Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
KatieRoxx 9/21/2009 12:14:00 AM
Got a sample size tube of at Sephora. Using a very small amount on lids, it did seem to make a difference in how long my eyemakeup lasted - particularly the eyeshadow. I don't really have problems with eyeshadow creasing, but it does normally fade pretty quick. This primer seemed to help keep the shadow color locked in place for the better part of the evening. I would consider buying a tube once the sample is used up.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick 
KatieRoxx 9/20/2009 11:58:00 PM
I got a BOGO at CVS on this and also used a coupon to get some more $$ off. Goes on like a lipgloss, but instantly turns into a lipstick. Feels very tacky on lips when first applied. But this stuff stays on FOREVER. I just wanted to test out the color when I got it home, but even after applying makeup remover and scrubbing lips with a washcloth, the Top Tomato color was not budging at all. Wore the plum color to dinner and it held up pretty well. There was some slight color transfer after eating and drinking for several hours, but you could still see some color when I got home at end of the night. I could see how this might dry out lips, especially in the winter. Given I paid about $6.50 each for these, the staying power and color choices alone give it a good-to-average review. But I would not pay full price for one of these because of the initial tacky feeling on the lips and the potential for leaving lips feeling quite dry in the winter.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sephora - Sephora by OPI Metro Chic
KatieRoxx 8/25/2009 1:46:00 PM
Eh! No great shakes. I really thought this would be a cool color to try. I think it would work well for someone with darker or tan skin. Not a great choice on very pale/ivory skin. Definitely a color that looks different depending on what kind of light you are in. Looks horrible in fluorescent light, slightly lavender-y in bright sunlight, almost a dull taupe/grey in other light. It did last a long time on a pedicure with no chipping, and the bottle is a good size and the product applies smoothly and evenly. If I was going for a grey tone again, I would try for something with no changing undertones and that was maybe more of a charcoal color which I think would work better with very fair skintones.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -L'Occitane - The Vert - Green Tea
KatieRoxx 8/25/2009 1:38:00 PM
Reviewing solid perfume version of The Vert/Green Tea scent. Nice scent, but definitely not very concentrated in the solid version. Fades pretty quickly which makes me wish I had gotten the Lemon Verbenda scent in the solid as that seemed much stronger. I am giving L'Occitane points on this mostly because they came out with a solid perfume version of this scent in a small tin which is more portable in a purse or briefcase for scent touch-ups throughout the day or evening. Also, the solid versions are nice for travelling as there is no problems with perfume getting all over everything. Priced at $9.00 for a small tin, it's not like you break the budget for trying it - but again I would probably choose a stronger scent next time I buy.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -L'Occitane - Shea Butter Hair Cream
KatieRoxx 8/25/2009 1:28:00 PM
So far, seems to work fairly well at smoothing frizzy hair and adding some moisture to dry, color-treated hair. Doesn't have any sort of overpowering scent to it which is good. Big tin with large opening makes it easy to get out product. Will continue to use and determine whether I would definitely repurchase or not.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Ojon - Restorative Hair Treatment
KatieRoxx 8/25/2009 1:20:00 PM
Got a sample pack of this from Sephora. Did not find anything horrible about the smell, but smelled a lot like coffee beans and definitely earthy/muddy scent to it. Used a small amount only on my ends which are very dry and left it in overnight and didn't shampoo til next morning. It did make some difference in my hair - smoothed it out, felt softer, controlled the frizz that usually comes during a hot & humid week. Still on the fence as to whether I would buy the small jar of this. Wouldn't expect I'd use it more than 1 or 2x every few weeks. It is sort of pricey, so willing to keep looking around for something a little less expensive. Did try L'Occitane 10% Shea Butter Hair Balm and for $22 for a large tub, it seems pretty close to doing what Ojon does without the higher price tag and it does not smell like anything really.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Redken - Smooth Down
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 4:09:00 AM
I'm sort of on the fence with this conditioner. It's expensive, but it definitely is better than drug store conditioners that make the same smoothing claims. But I have really dry, single-process color treated hair and I still feel like I need to use a whole lot of this product to get my hair completely smooth, hydrated and tangle-free. I really like the Butter Treat by Redken and think it does a much better job providing moisture to my hair and taming the frizzies. The Butter Treat is really supposed to be more of a weekly treatment, but I think I'd rather use it as a conditioner - especially since I've been trying to wash my hair only every 2 to 3 days in an effort to retain some moisture. I do like that this particular line doesn't seem to have any sort of overpowering smell to it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Redken - Smooth Down
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 4:02:00 AM
Pretty good shampoo if used in conjunction with conditioner and/or Butter Treat. My hair is very dry, so don't think it would really have that same smoothing effect if I just shampooed it and didn't actually condition or put a treatment in it afterwards. The price is pretty high, but I find I really only need a small amount to get a nice lather so it's lasting longer than other brands that are cheaper. I don't find that it has a particularly strong smell, which is kind of nice.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Redken - Smooth Down Butter Treat [DISCONTINUED]
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 3:53:00 AM
My single-process color treated hair is typically very dry year round, and can often feel puffy/frizzy and parched. This is a very nice product that seems to help control the frizzies and make my hair softer. I've been using the Smooth Down shampoo and conditioner on a regular basis and the Butter Treat once a week as a treatment. The Smooth Down conditioner is ok but not great. I will probably just buy more Butter Treat and use it as a conditioner whenever I shampoo and get better results. I do rinse out the Butter Treat after about 5 to 10 minutes in the shower. My stylist said that a lot of people leave it in their hair and don't rinse it at all. I might see putting a little bit on my hair when it's dry to tame any persistent frizzy strands, but I'd be worried my hair would look a little too flat or limp if I left a lot in and didn't rinse.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Sephora - Liquid Eyeliner
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 3:42:00 AM
I bought this long-lasting liquid eyeliner in the dark green, dark grey, black glitter (really more of a sparkle and no real glitter in it), blue, copper and plum. I don't know if I got some bad batches, but a few of the colors really seemed to start clumping in the tube very quickly after opening (in about 1 month) - while others seemed to hold up well in the tube for a couple months. When they don't clump, the colors are very nice and go on smoothly (I like the thickness and point of the built-in brush). While they really don't hold up for a full 8-10 hours of wear (start to flake/chip off after maybe 5-6 hours), for the price you are paying, it's not a bad liquid eyeliner and Sephora makes this in a wide range of colors. Also purchased the Sephora liquid eyeliner in Silver Glitter. This formula is packaged differently - larger, mascara sized tube and the brush is completely different. The cost for this tube is about $2 more than Sephora's other liquid eyeliner that comes in a smaller jar, but there seems to be more product. The Silver Glitter eyeliner goes on very, very sheer - almost too sheer - took about 3 coats to get the glitter to show up at all. But once it does show, it looks nice - if a bit subtle. If you want dramatic glitter eyeliner, this is not the product for you. I also did not like the brush that comes in this tube. It's very thin and flimsy.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Maybelline - Dream mousse blush in soft plum [DISCONTINUED]
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 3:25:00 AM
Got the Soft Plum blush as part of a Buy 1 Get 1 Free at CVS along with "Pink Frosting". My friend raves about the Maybelline mousse products, so I thought I'd give them a try for the first time since they were so cheap. It's a different color, but still a very mediocre blush that I wouldn't ever try again. Staying power is lousy and I have normal/dry skin.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Maybelline - Dream Mousse Blush in Pink Frosting [DISCONTINUED]
KatieRoxx 3/15/2009 3:17:00 AM
While the texture feels ok coming out of the jar, the product goes on a little streaky. Not much of a color, even on my fair skin. Lasting power very mediocre - have normal/dry skin. Would think it wouldn't last at all on anyone with oily/combo skin. On the plus side, it doesn't cost a lot, but you definitely get what you pay for. Will stick with Cargo's blush, BeneTint or Tarte stains for more staying power and even application.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Color riche star secrets - Penelope red 710
KatieRoxx 11/18/2008 7:34:00 PM
Surprised to see other reviewers refer to this as an "orange-based red", it looked like a blue-based red to me in the drugstore which is why I picked it up since I normally cannot wear anything but blue-based reds. Whatever...this shade definitely worked on me and really would probably work on anyone who falls into the dark hair/fair skin category. I was surprised at the staying power (and I wore it with no lip primer or lip liner) and how little you need to put on to get that vibrant red (usually, I have to wear 2 coats to really get a vampy evening look - with this, I wore 1 and blotted it down). Also, it did not dry out my lips and went on smoothly. Great shade for going out at night...probably too intense to wear during the day unless I wanted to skip the eye makeup and just put the focus on the lips.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Strawberry Fields
KatieRoxx 9/2/2008 11:10:00 AM
Loved it on my toes for summer pedicure color - but don't think it would look good on olive toned or tan skin. Great shade if you are fair skinned.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - La Paz-itively Hot
KatieRoxx 9/2/2008 10:52:00 AM
Looks spectacular on fair skinned brunettes - fingers or toes, works equally well on both if you like an intense hot pink.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No