Treatments -Skin Biology - Super CP Serum
whoshore 8/6/2009 5:35:00 PM
To say I'd buy it again is an understatement, I've been using Skin Biology Copper Peptide products for around 5 years now and I've been using Super CP for around 4 years. If you're new to this product line, start out the with the regular CP Serum and move up to this after a year or so. This is not one of those overnight "WOW" skin-changing products, but it is something that over time is excellent for your skin. It improves the texture and tone of your skin markedly. I think Skin Biology is a serious bio-tech type of operation that makes a top-quality product and packages it in a no-frills way. It is a much, much better buy than any of the peptide products on the market and it predated many of them. This is absolutely the place to buy copper peptides.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Lancome - Cils Booster
whoshore 8/5/2009 11:18:00 PM
Huh? People don't like this stuff? Well, to each their own. I adore this product. I think it goes on beautifully, doesn't clump, has a lush, silky quality and improves any mascara's look about 100%. I think I could take a nubbin of a black crayon and run it over my lashes after I use Cils Booster and would look at myself in the mirror and say: "Damn, that crayon works good!" OK, so I exaggerate. But this is a lovely product, long-lasting, good for the lashes, makes mascara easy to remove, and well worth the money.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Estee Lauder - Lash Primer Plus
whoshore 8/5/2009 11:12:00 PM
This is a nice primer. I like it. I just don't love it the way I love Lancome's lash primer. It does not seem as silky and delicate as Lancome's. I think you have to be a wee bit careful with the Estee Lauder product or it can get a bit clumpy and that translates to the mascara application. If I use a primer, I want it to take my lashes to another dimension, not potentially cause more problems. But other than that, it does condition the lashes and makes mascara removal a less-traumatic process for the eyelashes. But I won't buy it again because I'll return to Lancome.
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Mascara -Estee Lauder - MagnaScopic Maximum Volume Mascara
whoshore 8/5/2009 10:59:00 PM
Does it lengthen? Yes. Does it volumize? No. Does it clump? Yes. Does it rub off? No. I don't even know why "volume" is in the name of this mascara, since I equate volume with some degree of thickness and what this stuff does is make your lashes look very, very long. But it tends to clump, so I got the dreaded spiderlash effect. I partly blame the clumping on the brush, because when I used the wand from another mascara, I got rid of the spiderlash. This stuff does stay on like a trooper and rubbing off or flaking is never a concern. It also comes off easily with makeup remover. I'll use this up, but I can't say it is all that much better than my favorite Almay mascara and it costs 3 times as much. Go figure.
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Fragrances -Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Urd
whoshore 8/1/2009 5:12:00 PM
My first and favorite BPAL scent. I think it is headshoppy, but I love the smell of headshops. Other people don't associate it with headshops and tell me it smells earthy and grapey and beautiful. It's really a wonderful scent for people who love patchouli but want something with a bit of warmth and richness. As with most BPALs, you have to work to find something that is perfect with your body chemistry, and this one is for me.
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Eyeliner -Revlon - ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen
whoshore 8/1/2009 5:02:00 PM
Horrible stuff. Maybe I'm spoiled by using the higher-end products, but come on! If using the Lancome liquid eyeliner pen is like writing with a fine Cross pen, this stuff is like using an unsharpened Crayola crayon. It goes on thick and it doesn't look very dark on the skin. I pity anyone who tries a liner pen for the first time using this product. I purchased this and some really hideous Revlon mascara on sale, and I am truly appalled by this company's products. Avoid it and buy something that really works. I rated the price a "4" because it is expensive when you consider the fact that it is barely usable.
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Mascara -Revlon - DoubleTwist
whoshore 8/1/2009 4:54:00 PM
Abject crap. I tried to rate this a zero and the system wouldn't let me do it. There should be a negative rating scale for this stuff. You know there's a problem when the first time you put in the wand, you pull it out and a huge glob comes out and falls onto your hand. It was flaking off after the first swipe on my eyelashes and I am positive it made my eyelashes look shorter than when I had no mascara on. It is truly miraculous in its awfulness. The wand also resembles a medival torture device and only makes matters worse. It went in the garbage after the first time I used it. An absolute waste of money.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
whoshore 7/29/2009 10:14:00 AM
About a year ago I joined the herd and bought this color, if only out of curiosity. I was underwhelmed for a long while, especially considering all the carrying on that accompanies NARS Orgasm. But then I started to notice it was the cheek color that I went to the most. It is almost a no-brainer color for me (I am on the light medium spectrum of skin tones) because it works beautifully with any color of eyeshador or lipstick I use. Because my lip colors can range from plums to neutrals to reddish-browns, this is a real plus. It is a very natural color on my skin, not especially sparkly (that is fine with me) and is seemingly a long-lasting blush, much moreso than other pressed blushes I have used in the past. So Orgasm won me over and I can't imagine not having it in my makeup kit.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
whoshore 7/29/2009 10:06:00 AM
I've tried any number of mineral makeup finishing powders and many were adequate; but even the best of them only seem adequate in comparison to Mineral Veil. Mineral Veil is simply superlative, for it goes on beautifully and easily and stays in place. A lot of mineral makeups do no cover enlarged pores, no matter what you use, and Mineral Veil alone does the job for me. But it is light as a feather and doesn't irritate my sometimes itchy-sensitive skin. Great stuff, well worth the money.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Fumerie Turque
whoshore 7/27/2009 1:17:00 PM
Oh, I adore how this smells in the bottle. It smells like an import store I know that sells Turkish rugs, incense and shoes. I could just sit and inhale that smell forever. Then I put it on my body. Good things just didn't happen. It's too leathery and sharp on my skin, and is extremely masculine. I love unisex fragrances, but this one isn't for me, probably because of the leather. If leather isn't your note, beware. If you can wear it, along with incense and spice smells, open up your arms and run to this scent like a long-lost love. And I envy you.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Make Up For Ever - Face & Body Foundation
whoshore 7/27/2009 1:08:00 PM
In the bottle, this foundation looked really dark and I thought there was no way it was going to work on my skin even though the color was, in theory, a match for my skin. And match it did, because this foundation is so light and gel-like. I was in the market for a liquid foundation that would be light and easy on the skin on days I didn't want to bother with mineral make-up, and this is it. If you are looking for heavier coverage, this is not for you. If you want something that evens out the skin tone and covers minor flaws while looking very natural, this is it. You also get a lot of makeup in the bottle, and considering how little you really need to use, this is also a good value.
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Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - Patchouli Patch
whoshore 7/27/2009 12:53:00 PM
I am a patchouli lover, but at first I didn't like it because it is a crisp, dry patchouli. However, as seems to be the case with most L'Artisan scents, its appeal started to grow to grow on me. This is a very well-blended scent, because while the patchouli is predominate, the musk and anise give this scent a lighter, cleaner lilt that makes it smell natural, yet clean. I get a ton of compliments when I wear this, and they aren't of the "Whoa man, that's some patchouli!" variety. Rather, people like the subtle, natural, earthy-yet-clean quality of the fragrance. This has become my go-to scent, because it always works in whatever setting you're going to be wearing it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Fresh - Supernova
whoshore 7/17/2009 6:14:00 PM
First of all, don't use this mascara with an eyelash primer. Something about the formulation doesn't work with a primer and the results are "meh." Once I figured that out, I thought this mascara was nice, but didn't realize how thick my lashes looked until I was trying on clothing and saw my reflection from the side. They looked truly great, almost like false eyelashes. So that is the good part. The bad part is that this stuff just doesn't stay on very well. I gave up wearing it on my lower lashes because I thought people were going to start calling me "Rocky" because of my racoon eyes. I will finish my tube by using it on the top lashes, but even then, I have to be careful and hope it doesn't rain or get too hot, because it will melt on you. It is indeed lovely in ideal conditions, but I don't want to pay that much for a mascara that won't stay on.
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Mascara -Almay - One Coat Mascara (Thickening)
whoshore 7/3/2009 2:49:00 PM
Mascara is a big deal to me because I have long lashes of average thickness, but they are very pale blonde and my hair is dark. Every now and then I go on a kick and try a number of the high end, highly-touted mascaras and wind up either underwhelmed or downright disgusted. That was the story just this week when I was tired of my $25 a tube mascara ending up under my eyes no matter what I did to prevent that from happening. I went to the drugstore and for under $7 got my old standby, Almay One Coat thickening mascara. I put it on today and realized it looks better than 90% of the expensive brands and it actually stays on. It is also easy to get off and isn't damaging to the lashes. The packaging is pretty plain but I don't give a hoot about how pretty something looks sitting in my makeup basket. It's just the best deal around.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Everyday Minerals - foundation semi-matte formula
whoshore 1/14/2009 4:04:00 PM
Lo and behold, I've found a mineral makeup that actually matches my weirdly neutral skin tone, and it is in the Everyday Minerals buff skin tone series. And semi-matte isn't too glowy and it isn't too chalky. I suppose I equate "chalky" with heavier, matte coverage, so if that is your thing, this might not be the foundation for you. In addition, this has better staying power than any other mineral makeup I've tried. I think the Everyday Minerals website descriptions of the foundation colors, and what type of skin tone they are made for, was excellent. It surpassed anything I've seen on other mineral makeup websites. This is nice makeup at an excellent price.
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