Not too many! The two that are standing out while I attempt to answer this question is my first press dinner (MAC, San Francisco Fashion Week) and when I collaborated with MAC on an eyeshadow.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
The scent of Revlon’s Bamboo Bronze lipstick comes to mind. My mother wore that for years and years and I used to watch her get ready and even when she sprayed her perfume, I would still smell the lipstick. I thought it was best smell in the world when I was 10 years old.
That is so sweet!
Lovely ?❤️
A few sprinkled down through the years. Like receiving a full size Orlane eyeshadow back in the late 70’s, it was when I first knew that a plum-burgundy-brown shade could seriously make the green in my eyes pop! I think I wore it near constantly till it ran out.
Some just make me laugh inside, though! Like while I was working as an MUA, and had this one super edgy 80’s punk look I did. Customers LOVED it, mgmt. not so much. But I sure did sell a truckload of Jean Pierre’s more *out there* shades! Deep cobalt, royal purple, fuchsia metallics, an equally reflective white/gold duochrome, and a black matte. Haha!
Nancy, can you suggest some eyeshadow colors or palettes that you love for your green eyes?
I love plums and deep bronzes to bring out the green in my hazel eyes. I personally love deep plums and plum browns with black tightlining and it really makes my eyes striking but without overwhelming.
Sentimental? Me? HA!! Do you mean like keeping the first lipstick my hubby picked for me when I was 19 (which was also my first Dior Lippie) ?? Yes, yes, I keep the first blush I ever bought, the eyeshadow I used for my wedding reception, the First high end eye pencil I used. Why? Of course I can’t use this stuff anymore, why keeping them? I throw tons of makeup every year, but these, remain… I can’t explain it except, there are sentimental memories attached to these objects that I can’t part with!!
I don’t remember specific times, but I remember my grandmother letting me do her makeup when I was little. I’m sure it looked terrible, but she always said it was the best it had ever looked, of course.
One specific memory I have is trying to find my first foundation, some time in middle school. I was so self-conscious about my acne and at the time, drugstore brands did not have products anywhere near my skintone. Being allowed to finally wear a real foundation from the department store (Prescriptives, to date myself) was a big deal then.
Um wait, I wore (and still wear) Prescriptives, and I’m only in my 30s. I’m not old, am I? AM I? 🙂
Lauder sold off Prescriptives a while ago, and it was resurrected as a smaller line. DR who is the parent company now. Poppy King was the creative director, after her eponymous line died, before she founded lipstick queen. Prescriptives were the royal family of foundation matching.
I thought it had disappeared. The last time I remember seeing it was at a CCO years ago! I just assumed they went out of business completely; I didn’t know they still existed in some form.
You’re definitely not old, I still love Prescriptives. I’m in my 40’s, call it nostalgia but their liquid makeup is one of the best out there and I always go back!
When I was young, sneaking my mom’s frosty blue shadow, climbing up on a rickety chair so I could reach the bathroom mirror, and swiping it all over my lids. I thought I looked glam, but I’m sure I looked like a clown LOL And my first eye shadow kit that I bought for myself in high school, think it was a Maybelline one in plums, because all the magazines said plums went with brown eyes. I’m sure the quality was horrible, but I felt so grown up
Yes — when I was in 6-8 years old range, before I was allowed to wear makeup, my mother would let me practice makeup on her. She always said she loved the looks every time. Fond memories.
Wow! Which Mac eyeshadow did you collaborate on?
I associate cosmetics with the time I bought it/occasions I wore it to, so my makeup often brings back memories.
MAC See Sheer was my first-ever lipstick, remains one of the most flattering colours I own, and holds a special place in my heart.
While searching for my first high-end concealer—ended up purchasing Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer, I browsed for reviews and discovered the beauty blogosphere—including Temptalia. The search for concealer was probably what kickstarted my cosmetics addiction, haha.
Oh, I do and sentimental memories. I remember my most beloved Aunt Rose’s rouge. It came in a darling, hard-to-open tin can with a little powder puff that fascinated me as a child. I am quite sure it was the only makeup she owned, and it was deployed only on special occasions. I think it lasted her a lifetime. I loved that thing. 🙂
I remember my mom putting on big, beautiful red lipstick on her very full lips (which I did not inherit) and looking like a movie star.
Nah. Well, except for maybe my wedding make-up 🙂
I still have the Jane Eye Zing pink eyeshadow I wore to my 8th grade graduation. I sometimes still buy that $1 roll on lip gloss all the girls in my Bronx neighborhood had when I was a teen because it brings back memories.
Yes, when my mom took me to a Clinique counter to buy me makeup as I began high school.
Awwww Jealousy Wakes! I still have that beautiful eyeshadow in my collection – will have to use it again soon! 😀
And here goes my lemming for that eyeshadow yet again! Flame reignited! Would have bought it by now on Evil-Bay, but that makes me nervous. Might do so anyhow, because yeah, perfect teal toned green ever! ???
I have and love it too!
Every time I went to my grandma’s house in the summer when I was a kid/teenager, I would scour her entire house looking for those Avon lipstick samples and hoarding any I could find. Sometimes her Avon lady came by and brought more while I was visiting. Over the years, I remember finding what I thought was the only red I could pull off (I thought wrong), a mocha shade that looked exactly like the Sweet Mocha shade in Ulta’s nude lipsticks, and a fuchsia shade that I wouldn’t wear at the time (but I would absolutely wear now) that looked a lot like UD Jilted or Firebird. Grandma would tell me to “stop digging” if I got too overzealous in my lipstick sample search, but would eventually end up helping me find some.
Oh, I LOVED the little Avon samples too! I can see them as clear as day in the little white tube with the sharp cut edge. Those were so GREAT when we were little girls.
Ah Avon…when I was 15, I sold it at my high school. Didn’t last long, since I bought more than I sold. But it was fun, and I had all the demos and samples I could get my hands on.
Not makeup — just fragrance.
I will always have a fondness for Shiseido – it was where my mother took me to learn how to apply makeup in the 80’s without looking like spackle and to learn proper skin care. She had horrendous acne issues when she was younger that left a lot of scars; my grandparents didn’t believe in dermatologists and she didn’t want me to experience the same thing. The other strong sentimental attachment I have is to Shalimar. My mother hasn’t worn it in decades, but it’s the smell I associate with her from my youth and probably what started my “thing” for spicy orientals. I still have her last sealed bottle on my dresser. My mother is still with me, but I know not for very much longer, so it’s something that I’m very attached to. My dad, who past away a year ago this weekend, always wore Grey Flannel when he was a suit and tie guy. I’ll never forget that scent either.
Awww! I was a Shalimar teen etc! I can still ‘smell’ it in my mind!
Such an amazing scent! I can also recall buying my first Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick. I’m guessing many people here do too!
I bet so too! Yes, Shalimar is so unique!
Ohhhhh yes! But definitely most of them are work moments where, for example, I got to “see” my character for the first time with full makeup and costume. It is always astounding and sometimes very emotional (ie it’s pretty cool to see yourself as a glammed up vampire and pretty scary/emotional to see oneself dressed like Anne Frank). And of course looking at pictures of old kits brings back lots of memories. So I have those often and obviously can’t go into too much detail on particular moments.
From regular life, I remember when I got my very first real lipsticks because of how happy and “grown up” they made little me feel. The Betsey Johnson gold metallic lipstick I purchased with my own money around 7 or the Mac Fru I inherited from my big sister as a child are highly sentimental items I recall my excitement in obtaining. I also fondly remember getting my first counter makeover (so my first one not for work and just for fun) with some friends at the Bobbi Brown counter. I picked up items that are still staples to me now like my first foundation stick (I was only allowed to use it as concealer at the time), her Pale Pink blush which is still a natural go-to, and two glosses in Petal and Rose Sugar. Those were the main components of most of my Bar/Bat Mitzvah year looks too (there were usually 1-3 a weekend from 6th-8th). A best friend and I would always go re-purchase our lipsticks together and definitely slathered ALL the Rose Sugar on our lips for parties.
Not really. If any I’d say getting my vanity to look the way I wanted it was a moment that had me like, “Ahhh finally you’re complete” but that’s about it.
My Mom always wearing red lipstick and White Shoulders perfume. Me purchasing Yardley of London Slickers lipsticks back in the 60s when I was in middle school. They were very mod with Jean Shrimpton the model.
Definitely yes – I remember the excitement I felt when I received my first Bonne Bell lipgloss as a gift and when I played with my mom’s eyeshadow palette. And I have a very special place in my heart for MAC’s Offshoot lipstick, which was the one I was wearing when my boyfriend and I first kissed 🙂 !
OMG, weren’t those Bonne Bell lip glosses like giant sized? 🙂 I had a Bonne Bell gel blush that I COVETED. Probably looked like crap, but I loved it.
Exactly, those giant Bonne Bell lip glosses! I got an Orange Crush one and I think I even wore it to sleep 🙂 !
Soooooo many. The first time I flew by myself as a teen, I wore makeup like battle armor. My first ever single shadow was a gift from my mom and it was the NYX Nude Matte in Covet–I still have the first one she gave me and my current useable one! During my senior year of high school, I figured out that I can take a dry or baked eyeshadow and mix it with a little petroleum jelly to make a gel liner. I think I wore the one I made from Elf’s Toasted shadow three times a week that year!
Yep. At the counter when I’m purchasing it, I always tear up a little. 🙂
There was a foundation I wore in high school that I would give anything to find. I know they don’t make it anymore because I think it was made by Cutex (this was in the 60s). I would know it instantly and remember the smell of it to this day (a good thing). It was a perfect color then and I believe I could use it again right now. Thanks for this question…brought back a lot of memories
Yes I do. The first to come to mind is the first time I lined my waterline – a friend’s sister told me to try it – I was new to makeup. I was completely shocked by the difference in how I looked! Another fun memory was finding a wonderful lipstick for the first time – back when I was a teen there wasn’t much to choose from. : ) It’s always a fun memory when makeup is involved!
I still have the Chanel lipstick I wore on my wedding day. Also the smell of Dior lipstick takes me back to my 20s.
The scent of Coty Airspun loose powder and the old Emaraude perfume remind me of my grandmother.
In my teens I loved a spun silver green eye shadow. My green eyes were outrageous with it. As an adult my memories of attending my sons Basic Training and shopping afterwards. I bought an Estée Lauder blush that I was so in love with. I still have a bit (10 years later) left I save for special occasions. Then there was my moms dry cake lipstick she wore that showed every crack in her lips. I was 8ish and because of that didn’t wear lipstick until in my 20’s. It looked so awful on her beautiful face. That’s when ponds was the high end cream…or so she says…she’s a spry 81.
Yes! Thierry Mulgar Angel perfume is the one my mother wore for most of her life until her late unhappy years. the scent reminds me of her and though I can’t wear the perfume myself (smells like cat pee on me I swear!) I open the bottle and smell it occasionally.
For me personally, MAC pro longwear concealer holds a special place in my heart, as its the first “high end” or more expensive makeup purchase I ever made myself
Not about wearing makeup but about where I buy things, particularly if they are “special” things I’ve bought on vacation. Whenever I use the item, I remember the trip and where I was when I got it. It makes my purchases of everyday stuff more special. 🙂
Actually, I think I have many. In fact, I think I associate specific time periods with their contemporary makeup. Getting l/s in another part of town, requiring biking and secrecy in fourth grade, not when I could wear it. Revlon Naked Pink in the jfk era, the intro of powder blush, Biba Blue Roses. when I finally felt mature/old enough to wear red lipstick, rather than beige. Total obsession with Poppy’s Seven Deadly Sins. My mother did not fancy makeup. Her mother did, but she was ocd and r/o bipolar, so maybe that accounts for my mother only having a swipe…of fire and ice, cherries in the snow, and Cape Coral. She wasn’t a pink person either, but did get me EA Candlelight pink for my first ‘real’ lipstick. Matched my long formal dress. Big surprise there…not! Aziza’s Clinging Vine (yesteryear’s good mood) that had matching dark green mascara, late sixties. Omg, after all that pale and pastel stuff….all over that. Still am, periodically, into green liner and mascara. Twiggy drawn lashes. Wearing m/u in the mood of the movies, from Antonioni to Argento and Bava. Doing Julie Christie as Lara in Dr Z, or as Mrs Miller… Luckily, I never watched Drew Carey, bec one of my coworkers did Mimi makeup. Omg!
I want dark green mascara, I wish there was dark green mascara now! (If there is, I’ve never seen it)
Loved your post!
Yes, a couple. The first time anyone bought me something feminine – I was in junior high and one of my mom’s friends bought me Heaven Scent. Six months later, she died of breast cancer. First scent I ever bought for myself – Bal a Versailles, after sampling it at Marshall Fields. That was almost 40 years ago, and I still wear it today. After it was discontinued, about 20 years ago, a lovely woman I met in my travels found it for me in her travels as a cosmetics rep in the Caribbean. She sent me some every year, until she too died of breast cancer. I still have the last bottle, in its original packaging, from about 15 years ago. I’ll never open it.
I looked up Bal a Versailles on fragrantica.com.
Click: http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jean-Desprez/Bal-a-Versailles-3972.html).
It’s one of those fragrances that has tons and tons of notes — back in the day when fragrances were complex and sublime. It looks like it may still be available.
OMGG how I remember Avon little lipsticks. My mother used to buy alot of Avon products and she would let me play with them. Another favorite of my mom was Coty airspun face powder with a white fluffy powder puff. Loved the smell of it. My aunts used to let my cousins and me play with all their makeup. Funny, I guess back then, makeup was simple and yet they all looked gorgeous.
I have a few sentimental makeup moments I like to look back on!!
The first, was when I was in grade six and I was being bullied at school. So I asked my mother if I could wear makeup to “fit in” at my new school. And while it’s not the BEST memory, it makes me smile because that was the first time I started wearing makeup, and that’s what really started my journey to self acceptance.
The second, was my very first modeling gig at age 16 (I think it was 16!!) and getting my makeup professionally done for the first time. The makeup artist was also biracial, and she gave me some lovely life advice about how I AM beautiful and don’t need makeup to hide my features!! and from then to today, I use my makeup to ENHANCE my features.
the last sentimental memory I have of makeup, is from this May. I went on a tour of my future cosmetology college, and I brought photos of my work on others and myself. And I remember being in AWE of the admissions lady!! She was so small, but so fierce, and when she asked if I really wanted to be a makeup artist It really sent it home how much I want to do this!! ahahah!!
I started with Clinique my mom took me to get that kit that came with a soap, facial cleanser and moisturizer. By the way i still love those Bonnie Bell lips smackers being thinking to get an entire collection just for the memories. I still love Anise, Anise perfume to this day got so many compliments when I wore it much younger. My mom has always loved Channel and I still also remember Guerlain. Lots of nice, fun memories with makeup and beauty products all the women in my family enjoys it. My aunts, grandmothers, my mom. ❤️
I have sentimental memories about 2 specific products : mac’s ravishing lipstick and mac’s fix+, because my boyfriend bought them for the first of my birthday that we celebrated together, and there are my first ever mac products 🙂