Monday, April 27, 2009

Product Reviews

Review, the pink MK Moisturizing Mask.

This is the only facial mask I can use that doesn't leave my face feeling like the Sahara. I tend to scrub it around a bit for the exfoliating beads before I leave it 10 minutes to dry. Then I wash it off and impurities are pulled to the surface where I wash (or, I confess, squish) them away.

If your face is sensitive, this is the mask to use. And the tube is generous.

2nd product test: Microdermabrasion.

I waited for my zits to clear up; you don't want to use abrasive products on broken skin. So I washed my face and applied the microdermabrasion product to my skin. It said to just apply and wash off, but I did sort of rub it around in little circles first. Then I rinsed and dried my face and put on the second step which is a lightweight moisturizing product. It soaks in fast.

This is definitely a worthwhile product. I don't feel sore from using it and it didn't sting during application. My face feels smooth and soft, and I'm certain my clubbing makeup will go on well tonight.

I guess you could say this is to the face what Satin Hands is to the hands, at least in terms of results. Satin face. lol

3rd test: Bella Belara perfume.

When I opened the sample, it smelled really nice. It was a sweet, feminine fragrance. I applied to my skin and waited about 15 minutes for it to dry down. Unfortunately, it clashes horribly with my body chemistry. :( It changed into a funk. So as with all perfumes, make sure you try before you buy to make sure they are compatible with your skin. Rodgirl has told me she wears it and likes it and it smells good on her.

4th test: MK Liquid eyeliner, black

To give this a fair test, I tested it on a friend instead of myself. (I have allergies and my eyes water constantly.) So when I made up a friend to go to the club, I used the MK liquid eyeliner on her upper lash line.

The felt tip point provided good, clean, precise application, and the liner itself was nicely opaque and dried quickly. She was happy with the look, and she still looked good at the end of the night. I'd recommend this to anyone who can wear liquid liner.

13 comments:

  1. Miranda are you sure you dont want to be a consultant again? You give some great reviews at least you are willing to do that. Just kidding dont sick the goth gods on me...LOL

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  2. I AM THE GOTHIC GODDESS!!! *blasts lightning and summons cloud of bats*

    LOL! No, seriously, I am a terrible salesperson. Terrible I tell you. I do not enjoy it, do not have a talent for it, and already have 3 jobs! I will let MK4me do the selling. My proper place in the chain is as makeup junkie. ;P

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  3. Miranda said...
    OT: product testing

    I tried 4 eyeshadow samples: Sweet Cream, Granite, Vintage Gold, and Coal.

    Coal rocks. Basically, it's exactly like MAC carbon: An intense matte black that can be used as shadow, liner, or brow powder...or used wet as cake liner. It does seem to have a bit less "fallout" than the MAC product.

    Sweet Cream: A soft, pretty, matte color, but does not show up on my skin. It blends in so that it's invisible; too close to my natural eyelid color.

    Granite: Good pigmentation, easy blending, but not one I will buy because I look terrible in grays and muted colors. Someone with pinkish skin tones could rock this though.

    Vintage Gold: High pigmentation, easy blending. Gold with a gray undertone. Same comment regarding grays and my skin.

    Here's the deal with me and browns/neutrals: They need to have a reddish base or a yellow-gold undertone (even just a touch) to work on my skin. Almost anything that tends towards grayish will clash terribly with the greenish undertones in my pale olive skin. (things with bright silvery shimmer are exempted from this.) I don't fit easily into typical skintone classifications (such as the color me beautiful one) because of this olive tint. I just learn from experience what I can/can't wear if I want to look good.

    I'm enjoying the Timewise normal to dry moisturizer. Moisture yes, grease no!

    Your post from previous but replaced the "old gold" with "vintage gold"!

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  4. Tried 2 more things last night.
    Facial cleansing cloths and timewise normal to dry moisturizer. The cloth (I used half of one) cleaned my face very thoroughly. I was pretty impressed by the moisturizer. It was non greasy, soaked right in, and my skin feels soft and not rough for once. But not greasy. Very not greasy.

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  5. Miranda said...
    3 more items tested:

    purple lip gloss (couldn't read the name on the bottom label; too small) I assume this was a MK product? Looked good, was moisturizing, didn't fade. Possibly more of a liquid lip color than a lip gloss.

    Oil Free eye makeup remover: used on entire face. Truly removes all makeup. Also removed foundation residue from the collar of my leather jacket.

    Lipstick in color Fig: This is my only not so hot review so far. It looked good when I put it on, but the color just evaporated within half an hour.

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  6. purpley lip gloss = sugarberry

    will have to get fullsize sample of fig to give it another try.
    Instead of the little foil package.

    oil free eye makeupremover better for eyes and 3 -1 cleanser better for the face.

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  7. more from Miranda:

    Today I tried:

    Cream to powder foundation: I tried Ivory .5 and Ivory 1. I had to think pretty hard about this, but for the summer, I will go with the slightly darker Ivory 1. .5 would be right for the winter.

    The foundation blended in really well. no oily eww. No cakiness. No smell. no irritation. It really does look and feel just like perfect porcelain skin. (yes, I ran my hands over my face after it set to see if it rubbed off or felt greasy.) I applied extra with my finger to conceal; didn't need separate concealer. This is a winner. MK has sure come a long way with their foundations.

    Lipstick: I tried black cherry. The "black" part is a bit of a misnomer IMHO: It's beautiful, don't get me wrong...but it's more of a bright fresh red. In fact, it's blood red. The texture is very nice and the pigmentation is high. Easy application, no drag/catch on dry skin, no odor, smooth/even color.
    (note: plush violet a limited edition from the past got a thumb's up for her club nights)

    continuing with the fruit colors here...I tried Sweet Plum eyeshadow. This is like purple with an undertone of black. It's very intense, highly pigmented. It blends easily, but it doesn't come right back off when you blend it, either. I *did* try it with eye primer. That's how I wear all my eyeshadow. No irritation, no fallout.

    Amethyst eyeliner: smooth texture, no drag/skip, average pigmentation level. It's a muted purple, like the eyeshadow I just described but less intense. Suitable for wear on the lower lid; I always do black on top.

    Blush: Cherry blossom. Holy pigmentation, batman! I barely tapped my brush on the sample card and applied very lightly. That's all you need. It looks like a natural flush of color from dancing; if your skin is pale, go really lightly with this. It blended very smoothly, too.

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  8. Miranda you are just too funny! Umm, exactly how much selling have I had to do with you? - You are just a great "buyer" - haha, I am just glad you are enjoying the products you are using and I appreciate your unbiased reviews.
    I think everyone is really enjoying them.

    as for the line reducer - I have some clients that it really helps minimize the lines/wrinkles but them it doesn't work so well with others, so I guess it just depends on the individual, I personally have excellent results from it.
    (Package is on its way for Miranda)

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  9. I told you though, I'm a makeup junkie. I just go forth and buy when I have the money. And yes, I really do use all that different stuff. My war paint makes me happy. Aromaleigh gets a lot of business from me, too. But they don't have actual skincare, so I go to them for the wild colors and humongous selection of eyeshadows I find nowhere else and for the big flocked sponges I put on mineral foundation with. MK does good skincare/treatments/foundation and certain colors that I like. Every look I do is a combination from various brands.

    I'm soooo tired. Went out to a burlesque show last night. Was kind of disappointed. It was supposed to be burlesque, not stripping! sigh.

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  10. Miranda, your reviews are awesome. :)
    I agree. The Targeted Action Line reducer doesn't do much for me, but I know people who swear by it. I don't have any really hard lines yet. Maybe that's why? My cousin has purchased 2 from me and she doesn't look to me like she needs it. But she must see some result she likes to reorder. I've asked her for feedback with no luck.

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  11. Shades, how old is your cousin? I'm 40. I think proper hydration, good nutrition, moisturizing and exfoliation do more against lines than anything else. That said, I will never get rid of my lines, especially the vertical worry lines between my eyebrows. Time marches onward, not back!

    The microdermabrasion and the mask are awesome. My pores don't look like craters any more!

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  12. Hi Miranda! My cousin just turned 41. She doesn't look more than 30, though, IMO. She has a skin condition so I think microderm would be too harsh for her (she can't use Time Wise). I'm happy she can use the line reducer even though I don't care for it much myself.
    She recently bought the eye revitalizer and I hope she likes that. That is one of my favorite can't live with out it products. ;) I used to have pretty bad circles from exhaustion so concealer was a must. After maybe a month or so of using the eye revitalizer, I noticed that my concealer looked heavy. I don't need it anymore! And it lasts forever.

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  13. Allergies also cause dark circles under my eyes. So sayeth my doctor. Sadly, this just gets worse as I age. I do have a tube of MK eye stuff to try out though. That's on my to-do list.

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