Good-Buys and Hell-Nos! [April 2010]

I decided to mix it up and do some product reviews as well and came up with a fun name for it "Good-Buys and Hell-Nos!" OK OK I realize that calling a bad investment "Hell-No" is kind of mean and I apologize if you find it offensive; I just thought it's a funny play on good bye & hello!  But seriously - only products I'd never buy again or REGRET buying, and cannot/feel bad about returning will go into that list!  I also can't guarantee I'll write one of these each month, but we'll see! :)

I bought all of the products with my own money (Unfortunately lol...) mostly for use for my business.  Please read this while keeping in mind that this is just my personal opinion but I hope you might find the review helpful for your next purchase!  I think for now I'm going to stick to 3 in each category!

Hell-No #1: Laura Mercier Eye Basics (Peach) $24 

First up on the Hell-No list....while I admit that when I bought it (rashly, I might add...) I was looking for a concealer specifically for the eye area and to use it as a color adjuster/color corrector, but honestly, I couldn't have used it as a eyelid primer (what the product is actually for) either because the the crease-resistant formula is dries up too quickly, and cakes up immediately on mature-r skin.  Especially the delicate eye area - we naturally have LINES there (That are not necessarily wrinkles) and this product just accentuates those lines and makes you look like you have wrinkles.  Scary. Good thing I returned it or else I would have been a bit depressed over wasting money on something I would never use...! 1/5 stars..worst possible score! Rating: 

Good-Buy#1: Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste (Fair, Medium, Deep) $26/color

I wish it came in a tube and not a jar, but that's just me whining a bit - I don't actually know what it would be like in a tube with such a creamy product - just a sort of "in the ideal world" kind of thought!  I've been using this on everyone and - while it doesn't perform as well as a liquid under eye concealer (*sigh to Kanebo Lunasol...it's just hard to get here..) in terms of the danger of sinking into the lines, you just have to be extra careful about going against the grain and have your client not move until the concealing is done+powder is set. Smooth consistent texture - what's not to like? It was my first time ordering with my pro/industry discount and it sucks because you can only use either the industry discount, or free shipping for over $50. Other cosmetic companies (ahem ahem smashbox) ships for FREE or if you reach a certain amount, you get free shipping. GrrRrr! My other complaint is the "deep" doesn't feel/appear deep enough! I'd still have to mix it up with darker concealer for deeper skin tones. I own all 3 shades, too! I wish it would have maybe 5 peachy colors, so I can just get 1, 3, 5 and mix...but that's a perfect world I guess! For that, I give it 4/5 ! 

Rating: 

Hell-No #2: MAC Cosmetics Matte $18 

I was kind of forced to purchase this during the MAC PRO master class (Another sigh for me..) as the other products I wanted was out of stock!  But it's my own fault for accidentally throwing the package away...But anyways, this is basically a primer you can use before or after foundation, but I tried it both ways and find it to be less functional than say, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, considering oily/combination skin.  It would definitely help hold the makeup for normal skin, and smooth out pores, but considering I could have spent my money elsewhere, I give it a 2/5, because at least I can use it on normal skin! Rating: 

Good-Buy#2: Make up For Ever Eye Seal $26
I didn't see a need to purchase this product mainly because I have a lot of eyeliners already, liquid metallics liners that I just squeeze out and dip a brush into, but saw how neat it was to kind of make your own waterproof liner with pigments or eyeshadows!  Granted you don't need a lot of the product, but such a tiny bottle!! I often get it confused with one of my sample products...that's how tiny it is! I was tempted to take off 1 star for my complaint but...in terms of its function and how useful it could/would be for my kit - definitely a great buy! Rating: 

Hell-No #3: Revlon ColorStay Liner For Lips (Natural 685) $7.99

I was kind of possessed when I saw the BUY 1 Get 50% off sign at Walgreens.  Well not just the sale, I was also on a mission for the perfect nude liner - I bought 2 of Make up Forever Aqua Lip waterproof liner and they were not the right colors, but still very useful  and very waterproof.  The other shade I bought (The Buy 1 Get 50% off) was OK, but this shade was just not very pigmented at all.  Maybe I got a bad one but I expect color to come out...!! but nope...nothing.. might as well go out with your NUDE/NATURAL lip.  Not to knock out the whole series of lipliners though, I would just not buy this particular shade. Rating:

Good-Buy#3: Givenchy Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick (01 Only Beige & 02 Beige Champagne) $28

My other possessed moment...lol...I think at $28 a piece for a lipstick is ridiculous - I thought it was $21 until I went over to pay lol....And I barely got any discount...15% at Sephora, plus California sales tax is like - NO discount. But how shall I put this...these are definitely investments...I do dislike the packaging and I feel like I'm overpaying for unnecessary packaging - I have a lip palette ready that I haven't put all my lipsticks in there...yet! ;) [I'm working on that...the whole condensing kit thing...*sigh*] I am setting these aside mainly for my bridal clients. These are great colors for bridal, and definitely a close cousin to my

Dior lip palette...one that I bought at the airport as a traveler's set! Those colors are just the perfect bridal palette...but alas when I tried to repurchase it, I bought a LIP GLOSS palette! (Definitely a HELL-NO  product...the Dior lip gloss palette...I had spent...so much money thinking I would get 5 great bridal colors, but I was wrong! Be careful with those duty free traveler sets!) Anyhow, I digress - while the color doesn't last as long as a matte lipstick, dry cracked lips (that matte lipstick emphasizes) is unattractive to anyone, especially the camera, and also a pain to retouch for the photographer.  Considering the creamy/moisturizing texture, the wear is OK. Even though I dislike the price and the packaging, (grrr please put them in cheap plastic recyclable cases next time lol) great buy! Rating: 


OK! That's the end of my first issue of "Good-Buys and Hell-Nos!" :) I hope you enjoyed the read and found it helpful~ ;) Until next time!