Lipstick -Clinique - Moisture Surge - Fizzy
bellabambina 8/12/2003 1:47:00 AM
Just swiped this on today. First impression: boring color!!! I give it three lippies because it's decent. Need to try this a few more times and will update, but that's my first impression! OKAY, update: Not too bad. It's a little shimmery and it moisturizes great, which is nice, but it is rather pale on the other hand for me personally. But it's great if I want to play down my lips a little but still have a little kick of shimmer. Okay, so-so. I give it 3 (would give 3.5 if possible).
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Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant
bellabambina 8/11/2003 1:20:00 AM
Amazing stuff, works like a charm to remove dry flaky skin and dark or rough patches. NOTE: I have only used this on neck & body. Not on my face. So I can't speak to its suitability for the facial area.
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Conditioner -Clinique - clinique super condition
bellabambina 8/10/2003 2:07:00 AM
This is my staple conditioner. It is rich and creamy (not watery), leaves my long hair manageable and soft but not weighed down, it doesn't smell funky...what else can I ask for? Well, I wish it was cheaper, but if I HAVE to splurge on something, then I will. To me, $11 for 6.7 oz. on something I use everyday (and I have long hair too) is a bit of a splurge--okay, I don't have a huge beauty budget!! But it is well worth it in this case. Sometimes the little flip-top flap will pop off of the cap, but this is such a small complaint (and rare occurrence) as to be completely forgivable.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Different Lipstick
bellabambina 8/9/2003 6:26:00 PM
A great standard lipstick!
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Treatments (Eye) -Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex
bellabambina 8/9/2003 2:11:00 AM
Got this in a GWP. Personally, I wouldn't buy this (too expensive really), but when it's in a GWP I am pretty tempted to buy something else to get this!!! I like the moisture level and the smoothness upon application.
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Scrubs -Fresh - Brown Sugar Body Polish
bellabambina 8/8/2003 11:12:00 PM
I haven't bought this, but sampled some. I can't believe any sane person would blow $60 on this. Get thee some almond oil, some brown sugar (costing you about $10 total--grab an empty glass jar from the kitchen), mix it up, and there you go. It's practically the same thing. All the other oils and extracts in this don't have much effect: it's just the primary oil and the sugar that account for the exfoliating; the other extracts and oils are just there (in miniscule amounts) to make it seem fancier (and smell more interesting), I think! Who would pay $60 for oil and sugar? And why??? Save $50 and buy something else with the difference! Throw in a squirt of lemon juice and you've got your lemon scent too! That's your truly "FRESH" scrub right there!! ;)
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Other -Tom's of Maine - Peppermint Baking Soda Toothpaste
bellabambina 8/8/2003 10:32:00 PM
Tom's of Maine's is okay. Not amazing, not terrible, just okay in my opinion. Pros: All natural, no saccharin, comes in many flavors, and best of all they have homeopathic varieties (without peppermint) which is great if you take any homeopathic remedies. Doesn't cost too much compared to other "natural" toothpastes. Cons: Doesn't feel very gentle, esp. for sensitive teeth and gums; doesn't foam significantly; effect isn't very long-lasting (teeth feel cleaner longer with regular brands); has a slightly chalky texture which turns runny in the mouth (instead of a dense foaming action which I prefer). Costs a lot compared to mainstream brands. Personally, I went the "health-food store toothpaste" route for about 2 years before going back to Colgate "Total" and Rembrandt Naturals for Sensitive Teeth. I only use Tom's when using homeopathic remedies.
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Treatments -Paula's Choice - Super Antioxidant Concentrate
bellabambina 8/8/2003 6:48:00 PM
Although I give this product 4 lippies for the concentrate itself and the fairly reasonable price, I will not repurchase. Personally, I have had terrible problems getting anything out of the annoying little dropper bottle. I have to squeeze it so hard to get anything out, that my hand hurts. One time the top actually popped off because I had to squeeze the bottle so hard just to get a lousy drop out. Anyway, then, when a whole bunch of this serum came out, I smoothed it all on my face so as not to waste it. I thought it felt OK on the skin and my skin did feel smoother after applying. The ingredients seem to be top-notch and good quality, with no fragrance of course, which is all very positive. If Paula would package this a little differently, I would be pleased, but I hate this little dropper bottle--so I am not pleased at all. Since I am not having any major wrinkle problems anyway (had purchased this to smooth onto my neck and under the eyes, as a sort of insurance against wrinkling), I can do without this until and unless she improves the packaging. I purchased this when it first came out; so maybe she has indeed changed the packaging since then (I sure as heck hope so--because I really hate this dumb little dropper bottle). UPDATE: I am making this 3 lippies and not 4. A bottle that makes something so hard to use, that I had to put it away and forget about it...that's really no good, especially considering the $17.95 price tag (I think that's how much) for 1 fl. oz. Very wasteful. Don't like that, nor do I like the fact that I will have the hassle of sending it back if I choose to get a refund. ANOTHER UPDATE: It seems she HAS changed the bottle. I checked out the one my friend recently ordered and the dropper works fine (like I wish mine would. FINAL UPDATE: I decided not to repurchase, after re-evaluating, I found this is actually too heavy for oily skin and causes breakouts, so forget this one if you are acne-prone!
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Lipstick -Ulta - All Over Color Lip Crayon (all colors)
bellabambina 8/8/2003 4:15:00 AM
I tried this in some dark shade--I think "Blackberry" or something like that. I like the concept, but found unless my lips are very moist, this ends up looking too dry and accentuating any dryness or flakes. I just can't get away with wearing this type of product long-term, or frequently, without having seriously dry lips. So, no, have no plans to repurchase. I am interested in trying the UD "Pleather Pencils" as they seem more moisturizing (at least according to many reviewers here), but if they are like these Ulta pencils, that may not work out for me either!!
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Lip Treatments -Almay - Pure Tints Protective Lip Care
bellabambina 8/8/2003 2:54:00 AM
Well, I was excited about this since I heard good things about it (elsewhere-not on this site). I got it in Berry on sale, very cheap. I love the color (bright and deep colors look good on my tan skin), but it wasn't terribly long lasting, and it transformed into a sheerer wash of color after some time on the lips (which is pretty much what I expected for something called "Tints" anyway). I actually prefer the look of full-on lipstick, so I like the full-coverage look that appears when just applied (as opposed to the somewhat sheerer look that soon replaces it). But that's OK--overall, I would say I like the amount of color this gives the lips well enough and I forgive the fact that they are not long-lasting at all in view of the fact they are only "tints," after all. The bad thing is that for some unknown reason (just as previous reviewer "Mayday" and some other people below apparently have experienced), the stick of lipcolor broke off in the tube, so one piece was attached to the bottom of the tube, and the other part wasn't. So when I tried to retract the lipstick downwards after using, the part that broke off at the top didn't go anywhere and I had to push it down manually into the tube. I wonder why that happened--I noticed it the first time I used this. I guess it's just cheap, cheesy packaging. I'm not sure it's worth my while to run back to Rite Aid to get a replacement (maybe I will though). This might have gotten 4 or even 5 stars from me if this defect hadn't surfaced.
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Lipstick -Cover Girl - Continuous Color Lip Stick [DISCONTINUED]
bellabambina 8/8/2003 1:33:00 AM
Well, I haven't experienced the negatives of this lipstick as have many others here. I found this to be a very standard, fragrance-free, slightly emollient lipstick with no obvious defects or downfalls. I own several colors of this and there is only one I don't like. The one I don't like is labeled as sheer--but it is so sheer on my lips as to be practically non-existent on the lips in terms of color, which I don't like (why wear lipstick at all, then?). But the rest that I own are your standard lipcolors. Nope, no problems with this product from this end. This is MUCH MUCH nicer than jane's greasy slippery lip huggers, for instance. Try this; don't be deterred by the negative reviews if you're looking for a cheap lipstick that does the job well.
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Lipstick -Urban Decay - Ink Lip Stain in Spank
bellabambina 8/8/2003 1:23:00 AM
See my review in the general "UD Lip Ink Stain" section. To briefly summarize, I tried this in Spank--loved the color, but hated the dryness and lip damage (contains alcohol as one of the first ingredients--bleecchh) and wasn't too keen on the mode of application (coloring onto the lips w/ a magic marker, in effect). Returned it and thankfully got my $17 back--thank you, Nordstrom!. :)
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Skincare - Face -Clinique - Facial Soap-Extra Strength
bellabambina 8/7/2003 12:58:00 AM
Do your face a favor and don't use this! This soap isn't going to help anybody's skin look better at all. I used to use this thinking it was all there was for my oily, acne-prone skin, but now that I know better (I use Paula's Choice cleansers and other products), I just want to tell people not to waste their time or money with this or anything else in the Clinique 3-Step System (which to me is one of the biggest scams going). I know Clinique has convinced some people that this stuff works, and it may actually in fact do something more for your skin than nothing at all, but if you want really nice skin, don't use any part of Clinique 3-Step!!!
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Treatments (Eye) -Clinique - All About Eyes
bellabambina 8/7/2003 12:38:00 AM
This is an "OK" product in my opinion. Problem: it doesn't really do much for the undereye area in terms of hydration. If you have really dry skin there, it won't even register as having been applied, because the moisturizing effect is minimal. I guess it's good for those with oily skin who want to put SOMETHING under the eyes, but chances are if you're putting something there at all, it's because you need some substantial hydration. In that case, this won't work for you. I would prefer a tube over the jar format of packaging. In addition, I can't understand the price charged for this product at all: quite exorbitant for what (and the amount) you get. It's OK when I get this in a bonus though: I do tuck the sample size in my cosmetics bag and use it sometimes for emergency hydration (on any part of my face that is a little dry, not just under-eye), but again, it is not really very moisturizing so the effect doesn't last long. Just a so-so product for me personally. The positive is that it is non-irritating, fragrance-free, and has a nice texture, leaving a smooth feel on the skin--not too greasy.
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Lip Gloss -Clinique - Liquid Lipstick SPF 15
bellabambina 8/7/2003 12:27:00 AM
I have many shades of this from GWP's. Most recently, I tried Teddy Bear, which is a nice browny-mauvey shade. It's not bad; a standard liquid lipstick in my opinion, which does what can be expected of such a product. The smell is a little weird and synthetic-like (not a fragrance since it is fragrance- free, but just the smell of the product itself I suppose). However, it didn't bug me enough to put me off from wearing this. I like the fact this goes on nice and glossy, but opaque at the same time (looks more like lipstick than gloss, but has a definite, and attractive, shine). The bad part is how easily it comes off on your glass, your boyfriend, or anything else your lips come in contact with. It has almost no staying power whatsoever, so be prepared to tote it around with you all day and reapply after eating, kissing, etc.
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