Treatments -Decleor - Aromessence Ylang Ylang
halogens 11/19/2007 8:03:00 AM
It sort of does what it's supposed to, it makes the skin less oily. I'm still not wild about it though. I like the packaging and the scent is okay, but it seems to clog the pores in the process and it is the opposite of moisturizing. I have dry skin, that at the time when I was using this also happened to get very oily. It was kind of drying and seemed to irritate my skin a bit. But most of all I just don't think the (small) effect is worth the price. If you love decleor I'm sure you'll love this, but I'm out of love so... I sold it.
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Skincare - Face -Decleor - Aromessence Angelique Night Balm
halogens 11/19/2007 8:00:00 AM
I have dry skin that is acne prone and that gets very dry in colder weather. This sort of works at removing very dry areas, but the packaging as well as the price is horrible. I've also come to realize that considering it's mostly oil and wax the price is really outrageous.
pros:
*not as oily and shiny on the skin as you would think
*my skin feels very even, especially if I rub it in
*smells nice and not to annoyingly
*doesn't seem to increase breakouts
cons:
*I still get flakies when I only use this (aha has started to remove it though)
*the price
*the amount you get for the price
*the packaging. It doesn't feel very hygienic
*Not quite as moisturizing as it seems at first
Overall, if you are wild about decleor you'll probably love this. I'm over Decleor and their overpriced oils though so I'm not wowed.
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Cleansers -Exuviance - Gentle Cleansing Creme
halogens 11/19/2007 7:51:00 AM
I bought this about two years ago and it took me about nine months to finish using it. It cleans the skin pretty well for a cream cleanser and since I don't use much makeup it was enough for me. I'm not crazy about the scent, but I really don't like mango or vanilla so... Love the packaging. I'm looking for an alternative to creamy cleansers for dry skin, but if I dont' find one I'll probably go back to this.
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Cleansers -Decleor - Cleansing Cream with essential oils and water Dry Skin
halogens 11/19/2007 7:49:00 AM
This is an okay cleanser for my dry skin. It doesn't leave it feeling tight and it doesn't irritate the skin. On the other hand it's also crazy expensive considering it doesn't really remove makeup. A few months ago I would have given it four, but I'm kind of out of love with decleor by now. I've only used up half of the small bottle because sometimes it does feel like just rinsing with warm water has the same effect. I've also used the cream cleanser that exuvinace has with similar results, although I would say it was a pinch better (better packaging, slightly better at cleaning the skin).
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Shampoo -Bumble & Bumble - Creme de Coco
halogens 11/19/2007 7:44:00 AM
I love the scent and the packaging, as well as the fact that you don't need to use much product. I have very dry hair but I can see why it would make someone with thinner or oilier hair very flat. For me it's a very nice shampoo if I don't use it every time I wash my hair. It doesn't perform any miracles and it's pretty heavy but I love the scent. Gentle shampoo and Super Rich conditionser smell pretty nice and subtle, but using this is a pretty wonderful experience as far as I'm concerned. It might not really deserve more than four lippies, but I'm giving it five since it feels so luxurious to use. Don't expect it to change the texture of your hair or to perform miracles though, it's not great in that sense.
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Conditioner -Bumble & Bumble - Super Rich Conditioner
halogens 11/19/2007 7:40:00 AM
I love the packaging, and it isn't as expensive as it seems because you really don't need much compared to other conditioners. But at the same time it REALLY doesn't live up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. It hydrates and it doesn't weigh the hair down too much (as long as you don't get it near your scalp) but it does leave some build up in my hair. Worst of all: with any shampoo it makes my hair very electric. With the gentle shampoo it makes my hair completely unbearably, sticking to my face and at the same time standing out at ninety degrees from my head, electric. It's very waxy in consistency, and I find that it coats the hair rather than really hydrate or moisturize. I bought it because of the great reviews and maybe my expectations were a bit high, but I'm completely underwhelmed.
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Shampoo -Bumble & Bumble - Gentle Shampoo
halogens 11/19/2007 7:36:00 AM
I love the packaging, and in a sense it isn't as expensive as it seems because you don't need very much of it compared to say Redken All Soft. But at the same time I doesn't live up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. I've used up half the bottle and while it's okay, and certainly not bad, it doesn't really do anything that redken all soft doesn't do for less than half the price. I was hoping it wouldn't leave build up, and it doesn't leave lots but it does leave some. I'm lukewarm. It does have some tendencies to make my hair electric, but not nearly as much as the Super Rich Conditioner.
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Moisturizers -Exuviance - Fundamental Multi-protective day cream
halogens 11/19/2007 7:30:00 AM
I've had this for two years and I'm only now finishing it off. I have very dry skin and it just doesn't moisturize enought. It's not in any way drying though, at least. But it can make me forehead look oily while feeling barely moisturized and that isn't exactly what I want. And if I add more of it it just sort of sits on top of the skin like a white film. And then if I rub the skin it peels off like rubber. The smell is awful, not unfresh, I just hate mango. I also don't like the tub, iI prefere tubes.
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Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - Musc For Her Oil
halogens 8/30/2006 7:18:00 PM
I love love love this scent. It's much cleaner smelling than auric blends Egyptian Goddess. More subtle. At first I couldn't smell any similarity between the two at all, but after wearing the NR oil for about week I do notice some in the drydown. I definitely favour NR though. EG has a dirty smell that reminds me of stables and a leather cleanser that I do not appreciate. This musk smells like your clean skin but more intense, interesting and sexier.
I'm a bit on the fence with this one. I got a factory sealed tester on ebay for less than half of retail including shipping, otherwise I never would have bought it. I still thought that was overpriced. Another problem is the lasting power: it's bad. It's far from perfume oil. My wrist doesn't smell a thing four hours after application. Because of that I would have preferred to have it in a roll-on so that it's easy to bring along for touch-ups. But that version was only a limited edtion (and way to expensive). I guess I'll need to get a decant bottle.
EDIT: I had to raise the grade to five lippies (and lower the grade of auric blends egyptian goddess). I had on Egyptian Goddess on its own today for the first time since I bought this. It's impossible to go back to it, it smells so tacky and synthetic compared to this one. This one smells clean, and in comparison EG smells like detergent. This one glides on in a thin layer and melts into the skin, EG leaves a sticky film and smells a bit greasy. The NR musc oil is definitely worth the 60 dollars I payed for it and if I ever find it that cheap again I'll definitely repurchase.
UPDATE: Still loving this. I actually poured EG into the toilet so that I could clean out the roll-on-bottle and put this stuff in there. I will defintetly repurchase when I eventually run out. This is the only perfume I love wearing every single day. It's wonderful.
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Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - for her - her purse perfume
halogens 8/30/2006 7:08:00 PM
I've come to realize that this is my favourite form of NR for her. Both because of the packaging and the scent. It is a bit ironic because I wouldn't have bought it at all if I hadn't snagged it at ebay for a third of retail. The roll-on is a perfect size and it gives you nice little portions of the perfume. Because it isn't a spray YOU smell, not the entire room. It's also very convenient to bring along.
In my opinion it smells better than the EDT, although it's very similar. It's basically the EDT with only a soft floral, not the harsh ones that can be a bit strong in the beginning for the EDT. The musk is also more noticable
After careful sniffing I would say that this is sort of the missing link between the EDT and the Musc oil. It's somewhere in the middle both with regards to strenght and smell. The drydown is very similar to the oil. I really enjoy layering it with the oil, it gives a very subtle but powerful effect.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess
halogens 8/12/2006 10:46:00 AM
First of all, the reason that I bought this was because I wanted an egyptian musk. Although I'd never actually smelled egyptian musk on its own I thought it might be what Narciso Rodriguez and Sarah Jessica Parker have in common. After researching the reviews on this site and some others I figuered this was the best one to try of the "cheaper" ones. I bought it on ebay for $10 including shipping, which is a pretty good price for perfume IMO (especially since my second choice was NR for her musc oil which has a MUCH larger price tag).
At first sniff I was very dissapointed. For some reason it really reminded me of stables until I realized why: something in it smells a lot like a product I used to clean saddles with. Although I'd always loved that product it wasn't exactly what I would like to smell like. I think this might be what some people refer to as an eraser-like smell. After wearing it for about two weeks I've noticed that this smell becomes worse if I rub the oil in, it isn't nearly as dominating if I just roll the oil on or pat it in. And
The reason I gave it four lippies are:
* The packaging is excellent. It's easy to bring along, it doesn't leak, it doesn't make the whole bag smell of perfume.
* It's a great scent for when you don't want to smell like perfume but still want to smell good. Skin scent is the best description I've heard for it.
* The lasting power is great, and not only that but it smells BETTER after twelve hours than it does at first. At least on me, at that point it smells a lot more like how I thought egyptian musk would smell.
* I love layering it with Marc Jacobs Essence. It really gives that perfume depth, and makes it less girly girly.
EDIT: I'm a bit ambivalent about this one. The low price and good packaging makes me feel like it deserves four lippies but my recent experience with the Narciso oil makes me want to give it only two. EG is not nearly as alluring to me, and I don't think I'll go back to it. I think maybe EG is a bit to animalic for me, or the "leather-cleanser"-smell isn't that and just something else that disturbs my sensitive nose. Perhaps it doesn't work as well with my body chemistry as NR (which is filthily expensive).
UPDATE: This smells so cheap compared to NR, I poured it into the toilet.
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Fragrances -Coty - Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
halogens 7/23/2006 12:54:00 PM
I have been so prepared to hate this one. If I'd caught a whiff of it a year ago I would probably have bought it (at least if I didn't know it was a "celebrity perfume"). But since then I've grown accustomed to the much bolder smell of Narciso Rodrigues "For Her" and love it beyond words. Still, I have to say Lovely has grown on me. It really lives up to it's name.
I basically only tried it because of the comparisons to NR and since we actually have it here. I thought that since it's quite a bit cheaper it could be a substitute until I could get my hands on the real thing. (Worth mentioning: this is the only celeb perfume that is kept with the higher end brands at the store I shop at, instead of the aisle with only celebrity perfumes.) At first I was really dissapointed -- I thought it smelled like the worst part of NR, I could see why the comparison but not in a good way. It was pretty much NR without what I love from "for her".
However, having tried it ten or so times I have to say I can see some worth in it. I don't think I'll buy it but I think it's a very nice perfume for the price. Very unoffensive, at least after it's dried down. It's girlier, blander, cuter and has less personality than NR. It's very subtle and very close to the skin. If I didn't feel so bored by it I would have given it four. But for now it's 3.5.
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Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Essence
halogens 7/22/2006 6:03:00 PM
I tried both this one and the original quite a bit before deciding on this one, which I thought smelled softer and less perfumery on me than the original. While I love the scent (I wanted it as a lighter alternative to the wonderfully dark Narciso Rodriguez) there are two flaws with it that lowers my grade. In fact I was tempted to take off yet another lippie but didn't because I do think the smell makes up for the flaws:
*This doesn't last on my skin. At all. It starts out strong and then it just falls off. After two hours I practically have to eat my wrist to smell it.
The packaging is crap. In the store I thought the bottle was quite lovely. I thought that especially the original had a very nice and sleek bottle. But within an hour the little ornament bow had fallen off my bottle and it didn't take very long for the yellow colour to crack.
UPDATE: I ended up giving this away, I can't stand it. Unfortunately my body chemistry must have changed (good since NR musc oil lasts longer on me, but in this case bad) -- it's like being followed by toilet cleaner wherever you go. It gives me a headache.
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Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - Narciso Rodriguez for her
halogens 7/22/2006 5:46:00 PM
I have a strange relationship with Narciso Rodrigues for her. I started reading about it about two years ago and even though it sounded from the descriptions like I would love it I didn't dare to buy it without trying it on first (we don't have it here). Finally about a year ago I bought a bunch of samples from ebay. It's taken me a while to get used to it completely but by now I love it and I'm going to buy a large bottle.
Only problem is: I hate the way that the EDP smells on me the fist half hour. It smells like the EDT gone sour, very "perfumery", sour and sharper. I don't know what it is but it really turns me off. BUT! the drydown is a sweet, milky, musky comforting smell that lasts and lasts on my skin.
The EDT on the other hand smells divine after the first minute where alcohol dominates. It smells heavier, woodsier, darker and more sweetly sensual on me than the EDP ever does. It's the lovliest smell I know. But it' doesn't last as well on me as the EDP. By the time the nasty notes of the EDP have mellowed the EDT has started to wear off. It gets really faint and I can barely smell it on me... And then it starst to smell more rosy. It's still nice but I wish it would stay the way it is from the start longer. I've decided to buy the EDT at first since it's a little bit cheaper. Perhaps I'll buy the EDP afterwards if I stay as inlove with NR as I am now.
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Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - Narciso Rodriguez for her EDP
halogens 7/22/2006 5:45:00 PM
I have a strange relationship with Narciso Rodrigues for her. I started reading about it about two years ago and even though it sounded from the descriptions like I would love it I didn't dare to buy it without trying it on first (we don't have it here). Finally about a year ago I bought a bunch of samples from ebay. It's taken me a while to get used to it completely but by now I love it and I'm going to buy a large bottle.
Only problem is: I hate the way that the EDP smells on me the fist half hour. It smells like the EDT gone sour, very "perfumery", sour and sharper. I don't know what it is but it really turns me off. BUT! the drydown is a sweet, milky, musky comforting smell that lasts and lasts on my skin.
The EDT on the other hand smells divine after the first minute where alcohol dominates. It smells heavier, woodsier, darker and more sweetly sensual on me than the EDP ever does. It's the lovliest smell I know. But it' doesn't last as well on me as the EDP. By the time the nasty notes of the EDP have mellowed the EDT has started to wear off. It gets really faint and I can barely smell it on me... And then it starst to smell more rosy. It's still nice but I wish it would stay the way it is from the start longer. I've decided to buy the EDT at first since it's a little bit cheaper. Perhaps I'll buy the EDP afterwards if I stay as inlove with NR as I am now.
EDIT: After some investigation I've realized that what I felt had a "sour" scent was the rose note. I don't hate rose in general but in this combination it really disturbes the rest of the composition for me. Although as a I said above the rose dissappears on me after a little while.
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