seconde Mascara - Review

You know how sometimes you get a new mascara and it doesn't work so well at first and then it gets "good" after a week or two? That didn't happen when I tried this mascara. In fact, the opposite happened and that has never happened to me before. I have shade 61 Black.

A read a few blogs where this mascara was raved about. Greatest thing since sliced bread apparently and it was a great, fairly unknown product. I was intrigued so I picked one up. I don't remember what I paid for it, but I am thinking it was $20 Canadian. I bought it at Shoppers Drug Mart. When I first tried it, I was impressed. I got instant volume and decent length. My lashes even curled. I thought I  had a new mascara to add to my favourites list. This went on for a few days. My only criticism of it initially was that it smudged a bit.

After a week or two, I started to notice that the product wasn't working properly for me any longer. I was getting clumpy, spikey lashes. The length was gone and the volume was meh. It says right on the tube that the product is clump-free. I assure you, it is not. The formula is very black. I am also noticing that the formula sometimes seems to irritate my eyes a bit. I am not sure what the ingredients are as they are microscopically printed on a shiny, crinkly silver label under the barcode sticker. Maybe I am getting old but they are close to impossible to read.

The brush is a rubber one and I tend to prefer those, but this one is nothing special. Picture of it is below. Overall, this mascara was a great disappointment and it had so much promise at first. I have never come across this phenomenon before so quickly after opening a tube of mascara. I keep trying it to see if I am going crazy, but sure enough it works like crap now every time I use it. I don't think the tube has been opened more than a couple of months and I doubt I have even used it 20 times.

 

 

Packaging: 5/10 (Bulky and Awkward)

Pigmentation: 10/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10 first week 3/10 from there on afterwards

Longevity: 4/10

Texture: 1/10

Price: 6/10

Ingredients: ? 

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Smudge Proof: 3/10

Flake and Clump Proof: 2/10

Attractiveness of Product: 1/10

Would I buy this again? NOPE NEVER AGAIN

Overall Rating: 3/10