Shampoo -Aveda - Clove Shampoo and Conditioner
kate8 9/24/2002 5:57:00 PM
This is a perfectly good shampoo with a nice, spicy scent, but I can get several other shampoos that I like as much or more for less money.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Aveda - Self Control
kate8 9/24/2002 5:55:00 PM
This stuff is pretty neat, with a few caveats. A little goes a LONG way, and yes, it has a lovely lavender-ish scent, but it will compete with any other fragrance you wear, so you should probably wear fragrance OR this, unless the two are complementary to one another. The stick is a nice way to get at the pomade; when the stuff is in a tub, I tend to get some under my fingernails trying to get it out, and I hate that. I usually rub a small amount of this onto my hands and warm it up, then run it through my damp hair. Applying it directly to hair from the stick is certainly an option, but I find that it can make the hair look a little greasy that way. I finish the very last part of my blow-dry and style with it, and the shine and light control make my straight-ish hair look really pretty.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Aussie - 12-Hour Hairspray
kate8 9/24/2002 5:44:00 PM
Anyone who's been to Central or East Texas in the middle of summer knows how humid it is, and how the humidity can totally screw over your beautiful hairdo during a two-minute walk from your car to your business appointment, leaving it a flat, droopy mess. This hairspray is as good in the humidity as several high-end, salon-only products I've tried, and much better than many of them. It was invaluable to me in hot, humid Texas and Louisiana summers. The only thing I miss is that it's a spray, not an aerosol---I just comfort myself that it's hopefully better for the environment this way. Oh---beware, though---it does smell like grape soda pop when it goes on. (The scent fades very quickly.)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shave Products -Kiss My Face - Moisture Shave
kate8 9/24/2002 5:37:00 PM
I got the Unscented Moisture Shave for really cheap at Trader Joe's, and I love it. It's not a foam or gel---it's more of a lotion. My legs actually feel moisturized after I use it---I'd been using soap or men's shaving cream just before I got this, because several of the women's shaving products didn't care for my skin any better than soap or (cheaper) men's products. I'm about to run out, and I will repurchase!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Almay - One-Coat Nail Color
kate8 9/24/2002 5:21:00 PM
I hated this stuff!! I bought it in Venus, a really pretty medium-pink shade, and when I took it off with an acetone-free polish remover, it turned my nails a horrible, ugly yellow color that took ages to disappear! I had to disguise my nails with polish round the clock for weeks until it went away. I tested it on one tiny little spot weeks later to make sure that it was the fault of this polish and not something else I'd done (eaten, touched, etc.), and it was *definitely* this polish!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Philosophy - Heaven on Earth
kate8 9/24/2002 5:17:00 PM
This stuff is so good, it's sinful. The smell is clean and fabulous---sort of like SweetTarts (the candy), only it's much better than that. I actually feel happier when I smell it (all psychological and not scientific, I'm sure, but still, it's very comforting!). Tough enough to scrub the dead skin off, but soft enough that I can apply it with my bare hands and not have them hurt. My skin feels clean but still moist (not greasy!) when I use this. Very possibly my #1 favorite philosophy product ever.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Philosophy - Save the Nails [DISCONTINUED]
kate8 9/24/2002 5:12:00 PM
This stuff is awesome. Rub it into your cuticles, and you won't see too much right away. Look back at your hands in five minutes or so, and your cuticles are moisturized and beautiful---it makes your nail area look so healthy and trim! An added bonus is that it smells really good, sort of like lavender. One pot lasts a long time. :) The only downside I can think of is that the oils tend to make the outside labeling of the pot rub off if you handle it while the stuff is on your fingers (though they may have fixed this by now---I bought my pot a while ago).
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Philosophy - The Cookbook
kate8 9/24/2002 5:07:00 PM
The scents are fabulous, and the little "trial-sized" bottles were all *perfect* for my former job that required lots of travel, but they're just not very *good* soap, shampoo, or conditioners! As soap, it's so-so, since it doesn't lather much or feel terribly clean afterward, and the shampoo/conditioner part has exactly the same problem that *most* shampoo/conditioner combos have: my hair never felt quite clean *or* conditioned afterward---it tended to be a little greasy, in fact! (Not something I can say about most of the hair care products I've used!) Keep the scents and sizes, but improve the product, or separate it into different components (i.e., just shampoo, just conditioner, etc.) please!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Peru-B-Ruby
kate8 9/23/2002 2:10:00 PM
I was really looking forward to this shade---it looks like a luminous blue-toned red in the bottle---but it looks more like a bright pink on---just a little sheer for my taste, and it went on unevenly. I have lots of other OPI shades that I like better on my nails.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Pistol Packin Pink
kate8 9/23/2002 2:08:00 PM
This is one of the only OPI polishes that's ever disappointed me. It's *very* sheer, and didn't apply very well---sort of gloppy and uneven. Their newer "Italian Love Affair" is a similar very ligth pink, but it has none of PPP's issues.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Nailpolish in Ulta Violet
kate8 9/23/2002 2:05:00 PM
This is fun---like the previous reviewer, I got it free with purchase at Ulta. Purple glitter, but not quite so hard to get off as some glitter polishes. A bit sparkly, but not SUPER flashy. I wore it to my conservative office one day and got some friendly giggles about it, but no one raised an eyebrow. (I have plenty of colors that would!)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Chicago Champagne Toast
kate8 9/23/2002 2:03:00 PM
This is tied for my favorite brown/taupe/tan shade with Stila's Hebe. CCT is a light champagne, and it's *beautiful* on---perfect at the office.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Marquis de mauve
kate8 9/23/2002 2:00:00 PM
This is one of my new favorites---it goes on beautifully, and like Helen said, it's more of a rose-gold.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Avon - Avon Speed Dry Nail Enamel (various colors)
kate8 9/19/2002 1:33:00 PM
Avon had these on special for $1.95 apiece, so I figured "what the heck" and bought three. For background, I tend to buy mostly OPI nail colors, and occasionally MAC, Revlon, Stila, and L'oreal. Avon Speed Dry promised to be dry in 60 seconds, and it delivered. The first color I tried, Amethyst Shimmer, reminded me of a frosty medium pink Almay polish called Venus that I'd had years ago---it was a fun color, but the Almay brand turned my nails yellow when I applied acetone-free polish remover!! I have had no such problems with the Avon brand. The colors are really nice---the two others I got this time round are Cafe au Lait, a shimmery peachy brown, and Sizzlin' Sun, a fun glittery gold that looks good on my toes. Drugstore price, good quick nail polish. They may never be your favorite, but they sure are handy when you *need* a quick polish as you're dashing out the door.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Avon - Color Twist Lip Gloss Pen
kate8 9/19/2002 1:24:00 PM
Wow! It *looks* like a Stila gloss pen, the colors are great, the glosses feel moist and last several hours...and they're only $5! (I think they might be $7 normally, but they're on sale.) I bought "Peach Fuzz" and "Urban Bliss" for my first time around, but I definitely plan to buy more. Mild vanilla scent, no taste.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No