Reviews by Caprig

Caprig says "We Waited FOR HOURS" about Sobon Estate Syrah (or Shiraz), Rose Wine

Caprig — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:12:53 GMT

I am SO not a wine snob.

I mean, when I first saw all of those people swirling and chewing and spitting with such intense concentration, I thought they had a screw loose.

You know those descriptions? ... The ones that say *cherry pie, blueberry, or chocolate tones*? After sampling many wines over the years, I thought those people were certifiable. I mean, how the heck could a bunch of molded grapes turn into such delightful flavors as THAT?

My husband, well, he naturally sniffs and swirls everything- even his water. I mean, this guy is a total scientist when it comes to analyzing anything he consumes or partakes in. He is a hands on learner.

The first time he urged me to try some wine and I watched him go through his exploration of the stuff in the glass, I thought "What have I gotten myself into?"

Over time, however, I learned that is just his way of doing everything- not limited to wine.

I had been trying wines for years, and learned that I could not have anything with heavy...

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Caprig says "GENIE! GENIE! WHERE ARE YOU?" about Urban Decay Primer Potion

Caprig — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:41:26 GMT

I have been very interested in getting a variety of product that I can use on various people. As a makeup artist, I am well aware that some products work well for some people, and not very well at all for others.

One of the products I first heard about some years ago now, is a product by URBAN DECAY called PRIMER POTION. I saw many raves and glowing reports about this miraculous stuff that kept on eyeshadow all day long and even through sleeping for some people.

I could not wait to try some of this fabulous stuff.

Since at that time we had nothing local to try or buy anything really good for high end makeup work, I had to send away for the URBAN DECAY PRIMER POTION.

WHAT IS URBAN DECAY PRIMER POTION LIKE?

In a Genie In A Bottle container, URBAN DECAY PRIMER POTION comes with an interesting lid that fits with the whole theme of the bottle. The applicator is a bit of a sponge tip similar to some lipglosses. It used to be straight, but now it comes slightly bent to make it seem...

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Caprig says "The Lid Houdini " about Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer With Firmatrol

Caprig — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:23:32 GMT

Whoops!

Where'd he go?

Oops- there- no. Wait. Over Here.

Nope, missed again.

As a makeup artist I am always on the lookout for product that enhance the makeup process. One thing that is very important is using a good eyeshadow base or primer.

The purpose of a primer is to provide a barrier between the lid skin on the eye and the makeup products which often have irritating ingredients in them. Also, it is to smooth out the skin surface so that eyeshadow application is more smooth and flattering.

I saw a product advertised which claimed that that it not only is a fantastic primer, but a LIFTING primer which lifts the eye area and provides an even better surface for eyeshadow application.

WHAT IS TARTE LIFED NATURAL EYE PRIMER WITH FIRMATOL LIKE?

TARTE makes an eyeshadow primer called LIFTED- NATURAL EYE PRIMER with FIRMATOL. The primer comes in a container which is purple metallic and looks very much like mascara.

The applicator is a sponge applicator which brings out a little...
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Caprig says "A Trip To Reform School" about Diesel Fuel Life 75ML Eau De Toilette New Edt for Men

Caprig — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:22:19 GMT

There is this young man that I know that is very handsome. He is a male, however, and he is still young enough that he still struggles with the question of why he needs to shower every single day.

We finally got him to deal with that problem, when the topic of discussion became now, you have to wash your clothes after one wearing.

As things were beginning to hit a plateau, a certain sensitive boss at work went up to this aforementioned young man and told him that he needed to do something about this odor problem.

Silent prayers were offered to heaven in thanks for this breakthrough, and this certain young man began to take a bit more care in his personal hygiene.

One of the ways that he chose to try this, was to look for a scent that would compliment his body scent instead of fight with it, and that was no easy task.

He took me on a trip to Sephora and went through the entire store examining every scent carefully and even *I* a veteran shopper at Sephora was in awe of his shopping technique....
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Caprig says "Make Me Want To Eat Sushi" about Allen B. Dart Knee Jean

Caprig — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:40:37 GMT

I don't know about you, but finding a pair of jeans that is comfortable and actually PRACTICAL is one of the most difficult quests that I could be on.

Either the jeans are too long, too short, too low, too big in the back, too tight in the thighs, you name it, that seems to be one of the problems with each pair that I try on.

I found a decent pair of jeans from the designer at JC PEnneys called ALLEN B. ALLEN B. is one of the new designers that JC Penneys has brought in to modernize their clothing offerings for misses and fashion conscious women.

Since I enjoyed my one pair of Allen B (except the weird belt loops), I thought that when I got a really nice gift certificate that I should try another pair.

When I was at the store, I tried on the jeans and was thrilled- they fit fine in the thighs, were not too long and seemed to be very comfortable. I hurried out the door to get home and rued that day since.

WHAT ARE DART KNEE JEANS LIKE?

ALLEN B. DART KNEE JEANS are really interesting. ...
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Caprig says "007 of Lipgloss" about L'Oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss

Caprig — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:18:11 GMT

I used to be a big customer at LANCOME years ago. The JUICY TUBES were some of the nicest products out there. They moisturized, gave some decent color and had non-offensive flavor/fragrances.

There was a collection out that I LOVED. It was called the POP collection. I totally adored some of the colors in that collection and they sold out very quickly. The colors were perfect for me, and I wanted to get as many as I could before they were gone.

A few months later, I was walking through a CVS store and saw a huge display called POP and Lo and Behold, it was LOREAL COLOUR JUICE with direct copies of the exact same colors of many of those in the LANCOME collection.

I purchased one of each (it was buy one get one free) and was pleasantly surprised that the formula was the same or better in quality for a lot less money. When compared with the LANCOME counterparts- they were identical (the colors that appeared to be the same anyway). Wow, LOREAL COLOUR JUICE was like LANCOME JUICY...
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Caprig says "Leper Lips - a Small Price to Pay to Look Good" about L'Oreal Glam Shine

Caprig — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:56:45 GMT

I have been using L'OREAL GLAM SHINE since it first came out some years ago. The colors that were offered at first were nice, but then over time some really great colors came out that made my clock tick.

L'OREAL GLAM SHINE is quite emollient. It has a faint artificial berry flavor to it, but it is not sticky at all. I would say that it is more slippery and lubricating than it is sticky or gummy.

It is hard to describe GLAM SHINE from LOREAL in an overall category because each color is different and performs differently.

I can say that my favorite colors are FUSION (650 berry pink with aqua shimmer), Prima Donna (nude with silver shimmer #110) , and DIVA (700 dark berry color with lots of silvery shimmer).

WHAT IS GLAM SHINE LIKE?

L'Oreal GLAM SHINE comes in an hourglass shaped tube. The top screws on with a long doe foot applicator. I am not a big fan of this type of applicator, but in this case, it does apply a good amount of product. Some brands the doe feet do not apply much...
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Caprig says "Um It's That Cat Wearing a Dress in High Heels" about Stila Barbie Smudgepot Little Black Dress

Caprig — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:38:24 GMT

*SCRREEEECH!*

The girl in Sephora showing me around jumped and then laughed out loud.

* I JUST HAVE TO HAVE THIS!*

She continued to giggle as we looked at the different samples of STILA BARBIE SMUDGEPOTS. First there was Little Black Dress. Then Purple Pumps. Next to that Cobalt Clutch. And then another new one that had been recommended to me called Kitten. Gosh, so many pretty colors!

I was gazing longingly at the two splotches of glittering eyeliner on my hand. One was a brilliant purple and the other one was black with reddish purple glitter in it. The beautiful purple hued lights dancing off my hand was mezmerizing.

I continued to wander through the store bumping into people and displays while staring almost in a trance at the lovely colors dancing around my hand.

Finally I went up to the counter and asked one of the sales clerks to help me find these lovely eyeliners to purchase.

A few of the other sales associates came over and asked, "What IS that on your hand? It is...
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Caprig says "A Cross Between Perfect and Taupe- Um. PAUPE? PERPE?" about MAC Midnight Madness Mineralize Eye Shadow Holiday 2009

Caprig — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:28:19 GMT

Taupe. The word sends vibrations of earth shaking through some veins of the makeup world. There is something about the quest for the perfect taupe that sends a certain segment of the population into a frenzy.

MAC Smoke and Diamonds is one example- that sent a whole bunch of people into a quest that lasted a year until it was released once again.

Then there was the infamous COCO pigment. There are STILL people who clamor for a small jar of that from anyone that will sell it to them.

One of the things that I have learned about taupe makeup is that it only fits a certain group of people well, but when it fits- it really looks AMAZING.

One of my favorite colors of all time was a MINERALIZE EYE SHADOW DUO from MAC called EARTHLY RICHES. The only problem with it was that the texture was such that it had to be applied with a damp brush on an eyeshadow base to make it stick at all.

EARTHLY RICHES made the eyes truly pop when doing a smokey eye and I found the colors to work well on many...
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Caprig says "From Purple Dirt to this- IT'S A MIRACLE!" about MAC It's A Miracle Mineralize Eye Shadow MAC Holiday

Caprig — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:05:01 GMT

One of the things that I have enjoyed about the MAC company is that they put out something that they have referred to as MINERALIZE products. These are domed cakes of baked mineral containing eyeshadow or other products which give a different sort of finish than the traditional products that MAC has put out.

The MINERALIZE eyeshadows have been very beautiful in the past, despite them having to be used wet to get any kind of good performance out of them.

This year, MAC has released some very pretty MINERALIZE EYE SHADOWS for HOLIDAY 2009 (Magic Mischief and Mirth I think it is called). This time, they have changed the texture to be much more user friendly.

WHAT IS IT'S A MIRACLE MINERALIZE EYESHADOW LIKE?

IT'S A MIRACLE MINERALIZE EYE SHADOW is a beautiful burgundy color eye shadow. The texture is very shiny in the pan, but on the skin it is a lovely rich almost velvety look to it. For a metallic look, you just apply with a damp brush.

One side 2/3 of the pan is the burgundy color,...
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Caprig says "Okay, WHO PUNCHED THE PARROT???" about MAC Blue Sorcery Mineralize Eyeshadow MAC Holiday 2009

Caprig — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:23:15 GMT

PARROT!!! OMG YOU HAVE PARROT?????

I remember the days a few years ago or so that the most highly sought after eyeshadow from MAC cosmetics was Parrot.

The funny part is that I happened to be on the lookout for the *perfect* turquoise eyeshadow for years. I mean YEARS.

Either they were too faded, or too blue, or too green, not iridescent enough, burned, faded, disappered- gosh the list is long, but nothing was working for me.

What I wanted was in your face, iridescent peacock quality brilliant turquoise blue with lime green shimmer or something like that that did not burn, but went in intensely and lasted all day, was easy to blend, and that looked GREAT on me.

Not too much to ask, right?

Well, I happened to make a very rare trip to a MAC counter (we have no MAC anywhere near me) while on a short vacation weekend. I saw this turquoise color, bought it and also a blue turquoise shadestick to use under it, and I was very happy. Not totally happy, mind you, because I had to use them...
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Caprig says "Peppie Le Pew is a Perfect 10" about Clairol Perfect 10 Hair Color

Caprig — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:00:33 GMT

I have been doing hair for years. I mean, gosh, I have been doing hair since I was in high school. I remember my best friend sobbing because I told her that I was going to make her look like Farrah Fawcet and I did. PERFECTLY. Apparently she did not like Farrah, and it never occured to her that I would actually succeed with her hair in doing what I promised.

One of the people whose hair I work on regularly is a male who has been prematurely gray for a long time. He needs to maintain a darker haircolor for the workplace since there is a bit of a bigotry against gray hair and any other *aging* factor in the workplace.

I have used just about every hair dye out there at one time or another from professional to over the counter. I have not been very impressed with many of the brown hair dyes. They are often too brassy or too red in their composition. His hair is on the ashy side which you would think would dye up nicely, but for some reason, no matter what brown we put on him,...
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Caprig says "Wanna be Rabid?" about Kiss My Face Toothpaste Original Whitning 3.4oz

Caprig — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:33:48 GMT

Some years ago when my family decided to stop using Sodium Lauryl Sulfate products and anything that had similar ingredients in it, it was rather difficult to find good toothpastes that tasted good, did not have bad ingredients in them, yet still cleaned well and were Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Free. Going through the effort to find them, however has been very rewarding. We have reduced a lot of problems in our family related to SLS by not using products on our bodies with it in it anymore.

We tried several toothpaste brands which we liked for one reason or another, but had some recent difficulties with Jason's Whitening Toothpast Sea Fresh flavor. There are large stones in the entire tube that that turned us all off of using it for a while until we can call the company to complain about it.

I was placing a vitamin order not too long ago and saw that they were carrying a line of KISS MY FACE toothpastes that supposedly did not have sodium lauryl sulfate in it. The toothpaste is whitening...
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Caprig says "I was ATTACKED in Sephora" about Tarte Treasure Chest Limited Edition Holiday Palette

Caprig — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:33:39 GMT

Feeling housebound for three weeks, I just HAD to get out.

I looked desparingly at my eyeshadow drawer. There sat a beautiful eyeshadow trio that I loved to look at, but I just could not wear on my eyes. I figured since I had to go out somewhere, I might as well return it where I got it at Sephora and have some store credit to have fun with.

I had been saving up my Sephora gift cards and store credits, for the last year for such a time as this. I really wanted to get something special but could not come up with a lot of extra cash to do so.

Some people had told me that I needed to get the Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume II. I did not have time to do much playing so I went into Sephora, grabbed the BOOK OF SHADOWS VOLUME II from URBAN DECAY and then I went up to the counter to exchange and pay for this new acquisition.

When the sales associate began to ring up the whole transaction suddenly we both jumped up when someone said loudly, "NO! DON'T BUY THAT!"

Now a little intuition...
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Caprig says "Stuck in Riceville" about proctor silex MODEL 37533 RICE COOKER

Caprig — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:51:39 GMT

"Yah needa getta wrice cookah"

I looked up at the solemn expression of the Asian woman standing in front of me. I asked what a rice cooker would do for me and she began to embark on a long diatribe of why a person could not LIVE without possessing a rice cooker.

For years I never could find one. I looked, but none of the stores had one. Over the years I forgot about it.

One day I was wandering through the Dollar General store and found a PROCTOR SILEX 10 CUP RICE COOKER in their appliance section. The price was not too bad, so I decided to buy it for my family for Christmas. After all, NO FAMILY could survive without one, right?

WHAT IS THE PROCTOR SILEX 10 CUP RICE COOKER LIKE?

The PROCTOR SILEX 10 CUP RICE COOKER is a nifty little gizmo. It has a plastic housing that sits on the counter on three legs. It is quite sturdy despite the three vs four legs it stands upon.

A teflon coated aluminum pan sits on the container, which has large disc inside. In the center of the...
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Caprig says "It Don't Need A Cane Yet- Still Goin' Strong" about Maytag Neptune Dryer

Caprig — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:25:44 GMT

One of my pet peeves for years was clothes dryers. Either they would run too hot, or too cold, or they would take FOREVER to dry clothes.

Back around 1999, my washer bit the dust and we decided to try to see if we could get a front loader to replace it. We found an amazing deal on a Maytag Neptune washer and were thrilled that it worked well.

To match our washer, we bought a gas dryer (we always had electric before that) and we got the matching Neptune Dryer. It was the best move we ever made.

WHAT IS THE NEPTUNE GAS DRYER LIKE?

The MAYTAG NEPTUNE DRYER is a very large drum dryer. It is meant to take large capacity loads from the NEPTUNE WASHER which is about 1 1/2 times the size of a normal top loader load of laundry.

The MAYTAG NEPTUNE DRYER has an internal sensor in it which stops the dryer when the clothes are just about perfectly dry. This means that I don't have to have my clothes fried or left sopping when it is done. This is a separate setting on the dryer- it can be...
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Caprig says "Blot Me Out with Spring " about Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Caprig — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:51:06 GMT

I have been an artist for years now, and one thing I have learned is that when it comes to brushes- it is best to get high quality (remember, I said QUALITY not PRICE) and get brushes that will do the job well.

I had been pretty well set with my brush collection when a dear friend sent me a surprise gift bag in the mail. The bag was loaded with a ton of Bare Escentuals products including all of the brushes. I did not have much regard for the quality of Bare Escentuals products until I began to mess around with the MAXIMUM COVERAGE CONCEALER BRUSH.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM COVERAGE CONCEALER BRUSH LIKE?

One thing I particularly look for in a brush is a good spring. When working with synthetic brushes, having a good springback is important especially when applying makeup in precise locations.

The BARE ESCENTUALS MAXIMUM COVERAGE CONCEALER BRUSH is 5 inches long from tip to tip. The actua bristles are 3/4 inches long and are in the filbert shape (which means rounded tip). The edge...
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Caprig says "Go Ahead. I Dare You." about Sallyeander Tea Tree and Lemon Ice Lipbalm

Caprig — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:26:08 GMT

I have a hard time with lip balms- always did. Every time someone would recommend a lip balm to me, I would get all excited, try it out, and then get discouraged. If they did not taste awful, they would just sit on my lips and do relatively nothing.

One thing I can not stand is having to reapply lip balm constantly all day long. A few times is one thing, but I need something that goes deep into my lips and actually helps them HEAL.

WHAT IS SALLYEANDER TEA TREE & LEMON ICE LIP BALM LIKE?

My husband had a problem with bleeding and peeling hands for years that NOTHING would help. I mean nothing. Not Bag Balm, Udder Cream, you name it, it did not touch his cracked and bleeding hands. When we discovered SALLYEANDER 's hand cream that instantly healed his hands, we were shocked at the results.

Such miraculous remarkable results were so thrilling that when SALLYEANDER came out with LEMON ICE lip balm, I decided to bite the bullet of the high price and buy one.

SALLYEANDER TEA TREE...
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Caprig says "There IS a Difference" about Wet 'n Wild Ultimate Expressions Eyeshadow

Caprig — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:10:42 GMT

i grew up in a home where I constantly heard "Oh honey, just buy anything, they all come out of the same vat anyway- that is what your uncle says."

My uncle was a Hollywood makeup artist who had his own line of high end makeup, so I just accepted that he was the authority and always bought low end stuff.

They say that the way to train people in the bank to know counterfit money is to have them do nothing but touch and work with the REAL thing, then they can always tell counterfit.

I have worked with drugstore level cosmetics for many years and when I first began to work with high end products, I was shocked at the difference. Having said that, I do want to add, however, that there is nothing more obnoxious than being around a makeup snob. Some people will attach themselves to a brand, and if that brand put colored dirt in a cup, they would swear it is the ulitmate. I am not one of those either.

I am the first to admit if something is really nice- I don't care WHAT company or how much...
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Caprig says "GET OUT THE JACKHAMMER!" about Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Caprig — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:47:02 GMT

It has been about eight years since I asked the fateful question- *What is the best top coat?*. And the last eight years have been fabulous as far as nail polish is concerned- I found the best top coat EVER and I am still thrilled wth it.

WHAT IS SECHE VITE TOP COAT LIKE?

What is so shocking about SECHE VITE FAST DRY TOP COAT is that I can put it on very thick wet nails and within minutes it is set to the point that I can use my hands, although I don't want to bang my nail hard on anything, as it will still smudge. However, if I can discipline myself to wait just a half hour or so, it is usually to the point where my nails are completely set and I am okay.

SECHE VITE FAST DRY TOP COAT is a bit thicker than most top coats. It applies nice and evenly to nails and seems to be self leveling. That is a nice feature as well.

The brush is good and just the right amount of spring to allow for accurate application.

The handle on top is decent although not as nice and grippy as China Glaze...
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