Hair -Philip Kingsley - PK4 Hair Protein Capsules
ALBA 8/6/2010 1:22:00 AM
I agree whole heartedly with what the previous reviewer Bellamy Blue says about these supplements. The amount of soya protein in them is so small that one would do just as well eating a chocolate soya pudding, at least there would be some enjoyment and it would be cheaper. I was under the impression that I would be receiving a supplement that had been researched and documented to prove that it improved hair loss but how can such a small amount of soya do anything, really? It would be better to buy a broad spectrum amino acid protein supplement than these. I was astounded when I looked at the ingredients and discovered that no amino acid quantities were listed at all! Eating iron rich foods would be more cost effective and possibly more effective anyway.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -MD Formulations - Vit-A-Plus Intensive Repair ( with Alpha Retinyl Complex)
ALBA 8/6/2010 1:12:00 AM
I would buy this product again if it were not for the awful packaging. The cannister has a false bottom and there is no way of dismantling it (something I hate as I like to get every last bit out) The pump is terrible and you can never tell when it's going to run out. I would much prefer a tube that can be squeezed and cut when the product is running out. The lotion does brighten but the sheer annoyance described above negates any use it has in the anti aging stakes. In fact, it induces stress (aging in itself) when you have to keep pushing down on the pump and only 1 in 6 pumps will work and then one day nothing at all comes out. I always feel like I'm being conned when I use this type of packaging. The lotion is bright yellow and quite 'soapy' feeling on the skin, it will stain a white pillowcase if you sleep on your side.
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Loose Powders -Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder
ALBA 6/24/2010 12:49:00 AM
I have this powder in #2. It is very light cream shade of powder with tiny sparkles in it. This was the shade recommended to me as I have warm toned skin (MAC C4/C5). The powder is very finely milled, too fine to really stop any smudging of mascara you might get if you use under your brows. Did it brighten my very dark circles? No, every time I use this powder it somehow manages to make my dark circles look even darker than how they appeared before I applied my concealer and my undereye area appears to look more sunken than when I use normal face powder on top. I think it must be because the shade of the powder is just too insepid for my colouring which has a fair amount of yellow in it anyway. I'm not sure if I'm right about this but my hunch is if you are someone who suits a white shirt more than an ivory one (try it, one will lift your face much more) then it could be that no #1 is better for you. If it then makes the undereye area look too light, you can always go over it with a very light dusting of bronzing powder. P.S: Don't apply this between the lower eyelid and the orbital bone, it looks strange in the middle of the summer - I tried it and I did.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Boots - No. 7 Mineral Perfection Powder Foundation
ALBA 4/17/2010 9:20:00 PM
I bought this online without trying it instore and trusted reviews on their website. I wish I hadn't! The shade I chose was 'Blonde' which is really quite dark even for a C4/C5 like me. I could tell as soon as I tried it on my hand that this would be a no-go as it was far too glittery.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Extra Volume Collagen Mascara Blackest Black
ALBA 4/17/2010 9:09:00 PM
An average mascara. I didn't find this thickened my lashes much and didn't make them very long. The brush is underwhelming as the bristles aren't dense enough to grab the lashes and push them upwards. It's supposed to make lashes twelve times thicker than another L'Oreal mascara - I would like to see this demonstrated to their customers in an online clip because it certainly didn't work for me. Really disappointing. Back to YSL and Dior.
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Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
ALBA 1/10/2010 1:06:00 AM
This keeps oil at bay very well. The only problem I have with it is that I don't trust the sun protection qualities of this without knowing the PPD of it. The spf only indicates that it blocks UVB rays (the burning ones) whilst it's the UVA rays (remember A for ageing) that do the real damage and are present at any time of the year and can permeate glass. So I would only buy this again if MAC ensure that there is a high UVA rating for this and indicate that it is photostable (meaning that it has been tested to last longer than average). If the sun protection in this was as good as La Roche Posay spf50 with a PPD of 28-30 it would be absolutely amazing!!! Until then I'll carry on dreaming of the perfect primer and all the time it would save me waiting for various unctions to be absorbed in the morning and all the annoyance it causes my boyfriend when he's waiting for us to go out!
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Vaseline - rosy lips
ALBA 1/7/2010 10:40:00 PM
The shade of this suits my lips ok and does show up on them however it is very slippery and doesn't moisturize very well. The almond oil in it doesn't give the same texture as standard vaseline so the soothing qualities seem to have been lost. Given the choice between this and Smith's Rosebud Salve, it would be the latter every time.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Lancome - Artliner
ALBA 12/18/2009 4:23:00 AM
Not HG for me as it isn't pigmented enough and wears off too easily - it's as though it has water mixed in with the formulation. I also prefer an old fashioned brush to this felt tip applicator because it's more pliable and can get between the lashes more easily. Prefered the Traceur of days gone past.
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Mascara -Chanel - Mascara Exceptionnel
ALBA 10/28/2009 1:51:00 AM
Very, very disappointed with this mascara. I usually like the results they produce for my lashes but sorry Chanel but this is a real dud. First off, the rubber brush - I mostly hate these brushes, all they do is produce stupid looking doll like lashes that don't look real. One ends up with trashy looking lashes. After applying the mascara this morning, I ended up having to use a lash comb to remove most of the mascara from the end of my lashes because I hated how much they looked. They looked clumped and sticky. Does it lengthen? Not much Does it thicken? Yes, in a clumpy, applied my makeup in the dark sort of way. The shade? I use black but I even hate the shade of black, it looks wrong with my coloring. Does it have some blue in it? Chanel, please drop the gimmicky rubber brush, I want fluttery, long, beautiful lashes not Katie Price 'get'em out for the boys' ones.
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Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
ALBA 10/27/2009 10:38:00 PM
I completely agree with Lapiz's review for this product. The packaging is annoying and although it initially feels as though it moisturizes your skin, it actually dries it out in the long run. It may not look as glamorous on your bedside table, but Vaseline's Intensive Care (Advanced Healing) slathered on before bed, is much less greasy and I always wake up with much softer hands. Not only is it more effective, It's cheaper too!
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Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Lola
ALBA 9/12/2009 10:32:00 PM
I was given a sample of this today, it's so reminiscent of a fragrance from the early 80s, what is it? It's driving me to distraction not knowing. Very addictive scent, can't stop smelling my wrist and I don't even know if I like it! All I can think of is COLA CUBES!! Those gorgeous red cubes of deliciousness that my friends and I would save our pocket money up to buy a quarter of from the nice old confectionist. Everytime I inhale, I'm reminded of a Lancome fragrance, is it their skincare or the rose aroma of their lipsticks? Someone put me out of my misery and tell me. Very nostalgic.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Miller Harris - Geranium Bourbon
ALBA 8/25/2009 11:35:00 AM
Last night I was rummaging around in my box of Miller Harris samples, seeing if there was any one of them I'd dismissed as not liking that I really should try again and I pulled out this one. Well actually I pulled out the tuberose one first and instantly had to wash it off as it was far too vodka and candy for my liking. I dabbed this on tentatively and found myself intrigued at liking it rather a lot, I'm really not one for floral scents and yet this couldn't be more floral if it tried. If this were a colour it would be a pulsating raspberry pink and the shape it would make would be a heart or a bow with a velvet texture. On first applying it, there's a huge gust of geranium, like your beau has told you to close your eyes and stuck a huge bouquet under your nose. But here's how Lyn Harris is clever; she's included the leaf- like smell of the bouquet without it really smelling 'green'. I'm not sure how that is possible but that's what I sense. And unlike geranium oil which is very one dimensional, this is clean and fresh, making it so very good for wearing in the heat. Even I'm finding all the lemon and grapefruit fragrances (despite me loving them) a little predictable for summer this time around. The trouble for me with floral scents is that they either have a very synthetic accord (think sanitary towels and hand wipes) or they can smell a little jaded after a while and all too often have a powdery accord to them (Fleur Oriental I'm looking at you.) This is just joyful, feminine and extrovert to me. Right now, I only have the sample, I'd have to wear it a few more times before thinking about buying it as the bottles are so large and I don't like the pressure of having a large bottle (I'd rather have 2 Miller Harris scents in smaller bottles than 1 large one) I wish she'd sell some smaller versions that can be flung in a bag. I've given packaging quality a '3' because I have a bottle of another of her fragrances and it leaks a little bit. Love the design on them though.
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Sunscreen -Avene - 50 plus Spray for Children, 200ml
ALBA 8/23/2009 10:26:00 PM
I adore the texture of this sunscreen, it's just like a light moisturizing milk. It's a little white at first but then aren't they all. As the previous reveiewer has said it wears very well under makeup, it even gives a gentle glow. The spray is non-aerosol yet has a strong jet. As a general rule, spray sunscreens are a good idea for those with greasy skin because the product has to be thin enough to pass through the nozzle so oily girls should always lookout for sprays. This is spf 50 and supposed to be broad spectrum to block out the majority of UVA AND UVB rays. The UVAs are the ageing ones and UVBs the burning ones. I like the fact it is a physical and NOT a chemical sunblock because sometimes when I use LRP Anthelios I can feel and taste the sunscreen even though I don't put any on my lips. After a while using that I do wonder what the long term effects will be. Effectiveness: Sadly, I have to see more evidence from Avene that this gives the protection it claims. What is the Pigment Protection in it, for example? La Rosay has a factor of 28 -32 in their highest sunblocks and yet Avene don't say what their's is. The price to pay for not having the chemical Mexoryl in it is that I'm suspicious of the protection it provides. Avene, please publish this data on the PPD and reassure us of the broad spectrum protection. This is all that is stopping me from rating this as a HG sunblock and buying it again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Allure for women
ALBA 8/22/2009 11:09:00 PM
I hate this scent with a vengeance. It just reminds me of the 90s, seeing drunk girls with centre partings and cheap clothes, holding their shoes in one hand and a kebab in the other after a trashy night on the town. As another reviewer has said, it's designed to appeal to the masses. That wouldn't be so bad if I really adored it but it doesn't have a 'quality' aura, just a synthetic one. Just because it has the name Chanel on it doesn't make it 'special' for me at all. The powdery notes in it are my main gripe because they make me want to heave everytime I smell someone drenched in it and whoever is wearing it, always seems to drench rather than dab. Rather than Allure it should be renamed 'Claustrophobia' or 'Migraine'. Those who like this will probably love the equally dreaded and sickly Angel, the old 80s Poison and the most gross of all time, Samsara. Chance is more appealing because it lacks the powdery notes and it's more youthful and cypre but it's still not enough to make me want to buy a bottle of that either.
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Self Tanners -Shiseido - Brilliant Bronze Quick Self-Tanning Gel
ALBA 8/22/2009 4:45:00 AM
Other reviewers are right, this is very sticky. The fragrance is bearable and not the worst I've smelt What is annoying is that it is extremely light, after 2 applications I can barely see it on my skin and everytime I place my knees together, they stick! I am not someone who likes a heavy, orange tan. I like something lightly bronzed but this is too much bother. The only good thing that I can say is that the shade is an extremely light nutty colour and doesnt have a fake tan look to it. Edit: This is darker than I first thought, it just takes hours to develop properly. That the good news, the bad is that it looks orangey after the first layer and if you scratch your skin, it takes off the self tanner. Not an indication of a good tanner. I consider myself to be a whiz at applying tanner with latex gloves and making it look natural however I have a streak on my foot that I'm going to have to scrub at. My review remains at 2 out of 5
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