Nails -Unlisted Brand - Leighton Denny Hydra-flex Treatment Polish Remover 
JClarke 5/15/2010 1:58:00 PM
Although I do find I need to use a bit more of this polish remover than I used to use on my previous cheapo brand, I am hoping that it will pay off since this one claims to be gentler on the nails and doesn't dry them out. And my nails need it - they are flaking, peeling, you name it so they need all the help they can get! It is acetone free and doesn't smell quite as strong as the regular polish removers either. It comes in an unbreakable plastic bottle with a screw top lid which is good. I do have to confess that, as yet, no dramatic difference to my nails, however.
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Pressed Powders -MAC - Blot Powder
JClarke 5/15/2010 1:50:00 PM
I can't get too excited about this product. I have it in NC15 which I believe is the lightest shade they have. I am a fair skinned redhead. To be fair (no pun intended) , it doesn't make me look like a ghost, which some other light powders do. So, colour-wise it's a hit. It is very matte and I have really come to the conclusion that's not what I want so in fact I rarely use it. When I do use it, for example when it's got very warm and my nose starts to shine too much I do use it but I notice on those occasions I do need to reapply so it doesn't do a great job. I won't repurchase but I won't need to as I doubt I'll ever use it up.
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Hair -Kerastase - Ciment Anti-Usure
JClarke 5/8/2010 2:56:00 PM
I use a lot of Kerastase products and this isn't one of my favourites. I bought it because my hair seemed to answer the description - "for chemically or naturally weak hair". I probably qualify on both fronts. My hair was looking a bit lifeless and I got this to perk it up. It's OK but in fact the other Kerastase conditioners like Volumactive probably do a better job. This is primarily meant for split ends and probably designed for longer hair than mine - mine is short to mid length and I don't really suffer from split ends so I can't comment on it from that point of view.
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Fragrances -Rochas - Madame Rochas
JClarke 5/8/2010 2:37:00 PM
I remember this fragrance from when I was a teenager so, when I saw it on offer on a website I thought I would give it a go second time around. I had completely forgottenn what it was like and was quite surprised to find how my tastes must have changed over the years. I sniffed the bottle and found I didn't really like it! It seemed quite strong and not at all subtle. It's described as a floral but I didn't see this at all. The description said "top notes of lemon and lilly of the valley, middle notes of ylang-ylang, orris and violet and base notes of sandalwood, amber and musk." but all I could detect was the sandalwood, amber and musk. But I hate waste. It's a huge bottle and I was determined to use it! It does indeed seem quite strong at first but fortunately that doesn't last too long. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dry-down is much more subtle and it began to grow on me. Other reviewers have compared it to Chanel No 5 and I can see where they are coming from (although I am not a great fan of Chanel No 5 either!) This wasn't a huge success although not a total disaster in the event. I won't buy another bottle. I still think of it as an old-fashioned fragrance although others may prefer to refer to it as a classic.
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Moisturizers -Avon - Reversalist Night Cream
JClarke 5/8/2010 2:24:00 PM
I'm presuming this is the same as the product I've been using, the full name is Avon Anew Reversalist Renewal Night Cream (what a mouthful!) I'm surprised by the other reviews as I really like it. It is very rich which is why I like it - goes on like silk. It does take a while to sink in but you have to be patient! I apply once, leave for a few minutes to sink in, then apply a bit more, and that seems to work for me. I'm on my second jar. I won't pretend it's worked any miracles though. The wrinkles I had before are still there, as is the sagging jawline! It's just a mouisturizer after all. It's a reasonable price and you can't expect much more.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Bobbi Brown - Natural Brow Shaper
JClarke 4/4/2010 6:46:00 AM
I have this in Auburn which is a good shade for me, as a redhead. It isn't too red (unlike RMK's eyebrow mascara in Brown Gold which looked far too over the top...) It has much better coverage than an eyebow pencil, which I generally find too hard. It is a liquid, looking very much like a mascara. The brush is in fact a mascara brush and my only gripe is that it is a little too big for those like myself who have fine eyebrows so you have to be quite careful in appliation not to get it all over your skin. Important to have a light touch when you apply - just lightly touch the hairs, and not the skin underneath. I then use a fine mascara brush to redistribute afterwards since the wand it comes with is too clumsy. It generally lasts all day although can rub off. If you apply too much it can cake.
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream Eye Shadow in Heather
JClarke 4/4/2010 6:37:00 AM
I have only just discovered BB long wear cream eyeshadows and how great they are - last all day - don't crease. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find as many of my sort of colours as I would have liked. I wanted a purple colour and this was the nearest I could get. It's not really purple at all, more a light mauve. Comes up very light when applied although you can intensify it by applying more. I don't think it will ever get to the sort of dark purple shade I was looking for though. One of the aspects I don't like about these cream eyesdhadws is the pots! They are quite heavy to cart around and also quite difficult to get into...
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream Eye Shadow in Navajo
JClarke 4/4/2010 6:30:00 AM
This is the same good quality Bobbi Brown long wear cream eye shadow and, as such, lasts all day, doesn't crease, etc etc but the colour really isn't me. Reading the other reviews, just goes to show how you need to take your colouring into consideration. When I put this on, it just about disappears completely because it's an exact match for my skin tone! I am a very fair skinned redhead and this does nothing for me at all. I wanted it to highlight the browbone but it does nothing. It's too matte - it's VERY matte in fact. I understand there is a Navajo metallic and maybe that would have been a better bet. I normally prefer a matte eyeshadow and I never thought I would say it but I really could have done with a bit of a sheen on this one. It does help in erasing red eyes if you have them, as noted by some of the other reviewers, so it wasn't a complete waste of money.
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Burnished
JClarke 4/4/2010 6:21:00 AM
I have only just discovered how great these eyeshadows are although it seems others have known it a long while! I haven't used a cream eyeshadow for about 40 or more years - and in those days they were ghastly greasy things that creased like mad so can you blame me for only using powder shadows for all these years?! Now that I have found these I want to buy loads of them although unfortunately they don't come in as many shades as I'd like - or, they do come in a lot of shades, but not the sort of shades that I would normally wear. They are mainly quite neutral shades and not really my sort of thing. Except this one. This is great, and very me. It blends beautifully and lasts all day. Doesn't crease at all. You can apply a little, for a subtle bronzey look, or a lot, for a full blown dramatic evening look if you want something looking really golden. Has a slight shimmer but is in no way glittery (I'm way too old for that look).
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Lip Treatments -Estee Lauder - Perfectionist Correcting Concentrate for Lip Lines
JClarke 4/4/2010 6:08:00 AM
If there were awards for an All Time Worse Product then, for me, this would be it! What a rip off! More fool me for buying it I suppose. It was pretty obvious that, in the pen format, there could have been hardly any product in there, but I bought it anyway,and that made it very expensive. As with everyone else, it took several clicks initially to get any product out at all. The, each time, it takes 2 clicks to produce any product. But 2 clicks doesn't go round a whole mouth! I find it takes at least 6, probably 8. Doesn't take a genius to work out that in a tiny pen this isn't going to last very long. Doesn't really matter anyway because the product doesn't do anything. I didn't really expect it to do anything long lasting - I'm not a believer in miracles. I was looking for something purely cosmetic. But I find it doesn't even stop my lipstick feathering. Complete waste of money.
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Polishes -OPI - Bling Dynasty
JClarke 4/4/2010 5:54:00 AM
I lusted after this when I first saw it advertised but was perhaps a tad disappointed when I eventually bought it. It's quite nice but not outstanding. Extremely similar to Opi's Charmed by a Snake. I think they just keep recycling them with different names!
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Lipstick -NARS - Jungle Red
JClarke 4/4/2010 5:48:00 AM
This is, as with all Nars lipsticks, a good product, but not quite the shade I would have wished for. My all time favourite red is Mac's Lady Danger - ideally I would have that shade with the quality of a Nars lipstick. Jungle Red is a little less of an orange-yellow and has a shade more blue in it than Lady Danger and so doesn't quite suit my colouring as well. But all is not lost as I wear it under a golden shade that looks naff on its own and the combination looks strangely fetching!
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Treatments (Eye) -Boots - No7 Uplifting Eye Cream
JClarke 4/4/2010 5:44:00 AM
I have in fact bought this twice because I think it's a really good eye cream but I probably won't buy it again because I am fed up with the packaging! I bought the second jar before I had reached the bottom of the first so hadn't appreciated what a nightmare it was going to be to get to the bottom of it! Although it was already obvious to me that the neck of the jar was so small that you can't possibly get anything other than your little finger in there! The assistant suggested using a cotton bud to get it out - a sure way to waste the product and it doesn't come cheap! Packaging asside, it is a good eye cream and does seem to have a lifting effect (albeit temporary). It is a heavy eye cream so may not suit everybody - I would suggest it is for "the older lady" whose eye skin has started to sag. It needs to be patted on, not rubbed in. I only use it night - much too heavy for day time use.
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Brows -BeneFit Cosmetics - Speed Brow
JClarke 2/13/2010 2:53:00 PM
This is surprisingly small for the price. It is actually a more or less clear gel although I had been under the impression that it was tinted. I have very fair brows and it does absolutely nothing to colour them in at all so I just use this on top of my regular brow powder,just to tame them into place. I could just as easily do it with petroleum jelly, and cheaper too. In the past I have bought Boots No 7 Lash & Brow Perfector. I don't know if they still do it but if they do it's a much better buy because it's a very similar product and about three times the size. Both come with a mascara-type brush in the lid to apply with.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Liners -Too Faced - Borderline - Anti Feathering Lip Pencil, Clear
JClarke 2/13/2010 2:49:00 PM
This is a waxy lip pencil to wear outside the natural lip line to stop lipstick feathering. Similar concept to Laura Mercier's Flawless Fix pencil, except that has a flesh tint and this is colourless. I haven't been especially impressed by it. It's OK but I do find it wears off quite quickly. The pencil itself is very chunky so it's difficult to apply with precision. Also difficult to sharpen (although it does come with its own sharpener). I find it wears down quite quickly and I am sharpening it every couple of days.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No