Polishes -Essie - Waltz
JuliaLee67 5/28/2009 7:28:00 PM
While I loved the near perfect neutrality of this shade (not too blue, not too yellow), I found Waltz to be streaky and much too opaque, opposite of most of the reviews here. The opacity I got with two thicker coats doesn't look *that* bad, but I was expecting something much sheerer than what I wound up with, and two thin coats is a streaky mess. Perhaps I got an old or bad bottle...? I'll never know, as I won't repurchase.
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Treatments -Essie - White Bright Nail Pen
JuliaLee67 5/26/2009 8:27:00 PM
Don't be fooled by the name of this product, it's only a type of clear nail polish in pen form and not a nail whitener, as the name seems to imply. The polish inside isn't like regular bottled polish; it's thinner, dries almost instantly, and has a different odor than regular polish. The wording on the pen itself says this product will leave your nails with "...a soft natural glow and shine", but the finish when dried reminded me of a dried base coat: not as glossy as a polish or top coat, but not matte. It comes off with polish remover, but the finish was so dull after a couple of days that it was difficult to tell that there was anything on my nails at all. Easy to use but very gimmicky and in my opinion not worth the money; you're better off using a clear polish if you want the same effect.
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Polishes -Essie - Perky Purple
JuliaLee67 5/1/2009 8:45:00 PM
I found this purple to be MUCH brighter in the bottle than it is on; in fact, on my nails it toned down quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's still rather bright, but it's not the color you see in the bottle and I certainly wouldn't call it a "neon" shade. I would describe it as "royal purple", a medium purple that's neither pastel or so dark you have to look closely to see that it's purple, and I think it's a lovely shade that would work well on any skin tone. It does dry to a matte finish so you'll need a top coat, but what a difference that top coat makes! On application, I found the first coat to be just a *tad* streaky, but two coats were perfect and as I said, a nice shiny top coat really brought out the color. I really like this shade and would definitely buy it again.
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Polishes -Essie - My Way
JuliaLee67 4/6/2009 1:31:00 AM
Quite possibly the BEST your-nails-but-better shade I've come across so far: seemingly the perfect sheer peachy-pink neutral polish that goes on without a single streak, looks nice with one coat, two coats, or three, and lasts a long time with minimal tip wear or chipping. Not too white, not too pink, not too peach, not too beige, not too yellow...just perfect, at least for my medium cool skin, but I believe this color is neutral enough that it would look nice on any complexion, mainly because it is entirely streak-free. My new HG nude/sheer shade, and you better believe I'd buy this again!
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Lip Gloss -Revlon - Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze - Forever Raisin
JuliaLee67 2/19/2009 8:04:00 PM
I like this a lot better than Revlon's two-part color and gloss long wearing lipstick. It isn't sheer, but you can control the amount of color on your lips by blotting them with a tissue right after application, something you can't do with the two-part kind. And unlike the two-part lipsticks, this gloss will not flake off in those annoying tiny little flakes (that get all over your teeth and feel like grains of sand on your mouth); you *can* easily wipe it off if you get tired of it or don't like the texture (it's thicker and stickier than regular gloss, but again, blotting fixes this). Comes off on the rims of glasses and cups, but it does seem to last a lot longer than regular gloss and doesn't fade in an obvious, "you should really check your lipstick" way. I think it lasts about half as long as Revlon claims it does, but I like the color 'Forever Raisin' and would buy it again, and try other colors as well.
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Polishes -Butter London - Henley Regatta
JuliaLee67 1/10/2009 8:21:00 PM
A lovely teal-blue-green-turquoise glitter polish that is absolutely stunning on. Even though the glitter saturation is very high, you will need to load up on the coats, as the first coat went on streaky and uneven; I found three coats gave "the shade that's in the bottle" effect. You will also need a good top coat with this polish, since glitter dries to a dull finish to begin with and this polish is no exception, but a top coat brought out all the sparkle and shine and looked great. I would buy this shade again, should I ever run out.
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Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis Nail Colour in Vendetta #483
JuliaLee67 1/6/2009 6:05:00 PM
Since Chanel raised their nail polish price to 20 bucks a pop, I had to see an actual bottle of Vendetta to make sure it wasn't a dupe of any other shade I already had. I bought it, and I'm very happy with it. It looks frostier in the bottle than it does on my nails; a deep blue-purple with a lovely shimmer that really pops in sunlight, flashing with the tiniest blue and magenta sparkles. The shimmer is still visible under regular lighting, very subtle, and in low light this polish appears black. There are other dark purple shimmers out there (OPI's Lincoln Park At Midnight springs to mind), but none like Vendetta, at least that I've seen. One coat provides enough opacity that you could get away with just that, but a second coat adds a surprising amount of depth to the color. I would definitely buy this shade again.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast
JuliaLee67 12/8/2008 4:23:00 PM
Quite possibly the worst mascara I've ever used, and how strange, as there are so many others who simply love it. I wanted to love it, too, but alas, I couldn't get it to do anything but clump my lashes together and get all over my eyelids. WAY too much mascara comes off on the brush when I pull it out of the tube, and I thought I could solve this problem by wiping the excess off on a tissue: BIG mistake. The tissue snagged on the brush bristles and I had to wash the brush to get rid of all the tiny little fuzzy pieces of tissue that were sticking to it. I tried wiping the brush on a paper towel next, and while that worked, it was so wasteful; seriously, I couldn't believe all the mascara that came off the brush. Doesn't lengthen or thicken my lashes, either, and goes on unevenly. I wouldn't repurchase this again.
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Polishes -Anna Sui - Nail Polishes
JuliaLee67 11/8/2008 3:55:00 PM
Since I haven't been able to find Anna Sui polish in any US stores recently (my Sears doesn't seem to carry it, either), I ordered some online from a company in Japan. I really like it. The formula is good, not too thick, not too thin, and goes on smoothly without streaking. The glitter particles in the glitter polish look like craft glitter in the bottle, but on the nails the effect is much more subtle and there is a nice depth to the color. The brush is wide but not overly so, and the handle (which reminds me of a big rose-shaped magic marker) is easy to hold. The wear is average: I wore a deep red vampy shade for three days without seeing any tip wear or chipping, and the subtle, sweet rose scent lasted about five days before fading completely. I would buy this brand again, I just wish I didn't have to pay so much for it; I don't mind paying more money for a unique shade of polish, but it's pricey to begin with and the shipping and insurance from Japan only add to the cost.
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Clothes -Unlisted Brand - Joe's Jeans
JuliaLee67 10/1/2008 11:17:00 PM
Joe's Jeans is quickly becoming my favorite brand for jeans. I have what you might politely call "athletic" thighs and a bit of a booty, and I'm too tall for regular hem lengths and too short for talls, so the 34-to-35-inch inseams are perfect for me. The Honey and Stardust cuts work well for my body type. The amount of stretch in these jeans is perfect, and there's not so much that they stretch out of shape after a few wearings. There are quite a few cuts and washes to choose from, too, as well as rises, and they seem to last longer than other brands of premium denim. Love!
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Eye Shadow -Rimmel - Colour Rush Eyeshadow Quad, Smoky Noir
JuliaLee67 10/1/2008 10:58:00 PM
I found this palette to be nicely pigmented and blendable, but the two shimmer colors do have larger flecks of glitter than I would prefer (not craft glitter sized, but still obvious if a fleck falls on your cheek), so I use the shimmers sparingly and blend them with my fingers instead of the applicator. They are nice for a smoky eye and because all the colors are a bit sheer, you can go for as subtle or as bold a look as you like, via layering. Inexpensive, easy to find, and non-irritating, can't beat that.
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Polishes -Borghese - Palermo Plum
JuliaLee67 9/28/2008 7:55:00 PM
In the bottle, this is a beautiful blue-based plum creme. Unfortunately, that is really the only good thing I can say about it. It was streaky, goopy, took forever to dry, bubbled, and the brush (you know, the brush that Borghese touts in their ads as being THE BEST EVAR BRUSH IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE???? Yeah, THAT brush!) was cut poorly, with a too-long piece in the center of the brush. This is the SECOND BOTTLE of Borghese polish I've bought that has had a bad brush. Quality control seems to be sorely lacking at the brush factory, and I will never buy another bottle of their polish. =/
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Clothes -Unlisted Brand - Havaianas flip-flops
JuliaLee67 9/27/2008 6:36:00 PM
I've worn cheap dollar store flip flops and I've worn Havianas, and Havianas win. It's not even a contest, really. They're soft, durable, comfortable, don't give me blisters, and come in so many colors. I've actually worn out a few pair because, with the exception of the colder winter months, I wear them pretty much all year 'round. Splurge and get the Havianas instead of wasting the same amount of money on multiple pairs of cheapies that'll fall apart or look manky within a couple of weeks.
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Polishes -Rescue Beauty Lounge - Sheer Red
JuliaLee67 9/22/2008 5:40:00 PM
Hmm. Sheer, yes; red, no. I applied three coats and got a bright fuchsia, decidedly pinker than the color in the bottle implied. Not that it isn't a pretty color, it is; it's just not what I expected. It went on without a single streak and there is a lot of depth to it, but I wanted a red, not a pink. It's very similar to Zoya's 'Max', which I already have and like better. I wouldn't repurchase 'Sheer Red'.
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Polishes -OPI - Baguette Me Not
JuliaLee67 9/8/2008 10:16:00 PM
I don't see any "cinnamon" in this shade, either, to me it looks like a dusty rose-coral. It seems like it would look nice on either cool or warm-toned skin as it is neither too blue or too yellow, and shows up nicely without being overly bright. It is very smooth and easy to apply with no streaking, and the formula was just right: not thin and watery, not thick and goopy. Excellent quality and wear. I would definitely buy it again.
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