Fragrances -Giorgio Armani - sensi [DISCONTINUED]
mariam1 11/1/2005 6:22:00 PM
My mom raved about this scent to me so I had to try it. I was really disappointed with this - it smelled like bug spray to me. I don't understand the reviews that say it smells light and fresh??! That's pretty much the opposite of what it is to me -it is strongly spicy and oriental. It is a very sharp scent that smells cheap, not what an Armani frangrance should smell like at all!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Bond No.9 - Chinatown
mariam1 10/25/2005 6:06:00 PM
Not my favourite scent!! The vanilla/patchouli in it are too strong for me, it's definitely not my type of fragrance. It reminds me too much of Indian incense, Nag Champa-type smell. I am still curious about other Bond fragrances though!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Fresh - Rice Face Wash
mariam1 10/21/2005 11:26:00 AM
I'm not sure if the regular Rice Face Wash ($35) is different from the Memoirs of a Geisha Rice Face Wash ($32), other than the packaging but I am reviewing the latter. I received a generous sample in a Fresh gift bag that was good enough for about 3 uses. Although I liked the soft exfoliation this wash gives, I much prefer Komenuka Bijin's rice facial grains formulation better. KB gives a creamier, richer lather and has thicker chunks of rice grain powder. Fresh's version is extremely light, so I can see it being used effectively by people with very sensitive skin. You need to use a lot of powder to get a sufficient lather and I didn't feel like my skin felt much softer after using this. In fact, it was slightly drier than before. My skin feels much more supple when I use KB. All in all, not a bad product but if you can get your hands on KB, you'll see the difference!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Fresh - Flower Petal Face Mask
mariam1 10/19/2005 5:36:00 PM
I gave this product 3 lippies because I am sort of ambivalent about it. It smells nice (not too overpowering) but I am not really sure of its purpose. I sometimes use Fresh's Umbrian Clay Face Treatment as a mask to tighten my pores and detoxify so that has it's purpose, but I'm not too sure about this one. The consistency is not thick or typically mask-like, it's more like the consistency of Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil, but not as oily. It does not harden on the skin, though I did feel some of the product absorb into my skin after about 5 minutes. Maybe leaving it on overnight would help (I'll try it tonight!). Although this is a "nice" product, I'm not sure where it fits into my skincare routine. I have normal/combination skin and think this mask is best suited for this type of skin.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Calvin Klein - Euphoria
mariam1 10/19/2005 5:19:00 PM
What an awful scent! I can't believe the hype surrounding this fragrance or that Calvin Klein would even release a scent like this. Although the bottle is very sophisticated, it seems like it was made for kids or young teenagers. It's following that trend of sickly sweet scents that smell like candy (i.e Pink Sugar). This was quite a disappointment.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fresh - Memoirs of a Geisha 
mariam1 10/19/2005 5:13:00 PM
I really like this new fragrance from Fresh, even though it contains some notes I usually stay away from. I am a big fan of Fresh Sugar and Sake perfumes, but NOT lemon sugar (too lemon pledge-y) or Sugar Blossom (too weirdly floral for my taste). Memoirs reminds me a bit of Sake but is also quite different. I get notes of rose, soft baby powder and musk that I don't get in Sake, which is more overtly fruity. All Fresh fragrances (besides the Index ones of course), are somewhat similar in terms of notes, they just offer variations on a great formula I think. Memoirs reminds me a bit of Marc Jacobs Blush, in that it's more of a girly, feminine, romantic scent, without being sickly sweet (like CK Euphoria, ick!) or nauseating. It's a very subtle, pretty scent. I would definitely buy a full bottle of this. If it just weren't so darn expensive!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Overload
mariam1 9/12/2005 1:49:00 PM
This is a beautiful colour! Cinnamon-rose, as it is described on the website, is an accurate description. In my own words, it's a very warm, creamy brick-red. I love the feel of this lipstick and it's perfect for those who do not want a bright, screaming-out-loud red. It is red without being too red or too brown. It really complements a warmer, medium skin tone but I can also see it looking beautiful on a redhead with fairer skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -NARS - Holiday 2003
mariam1 8/14/2005 12:33:00 PM
I like this palette for creating smoky eyes. The e/s colours are beautiful. As usual, I hardly ever use the lippies (preferring to go with my MAC ones) even though they are pretty nice colours. However, St. Barts is the wrong multiple for my skintone (NC35/40) and I prefer Orgasm to Sin to brighten up my skintone. Overall, I think this is a nice, versatile palette for most people. The Barney's palette is still #1 in my books!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Rochas - Poupée
mariam1 8/12/2005 3:36:00 PM
After lusting over Poupee for months, I finally got my hands on a bottle at a great price on Ebay. To me, this is one of the most perfect white floral scents I have ever come across. The gardenia, jasmine and pineapple notes come across most prominently in this scent and makes you feel like you're walking through a lush garden. It is quite heady at first but dries down to a lighter sweetly floral, ultra-feminine scent. I love the girly-pink bottle as well and can see this becoming one of my signature scents.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Coco Pigment [DISCONTINUED]
mariam1 5/14/2005 8:05:00 PM
The BEST pigment of the under-whelming D'Bohemia collection. Coco is kind of a weird name for this, because it is a silvery taupe brown/tan colour. This is an extra-ordinary pigment, considering it has both warm and cool tones to it and can look good on any skin-type I think. I absolutely love it on my brown eyes and tan skin and think I will actually use up this an entire pigment - a first for me! Yay - I have found my favourite pigment!!!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fresh - Sake
mariam1 3/28/2005 2:42:00 PM
I do love this scent, especially layered with Rice Body Cream on the skin. It makes you smell like peaches, very fresh and fruity. My only wish is that the scent lasted a bit longer, I find that I really have to layer to get the scent to linger (if I wear it on its own, it doesn't stay on too long). Yum - a much better offering from Fresh than Lemon Sugar or Sugar Blossom! Oh, and I also wish it was cheaper, it's way too expensive!!!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -NARS - Misfit Duo
mariam1 3/28/2005 2:38:00 PM
After owning Misfit for months, I finally decided to use it last night. really liked the effect, the cream colour as a wash (it was a LITTLE too light on me, but works) and I used the green in the crease and as a liner. I LOVE it as a liner. My only complaint was that in the crease, the colour looked a bit muddy on me, but I tried a heavier hand and the green showed up more vividly on my olive skin. The final effect was WOW - not too overpowering, just very pretty eyes! Love it!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Lustre in Fresh Brew
mariam1 2/8/2005 12:24:00 PM
I am a little obsessive about neutral lipsticks and thought I would love this one. It barely showed up on my NC35 skin. Really - it was like nothing was on my lips. Actually it made my lips kind of greyish which is not attractive!! I swapped it right away - I'd rather stick with Hug Me or Underplay.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -MAC - Lipglass- Pop Mode
mariam1 2/4/2005 5:56:00 PM
When I first got this in a swap, I thought it was a little too purple. But when I put it on - WOW! It is so gorgeous, a shimmery plum shade that really complements my olive/tan skin tone. I thought Infrared Wood was my h/g MAC lipglass but Pop Mode might take that title! This is one to buy over and over.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Robert Piguet Fragrances - Bandit
mariam1 10/20/2004 5:17:00 PM
As much as I am in love with Fracas, I have the same level of loathing for Bandit. It is one of the nastiest fragrances I've ever tried. It's not even that it's masculine, it has a smoky, leathery smell that is just repugnant. The bottle is cool, yes, but the scent inside will make you jump in the shower to get it off.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No