Polishes -Sephora - Sephora by OPI - Fancy Schmancy
felgoj 1/29/2010 10:57:00 AM
In the store, testing this shade on my nail looked incredibly lovely & feminine. It's an icy pale blue frost shade that looks more glimmery than your usual frost. It's fairly sheer in 1 coat & can build up to opacity in a couple of more coats. Looked phenomenal under the store spotlights. So I bought it ($9) & tried out a manicure at home. Was disappointed by the result - even with a shiny topcoat it dried matte, flat, dull, boring. There's spotlight effect where I work & I didn't see the same results as I did in the store. I added holographic glitter polish on top of it to see if it would dress it up better - not much better. Doesn't look so good with my pale winter complexion. Maybe it will look better with a little summer color, so I'll give it another try then...
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Styling Products -Redken - 15 Spray Starch Heat Memory Styler
felgoj 1/29/2010 9:10:00 AM
This product is hit or miss with many reviewers. I've always had this spray in my styling arsenal for years. Nowadays my hair is very short & damaged (repeated color & bleach processes) so I am not blowdrying my hair a great deal. But when my hair was shoulder length or longer, Spray Starch would help it to blow dry sleek & smooth with some extra shine. The only problem was the little bit of extra work involved in getting it that way. I spray 2-3 light squirts on my head of damp hair & blow dry section by section smooth with a large round brush. As I went along the spray had made my damp hair feel snarly, sticky, tangly.. but the resistance would quickly dissipate as the hair sections dried by the dryer & smoothed out by the brush. The end results are a great deal different than if I dried my hair like that without the Spray Starch. My natural hair would dry frizzy, fluffy, flyaway. With Spray Starch it was tamed, behaved, & more thick looking (the individual strands somehow felt thicker & stronger). This was always easy to wash out with any shampoo. A bottle costs $15 & lasts a long time. I still have a bottle waiting to be finished, but right now I'm not using it. When my hair grows longer again, I'll get back to it. For me at least, the key with this product is to use a little & not too much (otherwise it'll just get impossibly sticky & you have to pull & tug at your hair to smooth it out).
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Mascara -Givenchy - Phenomen'eyes Mascara
felgoj 1/29/2010 12:16:00 AM
I tested this out in Sephora over a year ago when it first came out - the ball-tip brush is phenomenal but the formula stinks... it smears into raccoon eyes with no effort whatsoever. Two hours after I applied it & thought it dried, my eyes were a mess ...and nobody told me!! Shame on them. The formula needs to be adjusted, but the delivery method is sensational. Very innovative, I liked it. Until then, I'd never buy this (which by the way is insanely expensive... $30+ !!!).
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Nizoral AD Shampoo
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:50:00 PM
Nizoral does work (the 2% strength from Canada MUCH better than the OTC 1% sold in the USA) but I hate using it. I hate the smell (though it's not horrid odor, I just don't like the smell) & I think it dries out my hair. I also don't like the price, but I won't complain about that. :) Not only would I buy it again but I've also already repurchased this several times.
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Lipstick -Avon - Glazewear in Mauve Moon
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:34:00 PM
This is the one shade of Avon Glazewear lipstick that I REALLY like, it goes pretty well with my medium skintone & I like the high-gloss vinyl shine - that's really hard to get from a stick lipstick. I also like the slim packaging. But what I don't like is you spend $8 for barely any lipstick. There's half the amount (or less) of lipstick that you would get compared to other slim lipsticks of similar cost. That was not cool with me. I WOULD buy this again, but only on sale, so it would cost a little more like what you're getting your money's worth. This lipstick doesn't last long enough to make it worth $8 at the amount that's provided.
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Lipstick -Avon - Glazewear Lipstick
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:29:00 PM
Honestly, the texture/formula is what I like - sheer but substantial & SHINY SHINY SHINY, but everything else is lacking: (#1) The colors are mostly awful - I've tried most of them & like only 2 (in the sheer mauve/pink spectrum). (#2) This formula wears off quickly, just like a liquid gloss (which this lipstick is, just in stick form). ($3) Most annoying of all, if you swivel up all the lipstick in its slim case, you'll see there's hardly any lipstick in there! And for $8. NO THANKS. I'd rather spend $8 (or more) on a lipstick that actually has more usable product in the packaging.
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Lotions/ Creams -Olay - Quench Therapy Body Lotion
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:24:00 PM
I love this lotion BUT I can't take the strong powdery scent that lingers ...I gave it several chances (in the form of different versions of this lotion) & always end up with bottles of lotion I don't want to continue to use. BTW this lotion doesn't quench. It is light & soaks right in, but the moisturizing benefits don't last long AT ALL. Definitely not for 24 hrs like the commercials have us believe. I like the slight micro shimmer in it, as I love shimmer lotions, but sadly this one gets pushed by the wayside because the smell bugs me. Too powdery. I don't think I should be giving it any more chances.
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Brows -BeneFit Cosmetics - Brow-Zing in Dark
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:16:00 PM
Hmmmm I bought my Dark a few years ago & it doesn't look like the one pictured above. My little compact has only 1 color in it, the dark brown shade, & comes with only 1 brush. I've been using this to fill in & define my brows & the result is quite dramatic - I mean, it doesn't look obviously painted on but it transforms my face by enhancing my eyebrows & giving me a stronger, more self-confident look. My natural brows are sparse & pale if I don't fill them in with color. I prefer the wax instead of other powder products I've tried before; wax is easier to apply IMO, easier to sculpt, & doesn't fade quickly like powder does. I paid $25 for this little eyebrow compact but it lasts me for literally years ...then it goes rancid after a couple years & takes on a foul odor ...at this point I haven't even used 1/5 of the pigmented wax. I hold on to the tiny tweezers that are included & I use them to tweeze stray brow hairs every couple of weeks to keep my brows clean & in shape - the little tweezers are functional & so cute. I guess if I ever have to replace the one I have now (which I should at some point, as it smells rancid though I've barely just scratched the surface of it) I'll probably get to enjoy the new version with 2 shades of pigmented wax & 2 applicator brushes. :) I wonder if the price has risen for this extra perk! ...$25 was quite expensive enough to begin with.
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Lipstick -DuWop - Shades of Venom- Larkspur
felgoj 1/28/2010 11:02:00 PM
Whatever I wrote about this lipstick in Nightshade goes for Larkspur as well. I included both shades in that review. I love it. Too bad it's discontinued. Except for these sheer lipsticks, I don't care for any other Lip Venom product.
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Lipstick -DuWop - Shades of Venom (DuWop Lipstick) in Nightshade
felgoj 1/28/2010 10:59:00 PM
Love this! But unfortunately it's discontinued, so I have to use the rest of what I have sparingly to make it last as long as possible. What I love about it is it's the perfect shade of red in sheer, light base. A good sheer red in a nice texture that wears well is hard to find. This one is great. I think I paid $15 for it at Sephora, which is a great price compared to all the others that cost even more (with the exception of Sephora's own brand which is $12). The scent is decent, not awful like some others, a little spicy/tangy. I don't like the bit of tingle upon application, but that quickly dissipates. Every time I put it on I hope the tingle doesn't spur on a cold sore outbreak (once or twice it has! as has also the original Lip Venom lip plumping serum). I don't care much for the oval packaging at all, but I love the formula & that's what really matters. If this was still manufactured I'd gladly buy another. I can't even find it on eBay. :( waaaaaaa PS I feel the same way about this same lipstick in Larkspur (sheer mauve with slight iridescence, looks like an enhanced liptone).
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Lotions/ Creams -Palmers - cocoa butter body gloss
felgoj 1/28/2010 10:46:00 PM
I tend to use this shimmer lotion during the summer more than any other, probably because I like the color of the shimmer & have a hard time finding other shimmer lotion that I like better (believe me I looked!). I used to use Fruit Of The Earth Shimmering Lights Suntan Shimmer lotion but then it got discontinued. Great :So I tried others, both cheap & expensive, & I didn't like any until I found Palmer's for $7 or $8 in a large pump bottle. It's thick white lotion with pearly white shimmer that has to be blended in really well so as to not have any white streaks. My skin is not very dark, so the shimmer blends well. Then it doesn't show unless I'm in the sun or under special spotlights or flood lights, so I'm not glittering 24/7, only under the right lighting conditions. The shimmer is micro-fine, so it looks like a shimmery dewy glow. The lotion leaves my skin soft & moisturized. The one thing I really hate about this lotion is the strong scent. It has that wonderful scent of cocoa butter that Palmer's is known for, but the scent of it in this lotion is so intense AND lingering all day that not only does it compete with my perfume but it makes me sick to smell it all the time. Ooosh. In any case, it's a big bottle so I have a lot to last me for a LONG time. I usually only use it on my legs in the summer, as I can't take the smell of it on my arms so unbearably close to my face. For my arms I found Burt's Bees Radiance mica shimmer lotion ($8-$10) which is natural, infused with royal jelly, & smells refreshingly light. All's good now.
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Hair -Aussie - Volume shampoo
felgoj 1/28/2010 10:37:00 PM
Smells nice, but dried my hair further (I need more moisture) & made my hair rather limp & more difficult to style than usual. I only have bob length hair, medium thickness & bleach-processed. Aveeno Nourish + Revitalize was really great at making my hair soft, silky & more manageable when styling. I don't know whether to throw this shampoo out or give it to my mom (who likes more volume in her hair) if it won't make her hair limp. Only cost me $2.50 on sale, so it's not that big of a loss, but a loss is a loss. I feel bad to throw out full bottles of product. If my mom doesn't want it I might put it up for swap....
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Conditioner -Back to Basics - Coconut Mango Moisture Quenching Conditioner
felgoj 1/28/2010 7:52:00 PM
Very thick conditioner, but doesn't detangle easily. Takes quite some effort to work it into my hair & it's only bob length. Takes extra rinsing to remove, doesn't seem to moisturize my hair at all, but the coconut smell is delightful & lingers in hair while it's still damp. Since I'm into trying most of the new products that come out, & since I'm not impressed by this conditioner, I won't buy it again. (Not to mention it's difficult to get it out of the bottle! boo)
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Australian Gold Moisture Lock Tan Extender With Bronzers lotion
felgoj 1/28/2010 6:46:00 PM
This is a great moisturizing lotion, maybe a little sticky, but the fragrance is so intense (I can't even describe it, it's not horrible it's just way too strong, perfumey & lingering) that I can't even use it. I think it's an unbearable level of the traditional Australian Gold signature scent, which I otherwise like at a lower intensity. 90% full bottle. Anybody want it? BTW the bottle said it contains bronzers. Like self-tanner? It doesn't do anything except moisture & smell intense. It's way too perfumey. I have to give it up. If I haven't used it in a year & a half, I'm sure I won't use it now.
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Polishes -Milani - Electric Pink
felgoj 1/28/2010 6:08:00 PM
Another beautiful bright hot pink color. About $5 in local drugstores like Duane Reade, it's a rich cream, opaque & smooth with 2 coats, bright & refreshing for summer - especialy a pedicure with a summer tan (or without -- tan optional, lol). One of my favorite pinks in my polish collection.
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