Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Sensual Amber Body Splash
sekhmet 10/24/2012 12:56:00 PM
This is so beautiful, I really love it! It's warm and cozy, but there's this blast of strangely cool vanilla inside that's like a rush of arctic air. I hope I always have some of this around, because it's really gorgeous!
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Red Door
sekhmet 10/24/2012 11:51:00 AM
I was cruising at the grocery store the other evening and found a small set of EA fragrances for $7. I'm pretty adventurous with perfume and the bottles were pretty, so I bought it. Yesterday I tried 5th Ave (I hope to write a review of that later), and read the reviews of the frags on here. So I was warned about the Red Door, which I tried yesterday evening instead of wearing it to work today as planned. I'm so glad I tried it first! I'm not afraid of a bold fragrance, and I occasionally bust out the Tabu or Obsession. But this is in another whole category--there is something putrid smelling in this! To me, it resembles a floral arrangement that has died and is getting swampy. It made me think of that Secretions Magnifiques perfume everyone's talking about and which I fortunately have not sniffed. I'm not trying to be tacky here, just giving my honest impression. The bottle is really pretty--a ruby-red glass "door," so I'm keeping it. But as far as the actual scent goes--never again!
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Blush -Bourjois - Rouge bonne mine
sekhmet 10/16/2012 12:44:00 PM
Oh gosh, I'm addicted to Bourjois blushes, and I've wanted rouge bonne mine for so long! From the color of the container, it looks like a sort of raspberry red--a little more dramatic than most Bourjois blushes. So I'm wearing it for the first time today, and I like it. On my skin, it reads a little more red than rosy, but it's sheer so you can easily avoid the dreaded clown look. No shimmer. Makes a great addition to my Bourjois blush collection!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Maybelline - Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Frosting
sekhmet 10/8/2012 12:37:00 PM
I have no willpower! I've wanted this blush ever since I saw it--the only thing my blush stash lacked was something "bouncy." I tried to find it on sale, but finally I just caved and bought it anyway. I got it at Walmart, and the choice of shades was sadly small. Since I tend to wear more pink/red/berry toned lipstick, I figured Pink Frosting would do nicely--it's vibrant but not in-your-face. And since I've been wearing bolder lipstick shades lately, I was actually ready to use a more subdued blush than usual. I have to say it's a nice, fairly well-behaved little blush. The color is perfect for a natural flush, and the texture is pretty cool. I didn't have any serious issues with application, although it's a little trickier than regular cream blush. Lasting power appears to be average, depending on your skin type. So overall I'm happy with this and will use it, despite the ridiculous price ($6.44 for 5.6 grams). Now for the dirty. First of all, Maybelline tests on animals, so in general I try not to buy their products. Second, I looked up the ingredients to Dream Bouncy Blush (which for some reason are not on the package), and it turns out the substance is a cocktail of potentially toxic substances, including talc, mineral oil, copolymers, and aluminum. I don't think this one blush is going to kill me, but I should definitely be more vigilant about what's in my cosmetics in general. The verdict: You should really only buy this if you absolutely can't resist the idea of a new blush texture. There are safer, cheaper, better choices out there.
4 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Revlon Super Lustrous in Fire and Ice
sekhmet 10/2/2012 4:20:00 PM
I love makeup. I love history. I love the history of makeup. I love Revlon lipstick. So when Revlon came out with this little gem in the reproduction tube, I had to have it. (I would have bought it just to have, even if I couldn't wear it.) I have several red lippies, however, so I didn't take it out of the package until today. It's gorgeous, and it screams classic! I adore the silver and gold case, the creamy formula, the 1950s color. It looks like a shade you might see on Marilyn Monroe. So, the only reasons I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5 are: first, Fire & Ice is not the greatest color for me. (I look better in cooler shades.) Second, the formula seems slightly dry--although I have to say I end up layering nearly every lipstick I wear with balm or gloss because they all dry my lips a certain amount. Finally, the beautiful tube isn't actually metal, or isn't all metal anyway. Still, I'm so happy to have this, and even happier that I can actually wear it. I look forward to layering this with other reds to find the best mix for me.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Jordana - Coral Sandy Beach
sekhmet 9/25/2012 5:08:00 PM
I'm only giving Coral Sandy Beach a 4 because even though it's very nice, it's not my fave Jordana blush. I guess I like a more dramatic look, and this is really natural looking. Still, it's a lovely blush--you can't beat Jordana's quality. The only thing this company could really improve would be the packaging, but then of course it would cost more. I definitely recommend these blushes!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Jordana - Blushing Rose
sekhmet 9/25/2012 4:58:00 PM
To me, Blushing Rose is a deep, mauvy pink; I see some shimmer in the blush but not when I apply it on my face. It's what I would call a low-maintenance blush: good texture, easy to apply and looks natural. These are good quality blushes at a great price, and made in the USA!
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Blush -L.A. Colors - Mineral Blush in Flushed
sekhmet 9/19/2012 4:08:00 PM
Can't remember exactly what I paid for this, but it was definitely less than $3 at a local discount drugstore. "Flushed" is a matte, fairly bright pink shade that I think would look good on many skintones. It doesn't seem to be very well compacted, which might lead to the breakage another reviewer mentioned, so probably not the best for travel. The packaging has both good and bad features. Of course it is cheap, so it's not that attractive and probably wouldn't fare well in the bottom of a bag--it's also kind of bulky. On the other hand, the rectangular blush pan makes it easy to swipe or swirl a brush in, and the reverse side of the pan has a mirror that is actually big enough to use. This blush isn't really special in any way, but it's nice and could be used every day if you wanted to. Definitely worth the price.
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - Megalast Matte 916D Ravin' Raisin
sekhmet 9/3/2012 12:44:00 PM
I'm a fan of the regular WNW lippies, but this was a bad experience for me. Purple and plum tones are my go-to shades for winter, but this one makes me look goth in a really bad way. The weird thing is I can't actually pinpoint what's wrong with this color, since it appears to have blue undertones, and again that usually flatters me. But this is just terrible. And I personally hate the formula--it seems gooey and gluey, sticky and drying all at the same time. I have lots of WNW products, and I rarely have a fail with them, but this totally didn't work for me in any way whatsoever. I wish I'd realized how bad this was soon enough that I could return it!
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Lipstick -Wet 'n' Wild - 552A Just Garnet
sekhmet 9/3/2012 12:05:00 PM
This is such a gorgeous color, and the formula is just a tiny notch below Revlon--and to me they're right up there with the best. The only reason I took off 1 lippie is for the packaging, which is what I can only call utilitarian: it works, but isn't particularly nice. Plus, the name of the shade comes off when you unwrap the cellophane, although the number is still on the bottom. Still, great formula, lovely color, 99 cents--you can't go wrong. I went ahead and got a backup in case this gets dc'd. It's that good.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Curious by Britney Spears
sekhmet 4/16/2012 11:06:00 AM
I just bought my 2nd small bottle of Curious. It's nothing like the scents I've been wearing lately, which tend toward the dark and exotic. But I got a bottle of this on sale after Christmas several years ago, and I really liked it. This is a fresh, sparkling, feminine (not necessarily girly) scent in a gorgeous bottle. When I wear it, I smell like the Goddess of Spring. I used it up, and ever since then, I've wanted some more. It's just something I seem to need in my arsenal. So now I have my Curious fix. I'm wearing it today, and I smell so pretty! I could always be wrong, but I have the feeling this fragrance launched by a teen pop diva is a classic. And hopefully, when Britney is a distant memory, this scent will still be going strong!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Dorall Collection--Anabelle
sekhmet 4/9/2012 10:31:00 AM
I bought this for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to test drive Anais Anais and see if I wanted to get the real thing sometime. Second, I'd seen the bottle on the internet and thought it was pretty (it's a ball-shaped frosted glass sphere with floral motifs "carved" on it). So I got this for less than $4 at a local drugstore. Ok, it smells nothing like Anais Anais! It's a VERY lightly scented floral mixture--sweet but not cloying--with a dusky little twist. You can basically douse yourself with this and in about 5 minutes, you won't smell anything until you put your nose directly on the area you sprayed. When you first apply, you smell alcohol. Then, in only a couple of seconds, you get the flowery scent. Finally, in maybe 5-10 minutes, you get that faint, intriguing drydown, and then it's gone. It's nice as an after-shower body spray, or to apply at bedtime. This is so cheap and subtle, I think it would make a nice gift for a tween or a little girl who wants to play grown-up (or basically anyone but a fragrance snob). And, despite the fact that they put an ugly, clunky plastic cap on the bottle, it's still pretty, and I'll be keeping mine after the perfume is gone.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Song of India Temple Oil
sekhmet 3/30/2012 1:26:00 PM
Wow, I really love perfume oils, and this one is gorgeous! The box says it "smells like an Indian temple," so I was expecting something spicy and smoky. I was wrong--but not disappointed! This is a heady, intoxicating floral that lasts a long time on your skin. It just surrounds you with a beautiful fragrance and lifts your mood as you move through the day. I'm so glad I found this scent and I would hate to be without it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Spiritual Sky--Frangipani Oil
sekhmet 3/30/2012 11:16:00 AM
I have and love the Spiritual Sky Amber Oil, so I thought I'd branch out and try something floral. Bad idea! The frangipani oil smells mostly oily, slightly ambery, and a tiny bit floral. Usually I can wear any fragrance with some adjustments, but I'm just going to have to use this to scent my car.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - S by Shakira
sekhmet 3/29/2012 10:40:00 AM
After reading the reviews of S and finding a bottle on sale, I bought it. The fragrance is beautiful--elegant, pretty, and young (but not juvenile). But I have 2 problems with this: the otherwise lovely bottle doesn't have a cap, and the perfume doesn't last on me. I applied some about 2 hours ago, and even put some Egyptian musk underneath it hoping that would help the lasting power, and the scent is nearly gone. And I couldn't bring it with me to reapply because...no cap! I'm still glad I bought it, enjoy using it and having it in my collection. But I won't be looking for a backup or a bigger bottle.
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