Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 640 Summer Angel

Price: $7-10

What they say:
"Smoother Lips, Better Colour This moisture-infused lip essential reduces lip dryness by up to 65% for smoother lips and better colour. Developed with SPF 18 and a cutting edge Self Adapting Moisture Complex that features Hylaronic Acid, Collagen and Vitamins A, C and E to nourish lips, leaving them with a smoother surface for better colour application and wear. 24 creamy, moisturizing shades come richly wrapped in an elegant metallic purple case."

What I say:
I got this lipstick while I was on the hunt for the Hardcandy nail polish that I got at Walmart, and really I just got it because of the purple tube, my lack of lipstick on me at the moment, and the SPF 18 that this claims it has.

The lipstick is sheer, and extremely frosty.  Now, maybe, in another color, this would be okay qualities, but Summer Angel is a cool champaign color, so sheer and frosty just means it looks like I'm wearing, well, nothing but frost.  I can't really think of another way of putting it.  It's like when you  have a highlighter that doesn't give much color of its own, and you put too much on, that frosty, kinda greasy but not grease, sheen.

To make matters worse, the frost and formula itself make your lips lines show like you put a neon sign up pointing to them.  I know my lips have been a little dry as of late, with winter and all, but I had just treated them and moisturized hours before I wiped the treatment off, and the lines still showed.  This is definitely not a lipstick for someone who doesn't have absolutely perfect lips, and even then, this probably isn't the lipstick for you.  Like I said before, maybe this is just a fault of this color, but after this one, I'm not sure I want to find out if that is true or not.

On to the smell and taste.  Horrible, both of them.  I can stand some chemically smell and taste, but for this lipstick, the taste never goes away.  Seriously, it's gross, that's about all I can say.  The texture, surprisingly, I didn't hate entirely.  While it feels a little greasy, it's not drying, and it almost feels like the grease is moisturizing your lips underneath the cover.  There's slip, and the lipstick doesn't last the longest, but really, it could be worse.

Finally, a good point, the packaging.  I love it.  A rounded squared cylinder, purple plastic, and a crown at the top.  Very nice.

Overall, I would not repurchase.  For the price, this is absolutely terrible.  I would expect something like this if I paid less than $5, but I paid over 7 to experience this.  Unfortunately, I lost my receipt, and I'm not about to make a fuss over that amount, but otherwise, I would be taking this back for a refund.  Hopefully I'll be able to find something to layer on top of this, since it might at nicely as a shimmer adding coat.

1/5, horrible.

Orly Nailpolish: Green Apple

Man, it likes to mess with my pictures, hehe.

Price: $7.5 for .6fl oz, 18mL

What they say:
"Free of DBP, Formaldehyde, and Toluene"

What I say:
I got this on sale, and while it's an okay polish, I'm not sure I would buy from this brand again, unless I really liked a color. The brush is really small for my liking, but usable, so some of you might like it. The bottle is a good size, and the rubber on the top is a nice touch, since it makes is easier to handle.

Green Apple, itself, is a nice neon green color, but still very wearable. It goes on sheer in thin layers, so I had to apply 3 to get a good coverage. The worst thing about this polish was the streaking. The layers dried quickly enough, but in order to get all the streaks colored, I had to apply layers (which I had to do anyway for the coverage, so at least that worked out).

The wear: Higher than OPI, so pretty good. It started chipping on my more used fingers (like pointer) within a couple days, but many of my nails didn't really start chipping until the end of day 3, beginning of day 4. This is really good for me, since I am not ginger with my hands when they have polish on them.

Overall, this polish was okay, but unless I find this brand on sale, or a really unique color, I am not going to purchase more.

3/5

Hard Candy: Mr. Wrong

Price: $5

What they say:
"Just Nails with Ring

The focus is on color! Put the final touch on fingertips and toes with a top-quality formula. The long-lasting, chip-resistant polish ensure flawless results with each application, and is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde free."

What I say:
Mr. Wrong is a color that I saw online, and just had to buy.  Sparkly, shiney, kinda purple/black, it is a great color for layering, and for just wearing in general.  It applies sheer, though, so be prepared for layers, but it doesn't steak.  It dries quickly, as well, so it doesn't take forever to get your nails finished.

The wear: Pretty normal, a little higher than some.  Lasted a few days before chipping on me.

I had to get this at Walmart, which is now the new distributor of Hard Candy, a brand that used to be available in Sephora.  Now, some of you might like Walmart, but I don't like it very much.  My family all has good Walmarts near them; friendly staff, clean shelves, no crazies.  I have a creeper.  Dirty shelves, merchandise just laying there opened and used, unfriendly staff, and crazies that like to follow people around.  *Shudders*  The reason I brought this up is because, despite all this, I make the trek into Walmart, and got this polish.  Now that I have it, would I do it again?  No, not really.  While it is a nice color, and applies nicely, I don't think it is really unique enough.  Still, I was already in Walmart, so I was going to buy it (dang-nabbit!).

3.5/5 Good color and polish for its price

Max Factor: 2000 Calorie Mascara

image from drugstore.com

Price: $4-6

What they say:
"Here's the mascara that delivers the sooty, smoky look everyone loves for evening. 2000 Calorie fattens up each lash for a dramatic, lush effect that washes off easily with cleanser, or soap and water (but still manages to be smudgeproof, so you don't have to worry about raccoon eyes). This rich black shade is a makeup-bag classic."

What I say:
9/28 So, so far, so decent.  For the price, I quite like this.  I did notice some light smudging, and maybe a little flakes on my undereye, but I wear cream concealers, so the oils might have blended.  Going to try this more to see how it works.

10/6  Still liking this.  Do notice a bit of smudging under my eyes if I'm using a cream concealer, and didn't push powder up to under my lashes.

11/10 This is not really started to dry up, but I have noticed more flakes then when I started using this.  Also, it is clumping a bit more.  At this rate, when it reaches the 3 months mark, it is going to be really hard to use.  Started having to use a lash comb to get clumps out with only one coat, and I always wipe off excess before using.

So, I guess overall I think this is okay, but just not for me.  The flaking only gets worse the longer I use it, and I hate having to constantly check to see if I'm sporting the black eye dandruff.  For its price it is okay, but I'm not going to be crying when I can't find this one in the stores anymore, after Max Factor leaves these shores.

3/5

Max Factor Pan-Stick

image from drugstore.com

Price: $6.50-8.00 for .5oz, depending on seller

What they say:
"Get full coverage with a soft, dewy finish. Pan-Stik Ultra Creamy Makeup uses a high-tech formula to cleverly conceal pigmentations and skin imperfections while giving you maximum coverage for a flawless complexion with no caking."

What I say:
Day 1.5 (I actually tested this before for color, and didn't break out from it, so kept going):
So far, so good.  I used a MAC 187 to swipe some out of the container, and then blend it on my face.  The coverage was great, did not look fake, and blended quite well.  I topped with MUFE (Make Up For Ever) HD Microfinish Powder, also with the same 187, which had almost no product on it after using such a light coating.  While it does cover wonderfully, I still needed Bobbi Brown's Corrector in Light Bisque (dark circles of doom), but the two layered beautifully.

By the "end" of the day (I put this on at 7am, and took it off at 4pm, so 9 hours... really? o_O) I did not notice any creasing, fading, flaking (except my eye, but that's a whole 'nother story, and nothing against this at all), or transfer to clothing.  I took this off with a combination of Jane Iradale's "Magic Mitt" (which I am also testing, seems to work so far) and my usual nightly cleanser.  Seemed to come off easily.  Now to play the waiting game...

Day 3(of wearing, not total) Still no breakouts.  I waited a number of days between applications in case breakouts would be caused by inadequate cleansing, or other factors (ex, that time of the month).  Still covers well, and still need a transparent powder on top.  I don't really mind this, since it helps control oil, and makes it last longer.

Day 5  Loving this still.  Had to travel with it, which is where this foundation shines.  Being just a larger than lipstick tube, it handles travel like a champ.  Since it is also opaque, it really cuts down on how much you have to bring, since it can double as concealer.

Overall, I'm still liking.  Usually I break out from things that have too much silicone, or too many petroleum products (blame my genes on those).  This has no silicone, but the first ingredient is mineral oil.  I have combination skin, and had absolutely no problem with it (very rare).  Even though it is a cream, it can accentuate dry skin, so exfoliate if that is a problem for you.  The color selection is a but meh.  I was able to find a very good match with Natural, but Nude Ivory might be a better bet in the Winter (I'm actually not sure of that, since the number is higher, but I have heard that Nude Ivory is lighter from some people).  A lot of the colors learn towards cool/pink, but some of them are warm.

I really wish Max Factor wasn't leaving the US in early 2010.  This is a great product, but I don't think importing it would be worth it, because of shipping.  Maybe it would be, though, if you got a CP, and bought some other stuff along with it.

4.5/5  Took off .5 for mediocre color selection.

Rimmel Primer

 

image from rimmellondon.com

Price:  $7.59 1 fl oz.

What they say:
"Create a perfect canvas for foundation application. - Skin Perfecting primer smoothes and evens out your complexion - prolongs the wear of your foundation - Minimizes Pores"

What I say:
Let me start this out with saying IT'S ORANGE!  Seriously orange, like what the heck orange.  I mean, you would think they would have other color options, or something...

Okay, now that that's over, on to the rest of it.  First impressions first.  While being orange, it actually blends in!  I know, surprising, isn't it?  I did notice a little more warm cast to my face after application, but it somehow seemed to go away after a minute (or that could have just been the lighting, or me getting used to it).  It was a little hard to blend, but really what primer isn't a little annoying, and my foundation did blend on top of this nicely, without pilling or being a brat.  Lastly, I did notice that my pores were nicely filled in, and not as noticeable.  This is nice for me, because I have huge, oily/combo skin pores of doom.

Past first impressions: I wore this from 3pm to 9pm, along with the Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Foundation, and can't really decide what to say about it.  It melted along with the foundation, but doesn't melt like the Wicked Witch (read: horrible ring of doom).  It did seem to keep my pores from looking like pools of muck, and did come out when I went to clean my face.  Did it make my foundation last?  Hard to say.  I personally don't think that any primer really makes foundaiton last longer, it just makes it melt or integrate into your pores slower, and there is a real difference.

So, like the Rimmel foundation, I would have to say this is just decent.  Unlike the Rimmel foundation, though, I will have to say it might be worth it.  There are very few primers on the market, especially ones that are as easy to get, and cheap.  If you find this on sale, and happen to be in need of a primer, it might be worth your while to test it out.

3.5/5

NYX Round Lipstick Penelope

 

Sorry for the used look of this one, but I just had to rip into it as soon as it arrived ^_^.

This is the new Penelope.  The old Penelope looked like a dark plum color online, but they recently redid the color (according to the NYX Cosmetics website).  I love this lipstick, and this color.  The lipstick is moisturizing, opaque, creamy, and non-drying.  The fact that it is so cheap is amazing, considering how much better it is to some high-end lipsticks I own.

The color is black.  Not dark plum, not dark blue, black.  One coat of this lipstick makes you have black lips, but slightly transparent (if that makes sense).  One coat it if you want a little red to show through, but this is still opaque.  Two coats, and you want a shiny, true black lip.  This is surprisingly forgiving, considering the color, and I was able to clean up mistakes without staining the skin around my lips.  Since this is such a deep color, beware how your skin looks, and also how chapped your lips are.  This is a definition un-forgiving color, and you will have to work it.  That said, I am in love.  Besides Halloween, when cheap cosmetics come out with their version of black lipstick (always crappy formulation, and always LE), it is impossible to find a true black.  Now, with YSL, MAC, and others making their versions (still LE), NYX has decided to make their own, and considering it took over an already-existing name, let's see if it in permanent.

So will I repurchase?  Yes, if I run out.  Otherwise, No.  This is not something to wear everyday for me, so we'll see, but for about $2 (even 4, sometimes), it is totally worth it.

5/5

NYX Haul from CherryCulture.com

So last week I read Anastasia's post about how CherryCulture was having a 20% off Back to School sale.  Seeing as how I have never purchased NYX before (seeing as it is impossible to find within a 75 mile radius of me) I decided to spend a large chunk of change for some decent makeup.  I have never bought NYX myself, but too many people say they are wonderful (especially their round lipsticks), I had to try them out (and at $2 each, without the discount, and free shipping... hehehe).

So, what did I get?  Waaaayyy too much.

Round Lipgloss in Apricot
Jumbo Eyepencil in Yogurt
Powder Blush in Angel, Taupe, and Chocolate Moose
Mosaic Powder in Highlight
Cream Blush in Red Cheek
Mega Shine Lipgloss in Beige, Beige Pearl, Lollipop, and Smokey Look
Single Eyeshadow in White Pearl and Dune
Eyeshadow Trio in Beanie/Red Bronze/Red Bean
Runway Palettes in Versus and Strike a Pose
And the major fun: Round Lipsticks in Honey, Watermelon, Vitamin, B52, Harmonica, Penelope, Snow White, Pumpkin Pie, Hebe, Ceto, Poseidon, Opal, Bruised, Violet Ray, Almost Black, Iced Lavender

In the above picture, I tried to put everything in the order that I wrote down.

Since I live in California, the order took 3 days to get here, with their handling, which is awesome!  I am totally buying more from them.

So, the only thing that came damaged is Iced Lavender, which I accept, since it is still usable.  The tube is a little messed up, and it opens too easily, so no going in a bag for this one, but for how cheap it was, who really cares, hehe.

Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation

 

image from rimmellondon.com

Price: $6.99 1 fl oz.

What they say:
"Rimmel introduces new Stay Matte Clarifying Matte Foundation, a fluid, shine-free formula that leaves your skin looking flawless and fresh for 12 hours. Stay Matte Foundation is formulated with SKINPURE™ Complex: a gentle dose of salicylic acid, a known skin clarifying ingredient, and botanical extracts which help purify skin and minimize the appearance of pores, leaving you with a visibly purified complexion. 12 hours of comfort and confidence.

Go ahead and give your skin an immediate and much-needed confidence boost with this fantastic foundation. It’s the ultimate pick-me-up."

What I say:
This particular product, along with the primer, came to me at a sale at CVS (used to be Longs), when I was bored and waiting for a nearby office to open. I had heard mixed reviews on this foundation, but decided to try it out anyway.

As of this writing, I have just applied for the first time, so I cannot tell you how long it lasts, if it creases, oil-slicks, nothing. I can, however, tell you my first impressions. So far, while not being the best foundation I have ever used, it is not the worst. This foundation has a sheer to maybe medium if I applied it on thick coverage, so I would say it's along the lines of a tinted moisturizer with more coverage, and less moisturizer. The color (in this case, 100, Ivory) was pretty good, but a little yellow. I would have liked the lightest, pinkest foundation to have less yellow to it, but since it applies so sheer, I guess it's not all bad (especially for its price).  This foundation isn't the easiest to blend/spread, but it's not the hardest....  I guess what I'm trying to say so far is that this is an overall C, maybe C+ student foundation.  It's not going to surprise you, but it's not going to disappoint you, either.  Given that it is a drugstore brand, and how cheap you can get it, though, I would have to bump it up to a B because of effort.  If I got something like this from, say, Shiseido, I would be quite angry, but I paid a little over $4 for the thing, so what can I really say.  The finish is matte, and I didn't have to apply powder to get rid of the shinies you sometimes get, but weither this is a good or bad thing has yet to be seen, since the extra layer of powder can help make the foundation stay on.

Past first impressions: This stuff melts off.  Now, I will give it the benefit of the doubt here, since it is summer, I was at a BBQ, and it did fade gracefully, but it melts.  Also, it melted on me in the "here's your pores!" fashion, but everything does ;P (I don't mean settle in).  I wore this from 3pm to 9pm, and there was very little, if any, left in the end.  It didn't crease, so that's something.

So, overall, this is a decent foundation, especially for its price.  I don't think I will purchase again, but I can say that if you need something cheap, you could do worse.

3/5

Maybelline Concealer/Highlighter Pen

 

image from maybelline.com

Price: $7.09

What they say:
"The only 2-in-1 concealer + highlighter to fully cover imperfections while adding a touch of radiance, giving you younger-looking skin instantly.

• Fully conceals: Ultra-coverage pigments with moisturizing glycerin provide complete, hydrating coverage.
• Visibly brightens: Light reflecting pearls visibly brighten and add a luminous touch to corner of eyes, cheek and brow bones and bridge of nose or to contour lip."

What I say:
So far, so decent.  The concealer is very liquidy, so use a little at a time, and I suggest using your fingers instead of the wand.  The highlighter I /definitely/ suggest using your fingers instead of the brush.  There are only 4 colors of this wand, so I bought the lightest one.  This is not the strongest concealer.  It is sheer, liquidy, and where it gets the idea that it can cover up dark circles, I have no idea.  It can't even cover up red marks, really.  The highlighter is also a little odd; it is sheer, doesn't really highlight much, and seems just like an added step.  Sure, you can tell where you highlighted from the fainted of gleams, so it is natural, but it just doesn't seem strong enough for the effort put into it.

This is a decent product, all the same, because of how natural it is.  This is the concealer you would use if you put on tinted moisturizer or a light powder, and just needed something to cut the edge out of the purple pools that are your circles, or the red scar from your cat attacking your face in your sleep.  It doesn't settle into fine lines, but I don't really know if that's a by-product of the formula, or the texture.  It blends nicely, but again, formula or texture have yet to claim "who done it."  I, personally, am not sure if I would repurchase, but I guess I will have to see when I get towards the end of this tube.

3.5/5

CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint

 

image from covergirl.com

Price: $6.25 for 6ml (.27 fl oz)

What they say:

"CoverGirl Wetslicks Amazemint isn't just a lipgloss, it's a smile treatment! Crest Peppermint Oil provides a minty breath sensation while the gloss itself gives a dazzling high-shine without all that "sticky"."

What I say:

I have this lipgloss in #625 '"un-wined" (a reddish, plummy color), #640 "freedom of peach" (typical dull peach, not like the flesh of a real peach, but pretty), and #645 "slaphappy" (a warmer peach than freedom of peach).  Freedom of peach and slaphappy are so similar in color, and are both so sheer, that if you have one, you really don't need another.  Un-wined is also sheer, but shows up a lot better on your lips, since it is so much darker.  All of the colors that I have have very little shimmer that you can see in the tube, but I never notice it on my lips, and there is no gritty texture.

The peppermint oil in these adds a nice cool sensation to my lips, but I can see how some people wouldn't like it.  Personally, I think it's great, and like to reapply to get it to come back.  These lipglosses are non-sticky, but still have that slight lipglossy feel, so you won't think you are not wearing anything.  Some of the colors claim to neutralize the yellowness of your teeth by being more blue based, but I have not noticed this with un-wined, which is supposed to be one of the colors on the list.

Overall, I really like these.  Since CoverGirl is a drugstore brand, you can often find these BOGO, so $6 for two glosses that are pretty nice is not a bad deal.  Also, since they are not sticky, and are cheap, they make great in your bag for touch-ups gloss, and great in your bag, might get lost or "borrowed" by younger people gloss (read: cousins, child, etc).  These are not HG for me, but I will, and have, repurchased.

 

4/5