The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (A Slew of Reviews in One Post)

I’ve tried so many new products lately, I haven’t had the time or energy to write full-fledged reviews about all of them. But I still wanted to let you know which ones rocked and which ones stunk, so I’m combining several reviews into one post. You’ll find everything here, from makeup to skincare to haircare.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size: I got this on sale at Sephora for $20 (normally $30)–the same price as the standard Primer Potion. But this tube contains 150% of the original size’s product. Good deal. This really, truly is the best eye primer out there. It’s the only one I’ve ever tried that completely resists creasing and smudging, even after hours. It keeps shadows exactly where you apply them until you take off your makeup. Genius.

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment (approx. $5-6): I’m not one of those people who loooooves Moroccanoil. It’s ok, but it doesn’t transform my hair–but I still use it to nourish my ends and protect my strands from heat styling. This new product is Garnier’s version of Moroccanoil. I noticed no difference between the two, and guess what? I’ll be buying this $6 version from now on (even though the bottle is huge, and it’ll probably last me forever). (Image via drugstore.com)

Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer ($28): This is an excellent highlighter. It’s a creamy nude base with a slightly pink pearl. I’ve been mixing it with my BB cream to give my complexion a pretty glow. You can also use it as a highlighter on the high points of your face (cheekbones, brow bones, etc.) if you want to accent certain features. I really like this — a lot. (Image via Sephora)

There’s a whole lot more (6 more reviews) after the jump.

Fab Flush: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush

Cream blush fiends, rejoice: a potential new fave has hit the market. Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Blush ($25) is a creamy, slightly-more-liquid-than-solid new blush that works double time to give you an awesome glow.

The blush melds mattifying and reflecting powders to create a soft focus on your cheeks. It reflects light, which imparts luminosity to the skin and instantly sculpts cheekbones when applied correctly. It lets people get up close & personal to your flush without knowing it’s not natural (in other words, it doesn’t look like makeup!).

For a pretty, polished effect, pump out a pea-sized amount and dab onto the apples of cheeks. Using fingers, blend upward along the cheekbones to the temples. The blush blends seamlessly, so you don’t need to rub your skin too much to get a diffused effect.

It comes in 14 shades with names like Smooth Talker, Walk of Shame, and Nip Slip. I love the intensity of the pink shades; they are so perfect!

The only downside: it’s proven difficult to find in brick-and-mortar stores. However, it’s available now for purchase on Sephora.

One thing to note: The packaging has a pretty significant design flaw. The pump automatically dispenses a generous amount of product. For me, it was too much — and I like a pretty noticeable flush. Those who like a sheerer finish will find that too much product comes out. One way to get around this without wasting is to ask for a small plastic sample jar from a cosmetics counter (I know MAC provides them for samples of concealers and liquid products.) If you want to use the product, do so; if not, scrape it out and thoroughly clean the jar with soap and water. Then wipe any excess blush into the clean jar. It’s perfect for slipping into your purse for on-the-go touch-ups, and you don’t waste anything.