Fragrances -Bulgari - Jasmin Noir
danai 9/28/2011 4:30:00 PM
Beautiful, warm and sexy fragrance, potent and "expensive" smelling. My only issue is that is lacks originality, as it reminds me of something else that I can't quite put my finger on; it's not as memorable as I'd want it to be. However if you are looking for a sexy fragrance for nighttime and special occasions, this is totally worth a try.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Pure Poison
danai 9/26/2011 5:03:00 PM
This is a pleasant fragrance, but all I detect is orange blossom; I was seriously shocked at how one dimensional it seems (to me at least). To be more specific, I had tried it on before and even though I didn't love it, it always left me with good impressions. Until recently I stayed over at a friend's house and she happens to have this on her vanity and wear it a lot. I smelled it both straight from the bottle and on her, and it hit me immidiately: this is a more expensive version of the Body Shop Spa Wisdom Morocco orange blossom body spray, which I own. I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. So this product is very easily dupable. However, if you are into orange blossom and want a high end fragrance that has a strong note of it, this is for you.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Pantene - Full & Healthy Lightweight Conditioning Foam Leave In
danai 9/13/2011 2:08:00 PM
Has this been discontinued yet? I don't remember having seen it in store lately, or maybe I was so scarred from using it that I subconsciously refuse to aknowledge it even exists. It sounded like a great idea, a foam conditioner. In fact, this does anything but condition. It made my hair a mess; tangled and straw like and dry. With this on, I couldn't even run a brush through it. It's horribly bad.
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Treatments -It's a 10 - Miracle Hair Mask
danai 7/17/2011 7:03:00 AM
I'm a little disappointed. I'd wanted to try this product for a long time, since I'm always looking for the perfect hair mask and it got so glowing reviews. It's not sold in my country though, and it took me some time to find it online. It was quite expensive to get, but admittedly not as expensive as Bumble and Bumble Creme de coco, which had been the closest to perfect I'd ever come across. I should note that I really do need a very good mask, as my hair is genetically thin and brittle, and nowadays color treated and quite long too. I also have a dry end problem which trims only get rid of for a very short time. Sadly,this mask did not live up to my expectations at all. The good part is the consistency; it's very nice and thick which means it's very user friendly; it doesn't run or slip out or anything, you smooth it on and it stays put. Also, it doesn't need to stay on for long; you can use it in the shower and remove it before getting out. You just leave it on while washing and shaving. Last but not least, it doesn't weigh hair down at all. However, any effects this has on my hair are very short lived. After I wash it off, my hair certainly feels softer and smoother. It does help detangle better than a plain conditioner would, and hair feels and looks better ( though not drastically so to be honest). Then the next morning it's all gone, almost as if I had never used it. The effect just fades away completely. Soon as I wake up, my straw ends are back with a vengeance. Needless to say that by the time I wash my hair again, it's in the same need of a full force moisturizing treatment yet again. I tried leaving it on longer than indicated on the instructions, but results were the same. I prefer to use it as a regular conditioner every time I wash now, and it works very decently as one, but of course this totally defeats the purpose; this is not supposed to be an everyday conditioner that works, it's supposed to be a treatment. Also I didn't see much change to my hair after systematic use. Frankly I wonder if there's any possibility the product I got was a fake. It's just so strange to me that it works so well for so many people but is so underwhelming to me. Unfortunately, because it's not available in store, I will not be able to find this out any time soon. So the best thing I've come across is still B&B Creme de coco, which sucks because it costs an arm and a leg here. I will not repurchase nor would I recommend this based on my experience. I'd give this a 2.5 if I could, but based on my authenticity concerns I'll just give it a 3 for good measure.
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Palettes -Too Faced - The Quickie Chronicles - The Temptress
danai 7/4/2011 1:08:00 PM
This review refers to the mini version of this, which is also pictured. Not that it is by any means bad, but I'll be honest, I regret not having searched for the full size version instead. But anyway. So this contains two eyeshadows, a very light ivory/yellowish cream one, and a very deep plum, both of which contain some shimmer. One blush in a fresh, universally flattering light pink. And two lipglosses, one in pink and one in nude, both somewhat frostier than I would like. Now the eyeshadow combination will give you a sexy, smoldering, plum smokey eye, which will especially flatter green or hazel eyes (mine are hazel and I'm pretty pleased with the plum shade). However to do so, you will need an extra in between eyelid shade, as the ivory is way light, more suitable to be used as a highlighter, and the plum is too deep to function as an all over wash unless you're going for gothic. I do the following: use the ivory as an all over wash, and then either use the plum as both a crease shade and an undereye liner (with a slanted brush), or use another crease shade and just use the plum as a liner. Both work fine. My only little complaint is that the ivory has some fallout. The blush will suit pretty much everyone, as it's a harmless light coral/pink, but it does contain visible shimmer. The lipglosses are classic and nice shades, however they're a little too frosty for my taste. Overall this is a very convenient product, as especially the mini version of it is tiny. Practically smaller than a playing card and light as a feather. So it can go anywhere with you, and the shades are classic and versatile. So it gets a thumbs up from me.
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Palettes -Too Faced - Quickie Chronicle-The Plaything Of Passion
danai 7/4/2011 3:52:00 AM
Reviewers below mention that in their opinion the eyeshadow color combination in this palette is not the best. I beg to differ here, as I find that for me it is spot on. To be specific, as has already been explained, this contains a banana yellow, which I prefer to think of as light gold as it is very slightly shimmery and more flattering than you'd expect a yellow to be, a rich chocolate brown with a few sparkles that are not really very noticeable on, and an absolutely gorgeous, dreamy turqoise. For me this combination creates the perfect summer look: I use the light gold as an all over wash, the brown on the crease and outer edges to add definition and I use the turqoise as an undereye eyeliner with a slanted brush, on the outer one third of my lower eyelid. This last touch is what really sets the look off, as the beautiful blue/green shade gives a brilliant touch of color and freshness. The result is absolutely fresh and summery on my hazel eyes; I believe this will work brilliantly on any shade of brown eye. I haven't seen it on lighter eyes, but I love the combination so much I doubt it can really look wrong on anyone. But I can't say for sure. The blush compliments the eye look perfectly; it's a light peach that will make fair skin look a little sunkissed. I'm not really impressed by the lipglosses, they seem to be too frosty for me, but they do last. I avoid them to be honest, as I'm not very fond of palette lipglosses. Also I find four lipglosses on one palette a little excessive. Maybe I'd prefer two lipcolors and one more eyeshadow instead of the other two, so that you could get one more look out of it. But anyway. The quality is fantastic, everything is soft, finely milled, pigmented and blendable. I use Too Faced Shadow Insurance and everything seems to last just fine. To sum things up, I think this was worth it and I would get it again, even though it will be hard to completely use it up.
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Skincare - Body -The Body Shop - Sweet Lemon body butter
danai 6/23/2011 1:35:00 PM
I politely disagree with reviewers who say the scent is not realistic; this is an pure lemon scent if I have ever come across one. It's only the term "sweet" that is not very accurate; this scent has nothing tarty or sugary about it; absolute lemon, plain and simple. Very impressive, if you like lemon or citruses in general, this is one to check out.Unfortunately, it doesn't last long. It's strong and vibrant and indulgent as you rub the product in, but it fades quite fast to a duller scent and then to nothing at all. Now the actual butter is one of the less thick ones. The consistency is nice and creamy. However it does leave a bit of a greasy film; not an awful one, but lets just say it does take a little while to sink in. In the winter this might be a good thing. It does moisturize, but not exceptionally. If your skin is not very dry it will keep you covered on most occasions. The packaging is visually pleasing as always with TBS, but the price is somewhat excessive. All in all, a very pleasant product with an impressive, heartwarming, true lemon scent. That being said, you can find equally good if not better for a much lower price.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Jolen Creme Bleach
danai 6/21/2011 5:10:00 AM
I'm kicking myself for not having tried this earlier. In about 4-5 minutes it turned my ashy,mousy dark brown eyebrows (which were too dark even for my natural hair color) into a nice, light chestnut brown. Not orange,not yellow, just light golden brown. For me personally it didn't cause any pain or irritation whatsoever; the smell was also almost non existent. I might as well have applied an odorless cream. Just make sure you check the progress every 30 seconds or so, and in my experience there is not much room for failure.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Too Faced - Glamour to Go - Fairy Edition
danai 5/24/2011 5:33:00 AM
In all fairness,I knew what to expect,since I already owned GTG II,which I bought because I couldn't find this one, no less. Typically, when I did find this, I had to have it, even though I already should' ve gotten the memo: I wasn't missing much. Not that this one's bad, it's not at all. It's a fun, practical palette; but not a great one, shade wise. Unlike GTG II which at least packed some very useful eye shades, this (and you can tell by just looking at the picture) somehow only offers the two extremes: some light shades that are not much use for anything other than highlighting plus look more or less the same on, and a couple of very dark, rich ones that I can personally only use on the crease or as a liner. Other than that you get a bright copper/bronze which is good, a very glittery light taupe which is almost the same as MCRA by UD, with the same uncontrollable fallout exactly, and a very light blue that contributes to the pretty factor, but is not easy to incorporate into complete looks. So this palette is not very easy to put a whole look together with, because it lacks one or two good eyelid shades; which kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? As for as the rest of the palette goes, this one's better than GTG II (which packs 4 glosses and one blush). It contains one your lips but better gloss that's actually worth the space it takes up, a hot pink blush that I suppose would look nice on most skin tones with a light hand, and a bronzer which I haven't used much but seems ok so far. This was cheap considering how much it offers, I wouldn't buy it again though.
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Candles -Yankee Candles - Vanilla Cupcake
danai 5/23/2011 3:17:00 PM
Not much to be said here, only a couple of words: absolute vanilla heaven. It's expensive alright, but it's worth it.
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Treatments -Mavala - MAVADERMA (Massage oil for nail growth)
danai 5/20/2011 5:33:00 PM
I used to be a hardcore nail biter. I don't even know how young I was when it started, because I have no memories, even as a very young child, with my nails intact. At some point I managed to stay off the habit for a couple of years, but even then it came back. Finally, I managed to quit it for good four years ago, and this product helped me tremendously with that process. It's a dry, silky oil that is applied to cuticles daily in order to help nails grow faster and healthier. And that's exactly what it does, in my experience. It really does speed up growth (though of course you shouldn't expect anything overnight), and turns the worst nails (whatever shape your nails are in, mine when I first used this take the cake) into, well, healthy, normal looking nails. Also it's very user friendly, as it doesn't feel greasy at all and has a very nice soft rose scent. It feels luxurious like something you'd have applied at a salon during a professional treatment. The only downside:it's expensive. All in all if you're a nail biter desperate to stop and in need of serious motivation, get this and massage your cuticles with it daily.
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Sunscreen -Shiseido - urban environment uv protection cream
danai 5/17/2011 7:58:00 AM
If you are oily or acne prone or sensitive or some/all of the above, stay far far away. On the contrary to what the SA claimed (obviously to get me to buy) this is NOT for every and any skintype. It goes on greasy and slimey and leaves my face shiny as if I'd applied oil. Even worse, it promotes clogged pores, breakouts and just about any skin problem possible. I've tried several times but I'm giving up. I have to try to keep my face relatively blemish free, and this just throws me back to square one every time. And by the way I haven't noticed any moisturizing effect. The only reason why I give it two, is that it can also be used on the body so I guess I'll use it up. As a facial sunscreen it belongs in the bin. Well silly me; I should have figured that if it's marketed as a face and body product, it will not be suitable for sensitive/blemish prone facial skin.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - Matte Lipstick - Nude Attitude
danai 4/30/2011 1:58:00 PM
This one's pretty much unwearable for me. I'm fair and this comes out looking both anemic and orange; I admit I bought with experimentation in mind and not every day wear. On the plus side, the whole Revlon Matte line is wonderful as far as consistency and lasting power go. Once you find a shade that suits you, whatever that may be, chances are you'll fall in love with the formula.
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Fragrances -Jean Paul Gaultier - Classique,Summer 2011
danai 4/24/2011 2:31:00 PM
This doesn't seem to be available in my country yet, but I received it as a gift from a lovely family member who recently visited NYC. Apparently, every year JPG comes up with a different special edition of Classique especially for the summer. Of course, I'm exactly the type of person to be super excited about some gimmicky move like this, but in this case the product is worth you time, at least in my opinion. Now this is a very light airy fragrance; it really does smell very summery, BUT it doesn't contain any of the cliches you'd expect: no coconut, mango, exotic or marine notes here. This is reminds me of a warm summer in a mediterranean village (trust me,I come from one). According to fragrantica.com, this contains notes of african orange flower, rose (top), jasmine, ylang ylang (middle), musk and vanilla (base). What I personally smell in this is a gentle light mix of honeysuckle, orange flower, vanilla and summer breeze. While I'm a huge fan of heavy vanilla (the rest of my reviews will tell you this), Classique S11 is a very welcome change and a very appropriate one for the warmer months. The bottle is fantastic; the classic female figure, this time embellished with what is supposed to be "maui tattoos". My only gripe is that the can that contains it can be a little tricky to open,so I have to be extra careful and gentle each time in fear of somehow damaging the bottle. Of course, if unlike me you have no space issues, you can just have the bottle alone on your vanity, it really is a beautiful thing to look at. 100 ml of this were about 65-70 dollars at Macy's in NYC, which is very reasonable for a high end fragrance. Even though I would in a heartbeat, I doubt I'll have the chance to buy this again, as 100 ml will probably last me through the summer, but I'll definitely be checking out the special editions of this every summer from now on. All in all when everyone in my country is drenched in Bronze Goddess yet again this summer, I'll be enjoying this baby.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -H & M - brushes (in general)
danai 4/21/2011 6:24:00 PM
What can I say,really. Impressively good products for very low prices. I recently bought the double ended eyeshadow one, and I couldn't be more pleased; it's very soft, convenient and the angled side turns literally any eyeshadow into a liner in a heartbeat. I'll keep buying those, they're worth every penny and more.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No