Conditioner -Bath and Body Works - Volumnizing Black Raspberry Vanilla
waterfreak 1/22/2008 10:52:00 AM
I bought this conditioner at Bath and Body Works' annual end of the year clearance. I got this for literally nothing.....I thought it would be great to just toss in the bag to use on the boat for a quick detangler after swimming all day. Anyway, I decided to try this this other day just to see how it felt. I had almost zero expectations considering that it was so dirt cheap and I really didn't believe that their conditioners could/would perform. Boy was I surprised! Not only does this conditioner smell awesome in my hair. it is very light and not heavy at all, yet it does sink in and moisturize really well. Overall I really like this conditioner and although it's not my first choice for when I need deep hydration, it does work beautifully for days when I flat iron my hair, and I just love to keep sniffing this after my hair has dried. Now I only wish I had bought every bottle they had when I got it on sale.
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Gels/Soaps -Unlisted Brand - Maison de Provence Olive Oil Bath Soap in Lavender
waterfreak 1/22/2008 1:31:00 AM
This is an awesome soap my Mom gave me as a gift. The bar size is rather clunky and a little too large for me (8 oz. bar). Etched into the bar itself is a beautiful olive tree. This soap smells wonderful and although it doesn't lather that much, it is excellent for stripping away excess body oils and dirt but without leaving your skin feeling dry. The packaging itself is gorgeous. This is also a very exquisite soap to leave out for guests. I've had quite af ew people comment on this soap when I leave it out, and I always encourage them to take it home with them when they leave. Too bad my Mom can't rememebr what store she got this at, because I would love to have more. I would have given this 5 lippies, but I took off one because the bar is just a little too large for easy handling in the shower without dropping it on your toes and breaking something. **Update: I did some research on this soap, and although it is a French product, I found that it is Manufactured and distributed by Olivia Care, Los Angeles. It is free of colorings and hypoallergenic. And I can usually find it on eBay from time to time through different sellers.
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Treatments -Bare Escentuals - Rare Minerals
waterfreak 1/21/2008 11:36:00 AM
Thank God I got this as a deluxe sample because I would have never bought this on my own after my awful trial with the whole Bare Minerals line. Anyway- this product I think would be great for someone who is new to the whole mineral world....however, since I have become so picky with my minerals (especially after wising up after my virginal intro with Bare Minerals to begin with)....I know exactly what I expect any mineral makeup and/or treatment to do for me. This product claims to boost skin repair overnight, etc. First of all, if this is a "Nightime Treatment" to be applied at night, why do they even have a color selection at all? Does your pillow really care what color you match to your skintone? I do think my skin looks great after applying it....but since I already have my favorite MMU lines (Alima, EDM, Joppa), who cares what my skin looks like when I go to sleep? It's how it looks and feels after I wake up that's important to me. Now granted- this treatment does look great first thing upon application and then getting out of bed.....however, as soon as it's washed off, my skin looks no different than it did before applying it. This does nothing for dry pacthes and red areas and if anything it makes my pores look larger. I also find that it seems to make my skin feel drier than normal. I have tried this both ways, using only the minerals at night, and feeling very dry all over, then I tried applying it over my moisturizer, which seemed to feel a bit better. I think the puff applicator is gross considering you use it over and over again, and if you're going to be applying it over moisturizer, you can count on the pad getting sticky and clumpy in no time at all. And I don't have the time to bother with removing it, washing it, etc. All in all, I think this product performs for outward looks only....and that's if you wear it during the day as a foundation. For $60, there are plenty of other MMU lines that cost nowhere near as much and deliver the same look, if not better. I am happy for the others here that have had great success with this, and I was hoping it would be a redeeming product for me since I stopped using BE almost completely except for certain eyeshadows, but I am going to leave this one behind and not even bother to experiment with any MMU by BE anymore.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Korres - Wild Rose 24-Hour Cream
waterfreak 1/21/2008 10:53:00 AM
Oh how I wanted to like this product, especially since it is free of mineral oils, silicone and propylene glycol. Sadly, it just doesn't work for me. It just sits on the surface of my skin and doesn't sink in at all. I had to keep rubbing and rubbing at it to coax it into my skin. Still, it just sat there looking exactly as it did as soon as I put it on. I didn't notice any specific moisturizing benefits at all. It just felt like a run of the mill cream, nothing special at all. I do think the price is very reasonable, but then again...I guess I got what I paid for. I was hoping this product would perform very well. I am used to paying up to $350 for my moisturizers and I guess I was expecting a much higher level of effectiveness. I do think that the cream feels great on my hands rather than my face. So rather than throw it away, I'll just use the remainder on my hands and elbows.
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Moisturizers -Philosophy - Hope in a Jar - for all skin types
waterfreak 1/18/2008 3:06:00 PM
Ugh....so I caved in and decided to try this based on the voluminous reviews. I only got the smallest jar for $15. I really don't like the scent of this, in fact it really grosses me out. I can't even describe what it is really, but it's not appealing at all and I could still smell it through my makeup, etc. I was soooo hoping that this would be great for me. I do like the product and the way it feels on my skin as I apply it. It seems to sit well under my mineral foundation. However, it is not as moisturizing as I would like it to be. I still feel the dry patches on my cheeks about an hour after applying this. I haven't felt that with many other moisturizers I've used before. For the price, I expected this to do a lot more. I would have considered keeping this as an emergency backup, but since I can't stand the smell, I refuse to use it. It's going straight back to Sephora. I took off two lippies because of the scent, the performance being less than I expected and the price. I'll just stick with my Chanel Sublimage and Hydramax which I love.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tiffany - Pure Tiffany
waterfreak 1/17/2008 11:24:00 PM
I got this as a gift from my husband. I think the bottle is gorgeous and the mirrored cap is so elegant- very repsresentative of Tiffany. I think this fragrance is a bit heavy for me. It's a very beautiful fragrance but I personally don't enjoy it. I swear I've worn this about 20 times and the bottle is still well over 90% full, so at this rate, this bottle will be around forever since I don't care to wear this anymore. Although I've gotten many compliments on this perfume, I still don't like the smell of it, therefore I don't use it. It's a shame too, because this bottle was $110 for the 3.4 oz size. I may put it up in a swap and see if someone else can benefit from it.
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Fragrances -Juicy Couture - Fragrance
waterfreak 1/17/2008 11:17:00 PM
I recently got this as a BD gift. I got the travel size 1.0 oz silver bottle with writing all over it, with the dangling cherries hanging off the lid which get it the way when you slide the lid off to the side and try to get ahold of the pump to spray it. So it's really a pain in the butt to apply. I don't like the scent of this, in my opinion it's very girly and too sweet for me. There's nothing in this frangrance that appeals to me. I'm no expert at all, (not even close) in how to describe what "notes" etc are in a perfume, so I can't comment on that. I just know that this is something I don't prefer to wear. I've given it the benefit of the doubt and tried it 10 different times and I still don't care for it. And at the price of $50 for this 1 ounce size, I think this is ridiculousy overpriced and overhyped. I'm going to be putting this up for a swap so hopefully someone else can enjoy it.
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Fragrances -Donna Karan - Be Delicious
waterfreak 1/17/2008 11:10:00 PM
I really, really like the pleasant scent of this. I don't smell the apples...maybe I'm missing something, but that's okay, I really don't want to smell like grandma's homemade pie anyway. Whenever I wear this, I can't stop sniffing my wrist. I don't know what it is about this fragrance, but it's a serious pick-me-up. I also love spraying it in my hair a bit. Although this has become one of my favorite scents, I will only wear it during the day. For my evenings out or any other special ocassions, I still rely on my favorite Narcisco Rodriguez although these two scents are nothing alike. I don't care for the round bulky bottle, it doesn't travel well. But since I like the scent so much I am perfectly willing to deal with it.
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Fragrances -Kenzo - Flower
waterfreak 1/17/2008 10:57:00 PM
Got this as a gift and fell in love with the bottle, very pretty. This scent is a lot stronger than what I prefer to wear. The staying power is excellent and at first application, even a small amount I was thinking "Oh My God this is going to be offensive to people who are sensitive to fragrance".....but the drydown ends up making this a really lovely scent despite being very thick heavy in my opinion. Even though my friends tell me it is a nice fragrance, I am not in love with it, it's just not a good fit for me personally. I won't repurchase simply because I have other fragrances that I am devoted to.
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Conditioner -Bain de Terre - Green Meadow Conditioner
waterfreak 1/10/2008 12:58:00 PM
This is was formerly called "White Clover" and is now labeled as "Green Meadow", why they just renamed it is beyond me, it's the same exact product, just a different name. Maybe since they discontinued the White Clover and got such huge customer objections, they brought it back under a "new name"....whatever!!. Anyway, this is a great light conditioner. It has really good detangling properties (I have really thick naturally curly hair) and a little goes a very long way. Although this is advertised as a balancing conditioner, it gives me great moisture. I use it along with the Green Meadow shampoo (they both smell alike) and I love the way my hair feels and smells afterwards. Some people may think the price is exhorbitant at $22 for the litre size, but considering that much less is needed than regular conditioner, I think the price is well worth it. I definitely recommend buying the pump for the litre size, it's much easier than picking up that huge bottle in the shower with slippery hands.....just watch out that you don't drop it on your toes....ouch!
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Lip Liners -Origins - Lip Liner in Raisin
waterfreak 1/8/2008 2:45:00 PM
This is my favorite lip liner, period. It's a wonderful brown/plum color. I am already on my 4th one and can't imagine using anything else. This color works with every single lipstick I have. I love the packaging (no sharpening ever needed) and it really lasts a good while for me. I haven't even tried other Origins lip liner colors since I am so happy with this one. This really goes on so smooth and it doesn't creep into the lines around my lips at all, like some other expensive liners I've used tend to do. It has great staying power too- in fact even after my lipstick wears off, I still see the liner there, so be careful that you don't put too much on or you'll have a permanent line on your lips which is noticeable if you wear darker liner than your lipstick. I have found that all of Origins pencils for lips, eyes etc have been extremely well wearing and long lasting. I am very happy with the performance and the way they look on me. A definite repeat buy again and again.
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Lipstick -Chanel - Rouge Allure-Mystery
waterfreak 1/8/2008 2:33:00 PM
This color just doesn't work for me. I was really sad too, because I was hoping to find a good darker color that I could pass off. Don't get me wrong, this is a gorgeous color, it just doesn't work for me personally. For some reason it always makes me lips look much smaller than they are. I even tried applying it a few different ways- no go. Bummer! I absolutely love the way it's packaged. I love the push-tube and the Chanel logo on the lipstick itself. This color has a very pretty gold sheen in the background which I think is really gorgeous (however- again- it's just not gorgeous on me). At $30-ish for the tube, it does rate as abit higher than I like to pay for my lipsticks, but I have my HG lipstick from Chanel (Ingenue- about $25) and boy do I wish the tube was exactly like this one, but it's a different line altogether. I will keep trying other Chanel colors to find something darker than the ingenue but lighter than Mystery that I can wear. I guess I have to face it that I just can't wear darker colored lipsticks.
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Cleansers -Everyday Minerals - Cosmetic Wet Wipes
waterfreak 1/8/2008 2:14:00 PM
I love EDM products, and I was excited to try these wipes...until I actually received them and was nto really impressed. This product barely performs. Sure, it takes off makeup on your forehead, cheeks, chin etc (with a lot of rubbing)....but any wet wipe you use would do the same thing. A generic baby wipe could do a better job at removing makeup than these wipes. And if you want to use these to remove eye makeup, forget it. All it does it smear your makeup around and you have to scrub so hard to even attempt to get any mascara or eyeliner off that you could actually damage your skin with repeated use. Trust me- the effort it takes to use these wipes to remove eye makeup is soooooo not worth it. Use a cotton ball with ANY other makeup remover and you'd get your makeup off a lot quicker with no friction, rubbing or damage to your skin. I do think these have one good use. If I have any residue from makeup removers left on my face, I could use one of these wipes to remove the residue- but considering I always follow up with a good face wash anyway, I'm not about to add another step to my routine. These are good for wiping your face after the gym, but since I always need moisturizer, I wouldn't use these alone. My husband likes to use these because he likes his skin to be as dry as possible, so he uses these during the day to remove his oilies and touch up his face.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Everyday Minerals - Blotting Paper [DISCONTINUED]
waterfreak 1/7/2008 3:53:00 PM
I'm very "iffy" about these papers....not really sure if I like them or if I just tolerate them. I don't mind the packaging at all, but then again after I've opened it 75 more times I may be thinking differently. I find these papers to be nothing special really, then again they're not "bad" per se, just okay. I do think the price is excellent for what you get. I personally don't want to spend a bundle on something like this because I use them so sparingly anyway. Either my face is just not oily (which I know isn't true) or these papers really need to be finessed all over the face to pick up whatever oil is there. I do like the fact that they do not screw up my makeup, which is a major bonus. Overall, I do like these and will buy them again. I think they're a good price for what you get. And- if you're ever stuck in a public restroom without toilet paper, these work out great! (joke!!)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Everyday Minerals - Horsetail Everyday Everywears
waterfreak 1/7/2008 3:12:00 PM
Wow! I bought this as an add-on to my Everyday Minerals order....I figured it was only $4, what the heck. Well, I got it the other day and immediately put it ot the test...my nose had been severely chapped and almost raw as I was getting over a terrible cold and from blowing my nose so much it hurt to even touch it. When my nose finally stopped running, I put some of this Horsetail on it and WOW! Talk about an awesome moisturizer. This stuff is way better than anything I had ever used in the past to soothe dry chapped lips and especially my nose area in light of my recent cold. This stuff works wonders for elbows too. It doesn't sink right in, but it does get in there eventually and feels like it stays put. If you live in extremely cold weather, this would be great for when your hands get chapped.Not to mention- try putting this on your cuticles at night before you go to bed, it's great. I do agree with the other reviewers; that the packaging suxx. I don't care for the tin screw-off lid. For some reason my lid doesn't want to stay on, then when I go to get it off it doesn't want to come off. I actually put a rubber band around it in my purse to keep it from popping open. I'm going to transfer this to another container ASAP. I do think this is an excellent moisturizer, however I would not want to use it on my face (other than my chapped lips or sore nose). The amount of almond oil and hydrogenated vegetable oil is not what I would want to clog my pores with.
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