Category Archives: *Brands: Misc.

Tinted Brow Gel Review & Comparison: Glossier Boy Brow vs. Essence Make Me Brow vs. Benefit Gimme Brow

I’ve been meaning to put together a post comparing Glossier Boy Brow, Essence Make Me Brow, and Benefit Gimme Brow for a while now, and with the news of a Benefit Gimme Brow recall, now seems like a good time to make it happen.

First, my brows: I have relatively full brows, so I am generally looking to fill in the tails a touch, groom, and add polish. I don’t need to create a brow anywhere that I don’t already have brow hairs or fill in any truly sparse areas. Most days I use a pencil in the tails then go through the whole brow with a tinted gel.  All three of these products work well as that tinted gel – for that reason, I consider them to be functional dupes, though there are some noticeable differences in formula and color options.

I purchased all products featured in this post. All referral and affiliate links are individually marked; unmarked links are not affiliate.
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Glossier Milky Jelly

 

Hey, it’s yet another skincare review! Between trying to downsize my makeup collection [with less success than I would like, alas] and taking care of a baby, I’ve been buying & wearing less makeup than I used to – which has led to an increased interest in skincare. Today I’m going to talk about internet cult brand Glossier’s very popular cleanser, Milky Jelly.

I purchased all products featured in this post.  All referral and affiliate links are individually marked; unmarked links are not referral or affiliate. Continue reading →

Holy Snails Shark Sauce Review plus Holy Snail Water, Snowbang Essence, and Perseids Oil

I have yet another skincare review today!  Holy Snails skincare [referral link] is another handmade, blogger-founded line, started by Chel of the blog Holy Snails. Holy Snails sells Korean-inspired products, most notably Shark Sauce (which does not contain any sharks).  I read many, many glowing reviews of Shark Sauce before deciding to take the plunge. Continue reading →

Stratia Skin Liquid Gold, Rewind, and Fortify Review

Stratia is a fairly new handmade, science-based skincare line. It was founded Alli Reed, who blogs over at The Acid Queen (I found it via her blog).  She currently sells five products, and I have three of them to review today.

I purchased all items featured in this post, and there are no affiliate links.
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Deciem The Ordinary Skincare Review

Today, I have a review of several products from parent company Deciem‘s new-ish skincare line, The Ordinary. All the products from the Ordinary are inexpensive; Deciem has said that the low cost is in large part owed to the fact that The Ordinary doesn’t have innovative formulas – it has “ordinary” ones.  While the formulas may be ordinary in that particular sense, offering proven ingredients in well formulated products at such low costs is unique among the skincare brands I’m familiar with. (Also, Deciem has several other brands that do have innovative formulas if that’s what you’re looking for.)

There aren’t that many reviews of the products yet, so I thought I’d throw mine out there.  I have first impressions only for some of the products, and more thorough reviews of a few.

[Ed note: Oh hey there. I haven’t blogged for a long time. I got burned out on blogging for a while, then I had a baby and moved across the country.  Now the baby is old enough that I’m starting to get some time to myself now and then, and I have the itch to blog. No promises on how often it’ll be though.]

(I purchased all of these products and this post does not contain any affiliate links.)

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Canmake Cream Cheek Clear Red Heart & Clear Sunset Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links
Canmake Clear Cheek Red

Canmake Clear Red Heart

I have some quick swatches for you today.  Canmake is a Japanese drugstore brand, and some of their long-time most popular products are the Cream Cheek blushes.  I’ve been tempted by them before, but always decided against purchasing due to the colors offered; mostly pastels, with a white base – something I tend to dislike in blush. A few months ago, I heard that Canmake had released a “clear” series with a few additional shades. Clear refers to the fact that these have a clear base instead of a white base, which gives them a translucent, jelly-ish quality. None of the Clear series blushes have any shimmer or sparkle.

I purchased two shades, [CL01] Clear Red Heart, a true red, and [CL03] Clear Sunset – reddish coral; note that this one was limited edition, but is still available on Ebay (and mine has a broken compact, which is why it looks odd).

Canmake Clear Cheek

Canmake Clear Red Heart // Clear Sunset

There are also two pinks – [CL02] Clear Love Song Pink and [CL04] Clear Pink Joy – I’m not sure how they differ. Canmake recently released a fifth shade, [CL05] Clear Happiness, described as a coral orange, but, per this blog post, is sheerer and not as nice as the others.

I think the best thing about these is the texture – pigmented, yet easy to blend, and with a great finish.

Clear Red Heart // Clear Sunset

They also work well on the lips.  I bought my blushes on Ebay; they are also available on Ichibankao for a dollar or two more.

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