Shampoo -Sebamed - Everyday Shampoo
chriquen 12/20/2010 11:13:00 PM
great sulfate-free shampoo that doesn't bother my SD. lathers and cleans great. the scent is meh, kind of a generic hygiene product smell. i'd buy it again if i ever come across it again in stores.
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Polishes -Zoya - Lulu
chriquen 9/8/2010 3:49:00 PM
Sheer pale peach jelly. Pretty both sheer and with 4 coats. Good wear. But takes forever to dry. Even hours later I'm still prone to smudging and denting (not so with other brands).
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Polishes -Zoya - Nail Polish in Sari
chriquen 9/8/2010 3:45:00 PM
Very pretty color (sheer neutral pale pink). I usually put 3 coats to get the color to show up more. Wear is good. However, I find that the polish takes forever to dry. Even a couple hours after I'm done painting, if I have to open a stubborn bottle or try to floss, it can smudge and dent. Definitely not good for toes because the pressure of shoes can cause paint to migrate even days later.
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Lipstick -Revlon - Pink in the Afternoon
chriquen 9/8/2010 3:27:00 PM
my pigmented lips makes it hard for most lipstick colors/formulas to cover them but still look natural, and this is perfect. it's moisturising, scentless, flavorless, no shimmer/glitter. a perfectly natural pink with a little bit of peach. hg for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Mint Candy Apple
chriquen 3/22/2010 8:10:00 PM
I found this to be more blue than green (I still like the color, but perhaps mint isn't the best description). Looks more green in sunlight, more blue in indoor lighting. Although it applies streaky on it's first and second coat, by the time the second coat dries it looks great. Two coats is all you need. However, I find that this polish chips extremely fast (within 24 hrs). I'm perplexed because generally polish never chips on me and other reviewers found the opposite. Did I get one from a bad batch? Hm.
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Gels/Soaps -L'Occitane - Olive & Tomato Organic Garden Shower Gel
chriquen 12/26/2008 7:31:00 PM
I was searching for a nicely scented shower gel without sulfates and found this. It really does smell like a tomato plant. You know the way your hands smell after picking tomatoes after a summer harvest? Just like that, with a hint of rose to prevent it from smelling to green/earthy. I think this is meant to be a unisex product. The scent disappears after you get out of the shower, which is fine with me. Being sulfate free, it is very gentle and low foaming, but still gets the job done.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
chriquen 12/5/2008 11:24:00 PM
I have very, very oily lids and eye makeup doesn't last long on me. I don't usually wear eyeshadow, but I have issues with supposedly budgeproof liquid liner dissolving into nothing on my lids. UDPP has been great for this.
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Makeup Brushes -Ecotools - Bamboo Blush Brush
chriquen 11/14/2008 11:18:00 AM
Wow. I read the reviews here before I bought it, and I'm still impressed with how soft this brush is. I also use it for mineral foundation, and normally my skin would feel itchy and prickly with each brush swipe (SK powder brush), but this brush feels great on my face. I've only had one hair fall out from washing it, and none during application.
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Polishes -Sephora - Sephora by Opi Bare to be Different
chriquen 11/12/2008 2:06:00 AM
Sephora describes this as ecru. It's a definitely milky-ish, but has a little bit of cool-toned pink muted with grey. Great for nude nails. No shimmer, just sheen. The application could not be any smoother. Would buy again (even though I'm not someone who wears polish often).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Lancome - Juicy Tubes in Miracle
chriquen 11/11/2008 7:10:00 PM
I found this just okay. It's light pink in the tube, goes on clear with lots of sparkle/glitter. The scent is kind of a sweet jasmine tea, which I like. But it's too sticky and gritty for me, and despite being rather thick, not moisturizing at all. When wearing this, I also find random pieces of glitter elsewhere on my face (lol).
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Styling Products -Clinique - Non-Aerosol Hairspray
chriquen 10/30/2008 12:45:00 PM
I found that this had no hold.. at all. It just "dirtied" my hair kind of like a texturing product would do, but it didn't help with flyaways or those little baby hair fuzzies around my hairline.
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Treatments -Makeup Artist's Choice (MUAC) - TCA Peel
chriquen 10/2/2008 12:50:00 PM
I use this product for bad acne scarring and sundamage, and this has been fantastic for treating it. (If you're looking for a peel to get that healthy, glowy look and have no major skin issues - purchase the lactic instead). I started with the 8% and am now on the 12.5%. For me, the 8% was mild enough so that it required no downtime and had minimal peeling. With the 12.5%, I get some stinging (not too bad ime, pain is less than with waxing), occasional frosting, tight and crepey skin for a few days, then very noticable peeling from about day 5-8 (looks like I covered my skin in elmer's glue and tried to rub it off). YMMV of course, but it's a good idea to plan ahead so you don't look all reptilian on a big date or something. I cover with polysporin for the first day or two, then go back to my regular routine. I notice subtle results after I'm done peeling, but it gets better and better each time and the cumulative results are amazing. Scars have faded and the giant sunspot I've had on my cheek is more or less gone. I'll definitely repurchase when I run out (might be a while bc sample sizes are so generous).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Nivea - Lip Care
chriquen 9/11/2008 6:12:00 AM
This is for the Essential (dark blue tube). I've read a lot about the labello balms and how great they are, but I did not find this any more moisturizing than regular chapstick. It has a thin texture, which I think contributes to how quickly it wears off. I also dislike the scent, which I find rather strong and perfumey (though I admit I'm used to fragrance free products).
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Treatments -DDF - Benzoyl Peroxide Gel 5% with Tea Tree Oil
chriquen 8/21/2008 4:15:00 PM
I credit this product with basically saving my skin. I had tried every acne treatment short of accutane and wasn't getting results. This product in combination with azelaic acid has done wonders. For those who are sensitive to cones like I am, this is a great BP product that doesn't contain any. BP is drying, so I follow the acne.org regimen and apply moisturizer a few minutes later, and skin is clear and nonflaky. Sometimes I notice that the gel separates and water comes out when I squeeze the tube, so I just shake it a bit and that fixes the problem. This works great for both preventing and treating acne. HG!
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Mascara -Kiss Me - HEROINE MAKE long and curl mascara (black)
chriquen 7/30/2008 12:38:00 AM
I visited Japan recently and made a note to stock up on tube mascaras (the only kind that doesn't smudge on me). Being that I can't read Japanese, I had mistakenly thought this was the tube one, only to find out it wasn't when it smudged on me (and also had to use my oil cleanser to take this off). The results, however, are the best I've ever had in any mascara. I have typically short Asian lashes that never hold a curl. With this mascara, I can achieve that false lashes look with two coats (though I stick to one coat usually) and the curl lasts all day. The thin, curved brush also makes it easy to reach all of my puny lashes, even ones at the outer corner. Examining the brush closely, you can also see tiny fibers (maybe about half the length of fiberwig's fibers). And from what I can tell from the packaging pictures, this is a waterproof formula. This isn't HG, but I'd most likely repurchase for the dramatic effects and since the smudging, though present, isn't as bad as most other mascaras. For normal/nonoily people, the smudging would probably not even be an issue.
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