Lip Treatments -Smith's Rosebud Salve - Smith's Strawberry Lip Balm
courty 2/19/2006 8:42:00 AM
i guess i don't share the popular opinion here when i say i vastly prefer the scent of the original rosebud salve. i bought that years ago and though i adore the scent, i could never get over the slimy, greasy texture. i had never thought to try the strawberry balm because i figured it had the same greasy texture, and i'm not fond of the very, very very artificial strawberry smell. but last weekend i made a trip in a freezing cold nyc wind storm to sephora (read: dry lips). i tried on a bunch of lip products and accidentally removed some with alcohol instead of makeup remover (read: even drier lips). i spotted a tester of the smith's strawberry balm and decided to try it on to moisturize after rubbing all the makeup off my lips. i was surprised to find the texture was much more lip-balm-like- it was harder and a little more waxy- in a good way, as the rosebud salve is really sloppy. i walked around with it on in the store, and was happy to find the smell didn't last too long, and it sank in nicely. i've been using it daily now, and it works better than most of the many, many lip balms i have (which run the gamut from low to high end). i'll definitely continue using- nothing better than a cutely packaged, kitchy product that actually delivers.
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Scrubs -Mario Badescu - Kiwi Face Scrub
courty 10/20/2005 1:17:00 PM
this is one of the first mb products i tried- responsible for making me into an mb fanatic. although this kiwi scrub is not a typical scrub- the kiwi seeds are larger than a lot of exfoliators- the creamy base combined with the seeds makes my skin look amazing. on the advice of an esthetician at mario badescu (definitely go there for a consultation if you can), i sometimes rub this on my face, then leave it for 5 minutes or so, before massaging in and then rinsing off. so it can work kind of like a mask too. the scent, also, is delicious- the ingredients are all natural, and i love the smell of kiwi. i don't know what it is, but every time i use this (a couple times a week usually) my skin is glowing and feels so soft. highly recommended.
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Eye Shadow -Neutrogena - Soothing Eye Tints
courty 10/20/2005 1:14:00 PM
i really wanted to like this product when i saw it on someone in a magazine. i tried both colors, but neither really worked on me- i'm really really pale, so rather than looking nice and shimmery like it did on the model, it just kind of looked like my eyelid was greasy. second, this stuff creased really bad, and i don't have very oily lids. i was hoping i could use it as a primer for other e/s, just to use it up, but with the creasing, it actually causes my e/s to crease when it normally doesn't. a big disappointment for me.
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Toners -DDF - Glycolic Toner 10%
courty 10/14/2005 4:15:00 PM
i've been waiting to write my review for this in case i developed some sort of weird reaction to it, but i just realized i've been using it for over a month now, and will definitely not stop! my skin is pretty good as is, but in the extremely humid nyc summer time, i found myself getting slightly oily, and getting milia. i went to a derm, and nothing he gave me really seemed to help with the milia (maybe from the constant heat/sweatiness- i figured there wasn't much i could do). i finally got a swap for a bottle of the ddf toner, and within a week was seeing major results. i didn't have any of the initial purging/breakouts others have discussed- my skin became increasingly soft and fresh looking. the pores around my nose are now totally clean, my face is never shiny and no longer has that bit of oily feeling in the morning, AND the milia i had along my jaw line are totally gone. i will definitely continue using, and will be buying again. the price seems high, but this stuff goes a long way.
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Lip Gloss -Stila - Lip Pot in Poire
courty 9/28/2005 12:57:00 PM
Although this lip gloss isn't perfect, its my favorite colored gloss overall. The color is great on me (PPP with freckles and brown hair/eyes). Its really subtle, which I like- its light enough that i don't look like a corpse, which i do with most "nude" lip products, and dark enough to sort of compliment/bring out the normally hard to see pigment in my skin. The lasting power of this is better than most lip glosses, but not as good as a lip stick (I find the consistency to be somewhere between gloss and l/s as well), so thats really my only qualm. When I use Wet n Wild lip pencil #666 underneath, as a base coat, it lasts a lot longer and looks slightly brighter, so for 99 cents, I'd recommend trying the lip pencil too. Overall, great color, and I'll be buying again.
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Lip Liners -Wet 'n' Wild - #666 liner
courty 9/28/2005 12:53:00 PM
This l/l isn't a nude for me- I'm PPP, so its quite a bit darker than my lips. However, I love to draw this on all over my lips, as a base, and then smooth Stila Poire (lip pot) on top for the perfect lip color for my complexion. Using this as a base makes the lip gloss color more vivid, and also makes it last for hours (as opposed to maybe 1 hour with nothing underneath). I also use this to line various l/s, and as a base with clear lip balm. Its pretty versatile. I didn't think the formula was very smooth at first, but i think the problem is that the pencil is way too pointy and sharp when its new. Once it wears down, its fine.
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Lip Treatments -Mario Badescu - Lip Wax
courty 9/26/2005 12:09:00 PM
yet another awesome mario badescu product. i got the lip wax in the tub, with no spf. the smell reminds me of rosebud salve (i don't like rosebud salve because i find the petroleum base too greasy, but this is beeswax based so less greasy). this stuff has a really nice, smooth texture and is moisturizing (my lips aren't super dry, but it makes them smooth and soft). my new hg lip balm!
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Styling Products -Kiehls - Hair Thickening Lotion
courty 8/26/2005 11:02:00 AM
I tried this product as a sample from Kiehl's first, and the sample packet lasted me forever- it only takes a TINY amount of product to work. I have since purchased a bottle of this stuff, and though I say I would repurchase, the bottle will probably last forever. I have very fine, wavy layered hair, and this is one of the few products that gives me volume without frizz. When I let my hair air-dry, I let it dry for about half an hour, then I rub some of the cream on my fingers and run it through my hair from about chin-length down. When I wash my hair at night and go to sleep on it (hey, its a habit), I just put this in my wet hair, and wake up with decent volume in hair that would otherwise be totally limp. The only thing I don't like is that the product feels kind of thick and greasy, so I worry about it touching my face. However, I've never really had any breakout problems, so maybe its an unfounded suspicion. From reading reviews, this doesn't work for everyone, so try a sample first- Kiehls is great about giving them out, and that way you won't have wasted money if it doesn't work for you.
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Treatments -Kiehls - Blue Herbal Spot Treatment
courty 8/26/2005 10:56:00 AM
I'm kind of on the fence about this product. I don't usually get pimples, but I do get little bumps under my skin, or oily around my nose sometimes. So I usually juse Mario Badescu Drying Cream (the one in the tub that looks like a clay mask- not the spot treatment), and that works really well. For the occasional pimple, I put the MB stuff on the blemish at night, and because that product shows up on the skin, I apply Kiehl's in the morning because its clear. In conjunction with the MB product, it works really well. I might repurchase, or might just try MB Drying Lotion instead. This tiny tube lasts me a long time since I hardly ever use it, but for someone with lots of breakouts, I'd try to find a drugstore equivalent, because it would get expensive, and doesn't seem that amazing.
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Cleansers -Purpose - Gentle Cleansing Wash
courty 8/26/2005 10:40:00 AM
This soap was recommended to me by my dermatologist years ago. I used it for awhile in my teen years, and although i now use Mario Badescu products most of the time, my boyfriend has started using this every day, and I use it too when I stay at his place. For me, it might be a little drying if I used it every day (I have pretty dry skin), but using it a couple times a week it works well to shrink my pores and get rid of excess oil better than my more gentle cleansers. Non-irritating for sensitive skin, but can be drying.
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Shampoo -Dove - Intense Moisture Shampoo
courty 8/26/2005 10:33:00 AM
I have very fine, wavy, medium-length hair, and this shampoo works pretty well for me. I normally don't use the same shampoo twice in a row, so I rotate this with some higher-end products. My hair always looks really nice when I use this-soft, shiny, and not weighed down; howver, I could see how it wouldn't work for someone with thicker or coarser hair. My hair can only deal with something light and moisturizing, so for people with hair like mine, this is a great, inexpensive staple.
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Gels/Soaps -Dove - Beauty Bar
courty 8/26/2005 10:28:00 AM
I've been using this soap my entire life, and though I've occasionally tried switching when given gifts from the Body Shop or wherever, I've never found anything better, and always go back to this one. I've always had very soft skin, so I can't say if its because of this soap or if this soap just works well for me. I used to use this on my face in some of my teen years, but now that i'm in my 20s and don't have the same adolescent problems, I just use it as a body soap. However, in a pinch, when I don't have my (MB) face soap around, I use this- lather in my hands and add water, then splash the soapy water on my face- and its fine. I wouldn't use any more thickly on my skin though. By far the most gentle soap I've found.
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Scrubs -Mario Badescu - Strawberry scrub
courty 8/25/2005 11:19:00 AM
I can see how people looking for a really rough exfoliator wouldn't like this scrub- its completely un-abraisive. But for sensitive skin, or a gentle exfoliation, this is perfect. The smell and texture are great, and it always leaves my skin really smooth and soft.
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Fragrances -Cynthia Rowley - Cynthia Rowley perfume
courty 8/16/2005 1:46:00 PM
Okay, i'm kind of a perfume beginner, as this is only the second perfume i have ever purchased (the first was stila's jade blossom). however, its saying a lot for this new scent that i actually bought it. the packaging of this product is really cute- a deep blue bottle with little designs on it, and a crystal cap. the bottle is also really thin, so i've thrown it in my purse a few times. it seems to dispense a bit more in one spray than others i've tried, but this might be my imagination. as for the scent: its deeply flowery at first, and is floral without being too sweet (which is why i returned the nanette lepore perfume to get this one); however, after wearing for a few hours, the scent seems to change and become a bit lighter. this later smell kind of reminds me of scented hairsprays like vavoom or something i used to use in the 90s. i know this is a really clumsy description, but that hairspray-esque smell is kind of annoying. i've gotten accustomed to it after a few uses, so i like the perfume better than most, but its still not ideal. who knows? it might just be my chemistly. i'd recommend spraying this perfume on at the store, wearing it for a day, and then deciding whether or not to buy.
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Lip Gloss -Lancome - Lancome Juicy Tubes
courty 8/16/2005 12:06:00 PM
i think these are some of the worst lip glosses i've ever tried. the color looks nice, granted, but the texture is gross, in my opinion. they're extremely sticky, and are very very shiny (way too shiny). i've used the l'oreal lip glosses as well, and i think these have a better texture for a much more reasonable price. some people love these things- just not my style at all.
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