Shiseido Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover

By Gladys in Eye Makeup, Shiseido 0 Comment
Overall Rating

I bought this makeup remover because I wanted to find a cheaper alternative to expensive eye makeup removers like Dior and Chanel. I usually like Shiseido, especially their sunscreen products but this makeup remover proved to be quite a bit disappointing.

Shiseido Eye and Lip Makeup Remover costs $27 for 4.2 fl.oz. For example, Chanel eye makeup is $34 for 3.4 fl.oz. So, at first glance, the purchase seemed like a good deal.

Shiseido makeup remover comes in a simple plastic transparent bottle. It’s liquid. There are a couple of good things about it: it is non-irritating (doesn’t sting like some other eye makeup removers), does not cause me breakouts, feels gentle and non-drying. Shiseido makeup remover does work instantly, as it is claimed: first you need to shake it so the solution emulsifies, then pour a little bit of the remover on a cotton pad, and wipe your eyelid with it. Most of the makeup (eyeshadow and mascara, for example) will come off immediately, but some traces of it, especially waterproof mascara, will still be there. So, normally I need two cotton pads soaked in the makeup remover to take makeup off one eyelid. I also use it to remove makeup from my eyebrows – it works. However, you really need to spend quite a lot of the product to remove all traces of eye makeup. I have this remover for a bit over a month and I only have about a 1/3 of a bottle left. Usually a makeup remover (smaller size) lasts much longer for me. I am not happy about it but it’s not my main issue with this product.

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MAC Prep + Prime Lash (Eyelash Primer)

By Gladys in Brand, Eye Makeup, MAC Cosmetics 0 Comment
Overall Rating

MAC eyelash primer is the second product I own by MAC. The first one is mascara (which I am in love with by the way). For a long time I haven’t paid much attention to MAC because they don’t sell their products at Sephora (I like to collect my Beauty Insider points there). However, I must admit I started appreciating MAC after I tried their mascara and primer.

This primer comes in a black tube with subtle shimmer. Packaging is pretty simple but nice: doesn’t feel cheap despite an affordable price tag of $17. My purchase of the primer was impulsive – I didn’t research it before – but, as it turned out, rather successful.

Like all other primers I owned before, this primer is white substance, something between paste and emulsion. The applicator is good: easy to use, helps separate eyelashes and cover every one of them. When you apply the primer, it dries to a semi-clear base. That was a bit confusing in the beginning because I thought I didn’t apply enough primer and therefore it was not visible. Later I figured it out. I like this feature because some of the other primers I used (Dior Lash Maximizer, for example) are so white when dried, it feels like you have to paint mascara over them thrice. Prep +Prime dries very quickly, so you can apply mascara in just a few seconds after the primer.

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Tony Moly Panda’s Dream Brightening Eye Base

By Gladys in Eye Makeup, Tony Moly 0 Comment
Overall Rating

I am in love with Tony Moly products. They are incredibly cute, inexpensive and good quality. Tony Moly has been slowly making its way to the U.S. market. Now you can see some of their products at Sephora and Urban Outfitters. However, I recommend buying Tony Moly from Amazon – it’s much cheaper. For example, Sephora sells the Eye Base for $12 plus tax plus shipping (unless you have VIB benefits) and it’s out of stock right now. Amazon sells it for $8.88, no tax and free shipping on Prime.

Panda’s Dream Brightening Eye Base is an eye serum base designed to help reduce the appearance of dark circles around eyes (Panda’s Effect J). I have a big problem with puffiness and dark circles, so I was pretty excited about this product.

Packaging of Eye Base is really, really cute. The tube is small, portable and shaped in a form of a little panda. The stick can easily fit in your purse and you can use it throughout the day to brighten your eyes. However, I usually use the base only in the morning when I apply my makeup – I’ll explain why in a second.

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo (in Ash Brown) and Mini Duo Angled/Spooley 7 Brush

By Gladys in Anastasia Beverly Hills, Eye Makeup 0 Comment
Overall Rating

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo was my second brow product (I don’t count tweezers, obviously). Long time ago I bought a Sephora brow set which absolutely didn’t work for me and after that one unsuccessful attempt to liven up my brows I was very hesitant to try something else. Normally I’d just wax my eyebrows every week, pluck them if needed with tweezers and use a Benefit highlighter under the arch of my brows for a lift effect. However, finally I decided to try brow powder by Anastasia and I am very happy that I did.

Anastasia Beverly Hills is famous for its brow products: they sell brow powder, pomade, pencils and brushes. When I was researching the best brow tint product I was torn between a powder duo and a pomade. Eventually I went with the powder because it seemed easier to use for such a brow makeup amateur as me.

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo is $23 which seems pretty reasonable for a high quality product. However, keep in mind that you’ll also need to buy a brush for it. It is also by Anastasia – Mini Duo Angled/Spooley – and costs $18. The powder duo comes in a small black case with a mirror – it’s so small what I’ll probably never use it. The case is sturdy enough and opens easily. The brush is nice too: it has a multilacquered wooden handle and feels good in my hand. Both angled and spooley ends are well-made and designed specifically for applying the brow powder.

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Dior Holiday Couture Collection Smoky Eye Palette (Limited Edition)

By Gladys in Dior, Eye Makeup 0 Comment
Overall Rating

This palette was an impulse purchase. I was looking for a lipstick but then saw this palette and decided I had to buy it right away. It had all my favorite colors and looked very practical.

In my opinion, this is one of the most minimalistic (in both design and eye shadow colors) palettes by Dior. It has four eyeshadows; the case is made of black, leather-like material and doesn’t have any decoration except word ‘Dior’ in golden. To be honest, I wouldn’t call a ‘holiday palette’ because it’s so simple and understated and just doesn’t look like a festive piece of makeup.

This palette is $55, a bit cheaper than usual 5-color Dior palettes but it it has only four colors.

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MAKE UP FOR EVER Ever Lasting Liners Set (Aqua Eye)

By Gladys in Eye Makeup, MAKE UP FOR EVER 0 Comment
Overall Rating

I have recently fallen in love with MUFE products: they are reasonably priced and are of great quality. The purchase of the eyeliners set was especially awesome because it was an absolute steal: I got 6 eyeliners (3 regular sizes and 3 minis) at at amazing price of $27 and couldn’t be happier with it. Unfortunately, this set is now out of stock (I understand it was a holiday promo) but you can still buy eyeliners individually at Sephora. They are called MUFE Aqua Eyes and cost $19 each (you get now why I was excited about $27 for a set!).

The Ever Lasting Liners Set consists of 6 eyeliners in following colors:

Matte Black 0L – black, full size

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Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner (in 20 Espresso)

By Gladys in Chanel, Eye Makeup 0 Comment
Overall Rating

Before I bought this eyeliner, I was never a fan of ones – they all seemed to require too much skill and precision. However, Chanel eyeliner literally changed my life in terms of makeup routine – it made it so much easier and faster.

The purchase of this eyeliner was rather spontaneous: I was buying something else at Nordstrom and saw this beautiful product, thought about it for like two minutes and decided I wanted it. When it arrived and I tried it, I couldn’t be happier. I got it in limited 20 Espresso color (hurry, it won’t last long), which is very rich, dark brown. I like that there is no undertones in it like, for example, in Dior Crayon Eyeliner in brown: it’s, as claimed, pure espresso. This color works perfectly with my medium skin and brown eyes.

Before I talk about application, let me tell you about the product itself. This eyeliner is sleek and elegant – it will fit easily in any cosmetic bag. It looks more like a 19th century lady pencil rather an eyeliner – very feminine. It is super easy to use – you open it, twist it to the right – the color comes out, twist it to the left – the color comes in. On the other end of the pencil there is an awesome surprise which I didn’t know about until I read the description: a built-in sharpener which you can detach! Now, ladies, isn’t that amazing? I’ve always had problems with remembering to put my sharpener in the cosmetic bag and I don’t have to remember anymore.

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Guerlain Christmas Collection 2014: Un Soir A L’Opera

By Gladys in Eye Makeup, Face Makeup, Guerlain, Lips Makeup 0 Comment
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Today I am going to talk about the limited edition Guerlain Christmas Collection called ‘The Night at the Opera.’ The name gives away the main motive of this collection: boldness and luxuriousness of every item symbolizes chic, elegant and mysterious atmosphere of Paris L’Opera. Guerlain ingeniously combined the L’Opera motive with Christmas spirit: all colors in the collection are primarily gold and red, and represent both festive Christmas and the extravagantly opulent interior of Paris L’Opera.

Petrouchka palette

Petrouchka palette opened

Petrouchka palette (more pictures above)

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Dior ‘Diorsnow’ BB Eye Cream SPF 20 PA++

By Gladys in Dior, Eye Makeup 1 Comment
Overall Rating

(Another name: Diorsnow UV Protection BB Eye Sunscreen Crème)

This is the first (and so far the only) product I bought from the new Diorsnow collection. The purchase was rather impulsive: I was at Nordstrom and liked an idea of a BB eye cream. Especially the one that, according to the description, helps cover dark circles and has SPF 20. So, I decided to try it.

This eye cream comes in a small tube which reminds me of Diorskin Hydra Life BB Eye Creme (it was so heavy and cakey I couldn’t use it). Essentially it is the same tube but colored white. The packaging is very nice but nothing special.

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