Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis - Peridot
luluhalabaloo 7/15/2011 12:57:00 PM
Ok a new Chanel polish. I bought it, but before I used mine, I tested it at the Nordstrom counter (very nice SA by the way). Anyway, I tried the other two new Chanel polishes and two or three Butter polishes to compare. The first one to chip was this one, and that was on a pinkie! The very next day. That's crazy. That said, I had been typing a little, but still....I am so sick of the chips! Chanel polishes in the old days used to last a few days with or without top coat, in fact, they were so shiny and lovely and long lasting I never used a top coat and I could repair any chips with the polish and it would look fantastic. Now, forget it, once it starts chipping...it's gone. I loved the old formula Kaleidoscope - same kind of colour, maybe more metallic - kind of a combo of this one in the silver metallic look. Never chipped, one coat was enough, but again, it was the old formula. I think this is too close to that one and I have two bottles of that, and I will want the holiday ones I am sure, so....maybe this one goes back. So, final answer, not in love really, not hate, a good neutral for the office that is still more modern and sharp, but not clean looking really and I can see getting sick of the colour fairly fast. This is only my opinion, girls!
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sinful - 0871 Pink
luluhalabaloo 6/13/2011 9:43:00 PM
It isn't that I don't like this colour, but it took 3 coats to get it opaque on my toenails. It dried matte, but after 3 days or so, it got nice and shiny. It lasted till I took it off, and that's a good. The colour is really nice on the toes. The brush is a bit tiny, I prefer a bigger brush especially for the toes. It's really a fun colour for the summer. It is all kinds of bad stuff-free, so for the money, this is a good buy. I will probably continue buying these for my toes, although my fingernails will still get the Chanel treatment. So two stars off for the no shine dry, the small brush and the number of coats needed.
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Polishes -Zoya - Phoebe
luluhalabaloo 6/13/2011 9:38:00 PM
Used on my toes. The colour is nice, kind of a blue/aqua blue. It dries satiny, not matte per se, and, for the first time ever on my toes, it is not lasting. It's already chipped in the middle of one toenail (go figure how that happened!). It does not get shinier from wear (socks, slippers etc buffing it) so it stays true to the colour and the satiny finish. I find mattes on nails, especially the toes, a little flat and like some kiddie painted her nails with watercolours, and so I would probably not buy this again. But it's different. We'll see how it is to take it off.
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Lipstick -Chanel - Rouge Coco Magnolia 17
luluhalabaloo 5/14/2011 11:32:00 AM
This shade is luscious. It is limited though and I had a bit of a time finding it. It matches Morning Rose polish really nicely. It is a pink, a warm pink with a bit of a shine, covers the lips quite well, lasts (as all Rouge Coco seem too), and seems to take any gloss well too without turning purply or ugly. It does not travel, it dries my lips a tad as all Rouge Coco do, but that may be just me. The most important part, the colour, is very very fresh, very pretty, I think it probably would like lovely on almost anyone, warm or cool toned. This one is worth it, it is my only "normal" pink and it is so easy to wear I wear it every day! I do go with cooler tones in my makeup with it, but for the spring, I love cooler, lighter blues, pinks, lavendars, etc anyway. I save the more vibrant for the summer. Very very pretty. Try with a Chanel pink gloss, aqua gloss, the pink sparkly one from last year - absolutely knock out!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Chanel - Morning Rose
luluhalabaloo 5/14/2011 11:27:00 AM
I am absolutely loving this shade! It's like a Riviera 2.0 - softer, creamier, but just as beautiful. This is opaque and completely covers the nail in two coats. It doesn't change colour on my nails either. It has gold sparkle in the bottle but I really don't see it on the nails - I think it just adds shine and depth. To me, it looks like a fresh, peachy pink morning rose, like when the dawn just opens onto the roses. It is a perfect name for it, even though it also is a wonderful summer colour which I think will look great with a tan. I pair it with Rouge COCO Magnolia - pow!
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Lotions/ Creams -Kiehls - Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
luluhalabaloo 4/30/2011 4:58:00 PM
I needed something to heal my dried out hands. When I first used it, my hands were not too bad, so it didn't do much except provide a bit of something that disappeared quickly (except when I washed, then my hands became greasy). However, I moved recently and my hands were so dry from the tape, boxes, etc. I used this every night and during the day. Two weeks after the move, my hands are absolutely NO better. Like it did nothing. I used EA 8 hour cream, my hands are better by morning, although not completely perfect. Vanicream definitely helps. This does nothing. I wouldn't spend 3 cents on it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Red Door
luluhalabaloo 4/3/2011 7:17:00 PM
OK for me, this is a no. It stays and stays and stays and I cannot get it out of my nose (or skin). But on my mom who is 75, it is gorgeous. I don't know why. I remember she wore it when visiting and she got in the car and smelled amazing. She is a smoker to boot! I asked her what it was, and she said it was the Red Door perfume I gave her. So I bought another bottle at Winner's for $20, a good size, and will give it to her when I see her again. But on me, yikes, not sour, just too too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Laura Mercier - Neroli
luluhalabaloo 4/3/2011 7:13:00 PM
As a previous reviewer noted, this has the smell of orange blossoms. I used to smell them in Israel, that smell never went away for me but in North American, that's a hard smell to come buy. A warm night and orange grove blossing equals intoxicating and this scent comes the closest thus far. But you know what, it is singular, which it should be, and I understand if some don't enjoy it's singularity. But when it evokes the warm, naturally scented nights the likes of which I have never smelt in North America, well, this fragrance definitely is a winner for me. Speaking of winner, I picked this up for $22 at Winner's in Canada, gals!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Alien Sunessence Edition Or D'Ambre
luluhalabaloo 3/31/2011 11:16:00 PM
I love all things Alien. I love Thierry Mugler in general. But this is a miss for me. The bottle in real life seems loose, like it is cracked at the top, even though I bought it in a deparment store and it was sealed. The colours, the pink/orange don't exist in real life, it's just all goldish. The top feels cheap and plasticky. But all would've been well if the scent worked. It doesn't. It has something in it that is sharp, not sour, not horrible, but it gets into the throat and I cough and cough. I've tried it on three separate days and I cannot get rid of that cough. Once I get the cough, it takes a day to get rid of it, or at least until I shower. There is something in it that really irritates the throat. It may be just me, or it is something else. It is very spicy incidentally, and although one can smell the Alien in it, it isn't soft and feminine but harsh. I cannot see why someone would wear this on a hot summer day. It doesn't smell clean or fresh or green or wet or anything cooling - rather it is hot and suffocating. I am actually going to return it. Something is either wrong with it, or something is wrong with me, but I never had problems with a fragrance before physically bothering me. I suggest to you all to be sure to do a test first in case there is something in there that affects you to. Weird!
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - EXTRA VIRGIN Coconut Oil (All brands)
luluhalabaloo 3/28/2011 12:53:00 PM
In the jar, it is a solid paste, i.e. you can scoop it out but it does separate easily so do this on a sink to catch it or it will leave a mess everywhere. I scooped it out, using about 2 -3 tablespoons for waist length very dry and damaged and coloured hair. I took out about 1/2 tb each time, and then melting it in my hands. Once melted, I slathered it in my hair until it seemed soaked in, doing pieces at a time, 1" away from the roots to the ends. It took me a while. Then, I stroked some more. Then I put my hair up in a clip and went to play computer games for about an hour. When I took my hair it, it didn't feel oily actually, and when I went to wash it, it washed nicely, no problems at all. I did detangle while I was putting the oil in my hair so combing through the conditioner was easy afterwards. I see that the longer you leave it in your hair, the more it absorbs and the less oil you will see in the wash, if any to be honest. Yes, it helped my hair, my hair felt softer and easier to manage in the shower, it lathered enough, it squeaked at the roots (I only wash the roots basically and let the shampoo run through the hair easily), and the conditioner seemed to take better. After the shampoo and conditioner, I put in Marrakesh oil, about 10 squirts instead of my usual 20, two squirts of Aveda Smooth, and combed through then put it up in the same clip to air dry. Later I will style it by flat ironing - the litmus test of conditioning treatments! Will update if anything interesting happens! But give it a lot of time in the hair, and I would not use this on the skin it is very oily although my nails feel conditioned now. UPDATE: OK styled my hair flat iron and it is fantastic. Hair was soft, natural, moved really nicely - I haven't seen it this nice for a very long time. I will definitely be using coconut oil again. Remember, it is a crumbly paste, melt it, massage into your hair, leave it as long as you possibly can, the longer the better, normal wash condition and style. Smell does not stay in. No extra shampooing or rinsing needed at all.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -L'Oreal - Excellence Creme Haircolor
luluhalabaloo 3/28/2011 12:11:00 PM
OH my, what a disaster! I am having trouble finding Dream Blonde and this was on sale. Gals, I am starting to believe that whenever something is on sale, there is a good reason for it. I tried it in BB, soft light blonde. My hair is med to light blonde with 50% gray roots (mostly white hair, actually), and it lifts super easy. It was in great shape before I used this. My hair today is sitting in coconut oil after not washing it for 10 days because it is so dry and damaged. I am scared to colour it now because it is so dry and breaking. I am SOOOO unhappy. I was left with hot roots (never happens to me), brass and bleached white strips. It is horrible and I look horrible. I have been colouring my hair on my own for 34 years and no hairdresser feels the need to fix it. I just go in for highlights once in a while. It always looks natural and great. Now, it looks like brass straw. Terrible. Let's hope this coconut oil helps, I have tried everything else including Extreme, Moroccan oil, all kinds of expensive treatments, nothing is working. This is my last ditch try before I need to colour again. YUCK!
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Lipstick -Chanel - Rouge Coco Shine - Boy
luluhalabaloo 3/28/2011 12:03:00 PM
I forgot all about this one until I was at the Chanel counter yesterday and they just got two more in. So, of course, I bought it. I find it a bit drying and not particularly long lasting. There was really no colour payoff although the shine was lovely - more sparkly than gloss, which I liked. The colour was definitely cool on me, and it was fresh and lively, although again, it did not change the colour of my lips per se, just brightened them. It definitely was not moisturizing like many other lipsticks are of many lines, but I find that with Chanel sometimes certain colours/formulas can be a bit drying. Finally sum up, to throw in my purse for a day to day emergency type of thing or when I don't want to fuss with sticky lipglosses or what not, yes, and perhaps it will work very nicely on top of other lipsticks. The price is very steep and this is the first time I am saying this about a Chanel product for what it is. It cannot be compared to Dior's old shine lipsticks that were discontinued. So, I have no plans to purchase another. UPDATE: I returned this yesterday. I am not going to keep anything that I don't like anymore. I really didn't like this product. At the Chanel counter, they were so nice. They took all my info, why I didn't like it etc., and expressed concern. I was really surprised by the reaction. I instead decided to pick up my face powder as I ran out so all is well.
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Mascara -Christian Dior - DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum
luluhalabaloo 3/2/2011 3:07:00 PM
OMgoodness I love this product. I have very sensitive eyes, although I can wear Dior Iconic or Diorshow ok. When I use this, my lashes are amazing. They are longer and prettier and hold the curl better. I put the mascara on top and wow, just gorgeous. Most importantly, though, the mascara does not irritate when I use this first! I make sure to cover my lashes well after curling, I wait till it fully dries, then apply two good coats of mascara. I love this product and I am going to buy backups.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Extase Flash Plumping Mascara
luluhalabaloo 3/2/2011 3:04:00 PM
Much as I think the name is cute, this caused great irritation to my eyes. I normally wear Dior Iconic or Diorshow and do not have problems. I had to wash this off within 10 minutes.
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Hair Color -L'Oreal - Superior Preference Hair Colour
luluhalabaloo 2/20/2011 1:17:00 PM
Usually use Dream Blonde. Used to use Feria till it stopped colouring the grey. Dream Blonde always worked, but it's expensive so I thought I would try Preference as it is the "gold standard". Well, it isn't in my opinion. I went a shade darker on the blonde, that was it, with a touch of red in it to warm things up for winter. It came out dull. After a week, it turned brassier, and any dye on the greys came out so I am left with the greys back. Absolutely no grey coverage. Dream Blonde will take the grey and make it like highlights - bright blonde. But this just doesn't even take. And the smell was particularly bad on this one. Nope, not the gold standard in my book.
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