Amazon Reviews
Illumina Collection Two Sided Makeup Mirror
This was a great deal and met my expectations for the needed lighting and the size fits great on my vanity. I had a Conair make-up mirror for 11 years and it finally died! I really searched on-line for a couple of weeks and then settled on this one. Amazon came to the rescue as usual. Thanks
+Amazon.com +Illumina
Nokia Lumia 620 not your average phone
Think about a Nokia Lumia and the first thing that comes to mind is a `Windows' Phone, lack of apps and no popularity.
Let me bust this myth for you. As a user of the brilliant Nokia Lumia 620, I will say that this phone is an absolute gem.
I have been using this phone for over 4 months now and will rate its performance and value for money above both its android and Apple counterparts.
I mainly use this phone for making calls, instant messaging/messaging, internet, music and maps.
Let me breakdown the review for you to construe the the analysis conveniently --
Design: The 620 has a screen size of 3.7 inches which is perfect for a phone, as it gives you the liberty of manoeuvring on the whole screen with the help of just one thumb, something which a Samsung Note won't give you.
The display is great and crisp for a phone of this price.
The 3.5 mm jack and USB outlet is pretty standard.
The UI is fantastic, intuitive, interactive and absolutely classy. THe live tiles means you don't always have to launch the App. Also, it is different from the standard menu systems that other OS's offer. The tile design gives you the freedom to prioritize your applications by resizing them and ordering them, in quite an easy manner. Plus it is simple, colourful and so easy to use. The transitions are fluid and unlike any other OS out there.
The phone's built is solid with a thick back cover and a strong glass. I have dropped the phone at least 10 times during my experience and not once has it needed fixing. It is rugged, compact and quite heavy duty.
Performance: The phone works like clockwork 97% of the time, which is a lot, if you compare it to the lags and errors you encounter in Android or even the fabled iOS.
The whole OS is integrated with the hardware giving seamless perrformance for a 1Ghz processor. The RAM of 512 mb is more than sufficient and handles many tasks without any issues. I have simultaneously used maps, whatsapp, music, internet applications and it has worked just fine.
The networking of the phone is very good too, with the internet working smoothly and messages being delivered instantly.
The phone has not hung once in my experience, and while it has undergone a bit of lag, just press the side button, and the whole system will revitalise without losing any running tasks or apps.
Battery: With 1350 mah worth of battery, you would think it is quite less, but that is not so.
As I mentioned earlier, the whole system is integrated tightly and this means that the battery life is more than good for the performance it delivers.
I mainly listen to music constantly, surf the internet periodically, use whatsapp every 10 minutes and use maps for directions. The battery easily lasts for a whole day. Enable battery saver and you will see that the battery life increases 3 folds.
Still, the usage of 3G affects the battery life, and that is true for every phone. However regular usage with 3G will last you a day easily.
Camera: The 5 mp shooter is the best you can get in this price range. It gives you crystal clear clarity, and is quite better than many point and shoot cameras out there.
Morevoer you can adjust the ISO, Exposure a and such technical details too. Also it gives 720p HD video shooting.
Apps: The main aspect of this phone is the Apps. It is widespread that Windows store does not sport many apps. True, it does not have as many apps as its counterparts, but it has all the essential and regular apps under its belt, and that too comes with a better quality.
While the likes of Android store is riddled with crappy apps that are no good, Windows store is much more streamlined. It offers you good quality apps with a uniform UI base, which means you don't need a tutorial for using them.
All the regular games like Temple Run, Angry Birds, Jetpack Joyride, Where's my water, Cut the rope etc are covered by the app market.
The absence of Instagram is not really an issue since Windows store has Instagram clients like Instance and much more.
IM/Messaging apps like Whatsapp, VIber, Skype are present too.
The HERE maps/drive/citylens feature is terrific and gives you all you need on the go.
The utility section is also covered with all the essentials.
The apps can be downloaded from the phone directly or from your PC/Mac/Laptop and can be installed in the phone without any additional suite or hassles.
Pros:
- Best phone in it's price range; - Great, tough build+Design; - Great App store; - Seamless integration; - Excellent Camera; - Good Battery life.
Cons:
- Not many to mention, but the default music player has a shortcoming i.e. difficulty in creating a playlist
All in all, a superb phone at this cost, a clear winner and a memorable device to have.
I have been using this phone for over 4 months now and will rate its performance and value for money above both its android and Apple counterparts.
I mainly use this phone for making calls, instant messaging/messaging, internet, music and maps.
Let me breakdown the review for you to construe the the analysis conveniently --
Design: The 620 has a screen size of 3.7 inches which is perfect for a phone, as it gives you the liberty of manoeuvring on the whole screen with the help of just one thumb, something which a Samsung Note won't give you.
The display is great and crisp for a phone of this price.
The 3.5 mm jack and USB outlet is pretty standard.
The UI is fantastic, intuitive, interactive and absolutely classy. THe live tiles means you don't always have to launch the App. Also, it is different from the standard menu systems that other OS's offer. The tile design gives you the freedom to prioritize your applications by resizing them and ordering them, in quite an easy manner. Plus it is simple, colourful and so easy to use. The transitions are fluid and unlike any other OS out there.
The phone's built is solid with a thick back cover and a strong glass. I have dropped the phone at least 10 times during my experience and not once has it needed fixing. It is rugged, compact and quite heavy duty.
Performance: The phone works like clockwork 97% of the time, which is a lot, if you compare it to the lags and errors you encounter in Android or even the fabled iOS.
The whole OS is integrated with the hardware giving seamless perrformance for a 1Ghz processor. The RAM of 512 mb is more than sufficient and handles many tasks without any issues. I have simultaneously used maps, whatsapp, music, internet applications and it has worked just fine.
The networking of the phone is very good too, with the internet working smoothly and messages being delivered instantly.
The phone has not hung once in my experience, and while it has undergone a bit of lag, just press the side button, and the whole system will revitalise without losing any running tasks or apps.
Battery: With 1350 mah worth of battery, you would think it is quite less, but that is not so.
As I mentioned earlier, the whole system is integrated tightly and this means that the battery life is more than good for the performance it delivers.
I mainly listen to music constantly, surf the internet periodically, use whatsapp every 10 minutes and use maps for directions. The battery easily lasts for a whole day. Enable battery saver and you will see that the battery life increases 3 folds.
Still, the usage of 3G affects the battery life, and that is true for every phone. However regular usage with 3G will last you a day easily.
Camera: The 5 mp shooter is the best you can get in this price range. It gives you crystal clear clarity, and is quite better than many point and shoot cameras out there.
Morevoer you can adjust the ISO, Exposure a and such technical details too. Also it gives 720p HD video shooting.
Apps: The main aspect of this phone is the Apps. It is widespread that Windows store does not sport many apps. True, it does not have as many apps as its counterparts, but it has all the essential and regular apps under its belt, and that too comes with a better quality.
While the likes of Android store is riddled with crappy apps that are no good, Windows store is much more streamlined. It offers you good quality apps with a uniform UI base, which means you don't need a tutorial for using them.
All the regular games like Temple Run, Angry Birds, Jetpack Joyride, Where's my water, Cut the rope etc are covered by the app market.
The absence of Instagram is not really an issue since Windows store has Instagram clients like Instance and much more.
IM/Messaging apps like Whatsapp, VIber, Skype are present too.
The HERE maps/drive/citylens feature is terrific and gives you all you need on the go.
The utility section is also covered with all the essentials.
The apps can be downloaded from the phone directly or from your PC/Mac/Laptop and can be installed in the phone without any additional suite or hassles.
Pros:
- Best phone in it's price range; - Great, tough build+Design; - Great App store; - Seamless integration; - Excellent Camera; - Good Battery life.
Cons:
- Not many to mention, but the default music player has a shortcoming i.e. difficulty in creating a playlist
All in all, a superb phone at this cost, a clear winner and a memorable device to have.
Dinair PRO Airbrush Makeup Kit
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Hey, ladies and gents! There's been a lot of interest in airbrushing lately, and there also seems to be a pretty distinct lack of good information on the subject that doesn't come from one of the companies producing/selling the machines or foundations. While the reviews and tutorials from bloggers like xSparkage do provide a lot of great information about the differences between all the consumer-grade machines available, none of them really give you the airbrush basics beyond how to use the machine. I had to dig pretty deep into YouTube and the ModelMayhem forums to find answers to some issues and questions I had, so to make everything easier for you, here's my review of the Dinair Personal/Pro kit and answers to questions that SHOULD be answered on the manufacturer's site, but aren't. A lot of this information will apply broadly to any airbrush system, not just Dinair's.
The Review
Dinair sells three different kits. The Personal/Pro and Studio Beauty kits are nearly identical; so identical, in fact, that when I ordered my Personal/Pro kit, Dinair sent me all the extras for the Studio Beauty edition instead. The regular Personal machine is where things are different; aside from fewer extras, the compressor only has four PSI settings, from low to high, instead of a dial that allows you to adjust the PSI anywhere from 1 to 15. That doesn't really matter if you intend to stick with Dinair products, but I had other plans and so decided to spring for more control.
The compressor itself is tiny. Like, fits in your hand small. See here, pictured with a variety of foundations and a couple of other little things. It's also fairly quiet, but if you keep it on a ceramic sink like I do, you'll get some additional noise from the vibrations. Still, much closer to silent than the larger models (like Temptu Pro, OCC, and Graftobian Walk-around).
That dial you see is both the on/off switch and your PSI control. For Dinair's foundation, since it's so thin, you want the dial set to somewhere around noon. For blush, bronzer, highlighting, or eyeshadow, you want it around ten. All of this info is in the brochure you get with the machine.
After each use, make sure you clean out your gun. Dinair systems come with a small bottle of cleaner, but for the most part, you only need to use that for deep cleans or to soak out a clog (in the above picture, I'm deep cleaning it; that's what's up with the black caps and rubber band). Otherwise, you can just rinse out the cup with water, spray water through the gun until it runs clear, then wet dock it until the next day. Wet docking prevents clogs, and also uses the rubber band and black caps pictured above (unless you have a docking jar, but I don't). At some point, it will become necessary to completely dismantle your gun for a serious cleaning session. Just be careful not to bend your needle at all, or the thing will be out of commission until Dinair sends you another.
On to application. This is a continuous airflow system, meaning if the compressor is on, air is flowing. With a dual-action system, you press down on the trigger to get air, and then pull back to release makeup. Since Dinair's gun is continuous airflow, all you have to do is pull back on the trigger. Some people prefer dual-action, I don't really see the difference.
The toughest things to get the hang of are distance and trigger control. Come in too close, and you'll spray too much makeup in one place (creating a "hot spot"). Pull the trigger back too far, you'll release too much makeup and it's just a huge waste. Fortunately, Dinair systems ship with a couple of black bands on the gun to function as guides for how far you should pull back the trigger for different jobs (foundation, blush, concealer, eyeshadow, blah blah). You're not trying to make it look like you're wearing foundation; you're trying to make it look like your skin is naturally perfect. Keep good distance with good trigger control, moving in small circles and thin layers, and you will get perfect skin.
That said, the first few times you airbrush your foundation, it will probably look cakey and overdone. You'll have hotspots, it'll be uneven, and you'll want to cry because you'll think you just wasted $300 on a piece of junk. Don't be discouraged, though; airbrushing is genuinely not as easy as it sounds, and certainly not as easy as the manufacturers and beauty gurus make it look. It takes practice, and at first it'll take time. When I got mine, it took me ten minutes to do my foundation. Now it takes me about two, including time spent cleaning out the gun.
On to Dinair's foundation: Airbrush foundation is, in general, about as thin as milk. Some are a bit thicker than that, some thinner. Dinair foundation is somewhere around watery (think skim) milk. This does NOT mean that it's sheer coverage; as you'll see shortly, it is very buildable and definitely capable of full coverage without looking gross. Dinair foundation sets on contact with your skin, and is (for the most part) used as both concealer and foundation; to conceal, you go in reeeeally close (one to two inches) and just rock the trigger back slightly until the blemish is blended in with your skin. To apply foundation, you come in from around six inches away, trigger pulled back around 3/4 of the way, and move in small, slow circles. Apply one layer to the whole face, step back and examine your work, then apply additional layers as needed. It feels VERY light. I didn't realize that traditional makeup felt heavy until I started airbrushing; on the two occasions I've worn traditional foundation since purchasing an airbrush, it has felt heavy and looked gross without getting anywhere near the coverage given by airbrush makeup. I'm not talking about drugstore foundation, either; I'm talking about NARS Sheer Glow on one occasion, and Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick on the other.
The exception to the multi-purpose foundation is under the eyes. Believe me, I have tried everything; under-eye primer, eye cream, different distances and trigger pulls, nothing makes this look good under the eyes. It settles into fine lines I didn't know I had (I'm only 22!) and looks gross. The manufacturer says you can use it under the eyes, but every MUA on ModelMayhem and every MUA I know in real life disagrees. Do your under-eye concealing and color correcting with traditional makeup first, then airbrush your foundation so that the texture blends around the edges.
If you don't wear blush or contour and highlight now, you'll need to start. This is especially true for water-based foundations, particularly Dinair's. It's totally matte, and since it sets on contact, it can be a little drying. To combat this, they also make a product called Moist and Dewey, to be applied before, after, or with your foundation depending on your needs. I don't use it, but lots of people absolutely love the stuff. If you have extremely dry skin, I can see the product being a necessity. Worth noting that while you CAN blush/highlight/contour with an airbrush system, I prefer to use traditional cosmetics. I already have blush and contour tones I love, and I am just not interested in spending the money and time necessary to try out a bunch of airbrush blushes and bronzers.
Overview: There's a bit of a learning curve, but it's worth the effort and investment IMO. The Dinair system is the most affordable and versatile of the consumer-level systems available (offering PSI control where the Luminess system does not, and the ability to custom-blend colors or use other brands of cosmetics where Temptu does not), is absolutely tiny, and fairly quiet. They certainly have the widest range of cosmetic colors available, from foundations to adjusters to brights and shimmers. I spend less money on "base" cosmetics than I used to, since I now only need regular concealer for use under my eyes, don't have to use a setting powder if I'm using Dinair's foundation, and only use one 1oz bottle of foundation over two months of daily application, at $25.
The Review
Dinair sells three different kits. The Personal/Pro and Studio Beauty kits are nearly identical; so identical, in fact, that when I ordered my Personal/Pro kit, Dinair sent me all the extras for the Studio Beauty edition instead. The regular Personal machine is where things are different; aside from fewer extras, the compressor only has four PSI settings, from low to high, instead of a dial that allows you to adjust the PSI anywhere from 1 to 15. That doesn't really matter if you intend to stick with Dinair products, but I had other plans and so decided to spring for more control.
The compressor itself is tiny. Like, fits in your hand small. See here, pictured with a variety of foundations and a couple of other little things. It's also fairly quiet, but if you keep it on a ceramic sink like I do, you'll get some additional noise from the vibrations. Still, much closer to silent than the larger models (like Temptu Pro, OCC, and Graftobian Walk-around).
That dial you see is both the on/off switch and your PSI control. For Dinair's foundation, since it's so thin, you want the dial set to somewhere around noon. For blush, bronzer, highlighting, or eyeshadow, you want it around ten. All of this info is in the brochure you get with the machine.
After each use, make sure you clean out your gun. Dinair systems come with a small bottle of cleaner, but for the most part, you only need to use that for deep cleans or to soak out a clog (in the above picture, I'm deep cleaning it; that's what's up with the black caps and rubber band). Otherwise, you can just rinse out the cup with water, spray water through the gun until it runs clear, then wet dock it until the next day. Wet docking prevents clogs, and also uses the rubber band and black caps pictured above (unless you have a docking jar, but I don't). At some point, it will become necessary to completely dismantle your gun for a serious cleaning session. Just be careful not to bend your needle at all, or the thing will be out of commission until Dinair sends you another.
On to application. This is a continuous airflow system, meaning if the compressor is on, air is flowing. With a dual-action system, you press down on the trigger to get air, and then pull back to release makeup. Since Dinair's gun is continuous airflow, all you have to do is pull back on the trigger. Some people prefer dual-action, I don't really see the difference.
The toughest things to get the hang of are distance and trigger control. Come in too close, and you'll spray too much makeup in one place (creating a "hot spot"). Pull the trigger back too far, you'll release too much makeup and it's just a huge waste. Fortunately, Dinair systems ship with a couple of black bands on the gun to function as guides for how far you should pull back the trigger for different jobs (foundation, blush, concealer, eyeshadow, blah blah). You're not trying to make it look like you're wearing foundation; you're trying to make it look like your skin is naturally perfect. Keep good distance with good trigger control, moving in small circles and thin layers, and you will get perfect skin.
That said, the first few times you airbrush your foundation, it will probably look cakey and overdone. You'll have hotspots, it'll be uneven, and you'll want to cry because you'll think you just wasted $300 on a piece of junk. Don't be discouraged, though; airbrushing is genuinely not as easy as it sounds, and certainly not as easy as the manufacturers and beauty gurus make it look. It takes practice, and at first it'll take time. When I got mine, it took me ten minutes to do my foundation. Now it takes me about two, including time spent cleaning out the gun.
On to Dinair's foundation: Airbrush foundation is, in general, about as thin as milk. Some are a bit thicker than that, some thinner. Dinair foundation is somewhere around watery (think skim) milk. This does NOT mean that it's sheer coverage; as you'll see shortly, it is very buildable and definitely capable of full coverage without looking gross. Dinair foundation sets on contact with your skin, and is (for the most part) used as both concealer and foundation; to conceal, you go in reeeeally close (one to two inches) and just rock the trigger back slightly until the blemish is blended in with your skin. To apply foundation, you come in from around six inches away, trigger pulled back around 3/4 of the way, and move in small, slow circles. Apply one layer to the whole face, step back and examine your work, then apply additional layers as needed. It feels VERY light. I didn't realize that traditional makeup felt heavy until I started airbrushing; on the two occasions I've worn traditional foundation since purchasing an airbrush, it has felt heavy and looked gross without getting anywhere near the coverage given by airbrush makeup. I'm not talking about drugstore foundation, either; I'm talking about NARS Sheer Glow on one occasion, and Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick on the other.
The exception to the multi-purpose foundation is under the eyes. Believe me, I have tried everything; under-eye primer, eye cream, different distances and trigger pulls, nothing makes this look good under the eyes. It settles into fine lines I didn't know I had (I'm only 22!) and looks gross. The manufacturer says you can use it under the eyes, but every MUA on ModelMayhem and every MUA I know in real life disagrees. Do your under-eye concealing and color correcting with traditional makeup first, then airbrush your foundation so that the texture blends around the edges.
If you don't wear blush or contour and highlight now, you'll need to start. This is especially true for water-based foundations, particularly Dinair's. It's totally matte, and since it sets on contact, it can be a little drying. To combat this, they also make a product called Moist and Dewey, to be applied before, after, or with your foundation depending on your needs. I don't use it, but lots of people absolutely love the stuff. If you have extremely dry skin, I can see the product being a necessity. Worth noting that while you CAN blush/highlight/contour with an airbrush system, I prefer to use traditional cosmetics. I already have blush and contour tones I love, and I am just not interested in spending the money and time necessary to try out a bunch of airbrush blushes and bronzers.
Overview: There's a bit of a learning curve, but it's worth the effort and investment IMO. The Dinair system is the most affordable and versatile of the consumer-level systems available (offering PSI control where the Luminess system does not, and the ability to custom-blend colors or use other brands of cosmetics where Temptu does not), is absolutely tiny, and fairly quiet. They certainly have the widest range of cosmetic colors available, from foundations to adjusters to brights and shimmers. I spend less money on "base" cosmetics than I used to, since I now only need regular concealer for use under my eyes, don't have to use a setting powder if I'm using Dinair's foundation, and only use one 1oz bottle of foundation over two months of daily application, at $25.
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