Polishes -L'Oreal - Color Riche Nail Color 320 Marvelous
Elena14 4/17/2012 12:15:00 PM
Can't believe there aren't more reviews for this outstanding product! I typically don't polish my nails as I have some motor control issues in my dominant hand that make it a frustrating experience for me. However, I couldn't resist the absolutely beautiful color. Hard to describe, but I did take it up and down the beauty aisle and didn't find another to match it. It looks perfect on my fair/pinkish hands, which is hard to accomplish for a pink/mauve color. Best of all, this covered opaquely in one coat, wasn't streaky at all, and the brush was great. Honestly, my nails look almost professional. Staying power is great...I have only a few tiny chips on Day 3, and only because I made a rookie error of working in the garden on Day 2. This stuff has renewed my love for nail polish! I'm back to the drugstore immediately to buy more colors in this wonderful formulation!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Bliss Labs - Superbalm SPF 15
Elena14 2/4/2007 4:51:00 PM
I shudder to drop $10 for a tiny tube of this but agree entirely that it's money well-spent, given how many lip balms I've been utterly disappointed by. In fact, I dropped in to Sephora to buy a back-up as soon as I realized what a find this was. I have super-problematic dry lips and skin year-round, so this is a miracle rescue balm for those, like me, who had given up hope completely. The wonderfully smooth coating protects your lips while the salicyclic acid goes to work busting off those nasty flaps of flaky skin I always get. Within 5 - 10 minutes of applying, the loose skin that I couldn't saw off earlier practically disintegrates and leaves behind smoothness, without irritating my super-sensitive lips. Just returned from a trip to Northern California: this is the only thing that worked against the dehydrating airplane air and the indoor heating/outdoor mountain dryness (despite my hopefulness--foolhardiness?--in roadtesting two other new lip balms that were gifts). The only other thing I like as much is the original Murad, but I don't think that has SPF. (Make sure NOT to get the Pomegranate Murad, which is drying!) 5 stars.
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Moisturizers -Eucerin - Redness Relief Soothing Night Creme
Elena14 1/19/2007 2:43:00 AM
Delighted I took a chance on this. Excellent stuff. Doesn't irritate my super-sensitive skin. Has a remarkable effect (literally overnight!) on neutralizing the redness in my cheeks, which is otherwise very obvious in my extremely pale skin. I do need to be careful to use lightly on my combination skin, or I will get the occasional very small pimple from this. 4 stars.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Max Green Alchemy - Scalp Rescue Shampoo
Elena14 1/19/2007 2:36:00 AM
Jury is still out on this one. I'm a fan of the product line, and the shampoo is great for gently but thoroughly cleaning my sensitive scalp. Yet it's a bit stripping for my dry, curly hair. This is pricy (plus shipping costs), so I'm not totally sure about a reorder. 3 stars.
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Styling Products -Unlisted Brand - Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue styling gel
Elena14 1/19/2007 2:29:00 AM
I really like this. Doesn't irritate my super-sensitive scalp. Works well for my fine, curly hair. Doesn't contain build-up causing petrochemicals. Has not only the "soft hold" properties that I would expect in a gel, but also some moisturizing properties. My only (small) hesitation in reordering is that it's pricy, not to mention shipping costs, since I'll have to reorder online. 4 stars.
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Conditioner -Unlisted Brand - Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Conditioner
Elena14 1/19/2007 2:24:00 AM
I bought this stuff primarily to take care of my overly sensitive scalp, and it's great for that--not only non-irritating in itself, but seems to prevent irritation from styling products, dry weather, etc. Also has a lovely lemony/lemongrass smell that I really appreciate. I appreciate that it doesn't weigh down my fine, curly hair, although it's just a tad less moisturizing than I need. I either use this alone, or use this on my scalp prior to adding a more emollient conditioner to the length of my hair. My only concern is that it's quite pricy, plus shipping costs since I can only order this online. 4 stars.
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Skincare - Body -LUSH - Therapy massage bar
Elena14 1/19/2007 2:14:00 AM
No LUSH store in my area, so I ordered this hoping for the best, having loved the citrusy "Each Peach" massage bar so much. (I've had mixed success with LUSH, given my crazy-sensitive skin and that I'm not a fan of LUSH's herbal/earthy scents, so heavily reliant on lavender, patchouli and sandalwood. Yuck. Products like their spearmint soap, however, are completely brilliant and keep me coming back!) This was a delightful surprise, and I have since ordered this for others, as well. The lavender is very mild, so it's just a gentle, pleasant, mildly herbal scent, with all the benefits of a solid massage bar. Doesn't irritate my super-sensitive sinuses, either. That said, I would think this would be a safe bet for most anybody to order! 4 stars.
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Bath Treatments -LUSH - Pop in the Bath BBS
Elena14 1/19/2007 1:16:00 AM
Overall, the quality of the bar was high. It was a perky pink color, very fresh, had the consistency of moist marzipan, and crumbled easily. The amount of bubbles was fine, considering the hard water here. The citrus scent was pleasant during the bath, and I was delighted that my crazy-sensitive skin didn't get irritated. (SLS is high on the ingredient list.) Unfortunately, the scent lingered in the tub until I scrubbed it out, and getting a whiff everytime I re-entered the bathroom caused me to reconsider how much I originally thought I liked it. However, I happen to be particularly sensitive to scents, so I think most people would probably enjoy this one very much.
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Bath Treatments -LUSH - Tea and Sympathy
Elena14 1/19/2007 1:03:00 AM
I appreciated that this was gentle and kind to my crazy-sensitive skin and sinuses, which react badly to most bath/skincare products on the market. That said, I have learned to accustom myself to scents that wouldn't normally be my first choice in order to use the few products that actually work for me (i.e., Dream Cream. Initially I was really turned off by the scent, but it does such wonderful things for my skin that I faithfully reorder monthly). Even so, for some reason I really found the lingering herbal scent of this ballistic unpleasant, to the point where I became slightly nauseated everytime I entered the bathroom for the rest of the weekend, until I finally scrubbed out the tub. Worth a try for sensitive skin and/or if you like herbal scents; just not my cup of tea. I can't fault it for that, so I feel that I can't give it less than 3 stars.
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Lip Treatments -Banana Boat - SPF 30 sunscreen lip balm Aloe Vera with Vitamin E
Elena14 7/20/2006 3:02:00 AM
So much for the "moisturizing" qualities implied by aloe vera and vitamin E. I didn't realize how sub-par this balm was, until I simultaneously ran across perhaps the best lip balm I've ever tried with a similarly high SPF. (Of course, to my dismay the great balm is a no-name item with a promotional label for a drug company, and I can't seem to find any identifying info on the maker.) The Banana Boat hits your lips and begins drying out immediately. Not good!
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Almond Buttercream
Elena14 6/16/2006 4:09:00 PM
Absolutely ADORE this stuff. I never would have chosen it for my dry, crazy-sensitive skin, but no problems with scratchiness to date. In fact, my skin feels BETTER after I use this. I also detest almond/marzipan scents, but thankfully this smells closer to the vanilla pod-scented products that Lush makes. Brilliant move on their part to send me a sample, cause I never would have tried it otherwise, and now I'm hooked. (Sigh. I'm considering just sending my paycheck directly to Lush each month.) 5 stars. 01/18/07 EDIT: Still enjoy this, but some of the novelty wore off. (And I forget to get it out of the fridge when I want to use it, and then I'm already wet in the shower...) Change to 4 stars.
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Skincare - Body -LUSH - Each Peach Massage Bar
Elena14 4/8/2006 10:42:00 PM
Love this as an after-shower moisturizer when even Sympathy for the Skin (which I adore) isn't heavy-duty enough for my hands, lower legs, and feet. And I do like using this citrus scent on the feet as an alternative to the typical mint-scented foot creams. I keep this wrapped in wax paper in the fridge between uses. 01/18/07 EDIT: Still liking this very, very much. Delightful scent, and particularly moisturizing as compared to some of the other LUSH massage bars.
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Heavenly Bodies Buttercream
Elena14 4/8/2006 10:31:00 PM
Big disappointment on this one. I knew this was an expensive luxury and was prepared for the small chunks I had cut to melt away quickly, given their excellent moisturizing qualities, but good God! The scent! In the container, smells like 2 parts ash tray mixed with 1 part chocolate. I've learned that the scent of Lush products sometimes changes as you use them, so I hoped for the best. Sadly, in the shower, this smelled like 100% ash.
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Hair -Unlisted Brand - Qhemet Biologics Olive Cream Conditioning Instant Detangler
Elena14 3/25/2006 2:43:00 AM
This is one of those products that snuck up on me--I wasn't terribly excited about the sample at first, and now I can't be without it. I admit that I typically shy away from anything called a "detangler." Although my hair is fine and thin, it's curly/rough/unruly, and detanglers are usually so light that they're worthless for me. This truly SMOOTHS my hair without weighing it down. This is pricey for my budget, but I have re-ordered several times. The pump bottle is particularly convenient as well (although you end up having to shake the last bit out of the bottle). 5 stars. 01/18/07 EDIT: Although my current preferred conditioners are Max Green Alchemy and Elucence, I continue to order the Qhemet (now it comes in a larger size, too) to use just the smallest bit as a leave-in conditioner, with no irritation to my super-sensitive scalp. Still really, really like it. 4.5 stars.
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Lip Treatments -Nature's Gate - Neroli Orange & Chocolate Mint Lip Balm
Elena14 3/25/2006 2:30:00 AM
Currently my fave lip balm as well. Love the smell (although it doesn't match the taste) and it is very moisturizing. Obvious concerns about the hygiene of dipping fingers in a pot. (I hesitate to leave the house with this, knowing I'll be tempted to use it even though my hands will be exposed to a lot more surfaces/germs...) Definitely a repurchase. 4 stars. 01/18/07 EDIT: Still use/like this, but 1) hygiene issues forced me to keep this in the house, and 2) I have discovered the benefits of using lip balm with salicylic acid to fight the flakies. Current favorites: Bliss Superbalm (pricy) and Murad Soothing Lip Therapy (make sure NOT to get the pomegranate version!). Changing Nature's Gate rating to 3 stars.
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