Fragrances -Keiko Mecheri - Ume
Gother 2/18/2013 10:06:00 AM
Umé is one of my favourite KM fragrances and I own a full bottle of it. I reach for it when I need something both fruity-sharp/uplifting and Creamy/comforting. It has a complex quality to it, given by the incredibly mastered mixture of fruits (plum, tangerine and bergamot) with soft woods (oakmnoss, mahogany and patchouly). But the most astounding is, as usual, Keiko Mecheri's signature note, osmanthus, which is absolutely and clearly detectable above anything else: I love all of Keiko Mecheri's osmanthus creations and I especially love this one. I find it classy and comforting as well as dynamic and and youthful at the same time.
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Treatments -Skinceuticals - C E Ferulic
Gother 2/17/2013 2:13:00 AM
Two and a half months into using this serum every morning, my skin seems a lot stronger and more textured. Also, I've found a solution for blackheads and small breakups now and then. It really works, and I must give thanks to some MUAer who suggested this to me on Skin care Board. I wish the bottle came in a pump form, because I fear exposition to air may ruin the product (I calculate one bottle lasts for 6 or 7 months of daily use, so I keep it in a dark drawer and hope it doesn't get too warm). The price tag is ridiculously high, but I had concrete results from this product, so I don't care.
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Fragrances -Montale - Roses Elixir
Gother 2/16/2013 9:54:00 AM
Far from fetching a resemblance with Miss Dior Cherie (syntheticity explosion to me, a total scrubber, so I won't speak any further about it), this fragrance is interesting, but just that. As soon as I smelled it on my wrist, I imagined that this incredibly red rose-strawberry compote may feel like the florist's ideal deathbed, drowning in roses, preferably red. I admire Montale's deep involvement with roses and I believe he is the best rose artist in perfumery. As for actually wearing it, it's a different story. Personally, I'd feel overwhelmed and drunk from so much good stuff. But it's good anyway.
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Fragrances -Montale - Powder Flowers
Gother 2/16/2013 9:37:00 AM
A few times I was very close to buying Villoresi's Teint de Neige, but I always stopped one step from the counter, because, as much as I love the fragrance, I still own there's a note that gets very cloying at times (maybe heliotrope). I found out Powder Flowers by chance, because I went there to try Velvet Flowers but the sa didn't have it, so she offered some other Montales to test. This one caught my attention due to the close affinity with talcum powder, but it's very tapered and toned down here. Also, as with other Montale fragrances, you need to give it time, a lot of it, to see how unexpectedly it evolves on your own skin. This one does evolve and get lighter, almost airier, hour after hour, whereas Teint de Neige rather gets warmer and eventually heavier. In the end, I'm left with a special scent that I find particularly soothing and comforting, especially in the cold weather. I nice discovery.
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Eyes -BeneFit Cosmetics - Big Beautiful Eyes
Gother 2/16/2013 9:26:00 AM
I love the funny-retro packaging (I'm a fan of all Benefit packaging) and I've used this palette a lot for the last year, so I suppose I can leave my perfectly positive review. The Boing concealer works wonders for my under-eye circles and never gets cakey (I use it under my La Mer foundation). The colours are great, although I wish the lighter shade came in a more neutral tone (in other words: too pink for me). Also, you need to go with a very light hand when sweeping your brush, or you'll get a bit too much powder that will look chalky on lids.
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Fragrances -Keiko Mecheri - Tarifa
Gother 2/15/2013 10:35:00 AM
I bought a full bottle of this. It's part of the Keiko Mecheri's colognes series, built around various interpretations of the citrus-herbal compositions. Tarifa features bergamot and a definitely bitter orange zest, deepened by some herbs and pulled together by a distinct almond note (which is quite ubiquitouos in Mecher's creations and I really appreciate). I love to wear it in the summer, it's uplifting and refreshing but still skin-like and soft, not as shrieking as cheap colognes.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Heeley Menthe Fraiche
Gother 2/13/2013 10:52:00 AM
The closest twin to everyone's beloved Guerlain AA Herba Fresca: just better. The mint and tea in this fragrance are softened and made skin-like by a dab (just a dab) of musk and the result is just amazing. Also, the staying power is certainly longer than the feeble Herba Fresca. I love Heeley fragrances and this one may probably be my next FB purchase, totally worth it!
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Polishes -Christian Dior - #011 Lady
Gother 2/13/2013 10:47:00 AM
I bought this polish because of the lovely vintage bottle, but honestly, you can have two very good OPIs for the price of this. The colour is a lovely pearlescent white tha should match many skin tones, but if you look at it closely, it just replicates the pearly white that you can find in any polish brand, with nothing outstanding to justify the high price. In addition, it doesn't last long: at the end of the day my tips are already discolored and my nails look chipped here and there, so I deduce the quality isn't that great. But still, the bottle does make a nice, pretty, Intothegloss-like show-off.
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear 
Gother 2/13/2013 10:39:00 AM
Just adding the zillionth positive review for this great foundation. I must confess I already have my own HG foundation, which is by La Mer (by the way it is owned by the same company, isn't it?). But I sometimes turn to this for when I need a day long coverage that won't turn orangey or crease or result in dry patches and this is perfect. My shade, as for all EL foundations, is Outdoor Beige (I looove the name!), which matches perfectly my skin. This review may be nothing new, but I highly recommend you run to buy a bottle!
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Lotions/ Creams -Nivea - Nivea Creme
Gother 2/13/2013 6:03:00 AM
I usually shy away from cheap products (because I'm a snob) but I have a crush on this blue tin pot. My aunt used it 30 years ago and I would occasionally sneak into her room and furtively open the jar and get a sniff of it. I was content with the smell alone, not the cream itself: I never dared stick my finger in it and slather some on, because I was aware the fragrance would alert my auntie. I believe my current obsession with fragrances, both perfumes and as ingredients in other cosmetics (get off my closet, Clinique!!!!) started right there and then: both my mother and my father were your typical vegan freaks who would abhor anything chemical like the plague. This brings me to the conclusion that my obsessive compulsive behaviour towards fragrances derives from my rebellion to parental prohibition... but I digress. Sure, I do have all my tried and tested products for everything from my lashes to my toe (as my husband jokes), but my tiny blue pot is always my go-to product: moisturizing, emollient, relieving, great smelling.
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Liquid -Lancome - Teint Idole Fresh Wear
Gother 2/13/2013 5:47:00 AM
This one didn't convince me. The colour turns orange-y (unlike other Lancomes, which stay true) and my dry skin doesn't get on well with it, because just one hour later I have dry spots here and there: a mess. Also, the cheap packaging isn't chic at all...
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Fragrances -Fragonard - Billet Doux EDP
Gother 2/10/2013 11:17:00 AM
Wow it smells of spring, and of ripe and blooming gardens in the French Riviera. It's the perfect rendition of a flower, namely, the clove. I associate this flower with sadness, because many use it to celebrate funerals in Europe, but it's so beautiful and yet so simple!
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Profumum Thundra
Gother 2/10/2013 11:00:00 AM
I own this is a very well made fragrance, but it takes some personality to wear it... lots of it. I'm still too obtuse to reckon mushrooms can make a good note for a fragrance but I do understand this is a great work of art: the patchouli, especially, comes out magnificent. It realy delivers the rich and overwhelming smell of a forest in a damp November morning. But with that said, I would never ever walk around smelling of mushroom, I'm sorry. I'll keep my sample for some solitary appreciation here and then, enjoying this well made experiment without need to justify to others wondering if I've just come home from mushroom picking in the woods.
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Conditioner -Pantene - Aqua Light Conditioner
Gother 2/10/2013 10:53:00 AM
My superfine hair loves this product: it's light (as it promises) yet very hydrating and smells clean, too. My hair keeps its moisture after it's dried but it doesn't get greasy like with other conditioners. I don't think it's nourishing enough for dry ends, so I enjoy it more now that my hair is shorter.
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Lotions/ Creams -Guerlain - Super Aqua-Body Serum Optimum Hydration Revitalizer
Gother 2/10/2013 10:23:00 AM
This is the first time I've tried a Guerlain product for the bosy and I must confess I bought this one based on how much I like the scents in Guerlain kin products... Keep in mind this is a serum, so you won't feel real "moisture" at first: it's rather a lovely and refreshing caress for the body that won't leave any greasy trace, simply because it has no oily ingredients. And yet, your skin feels good and moisturized during the day: I guess I'll use it a lot during the hotter season. As a bonus, it leaves your skin glowing with a veil of tiny shiny particles... not that I'm a fan of them, bue I see many young girls whose skin looks spectaucarly glowing when they wear glittery lotions (but these are really delicate and fine, not disco-like). As for the smell, it's strong: a flowery and summery scent that smells like Estee Lauder Pleasures at first, then tames but still remains on your skin: pleasant. I definitely think I'll buy it again, though the price is not very democratic.
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