Masks -Unlisted Brand - Gelatin Milk Pore Cleansing Masque
jootje 9/7/2010 12:01:00 PM
This is the only thing that works for removing my blackheads! I've used pore strips before and they just hardly ever get anything out. I don't like to remove my blackheads manually as my nose will be flaky for a couple of days. By the time that's gone the blackheads are back. I read about this on a beautyblog and the original recipe was with gelatin powder and milk. I use (unflavoured) leaf gelatin and water. I'm allergic to milk so I never have that at home and granulated gelatin is hard to find where I live (Netherlands). This is what I do: - Wash my face - Cut one gelatin leaf in 4 and put it in cold water for around 5 minutes - remove the excess water and microwave the substance for 20 seconds - Stirr it so it cools off a bit faster and apply to affected areas. Tip: put on as thick a layer as possible, it will be easier to remove that way. If it's too runny to add a thick layer just add multiple layers on top off each other. - Wait till it is dry and peel it off (this takes around 15 - 20 minutes depending on how thick the layer is you put on). - Wash face with lukewarm water & gentle cleanser (you don't want any gelatin getting stuck clogging your pores). This stuff literally sucks everything out of my pores. I'm always astonished at the amount of gunk that comes out. It's the best thing I've ever done to get rid of blackheads and congested pores. I do this around every 2 weeks to my t-zone, which is blackhead prone. Every once in a while I will put this on my whole face. Even on areas where I don't have visible blackheads it will pull out dirt. I think I must add a caution. This stuff, on me, is so hardcore that it even pulls out hair. Don't get this near your eyebrows or your sensitive eye area! If you do get it somewhere where you don't want to pull it off then just leave it and remove it with warm water. Also, I think that when you do this you might want to go easy on your skin for that day. This also pulls off any dead skin cells, meaning it's exfoliating. I don't think you want to exfoliate after you've done this or else you might really irritate your skin. For reference, I have combination skin with normal cheeks and an oily t-zone. My skin is also pretty thick. I'm really not sure if this is suitable for people with very sensitive skin. I can imagine it would be too harsh, but obviously I don't know for sure as I don't have sensitive skin. Update: not using this anymore. I noticed that I got some permanently enlarged pores since I started using this. I think it's too harsh for me.
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Mineral Flowers - Rose & Geranium Facial Wash
jootje 9/7/2010 8:15:00 AM
This is a really nice facewash. I took interest in this at sephora when I was randomly picking up products and reading their ingredientslists. This ingredientslist impressed me because it does not contain any sulfates and there are are no comedogenic ingredients either. This face wash is clear and has the consistency of a gel. It is not runny at all. At first 'smell' it smells like roses (yum), but after a while I detect another smell that I can't really place. It reminds me of the Lush caca brun. Anyway, I like the smell. The thing that strikes me most about this face wash is how INCREDIBLY smooth this makes my face feel. But besides feeling very smooth and this product not containing any sulfates, I do find it to be slightly drying. My face does feel a bit tight after washing. I used to think that this is inevitable, but recenly I've found a face wash that actually does not make my face feel tight. But even so, this is milder than SLS/SLES face washes and it is very nice.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Shadow Minerals - Mineral Eye Shadow
jootje 9/7/2010 6:00:00 AM
I have this in the color Golden Olive. This is a truely beautiful shade. As the name suggests it is indeed an olive green with a golden shimmer. I have green eyes and green eyeshadows usually don't work with them, but this does. Beautiful shade. That being said, the packagins is absolutely worthless. It looks pretty, but it is so NOT practical. You first have to unscrew the top and then you have to unscrew the brush before you can even get to the eyeshadow. Because the brush is attached to the lid it isn't easy to hold at all. The lid just gets in the way. The jar that contains the powder itself is unpractical too. It has holes in it that allow the shadow to come through. This works fine when the jar is still full, but as it gets emptier you'd have to shake the powder out. On to what? The lid? No, because the brush is attached to that. The other lid isn't going to work either as it is hollow. You get the point - packaging sucks. This is why I've depotted this into an empty jar (stuck a heated knife in the bottom to make it come off, this was very easy). I still didn't like the loose powder so I then pressed it using rubbing alcohol and glycerin. Now I've got this beautiful shade as a pressed eyeshadow. If I saw a really beautiful -unique- shade of this I'd consider buying it and depotting/pressing it, but if it was dupable then hell no. This packaging really pisses me off.
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Eye Shadow -Bourjois - Multi Shimmer Eye Loose Powder 03 Rose Or
jootje 9/7/2010 5:40:00 AM
I really like this color. Like the name suggests it is a golden rose. It's so pretty! I love this for highlighting the inner corners of my eyes, my browbone and sometimes my cheekbone. It's also very pretty as an all over lid color. It's nicely pigmented and it has a gorgeous shimmer to it. It just adds such a nice glow. That being said, the packaging SUCKS. You can't put the brush in without bending the bristles! This creates a mess when applying (and not only then). The packaging drove me so crazy that I depotted this (here's a link to a blog that gave me the idea: http://tinyurl.com/32dnf3j). I still didn't like loose pigment though so I then pressed it using rubbing alcohol and glycerin. Now I've got a nice pressed eyeshadow in this gorgeous color. So overall this is a lovely color, but the packaging spoils the pleasure of using it. If you're looking for a color like this you might want to check out other options with better packaging first, but if you can't find them then you can always just depot this and even press it if you don't like loose pigment.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -GOSH - Velvet Touch Eyeliner 
jootje 9/6/2010 5:58:00 AM
This is a lovely product. It is waterproof, creamy and it has good color payoff. It stays put all day without smudging. It can also be used for smokey eyes as it is blendable/smudgable with a brush. The packaging is pretty standard and the price is pretty standard for d/s make-up too. Great product. Would buy again.
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Styling Products -The Body Shop - Cottonseed Curl Booster
jootje 9/5/2010 12:33:00 PM
This product is heat activated and I find that it does indeed work better if you use heat. Without heat it does somewhat enhance my waves I guess, but they're still very frizzy. When I blow dry my hair becomes very shiny and the frizz is reduced, but my waves are gone. The packaging is convenient. Two pumps is enough to cover all my hair (BSL). The smell is a bit peculiar, but it doesn't smell bad. Just different. It's not a bad product but it doesn't do enough for me to repurchase this. When I blowdry my hair my waves get lost and if I use this without blowdrying my hair is very frizzy, so that kind of defeats the purpose. Basically this acts as just another shine enhancing serum for me, and there are serums I like better.
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Lipstick -Bourjois - Sweet Kiss Natural Lipstick
jootje 9/4/2010 7:04:00 PM
This is a nice lipstick. The formula feels somewhat moisturizing and it has a soft sheen finish.The lasting power is quite nice, it survives me eating a meal. The packaging is very pretty. The only thing I don't really like about this is the smell, I guess there's no fragnance because it's natural. It smells a bit like...crayons... But it doesn't linger so I'm fine with it. I have this 07 framboise exquise which is indeed a pretty raspberry color.
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Lip Gloss -Clinique - Color Surge Impossibly Glossy in Azalea
jootje 9/4/2010 6:54:00 PM
I've had this for years and I really like it. The consistency is quite thick and it stays on a bit longer than most lipglosses. As the name suggests it is very glossy. The color is a bright fuchsia. It goes very well with my fair skin/neutral undertones/green eyes/brown hair. I'd buy this again (if it wasn't discontinued haha).
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Eye Shadow -NYX - Root Beer
jootje 9/4/2010 6:47:00 PM
This is a nice brown color that's on the cool side. I love the formula like all NYX single eyeshadows. It is highly pigmented, blends easily and stays put. Packaging is nice aswell. Price is even better. Can't beat it.
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Concealers -Bourjois - Brush Concealer
jootje 9/4/2010 6:40:00 PM
This is a nice concealer. I'd say the coverage is light to medium. It's not enough for my dark circles, but I really like it for redness in my face. The consistency is a thick liquid that blends easily. It doesn't cake and it looks very natural on. The packaging is very convenient with the little brush. The only downside is that you can't see how much is left. The amount of product you get isn't that much so I guess this is fairly expensive, but it's still a lot cheaper than h/e concealers. Overall I really like this concealer and I've already bought back-ups in a sale.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -GOSH - Touch Up Concealer
jootje 9/3/2010 5:26:00 AM
I bought this on a whim and I'm really glad I picked it up! I use number 2 for under my eyes and it is a perfect color match for my fair to medium skin (neutral undertones). The number 2 has a bit of a peachy undertone so it's perfect for dark circles. In the tube I always thinks it looks too peachy but when applied the color is perfect. It cancels out a lot of the blue/purple of my dark circles and the color matches the rest of my face. The consistency is a thick creamy liquid that spreads out easily and is nicely pigmented. I'd say the coverage is medium. I just put a dot of this under my eyes and then spread it out using my fingers. What I am most pleased with is its natural appearance. It doesn't cake, doesn't settle into lines and doesn't accentuate pores. It is also a perfect color match for me and it lasts all day. I was so pleased with this that I also bought it in shade number 1, which is -very- light and does not have the same peachy undertone. I use that on my neck/jawline which is prone to break-outs (if I eat dairy) and which is a few shades lighter than my face. Perfect match again. The two can also be mixed very easily to achieve a different color. I have tried many concealers, including h/e, and this is my favourite one so far. I use it every day. I would definitely repurchase. Edit: I do agree with other reviewers who have issues with the packaging. It sucks. It does indeed spill when you use it. But I'm willing to put up with it because I really like the product. It would be nice if they changed it though! Edit 2: I've found a solution to the packaging problem. I used to whipe the excess product on the inside of the opening, now that I've stopped doing that it doesn't spill so much anymore. I still think the packaging could be a lot better but with this method I'm already a lot happier about it. I will repurchase this because of the finish, coverage, perfect colormatch and price (it's only 6 euros or so for me). They beat the flawed packaging for me. Update: I've finished and repurchased this 3 times now. (: Update: This product has now been discontinued. It has been replaced with a similar product in different (better) packaging. The consistency is the same but the colors are different (there are 3 instead of 2). I will be adding a review for that one later.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Yes To Carrots - Yes To Cucumbers - Cleansing Cucumber Shower Gel
jootje 9/1/2010 8:01:00 AM
This is a nice shower gel. It is SLS-free but it does lather up nicely. The smell is nice too, quite fresh (thought it doesn't smell like cucumbers). The packaging is fine. It comes in a HUGE bottle so you get a lot of value for your money. It didn't noticably change my skin or anything (and I don't expect any shower gel to do that), but I do like the fact that it's sls-free. Overall this is just a nice shower gel, don't know what else I can say about it.
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Concealers -Chanel - Eclat Lumiere Highlighting Face Pen
jootje 9/1/2010 7:44:00 AM
This product is WAY overpriced. I am a Chanel girl & I would repurchase all of their stuff I have tried so far - except for this. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad product (hence I'm giving it 3 lippies), but it isn't anything special either and it certainly does not justify the hefty price tag. I'd say the coverage of this is light to medium. It isn't enough to cover my dark circles. If you have 'light' dark circles then this might work, but if you have just plain dark circles then this won't cut it. For redness in the face it is okay. I do like the consistency. It doesn't cake or settle into lines and it looks natural. The packaging is pretty, but a downside to it is that you can't tell how much is left. The price is ridiculous, especially considering that the amount of product you get is miniscule. The bottom line is that this is a nice product, but I can get something to do exactly the same for less than a third of the price. I like the bourjois brush concealer just as much and I like my Gosh concealer even better. Will not repurchase.
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Other -Crest - Whitestrips
jootje 8/31/2010 6:13:00 AM
I really like these. Home whitening kits like these are not for sale where I live (the Netherlands), you can only get your teeth whitened at the dentist or a clinic, which is $$$. So I ordered this from ebay and I'm glad I did. I didn't use this on all of my teeth as I have crowns in my front teeth. Fortunately my teeth (and crowns) are pretty white already, but my corner teeth were noticably more yellow. This kind of ruined my whole smile imo. So I cut these strips in pieces and I put them just on the yellow teeth. I've been doing this for two weeks now and the teeth are the same color as the rest of my teeth. I'm loving it! I did experience a bit of sensitivity but not that bad. I was prepared for more. Brushing my teeth with baking soda made my teeth hurt a lot more after even just doing it once. My gums also got a little irritated in that area. Obviously whitening your teeth in general isn't good for your teeth, but everyone knows that when they decide to do it. I'm really happy my teeth are all the same color again, and without spending major $$$! Whenever I see discoloration again, I will definitely use this again.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Purol - Lipbalm - Stick
jootje 8/27/2010 10:36:00 AM
Lovely product. It is clear and gives the lips a nice soft sheen to them. It's is nicely moisturizing and it is almost odourless. Two things that set it apart from most lipbalms are that it protects against UVA/UVB (spf8) without leaving a white cast and IT DOESN'T MELT IN MY POCKET. No matter how hot it is and how long it's been in my pocket, when I pull it out and apply it to my lips it's still solid and I don't squish half the stick on my lips (looking at you labello -.-). It's not the cheapest lipbalm out there but it isn't expensive either. I have repurchased many times & will continue to do that.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No