Shampoo -L'Oreal - EverSleek Reparative Smoothing Shampoo
izzybella 7/16/2012 5:24:00 PM
I recently bought this and the matching conditioner because I wanted to find a more affordable alternative to my Kerastase shampoo and conditioner routine. Since L'oreal owns Kerastase, I thought I'd be able to find something comparable. Not so much. This reeks like self-tanner and left my hair feeling dry like straw, and after I rinsed it out it left a gummy feeling in my hair. Since this is sulfate-free, I was not surprised that it didn't lather very well. However, my scalp started itching after I washed my hair with this shampoo and conditioner combo so unfortunately this is going back.
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Conditioner -L'Oreal - EverSleek Reparative Smoothing Conditioner
izzybella 7/16/2012 5:21:00 PM
I recently bought this and the matching shampoo because I wanted to find a more affordable alternative to my Kerastase shampoo and conditioner routine. Since L'oreal owns Kerastase, I thought I'd be able to find something comparable. Not so much. This reeks like self-tanner and left my hair feeling dry like straw, but also gummy feeling at the same time. My scalp also started itching after I washed my hair with this shampoo and conditioner combo. Unfortunately this is going back.
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Treatments -Kerastase - Masque Force Architecte
izzybella 7/11/2012 5:42:00 PM
Thankfully, I received this in a swap because at $60 I'd be having major buyer's remorse if I paid for this mask/conditioner. First things first, I hate the screw-top tub. It's clumsy and one of these days, it'll probably slip out of my hands while I'm trying to unscrew it in the shower and product will go everywhere. The scent is nice, but I don't find this particularly conditioning. I also find that my hair feels drier after I use this in conjunction with the Bain de Force shampoo. Using the two products appears to be overkill for my hair, and I find that my hair is more prone to breakage and snapping when I comb or brush it, which is ironic because this masque is marketed as being for brittle and very damaged hair. I very much prefer the BdF shampoo paired with another conditioner over this masque, so I can't say that I'd repurchase.
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Treatments -Kiehls - Midnight Recovery Concentrate
izzybella 7/8/2012 10:54:00 PM
I like this, but is it a must-have? Probably not. You could probably get comparable results by mixing your own essential oils (just look at the ingredients list) and add some lavender oil. This is definitely an oil blend and not a serum, but it absorbs quickly and my skin feels hydrated in the morning.
I used a generous sample for a few weeks but I won't be buying this now that I've run out. I find that pure Argan oil is as good a moisturizer without the hefty price tag.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Simple - Cleansing Facial Wipes
izzybella 6/27/2012 1:06:00 PM
These are probably my favorite makeup remover wipes at the moment. Yes, they're a bit dry, but they're still able to remove all of my eye makeup and foundation, including gel eyeliner and waterproof mascara. They're a bit on the pricey side, but I usually only use wipes when I'm traveling so I don't anticipate going through these too quickly. I like that they're unscented and the fact that they don't make my eyes sting. I'll definitely repurchase!
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Eye Makeup Remover -Unlisted Brand - Target - Up & Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes
izzybella 6/27/2012 1:02:00 PM
I've gone through maybe 3-5 packages of these over the years, and for some reason I'd keep repurchasing these until recently I realized I don't even like them that much, other than the fact that they're cheaper than the Ponds brand towelettes. I'm not a fan of the "camomile" scent, and these sting my eyes when I'm removing my eye makeup. They're handy for travel, but after I used up my last package I've tried a few other brands and most likely won't be repurchasing these any longer.
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Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Facial Cleansing Towelettes
izzybella 6/14/2012 10:30:00 PM
These wipes are ok. they remove my makeup well enough, but they also make my eyes sting like something awful! While I don't particularly like the scent of these Burt's Bees wipes because they're too cinnamon-y, I appreciate that it comes naturally from the ingredients used in these wipes. I wouldn't rebuy these though because the wipes from Simple are much better - no stinging and no fragrance, either.
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Fragrances -Bulgari - Rose Essentielle EDP - limted edition
izzybella 6/14/2012 3:41:00 PM
I randomly spritzed this while in Ulta and at first I liked it, although I didn't smell much rose in it (the rose in the name of the perfume was what drew me to it in the first place). It started smelling very familiar as it dried down, because it became sweet, Iike cotton candy. Upon reading about this fragrance's notes on the Sephora website, I realized why this smelled so familiar - it smells similar to YSL's Parisienne. So if you're looking for a rose fragrance, this isn't it, and if you already own Parisienne, you don't need this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Remington - T-Studio Pearl Curling Wand
izzybella 5/29/2012 2:02:00 PM
I've only used a handful of times and I think I'm getting better at it, so if your curls don't look good the first time you use it, practice makes perfect! I have the 1 - 1 1/2 inch version and I wish I had gotten the smaller barrel for tighter curls, since my hair tends to not hold a curl very well and the bigger barrel makes looser curls that look more like waves on my hair after 5 minutes. By the end of the workday, my hair looks barely wavy, but that's more my hair than this curling iron's fault. I have fine hair and crank this up towards the higher temps and start with the under layers of my hair and work my way out to the top layers, holding each section of hair for at least 10 seconds. My hairstylist recommended spraying hair down with hairspray before curling to give the hair something to hold to, but I don't always do this because I find that it sets my hair before I'm able to curl it. The glove protects from the heat but it's not heat resistant so you'll still feel the iron through it and I'm careful not to grasp the barrel even when wearing the glove. This works better than hot rollers I've tried, but I've also noticed I've had tons more split ends after using this twice so I use this once a week at most.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Burt's Bees - Pink Grapefruit Refreshing Lip Balm
izzybella 5/29/2012 1:55:00 PM
I love all things pink grapefruit so when I saw this at my supermarket of all places I was so excited. It smells exactly like grapefruit and isn't as hard/waxy as the original peppermint Burt's Bees lip balm. I did notice a slight bitterness after the initial grapefruit scent wore off, which is similar to the natural bitterness in grapefruit juice but it didn't really bother me. This is definitely my favorite Burt's Bees lip balm so far!
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Hair -Klorane - Dry shampoo
izzybella 5/20/2012 10:16:00 PM
I bought this thinking it would be so much better than my HG Pssssst! dry shampoo... But it's not. Its not bad, but it's not $18 great either. I do appreciate its more subtle scent, which reminds me of baby powder. It also leaves a lot of white residue initially, so you have to be careful to comb it all in/out if you have dark hair. Between the price and the white powder residue, I'll stick with my Psssssst!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -NARS - Lal Mirchi
izzybella 5/19/2012 11:30:00 PM
This is one of the Thakoon for NARS polishes released for Spring/Summer 2012. I bought this based on several beauty bloggers raves, and since it was available for purchase only on the NARS website and one brick and mortar store, I had to buy it online sight unseen. Based on bloggers' photos, Lal Mirchi appeared to be a saturated orange red that looked very promising. However, on my toes it's not quite as bright as I wouldve hoped. I feel like there are many similar shades from Essie and OPI, that are (dare I say it) a better formula and much cheaper.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -NARS - Trouville
izzybella 5/19/2012 11:26:00 PM
I bought this based on several beauty blogger's raves, as well as photos online that made it seem like more of a muted seashell pink. On my nails however it's still too pepto pink, which unfortunately isn't the color I was going for. The formula is streaky and sheer, as I applied three coats but you can still see streak marks so I can't say that I'd recommend this polish.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -L'Oreal - Magic Lumi
izzybella 5/12/2012 5:29:00 PM
This is a liquid luminzer which reminds me of Benefit High Beam. It's a pearly white liquid and I think it works best dabbed down the bridge of the nose, the inner corners of the eyes, and on the cheekbones. I probably wouldn't use it underneath the eyes for dark circles as it doesn't offer much in terms of concealing properties.
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Moisturizers -Nivea - Creme
izzybella 5/10/2012 7:05:00 PM
This review is for the European/German version of this product in the blue tin. It's relatively cheap, and is easily found in French pharmacies/drug stores. I think I paid around three Euro for a 150 ml tin. It has a powdery scent which isn't my favorite but I can deal with it. It's quite moisturizing but I find that it's a bit hard to spread around on the skin. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed by this product because I've been hearing so many raves for it over the years. I'll use up my tin, but it's not my favorite.
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