Cleansers -Nivea - Nivea Visage Oxygen Power Reviving Cleansing Gel
danai 12/28/2008 3:49:00 PM
I just finished my first bottle of this cleanser and it left me with a good impression in general. It's a clear gel that lathers when you massage it onto the skin. It also contains white beads that dissolve as you spread the gel around; I think they are supposed to contain the oxygen. The product has a refreshing, though somewhat strong, smell. As far as I can tell, it leaves the skin squeaky clean; so clean that it does feel a little tight afterwards, but i don't mind that because my skin is oily and I like my cleanser to leave my skin matte and without any trace of oil. Of course I do moisturize right after cleansing, so that takes care of the tightness. It never caused me any kind of irritation and, though it didn't clear my imperfections, it didn't cause any additional ones. The bottle is nice and convenient, however, when there's a little product left, you have to keep it upside down so you can use it all up. The price is ok; not expensive, but also not the cheapest in the bunch. All in all this is a nice cleanser, but I think it's not the best option for people who have dry skin, or for the very cold months. I'll probably use something else now that it's freezing and get it again when the weather gets a bit warmer.
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Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Vanilla Spice Body Butter
danai 12/26/2008 12:37:00 PM
I had my eyes on this for a couple of weeks and finally got it as a present yesterday from somone who was kind enough to notice. I used it for the very first time about a couple of hours ago, so it may be a little too early to tell, but I was impressed so I'll write down my thoughts anyway and update if needed. Well I've stayed away from the Body Shop body butters so far because I am not a fan of greasy body creams; however this one, though thick and rich, did not leave me sticky or greasy. The consistency of this is somehow lighter than you would expect for a cream this thick; it slides on the skin nicely and feels luxurious and pampering. The scent is divine, strong and rich. It seems to linger; I still smell it on me and it feels amazing. I detect much more cinnamon than vanilla. It's a sweet, warm and cozy scent, perfect for cold, winter days. It smells exactly like the Christmas cinnamon and ginger biscuits I got from IKEA - which by the way I also strongly recommend :-). As for moisturising, it certainly does that too: my skin feels soft and velvety now. On the downside, at 17,50 I find it overpriced, which is one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of The Body Shop in general; many of the products - though not all - are priced as if TBS were a luxury brand, which isn't really the case, is it? However this cream makes me so happy, that I plan to get it again myself next Christmas. If you are a fan of sweet, warm, foody scents I think you will love this. It's an awesome treat for the senses. *U P D A T E* A couple of days later, I'm growing fonder and fonder of this cream. I'd only like to add three things; first, it is now bf approved; he totally loved it. Second, it does linger girls, and it lingers a lot. It will probably interfere with your perfume, but with this on, why wear perfume at all? It's just as good. Third, it's the perfect cold weather cream; I kind of feel it form a protective layer on my skin. Bottom line, if you like the scent go out and invest!!
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Lotions/ Creams -Palmers - Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula
danai 12/13/2008 2:20:00 PM
Pros: - This cream admittedly does its job as promised; it moisturises very well, making skin velvety soft and smooth. - Even though it has a pleasantly rich and thick consistency, it sinks in immidiately, leaving no greasiness behind at all. Also a little bit goes a long way and it's easy to spread around. Cons: - Extremely strong and sweet chocolate scent, to the point that it gets annoying. And to think that I adore sweet scents and own about a billion bath products and creams that smell of chocolate/caramel/honey and so on. Unfortunately it would be no exaggeration to say that sometimes this scent gets so cloying I can seriously not stand to smell it. It gets to the point that smelling it turns me off chocolate (which is not necessarily a bad thing:-D). However when the weather is cold the scent gets easier for me to handle, kind of comforting even. - I wholeheartedly *h a t e* the flip top bottle; I'm not even halfway through the bottle and I have to squeeze it like my life depends on it to get the cream out. It's really frustrating. All in all this product does its job very well. The smell part is totally subjective and I can see most people love it to bits. Therefore even though I didn't give it a rave review, I will probably keep a bottle around for times when my skin gets difficult. However I plan to avoid the flip top bottle version like the darn plague. * UPDATE * Well, I have to admit I underestimated this product; having used it for a while, I have to tell you, it may be simple but boy does it moisturise!! Cheesy as it sounds, this turns scaly skin into velvet. Actually, other than a medicated cream I get from the farmacy for double the price, this is the only cream that calms down my difficult lower leg skin after epilating. For that it does deserve one more lippie; if only the smell were a bit toned down and the packaging a bit better...
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Fragrance -Jean Paul Gaultier - Le Male
danai 12/13/2008 1:49:00 PM
This frag blows me away.It's as simple as that. When I was in High School, a guy I was desperately in love with wore it every day. I was drooling over him like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately the feeling wasn't mutual, so the image this scent brought to my mind ever since was "untouchable gorgeous man". Recently my dad started wearing it; needless to say that was enough to shed the fantasies I had connected this frag with to pieces:-D I tried to get my bf to buy it so that I could bring them back, but he was like "are you serious, your father wears this, no way in hell". I have to admit he was right. Anyway if you are a guy, go out and buy asap ;-) If you are a girl,this will make your significant other good enough to eat :-)
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Gels/Soaps -Unlisted Brand - Palmolive Pure Cashmere Intense Hydration Shower Cream
danai 12/13/2008 1:33:00 PM
Well this one is really good; maybe the best shower gel I've ever tried. Very relaxing, smells divine, gives some luxurious lather and leaves skin nice and soft. I've only purchased this a couple of times because I like to try a different scent each time when it comes to bath products, but this is one of the very few that I would definitely recommend and buy again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Givenchy - Phenomen'eyes Mascara
danai 12/13/2008 1:24:00 PM
*U P D A T E* I hate to admit I was wrong - or, more precisely, not completely right, especially when urging people to go buy overpriced mascara is involved. It seems I was too quick to get excited with this one - should have known better than to review this just a couple of days after buying it. This mascara has one major drawback: it takes FOREVER to apply. And I mean forever. I wiggle and wiggle my poor hand and I still have one and a half eye to go!!! Seriously, it takes a lot of patience; be ready for that. But that's not the only problem. I have also found, it tends to clump groups of lashes together. The sphere-like brush is theoretically designed to get each and every lash individually, but come on, in reality it's impossible to do that; it gets small groups of lashes instead and tends to turn them into one big lash. Plus, it doesn't give you volume. Very dramatic length yes, volume, nope. So I'll have to take two lippies off my original rating and state that no, at that price I wouldn't buy again. It's not bad though; it does give extraordinary length, hasn't smudged on me yet plus bf once noticed something different and pretty about my lashes (that was a first). Bottom line: worth a try if your budget allows trial and (possible) error. If not, I don't think it's really worth saving up for. *Original review* I don't usually buy high end make up; I think there's drugstore stuff that performs just as good for a fraction of the price. However I had my eyes on this mascara for quite a long time, mostly because of the innovative brush shape. To be honest, I was curious whether it would really work, but I just couldn't bring myself to fork out those 25. Fortunately a couple of weeks ago my fav store had a 25% discount at HE brands, which brought the price of this down to 19, so I thought what the heck, after all you get L'Oreal mascaras for 19 here (yup, in Greece DS make up isn't that cheap either). Anyway I don't regret getting this mascara one bit. The first time I tried it I went like oh my Goodness, this really DOES deliver. I had actually never seen my lashes sooo long and luscious; it was impressive to say the least. Now I'm getting used to the effect and I love it. The logic behind the brush is quite simple; it's small and flexible enough to get literally every single lash. Of course the downside to that is, application takes some care, time and effort; a couple of zigzags won't do. But to me that's ok, because I keep this exclusively for special occasions, when I have the time and willingness to use it properly. After all, it's an expensive product which gives quite a flashy and glamorous result; not for every day in my opinion. Now on me fortunately it hasn't smudged or flaked so far. It does take a bit of effort to take off, but my HG Garnier wipes are above that.The packaging is awesome; you get a pretty container and even an instruction sheet. To sum things up this is ideal if you are going for a glamorous look. It is quite pricy but if I run out I will most probably save up and repurchase.
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Moisturizers -Johnson & Johnson - 24 hour facial moisturiser
danai 12/12/2008 7:21:00 AM
Let me start by saying I had the same experience as the previous reviewer; bought this not expecting too much since it's the cheapest moisturizer I ever owned (about 6), but it exceeded my expectations by far; I've had moisturizers three times the price that were nowhere near as good. Therefore I give it all five lippies with great pleasure. This comes in some variations for different skin types; I'm a little confused with the one I got, because on the container I read "specially designed for oily and combination skin" in greek, and "combination skin" (only), in english. Now on to the actual product. Whether this is designed for oily skin or not, it fits my (rather oily) skin perfectly. It has a very light, fluffy, a bit gel-like consistency. It glides on the skin smoothly, feels refreshing and sinks right in leaving no shine or greasiness behind, which is t h e number one thing I expect my moisturizer to do. If I look shiny or greasy when I've just applied it, it is simply not to get anywhere near my face again. This does not at all disappoint, plus it keeps shine away for a while. Furthermore, though it doesn't magically clear out my ever existing imperfections, it does make my skin look smoother, plus it never caused me to get one extra pimple. For a light moisturizer, it also does a decent job actually moisturising; my skin feels nice and soft. Only downside is that it's packaged in a jar so I get it under my nails all the time, but that's not really a dealbreaker to me. To sum things up, this is a product that is more than reasonably priced but not at all cheaply made. It won't give you miracles but it does what it promises. Unless your skin is severely problematic, I say give it a try. I'm very pleased and will most probably keep buying.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Nivea - Pampering honey mask
danai 12/12/2008 6:51:00 AM
This mask is made for dry/sensitive skin. My skin is actually oily and prone to imperfections; I'm not sure but I think that skin that tends to form imperfections out of nowhere can be called sensitive. In addition to that, using moisturizers made for oily skin, though beneficial on many levels, does tend to dry up even oily skin, at least at certain areas. Anyway I decided my skin could use some extra moisture, plus I tend to love anything that contains honey, so I tried this. It has a thick, creamy consistency and feels great on the skin. I feel quite relaxed and pampered having it on, plus it has a nice, subtle honey-ish smell. When I washed it off after 15 minutes, my skin felt softer to the touch and looked more glowy. I was quite pleased at the result and went to sleep. The next day, around 6 pm, while I was having coffee with my bf, he suddenly asked if I had done something to my face, as it looked extra smooth and glowy to him. Considering I don't use foundation and hadn't done anything special with my makeup, I came to the conclusion that it was actually this mask. Needless to say I was more than thrilled. I ran and bought some more soon after:-) The packaging is pretty convenient to me; you get two seperate sachets of product; each contains enough for you to also rub into your hands:-)) That means you can carry it anywhere and if you decide it's not for you, you won't get stuck with a whole tub of product you will never use. The price is also ok to me; about 1,50 for two sachets (=two applications). To sum things up, this is a great pick-me-up treatment which makes me feel extra pampered and you know all of us could use some of that feeling:-) I'll keep stocking up.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Honey
danai 12/12/2008 6:20:00 AM
A while ago I came across an interview of a successful Greek model in a fav mag of mine. When asked to reveal one of her beauty secrets, she said she mixes honey with sugar and uses the mixture as a facial scrub.I was quite intrigued and had to try it myself, since it's extremely easy to make plus I keep a jar of honey in my kitchen at all times. Well the result was a positive shock: the scrub left my skin incredibly smooth and glowy. When I put on moisturizer afterwards, it literally felt as if I was spreading the cream on a glass surface. I was absolutely wowed. Needless to say that simple scrub has become part of my skincare routine ever since. But my rave about honey certainly doesn't stop there. I enjoy both the smell and the taste of it. I use it instead of sugar in my tea and as a spread on bread or toast. It also helps soothe a sore throat, plus it is said to be super healthy and beneficial. In addition to that, I am instantly drawn to any product that is supposed to contain honey as an ingredient or smell like honey; I've bought billions of bath products, creams, soaps and lotions because of that. All in all I love everything about honey; honey as food, honey as a skin treatment, honey as a product ingredient and so on. In my opinion, honey is one of the best things nature has to offer. Try it (but make sure you're not allergic first).
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Bourjois - Effet Liner Mascara
danai 11/12/2008 12:07:00 PM
Well I had my eyes on this mascara for about a month; it hasn't been reviewed yet,probably because it's new, so I was a bit reluctant to invest in it. Finally I gave in yesterday and got it in purple. Now what this promises to do, is create the illusion that you have used eye liner in the inside rim of your upper lashes, hence give you "a perfect doe eyed look" (as is stated on the container). Quite an attractive prospect to me, as I' m always looking for things that help make my eyes look wider (I happen to find them somewhat small), plus I find eyeliner fussy to use, especially in my upper rim. And well I have to say this DOES work after all. Yay:-))) The brush is actually double sided; one side has very short spikes, while the other has long ones. You are obviously supposed to use it in two steps: first you use the long spikes to put on the mascara as you normally would, and then you use the short spikes to apply the mascara to the very roots of your lashes, which is actually what is supposed to create the liner effect. Now, on to how it performed; I actually really, seriously liked it. And I liked it a lot. First of all, the actual mascara did not clump at all and seperated my lashes perfectly well. The first step didn't give any dramatic volume or length; just nice, perfectly seperated, soft, defined lashes. However the second step is the whole deal. Using the short spikes on the roots really made that particular part of my lashes look much thicker; the result was indeed the illusion of me having used eyeliner, therefore my eyes looked wider and almond shaped, which is exactly what I' m always trying to achieve. Also no flaking or smudging. I was pretty much wowed. The container is a bit bulky but ok; the price is fine with me ( 15 here); not the cheapest available, not expensive either. Color selection is quite interesting; where I usually shop, apart from the purple one I got, black, brown, blue and green were also available. I would honestly have given this five lippies, if it wasn't for this small drawback; the purple doesn't really look very purple on my lashes; you could mistake it for plain black any day. All in all ladies I don't recommend this if you are going for the x12 volume kind of thing. But if you want the wide-eyed, almond shaped, defined look, make sure you give this mascara a try ASAP. * U P D A T E* After having used this a lot, I have, too, found that the best way to apply is to start using the short spikes on the base of the lashes first, and then go on and use the long ones all over the lashes. That way you do get incredible volume and thickness besides the wide eyed look. And I have to add, this takes time and care to do without poking your eye, but the results are so worth it.
13 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Maybelline - Express Finish Nail Polish (any color)
danai 11/9/2008 3:47:00 PM
This is my favorite nail polish so far. As I am a rather impatient person, I want a polish to dry asap; I get very annoyed having to sit around unable to do anything for fear of ruining my fresh manicure. I'd rather have to re-do my nails more often than have to wait forever. This one didn't disappoint me. I've tried it in about five color versions, and most of them were pretty good. First of all this does dry fast; ok, it takes a bit more than 40 seconds to completely settle, but not more than a couple of minutes go by and I' m ready to apply the next coat. In addition to that, two coats are usually enough to give me a nice, opaque result; only one of the colors I' ve tried takes more than three coats to get there (a light pink one, Peach Fantasy I think - I've never really had much luck with milky pinks, which is a shame because I adore them). This polish will also not chip immidiately; usually it stays intact for about three to four days. The price is ok too; about 5 where I live. All in all I think I'll keep purchasing this one, unless of course something much better comes along.
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Moisturizers -Korres - Pomegranate Balancing Moisturizer
danai 10/29/2008 8:56:00 PM
I have quite oily skin with imperfections, not the severe acne kind, but more like a couple of bad zits here, some tiny bumps there, a few red spots, plus some big pores. Therefore I need a moisturizer that a) keeps my skin matte for a while and b) reduces imperfections, at the very least. I went through two or three jars of this moisturizer a couple of years ago and then switched to something else. Recently I somehow thought I'd give it another try, because I couldn't quite recall what made me give up on it. Well now I have my answers. This product is actually advertised as a light moisturizer for combo/oily skin, which controls oil and helps calm down problem areas and reduces pore size. It does none of the above for me. More specifically, it does nothing for my existing imperfections, doesn't prevent new ones from popping up and does nothing in the pore size department. However, what seriously annoys me about this cream is that it does NOT give me a matte finish, but the exact opposite; it actually leaves my face shinier and, dare I say, oilier than before. This is the one thing I cannot tolerate by any means. The cream is indeed very thin and light, but surprisingly makes my skin look like I just covered it with something heavy and greasy - exactly what I DO NOT want. Now you may ask, does it actually moisturize? To tell you the truth, I have absolutely no idea. You see, when you have skin like mine - not severely problematic, but still covered with small bumps, red spots and mperfections in general, it just won't feel/look smooth or radiant unless the oiliness and the imperfections are reduced. As this cream leaves me with all my bumpy and red spots in full effect, only oilier and shinier than before (and therefore even a bit more visible), my skin just looks and feels as dull and tired as it would if I hadn't moisturized at all. Of course the scent is pleasant, as in all Korres products I have tried. Furthermore, it is incredibly reasonably priced for a moisturizer, at least where I live (12). However I've heard that's not necessarily the case in other countries. To sum things up, I understand that whether a moisturizer works or not often depends on the specific needs and taste of the person using it. However I would not recommend this one, simply because, while it was advertised to meet my needs, it actually gave me the kind of results I try to avoid. I'll give it one last chance when the winter gets really cold (and if things change I promise to update), but I don't really see it working.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bourjois - Lune D'or
danai 10/28/2008 7:33:00 PM
I recently also got the Rose D' Or version of this blush and fell in love with it right away. I just couldn't believe it could get any better, but rurprisingly it does, and Lune D' Or is It. Like many have said before me, it is the most gorgeous peachy golden beige shade you can imagine. Unlike Rose D' Or, which is a deliciously girly pink that makes cheeks look flushed, this one is a soft champagne shade that gives the most subtle, barely - there but positively gorgeous glow. And, unlike Rose D' Or which is unfortunately easy to overdo (I have quite fair skin), I can pile up on this without it looking clownish at all. It gives more of a sunkissed healthy glow rather than a rosy, flushed effect. Therefore if you are extremely pale and don't seem to be able to pull blush off, this is exactly what you need. It will make your face glow. You can also use it as a highlighter I suppose, though I haven't tried that yet. The packaging is super cute but a bit brittle. When you open the pot, a scent that is irresistible to me is unleashed. Understandably you may not be thrilled about your blush smelling, but I am absolutely mad about the scent, to the point that I have to push myself to stop sniffing it and close the container after I'm done applying. The price is absolutely fine, in fact considering how good the product is and the quantity you get, I'd pay double the money for it. The powder is pressed, therefore it's not too easy to get on the brush, but I don't really mind that. The brush provided doesn't quite work for me and I see I'm not the only one, so you're probably better off using a bigger, softer one. To sum things up, this is awesome. If I ever run out, which doesn't seem probable in the near future, I'll definitely repurchase.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Nivea - Body Smooth Sensation Daily Lotion for Dry Skin
danai 10/27/2008 10:41:00 AM
This lotion does what it promises; it really moisturises very well. My skin is not really that dry to begin with, but this does keep it velvety soft and quite smooth. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and I do see some improvement, though not on the driest of areas yet. The scent is a lighter version of the typical Nivea one, which is a little too sharp and floral for my taste, but I still find comforting and pleasant. The texture is fantastic, light but rich if that makes sense. It also sinks right in and isn't greasy. What I'm not so crazy about is the fact that it doesn't completely disappear into my skin right away; I do get a slight - though not greasy - "film" feeling on some parts of my body that lingers for some hours after having used this, and I personally prefer lotions that will melt right into my skin as fast as possible leaving no traces behind but a subtle scent. However a lot of people don't like their lotion to completely disappear right away, but prefer to feel like they have a little something on that's working for them instead. So what is a disadvantage to me would probably be an advantage to many others. To sum things up, this lotion is a keeper; it'll keep you soft all day, plus it will keep you aware of its presence discretely and nicely for a little while.
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Cleansers -Garnier - Complete Cleansing Wipes with Cleansing Micro-oils + Rose - Dry & Sensitive Skin
danai 10/26/2008 9:33:00 PM
Usually every makeup remover I try - be it lotion or wipes - will make my eyes sting horribly and occasionaly even irritate them, without really taking every single trace away. I guess this means I have sensitive eyes. These wipes are the one and o n l y thing that doesn't make my eyes hurt like hell when I take off my makeup. They also do the job effortlessly; I normally won't use any foundation, but I do use tons of under-eye concealer multiple times a day and, from time to time, I tend to pile up on the eye makeup too. A perfect example would be tonight; I came home with lots of concealer, three shades of eyeshadow, two shades of (dark) eyeliner and multiple layers of mascara on. These wipes took everything away in about two minutes, leaving absolutely no trace whatsoever, without any kind of discomfort. These are quite cheap too; about 4 a pack of 25. The packaging is not that great, it does tend to not close after a while, so you want to store it upside down, so that the wipes stay moist. All in all a wonderful cleanser for those who have trouble removing makeup efoortlessly and without discomfort, especially around the eye area.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No