Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Mat Velvet PLUS Matifying Foundation
moth 10/10/2008 10:10:00 PM
I am in between shades, so I bought #20 and #25. For a time, I had very good luck mixing the two in equal parts... but then I made what may have been a somewhat expensive mistake. Because I was going overseas on vacation, I mixed them in the bottle (the #20 bottle was already half empty when I purchased the #25). This seems to have changed whatever delicate balance previously existed in the bottle of #20, as the foundation is now chalky and will cake up and practically slide off my face. So if you, like me, are between shades, I caution you against mixing the bottles together. I still have half a bottle of #25 -- even though it is too dark, I wore it out to a concert (dark place, right), and it was still perfect and in place when I got home despite several hours of sweating in a tightly packed crowd. Looks like I'm going to have to toss my science experiment and go back on the hunt for a new foundation. Rats.
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Primer/ Corrector -Laura Geller - Welcome Matte Skin Enhancer
moth 9/26/2008 10:15:00 PM
This is in the top five of my "WTH was I thinking?" list. Even as I was walking with it in my basket to the counter, a small voice in my brain was urging me to consult MUA first.... like a dummy, I ignored it. This got a fair shake with me, but the only thing I can imagine using this for now is to take the shine of my husband's face when he gives talks. That's not going to happen. If you want what's left of mine, send me mail. Yuck. **EDIT** I already mailed this to someone. Sorry!
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Porridge Soap
moth 9/23/2008 7:46:00 PM
Received as a (very generous) sample, had to go back for more! Doesn't get five lippies because of the crud that it leaves in the tub, but I can't give it 4.75. Very emmolient, makes taking a bath even more of a treat. Leave the tub with a rumbly, hungry tummy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Frederic Fekkai - Luscious Curls
moth 9/20/2008 8:46:00 PM
Sephora SA recommended this to me, along with handing me a stack of samples for the hair mask. I took it along on a recent vacation, because it is travel sized, along with some of the samples. I learned that using this after my hair was conditioned with the mask resulted in soft ringlets that became frizzy after a short while. My hair felt amazing and wonderful, but got quite poofy towards the end of the day (humid, windy weather). Back when I lived in the desert, I would have loved a product like this, despite the price. Unlikely to buy this again -- unless I move back to New Mexico -- but I'm pretty keen on the mask.
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Styling Products -Beyond The Zone - Noodle Head
moth 9/20/2008 8:39:00 PM
EDIT: Eating some crow, here. Figured out that it only takes a tiny, pea-sized bit. I'm glad I gave it another try. ORIGINAL: My hair is of medium density that dries naturally to wavy frizz. With the right goo, it will settle into fat, lazy curls. So, typically I look for a product that will encourage curls and prevent frizz. There seems to be no "right" amount of this product for my hair. It either makes my hair stiff and sticky or has no effect at all. I hope someone else in the house can find a use for it, because right now it's a regrettable purchase.
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Styling Products -Sally Hershberger - Wreck n Roll Texturizing Gel
moth 9/20/2008 8:33:00 PM
Had a bad hair day a few weeks ago. Ran to Walgreens to grab some of my old standby -- Secret Weapon -- but they were out. After reading the ingredients list on a dozen similar products, I settled on this one out of sheer impatience. Perhaps I was taken in by the packaging, where it says 'Supreme Head.' It didn't do much for my hair that day, because I applied it to heavily. So here I am almost a month later having figured out exactly how to work this into my hair and quite pleased with the results. My hair is not thick and not thin; it is curly but very easily straightened. After it has dried about halfway, I evenly distribute a dab of this (about a cubic centimeter), comb it through and then wet my hands and run my fingers through my hair. Then, if I am very still for about 20 minutes afterwards, I am rewarded with wavy, heavy curls. Now I get what "texturizing" means -- this is the first product that has ever changed the way my hair hangs so dramatically. Nice.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Dime
moth 9/20/2008 8:20:00 PM
I prevaricated about buying this for quite some time, but I'm glad I finally bought it. Typically eyeliner sits at the bottom of my makeup kit, neglected and forgotten. Both this and Covet are being used up faster than my oldest pencils, because they really make my eyes pop for very little effort. As far as I can tell, there is not another silver on the market as bright and shiny as Dime. A little UDPP underneath it makes it last all day.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Tarte - Four Day Stay Lash Stain
moth 9/20/2008 8:16:00 PM
Because I like this (and no one else seems to so far), it will surely be discontinued. Hoepfully I can grab several on sale before they disappear from shelves. So yeah, it doesn't last four days. It doesn't even last two. But unlike the 9999 tubes of mascara in my makeup bin (now headed for the waste bin), this stays on for an entire day. It does not clump on my lashes. It does not flake down onto my face. It doesn't make my lashes, which are naturally long and dark, look huge and awful and fake. I make up my lashes in the morning and they are still perfect when I go to bed. Even though I rub my eyes frequently throughout the day. At last, a HG mascara for ME! EDIT: Downgrading. This started to go bad about a week after I wrote this review. When it goes bad, it goes bad quickly. Leaves flakes all over your face. Eyes stinging. Tossed it in the trash. Replaced it with Shu Uemura.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Pleasures Intense
moth 9/13/2008 4:15:00 PM
This smells to me just like the discontinued Laura Ashley No 1. Which is nothing short of fantastic -- by far one of my favorite scents of all time. First sprayed it on in Edinburgh, then walked around with it on all day. Decided I loved it, bought it at the Duty Free on the way home.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -RoC - Age Diminishing Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15
moth 6/17/2008 9:20:00 PM
While I don't see that much "diminishing" of aging, I will assert that this is a good, basic moisturizer. It doesn't make my face break out, it's not greasy, it doesn't burn, sting or irritate my eyes and it absorbs quickly. The top swivels to lock the package, so it travels well without dispensing itself inadvertently.
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Treatments -OPI - Nail Envy
moth 6/17/2008 9:10:00 PM
This is one of a number of products where the ingredients list is, word for word, the same. Despite this, I was stupid enough to buy three of them until I discovered the trick to keeping the stuff from lifting off the nail. The clue? Nails absorb water. So you put this on, layer on some color, put some more on. Every night, before bed, thinking it would have plenty of time to set. I get up, shower and once I'm on the train, I notice... everything is peeling off. Looks awful. Had to start carrying the polish with me to touch up my nails t work. Then, just on a lark, I tried putting the polish on the under side of my nails and leaving a small ridge on the very tip when I did so. Then I painted over the top, filling in to the ridge. On went the color, then I repeated this -- paint the underside and leave a little ridge on the edge. Let that dry, put on the last top coat. Nails are waterproof -- I just gave both my kids a bath and the polish hasn't budged. EDIT: I am upgrading this stuff to 5 stars. First, I discovered that buffing my nails before applying Nail Envy helps the polish stick better. Second, I spent the last two days working as a carpenter -- with no polish on, but my formerly pathetic, useless nails took all the abuse. I'm sure it helps that I've been taking biotin supplements for several weeks, too. FYI: The formaldehyde in Nail Envy reacts with the keratin in the fingernail, causing it to form more crosslinks. A little bit is a good thing (unless you are sensitive to it), but beware that prolonged use can make the nails brittle.
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Fragrances -Gucci - Gucci Rush
moth 6/15/2008 6:50:00 PM
Another "old lady" scent, this smells like a combination of fruit punch, baby powder and Ysatis or Opium. How this gets called a "masterpiece" is beyond me. Made me sick to my stomach.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Nailtiques - Formula 2 PLUS Nail Protein
moth 6/15/2008 6:48:00 PM
No doubt, this did help my nails get longer... but it peels horribly. I typically do my nails at night, before bed, and by the time I'm on the train, this stuff is peeling off. I tried coating over it with OPI polish and topcoat, and it still comes right off. Moving on to Nail Tek by recommendation of a friendly manicurist. This is just too expensive for what it is.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Covet
moth 6/15/2008 6:45:00 PM
Never have I been so glad to see 80s fashion return -- in the form of brilliantly colored eyeliners. My eyes are very pale blue with green centers. Covet brings out the green and makes my eyes look larger. It sounds vain, but I can tell people are looking at my eyes. Seriously considering buying one of each color.
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Lotions/ Creams -Lubriderm - Skin Therapy Moisturizing Lotion
moth 5/16/2008 8:21:00 AM
Lubriderm's lotion has changed in the 10+ years since I bought it last. It is thicker but somehow less moisturizing. I am now stuck with a full bottle of lotion that does nothing for my dry, itchy skin. After a week's worth of use, my legs were covered in ingrown hairs that even a month later, I am still trying to get rid of. And the final straw that makes this a trash-it: I tried it on my kids' dry skin and they complained that it stings.
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