Treatments -Lancome - Renergie Double Performance Treatment Anti-Wrinkle Firming Cream
TrizyDLuX 10/18/2008 11:26:00 AM
Functionally, this is a very good heavy-duty moisturizer. Although I believe it's intended for use as a night cream, I use it in the mornings well before I apply makeup. My skin is super dry and I live in a cold climate, so I need something that is really moisturizing (this might be too rich for younger or oilier skins). As a moisturizer, this really works for me. The MAJOR issue I have with this product is the scent. It has an incredibly strong floral fragrance. I have no idea why companies insist on adding tons of perfume to face products. I like to pick the scents I wear very carefully to produce an effect or reinforce my mood (and I'm not a big fan of florals in any case), so incidental scents in other products just get in my way. I think this is an especially egregious issue when strong scents are added to products that people are going to apply TO and AROUND their noses. So... if you like overwhelmingly strong mixed floral scents of indeterminate composition, and you have dry aging skin, this might be good for you. For me, the scent is so strong and so incongruent with my taste in fragrance that I will not repurchase. HTH UPDATE: I used this up completely, and moved on to some other creams, and hmm... maybe I will repurchase the Lancome Renergie after all.
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Fragrances -Comme des Garcons - Luxe Patchouli
TrizyDLuX 10/18/2008 10:49:00 AM
First of all, I want to say that I LOVE this scent. I need to say that up front because the description I'll give here doesn't sound very good! Listed notes include: white pepper, fenugreek, lovage, patchouli, oak, oppoponax, cedar, vanilla, vetiver and sandalwood. Of these, fenugreek and patchouli are the most prominent to my nose. If you're not familiar with fenugreek, it is an herb used in Indian cooking. It has a scent *very* similar to maple, but with a slight curry undertone. The opening of Luxe Patchouli is just about entirely fenugreek and this probably makes this scent polarizing. I imagine people will either love it or hate it. Patchouli is certainly present here, but it's peeking out from underneath a huge pile of fenugreek. The scent has a slightly masculine vibe in the opening, but it is also fairly sweet to my nose (like curried maple syrup). It is also very strong and very tenacious - the scent lasts more than a day on my skin (and even longer on my clothes). The other notes probably serve to add complexity, but I don't detect any of them overtly. Despite this admittedly strange and unattractive description, there is something completely captivating about this scent - captivating enough to cause me to reach for my wallet and pay an *exorbitant* (but fair) price for a large-ish decant. I hope the amount I bought will be enough to last my lifetime - or at least until I fall for something else.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Ava Luxe - Chaos
TrizyDLuX 9/19/2008 10:37:00 AM
This review is for Ava-Luxe Chaotic. I am not sure if the name has been changed since I bought this, but Chaotic is what it says on my bottle, and the description indicated it was a version of DK Chaos (at least the re-released version of Chaos, which is what I own). Although I do not find this scent to be a precise replica of Chaos, it is close, and a wonderful scent in it's own right. It seems to lack a certain herbal note in the opening that is present in Chaos, but that's not one of my favorite parts of Chaos anyway! I also find the AL version to be longer-lasting on my skin than Chaos. I also have a Ava-Luxe lotion in Chaotic and adore that as well.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Elements Microdermabrasion 
TrizyDLuX 5/1/2008 11:01:00 PM
I like the texture of this product. It seems just scrubby enough without being too granular and abrasive or too creamy and ineffective. However... the reason that I'm giving this a bad rating is that it is extremely over-fragranced. I do not like the scent, and in general, I would strongly prefer my face products (and just about everything else other than perfumes) to be unscented or very lightly scented. There is absolutely no need to add so much fragrance to a face cleanser.
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Moisturizers -Estee Lauder - Hydra Bright Skin-Tone Perfecting Moisturizer Creme
TrizyDLuX 5/1/2008 10:56:00 PM
This review is for Estee Lauder Skin-Tone Perfecting Moisturizer Creme. My main complaint about this product is that it burns. I'm not sure which ingredient does this, but it's definitely irritating to my skin. My second complaint is that for some reason, this has a HUGE perfume-y scent. Ultimately, when I use a moisturizing cream (skin-tone perfecting or not), I want it to be creamy and soothing, and also not to overpower my perfume. Two fatal flaws and a big thumbs down from me on this one.
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Crème -Chantecaille - Real Skin SPF30 (reformulated)
TrizyDLuX 4/27/2008 2:15:00 PM
Simply awful. Absolutely no coverage whatsoever. It's just like a silicone primer! I suppose Chantecaille must call this Real Skin because that's what it looks like - your real skin - with every tiny freckle, blemish, and imperfection showing, just like it did before you applied this product. I think that anyone who would be happy with this level of sheerness probably doesn't really need to wear any foundation at all. I think that a foundation product needs to have at least some tint and at least some coverage to actually qualify to BE a foundation, so I'm actually pretty surprised that this completely invisible product has any fans.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Olive Scrub - Elements
TrizyDLuX 4/22/2008 10:11:00 AM
I bought this on clearance and THEN read the mediocre reviews here. However... when I tried it, it seemed pretty good! The "beads" are sparse as someone else said below, but I did get good exfoliation. I did not find it very moisturizing, but just applied a separate moisturizer afterward. My skin is soft and smooth and I don't think I'll have any problems using this up. It's not an HG, but not too shabby for $3. HTH someone! Edited to subtract 2 lippes and add... the grains are not only sparse, but they also seem smooth and round. It's just not very scrubby and the scent is WAY too strong. I do find it fairly moisturizing, but it's so creamy that it doesnt rinse well. On the occasions I use it *in the shower* it seems to work ok because I can run water over my face for a while to get it off. I don't use this at the sink because it seems to leave a persistent filmy residue.
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Fragrances -Cartier - Delices
TrizyDLuX 3/19/2008 9:27:00 AM
Tooth-achingly sweet, but otherwise unremarkable. Listed notes include: Iced Cherry, Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Violet, Jasmine, Freesia, Amber, Tonka Bean, Musk, Sandalwood. My nose detects CHERRY, freesia, tonka, and just the slightest hint of amber wayyyy off in the distance. The more interesting notes in this list (imo - violet, pink pepper, sandalwood), are unfortunately totally imperceptible to me. I suppose if you liked Pink Sugar and were hoping for something similar, this could be good. However, I prefer not to smell like candy.
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Fragrances -Creative Scentualization - Perfumers Palette Clean Musk (base note)
TrizyDLuX 3/19/2008 9:19:00 AM
Well... this is clean alright. Unfortunately, it's clean like generic dryer sheets. I don't have too much to say about this one except that when I put it on, it reminded me very very much of walking down the laundry aisle at a grocery store. I also do not find it musky in the least. It does not smell bad to my nose, but I really do NOT want my *perfume* to smell like this.
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Mascara -Too Faced - Lash Injection
TrizyDLuX 3/19/2008 9:12:00 AM
This is just awful. I tried it based on posts that said it was similar to Blinc Kiss Me, which is my HG mascara, but with more drama. I can assure you it is NOT similar! First of all, It makes my eyes water so bad that the mascara can't even dry properly. Second, the consistency is like that of an old and partly dried out mascara even when brand new. And third and most importantly, it flakes and smudges just like any old low end mascara.
I have many more reasons for hating this, but these are the top 3. If you want a mascara that performs like this one and has a big fluffy applicator, I would recommend L'Oreal Voluminous. If you want a "tube" formulation mascara that REALLY lasts all day without smearing or flaking, I would recommend Blink Kiss Me. I wouldn't recommend Lash Injection to my worst enemy (ok, maybe I would LOL!). Hope this helps someone. (end)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Vetiver
TrizyDLuX 3/4/2008 11:40:00 PM
On initial application, there is a burst of lively and refreshingly tart citrus. YUMMY! Then it starts to change rapidly and dramatically to spicey nutmeg within just minutes. Later, orange blossom and soapy notes develop, and vetiver presence gradually increases through the drydown.
This is a scent completely UNLIKE any other thing I own. I don't do fresh scents very often, and have never before gone for anything clean and/or soapy, and I'm not known to be a huge Guerlain fan either, but this is pretty special! I think this is one of the most dramatically morphing scents I have tried. Very multidimensional. I am so glad that I got the chance to test this one. I'd guess you'd have to like vetiver to like this one, but for vetiver fans, I'd say it's a must-try, though it takes an hour or so to get to the vetiver-y part of this amazingly complex scent.
I've posted before that I like my scents SIMPLE, with not too many notes. Guerlain Vetiver has taught me that it's not really about the number of notes, but more about how they "appear" in the scent. GV has somehow managed to present a pretty big handful of really diverse notes *sequentially*, one after another and not all together in a single amorphous scent blob. HTH someone. :D
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Norma Kamali - Incense
TrizyDLuX 3/2/2008 10:36:00 AM
This is one incredible scent! I admit it has an acrid, nose-singeing opening - resinous, sharp, piercing - that makes this a very difficult scent to wear. Another reviewer described this scent as "fierce" and that's just the right word. I am a big fan of "dark" scents, and even among those, this is the darkest scent in my entire fragrance wardrobe. If this scent had a color, it would be pitch black.
But even in the opening you can smell the wonderful labdanum underneath. I'm sure there are other notes, but it is the labdanum that speaks to me here, and when the shriller notes subside, it is the beautiful soft labdanum that remains. In my opinion, this scent has absolutely the best drydown of all time. However, the scent is so tenacious that the drydown stage doesnt arrive in any hurry! On me this takes 12 full hours or so. The next-day remnants on skin, coat, scarf are unspeakably lovely!
I would eagerly buy a bottle of this, except that this scent is so strong that my 10ml decant might last my whole life. If, by some chance I use it all, I will definitely repurchase. I cannot do without this scent. With the caveat that this isn't a scent for every day, I would recommend it for people who love labdanum (for example Donna Karan Labdanum Essence), and for people who love incense-y and resinous scents. Truly superb, if a little challenging. HTH!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Donna Karan - Wenge
TrizyDLuX 2/22/2008 8:56:00 AM
Beautful soft sweet woods. Those of you who know Donna Karan Black Cashmere already have more than a passing acquaintance with Wenge, since Wenge essence is a large component of that scent (along with labdanum, spice, vanilla, and other notes). Still, the similarity is striking! However, I LOVE Black Cashmere, and I also love this. Wenge is not as sweet and heavy as BC and has a stronger undertone of raw wood (sawdust, hamster cage, pencil shavings) that I really really like. I would not say Wenge is an *improvement* over BC, but more like a variation on a theme. Based on this, I predict that people who love Black Cashmere will also love this (and vice versa!). People who do not know Black Cashmere should probably start there first, since that is available for a fraction of the price of Wenge. Overall, lovely.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - A La Nuit
TrizyDLuX 2/21/2008 10:00:00 PM
This is a lovely true-to-life jasmine soliflore. Actually, I was told just this morning that this contains 3 different types of jasmine so maybe it's technically a jasmine triflore? :D It really does smell just like jasmine, and although I'm no floral girl, I do like this. It reminds me of summers in Austin. We had 2 yellow jasmine vines curling up around the posts of our gazebo. I have no idea what kind they were but they were wonderfully fragrant and A la Nuit reminds me strongly of that time.
This scent is completely linear to my nose. It has not evolved one bit from application to "drydown". It smelled wonderful on first spritz, and still smells just the same 13+ hours later. So it's tenacious too, at least on me! I do not find it at all challenging or indolic.
I know A la Nuit lovers are really going to cringe, but this also reminds me very much of something else - Nemat Jasmine oil! I bought a tiny 4ml bottle at Whole Foods a few years ago, and although I have not done a side-by-side test (yet), that oil smells *really* similar to A la Nuit. I regard this as GOOD news! I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried the Nemat oil (esp the retail version) and A la Nuit and can compare/contrast. HTH someone!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Comptoir Sud Pacifique - Amour de Cacao
TrizyDLuX 2/19/2008 11:36:00 AM
I'm Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!! That's the fragrance that springs to mind when I spray Amour de Cacao. It really does smell precisely like Cocoa Puffs (Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Krispies - substitute any of these as necessary). Unfortunately, I don't share the sentiment! It is not a bad scent, but I suppose I like my chocolates darker, and in my mouth - not my nose! The chocolate notes in Amour de Cacao are light and definitely of the milk chocolate variety. There is a hefty dose of vanilla here as well, which I think improves this scent but not enough to make it really interesting to me. It's inoffensive, but not exciting. I have been wearing it to bed, but should probably swap it or just give it away.
I picked up a relatively travel spray of this at Sephora. I'm glad I don't have MORE of it! The aluminum bottle is a PLUS to me in a functional sense. I think the opaque material serves very well to protect the scent from light. I do think Comptoir Sud Pacifique could do a better job making the bottle look prettier though.
All in all, not good for me. However, if you're looking for a light milk chocolate scent with vanilla, this might be for you. HTH someone!
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