curlysue10
Member Since: November 5, 2008Reviews
Benefit Cosmetics Realness of Concealness
I really like this palette. I have wanted to try Benefit products for a while now but haven’t been able to decide which ones were best for me. They offer such a wide range of seemingly magical products that I simply couldn’t decide. I settled on... +
I really like this palette. I have wanted to try Benefit products for a while now but haven’t been able to decide which ones were best for me. They offer such a wide range of seemingly magical products that I simply couldn’t decide. I settled on this palette because you get to try 5 of their most popular (and might I add effective) products all in one. The palette offers products to conceal imperfections and enhance natural beauty and glow; it includes: High Beam, Lip Plump, Oh-la-la Lift, Lemon-aide and Boi-ing Industrial Concealer. I will review each product individually as well as here as a kit.
High Beam is easily my favourite. I am constantly on the lookout for products that will give you that indescribable glow that celebrities always seem to possess (all airbrushing aside!) and I think I have finally found it. High beam is a pearly pink coloured luminous cream that blends easily into your skin. I apply it to my check bones which gives my skin that “je ne sais quoi” that I have been craving. You can also use it around the eyes – in the corner of your eye as well as on your brow bone – as a highlighter but I find that it looks a little obvious there and prefer to use it on my checks. The mini version in the Realness of Concealness palette comes in a little tube with a wand applicator (like a lip gloss) but the full sized version comes in a bottle with an applicator similar to a nail polish brush. I will most certainly be purchasing this product in the full size when my mini version runs out.
Lip Plump has a slightly misleading name. It is not meant to plump your lips like many lip plumping glosses are designed to do (the kind that tingle and sting). Instead it fills in the lines on your lips and acts as a primer for lip colour. I must say it did a fantastic job as a primer and my lips did look full and healthy. I think it made my lip colour slide slightly and would have preferred it to bind to the colour a little bit better, but it did do what it promised.
Oh-la-la Lift is the only product that I was disappointed with in the kit. It is supposed to provide an “instant eye lift” but I felt that it just settled into the bags under my eyes and didn’t really disguise anything. It is supposed to be used in conjunction with the concealer, but I was just not happy with the way it looked. Out of all of the products in the kit, this is the only one that I would not repurchase.
Lemon-aide is amazing! Its one of those products that you didn’t even realize you needed until you used it and now you can’t help but wonder how you ever lived without it! You apply it to your eyelids and under your eyes to neutralize the darkness and provide brightness. It works like a charm! I have used it in several different ways. On some days that I only felt like applying a little concealer and blush in the morning I put lemon-aide all over my eye area and it gave it a really bright and healthy glow. I have also used it under eyeshadow as a kind of primer and it also worked wonders for that. When this little one runs out I think I am going to be purchasing the full sized version.
Bo-oing is incredible! I tried it once in Sephora and was impressed at how seamlessly it covered a particularly nasty blemish. It completely covered the redness and did not crease or move afterwards. I believe it comes in three tones – light, medium and dark. The medium tone comes in the Realness of Concealness kit. There is nothing bad I can say about this concealer – it really works like magic. It does the job and stays put. The name industrial is very well suited to this product.
My only minor complaint about the kit as a whole is that the little compact box that holds the products in broke – the glue came apart. However I will not hold this against it because it is a cute little compact that comes with a mirror and there is always the chance that I got a defective one.
All in all this is a phenomenal product and a great introduction to Benefit cosmetics. I will most certainly be repurchasing a number of these items in the future and will be trying others as well. It is a little more expensive than your average drug store brand but it is well worth it.
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NIVEA Lip Care Light Kiss
Normally I LOVE Nivea products but OH MAN do I hate this one. I got it recently as part of a teen pack and was really excited to try it but I was immensely disappointed. The scent is nice (it smells similar to the Nivea Essential Lip Care in a tube)... +
Normally I LOVE Nivea products but OH MAN do I hate this one. I got it recently as part of a teen pack and was really excited to try it but I was immensely disappointed. The scent is nice (it smells similar to the Nivea Essential Lip Care in a tube) but I am not a fan of the pot format. The lip balm itself is atrocious – it claims that it is not sticky and absorbs quickly on your lips. I am completely puzzled by this being a pro because I think longevity is one of the most important characteristics when looking for a lip balm. Nevertheless, it does not sink in quickly, but that would probably be preferable given the weird and generally un-enjoyable texture of the balm – it is thin and grainy. It simply feels like you have a slick film on your lips. I ended up rubbing it off before it even had a chance to sink in.
If you’re looking to try a new lip balm, or even if you’re a Nivea fan looking to try a new product, I would look elsewhere. This is not their best work.
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Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Lotion
One word: LOVE. In my opinion this is the best scent offered at Bath and Body Works. I cannot explain the joy I get from it. That aside however the body cream itself it quite good. Body Cream is heavier than a lotion but lighter than a body butter... +
One word: LOVE. In my opinion this is the best scent offered at Bath and Body Works. I cannot explain the joy I get from it. That aside however the body cream itself it quite good. Body Cream is heavier than a lotion but lighter than a body butter. It moisturizes really well but does not leave that heavy lotion feeling. The scent of the lotion sticks around all day (I can’t tell you how many compliments I have gotten on how good I smell!) and so do the moisturizing effects. My only minor complaint is that it doesn’t give your skin that slight sheen that looks like a healthy beautiful glow. That aside though, I am completely and utterly in love with this cream and will certainly be buying it again. -
Lip Smackers Lip Sparkler in Vanilla Frosting
I saw this on clearance at Shoppers Drug Mart for only 99 cents and I simply could not resist … nostalgia simply got the better of me. And really, 99 cents, how can you go wrong? I am IN LOVE with this … I never tried the glosses back in the day... +
I saw this on clearance at Shoppers Drug Mart for only 99 cents and I simply could not resist … nostalgia simply got the better of me. And really, 99 cents, how can you go wrong? I am IN LOVE with this … I never tried the glosses back in the day when Bonne Belle was my holy grail of cosmetics. I am so happy I picked this product up though – it smells incredible, lasts for hours, and really makes my lips feel silky smooth and nourished. I was a little worried that it would be too sparkly (it is called a Lip Sparkler after all) but it doesn’t have that grainy sparkle feel. It is smooth and has a beautiful shine. My favourite part? It smells like cupcakes …it’s the kind of gloss that is more reminiscent of dessert than beauty product.
Never mind nostalgia, I give this lip gloss a huge thumbs up. I will definitely be buying a replacement when it runs out, which it will soon given I have been using it as my go to gloss for weeks now. And at a regular price of about 3.49 it definitely won’t break the bank.
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Spoof
This place is so much fun! After reading all the great reviews here I took a stroll down Queen Street to check it out. I was not disappointed. The store itself is itty bitty but packed full of goodies. Everything is one size fits all which sounds... +
This place is so much fun! After reading all the great reviews here I took a stroll down Queen Street to check it out. I was not disappointed. The store itself is itty bitty but packed full of goodies. Everything is one size fits all which sounds sketchy but is true – I got a dress for myself and a tiny friend of mine and the dress fit us both wonderfully, albeit a little differently. Everything is very well priced – the most expensive thing I saw was 40 bucks. There are fun colours, casual and dressy tops and dresses and best of all its super cheap. I bought two dresses and it came to less than 40 bucks (thanks to the 50% off sale!) and was given a free tube top for spending over 20 dollars. The staff were cute and friendly and also quite helpful. I will definitely return to this store! -
Little Tokyo Sushi - Pickering
I have been to this sushi restaurant a few times now and have always been tremendously pleased with the atmosphere, service and most importantly, the food. It’s always busy, which is definitely a good sign. The restaurant itself is adorable –... +
I have been to this sushi restaurant a few times now and have always been tremendously pleased with the atmosphere, service and most importantly, the food. It’s always busy, which is definitely a good sign.
The restaurant itself is adorable – it’s cozy and quiet. Each table is a little wooden booth with pretty oriental curtains, making your dining experience semi-private. The placemats have pictures of each type of sushi with the names to help you decide what to order if you’re unsure. The prices are quite reasonable – a bento box is 15.95, six pieces of maki will run you about 6.50 and miso soup is 1.50. The food is served on a little wooden block with a small china dish for the wasabi and soy sauce.
Overall this is a great little sit down place for some yummy sushi at a great price (oh, and they also do take-out). Enjoy!
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Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color
I was drawn to this line of nail polishes because they have vibrant matte shades. I felt like trying something different so I chose Lightening which is a bright yellow. I was very happy with the application – it has a very unique wide brush that... +
I was drawn to this line of nail polishes because they have vibrant matte shades. I felt like trying something different so I chose Lightening which is a bright yellow. I was very happy with the application – it has a very unique wide brush that really does coat your whole nail. It takes a little getting used to but it is effective. The best part is that it really does dry (almost) instantly. AND it is nice and thick, so in one coat you have a beautiful opaque colour. The only drawback of the thickness of the polish itself is that I found it chipped a lot faster than other nail polishes do.
Overall this is a quality product if you want to try a rich vibrant colour and don’t have time to sit around waiting for your nails to dry. If you’re looking for longevity though, I would look elsewhere.
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Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes
Atrocious. Words are almost not enough to describe how much I truly hated this book. Upon reading reviews of it (after reading it myself) I have discovered that it is apparently satirical of high fashion New York princesses. Perhaps if I had read it... +
Atrocious. Words are almost not enough to describe how much I truly hated this book. Upon reading reviews of it (after reading it myself) I have discovered that it is apparently satirical of high fashion New York princesses. Perhaps if I had read it knowing this I would have enjoyed it, though I doubt it.
The book chronicles the life and escapades of the main character (“moi”) who is never named and her best friend Julie Bergdorf who is heir to the real life Bergdorf Goodman store in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The girls are the most selfish, stereotypical, one-dimensional, and shallow princesses one could ever imagine (I suppose this is the satire part.) I found them to be insufferable. I loathe girls like this in real life so why oh WHY would I want to read about them in 300 plus pages?!
Let me put it this way: I was on a 14 hour plane ride at the time and I hated this book so much that I chose to watch a movie in Italian (because my headset was broken) rather than read this book. And no, I do not speak Italian.
I should also note that I did not finish it. I would not normally review something without having finished it, but in this case I feel that it is necessary. I did however flip to the last couple of pages and lo and behold, it ended exactly as one would have guessed.
To quote amazon.com:
“Tacky? Absolutely. But it's impossible not to be massively entertained by a woman who refers euphemistically to oral sex as "going to Rio" in memory of the first man who suggested she get a Brazilian bikini wax, considers vodka a food group and who holds up glamour as the first of the commandments. This is a savvy and viciously funny trip into a glittery, glitzy world we sure wouldn't want to live in-but by which we're more than happy to be vicariously consumed for the length of a book.”
Its possible.
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OPI Nail Lacquer in Holy Pink Pagoda!
This pink is fabulous! I am so in love with it. It’s a bright, fun pink with a hint of shimmer. It is a great summer colour for your fingers or your toes. My only small qualm is that it is slightly sheerer than I would like – you definitely need... +
This pink is fabulous! I am so in love with it. It’s a bright, fun pink with a hint of shimmer. It is a great summer colour for your fingers or your toes. My only small qualm is that it is slightly sheerer than I would like – you definitely need 2 coats, and even then you can kind of see the white of your nail through the tip. Other than that I am extremely happy with this colour – its one of those cheerful polishes that instantly puts you in a good mood. -
OPI Nail Lacquer in Significant Other Color
In the bottle this colour looks super fun – it’s a kind of iridescent purple. It came as part of a gift set, so I wouldn’t normally have chosen it, but I gave it a try and was extremely let down. Its practically clear and is hardly purple at... +
In the bottle this colour looks super fun – it’s a kind of iridescent purple. It came as part of a gift set, so I wouldn’t normally have chosen it, but I gave it a try and was extremely let down. Its practically clear and is hardly purple at all – it only gives off that opalescence kind of sheen. The quality as always is fabulous but I was not impressed with the colour at all. -
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