Lotions/ Creams -MMU Cosmetics - Cream Soda
ChaiBliss 4/18/2004 5:27:00 PM
I'm often amazed at how perfectly certain scents can be replicated by some of these wonderful etailers. Cream Soda is one that really interested me because I LOVE cream soda! MMU's version is so dead on that I could not stop sniffing it from the bottle. Somehow it manages to smell like all the important components of cream soda - vanilla and carbonated soda! I purchased this in the strongest intensity and am impressed with how potent it is. Lovely from start to dry down!
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Palettes -Laura Mercier - Mercury Rising Face Paints
ChaiBliss 4/18/2004 5:12:00 PM
This is an out of this world, absolutely gorgeous palette featuring 3 lip colours (.10 oz. each), 3 eye colours (.12 oz. each), a cheek colour and a pressed powder (.19 oz. each). Packaged in a very pretty burnt sienna metallic palette, this is a really beautiful collection of colours that work well with each other to create a variety of fun looks.
The first lip colour is Passion Fruit, which is a pearlized peachy-nude shade. It's very sheer on my lips, and looks more like a golden sheen than a nude when applied. The next, Pixie, is a deep rose with the slightest hint of red. It has a touch of shimmer and is the darkest lip colour in the palette. The last shade is Soleil, which may well be my favorite of the bunch. It's a coppery rose with a hint of bronze shimmer. On my lips it actually looks really shimmery. This is one of those colours that is absolutely perfect in the summer, especially with a tan!
Oyster, the first eye colour, is a neutral base shade, kind of a champagne colour with a hint of shell pink. It's very pretty and surprisingly isn't as bland and unnoticeable on its own as some base shades are. The next colour is Mermaid, which is just a stunning sea blue. At first glance, it looks like the odd one out in this palette of shimmery beiges and roses, but it provides a great splash of colour and works really well with the other shadows. The last one is Antique Gold, a pale cocoa with a hint of golden shimmer. Though this is really lovely, it doesn't show up as much as I'd like it to.
Rounding out the palette are Sunkissed cheek colour and Golden Bronze pressed powder. Sunkissed is a burgandy-plum shade that looks much darker than it actually is. It provides a really healthy glow that you wouldn't expect a plum-based shade to actually give. Golden Bronze actually looks pretty similar to the Antique Gold eye colour, although it's got a touch more shimmer and some extra bronze. The effect is a candlelit glow that works beautifully with the rest of the palette.
This is by far one of the best palettes I own! It retails for $50 and I believe it's limited edition and available only at NM. It's well worth the price and such a versatile little item that I know I'll get tons of use out of.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Port
ChaiBliss 4/17/2004 11:42:00 PM
I could go on and on all day about how great I feel LM's lipsticks are (see some of my other reviews for the gushing details), but for now I'll simply say that Port is another gorgeous colour from the collection. Similar to Marquise in colour, this is another one that looks much darker in the tube than it does when worn. I was actually quite surprised at how sheer the colour actually looked on my lips, because in the tube, it's a deceptively dark wine-red. Again, this reminds me greatly of Marquise - in fact, I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between the two if I didn't know they were different in the first place!
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Marquise
ChaiBliss 4/17/2004 11:39:00 PM
This is a gorgeous lip colour that looks much darker in the tube than it does on. At first glance, it looks to be a deep raisin-red combination. When applied, it shows up as a sheer berry flush of colour - very natural. This is one of those colours that just goes with all kinds of faces, from flushed winter to fresh spring. To tone it down more, I sometimes add a touch of gold gloss, but if I wish to wear it darker, I'll leave it as it is or add some chocolate liner underneath. No matter how it's worn, the colour is just wonderful.
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Lip Kisses in Seashell
ChaiBliss 4/17/2004 11:32:00 PM
I first tried this when getting a makeover at an LM event recently. When I first saw it, I thought, no way. It just didn't look like it would work for me. It kind of reminded me of the dreaded Baby Lips for some reason. But then the MA applied it, and I was convinced. What looks to be slightly too pink in the tube settles into an actually totally wearable shade that is one of those my lips but better shades. To wear it darker, I really need to use a liner with it (my MA used Red Chocolate, which totally changed the way it looks!), but otherwise this wears very sheerly to provide a kiss (how appropriate) of colour. It's not terribly glossy, but it seems quite moisturizing and does last for a while. And the scent! How could I forget the luscious vanilla scent? If only Laura would scent all of her lipsticks with this yummy sniff. This is another winning addition to Laura's fab lip line.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Laura Mercier - Sun Tea Creme Eye Color
ChaiBliss 4/17/2004 11:25:00 PM
This is such a lovely shade - a natural warm bronze that really makes my brown eyes stand out. This is one of my favorite colours to wear when I want something simple. Paired with a rosy cheek colour and lip stain, it helps to create a gorgeous summertime look. I usually blend this into my lid with my finger after applying a couple of dots to my eyelid. It lasts all day and dries to a clean powder finish. Definitely one of the nicest cream shadows I have used.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Chance
ChaiBliss 4/15/2004 6:01:00 PM
I'm surprised by how much I like this. I've had about 8 sample roll on bottles just sitting here collecting dust, so I decided to give one a try recently. Now I'm kicking myself for not doing so earlier! On me, Chance begins as a somewhat spicy floral, but dries down to something rather sweet. I wouldn't consider it as sweet as candy or anything, but it's definitely a youthful scent. It's not something I find myself wearing all the time, but it's one of those scents I could easily consider a standby when I just want something not-too-heavy, slightly sweet, and feminine.
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Fragrances -The Body Shop - Pink Pepper edp
ChaiBliss 4/15/2004 5:31:00 PM
Such a gorgeous, unique scent! This reminds me just slightly of EL's Intuition, which is an oriental floral. This is spicier than that, but boasts the same amber and vanilla notes. The twist is in what seems to be a citrusy undertone, something slightly tart and lemony, followed by a burst of crisp peppery spiciness. The result is a warm, long lasting, sexy scent that I really love.
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Lotions/ Creams -Aveeno - Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream
ChaiBliss 4/15/2004 5:22:00 PM
Aveeno is one of those lines that never fails to amaze me. Just when I'd become addicted to their Daily Baby Lotion, they released this cream. It's richly thick, extremely moisturizing (more than I expected it would be - my skin feels moist and supple all day!), and though it's fragrance free, it does boast the natural scent of colloidal oatmeal (which is quite pleasant - a simple almond scent).
According to the packaging, this cream "soothes and relieves dry skin, even dry skin from eczema." I've suffered from eczema for a while, and this has really made a huge difference in those maddening, itchy patches that were beginning to pop up on my legs. Within just a day or two, my skin was itching less, feeling softer, and looking so much better. My only complaint is the relatively tiny 5 oz. tube. I went through this in just about a week! I cannot rave enough over this. It can be found in the baby product section with other Aveeno Baby items.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bath Treatments -Boots - Fresh! Gin Fizz Bath Spritzer
ChaiBliss 4/15/2004 5:14:00 PM
Gin Fizz Bath Spritzer is an awesome tub treat. The 265 g. glass jar is filled to the top with powdery, pale orange crystals. Once poured into running bath water, the crystals create rejuvenating, fizzy bubbles that you can actually feel fizzing around you! The sensation is interesting - sort of like Pop Rocks candy for the body, but not quite as uncomfortable as that might sound. The scent is a blend of soapy freshness and citrus orange. I find using this to be an incredibly relaxing experience. The scent is quite strong and it turns into quite an aromatherapy session when you're lying there in a sea of fizzing, fragrant bubbles!
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Blush -Laura Mercier - Blushing Tint
ChaiBliss 4/14/2004 6:10:00 PM
Oh, I just love this to pieces! I'm finding myself more and more impressed with LM's line in general, and this is one more reason why. Blushing is a gorgeous, rosy-pink powder tint that makes me look absolutely radiant, fresh-faced, and awake. Though the packaging is total rubbish (I hate the loose powder container, especially for something as bright as this), the product inside is wonderful. I tend to shake the jar while the lid is still on and then sweep up some of the powder from the inside of the cap instead of from the jar itself - this causes much less product to be picked up, which is a good thing since this requires some serious blending if you use too much! This looks great on my normal fair skin or even when I have a slight tan.
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Lipstick in Pomegranate
ChaiBliss 4/14/2004 6:06:00 PM
This is another stunning addition to LM's amazing collection of lipsticks. I received this as a GWP from my favorite SA at Bergdorf, and it surprised me with its loveliness! The name is a little deceiving, as I tend to think of pomegranates as redder and brighter. This lipstick, on the other hand, is a cool plummy-pink infused with some bronze shimmer to warm it up a bit. The shimmer doesn't show up much on my lips, which is great since I'm not crazy about that look, and the colour itself is gorgeous. It's not too bright, but just showy enough to really add a splash of colour that's very flattering to my fair skin and brunette hair. It's extremely long lasting, too. Like others, I'm not wild about the scent, but it's sort of a standard lipstick scent that doesn't bother me enough to turn me off of the product!
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Discretion
ChaiBliss 4/14/2004 5:59:00 PM
Steph described this perfectly below. I look at this in the tube and think it's a simple, bland nude. Then I put it on my lips and voila! I have the perfect nude colour that really accentuates my full lips. It's sexy - a kind of milky nude with maybe a very slight hint of pink. It definitely has to have some kind of pink note, or I know it would wash me out completely. This has got to be one of the first nude lipsticks I've worn that actually suits me. If I want a bit more colour, I'll just add a touch of Ambre Rose Glace, which plays it up without taking away from the nude effect. I adore LM's lipsticks, and this is no exception. It's long lasting and seems to be pretty moisturizing on top of that!
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Gels/Soaps -Suave - moisture rich milk and honey body wash
ChaiBliss 4/14/2004 5:54:00 PM
Suave makes some of the best drugstore products out there, and this body wash is no exception. Though I wouldn't call this a milk and honey scent - it's more of a perfumey fragrance, maybe touched by a bit of honey - it's still very pleasant, clean, and feminine. The consistency of this wash is thick and rich. It lathers beautifully, so it makes an amazing shave cream, and keeps my dry skin soft. Definitely give it a sniff in the store if you're unsure about the scent. It smells nothing like Softsoap's popular body wash of the same name, so be aware of that lest you're left disappointed by the perfumey aroma.
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Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Intuition
ChaiBliss 4/14/2004 5:28:00 PM
I've adored this fragranced from the moment I sniffed it. It's a gorgeous, classy, sophisticated scent that isn't so rich that it can't be worn every day; on the contrary, I find myself wearing this quite often, particularly to work and major functions. It never fails to illicit compliments! The scent is a warm, feminine blend of amber, orange, gardenia, and vanilla, among other notes. The result is an elegant fragrance that dries down primarily to a strong - but not overpowering - vanilla. It's slightly musky, and the aroma is one that's just perfect for any season, be it the cooler fall evenings or balmy summer nights. It just seems to fit any occasion and any season.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No