Polishes -Essie - Sag Harbor
jiney17 3/23/2010 7:31:00 PM
Soft satiny dove blue with a subtle pearly shimmer. Really beautiful color with this sort of soft glowy look. The touch of gray prevents it from looking like an Easter egg color, though. This polish is a creme but the formula isn't ideal--it's a little thick and sticky and dries slowly. You need at least two coats for opacity. This is not a color you can just slap on, even with a quick-dry top coat. I love the color, but I'm knocking off a lippie due to the formula.
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Polishes -Essie - Jazz
jiney17 3/23/2010 7:28:00 PM
Neutral light mushroom grey with a tiny touch of lilac. This is a sheer creme and about two coats works for me, but three can give a more opaque look. This is a funky color, no lie--some people will probably think it looks too corpsey, but I think it's interesting. And it doesn't do anything strange to my skin either.
I can't comment on lasting power, as I switch my nail color frequently, but I've had this on about three days with no chipping or tip wear (between Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage and Poshe top coat). Would definitely repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Redken - Extreme Anti Snap OLD FORMULA see 143469 for new [REFORMULATED]
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:28:00 PM
ABOUT ME: Long, straight, healthy, virgin with normal texture, oily roots and dry-ish ends.
PACKAGING: Angular cobalt blue plastic bottle with a pump (no cap, though). Attractive.
TEXTURE: Thin, slippery, a little (sorry) mucus-like.
SCENT: Pleasant, sweet fragrance that reminds me of mass market perfume. Definitely lingers.
USAGE: After washing my hair, I distribute about two pumps of this all over my hair, concentrating on the ends and the little flyaways around my hairline. This stuff detangles pretty well so I run a comb through my hair to distribute the product more evently and then let it air dry. I consider this a treatment, not a leave-in conditioner or heat protectant. If I'm using a blowdryer, I'll use my usual Kerastase Ciment Thermique (heat protectant).
RESULTS: My hair has been somewhat dryer than normal and a little frizzy and dull. It's not brittle or that fragile, but it's not as silky and smooth as I want it to be. This stuff makes my hair limper and flatter than when I air-dry without any product, but it's also a lot smoother and silkier-feeling. Trade-offs!
PRICE: About 14 USD at my local beauty supply store.
REPURCHASE?: I don't think so. It seems to fight whatever volumizing products I put into my hair in order to get some lift. I prefer even slightly damaged hair to completely limp hair. I think this product is best for girls with thick, dry or very (not somewhat) damaged hair.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Boris & Natasha
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:25:00 PM
Deep maroon creme, with a definite plummy undertone. You'll need two coats for the best coverage. I think I'd like this color even more if it were a titch lighter and brighter. It's very similar to China Glaze's VII in terms of depth and hue, but Boris & Natasha is a touch more plum (VII is more on the brown side) and thus, slightly more vibrant against my skin. But honestly, they're SO close that if you have one, you don't need the other. Overall, I like this color, though I'm not sure about a repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Orly - Pixie Dust
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:24:00 PM
Lovely color. It's a cloudy dove blue, more periwinkle than gray. The formula is a jelly-creme (does that exist?) flecked with fine glass and silver shimmer, which gives it a subdued sparkle. The name is really appropriate. Good coverage with two coats. The bottles are well-designed with rubber caps that make them easy to grip. Price-wise, they're very reasonable--cheaper than cheaper than Essies and some Sally Hansen polishes. I really love this color and would definitely repurchase.
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Polishes -OPI - Jade is the New Black
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:23:00 PM
Beautiful, slightly dusty-looking jade green, more blue than yellow, medium-tone, not too bright, very soft-looking creme finish (looks just like the picture above). I love this color--it's so rich and unusual and flatters yellow undertones. It's also one of the few colors I like wearing on both tips and toes. I'd definitely repurchase--I just wish it weren't limited edition!
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Polishes -OPI - Greenwich Village
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:22:00 PM
Lovely mid-tone lime green creme polish. It's a pretty balanced shade, maybe a click more yellow than blue, soft rather than bright (not as blue as the picture above). It's definitely not a neon. The perfect color for spring.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Toasted
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:21:00 PM
COLOR: Neutral shimmery bronze, more gold than brown or copper, but without an obvious green undertone. Beautiful neutral-with-a-kick.
TEXTURE: Buttery-smooth and creamy, like most non-glittery UD eyeshadows.
WEAR: I had no problems with fading, creasing or migrating, though I generally don't ever have these issues.
PACKAGING: Chunky plastic subway-token compact. It seems a bit wasteful in terms of both materials and space--I prefer small, thin compacts. The good news is that UD eyeshadow is very easy to de-pot and fits into MAC or E.L.F. empty palettes.
PRICE: 17 USD
REPURCHASE?: Absolutely.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Crepes Suzi-ette
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:19:00 PM
A vintage-looking rose red, more mauve than brown on me, and warm without being orange-y. It's a creme finish with a slightly milky, dusty quality that I adore. A feminine, understated and chic red. I love it and would definitely repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Styling Creme
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:16:00 PM
ABOUT ME: Long, straight, healthy, virgin, medium thickness and normal amount, oily roots and dry-ish ends.
PACKAGING: Utilitarian plastic bottle with a shampoo-style cap. No complaints from me.
TEXTURE: Slightly sticky white cream. Texture improves if you take a small amount and warm it up between your hands.
SCENT: Nothing strong. There's a slight vegetable kind of fragrance if I hold some right up to my nose.
HOW: I only use Styling Creme if I'm planning on blowdrying my hair. After I apply heat protectant (Kerastase Ciment Thermique) to wet hair, I mix a bit of the Styling Cream with an equal dab of B&B's Brilliantine and distribute evenly, concentrating most of it on the length and running the last bit through my roots. Then I blowdry.
RESULTS: Usually when I blowdry, my hair is more volumized but also ends up looking very poofy and straight and I lose the definition of my layers. I love Brilliantine because it enhances the slight wave in my hair and softly defines my layers without stiffness, grease, build-up or dulling shine. The only problem is that it doesn't add body or volume. But when I mix it with Styling Cream, I get more fullness without sacrificing texture or shine. And Styling Cream doesn't make my hair feel stiff and crunchy like mousses and other body-building products can.
PRICE: $30 for 8 oz. or about $14 for 4 oz.
REPURCHASE?: Definitely. I only use a small dab each time. Even with daily use, I bet it would take me over a year to finish the bottle. The initial investment may seem steep, but if it works for you, it's worth it. If you're interested, I'd advise you to try a 2 oz. sample bottle first to see whether it's compatible with your hair.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Rimmel - Lasting Finish Pro - Steel Grey
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:12:00 PM
I LOVE this color! I picked it up because I'd heard it was a dupe for Sephora's Metro Chic, which has been a lemming of mine for awhile. I've never seen MC in real life, but I don't feel a need to seek it out now. Steel Grey is a subtle, mid-tone lilac taupe creme. It's perfectly balanced between brown, gray and purple and looks exactly like the pictures posted above. It's a really chic, sophisticated neutral that doesn't do anything odd to my skin.
I like the bottle quite a bit--it's almost elegant, being weighty rectangular clear glass with a tapered black cap that has a little silver crown on top. The brush is like the Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure brushes--wide, flat and with a tapered, chisel tip. I find this brush makes application quite easy--I just need two strokes to cover my whole nail and the formula covers perfectly in two coats without streaks or bald patches. I don't know about lasting power because I change my nail polish too often (every few days) to be a good tester for that. And the price was very reasonable (especially when compared to the Sephora by OPI polishes). I'd definitely repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Nicole - Really, Really Red
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:08:00 PM
I only got this because it was in a two-pack with a polish I wanted to try (Blues in the Night, which I'll review separately). I tried it out of curiosity and am surprised by how much I like it. It's a bright, classic cherry red creme, very shiny. I don't see any obvious pink or orange undertones. It reminds me of OPI's Malaga Wine, but several shades brighter. It makes my skin look fair and creamy too, which is pretty great. I thought I'd end up swapping this, but I think I'll keep it.
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Lip Treatments -Neosporin - Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy Suncreen SPF 20
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:06:00 PM
This is a clear, creamy lip balm that moisturizes and provides sun protection. There is no taste or fragrance and it only adds a slight, natural shine to lips. The texture is ideal, in my opinion, not so thin and slippery that it slides off lips, but not too heavy nor sticky either. It does keep my lips soft, though it won't repair really chapped lips (only Carmex works for flakes). The Neosporin lipbalm comes in a little squeeze tube with a slant tip applicator and costs about 4 USD. I like this very much and would repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Pantene - Texturize - Sculpting Wax
jiney17 3/21/2010 9:05:00 PM
I bought this to replace my Shine & Define Pomade, which I really liked and which lasted me (no joke) three years. I figured I'd be OK if I stuck with Pantene, and the reviews indicated that the Sculpting Wax offered more hold. It's a bright tangerine in the tub (which I find to be bulky and kind of silly-looking) with the signature Pantene scent. The texture is thicker and stickier than the Shine & Define, even when I warm it up between my fingers. It does an OK job of pasting down flyaways and baby hairs, but not good since they'll fly back up again in a few hours. It's more useful for texturizing hair. Use a small bit when your hair is slightly damp in order to define ends and piece out your layers. But I think even here, the Shine & Define was the better product because it offered soft hold without looking as dry as the Sculpting Pomade, and added shine. Overall, I'd say I'm disappointed. I will not repurchase this stuff when I run out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sephora - OPI - Absinthe Makes The Heart
jiney17 3/14/2010 1:53:00 PM
Shimmering, slightly smoky green. It's hard to pin down the shade of green; it's not brown or yellow enough to be olive, but it's definitely not as blue as a forest or emerald green. It's kind of a grass green, but not as vibrant as that suggests--it's more like the green of dried grass. This polish is packed with fine gold shimmer, which gives it a bright, shimmery foil-like finish. Overall, I think it's gorgeous and unique. I don't think I've seen another polish that's even a reasonable sort-of dupe. I'd definitely repurchase (though unhappily, given the price and restricted availability).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No