Fragrances -Bulgari - Black
danai 11/2/2012 4:00:00 PM
This delivers most of the things I look for in a fragrance. It's warm and inviting but unusual and kind of strange. It somehow draws you in and weirds you out a little at the same time. I can't put my finger on what it is that makes it this unique and intriguing exactly, but I have smelled nothing like it. I can see how it could be worn both by guys and girls, as it's neither entirely masculine nor feminine, however it does still manage to smell very sexy. And also, surprisingly, it's not as expensive as you'd expect it to be. I think it's best saved for winter as it's also pretty incense-y and heady.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Lady Gaga - Fame
danai 11/2/2012 3:53:00 PM
Nice bottle and I'm a sucker for the black fluid gimmick. The scent is actually very pleasant to me, as I have a soft spot for very sweet scents and this is, indeed, very sweet. However, how an artist who's been cultivating an edgy, avant garde persona for years came up with a perfume that practically smells like fruit gum, is beyond me.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -MISSHA - M Perfect Cover BB Cream
danai 11/2/2012 3:46:00 PM
I've stayed away from foundations of all kinds for a decade now, as I suffer from recurring adult acne (mild but still unfortunate). The first flare-up ever and the worst so far seems to have been triggered by an awful heavy foundation my young and dumb self was using in 2002. This fact left me traumatized and horrified of any kind of base. Until I discovered BB creams about a year and a half ago. I have found that the relatively small range of available tinted moisturizers never quite matched my skintone or did anything but sit on top of my skin. Not BB creams though, and definitely not this one. Luckily, when I decided to purchase my first one, no brand in my country had come up with one yet; luckily because every brand has one now, and they're nothing like the Asian ones, take my word for it. But I digress. This BB cream in shade 21 was the first BB cream I ever purchased, from Ebay. It was a bit of a gamble, as who could ever guarantee that 21 would be the right shade for me? Let alone that it would not break me out, look ridiculous etc etc. But I got really lucky with this, in fact I got so lucky I've purchased it again and again and never felt the need to look for another one (although I did use a couple of Skin79 samples that did a decent job as well). Shade 21 adapted to my (fair but not ghost pale) skintone perfectly. Score. Then, this cream sank in wonderfully, became one with my skin, concealed my red spots nicely but was sheer enough to look like actual clear skin, with a semi-matte though very slightly glowy finish. Also, I do feel that it improved my skin somewhat long term; not overnight, but combined with my current skin care routine, this seems to have played a part in keeping my face clearer than it had been in years. Oh and it does have a rather high SPF as well. Win win. This is a cheap product and rumor has it that if you're willing to pay more, there are better Asian BB creams out there. I'm planning to try some day. Until then, this is my go to.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Maybelline - Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
danai 11/2/2012 3:32:00 PM
A simple, no frills product that works for me. It stays on until I use makeup remover. Also after I get the product on the brush, I do wiggle it a bit on the back of my hand to get the brush evenly coated; removing the paint from the back of my hand afterwards requires some elbow grease, which means that this eyeliner, at least for me, does tend to stick to the skin and stay put. Now I discovered this one on a Lisa Eldridge video; if I remember correctly, she claimed that the brush makes it ultra easy to apply. I'm fairly new to liquid liner and truth be told, pretty clumsy at it. I can't say that this brush made it that much easier for me, although it's definitely not bad at all. All in all, this works. Do try with a better brush, if you happen to own one. I don't regret this purchase and unless I come across something better, I may buy again at some point.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -L'Oreal - Mythic Oil
danai 11/2/2012 3:22:00 PM
My hair: fine, slightly wavy, color treated (though not bleached), with oily roots and extremely dry and frizzy ends which are a huge problem for me; the fact that I try to keep it as long as possible does not help, of course. The first thing you'll notice about this product is the scent; it does indeed smell divine and everyone who's ever smelled it agrees completely. Shame L'Oreal doesn't make a fragrance that smells like this. Now that I would repurchase for sure. As for results: this oil can be used as a serum on wet hair before styling, or as a leave in conditioner on dry or wet hair. Works ok as all three. It does help get the ends nice and smooth with heat styling. It also gives nice, glossy shine. Now, does it improve hair long term, like it claims to do? In my experience, no, plain and simple. Would I buy again? I'm not quite sure. It does work well as a styling and shine enhancing serum, but that's pretty much it. And it's really expensive, on top of that. Only thing I'm sure of is, when I'm done with this I'll move on to trying something else. To be fair, it has lasted me for more than a year and I still have plenty to go, so if it does work for you, it's a good investment.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - MACADAMIA NATURAL OIL Deep Repair Mask
danai 11/2/2012 3:09:00 PM
My hair: fine, slightly wavy, color treated (though not bleached), with oily roots and extremely dry and frizzy ends which are a huge problem for me; the fact that I try to keep it as long as possible does not help, of course. This product is creamy and thick, with a pleasant but generic fruity scent. I leave it on for about 10 minutes in the shower twice a week, as the instructions state you should. After I wash it out, my hair does feel indeed softer and hydrated, is easier to detangle and the ends look better. This, however, lasts for less than a day. Next morning my hair is back to its usual impossible self, as if this mask never happened. Furthermore I've almost finished my first pot of this product and, apart from the very short lived results I described, I have seen no long term improvement to my hair whatsoever. For the hefty price tag, pretty sure I expected more. Not for me.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Dove - Damage Therapy Conditioner Intensive Repair
danai 7/9/2012 4:15:00 PM
On the contrary to many products I have tried, this does improve my very difficult ends. And they truly are difficult, because I'm desperate to keep my hair long, against all odds: it's oily-ish, really thin and color processed. This everyday conditioner actually works better than some deep treatments I have tried. I would definitely recommend it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Lady Like
danai 6/23/2012 2:06:00 PM
This is a fantastic color, especially if you want to keep your manicure suitable for a conservative professional workplace, without compromising with the usual, boring nude/beige/off white. The shade has been described perfectly below so I'll only add that I wholeheartedly recommend this. Perfect shade for when you want elegant, but with a twist.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous Million Lashes
danai 6/23/2012 1:52:00 PM
Sadly, this was a letdown. No impressive length or volume added to my lashes. I'm glad it was a gift, I wouldn't purchase myself.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Korres - Wild Rose Brightening Serum
danai 6/23/2012 1:16:00 PM
First of all,I should talk about my skin type: moderately oily, prone to hormone and stress related acne, fair and thin enough for every little problem to turn into an obvious deep red spot that stays there for weeks. It doesn't help at all that I am unfortunately a compulsive picker, when facing stressful situations. One of my constant and ongoing challenges is to keep my skin clear of imperfections, even small ones, as, for the reasons above, the smallest little pimple can escalate into a red mark on me. So this product here was not exactly first on my wishlist, even though it's designed exactly for my age (I'm 29). I'm usually oriented towards products that promise to keep skin matte and acne at bay. However it came as part of a Korres kit that was on sale, so there was no reason not to try it. I don't think I've ever been more pleasantly surprised with a skincare product. Within the first week of using it (once a day, along with my normal cleanser and anti-acne lotion from La Roche Posay) my skin started to clear up impressively. At first I thought I was just going through a good hormone period. But the effect continued. Then I assumed it was because of another cream I had a sample of that I had started using. But eventually I finished the sample, and my skin was improving instead of going back. I finally figured it was this serum. Of course my skin also looks more glowy and smooth, but for me this comes with clear skin anyway. I've been using this for about 40 days now, and I have no intention to stop. I have the clearest skin I've had in ages and I'm really pleased with that. Also I should add it's very convenient to me, as you don't need a seperate eye cream with this; it works very well as one. It is an expensive product of course, even though I have managed to get it for relatively cheap until now (purchased the same kit again just for this serum, gave the rest of the contents away). But when the times comes that I have to pay full price for this, I'll be more than willing to. I would recommend this to anyone, at least in my age group.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Prada - Candy EDP
danai 5/31/2012 7:43:00 AM
This is a lovely fragrance if, like me, you really like sweet gourmands. I would describe it as a classier version of Pink Sugar, as it's mostly about caramel. The lasting power is alright, not ideal, but I do suspect that I just stop smelling the scents I really like on me after a while, as this tends to happen a lot with perfumes that are described as very intense and long lasting by others.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Garnier - BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector - Light/Medium
danai 4/8/2012 11:01:00 AM
I'm not the fairest person around; I have come across much paler than me. However the lightest shade of this cream came out orange and muddy on me. Coverage was also pretty much non existent - I've used BB creams that offered much more of that. This simply does not work. They should leave it to the brands who know how to do this decently.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Korres - Coconut Milk body milk
danai 3/18/2012 7:12:00 AM
An effective product overall. It has a fantastic, creamy texture - it's not actually a milk, as the name implies. It's a light, a bit gel-ly cream, which is very easy and pleasant to apply. It goes on smooth and sinks in immidiately, with no lingering wetness or oiliness. The scent for me is sumptuous, BUT I have to say, again, what the product name implies here is not the case. Even the product description on the tube has you expecting "a blend of exotic fresh coconut with warm, creamy vanilla". In reality, I only detect the vanilla. In other words, this cream has a yummy, rather strong, true vanilla scent. This seems to be a common theme with the Korres creams, as for example the Vanilla Cinnamon one lacks the vanilla part. This does not particularly bother me, but if the coconut scent part is important to you, I strongly suggest you sniff this before you buy. Results-wise, this delivers, at least on normal to locally dry skin. It's not something I'd recommend for dry heels, but as an all over moisturizer it does a very good job. The packaging is simple, nice and hygienic, the price is reasonable and overall this is a nice product. I would buy again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Vaseline - Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning lotion
danai 1/11/2012 9:07:00 AM
This lotion actually works. I've tried tons of body moisturizers, from dirt cheap to outrageously expensive, and this does stand out. After two or three (daily, after shower) uses I did notice that my skin looked and felt smoother, really hydrated and overall better. Also, and this is very important to me, this is a product which feels light, sinks in immediately and doesn't leave a film. Which is more than I can say for most other products I've used. My only gripe is the scent; I do love sweet and foody smells in both perfume and moisturizing products, but this one is just too intense, plastic and artificial to me. For a product that really works though, this is not a huge disadvantage, and thankfully the scent doesn't last anyway. In my country it's affordable but not that cheap - 5 euros for 200ml.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Burberry - Body
danai 9/29/2011 5:27:00 PM
I read somewhere that Burberry came up with this in an effort to create something that would define them and become a classic in the long run. So I had very high expectations. I finally got to try it today, and all I have to say is, really? Is that honestly what they want to be associated with? It's not like they don't have a couple of very big fragrances out there; why is Brit, or even the classic Burberry for women, (which I'm not familiar with but gets rave reviews) not good enough? This new scent is cold, synthetic, clogging, cheap smelling and old fashioned; not as in vintage, as in dated. I could imagine this being worn in the 80s and disappearing as times changed. Shame because Burberry fragrances until now have been elegant and modern; I wouldn't go anywhere near this one and I doubt it will be as popular as the ones they already have on the market.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No