Styling Products -Kenra - Thermal Styling Spray
chocmartini00 3/11/2006 4:17:00 PM
Another winner from Kenra! I like to use 1.5 inch hot rollers and curling irons. This stuff is a heat protectant and styling spray in one. I just spray each section before rolling it up until I finish my whole head. Then I break up the perfect tight curls with some pomade and my curls stay all day and all night. The hold that this stuff provides is so intense that I don't even need to finish with hairspray afterwards. Just be sure not to spray too much, especially at the roots. I have been using this with curling irons and hot rollers for 2 weeks now and it is HG status for me definately. The only time I use extra hairspray is if I tease my roots at the crown, then I use the Kenra volume spray in the aerosol can. *EDIT* Now I realize that although the hold is super strong, I hate how it makes my hair extremly stiff and crunchy, will no longer repurchase.
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Lipstick -Vincent Longo - Wet Pearl-Crystal Corale
chocmartini00 2/22/2006 6:27:00 PM
The only reason for the 4 lippies is because I don't like the color; otherwise I would give the actual formulation of the l/s 5 lippies!! The wet pearl l/s is nice and light and glossy on the lips. It imparts the advantages of both l/s and l/g without all the cons. It has the coverage of a l/s without being heavy or drying and it imparts the moisturization and gloss of a l/g without the stickiness or drying your lips out, but most important of all it lasts! The packaging is simple, just a sleek square black l/s case. However, this particular color was light and frosty on my lips, which is definately not a flattering look for me. If you don't look good in really frosty lips shades this may not be for you.
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Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Midnight Cowboy
chocmartini00 2/22/2006 6:21:00 PM
I had been wanting this eyeshadow forever. When I finally purchased it I was very dissapointed. The only good thing about it is that the color is gorgeous: it's a pale fleshy pink color with chunky silver glitter woven througout. Needless to say it was gorgeous on the back of my hand but on my eyes it was a disaster. First of all, all the silver glitter was actually very unflattering as an eyeshadow and most important of all that same notorious glitter would not stay where it was supposed to no matter what base I used on my eyes! Couple days later, I just had to return this. I need to find a color like this with a more finely milled silver sparklies in it that stays put!
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Blush -Milani - Smooth Finish - Mango Tango [DISCONTINUED]
chocmartini00 2/2/2006 1:13:00 AM
This blush is fabulous! It looks scary in the pan, and it is suprsingly strongly pigmented (like NARS Crazed, be careful!) But, if you use a light hand this is so utterly gorgeous. It gives the most beautiful coral glow that really brightens up your face. This and luminous are my favorites from Milani. Luminous is more frosty gold and lighter in color but Mango Tango is very strongly pigmented. It acts like a very high quality blush- good pigmentation, smooth, easy to blend, and gives a great natural looking color when applied correctly.
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Blush -Milani - Smooth Finish Blush - Luminous
chocmartini00 2/2/2006 1:09:00 AM
This is one of my favorite blushes! I tried the famous NARS Orgasm blush and it literally does not show up on me at all! I am a C3 in MAC studiofix and wear buff in Revlon Colorstay, and for some reason I had no luck with NARS Deep Throat and Orgasm blushes. Everyone on MUA says luminous is a pretty good knockoff of Orgasm, but IMO luminous is more of a pink with a pretty gold sheen while Orgasm is a more complex pink/gold/peach. I find luminous to be more straight pink-gold while you see more of a peach in Orgasm. Although Orgasm didn't show up on me, luminous does- it gives a pretty ethereal glow! I need to use this one more! It's a blush version of illusion eyeshadow, which is also very pretty.
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Lip Gloss -Milani - Glossy Tubes - Flamingo Fling
chocmartini00 1/3/2006 8:39:00 PM
I found a cheap replacement for my beloved MAC Oyster Girl l/g that I use on a daily basis! It looks very similar in color to Oyster Girl but this one is slightly milky and shimmery. It smells very fruity. It is more on the sheer side, but if it was pigmented I'm sure this color could wash a lot of people out- if you like the color it would look gorgeous with MAC fabby l/s or B-cup l/s. The best thing about this is the packaging: you get a generous amount and it's a squeeze tube so you don't have to deal with wands, but the best part is the felt tip applicator built into the squeeze tube! *edited* I decided to give this 3 lippies instead because I noticed the staying power kind of sucks. I have to keep reapplying constantly. Also this color is not consistent: mine in the tube is very milky and pale whereas some other tubes I saw at Ulta were more hot pink in color.
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Palettes -Too Faced - Quickie Chronicles - The Sweet Tarte
chocmartini00 11/7/2005 2:47:00 AM
The packaging of these palettes are so cute that I couldn't resist! This one is the larger size with more colors and two dual-ended makeup applicators. The colors are cool-toned with a pink, shimmmery white, and dark pewter eyeshadow colors, a raspberry pink shimmery blush, and various shades of hot pink to muave lipglosses. I was pretty impressed by the quality of all the products and my favorites in this palette is the blush, which is a shimmery raspberry shade that has a slight hint of peach in it and the shimmery pewter eyeshadow. On a warm toned person this palette may not be as flattering though. This palette is not as portable as the mini ones since they are bigger but for $25 it's still a pretty good bargain and the packaging is irresistable.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Too Faced - The Quickie Chronicles - The Starlette
chocmartini00 11/7/2005 2:40:00 AM
I couldn't resist these palettes they are too cute! I bought two at the same time, this one and "The Sweet Tarte." I love the packaging the most; this one is especially portable. It's small and sleek and can fit in the smallest evening purse or clutch and it contains 2 eyeshadows in a creamy gold and a plummy shimmery brown, 2 lipglosses in a very light nude and a shimmery peachy pink, and 1 golden bronzer. I was impressed with the overall quality of the products, especially the eyeshadows and the bronzer. The bronzer is a lot on the shimmery side as are the eyeshadows and the colors coordinate beautifully. I would use each and every color in this palette and I'm in love with the packaging, plus it was only $15!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Terax - Crema
chocmartini00 10/26/2005 6:56:00 PM
This conditioner only worked well for me the first few times I used it and then it wasn't effective unless I used it once in a while as opposed to often. It smells horrible like the chemical smell of a perm or something and it's very expensive for what it is, since it only worked well for me the first couple times I used it I don't think I'll be repurchasing this one in the future.
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Styling Products -Kenra - Volume Spray (aerosol)
chocmartini00 10/26/2005 6:53:00 PM
I normally liked to use Nexxus Dzn Maker but it didn't have enough hold for me and I used Big Sexy Hair Backcomb in a Bottle but it was way too strong and was difficult to use. This hairspray effectively replaces the 2 others I used jointly in the past. I have long dyed hair that I like to tease and create "big hair" with a la Brigette Bardot- it's very effective at achieving that but for those who don't like hairspray with strong hold I would stay away from this one. Other qualities I like about this hairspray is that it doesn't flake, it has very strong hold without being difficult to use, doesn't flake, and I find that it really volumizes- more so than Nexxus Dzn Maker.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Kenra - Kenra Clarifying Shampoo
chocmartini00 10/26/2005 6:48:00 PM
This is my HG clarifying shampoo. I have used Suave and others in the past but they are way too drying. I have color treated long hair that I heat style and this removes all my product buildup effectively without drying my hair out. However, I only use this once every 2 weeks and I always follow with Aveda Curressence and/or a moisturizing hair mask. It is a clear pink gel that lathers very well and smells like grapefruit.
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Treatments -Nailtek - Hydration Therapy II
chocmartini00 10/26/2005 6:43:00 PM
I absolutely adore this! After trying Reviva Nail with dissapointing results, I was hesitant to try a nail growth system again. This however is fabulous- it dries relatively fast and provides a high gloss shiny finish. Putting on one coat daily is not that inconvenient because the formula is great, it dries fast, and it gives a great shine that lasts without chipping or peeling. I love it because it doesn't dry out my cuticles, is easy to use, and most important of all it actually prolongs my manicure. I purchased mine for $4.99 on transdesign.com. HG status! I forgot to add that the only reason why I gave this a try is because 2 people I encountered who had gorgeous long nails both revealed that this was their secret! Hopefully my pathetic nails will be able to stay long with this- I've been using it for only 1.5 weeks.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Revlon - Brow Fantasy
chocmartini00 10/15/2005 2:48:00 PM
This used to be a HG item for me but the cap for the pencil always broke and I never really used the gel that much. Also, the pencil is really really short since it's double-sided so I always used it up really fast and needed to buy more all the time. However, I liked the fact that I had a brow pencil and a brow gel in one product so it was convenient, and I never had any complaints about either product. I just found something cheaper that I like better from Maybelline and discovered that the pencil in the Brow Fantasy doesn't last as long as the Maybelline one.
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Conditioner -Suave - Milk and Honey
chocmartini00 10/15/2005 2:53:00 AM
Wow, I would have never thought I would ever go back to using Suave. Although in general I hate their shampoos because I feel that they are too harsh, I decided to give this conditioner a try due to the raves on the boards and I am in love. Jojoba oil, which mimics your natural hair oils, is 3rd on the ingredients list and this does not contain any silicones. The conditioner smells sweet and it has great slip, making detangling my long, colored and damaged wavy hair a breeze and it remains soft after it is dry. The only thing I do not like about this conditioner is that it is thin and runny and I have to use a lot more of it than I normally use, but for under a buck who can complain? (I purchased this at Walmart for $0.97). I am going to use this as my primary conditioner from now on and stick with expensive shampoos, which contain less harsh detergents and do not strip/damage hair. Finding out about products like this is why I love MUA (and my checkbook is thanking MUA too).
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Eye Primer -Lumene - Beauty Base Eye Makeup Base
chocmartini00 10/15/2005 12:20:00 AM
I love this eye base- HG! I normally like a lot of shimmer so I used MAC paint in Stilife and Wet n' Wild cream eyeshadow in Champagne Toast in the past because I liked the shimmer. I wanted an eyeshadow base that does not make my eyeshadows shimmery, matte, or distort the color in any way and I got that with Lumene eye base. I love the packaging: it comes in a sleek yet generous tube with a tiny opening to dispense a little bit of the product at a time. I apply it all over my lids and let it set for 30 sec to 1 minute and apply my eyeshadows (I skip the part about dusting loose powder over it). I get that just-applied look that lasts all day- and my eyelids are oily. The price is in between MAC paints and WnW cream e/s- I paid $9.99 at CVS for mine.
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