Conditioner -Aveda - Blue Malva conditioner
4paws 8/22/2012 6:32:00 PM
I really like this conditioner for toning down any brassiness in my hair, and on my fine, curly hair it is moisturizing but never heavy; it makes my hair soft and seems to help with curl definition. The smell is a nice subtle lavender scent that does not stay in the hair, so it does not compete with whatever other scents one wears.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Le Gloss in Plum Rush
4paws 8/22/2012 6:26:00 PM
I love this gloss, the color is like a beautiful plum: the inside of the fruit, not the skin (that odd dark-but-bright pink); it is similar to Clinique Black Honey in some ways, but Black Honey is more brown by comparison. It is a pretty color and easy to wear. This gloss stays on for a few hours and is a nice, comfortable consistency, not sticky and not sparkly and doesn't seem to creep too much...smells like toasted sugar.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - hairdresser's invisible oil
4paws 8/13/2012 2:55:00 AM
Bumble & Bumble's newest offering is *anything but* invisible: the marketing hype alone propels it to hypervisibility: blog reviews, free give-away offers, email campaigns, etc etc. Oils have been on trend for some time now, especially argan oil (included in this formulation). Despite the fact that *this* oil is overloaded with heavy silicones (just try to wash this stuff off your hands and imagine how it is clinging to your strands!) I was curious to try it, because it includes a few other highly beneficial oils as well (coconut, argan, macademia nut, grape seed, safflower). Alas: it is prohibitively high-priced, and in my 3c curls (loose waves and broad ringlets), it tends to flatten the hair, weigh it down, and depress the curls. I tried this on wet hair, damp hair, and dry hair---it gives nice shine and some definition, but is just too heavy and makes locks lanky. If you have straight hair, this may perform better for you. If you want to elongate and stretch out your curls, this may do that for you. It's too much bad weight for my hair, and at a high price. It smells like cheap orange popsicle, but the smell dissipates quickly and is not a problem at all in the end. The way it performs, at this price tag, is a problem. I prefer Marrakesh oil (also loaded with heavy silicones, but doesn't add as much lanky weight). Bumble & Bumble.com is currently offering free shipping on any order that includes this oil by the way. The bottle is super cute. 40 bucks. super cute. Spend your twenties on a nice wine instead.
19 out of 19 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -A/G - beach bomb
4paws 8/10/2012 5:24:00 PM
I have curly hair (3b) with uneven texture: left alone, the front likes to go into tight spirals and the side and back wave or just lie flat. Not a great look. I like A/G's Re:coil because it gives my hair volume and it helps to make the curl uniform, loosening up the tighter spirals and encouraging curl in the more wavy section, so I wanted to give their latest curl product a go. Beach Bomb is similar in texture to Re:coil, but the pump dispenser is an improvement. The product makes my hair curl more than Re:coil, and definitely gives it a wild and "tousled" look as advertised; lots of body, lots of big chunky curls and waves--but messy. Don't look here for slick style or discipline: it's a beautiful effect, and the product feels light and provides volume, but not if you want total control. Embraces and enhances multi-texture, in other words.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Aveda - Be Curly Style Prep
4paws 1/30/2012 9:36:00 PM
I've played with this for a week or so now, and while I think it performs very well, I think it's good, not great---not worth the high price. I tend to use natural products (no color, no sodium lauryl sulfate shampoos, and very minimal 'cone use). My hair is curly/wavy hair and very impressionable: products can turn my hair into straight-wavy, or into ringlets (without product), and it's very prone to lying flat at the root, weighed down. Aveda's Style-Prep Be Curly does NOT weigh my hair down, it gives nice soft volume, with minimal control (this is not a shaper or styler, really). It encourages curl but does not yield a uniform curl---a kind of "natural" and casual look. For me this works best applied on wet hair, and performs especially well with a diffuser. Not good for frizz control on humid days, not much hold (this is clearly a "prep" not a finisher---layering products will be tempting with this). I appreciate that the ingredients don't have any nasty stuff that would build up, and that the scent is barely there and then gone. But for the price, I found it..."fine" ---not great, not really worth it, and I prefer A/G's Re:Coil over this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Korres - Korres Colour Monoi Oil Bronzing Powder 01 Sunglow Light
4paws 8/24/2011 4:16:00 PM
I am liking Korres' products more & more, and this one is really great--no glittery shimmer, just a nice natural boost of color---a subtle but significant oomph or fakin' it for a summer tan, and does a nice job of smoothing over mild skin tone uneven-ness. Lasting power is fairly good, but not great for very long days. I honestly can't tell if the Monoi oil is doing anything---at least it isn't doing anything *bad*...
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Lips -Tarte - Natural Lip Stain (New Jumbo Pens)
4paws 8/24/2011 4:11:00 PM
I love these! I have Moody (dark cherry/wine color), Lust (bright fire-engine red), and Enchanted (watermelon-rose color). I find them moisturizing, very easy to apply (look ma no mirror!), and somewhat long-lasting. But my favorite thing is that shortly after application, the color seems absorbed into the lips, like a stain, without a sitting-on-top gloss effect and without the thickness of a lipstick--the look is natural and healthy, hydrated lips. The color needs re-application every few hours (more if you're eating or talking a lot--i.e. giving a lecture or in a meeting). I haven't tried the Lustres and I did not like the matte ones as much (the look was too dry for my taste, and the one I had broke off inside the tube container, so I returned it for one of the regular stains, which have not given me any problems with breaking).
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Treatments -Kiehls - Midnight Recovery Concentrate
4paws 8/24/2011 4:05:00 PM
Flight delayed, wandering around the fancy airport terminal...wander into Kiehl's, intending to merely browse and pass the time. The ingredient list on this serum were super impressive to me---all the key, natural stuff for dealing with discoloration and dehydrated skin: primrose oil, wild rose oil, etc. When I used it that night (after my flight--ack! dehydrating airplane air!)--I was pleasantly surprised at how light it felt: a soothing layer, rather than the sense of suffocation one might expect from natural oils. In the morning, my face looked well-rested and bright. Too soon to judge lasting results, but so far, I think it is quite lovely. The price is steep---but I can see one bottle will last a long while. I enjoyed the lavender scent, and that it comes from lavender oil (not added fragrance).
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Living Proof - No Frizz Medium-Coarse hair
4paws 1/14/2010 1:46:00 AM
I'm not quite ready to call this a scam yet, but I am clearly in denial. For the past ten days I have been using it "properly," I have followed the directions as shown in the video on the website (anyone else think the model they use is scary skinny??), but it appears to have zero effect, except possibly to trigger even more frizz than when I am without it. Disappointing. And I actually DO like the smell! But this stuff is useless...I may as well admit it.
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Primer/ Corrector -Unlisted Brand - Monistat - Chafing Relief Powder-Gel
4paws 10/12/2009 12:16:00 AM
Although I don't use primer very often (because I only manage to get make-up on my face once or twice a week, tops), I found like many others on here that this stuff works just as well as Smashbox, for a lot less. Recently I also found another great use for it: I had a bad cold that lingered, and after a week my nostrils were all red and peeling in places--pretty repellent. I put some of this on after my moisturizer, and it took care of the redness and peeling and kept them from getting more irritated. I do think it smells gross (chemical smell) but that lasts about 2 seconds.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Rimmel - Lash MAXXX - Waterproof
4paws 9/1/2009 1:04:00 AM
LashMAXXX? More like Lash-mini. I echo all the other bad reviews: big whopping disappointment. The comb seemed like a neat idea to me--why not, it separates etc....not sure if the problem is the comb or the formula, but this stuff is completely useless. No noticeable effect on my lashes at all, as if I had nothing on, and it smudges if you go swimming (I guess by waterproof they mean rain?). Lame.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto
4paws 9/1/2009 12:59:00 AM
While I don't **love** this mascara, I am surprised at how natural it looks on---given the fact that the marketing suggests something much more dramatic than an au naturel look. Plus I have to say I am sick of the gigantic plastic wand trend, and prefer that this one is a more classic and thin brush applicator. It doesn't layer very well, and seems to work best with just three swiftly applied layers: I get length and definition (no volume) without clumping, flaking, or smudging. By the end of the day it looks the same as in the morning (this is a big plus, as I often have smudging issues). If what you are after is a more dramatic look--lots of length & volume--then I would NOT recommend this mascara, but for a subtle & clean lengthening, it does the trick. Perfect for those "no make-up" days. As others have noted, it has a very noticeable smell (kind of inky), doesn't bother me all that much though, and doesn't last beyond application.
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Conditioner -Aveda - Clove conditioner
4paws 8/26/2009 3:42:00 PM
For me the best use of this product is as a color-deposit, I don't think it performs particularly well as a conditioner. To cover brassy tones (my brown hair is sun-bleached by August, and I don't like the gingery-red tones) it works really well without risking hair-coloring mistakes (it washes out, no effect on your hair color beneath, and because I use no sulfate shampoo, the color lasts a couple weeks). I ignore the directions and instead apply to dampened (not wet) hair, let sit for 30 minutes or so, then rinse out. It's like a "toner" to balance out your brown hair color, without commitments or headaches. Yes it will stain and the tube is a bit eager to dispense its gloopy goodness, so I echo others' warnings to take care when using. Smells great too.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Schwarzkopf - Osis+ Dust it mattifying powder
4paws 8/26/2009 3:36:00 PM
my stylist used this at the roots, crown of my head to give lots of lift to my fine, curly hair. I can't recreate the same effect at home after many tries---I sprinkle a little powder at the roots and tousle, but my hair just sort of looks the same. It is expensive and has silicones in it so it sticks to your hair like crazy (must shampoo out), and by the end of the day my scalp was itchy....love the packaging, though, nice red bottle in a pleasing shape & design, and just the right size for easy handling. Maybe if you blow-out your hair or have wavy/straight (not curly) this is for you?
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -BeneFit Cosmetics - full-finish lipstick lady's choice
4paws 8/26/2009 3:31:00 PM
I got this as a deluxe sample, so I have to admit I would probably never have picked this color---and I am glad I didn't have to pay a dime for it, because it makes me look dead. It has a nice creamy texture and looks porcelain-doll-pink in the tube; my lips without any color are darker than this lipstick color, so when I applied it, I got a rather unsettling glimpse of what I might look like after I take my last breath. Freaky stuff. Looks kind of like I smeared foundation over my mouth. However, your skin tone may work for this color, so I recommend you try before you buy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No