Fragrances -Korres - Vanilla Freesia Lychee
danai 12/11/2010 1:32:00 PM
I'm quite surprised and baffled. I first saw this fragrance in the store today, along with the rest of the new Korres fragrances, and, being in a hurry, I tried only this one on because it had the most promising notes (at least for my taste). The truth is, I'm not sure how to rate this fragrance, as it seems it's the exact dupe of my current favorite, Flowerbomb. I was taken aback and amused because I remember seeing people on the fragrance board asking if there's a dupe for Flowerbomb numerous times, and I never imagined the day would come when I would actually have a real, valid answer to this. I feel like I've discovered new land somehow. But how do you rate a fragrance that you love not for itself, but because it's a dupe for something you really love? How can you say you really love and appreciate a man, when the reason you got with him in the first place is that he reminds you of someone else? As you can see, trying this scent has brought up serious existentional questions :-D In any case, I'll give it a 4 because I cannot give something I really like less than that, but I also can't give it a 5 because, well, that wouldn't be fair. Would I actually buy this? I'm on the fence. Truth be told it's a cheaper alternative to my HG. So yes, I might buy it indeed. After all, lasting power seems good too and Korres make quality stuff. To be honest, I wonder where Korres were going with this, and whether if the similarity was intentional (which I certainly hope not), or they just found they'd made a pretty delicious scent and put it out for what it is, a delicious scent, Flowerbomb aside. So ladies:you were looking for a cheaper Flowerbomb dupe. I give to you, Korres VFL. For those of you that love FB but not its patchouli, don't miss this one. This was a revelation,what do you know.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Womanity
danai 12/10/2010 3:06:00 PM
Let me start by saying I'm by no means perfume shy; Angel was my first holy grail scent and I still love it today. However this one I can certainly not do. At all. It absolutely, utterly appalls me. What I smell here: overripe - maybe even rotten - fruit, mostly peaches and figs, and gasoline. I kid you not, there's a super strong, weird note that reminds me of gasoline or paint solvent, especially in the beginning. And it lasts for hours, burning my nose and making my head ache. Eventually it goes away and the drydown is strong, overripe fruit again. It does not work at all, and even worse this thing is strong. It's bad and will not go unnoticed. To give you an idea, I spritzed this on earlier today while shopping with my SO. Just one little spritz. He was literally begging me to scrub it off, and he didn't stop saying he hated it for the whole afternoon. This was just the kiss of death; if I hate it and another person hates it too, then it's officially fail. I think TM tried to repeat the Angel phenomenon, by creating something equally massive, present and controversial. What they came up with though isn't dirty or sexy or daring. It's simply pungent. And last but not least, the bottle is a tribute to tackiness and awful taste.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Viktor & Rolf - flowerbomb body creme
danai 11/8/2010 2:34:00 PM
Flowerbomb has been my favorite scent for a couple of years now and apart from different versions of the fragrance I also have the body lotion. Until recently I thought it was 5 lippie worthy, however now I've changed my mind. Don't get me wrong, the lotion is great but the cream...that one's undescribable. I might call it luscious, decadent, heavenly, but I still couldn't give you the whole picture. It's soft, buttery, absolutely silky, and it wraps you in a wonderful scented cloud. Don't worry, no apparent patchouli here; as it often happens with creams, this only contains the softer, more mellow notes. Actually this is even better than the fragrance. Now it's quite expensive (however surprisingly not outrageously so; about €65 here; the bath oil is much more expensive). The packaging is as luxurious as you'd expect. Bottom line, this one, together with the Mugler Angel body cream, is the absolute epitome of a body cream.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Avon - Lotus Shield
danai 10/14/2010 9:47:00 AM
So this is my hair: bra strap long but rather thin; somewhere between straight and wavy, feels oily if I don't wash every single day. Also color processed. Now you may say that based on this description I wouldn't need smoothing serum, but unfortunately my ends get so dry that if I don't use a product, I get hair which is half ok, half frizz-fest. This here is a cream that feels rich and thick, on the contrary to other similar products that feel oily and watery. So it's easy to distribute into hair well. Other than that, it has a generic floral fragrance. Thankfully, this product works well. It gives me nice, smooth, frizz-free ends. The impressive part is, what Avon claims about its lasting power is true, at least for me: the effect stays even after washing your hair. To be honest, I was sceptical with this; I mean, who would believe it? But I've found that I only need to use this every two washes to keep my hair smooth. This is a great plus, and I'm not sure there's another product on the market that offers this. Now, this is not cheap at all. The good thing is, more often than not lots of Avon products are discounted. You just have to wait for the right time to buy. So I got this half the original price and it was reasonable; full price, it' s kind of expensive, considering you get a relatively small quantity. The packaging's wonderful though; luxurious and expensive looking. To sum things up, in my experience Avon do either really bad or very well, and this falls into the second category. It works for me and therefore I plan to keep it around,
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Johnson & Johnson - Lavender Baby Oil
danai 10/3/2010 6:00:00 PM
So here's the scene; it's evening, preferably a cold, winter one, and you're returning home from a looong day. All you want to do is have a nice hot shower, wrap yourself in a warm towel and hop straight to bed; even thinking of taking the time for the whole, all over body lotion thing makes you cringe; it's a chore you simply have no energy for. If you don't already own this product, now's the time to make a quick stop at the store and grab it. I'll tell you why: it will take great care of your skin, and you won't even have to leave the bathroom; right after you shower, before you get out, while your skin is still wet and the room still warm with steam, you'll slather a bit of this on, slap on the towel like you normally would and you're done. Also here's the big added plus; the scent of this will calm you down instantly and send you straight to sleep. I tell you this after having used all the products from the J&J baby lavender line for years; they claim the scent is calming and in my experience it really is. It smells of dreamy calmness, cleanness and subtle flowers. Given the fact that I usually use baby oil when I'm in no mood for lotion, which is usually on evenings when I drag myself home exhausted, this type of baby oil is by far my favorite and the one I make the most of. It pampers me, soothes my soul and sends me straight to bed.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Viktor & Rolf - Flowerbomb La Vie En Rose
danai 9/27/2010 6:47:00 AM
If you really want to wear Flowerbomb in the summer but are afraid it might end up too heavy or cloying, then this is made especially for you. You get the same yummy, heavenly goodness, plus an opening lemon/lime note, minus the intensity of the original. It's actually a more watered down version of the EDP; or, the EDT mixed with some sweet citrus which only lasts for a few seconds in the beginning. This is very sheer, summery and if, like me, you are a huge fan of the original, you'll probably enjoy it a lot. The only problem is, it is very expensive (even more expensive than the original if I remember correctly), while its intensity and lasting power don't really make up for the hefty price. All in all, this won't replace the original and can hardly be seen as a variation of it. It's simply a lighter alternative to Flowerbomb exclusively for the hotter months.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Olay - Skin adapt face wash
danai 9/6/2010 3:07:00 AM
Maybe this was not really suited for my skin type; I range from combination to straight up oily, depending on the time of year. However I couldn't even get around to finishing the bottle, which I will try to do if the product is bearable, even if it doesn't completely suit me. This is a clear gel, smells nice and kind of lathers. My skin never felt clean after using this though. It felt as if I'd only used water. Didn't even feel refreshing at all. Needless to say it also made no difference to the appearence of my skin whatsoever. I kept it around for some time, trying to at least finish it, but eventually it went to the bin.
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Polishes -Mavala - Nail color cream
danai 9/6/2010 2:48:00 AM
I have quite some experience in the nail department. I was a nail biter for decades, then became a fan of claw-like nails, then biter again, and finally I got where I am today; just like to keep my nails strong and nice looking. Throughout this whole thing I found out that Mavala Switzerland, though not cheap (but not high end expensive either) are a very dependable way to go, whether you're looking for nail growth stimulator or fast drying top coat. Nail Color Cream polishes are no exception to that. Simple, no-frills, awesome quality all around. First of all, the formula is great. It's creamy indeed and goes on buttery smooth and even, with minimal stripes (anyone find a polish that goes on completely without stripes even in the lightest shades,please let me know). The darker/richer shades go on even better and smoother than the lighter ones. Two coats will give you true to bottle, opaque, rich color. I would say it also sets quite quickly, but I also use their fast drying top coat religiously so maybe that's the one doing most of the work. Second, the brush is one of the best I've encountered. Don't be fooled by the mini bottle, the brush is full sized and efficient. To give you an idea, one strike can cover more of my pinky nail than necessary. Third, those are reasonably priced for the quality. About €5,20 for a bottle in my country. Yes, you don't get tons of product for the price, sure. But for the quality, I have to say once again, the price is great. Also I'm a fan of the small bottles, because I will rarely stick with a color for a long time. I want to try things all the time and that means a lot of standard sized polishes go bad or lose their consistency before I have the chance go through even half the product. So this one is exactly what I need; small enough for me to be able to finish (at least in theory, because I haven't finished a bottle of this yet) and also very travel/purse friendly. Last but not least, you get a fine selection of shades. Not every color on the rainbow to be fair - at least not in my country but maybe they have more shades available elsewhere. However they offer any beige, pink,coral,red and purple-based shade I could ever think of, plus some pretty blues, whites and silvers. To sum things up, I don't think I'll ever stray from these. After all, even if I was willing to pay for the high end polishes, I wouldn't want to end up with tons of large bottles collecting dust on the shelf. This is perfect for my needs.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Mavala - Mavadry
danai 8/9/2010 11:30:00 AM
There's not much to say about this product, because, simply put, it works the way it's supposed to work and does exactly what it promises to do. One thing that wasn't quite clear to me when I first used it is, when exactly you're supposed to put this on. Right after the polish? Or better wait for it to set? Well, I tried it both ways and both worked. Even when I used it right after applying the polish, it didn't spoil the (still wet) surface one bit. It still went on like a dream, nice and smooth. Also, apart from making the polish rock hard really fast, I have noticed it contributes somewhat to the longevity of the manicure. It's a staple for me now.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Midnight Poison
danai 7/31/2010 2:38:00 PM
Very sexy and enchanting, but in a strong way; this is very feminine but with something almost masculine lying within. Not bombshell-sexy or pinup-sexy; this gives me the mental image of a classy, gorgeous woman with edge; there's something alluring but dark and a little devilish here. Actually, this is the fragrance I imagine Angelina Jolie wearing, along with her signature body hugging black dresses at red carpet events.
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Treatments (Eye) -Nivea - Aqua Sensation Eye Cream
danai 7/29/2010 5:20:00 AM
Meh. Nothing remarkable about this product. I didn't expect it to really change my eye area, I have fully accepted the fact that I'm stuck with my hereditory dark bags for life. However I still want to keep those bags moisturized. I don't want them to turn into wrinkly sacks anytime soon. Also I appreciate a reasonably smooth surface to put my concealer on. This didn't do much for me. The area didn't feel well hydrated once it absorbed - which to be fair, it did rather fast. Didn't provide a good enough base for my concealer. I've used stuff just as cheap that did the trick much better. I used the whole pot because once I buy something, I feel very guilty throwing it away, but it didn't cross my mind for one second that this would be worth buying again. On the bright side, it's cheap and didn't irritate my eyes, so if you're blessed with excellent undereye skin and want something basic that absorbs fast, sure, why not try. It's not for me though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Nuxe - Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm with Honey and Precious Oils
danai 7/27/2010 9:50:00 AM
UPDATE, December 2010 This is now my holy grail lipbalm, which I will never be without. I'm done with the rest. The reason is, it's finally winter, it's freezing and for the first time ever my lips are absolutely protected from dusk til dawn. A layer of this and nothing touches them; no wind, no cold, nothing. They stay soft, velvety and plump and this feels sooo good and protective. Also, even in drying conditions, it lasts for quite some time. I highly recommend this to everyone. Original review: It may be a little early for me to write this, since I've only used this balm for a couple of days, but usually when something really wows me early on it's for a good reason. I think I may have found a HG product here. I've been lemming this forever because I love anything that even implies it contains honey, plus Nuxe is only available at the pharmacies in my country, so I figured their products must be a step above your average gimmicky cosmetic brand. And I finally got this, even though a rich balm is more useful to me during winter months. It set me back € 12,50 for 15 ml - which is more than 3 times the quantity a tube of Labello will provide. I first realized the quality is awesome the minute I opened the pot. First of all, it smells heavenly. I expected it to smell like honey obviously, but instead it smells like lemon pie. Gorgeous scent. And when I actually touched the product I was impressed at the consistency; very soft and creamy - nothing waxy or oily about it - and not sticky whatsoever. It melts on the lips like butter and forms a nice, silky, non sticky layer. Feels very nice and comfortable. And a little goes a very long way. It actually lasts too; slept 2 hours with the airconditioning and this on, and when I woke up it was still there. Also, I tried using it overnight, and when I woke up my lips were the smoothest, softest and most supple I've seen them. The packaging feels sturdy and expensive; you may not like sticking your fingers in a pot, but I assure you, it's worth it, and after all you only need to touch the surface for the product to melt on your finger. Absolutely no need for scooping or rubbing around to gather the quantity you need. It's actually very clean for a pot lipbalm. And as for the price, this will be much more expensive than my usual Labello or lipsmacker, however it's absolutely worth it because you need a tiny quantity and the pot is huge. And because it's transparent, you can see it's full of product; no optical illusion here (*cough* Korres* cough*). Also, obviously, you get ten times the quality compared to the cheaper stuff, which I have all over my apartment and now consider throwing out and only keeping this. Of course this will have to be reevaluated under winter conditions. If I change my mind, I'll update then. But me and this balm got off to an excellent start.
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -L'Oreal - Elvive Nutri-Gloss Light Detangling Spray leave-in conditioner
danai 7/26/2010 2:53:00 PM
What L'Oreal promise this will do: Help detangle long hair that is fine, prone to oily roots but dry ends, while not weighing it down. It's supposed to be a light spray leave in conditioner, that's specially made for long fine hair that needs nourishment but gets weighed down easily. Well, that's pretty much my hair. This can be used on wet or dry hair and it's watery. What it does in my experience: Provided you already used rinse away conditioner and use a lot of this, it somewhat helps detangle. Changes nothing about hair, no visible improvement at all. But the sad part is, once it dries it leaves hair drier and the ends more coarse than usual. Hence, it doesn't work for me.
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Conditioner -L'Oreal - Elvive Nutri-Gloss Light Conditioner
danai 7/26/2010 2:45:00 PM
The muaer below tells you all you need to know. That's a great idea, a conditioner that gives dry ends the moisture they need but doesn't contribute to the greasiness of the roots. This is also supposed to help keep fine hair strong, which is an added plus. Long hair very often has those specific needs, and that's pretty much what would be ideal for my hair too. In reality, this conditioner just doesn't work, because it doesn't help with the manageability or softness or overall improvement of dry ends at all.
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Styling Products -Johnson & Johnson - No More Tangles - Spray Detangler
danai 7/22/2010 1:02:00 PM
To be honest I'm on the fence with this. I have long, color treated (not bleached though) hair that is fine and tends to be oily near the roots and dry to straw-like on the ends. So leave in conditioner is very useful to me because my hair gets tangled a lot plus I always need some extra hydration on my ends. This is a simple, no frills product. It smells nice and is packaged simply. Also it's nicely priced. It does help with the detangling process, however it takes a lot of product to make a difference for me. I always use normal conditioner when I wash my hair, so it bothers me that even when I soak my hair with this afterward as well, an effort is still needed for my hair to be combed out. On the other hand, it does make my hair softer and healthier looking. It's not that I wouldn't recommend this, especially if like me, you're on a budget. However I'm pretty sure there's better stuff out there.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No