Polishes -Revlon - Tuscan Sun
shalashaska 11/5/2009 11:33:00 AM
This polish has a very different tone on my nails than it does in the bottle, but it is still a lovely color. It is a little darker and a little less pink than I had expected it to be. It's somewhere between a dark rose and a brick red -- a really good color for autumn. It's not a color I would usually wear, but I'm really pleased with how it looks against my skin: it does suit olive skin tones quite nicely. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it, and a friend has already asked me if she can borrow the polish. I actually didn't find the formula to be thick as some other reviewers did. Perhaps it is because I am accustomed to using Sally Hansen nail polish, which I find to be very thick and goopy, and this is much easier to apply in comparison. It's the first time I've tried a Revlon nail polish, and it's definitely inspired me to expirement with some of their other colors.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Wet 'n' Wild - 100% Natural pressed powder
shalashaska 10/9/2009 3:31:00 PM
I'm so impressed with this powder. I don't have much experience with Wetn 'n' Wild products, but since it was "100% natural" and very inexpensive, I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. It's very light and natural-looking. It really diminishes the huge pores on my nose and covers my dark acne scars really well. This gives my skin a naturally near-perfect look, which I've never really been able to achieve before. With the weather getting colder, the skin in the corners of my nose has gotten dry, as usual, but this powder somehow avoids getting caught up in the dry patches and looks so much better than the powder foundation I was using previously. The "puff" that comes with it isn't very impressive, but I apply this with a brush anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Will definitely purchase again. And again.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NYX - Trio TS06 Purple Deep Purple and Prune
shalashaska 9/30/2009 5:18:00 PM
These are just not pigmented enough for my liking. It was my first time trying NYX eyeshadow. All of the trios look as if they are very highly pigmented, so I was really surprised when I put the Deep Purple on my eyelid, and it barely showed up at all. It was very sheer and not at all what I expected it to be. I tried it again after putting primer on first, and it looked much better. I feel better about it now that I know it looks decent with a primer, but I think it's silly that I NEED to prime my eyes in order to see this eyeshadow AT ALL. It's barely visible on my naked skin, and I prefer shadows that are pigmented enough that you can at least tell what color they're supposed to be without slathering on even more makeup. I don't know; maybe my olive skin tone completely neutralizes this eyeshadow. That's the only reason I can think of that it would be SO pigmented on everyone else and practically invisible on me. The colors in this are okay. I'd prefer to have a pallet with more blue-purple shades like the Deep Purple. The Purple and Prune shades are pinker than I'd like. All in all, I think these are okay, not great. This product has gotten a lot of 5's from other reviewers, and while I'm glad that they like it, I think I can find other equally inexpensive eyeshadow that is better suited to my personal preferences, so I don't think I'm going to be buying any more NYX eyeshadow.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Xtreme wear nail polish - Ivy League
shalashaska 9/28/2009 11:07:00 AM
This is a lovely shade of green. I usually wear matte nail polish but decided to try something different with this, and I ended up really liking it. It was a bit difficult to apply it without getting any bubbles, so I advise that you do a very, very thin coats. It wears for a long time, so much so that it was actually a little difficult to remove. Didn't seem to crack at all, just gradually wore away.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri in Lightening
shalashaska 9/28/2009 10:55:00 AM
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who found this a nuisance to apply. It's a nice color, though I'm not too crazy about how it looks with my skin tone now that I have it on. That's not the issue I have with the product, however. I think the brush is really awkward, and it makes putting this on very messy. The wide stem of the brush retains too much polish, and it is impossible to rub off against the bottle, so it drips down in enormous globs onto my nails. I went through about half of the bottle trying to get them to look neat because I kept removing and re-doing them. Even now, I have messy edges of polish on my skin that were just unavoidable. I'd never buy this polish again in any color. It's way too much work, and putting it on is like painting your nails with acrylic paint. *** I'm editing to add that this stuff chips quickly and easily. ***
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Organix - Coconut Milk Leave In Nourishing Milk
shalashaska 9/25/2009 1:01:00 PM
I bought this because it was free after a mail-in rebate. It's light and non-greasy, and I love the coconut smell, but I don't think it does much to my hair other than give it that nice scent. My hair doesn't look any shinier or more nourished than it did before I began to use this. Perhaps it is affecting my hair on a microscopic level. As for what I can see, I've used other leave-in conditioner type products that have left my hair looking more nourished. I basically like this product, so I'll continue to use it until it runs out, but I don't like it enough to buy it again. It costs about 7 or 8 dollars, which isn't pricey, but it's still more than I want to pay just to get my hair to smell nice. I should also note that the bottle doesn't seem to be very leak-proof. Unless there was some sort of shipping incident, evey bottle of this stuff at Target had leaked, and the print on the lables was running. The other Organix products were fine. It was just the nourishing milk that was wet and icky.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Babyliss - Pro Ceramic Tourmaline 500 Straightening Iron
shalashaska 9/21/2009 10:50:00 AM
This iron is the best thing that's ever happened to my hair. After my cat knocked my old iron into the sink while the water was running, I needed to buy one to replace it. I thought I'd try something different, and I found this in Marshalls for half off the regular $80 price. My hair is extremely curly, frizzy, and difficult to straighten, but it looks the best it has ever looked with this iron. It doesn't curl or frizz throughout the day. I absolutely love it. It glides over my hair so easily, and it looks silkier than ever before. I've received so many copliments since switching to this. If my cat breaks this one, I'll definitely buy it again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Farouk CHI - Chi- Straight Guard
shalashaska 9/21/2009 10:00:00 AM
Wow. I have coarse, CURLY, frizzy hair which I straighten daily. This is the first product I've ever used that has successfully eliminated my frizz. Every time throughout the day when I catch sight of my reflection, I'm shocked to see myself with smooth, shiny hair. I didn't expect it to work this well at all. The bottle directs you to apply this before blow-drying, but I put it on after flat-ironing because it doesn't make my hair greasy at all. I'm thrilled with this stuff.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Revlon - Age Defying Spa Concealer [DISCONTINUED]
shalashaska 9/17/2009 7:32:00 PM
This is my favorite drugstore concealer. I've been hunting for an inexpensive concealer that I actually like for a while now, and I'm relieved to have found this. It covers my red spots, dark circles, and blemishes all very well and blends excellently. It feels light-wight and doesn't look cakey. It looks as good at the end of the day as it did when I put it on this morning. I'm really pleased with it, and it's one of few concealers that does not make the skin under my eyes look scaly. I think the only thing that doesn't thrill me about this concealer is the click-pen method of dispensing it, as it's a little difficult to regulate the amount that goes into the brush, but I've certainly used worse brush-applicator concealers. It's hardly a deal-breaker, and I will definitely buy this again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -SAMY - Esencia by Samy - White Lotus Hydrating Conditioner
shalashaska 9/17/2009 11:21:00 AM
I picked this up because it was free after the mail-in rebate. I haven't noticed any change in my hair after switching to this conditioner. $7.99 is pretty cheap, but there are even cheaper products that give me the same results, so I don't see the sense in buying this again. If you're dead-set on using an inexpensive, mostly natural conditioner, than I'd recommend it. I only worry about using natural shampoo, however, so I can live without this product. It has the strongest smell of any shampoo/conditioner I've ever used. It's not a bad smell -- it's a very floral smell, which isn't really to my personal taste. I can't tell if it lingers in my hair afterward because my hair isn't long enough to reach under my nose -- that said, if the scent does last after washing, I think only people who are right near your hair would smell it. A few reviewers have mentioned the "screw-top" cap as a negative. You don't need to remove the entire cap in order to get the product out. The rewiever who said it is a pull-top was correct. It takes a little effort to open it the first time you use it, but after that, it's simple to open -- not a hassle at all to get the product out if you're doing it correctly.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Oxy - Oxy Maximum Daily Cleansing Pads
shalashaska 9/15/2009 1:13:00 PM
I'm basically pleased with these pads. I bought them thinking that they were so cheap, it couldn't hurt to try them, but they work better than I expected. I was hoping they would help me diminish my blackheads by removing some of the oil from my pores. At first, I did not think they were working. Then I noticed that the oil was rising to the surface of my pores, as they looked swollen. I then used a pore strip on my nose. This didn't eliminate my blackheads, but it did help to clean them up a bit. My pores are now noticeably smaller and cleaner. This stuff really does burn quite a lot, however. There is a version without alcohol in it which might be better-suited to skin that is more sensitive or prone to dryness.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -TRESemme - Instant Heat Tamer Spray
shalashaska 8/30/2009 5:30:00 PM
I'm not going to say that this stuff protects my hair from the heat, because honestly, I can't really tell. I have extremely curly hair which I straighten every day, and taking that into consideration, this stuff seems to prevent it from drying out. On a microscopic level, however, I have no idea how heat damaged my hair is. This stuff is very easy to apply as the spray bottle works very well. It doesn't have a gooey consistency, so it is easy to work through your hair and doesn't leave it feeling heavy with product. It has a subtle, barely detectable smell, which I always appreciate, and one bottle lasts for quite a while. The only other heat protection product I've used is Redken's, which I hated, so I'm very pleased with how this one feels in comparison. I've been using it for a while, and I don't feel the need to switch to another. It's definitely a staple item in my medicine cabinet.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Garden Tomato Complexion Soap [DISCONTINUED]
shalashaska 8/30/2009 5:22:00 PM
This soap is intended to "balance oily skin" and "refine enlarged pores." I don't know that it's refined my pores, but I do really like it because it leaves my skin feeling so soft. My face is very smooth after using this, and even though it hasn't really done anything to clear my complexion, it's worth it to keep my skin feeling soft without making it seem more oily. It really does seem to balance my oily skin without drying it out. Even in the winter, when my skin is a bit dry around the corners of my nose, this soap is not too harsh for me. I think it's gentle enough that it can be used even on normal skin. I expect, however, that it may be too drying if you have consistently dry skin to begin with. Lastly, like many Burt's Bees products, it does have a rather strong and distinct smell, so much so that my entire bathroom smelled like this soap when I first got it, and I had to apologize to my housemates. Either I've worn it in, or I've just gotten used to it because I don't notice it anymore until it's up near my face; anyway, I've grown to like the scent. Give it a whiff in the store just to make sure it's for you. You can probably smell it without opening the box.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Biore - Ultra Deep Cleansing pore strips
shalashaska 8/30/2009 4:59:00 PM
In my experience, these do not "deep cleanse." They work pretty well for clearing out oil and dirt lying near the surface of my pores, but they don't extract blackheads completely. I get the best results from them if I use them after a mask, like Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque. Queen Helene's brings even more of the icky stuff to the surface of my blackheads, and I can see the dirt sticking halfway out of them like little fuzz after I've washed it off. (I'm sorry if this is disgusting.) While my nose is still wet from rinsing the mask, THEN I apply the Biore nose strip, and my blackheads are the smallest and fewest I've ever seen them. I continue to do this even though it doesn't leave me blackhead-free. I'm still looking for a way to get rid of them completely, but this works pretty well at diminishing them for now.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Removal -Sally Hansen - Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit for Face, Brown & Bikini
shalashaska 8/30/2009 4:49:00 PM
This is my favorite kit for waxing at home, but you have to apply the strips just right to get them to work. Rub the strips in between your hands to heat them first, of course. You then need to lay them on just right on the first try, and I find that they work best if you set them down on the hair so you are pushing the hairs against the grain. Just like any product, I suppose it works differently for everyone, but I prefer this to liquid wax and other wax strips. The only downside to this wax is that it can cause me to break out, and I know I'm not the only person to have this problem. Breakouts can be easily avoided, however, if you clean yourself well. Use the solution the kit comes with to thoroughly remove the wax afterward. I then wash the area with an exfoliating cleanser, as the beads in the cleanser will break up any wax left. Since I've gotten the hang of using this, they've been working great, and I've been able to prevent them from breaking me out.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No