Lotions/ Creams -Johnson & Johnson - Vanilla Oatmeal Baby Lotion
Cinnamon1 3/6/2013 4:02:00 PM
Yeah, I don't get the raves, either! This is a decent lotion, and cheap, but it doesn't smell like vanilla, it doesn't smell like oatmeal, and it doesn't smell good! And I've tried it twice, so I didn't get a bad batch. There's something fruity about the scent. A definite pineapple undertone that I just fixate on and can't stand. I do loooove the Johnson's Nighttime lotion, though.
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Lotions/ Creams -Nuance by Salma Hayek - My secret super moisturizing body cream
Cinnamon1 1/29/2013 2:26:00 PM
I want to love this cream so bad! The ingredients are awesome and it moisturizes so well. It feels great going on, absorbs fast, and leaves my skin so super soft. I just really don't like the scent! This smells exactly like a fresh pack of cigarettes. I know there are other notes in there, but the one that sticks on me is the tobacco scent. I would definitely buy this again if there were an unscented version. Oh well, I'm sticking with good old Nivea Creme.
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Lotions/ Creams -Nuance by Salma Hayek - Rosehip Moisturizing Body Lotion
Cinnamon1 1/29/2013 2:19:00 PM
This lotion is just OK. Pluses are it's light, not sticky, and if you like the scent, great. To me, this smells like a perfume that was popular in the 90s that smelled like rose but also had some tobacco and beer notes. I don't know what it was called, but I never really liked it. Of my three criteria for lotion—performance, scent, and value—this doesn't really meet any of them. It just isn't for me.
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Lip Treatments -Nivea - Lip Butter
Cinnamon1 1/4/2013 4:06:00 PM
Complete agreement, miracle product! I also saw the display at CVS; it just caught my eye because I love Nivea Creme in the tin so much and I thought it was some new variation of it. When I saw that they were lip butters (and OMG do I love lip products!), I of course wanted to snap up all four flavors on the spot. But I held back and bought just the plain one (which by the way is unscented). I couldn't even get home to try it out, but unwrapped the tin in my car in CVS's parking lot like a junkie. I wasn't surprised by the product's white color, but its soft, wonderful texture was something I wasn't expecting. A couple of hours later when I realized my lip product had worn off, I had THE SOFTEST, SMOOTHEST LIPS ever. And this was during a windy week. Even the small crack in the corner of my lips had somehow healed. The next day I went back and bought the three other flavors: Raspberry Rose (favorite) does indeed smell like raspberry candy; Caramel Cream (second favorite) smells exactly like it sounds, creamy caramel; and Vanilla Macadamia is a slightly nutty vanilla, NOT obnoxious or artificial smelling as a lot of vanillas can be. And the tins are so cute! I usually will only use lip products in a tube because I hate jars, but these changed my mind. I so love them! Worth every penny at $4 each.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Tough as Taupe
Cinnamon1 9/27/2012 6:25:00 PM
How funny, I didn't even know this was an eye shadow. I use it as an eyeliner only. Lasts great and I love the color—not too brown, not too purple.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Houbigant - Chantilly
Cinnamon1 7/19/2012 10:02:00 AM
I wish I had something intellectual or sophisticated to say about this fragrance, but I don't. My mom wore this when I was little, and Chantilly is the smell of being snuggled by her. Nothing could smell as wonderful.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Cherry Vanilla by CCA Inc.
Cinnamon1 7/5/2012 12:17:00 PM
I've been on a "Cheap Thrills" fragrance kick lately and have sampled nearly everything my local Wally World has to offer. My discoveries have been a couple of wonderful old favorites (Emeraude and Wind Song), a great new find (Jovan White Musk), and some pretty rank crap I'll just file under C for Cheap and It Shows. Into that category go Parfums de Coeur Skin Muck (sorry, I mean Musk), Coty Vanilla Musk, and this one. I don't think it smells like either vanilla or cherry. It does remind me of Exclamation, which I wore in junior high and my first year of high school. But a cheaper version of Exclamation (if that's possible).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -L'Oreal - Nude Magique BB Cream
Cinnamon1 6/21/2012 12:32:00 PM
I bought this on impulse when I saw it in CVS yesterday, without reading the reviews here. I've so wanted to try a BB but am not willing to pay $$$. The seeming only other drugstore option, Garnier, doesn't work for me because their lightest shade option is too dark for me. So I was excited to see that L'Oreal offered a "Fair" shade. I washed my face this morning, so excited to try this out. It looked nice on application. A half-hour later I went to the bathroom and my face was ORANGE. The reviewer who said this stuff oxidizes like a mofo wasn't kidding! I was shocked to see my face. As an experiment, I removed the product with a cotton pad soaked in toner, and it was straight-up peach when I was done. This isn't an issue with my particular skintone, which I'll admit is hard to find a good match for (white Irish skin). No one on the planet who isn't suffering from jaundice has a skintone this product would match. I love L'Oreal products in general. Although their packaging sometimes doesn't last, the products themselves are of good quality. This is the first time I've had an issue with oxidation in one of their products. For now, I'm sticking with my Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer. It has retinol. SPF 20, and moisturizes. The color works OK for me (#10 Ivory to Fair); it's still a little dark, but since the product is so sheer it ends up fine. Boo! I'm glad I save my receipts. This one is going back to CVS.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - Vanilla Musk
Cinnamon1 6/16/2012 6:34:00 PM
Smells pleasant, but too cheap and young. There's really nothing special about it.
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Sunscreen -Bain de Soleil - Orange Gelee Sunscreen SPF 4
Cinnamon1 6/1/2012 2:49:00 PM
Oh man, do I love this stuff! To me, this is the smell of summer. I have extremely white skin and use SPF 100+ every blessed day of the year. I can't get enough of the scent of Bain de Soleil, and that's purely why I buy a new tube of this every summer. For sniffing purposes only. Naysayers may call that a waste of money, and they're welcome to think so. To me, it is so worth it.
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Deodorants -Tom's of Maine - Natural Long Lasting Deodorant in Wild Lavender
Cinnamon1 3/13/2012 1:33:00 AM
Stung the crap out of my pits--worse than Certain Dri.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Boots - No7 Heavenly Hydration Moisture Mask
Cinnamon1 2/24/2012 8:34:00 PM
I got this because I wanted a hydrating mask and couldn't somehow convince myself I needed it enough to spend $50 on the Dr. Haushka moisture mask. Beautiful packaging. I applied and got ready to relax and noticed that my face was burning. Now, I have fair, thin skin, but very few products irritate it--luckily--even heavily fragranced products. I have no idea what caused the irritation with this product, but I decided to give it one more chance. This time I applied a thin layer as a moisturizer and no irritation. I'll try it one more time as a mask and see what happens. I should have taken it to heart that so many of you posted that this irritated your skin, but like I said, my skin isn't that sensitive, so I blew it off. The cool thing about using this as a mask, it goes on opaque and then sort of "sweats" or liquefies as your skin starts drinking it in. My skin definitely felt very smooth and soft after. I still have hopes for this one, but I won't buy it again if it continues to irritate.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Jolen Creme Bleach
Cinnamon1 2/13/2012 4:02:00 AM
I've never reviewed this?!? I haven't been without this product for at least the last 10 years. No telling how many times I've rebought it. I'm very fair, with dyed light auburn hair and brows that are darker than I'd like. A couple of minutes with this on takes them down just a shade or two. Like others have said, if you still want your brows to be brown, there's a short window before they turn orange. My tips are: 1. Apply and check the color every 30 seconds or so until you know exactly the time you need. I think of it like searing a steak. One minute too long is... well, one minute too long. 2. Use a lot of product. At first, I didn't apply enough, so some of my brow hairs would stick out and not be covered, giving me weird, two-tone brows. I measure out 1/4 tsp of powder and 1/2 tsp of cream with my kitchen measuring spoons, and that's a good amount for both of my brows. I make sure I can't see ANY hairs sticking out of the bleaching cream. 3. Wash your brows after you remove the bleaching cream. Wash them with cleanser--a quick rinse with water isn't enough. I've accidentally left small amounts of bleach on my brows before and ended up with overbleaching and irritated skin. Love! Wouldn't be without this.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Hard as Wraps - Acrylic Gel
Cinnamon1 7/29/2011 4:53:00 PM
Oh boy, Sally, you're a tricksy one! I have to give this company something for rebranding the same products again and again and making us pay for them all over again. I used this treatment 18 years ago when it was called Sally Hansen Iron Strength or something like that. I swear it is the same. Exact same smell, gluey texture that breaks into stringies, and the TINY BUBBLES you get on the surface of your manicure that makes the finish rough instead of smooth. Yes. it makes your nails strong, but they look lumpy. If that's OK with you, this stuff is great. I didn't like it 18 years ago though, and I don't like it now. I clicked the NO button for "Would you buy this product again?" But let me qualify. I may buy this again by mistake if Sally rebrands it yet again, but I won't buy it on purpose.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Hand and Nail Harmony Gelish Gel Polish
Cinnamon1 7/19/2011 3:41:00 PM
I've only had one experience with Gelish, and perhaps it was an uncharacteristically bad one, but I'm not impressed. I had Gelish done at a salon 10 days ago. Since it was my first time, I have no idea if the tech did it properly, but it looked very involved and was time-consuming. It involved various bottles of primers and top coats in addition to the gel color, plus numerous curings under the UV light. I have to say my nails looked good when I left the salon. They only looked good for a couple of days. By the third day, the polish was peeling away from the bases of my nails around the cuticles. (Picture above.) Luckily, I got a pale pink color that's almost the exact color of my nailbeds, so it wasn't very noticeable, but that still irked me after the price upgrade I paid for this. After a week, my nails looked as bad as or worse than they would have if I'd done my own manicure at home with standard polish. I had huge gaps of missing polish that had peeled off around my cuticles (not just the expected nail growth). Again, I'm thankful I chose a light color, because this would look excruciatingly bad if it had been a bold color. I will say that no polish chipped off the tips of my nails, the polish remained beautifully shiny throughout, and this stuff seems to really strengthen my nails. It might be worth it to you if you're in it for the strengthening and you choose a non-obvious color. In all fairness, I don't think my nails looked as bad to other people as they did to me—no on else examines them that closely. But if a manicure only lasts a couple of days, it's just not worth the extra time and cost to me. UPDATE 7/25/11: I'm taking this down to 2 stars. I finally got what was left of this crap removed at the salon after approximately two weeks of wear. If you're unfamiliar, this polish does NOT come off with standard polish remover. It's more akin to removing acrylic nails. First I had to soak my nails in pure acetone for about 20 minutes. This seemed to soften up the gel but didn't remove it all. What was left, the tech SCRAPED off my natural nails using a coarse-grain emery board. As you might imagine, this took about half the thickness of my natural nails along with it. I am so disappointed that I let someone sell me into paying more for a manicure that didn't last, looked ugly, and basically ruined my natural nails until they grow out. It will take months before my nails are back to normal.
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