Prestige Archives » Page 32 of 35

Sigma 3DHD Kabuki

August 25, 2020January 30, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

Currently, I only own one brush from cruelty-free brand Sigma, maybe you’ve heard of it? The highly-highly touted F80 Flat-Top Kabuki is raved about on blogs and on YouTube alike because it is a GREAT tool. The design is such that many other brands have launched similar brushes, and that there are a lot of counterfeits on the market.

I creep on Sigma’s site every so often to see if they’re running any sales or have anything intriguing – even when I’m not trying to expand my collection of makeup, I am always up to try new brushes and tools.

It was during one such visit that I came across this, the Sigma 3DHD Kabuki:

The Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush

This densely-packed, chisel-tipped kabuki brush is unlike any cosmetic (or paint, for that matter) brush I’ve ever seen. Though it comes to a defined point in the center, either side is flat and ought to be effective for buffing product in.

Vice LTD from Urban Decay

May 23, 2016January 26, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

Hark! Another Vice palette. Yes, really. Vice LTD.

Urban Decay Vice LTD

I had other content scheduled to go live today, but I wanted to talk about this while it is relevant, so…here we go! Vice LTD makes Urban Decay’s fourth Vice mega-palette, following Vice, Vice 2, and Holiday 2014’s Vice 3.

Edit: I’m an idiot, this has been out for almost two months BUT my point is the same.

Which is…they released it entirely too close to Vice 3.

Frankly, even as a fan of Urban Decay products (I may or may not have just picked up Naked2 Basics for myself, more on that later this week), I can’t help but raise my eyes and sigh a little. It isn’t a unique offering for them. Sure, the shadows in Vice LTD aren’t identical to those in its predecessors, they’re so similar; unless you’re a collector, it is pretty well pointless to get all four.

I’m having a little trouble finding, “stock,” manufacturer photos from the first three and I don’t want to jack a photo from someone else’s work, but if you search Google Images for the Urban Decay Vice, Urban Decay Vice 2, and Urban Decay Vice 3 – compare it to what you see above; you’ll see what I mean.

Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X

December 23, 2022January 21, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

Many moons ago, I was the happy owner of an Olay Pro-X Facial Cleansing System. Then, in late 2013, I upgraded to a Clarisonic Mia 2. Before I took the leap, I searched for a good, in-depth review of both systems so I could gauge whether or not it was worth bothering to shell out the money. I found a lot of, “Well like Clarisonic is just, you know, better. And it’s rechargeable. And sonic…but the Pro-X is nice if you’re on a budget!”

So, since I have experience with both, let’s pit the Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X. Be warned, this is a very text-heavy post.

	Clarisonic Mia 2	Olay Pro-X
Price	$150	$30
Power	Rechargeable w\ induction charger	AA batteries (included)
Included Heads	1	1
Brush Head Price	1 for $27 (multiples cheaper)	2 for $12 (Amazon)
Included Cleanser	1 oz Clarisonic Gel Cleanser	.68oz Exfoliating Cleanser

Personally, I wasn’t impressed with either included cleanser so that much wasn’t important to me, but the investment in the Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X is very different. The initial output is higher, and the heads are more expensive. I buy packs of four once a year at a discounted price and try to find a decent promo code (like at least 20% off that) and stack it with a great cash-back offer from eBates. Batteries, on the other hand, aren’t cheap – I recommend investing in a set of reliable rechargeable batteries to offset that cost.

Let’s look at the devices themselves:

Clarisonic Mia 2 vs Olay Pro-X

Noteworthy and New at Sephora

November 20, 2016January 19, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

I was browsing, as I often do, and came across some noteworthy and new items on Sephora.com. I haven’t tried any of these products, but they’re interesting enough to talk about.

New at Sephora - Kat von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

Kat von D Shade + Light Contour Palette, $46

The KvD-branded makeup line has released a contour palette new at Sephora ostensibly as an Anastasia contender. It only comes in one set of shades (more similar to Anastasia’s lighter palette) and has spectacular reviews so far. Curiously, the darker pans (for carving out cheekbones and whatnot) contain more product than the highlighting/setting pans. KvD/Sephora also released this dual-ended HaC (that’s Highlight and Contour) brush to go with, priced at $36, though any you prefer, of course, will do.

New at Sephora - Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette

Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes, $58

It is no secret that Hourglass repeatedly produces things of beauty. And I don’t mean beauty products; the products and packaging are beautiful, elegant, amazing. Their new eyeshadow palettes are features housing similar to their highlighter and blush trios, and the panless presentation of shades is a sight to behold. The collection, which is currently only available to VIB Rouge members, includes seven palettes with five shades each. I don’t think I could justify this purchase for myself, but they’re really fantastic to stare at.

New at Sephora - Benefit Puff Off!

Benefit Puff Off!, $29

I can’t shake the, “Oh look, another gimmicky item from Benefit!” feeling I get when I look at this. This eye gel has a cutesy clothes-iron-shaped applicator for, “ironing out,” any fine lines or puffiness. Personally, I’ll leave my skincare to the skincare companies, but this will be at home in the collections of Benefit fans. This isn’t only new at Sephora; Ulta has this, too.

New at Sephora - The Stunningly Ridiculous and Actually Kind of Offensive $675 of Christian Louboutin Nail Polish

Christian Louboutin Starlight (via the Wayback Machine), $675

OH LOOK, more nonsense from the shoe brand. How lucky that they have a few shoe models in such a low, low price-point! Aside from its mere (annoying) existence, this item’s ridiculosity (yes) is compounded by the fact that the polish is the very same that I wrote about a couple months ago…its just that the bottle is adorned in Strass crystals. Not diamonds or anything, just…swarovski. So not just nail polish, but tacky nail polish in a gift box. Yay! Seriously, seeing this stuff on sale at Sephora makes me roll my eyes. How many of these are they actually selling? It has to be the single most expensive item they carry (not talking about sets or kits).

New at Sephora - YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil

YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil, $32

A new twist on lipcolor, Yves Saint Laurent delivers color suspended in oil as an alternative to a more-traditional gloss. Surprisingly, a lot of the reviews report that it is actually drying. Not sure what to make of that – I’d certainly have expected it to be hydrating. I wonder if other brands will enter the fray?

New at Sephora - BITE Smashed Agave Lip Mask

BITE beauty Smashed Agave Lip Mask, $26

Bite’s highly-touted lip treatment now in a rosy-red hue. I’d probably go for the original because I’d wear it to bed (don’t want pinkish red on my pillowcases, after all) but it is really nice to see brands responding to what consumers have been asking for.

Dior Cheek & Lip Glow, $37

Look! Dior’s making Benetint! Just kidding. I’ve never tried Benetint, but I know if this product preforms as well as the Dior Addict Lip Glow appears to (at least according to sales), it’ll have a cult following in no time.

And, let’s end on a positive note, because that’s a nice thing to do…

Sephora Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish Foundation, $24

That’s a mouthful, but this is Sephora’s foray into the serum-foundation game (like bareMinerals bareSkin, Perricone No Foundation Foundation Serum, YSL Fusion Ink, etc). Sephora foundations, at least since I’ve been paying attention to prestige-level makeup, have gotten pretty good reviews and at only $24 the price is pretty damn nice (especially considering that some drugstore foundations are as high as $15 now). My main complaint is that currently this is online only – makes getting a color match pretty difficult. I’m not sure if this serum foundation’s shades are configured for ColorIQ matches, but I intend to find out because I really, really want to try it. It’s honestly my favorite (taking into account I haven’t tried any of this) of what I’ve found new at Sephora.

Have you seen anything new at Sephora – or anywhere else! Anything beauty-related – that was noteworthy?

Beauty Fails of 2014

May 23, 2016January 14, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

Last week, I shared my favorites of 2014 – so why not do a fails of 2014, too?

Beauty product fails of 2014

Benefit they’re Real! Push-Up Liner – I feel like I’ve talked about this product a lot. In reality, this product isn’t a total fail – the applicator truly is brilliant, but the gel liner inside makes me sad. No one wants wings that flake off. Here’s hoping Benefit improves their formula.

Elma & Sana Argan Oil – Admittedly, I wanted to believe I was just paying for a name with my Josie oils. I shelled out for a far less expensive variety and really got what I paid for. On top of that, the (English) label was written by someone who is not familiar with the language…and apparently there was no proofing or editing before being sent off to print. Unprofessional presentation, sub-par product. After the dropper-cap started acting up, I tossed it out of exasperation. I won’t even link to them or their product because it was so disappointing.

Glambot – Initially, I was impressed and thrilled. But when I found out that they don’t bother to check batches of received items to make sure they aren’t expired or nearly-expired, I was miffed. When I then brought that to the attention of their management, no effort was made to ensure my satisfaction as a customer. You can check them out if you’re dying to try something for less than retail but be warned: it may be expired.

More details after the jump…

Worth it? Formula X :: Update

December 23, 2022January 9, 2015 by Beauty Skeptic

My first impression of the Formula X System was not fantastic. Despite this, I resolved to give it another shot, and did. Last Saturday (January 3), I slapped the Formula X System and the color Obsessed on the nails of my left hand. A friend of mine had tried whichever red Formula X shade was included with the Sephora VIB Rouge gift this year and had warned me that it stained her nails a bit, so I didn’t want to commit both hands.

I used the whole Formula X system – cleanse, prime, two coats of color, topcoat and took my time. Like before, the polish dried swiftly, which would be nice if the formula is cooperative. Normally, with gel or regular nail polish, I can speed through it pretty decently – but the consistency of the color polish, even after gently rolling it in my hands five minutes prior to use (and then letting it “settle”), was still thick and awkward.

After only three days, this is what my nails look like. Obsessed shows up lighter than it is in flash, but look – sure, there’s a sheen but they aren’t mind-blowingly shiny like they would have you think. The color is uneven; with the flash you can see my “smile” lines and the streaks very evenly:

There is already noticeable tip wear despite capping the free edge. The corners of my thumb and ringfingers are noticeably chipped. I don’t use my nails as tools, I wear gloves when washing dishes, and this is my left hand – not my right, which I am far harder on considering it is my dominant hand.

Here’s a close up of my thumb. Ooh, that chip, tip wear, and smile line. Real nice for polish this damn expensive. Granted, you can’t see the smile line in regular lighting… but still, I’m really not impressed.

Formula X Obsessed – Chipped in only 3 Days

Disappointed, I removed it the following day – if it is already looking that rough after three days, it isn’t going to get much better. Fortunately, the Formula X polish removed easily with acetone. I didn’t have major staining but my nails did have a pink cast to them, which I don’t dig. I believe my friend only had the polish, not the whole system, though – I’m not sure what she used for a base coat and such. The Formula X system Shine Top Coat was very underwhelming; basically, Seche Vite would kick its arse in a cage fight. Or chess. Or…you know, being shiny and durable and awesome.

My initial opinion isn’t far off. For how much the Formula X polishes and their, “system,” costs, I expected far better. Perhaps it would behave better for someone who has more time (and more patience) to sit there and labor over ever single nail, but I don’t have that kind of time, nor do I want to spend that long painting my nails with regular polish…only to have them chip in 2-3 days.

The colors in the Formula X collection are amazing-looking (their holos collection looks awesome!) but given my experience? I’m definitely glad I got this free or else it would be returned. Unfortunately, the Formula X System is not worth it.