Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 100% Pure Shea Butter
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 9:23:00 PM
I can only compare this to the shea butter sold at Whole Foods, and this was far superior. I have the usual complaints. The tin is incredibly difficult to open. Also, there is the potentially unsanitary way one has to dig the product out of the tin. However, I still love this! I started to use this as the result of a 2 week hospital stay. The hospital air was very dry, and I had a reaction to the antibiotics. My skin became really dry and splotchy. I tried prescription strength lotions, and nothing helped. The dermatologist then recommended shea butter. This returned my skin to normal. I continue to use it on my elbows, heels and other very dry spots.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -Guerlain - Meteorites Voyage
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 8:51:00 PM
I adore this powder, even if this compact (matte) varies wildly from the loose meteorites (shimmery). You either love the scent (violets), or find it totally offputting. I find that it really evens out my skintone. I don't know that this is a great powder for anyone darker than a LLL, because there is a tremendous amount of light lilac pigment in this. It's perfect for me, as I'm a cool toned PPP. The gold compact is a bit loud, but the product is unique.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Stephane Marais - cream foundation [DISCONTINUED]
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 8:24:00 PM
Most cream foundations upset my sensitive skin -- not this one. I have been wearing this for six months, and I haven't experienced any congestion, which amazes me. I don't see the light reflecting qualities that other reviewers do; in fact, I wish this was a bit creamer. I also wish this came in a tube and not a jar, but this is a minor point. This is one of the few lines that carries both cool and warm shades, and I mix them (P0 and O0). Not my HG, but a lovely foundation!
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Eyeliner -Giorgio Armani - Smooth Silk Eye Pencil #1
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 7:44:00 PM
The first and only brown liner pencil that I adore! This doesn't sound like a natural w/ my coloring, as I'm a cool, super fair PPP w/ grey eyes and blonde hair. This was a warm chestnut on me, and it is lovely! It may not, however, be dramatic enough for many skintones. I wear it w/ either the #9 or the #12 as a wash and #11 in the crease. The texture is creamy, blends easily and has a wonderful smudge brush on one end. Another winner for GA!
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Lipstick -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Lipstick- #9
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 7:28:00 PM
Very pretty bright berry color, w/ a muted shimmer. I don't want to repeat what all the other reviewers have written, so... I found that this went on MUCH brighter than it was in the tube. GA lipsticks can be deceptive that way. As w/ all GA lipsticks, this is nicely emollient. It has so much blue in it that I think it would be better on cool-toned girls. GA does it again!
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Eyeliner -Paula Dorf - Enhancer pencil
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 7:07:00 PM
The idea behind this pencil is great -- a more natural flesh colored alternative to the harsher white eyeliner. It provides a "pick me up" for the inner rim of the eyelid. Unfortunately, the effect doesn't last long. I found that the moisture from my eye caused this product to "slip" off my rims. It's beautiful for the first 5 minutes, but it doesn't last on me. Needs to be creamier!
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Lipstick -Giorgio Armani - Shine Lipstick #17
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 6:57:00 PM
I don't usually like nudes, as I'm a cool toned, super fair PPP w/ highly pigmented lips. This doesn't wash out on me, and I wear this w/ Chanel lipliner in Tawny and Nude. This has the perfect amount of pink in it , and I was glad that it wasn't too brown. No fragrance and great packaging. A wonderfully creamy texture , not too shiny -- another winner from GA!
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Mascara -Pout - Mascara in Black
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 6:35:00 PM
I've never been able to use mascara on my lower lashes until I discovered Pout. After 8 hours of wear there's no smudging. Lashes look natural, but longer. This replaces Stephane Marais Mascara Comb as my current fave. Not my HG, as my HG would have volumizing as well as lengthening properties. Not a super glossy formula, but that's a small complaint. I use Marais makeup remover w/ this, and it comes off easily. At $15, it's much less expensive than many competitors. Goodbye raccoon eyes!
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Eye Shadow -Giorgio Armani - Eye Shadow #6
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 5:30:00 PM
I adore GA shadows. Very subtle, and that's perfect for my super fair PPP cool-toned skin. I love this in conjunction w/ #12. On me #6 is more of a beautiful soft taupe than a grey. I do see a muted lavander. The texture is fantastic; soft as silk, long wearing (no creasing) and does not dry out.
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Eye Shadow -Giorgio Armani - Eye Shadow #12
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 5:05:00 PM
I love this as a wash; this works beautifully w/ my coloring (I'm a super fair PPP, cool coloring, grey eyes, blonde hair). The shimmer in this is much more subtle on the eye than in the pot. This is also more pink than peach imo. I wear it w/ #11 or #6 , and I'm sure it would work w/ many other colors. Nothing dramatic about this, like most of the Armani shadows. Truly lovely!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Giorgio Armani - Sheer Lipstick #6
alabasterhaze 2/28/2005 4:47:00 PM
I bought this at the same time as my sister-in-law did; this stayed true to color on her (warm PPP, very pale lips). Very pretty, true red. I'm a cool PPP and have highly pigmented lips, and this looked somewhat pink on me. Not a true pink, not a true red. Tried different blushes to play up the red, to no avail. As other reviewers said, don't expect the eye-popping shade in the tube to show up on your lips; this is relatively sheer. Pretty w/ GA lipliner #9. I'm deducting one lippie for lack of staying power; GA Sheers must be reapplied very frequently.
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Skincare - Face -Osmotics - Antioxidant Eye Cream
alabasterhaze 2/22/2005 6:20:00 PM
I've used this product for two months, and there is no discernable before or after. This is the consistency of a gel, and a pretty blue one at that. It didn't moisturize,firm, depuff, or brighten. Concealer does not go on easily over this gel. Uninspiring stuff.
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Lipstick -Giorgio Armani - Shine #11
alabasterhaze 2/12/2005 5:05:00 PM
I love all things in the GA line, but this is my favorite daytime lipstick. I'm a PPP, and I have highly pigmented lips. This beautiful soft pink imparts a golden sheen to my lips without the stickiness of gloss. The formula is very moisturizing, so I can wear this w/out worrying about the shine empasizing fine lines in the lips.Looks great w/ Chanel's Rose Honey gloss lip liner. Love this lippie!
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Fragrances -Yosh - The Heart Is deceitful Above All Things (JT Leroy)
alabasterhaze 1/17/2005 11:31:00 PM
I wanted to love this fragrance. Initially it was interesting-- a warm and heady mixture of caramel, vanilla, bay rum, honey and perhaps fig. This is a perfume oil, so be careful , or risk clearing the room! Great staying power (it should have at this price), and I never find any need to reapply during the course of the day. However, I am very ambiguous about the drydown. All I get is a very sweet and cloying vanilla. That's just my body chemistry, but I wish I hadn't purchased - should have stuck with the sample.
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Treatments -Fresh - Meadowfoam Cream Treatment Conditioner
alabasterhaze 12/8/2004 8:58:00 PM
This conditioner is my absolute favorite; it's specatular (and so is the price)! I have long blond, highlighted hair, and I have a ton of it. I have severely damaged my hair by chemical straightening (4 times, then stopped) and years of highligting. The bleach strips the hair and makes it very porous. I had oily hair until I began the straightening process. Now my hair is so dry that shampoo (even those with a really low pH) means tons of tangles. You are all really bored by now, but I needed to stress just how desperate I'd grown. Terax Crema, Masque Intense, Bumble & Bumble Deep Conditioning, Kerasilk, Redken, - salon and drugstore brands- I have tried most of them. Meadowfoam is the first conditioner that really softens and detangles my hair. No more breakage when I use a wide-tooth comb or my Mason-Pearson detangler brush. Meadowfoam Cream also has a lovely fresh fragrance, and I should hope so at this price ($32 for a 5.1 ounce tube)! I would only recommend this to someone who has very dry, damaged and overprocessed hair, as the price is prohibitive. After highlights, I apply this treatment, put my hair in a Scrunchi, don one of those beautiful plastic shower caps and use the blow dryer on a very low setting for 10 minutes. I may break the bank, but I don't break my hair anymore!
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