Lipstick -Stephane Marais - Baume Douceur Brillant pour les Lévres (Sheer Lipstick)
Marianne 8/29/2004 10:32:00 PM
$25 and worth every penny! (The regular formula lipsticks are $22.) My new favorite sheer lipstick. I thought that Armani was my un-toppable favorite. That just shows you that records are just made to be broken! I also thought I'd never spend more than $23 on a lipstick, but that's before I bought my first glossimer! ;-)
Slight chemical taste on application, which fades quickly. Feels moisturizing but not heavy at all! Smooth application! Awesome pigmentation, but still translucent! Aaaand... it lasts much longer than any sheer lipstick I've ever tried! This is something that I need in a lipstick! My lipstick seems to always fade in an hour, and I don't have time to keep reapplying anymore!
I need more, more, more Marais! The color I have for the moment is #6... (don't worry, #6 will soon have many brothers and sisters!) in the tube, it's rather a dark deep brown-based berry with a hint of gold shimmer. It vaguely reminded me of my old never-fail lip color favorite, Stila Luce! I have been desperately looking for an updated version of Luce, and I found it! On the lips, the color is a beautiful translucent rosy-brown. It doesn't really have the mauve undertone that Luce had, but its tranlucency makes it special... I've never found a rose-brown that had that characteristic! And the subtle gold shimmer just was perfect! It really was what I wanted in an updated Luce... Luce was beginning to feel to heavy, too matte for me. This was perfect! My bank account is in trouble! What a wicked(ly wonderful) man you are, Stephane Marais!
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Mascara -Stephane Marais - Mascara Comb
Marianne 8/29/2004 4:30:00 PM
$23.50 and worth it! I am in love. I thought I found pretty decent mascaras that were "just about" perfect. Armani mascaras made my lashes lush and long and gave a lovely curl, but smudged on me (it wasn't as bad as other mascaras, and the effect was very nice, so I tolerated the raccoon eyes!) Kiss Me Masara gave great lengthening, and didn't budge at all! But nothing was exactly perfect. Plus, I have really strange eyelashes. Even when I curl them, I can never ever get to the base of the lash. Well, thanks to Mr. Marais, all that has changed!!
I admit, I was very unsure that this would work for me. A comb at the end of a mascara wand?! I didn't think so. And b/c of hygienic purposes, I couldn't test out the comb at the store (however, I totally support the practice, I know I wouldn't want to use a tested eye mascara comb!!) Well, I was soooo happy I bought it! I was able to reach the base of my lashes, which really made a huge differences to my skimpy, thin, short lashes! The mascara also curled my lashes very nicely! The comb is a bit tricky to use at first... You can't overdo it, or you will get spidery lashes. But once you get it (I practiced twice and got it down) then it's wonderful! I was abloe to get my bottom lashes too, which has been impossible until now! My bottom lashes are even more strange than my top lashes, and so other mascaras never could reach them. Until now! And it makes such a difference to have mascara on them!! The mascara dries really quickly, and I have yet to have it smudge on me. I am a total blinker, and I haven't had the mascara get all over the place even once. I've cried, taken long naps, and worked through humid conditions, and it stays the day through! There are some fun lovely colors, I need to get the champagne-gold next, to put on the tips of the lashes! I got the glossy black color. I can't rave enough about this!
The only minor thing is that I have very sensitive eyes, and I notice that if my allergies are really bad, or if my ocular rosacea is acting up, I don't think I could use this... but then when my allergies/rosacea act up, I can't wear *any* make-up at all! It also seems like it might be hard to remove wihtout a very good make-up remover. I don't have a problem, b/c I use DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil which is a dreaaaam, it just dissolves everything instantly, which is perfect, as tugging at my eyes to remove make-up is a huge no-no for me due to my eye probs. So be sure to have a good cleanser on hand, and you are golden! ;-)
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Mascara -Giorgio Armani - Star Lash
Marianne 6/4/2004 6:00:00 PM
UPDATE (8/29/04): had to lower this to a 4. Although it makes my lashes look wonderful, it does smudge too much to be a 5. For those who don't have a trouble with smudging, this is a must-try!
Ugh! I was torn between a 4 or a 5, but this item is more of a 5 than a 4, IMHO! I thought that the original couldn't be surpassed, but this baby not only lengthens and curls, but it gives really nice volume! My lashes look more dramatic, but not in a spidery way. This is defn. more volumizing, and I'd use it for when I wanted my lashes to stand out more. The original is nice for a more subtle, natural look. I have straight-as-a-stick short lashes, so you must understand how amazed I am that the Armani mascaras can make my lashes look so nice! Now, why in the world would I not give it a perfect 5? Like all mascaras on the planet (besides my trusty Kiss Me, which, alas straightens my lashes no matter what) this one smudges. Not awfully. But it does. Ah well! Maybe it's just me??
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Lip Gloss -Giorgio Armani - Lip Shimmer #9
Marianne 6/4/2004 5:55:00 PM
One of my favorite colors! It's a nice candy-pink with the tiniest silvery sparkles. Not sticky at all, which is something I really hate in lip gloss! Goes on smoothly, no taste, and gives such a nice shiny finish! I love the lip shimmers, and this one gives a lovely pouty-innocent-ish look!
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Eye Shadow -Christian Dior - 1 Colueur Eyeshadow - Lady
Marianne 3/20/2004 7:20:00 PM
Wow! I loooove Dior quints, but haven't had a chance to buy the single eye shadows... until now! And I wish I had tried them out sooner! First off, the packaging is very cute, a stylish compact with a little mirror. The texture is lovely... silky and smooth. And the pigmentation is lovely! Gives a flawless finish. Now, this color is exactly as groovynub described, an iridescent dusty mauve. I've been searching for a color like this which stays true, and this is perfect! I believe that this would work on both cool and warm tones, it's one of those great universal colors. And it really gives a brightening effect to the eyes! I used this as a wash, and it was just so lovely and spring-like, without being too "loud" or bright. Looks great with other colors as well, for both casual and refined eye looks. =)
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Eye Shadow -Chanel - Stellaires Quad
Marianne 3/20/2004 7:08:00 PM
I must confess, my e/s collection consists mainly of Armani, Stila and Dior... so I feel like a bit of a newbie to Chanel, but I'll do my best to write a good review. I saw this quad at the counter, and it was so interesting and spring-y in the midst of a gray month that I decided I needed it! The palette consists of four lovely shimmery shades of pastel: cool pink, warm peach, light yellow, and a plummy color. The textures are not as velvety and silky as Dior or Armani, but the pigmentation, esp. for pastel shades is quite nice, and the shimmer is evident, but not over the top. The two colors that really stand out in the palette are the peach and the yellow. The yellow just gives such a lovely glowing effect to the eyes, and really opens them up! Then the peach has a depth and warmth which is quite outstanding! Now you may wonder, how to wear such an assortment of colors? This is the fun part! First, I started off using a good e/s base to give a good nude base. I used the pale yellow in the inner corner of my eyelids, and just the medial 1/4 of the eye lid. It really opened the eyes up and made them glowy and light. Then I used the pink shade on the rest of my eye lids. I used the peach shade in the crease and slightly above, for defn. And more yellow at the brow bone. Then I blended like mad! It came out in a really "Monet" like effect... so pretty and light, like beautiful butterfly wings! Or even better, a beautiful sunset sky, with the golden sun splashing out color onto the puffy white clouds. Oh, and I used the plum to line the top lids... it's such an interesting palette, but it really works!! I would give this 4.5, the only thing that would have boosted this to a 5 is if the texture were just a bit more silky. The pink shade showed a bit of chalkiness, but was otherwise lovely.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - Valmont - Renewing Pack
Marianne 12/29/2003 8:41:00 AM
I love this item! I have been having facing some very difficult times, and often find myself in crying spells... but using this has kept my face looking refreshed and smooth... and not as blotchy! When first applied, there was acool tingling feeling. I was worried at first, as I have very sensitive skin. But it turned out to be fine, and even the redness I get in my face seemed to cool off. I also haven't been getting enough sleep, but this gives my skin the needed boost it needs. Smooth skin, with a bit of a glow. I don't think I ever want to be without it!
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Lip Gloss -Giorgio Armani - Lip Shimmer #4
Marianne 12/5/2003 1:16:00 AM
Love this color. It's a unique taupe-lavender color. It's hard to describe. It ends up giving a "nude lip" look. I love the lip shimmers! They are all so nice and smooth, non-sticky, and no grit from the shimmer at all. No huge glitter, just the most refined lovely shimmer, just enough to go with the great shine from this gloss!
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Lip Gloss -Giorgio Armani - Lip shimmer #8
Marianne 12/5/2003 1:13:00 AM
I do love the lip shimmers, but this one didn't live up to the expectations. It's the color used on the model's lips to promote this product, a beautiful nearly opalescent silvery lavender. However, when applied, it is much too sheer. It would work nice to give other colors a neat nuance, but not on its own, as it is too sheer, and doesn't seem to have enough pigment on its own. However, it has the great Armani qualities of not being sticky, and leaving my lips feeling smooth and moisturized. Love the line, just not this color.
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Fragrances -Frederic Malle - Noir Epices
Marianne 12/5/2003 1:09:00 AM
Well, I am a bit disappointed with this fragrance. I gave it several tries before deciding it's just not for me. The name "Black Spices" sounded so enticing, but to me, this scent is not as exotic as I had hoped, and actually induced headaches and sneezing. The opening is interesting, with clove and rose duking it out in the top notes. However, it softens, and then a powdery undertone just keeps getting stronger, until it dominates the scent, drowning out the basenotes of cedar and sandalwood which I detect in the drydown.
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Conditioner -Mastey - Frehair Detangler
Marianne 10/10/2003 1:31:00 PM
Had to change my review... not as great as I had thought, and after a while, this conditioner seemed to leave a build-up. It did a fair job at detangling, and was good b/c it didn't irritate my scalp. But I found that I needed to use a lot of it at a time too.
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Shampoo -Mastey - Traite Shampoo
Marianne 10/6/2003 9:56:00 AM
Wow! I am so glad that I finally found a place to purchase this shampoo, and at a very decent price! The shampoo is sulfate free, which is ideal for my sensitive scalp. It's called a cream shampoo, but it does lather, quite well. Would have preferred something without fragrance, but the coconut scent is subtle and dissipates rapidly. It's gentle enough for the body as well, and it didn't irritate my eczema, which is wonderful! Left my hair feeling very clean and light. And no itchy, red scalp afterwards! =)
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Blush -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Cream Blush #2
Marianne 10/6/2003 9:51:00 AM
I love this beautiful, rose color. It's so pretty, and gives a beautiful flush to the skin which can be either subtle or deep. Very workable cream formula, goes on silky smooth and velvety feel. This is the color I feel is a bit universal, it's the lovely color you get after a winter walk. Has a slight golden sheen to it.
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Styling Products -Aveda - Light Elements Finishing Solution
Marianne 8/23/2003 7:29:00 AM
Wow! I decided I needed to tame the fly-aways, but it's been next to impossible, since my thin hair tends to dislike any hair styling products. I always end up looking like my hair is oily, flat. Well, when I use this while my hair is flat, it's amazing... the fly-aways are smoothed down, my hair looks natural, not greasy or weighed down, and the shine is a bit enhanced. The scent is soft, not overbearing, and has a clean, fresh lavender scent, not really "perfumey" at all. Only problem is that I can't use this as well when my hair is dry, otherwise there is a little bit of weighing down. But it's not even that bad, just a noticeable difference.
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Shampoo -Aveda - All-Sensitive Shampoo
Marianne 8/23/2003 7:24:00 AM
I have so many allergies, and no matter what I tried, all shampoos left my scalp feeling irritated and itchy. No dandruff... no rash... just itchy. I finally started to search for fragrance-free shampoos, and that's next to impossible... even baby shampoos have it! I finally started using Paula's Choice, and it worked well... but the chmeically smell was so overbearing that I always wanted to gag. Finally... I decided to try the Aveda... and it's exactly what I needed! No strong fragrance, just a slight hint of "aveda-scent" which disappeared quickly. my scalp feels soothed, my hair is clean, and my nose is happy~!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No