Eyeliner -Sephora - Flashy Liner Waterproof
Bonn77 5/12/2012 12:19:00 PM
I bought this on a whim in the wine color, and I like it a lot. It glides on very smoothly and without skipping, and it has just enough shine to look fresh without being too 80's. It takes a couple of minutes to "cook" - meaning that it smears really easily in the first 10 minutes after applying, but once it dries/sets it stays put very well. It's not waterproof. It's not even water resistant. Doesn't stand up to a good sweat from a workout or day at the beach, but it does stay on under regular circumstances, like a normal day at work or night out.
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Conditioner -Trader Joe's - Refresh Citrus Conditioner
Bonn77 5/12/2012 12:12:00 PM
I bought this stuff because I like TJ's products and the smell was really yummy. I bought this in conjunction with the Refresh shampoo. I used both products individually and together. The shampoo cleans well, lathers well and smells fantastic. The conditioner however, is awful. You need half the bottle for the hair to feel saturated. It's not thick or creamy, and doesn't distribute nicely through my hair. After I rinse it out, my hair feels squeaky and tangled, without the usual soft "slip" that I feel with other conditioners. I can barely get a comb through my hair after the shower, and even after it dries my hair feels brittle, frizzy, and dull. It's worse than the White Rain junk you get for 99cents. I wanted to like this stuff, I really did. But it's just terrible, even at the cheap proce and with the great smell it makes my hair look so damaged and it's not! OH TJ'S! Why you gotta break my heart?
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20
Bonn77 5/12/2012 12:03:00 PM
I got this stuff as a sample; it does what it says - moisturizes and evens skin tone. However, it has some issues. PROS: Did not make me break out Good SPF Reduced the appearance of freckles and acne scars CONS: Smells like SPF Super heavy, borderline greasy Comes in a tub you have to dip your hand in, which is messy and unsanitary I was never a fan of Clinique - for some reason I associate them with pre-teen girls and older conservative housewives. The color palettes are bland and too tame, the packaging is boring and the products smell medicinal. However, within the past year I've been dealing with sudden bouts of acne and it's left some dark spots and unevenness that I want to fix so I was excited when I got this sample. After my acne skincare regimen my face is dry and tight and this stuff moisturized well, but maybe a little too well. I looked shiny and felt greasy, but weirdly enough it didn't make my acne worse. Still, so heavy. I also feel like it's gross to jam my fingers into the jar, all the germs just sit there in the jar waiting for me to dip in and smear them all over my just-cleaned face. The formula did even out my skin, so I decided to buy the sister product, Clinique's Even Better SPF 20 LOTION. The lotion is different from the moisturizer in that it comes in a pump-bottle so you squirt out what you need without your fingers contaminating the jar, and it is MUCH lighter than the super-heavy moisturizer. I'm really pleased with the lotion, but I wouldn't buy the moisturizer, it's too heavy.
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Skincare - Face -Equate - Proactiv knock-off system
Bonn77 5/12/2012 11:41:00 AM
HELLELUJAH for this stuff. I am 30 years old and about a year ago out of nowhere I started getting awful breakouts on my chin, forehead and cheekbones. I'm also very fair-skinned and the acne left dark spots even after the pimples themselves had healed. I tried the proactiv system and it did work, but I kept running out of the toner and cleanser in week 3 and having way too much repairing lotion leftover at the end of the month. So then I'd have to order extra cleanser and toner, and they are really expensive if you buy them individually, and the autoshipments kept coming and long story short I always had too much (or not enough) of all the wrong steps and it was costing a small fortune!!! Then I found this kit at WalMart and for $11 for all three steps plus the sulfur refining mask, I figured I'd try it. I am SO GLAD I DID! I read the packaging and the product is identical to the ingredients in the proactiv system, but at a fraction of the cost. And it works just as well as the brand name stuff, I don't have to pay shipping or wait for it to arrive, and if I want to buy individual products all the steps are $4.79. I love love LOVE this stuff, and I hope to heavens they never discontinue this line of products. I finish off the 3 steps with Clinique's Even Better SPF 20 Lotion to help with the dark spots and to provide sunscreen protection, and my skin looks like it did when I was 19 again - smooth, dewy, bright and clear!
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Almond & Shea Butter
Bonn77 5/12/2012 11:25:00 AM
This is my HG of shampoo and conditioner. I LOVE IT!!! Makes my hair soft, shiny, smooth, easy to comb through and smells UH-MAZING. And it's so cheap! I would gladly spend 5x as much on this stuff but thanks to the lovely people at Suave I don't have to! Take that, Aveda! I recently decided to put this stuff on the shelf in favor of trying the new Suave Keratin line, which works really well but smells like someone's peepaw getting gussied up for church. I will absolutely be going back to this Almond & Shea Butter formula when the Keratin bottles run out.
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Shampoo
Bonn77 5/12/2012 11:11:00 AM
I used to buy the Kerastase line, but it's just soooo expensive that I stopped purchasing it, so when Suave came out with the Keratin Infusion line I was psyched. I'm a huge fan of Suave's line of products (so cheap and usually good stuff), so I bought this right away. PROS: Thick, rich consistency Detangles my hair Tames the frizz Makes my hair nice and shiny CONS: OH DEAR GOD THAT SMELL I have long, fine, layered, wavy hair that is prone to frizz and dryness. This shampoo hydrates and smooths visibly and makes my hair easy to comb through even when it's wet, especially when I use it with the matching conditioner, and at $3/bottle it's a friggin steal. But the smell is nauseating. It smells like someone's European grandpa. Musky, spicy and heavy. I've been using it for a month and it's not something I have gotten used to. As much as I love what it does for my hair, I don't think the smell is worth it. It's really not comparable to Kerastase like they try to say it is, but it's still good and for the price it's better than you expect it to be. I'll use the rest of the bottle, but then switch back to my old standby, Suave's Almond & Shea Butter line which is my HG and does basically the same thing for me without smelling like cheap gas-station cologne. It would be 5 stars if it smelled good, but it gets 2 stars because YES THE SMELL IS REALLY THAT BAD.
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Skincare - Body -Philosophy - Amazing Grace Body Butter
Bonn77 5/12/2012 10:54:00 AM
Amazing Grace is my everyday fragrance, and I love this body butter. In the summer, the lotion is sufficient but in the winter time, my skin gets so dry that it's even flaky sometimes. This stuff is rich, creamy and smells incredible. Awesome for layering with the body wash and perfume for a lasting scent that's not so in-your-face. I hate when I walk in a room and everyone gets hit in the face with my perfume, I prefer a fragrance that you have to get really close to smell, and this is it. Sometimes I just use the body butter without the perfume and it still lasts forever. I know some people complain that it's expensive, but you get what you pay for. It smells great, moisturizes beautifully, doesn't break me out and a little goes a long way so to me it's worth every penny. A pea-sized dot of this body butter does what a gallon of drugstore lotion does.
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Mascara -Sephora - Atomic Volume
Bonn77 5/12/2012 10:43:00 AM
PROS: Very nice, glossy black No weird smell Stays on (not flakey) Gives tons of volume CONS: Clumpy, clumpy, clumpy! Takes 1,000 yrs to dry Not good for "building layers" I got a small sample of this stuff and really liked how thick it made my lashes look - almost like falsies. So I bought a tube and the first thing I noticed was that the brush wash different and weird, with really short and prickly bristles. When I applied it, it went on so goopy that my lashes were smashed together into clumps that looked like tarantula legs. I looked like Tammy Faye Baker, it was awful. The more I tried to separate my lashes with the brush, the worse it got. After some experimenting, I learned to put it on differently and it actually looks fantastic. I find that they key is to wipe the brush until there is almost nothing left on it, THEN apply it; let it dry and apply another couple coats the same way. When you build light layers like this, the result is big, soft, pretty lashes. It's not my everyday mascara, as it gives a heavier "evening" look. It gets a 4 because of the annoying way you have to put it on. Otherwise, great product for when you want to look a little more done-up.
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Lip Treatments -eos - Smooth Sphere Organic Lip Balm in Honeysuckle Honeydew
Bonn77 5/12/2012 10:28:00 AM
I got this stuff on Sale at CVS for about $3, which is what I expect a drugstore balm to cost. The packaging is cute in theory, but in practice it's very awkward because it doesn't fit nicely in a purse or pants pocket - it creates a weird bulge. I can see how the taste and smell could be a lot for some people, because this stuff is SWEET, but I kind of like it. I love honeydew and this stuff tastes just like honeydew, so for me it's awesome. The balm itself goes on very smooth and rich, not too shiny (which is good for boys), and it stays on for a long time but I don't really feel like it "sinks in" that well. So if you want something that looks fun and different and smells nice, this stuff is great, but if you have actual chapped lips that need some repairing moisture, there are better products out there.
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Mascara -Chantecaille - Faux Cils Mascara
Bonn77 5/12/2012 10:16:00 AM
I use the dark purple shade of this mascara, which I LOVE because I'm a redhead and black mascara usually looks too harsh on me. The violet color is just bright enough to make my eyes pop but not so purple as to make it look cheesy or trashy. This mascara makes my lashes look super long, and adds a little volume. However, it flakes a LOT and is almost gone at the end of the work day... like if I do my makeup at 7:30am, the mascara is 75% gone by 5pm. In fact, when I fall asleep without washing my face, in the morning it's as if I've washed the mascara all off, because there is literally none left on my lashes as it's ALL flaked off. Which might be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. It's not my HG, but it's a staple in my arsenal and I have been repurchasing for years, really for the color above all else. If Chantecaille could reformulate to flake less and stay on better, it would be a solid 5!
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