Mascara -Fresh - Supernova
thelaurenator 7/12/2007 9:55:00 PM
I ADORE this mascara. My lashes feel soft and flexible, and are jet black, long, volumized, and super glossy. LOVE! Another great product from Fresh. This might just be my favorite mascara ever...
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Self Tanners -Neutrogena - Summer Glow Daily Moisturizer
thelaurenator 6/9/2007 12:11:00 AM
This product is a fairly nice, oil free face lotion that hasn't (thus far) broken out my oily skin, nor has it made my face look like an oil slick. Its moisturizing benefits? Well, as far as face lotions go, this is one of the few I really don't mind! MY HG, though, is C.O. Bigelow's extra light oil-free face lotion with SPF 15, though. This, actually, feels similar to that one, but slightly tackier and less moisturizing. When it comes to tanning, however, this lotion has an extremely low amount of tanner, which is why it doesn't have that smell that we all loathe so much. Unfortunately, though, that means little-to-no color. I'm pretty fair and I really haven't noticed a huge difference in my skintone. It's maybe slightly more golden, but hardly "tan." Overall, that aspect of the lotion is disappointing. However, I will keep this around as a good daily lotion with SPF.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Boots - Botanics Fresh Faced Tinted Moisturiser
thelaurenator 6/9/2007 12:03:00 AM
I am in love with this! I purchased this just for kicks after trying it on the back of my hand, and realizing I couldn't stop stroking my skin there because it just felt so wonderfully soft! I bought this in almond, along with the Boots No. 7 line's TM in fair, and I gotta say, HANDS DOWN the Botanics is better. Even though it is sans sunscreen, unlike its No. 7 cousin, it looks like a high end Tinted Moisturizer, and reminded me a great deal of MAC's tinted moisturizers, only less greasy-looking. Botanics Freshed Face Tinted Moisturizer is hands down the BEST tinted moisturizer I have ever used, high end OR low end. I have very greasy skin, and when I wear this, my skin feels soft and looks matte for the whole day! I mean, seriously, MATTE. I don't achieve that look using POWDER, never mind a tinted moisturizer! But this stuff is great. Decent light coverage, that still manages to conceal enough redness so that my skin is significantly improved from its bare state, but not cakey or fake at all. Your real skin definitely comes through the tint. Best of all, there are no nasty oils in this product! That's right! NO MINERAL OIL! Hurraaaaaay! (There was mineral oil in the No. 7 product). It also works great over a light sunscreen-- I used it over Neutrogena's Summer Glow moisturizer, which is a great gradual tanner for the face, while actually having skincare benefits and an SPF 15 sunscreen. The Tinted Moisturizer over the lotion left my face slightly more dewey than without the lotion, but still held up wonderfully over the day. Overall, TWO THUMBS UP. If you are a light skinned lady looking for a nice tinted moisturizer for summer, this is a great one!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Boots - No7 Soft and Sheer Tinted Moisturiser
thelaurenator 6/8/2007 11:56:00 PM
I bought this in Fair, which is a fairly standard light-to-medium shade. Though my skin is pretty pale, this TM which comes out of the bottle in a scary dark caramel shade blends really well into my skin. Over time, this TM holds up wonderfully in the hot summer weather and even passes the greasy face test with flying colors. I have extremely oily skin, especially in hot weather, but this leaves my face dewey and soft throughout the day. Pros-- looks good, skin feels soft, SPF 15 coverage Cons-- doesn't cover flaws all that well, contains nasty ingredients like mineral oil (yeck!)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Clairol - Natural Instincts Hair Color
thelaurenator 6/8/2007 11:50:00 PM
I have used various shades of the blonde colors and also the light reds (the light golden red, I forget the name... something Sunset and also Saharan Rose, the strawberry blonde shade). THESE COLORS DO NOT LIFT THE HAIR... in other words, these colors will NOT lighten your hair color! This product works by DEPOSITING color onto your existing color, be it your natural shade or something from a bottle. So, with that in mind, I love these. Even though I'm only 20, I have spotted one or two grey hairs in my re-growth, so I like to color my hair various natural shades, depending on my mood. I've been light red, strawberry blonde, light brown, dark blonde, medium blonde... Whatever color I might do, I always come back to Natural Instincts for gloss and healthy color. It blends BEAUTIFULLY, even with my natural color, which is a dark ash blonde, not dark enough or warm enough to be brown. The other day I applied Saharan Rose to my hair, and I LOVE the color. It's so shiny and beautiful! I can't wait until this strawberry blonde shade fades so it's less red, and more of a pinky-gold-blonde glow to my dark blonde with lighter blonde stranded hair. So fun for summer!
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Fragrances -Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
thelaurenator 10/9/2006 4:20:00 PM
One of my favorites. Sexy, elegant, full-bodied, yet still fresh and young. Love it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - Splashproof Lash
thelaurenator 8/11/2006 4:22:00 PM
Wow, this stuff is so not waterproof, and definitely not smudge proof-- if you have any oil on your face or in your face products and you sweat outside, be prepared to look like Marilyn Manson. Plus, it really does glue your eyelashes together and clump, like many of the reviewers mentioned below. While I love the original Pro Lash, this stuff is nothing like it-- I think it actually makes my long eyelashes look shorter! I tested this in the pool with my friends... and guess what? I had definite raccoon eyes afterwards!
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Blush -Smashbox - Smashing Emotion
thelaurenator 8/10/2006 11:43:00 AM
This is a gorgeous warm beige blush that sparkles vaguely in natural light. Totally and completely neutral. I get compliments whenever I wear it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Beauty Powder - Pretty Baby
thelaurenator 8/10/2006 11:37:00 AM
It's odd, but I've had this powder for a long time and I tend to reach for it quite often. It's great for pulling a simple look together, and it's a very, very natural blush that's easily buildable. If my face isn't too dry, it also sinks into the skin and looks very glowy and pretty. That said, this is just a good basic color. Nothing spectacular, just a light rosey pink. However, I do love it a lot more than Benefit Dandelion which was just a total waste of money in my opinion. The packaging is also great. Very sturdy, oversized compact with a nice large mirror. Same size as the bronzing powder. I selected I wouldn't buy this again because frankly, I don't think I'll ever run out. I've used it at least 3 times a week since buying it and still haven't hit pan!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Fresh - Lipshine- Wallflower
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 1:17:00 PM
Even though I hate how expensive this stuff is, and the teeny-weeny slim packaging that tends to leak, this color is great-- a very light, sheer beige nude gloss-- very moisturizing too, and tends to give a plumping effect. This is a great every day color, and the only lipgloss I ever completely used up. *sigh* I guess I didn't realize just how often I was reaching for this gloss!
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Breathe Fragrance Mist - Romance
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 12:56:00 PM
Great soft Oriental scent. Very simple, not cloying. Great for day or evening. I detect mostly amber and myrrh softened with vanilla. lovely!
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Breathe Fragrance Mist - Calm
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 12:51:00 PM
This has got to be my favorite fragrance EVER. Yes, I said... EVER. Believe me, I didn't expect to like this line-- it never caught my eye until the most recent Semi-Annual sale, during which I got some of these fragrances for dirt cheap. This is hands down my favorite-- Romance coming in second place. Although this is supposedly "Lotus Blossom" scented, this perfume smells EXACTLY like vanilla orchids. Beautiful, clean, simple, but still soft and warm. Oh, I love it. I will continue to purchase this until the end of the world. Honestly, I'd give it a rating of ten if I could...
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Brows -L'Oreal - Brow Stylist
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 12:32:00 PM
I have this set in blonde. The dark blonde is REALLY, freakishly dark taupe. Like, way too dark for any blonde *I* know. Definitely too dark for me. The lighter blonde is very nice, though, although this pencil is so waxy it's hard to control how much definition you give your brows-- and sometimes it makes my brow hairs stick together. Yeck. Also, the pencils are tiny and since the waxy bit tends to come off in big chunks, you don't really get a whole lot of bang for your buck. When it comes to drugstore brow products, I reccomend Physician's Formula WonderBrow. That is good stuff.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Physicians Formula - Wonder Brow
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 12:26:00 PM
Oh, I adore this brow...thingy. It's not really a pencil, is it? I don't really know WHAT it is, but I love it! I have it in light brown and it is a PERFECT color for my oddly colored in-between-blonde-and-brown eyebrows. It doesn't go on to heavily at all and is really very easy to control the amount of pigment you add to your brows. Very nice product. I was pleasantly surprised!
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Palettes -Bobbi Brown - Chocolate Eye Palette
thelaurenator 7/26/2006 12:20:00 PM
Like many other reviewers, I was seduced by this all-neutral palette. I, for one, love neutrals, but never see many all neutral palettes, so I promptly purchased this product. I've never tried BB eyeshadows before, and overall, I'm not really wowed. The shadows are VERY soft, not very pigmented at all. They look nice, but definitely only for day, as these would never show up in a dark restaurant or what have you for night time. I'm a fan of very soft eyelooks but these may be too subtle even for me. I prefer buildable shades that you can make look strong or soft, but no matter how much color I pack onto my makeup brushes, I only get very sheer color with these. As for the colors themselves, they are positively gorgeous-- too bad they're not just a LITTLE bolder on the skin.
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