Hair Removal -Unlisted Brand - Beauty Maid - Velvet Touch Hair Remover Mitten
Calina_Oscura76 6/12/2009 1:29:00 AM
I have used these before, and I was recently having a hard time finding them ( tho it was rather easy to find the "as seen on T.V. " hair removal pads.. but I digress.. I do like these for my knees.. yes, you read that right. my knees are rather gross IMO.. very rough dry skin on them, and there is of course little hairs that make them look worse.. but these are perfect for my knees, the buff away the very fine hairs, AND smooth the skin a bit as well, I then moisturize heavily.. ( or use something with Aloe Vera in it.. I to am trying to prep my legs for capri and shorts season.. as for using these on the rest of my legs? forget it, any normal person would probably need about 2 mitts per leg really, as i went through one mitt just doing my knees.. so I did put yes to repurchase.. but that is if I use them all up before the end of summer. even if they get me thru my vacation i will be happy.. lol.
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Hair Color -Clairol - Nice n' Easy -new formula
Calina_Oscura76 5/2/2009 2:36:00 PM
I thought I had learned my lesson. I just stripped my hair yesterday.. I do this often enough to know that my hair would be left porous.. but I still use a dark color, just alter the time.. and it usually works out. So I purchased 120A which is Natural dark Golden Brown. hrm. Put it on, and was quite startled at how quickly it oxidized into an inky black color. keeping in mind that my hair previous to the dye was left a bright auburn color, I did not worry until the 8 minute mark.. ( yes, 8 minutes of a possible 25) Soi proceeded to the bathroom to rinse. hair color was left on about 10 minutes or so.. and I was left with this gothy, incredibly inky black color. absolutely NO golden dark brown color to be found. wow. was i disgusted. Thankfully, I had enough color remover to get rid of this mistake.. (( just enough.) now my hair is some strange reddish/ brassy color.. but I can live with it for now.. guess i will stick to L'oreal. they fade fast, but at least i am not left with a horrid head of hair..
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Conditioner -TRESemme - Smooth and Silky Vitamin H and Silk Proteins
Calina_Oscura76 4/21/2009 4:18:00 PM
Okay, I have been using this faithfully with the conditioner for about a month, So that I could get a real feel for this product. I am typically a hair snob, but not by choice, I just find that many DS 'poos and conds' leave me with a rather irritated scalp, or awful build up. So far, I have not had any of these problems with this line! ( am going to review these as a team.. both would get the same rating anyways) Some info on my mop.. I dye and strip the color quite often.. a med hair cut to boot, fine hair with minimum grey.. ( for now.. my kids are still young.) this stuff makes my hair feel great! I also use the treatment about once a week in collaboration with the shampoo and conditioner. I also flat iron my hair daily, and my hair is still managing to stay in decent condition ( please note i do not use bleach to strip my hair color) that being said, this stuff has totally won out over the Redken, Regis, Nexxus, etc.. that i have tried, and I will be repurchasing, but not any time soon, as I think this stuff is procreating in the bottles. My only complain is they really need to add a pump! or make smaller bottles so that tus choosy ones could refill the smaller bottles, as I prefer to do my weight training at the gym, not in my shower.. :) overall, I really like this, and it is great in my Daughters super fine baby blonde hair..
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Mascara - Black Pearl
Calina_Oscura76 3/1/2009 2:18:00 AM
I did not honestly think this would brighten my eyes, However, I do like it. my lashes are skimpy and not too long s when i get an over the top mascara ( i.e xtra volume or xtra length) they never look good on me, ( looks TOOOO fake) or i end up with massive clumps. This mascara (for brown eyes, but it makes no difference) did not clump, no flaking, and actually made my lashes look pretty! not too over done at all... which tends to be the look i am going for in a mascara.. a bit of volume and thickness, with a touch of lengthening.. this one fit the bill nicely.So i just may purchase again.. Update:04/21/09 .... As much as I loved this mascara, as time wore on, it thickened ( as many mascaras do) and that is when those little sparklies become a huge problem. Clumps terribly now, and I have to use a seperate brush to swipe through my lashes immediately after applying this mascara. So I will probably not repurchase it again after all. :(
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Smashbox - High Definition Healthy FX Foundation
Calina_Oscura76 2/8/2009 3:40:00 PM
I purchased this last night, after the cosmetician tried it one me on bare skin.. she had it on and it looked so nice, i thought why not?? ( L1 is the color I went with) So fast forward to today, I apply it, and for the love of god I could not apply it well. It is too sheer.. it says its buildable, however, when i tried in certain spots, i was left with ..well, orangey tinted spots.. works I guess if you have perfect skin to begin with, but if I had perfect skin, I would not be wearing foundation... the feel is nice though.. it does feel light.. just in my case, its too light for my combo, acne prone, uneven skin.. I dod not detect any weird odor with this product.. no scent at all really.. but I am returning it as soon as I can, because for the price tag ( 44 dollars canadian) I cannot justify keeping it when age rewind provides better coverage, ( though one needs a very light hand with the cream) and 1/3rd of the price of smashbox.. definately a No-Go and my search continues for a foundation that is not tooo heavy, and does not make me look like a freakshow..
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Skincare - Face -Avon - Clearskin Professional 3 Step System
Calina_Oscura76 10/22/2008 5:23:00 PM
I never had any issues with acne until my late teens/adult years which is a total P*ss off, but I Digress.. I have always been a fan of Clearskin from Avon, especially the invigorating scrub, you know, the blue stuff that smells so strong it makes your eyes water?? lol.. However, it always worked like a charm. So when I saw the 3 piece system, I did not hesitate in purchasing it, and I am glad I did. I have been using this for almost a month now, and I am pleased with the results. My skin has cleared up rather nicely, pores are slightly more refined and the overall texture of my skin has improved. definately less oil production, ( do not need to keep reapplying face powder or blotting oil) but not to the point of becoming overdry.BUT the most important part.. No purging! NO cluster of fresh acne! maybe one or 2.. cystic acne is greatly reduced as well.. Now this is my experience and I cannot speak for everyone.. One thing worth mentioning is the toner pads. I did find these to be a bit strong, I would notice that if I used them 2 times a day ( like directed) my skin would itch like crazy.. even with putting the lotion on afterwards, So I cut back to either once a day, or once every few days.. Just enough for me.. scrub is incredible!!! Love it.. rinses easily, and leaves skin feeling fresh.. the lotion is not too heavy and feels nice going on.. If I have any issues after another month or so, I will update. but so far, it is the BEST product I have found to be effective for my skin. Update:04/21/09... I have just purchased my third kit today! i still find this highly effective all things considered. it lasts me a long time because I do only use the scrub once a day, instead of twice, and the cleansing pads every few days.. the lotion twice a day. I will see how it holds up to the summer heat, but so far, i only get a few small pimples here and there, and no cystic acne ( unless I use a new make up.. ) it seems I am in the minority here on liking this product.. but what works for one doesnt always work for another.. Or maybe it is a system that has to be tweaked to suit the person that is using it, instead of following directions..
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Aloette - Clear Skin - Clarifying Moisture Balance
Calina_Oscura76 9/24/2008 1:20:00 AM
I didnt really mind this lotion.. it is rather light feeling, smells incredible IMO.. but my skin just did not like this product line too much, with the exception of the cleanser. Mind you, my skin reacted more to the toner than to the lotion, but I figure if I use it as the system again, I will be just asking for a flare up, hardly the results I am looking for. So I will not be buying this again.
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Toners -Aloette - Clear Skin - Clarifying Deep Action Toner
Calina_Oscura76 9/24/2008 1:17:00 AM
I had bought this with the package deal so I received the cleanser,toner, lotion and treatment. I like the cleanser, but this stuff I can definately do without. I love the scent of all the products ( save the treatment, and its slight " burnt matches" smell coupled with citrus) but this stuff actually made me breakout. I had to stop using all products and re-introduce one at a time to find the culprit, and this was it. It does a good job picking up where the cleanser left off, but for my skin, it just was not the right product. I really wanted to like this line, but I cannot justify spending that type of money on something that is going to make the problem worse. For those who give a rats A$$ .. lol.. I am 31 with combo skin, not overly sensitive, but VERY prone to hormonal break outs. Not sure what the offending ingredient was in this particular product, but I will definately not repurchase.
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Cleansers -Aloette - Clear Skin - Clarifying Facial Wash
Calina_Oscura76 9/24/2008 1:08:00 AM
I really don't mind this facial wash.. the beads gently exfoliate and in general, it is not too harsh. I could ( and have) easily used it 2-3 times a day and it has never dried out my skin. I bought this with the toner, lotion and treatment as a package through a representative. ( 62 dollars I think? canadian..) I would possibly buy just the cleanser, but really, there are other cleansers that work just as well as this one, and I could grab them at the nearest pharmacy. my only real beef with this cleanser is that the "beads" ( jojoba beads) can get caught and stuck if you have any fine facial hair.. ( which unfortunately for me,I do have near my actual hair line.. baby fine and hardly noticable, until you get these little white beads stuck in the hair.. lol) So overall, not a bad cleanser if you like ordering stuff. hee hee.. but i probably will not re purchase,
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Jherri Redding One 'n Only Color Fix
Calina_Oscura76 8/11/2008 5:11:00 PM
Being a sucker for punishment.. I color my hair after finally growing my natural out ( after MANY years) I only used a Semi Permanent color, but instead of it washing out in 24-28 shampoos, it did not wash out AT ALL! needless to say, I was a touch miffed by this turn of events.. I tried fixing the color with permanent color, but did not like the results. I ended up with hair that had too much red tone. So, upon doing TONS of research into color correction, I tracked down this product. I consider myself incredibly lucky that a Sallys Beauty Supply had just opened in Nepean ( hard stuff to find in Canada.) So I made the trip and took the plunge. This stuff is a god send. I skipped the 3rd step completely. No harm done. What I did do was mix 1 tbsp each of the color reducer and conditioning Catalyst with 1 tbsp of my Matrix Biolage shampoo (hydrating) and worked said mixture into my hair, left it on for 5-7 minutes, rinsed and checked the results. I repeated the process ( same mixture, I was able to get 2 uses out of the first mix) and then rinsed and conditioned. The next day, I repeated the process 2 more times. I was left with a light auburn color, that I did not mind, but I wanted it closer to my natural color. So i used L'oreal preference natural light ash brown. I only left the hair color in my hair for about 7-8 minutes as Color fix leaves your hair rather porous. ( I could not find the proper protein filler.. any suggestions? .. however i did use a color primer) So I am a medium ash brown with minimal golden tones. NO RED TONES! * yay* I love the end result. the color is not fading at all and the most important part.. Color Fix did NOT destroy my hair like bleach would have. A little dry, but definately not fried. the product is low odor.. reminds me of a perm kit actually. so nothing major. I also have tons of product left. ( in case of emergency..lol) I hope to never need it again as I really would like to finally stop dying my hair, but if I do screw it up down the road, I have this saving grace waiting for me.. :) the price was not too bad either, comparable to a bleach kit. Edit: )3/15/2009 well I decided to give it another go, as hair dye was building up on the ends. still does the trick, and I have since discovered the "hair loss" I was experiencing had nothing to do with color fix. ( what is the cause of my hair loss?? will find that out soon enough.) anywho, I do like this for removing the color for more even application. I decided to go against what many said about going 1-2 shades lighter, as that just ran me into a heap of trouble. I like dark brown hair, and I only get a true dark brown hair color from ( drum roll please ..) A dark brown hair dye! gasp! I just cut the processing time down to about 10-12 minutes with a few extra minutes dedicated to the roots to even things out. Also, I used Ion reconstructor treatment after the Color fix, than dried and dyed right after.. no problems.. I also left the Hair dye conditioning treatment on for about 10 min under a processing cap.. Great results, my hair looks better than before I colorfixed it. :)
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Liquid -Maybelline - Superstay Silky foundation ]
Calina_Oscura76 7/16/2008 5:38:00 PM
Okay. It's summer. Hot, humid and sticky. I normally use Maybelline Age rewind, and I absolutely love that foundation, as it gives me a slightly dewy complexion, does not break me out, good coverage and reasonably priced and that is just a few reasons. My only problem is its lasting power, so i decided to try the superstay. I managed to find a shade right for me ( surprising as that is, as many foundations can tend to leave my fair tone a nice orangey color,nice.. if i was in fact an orange. ) Now this makeup definately has staying power. I slept with it on for a night on half of my face to test the theory, and it was still there the next morning. However, I find it WAY too matte for me. and if you have even so much as a small pimple, it will amplify it. I would not buy it again just for the fact that It it too cakey looking and matte for me. And this has everything to do with the foundation itself, which leads me to my next point,the Silky smooth extender. I like this part of the system, So I decided to just use the extender under my age rewind, and its fantastic! So I guess I will be finding myself in the market for a primer I guess. lol.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Exact
Calina_Oscura76 5/20/2008 12:27:00 AM
I repurchased this mascara today after pitching the Lash Blast ( I reviewed that mascara as well). I love this mascara. It is one of the VERY FEW mascaras that does not make my lashes clumpy looking. ( I have very sparse, short lashes.. and everything seems to clump on the little buggers lol) I love the brush for this mascara, and I think that is what makes the difference for me. Staying power is pretty decent yet easy to remove at night ( I use Aloette Essential cleansing oil and it seems to do the trick for me). SO I believe I will keep purchasing this one.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
Calina_Oscura76 5/20/2008 12:23:00 AM
I figured I would give this product a shot. What a disappointment. it flaked like nothing else soon after application, my lashes were incredibly clumpy looking and boy did it sting my eyes. It felt like I had stuff in my eyes from the moment I applied it. I gave it a few tries before pitching it in the trash. I would never repurchase, as it is just plain lousy.
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Lotions/ Creams -Avon - ANEW CLINICAL Lift and Tuck Professional Body Shaper
Calina_Oscura76 4/4/2008 1:10:00 PM
I decided to try this for kicks. I read reviews before purchasing, and quite honestly, I bought it due to the fact that some reviewers noticed a reduction in stretch marks. well, I have not been using it twice a day mainly because I forget. :) however I am noticing a change in the stretch marks on my tummy. as well as a slight change in the skin on my tummy as well. my stretch marks are alot lighter in color and the skin is smoother so they dont seem as prominent. Not many scents get to me ( with the exception of mango scented anything) So I really did not mind this much. i will probably repurchase but will see first if there is continued improvement. UPDATE: May 20th 2008: I have almost gone through the entire tube, And while I admit I did not use it twice a day as directed, I noticed there is no more difference, no real improvement beyond what has been already done. SO considering the price of this stuff, I doubt I would repurchase it now. I know I saw some improvement just using it one day, but it seems to have done all it is capable of doing. ah well...
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Treatments -Sally Hansen - Natural Nail Growth Activator
Calina_Oscura76 4/3/2008 12:40:00 AM
This stuff is a godsend for me. I compulsively wash my hands, and my nails were extremely weak. I had to keep them soo short as they kept peeling, breaking, splitting etc.. So i stumbled upon this in a last ditch effort to save my nails, almost put it back on the shelf but i figured why not try it. I am so glad I did. within the past few weeks I have noticed a tremendous difference in my nails. they are finally able to grow out without breaking or splitting. even with buffing my nails..I cannot really say if they are growing faster per say, but just the fact that they are growing out is good enough for me.I will keep using this for sure. I also notice that my cuticles are no longer growing and attaching to my nails .as much. this was always a huge problem for me. So to even see that problem slowly being taken care of is a bonus. :) EDIT: July 16 2008:: I REALLLLLLLY love this stuff. After prolonged use, I noticed my nails are more resistent to chipping and breakage, and they are indeed growing much faster! I know this without a doubt as I am having to file them every couple of days to keep them at the length that I presently need them to be. I am not noticing anything more with my cuticles though, they seem to still be sticking to my nails again, but I just use a cuticle trimmer now. all in all my Nails are in the best condition they have ever been in, and this stuff for me is worth every penny. Just cannot say it will work the same for everyone. :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No