Mascara -Clinique - High Impact Mascara
JClarke 12/16/2012 5:13:00 AM
Not really sure about the price of this since what I am using came as a free sample (although quite a generously sized one and with original sized brush). I find it just as good as my favourite Lancome mascaras. Rarely clumps and thickens well. No it doesn't curl but nothing has ever curled my lashes so maybe that has more to do with me than the mascaras. Some people may find the brush a little clumsy but I prefer a larger brush and find it better for combing out the lashes - I hate those poky little things with no grip to them.
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Concealers -Lancome - Long-lasting Softening Concealer
JClarke 8/27/2011 3:01:00 PM
A bit disappointed with this. As concealers go, I find it rather thin and lacking in coverage. It comes in a little tube and I apply it with my fingers. It doesn't matter how much I put on around those red areas around the nose, never seems to fully conceal them. Not brilliant at dark under eye circles either. I have it in beige paste 01 which was the nearest match for my fair skin. Doubt that any other colour would makie any difference. Won't buy again.
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Lipstick -Christian Dior - Diorific La Dolce Vita Rouge
JClarke 8/27/2011 2:55:00 PM
A superb bold red lipstick, good quality, almost never smudges. It's a warm red but there is a hint of blue in it . Very moisturising, doesn't dry the lips at all. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I'm not overly keen on the rather over the top lipstick case although it certainly does look expensive. I think the main reason I don't like it is because I like to put my lipsticks in one of those mirrored cases in my bag and this lipstick is so enormous it simply won't fit!
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Masks -Alpha Hydrox - Liquid gold smoothing & perfecting mask
JClarke 8/7/2011 6:47:00 AM
For the hideously high cost this is a very average face mask! Skin does look clearer after use but I would expect a lot more for the price. I had high hopes of it because it contains 15% glycolic extract and reviews elsewhere (not on MUA, strangely , where no one has yet reviewed it) were good. It's supposed to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and scarring and also reduce redness. Instructions say to use once a week which I have been doing but I haven't noticed a major difference. I would buy it again if it were half the price but it doesn't live up to expectations. Update: This has caused me to break out quite alarmingly so I am discontinuing using it.
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Lip Liners -DuWop - Reverse Lipliner
JClarke 8/7/2011 6:37:00 AM
I'm not sure about this product. I think it does help to stop lipstick bleeding into those fine lines around the mouth, especially important when wearing a nice red lipstick. But I do find there is a tendency for it to leave a chalky residue which isn't a good look either!
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Styling Products -Kerastase - Specifique Soin Densitive GL Texturising Spray
JClarke 8/7/2011 6:32:00 AM
This is a volumizing product for those with fine hair. I spray it on after shampooing and before using any other styling product such as mousse or paste or other styling spray. I then dry it off a bit with a hairdyer before going on to style as normal. It does have a litle effect at making the hair appear a bit thicker but I prefer Amplify Root Lifter by Matrix.
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Treatments (Eye) -Boots - No7 Lift & Luminate Eye Cream
JClarke 8/7/2011 6:22:00 AM
This is a reasonably priced eye cream which seems to be a reincarnation of No 7 Uplifting Eye Cream but a little lighter and with much improved packaging. The tube is much easier to use than the old style pot that you couldn't reach into. Not a miracle cream but quite gentle and does have some lifting properties.
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Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Tinted Eye Brightener 2012 Reformulation
JClarke 8/7/2011 6:13:00 AM
I find the actual product for this does an OK job - I bought it in porcelain peach and it hides dark under eye shadows reasonably well. The reason for my low score is basically the packaging. I am used to having to click a product like this several times to get it started initially but I have found it very temperemental subsequently. Perhaps I just have a duff one? Sometimes I click several times and nothing comes out, then it will all come out in a rush. To top this, I find the cap almost impossible to get off! Because of this, I have had to resort to wedging it slightly at an angle each time I finish with it. No one else has reported this, I think, so either I have a faulty product or I'm just getting old?!
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Saaf Organic Foot Softening Balm
JClarke 4/14/2011 2:51:00 PM
Very disappointed with this. I bought it because it was supposed to have won an award and I read some good reviews about it. I confess I was naive enough to think that because it was so expensive it must be good - shame on me, I should know better! It contains cocoa butter and beeswax (so far pretty normal) but also Olive Oil, Vitamin E, Black Seed Oil, Neem, Rosemary and Lemon Myrtle. This might account for why I find the scent so unpleasant. I can smell the lemon trying to come through, which is nice but it doesn't succeed in getting past all the rest which is far too herby for my liking. It really does smell like something you should be spreading on your salad, not on your feet! I also don't find it terribly effective. It's ever so slightly greasy and doesn't seem to sink in very well - just sort of sits on top of the skin. Definitely not worth the £17.99 I paid for a rather small 35 gram jar. I have used much cheaper foot treatments that work much better (I shall revert to Caudalie next time)
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Treatments -MD Formulations - Daily Peel Pads
JClarke 4/13/2011 3:00:00 PM
These are virtually identical to Avon texturizing peel pads but much more expensive. I have reviewed the Avon product and everything I said for them goes for these (I swear they must be manufactured by the same people) but unfortunately Avon appear to have done their usual trick and discontinued them. They are especially good at clearing out the pores - remove blackheads like nothing else (except Avon of course...). Altogether clarify the skin. Instructions tell you to use these daily. On account of the steep price, I use them every other day!
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Lips -Chanel - Rouge Allure Laque Coromandel 72
JClarke 4/13/2011 2:53:00 PM
This is a really stunning colour - what attracted me to it initially. I was really looking for a lipstick but this caught my eye and I couldn't resist it. Classic pillarbox red. At first I used it over another red lipstick. I tend to use lip glosses in this way and this looked like a lip gloss, as it comes with a spong type applicator. It wasn't a huge success - had a rather jammy effect and I was finding it was smudging an awful lot. All a bit messy! Then I had the idea to try it on its own as a much thinner application. This is much more successful and it lasts much longer too. It effectively stains the lips and doesn't need a lot of retouching during the day unless you want a full blown look.
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Lipstick -Chanel - Audace
JClarke 4/13/2011 2:45:00 PM
Nice warm red colour. Beatiful sleek case, very expensive looking (so it should be!) My only gripe with this is that it does smudge very easily - not a great stayer.
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Conditioner -Redken - Color Extend Conditioner
JClarke 4/13/2011 2:39:00 PM
I am finding it increasingly difficult to rate hair products because I have used so many good quality products that others have to match up to. I think this is probably quite a good conditioner - I have no reason to think it isn't, and I have started to use it because I have been having my hair coloured more and want to use appropriate products. I can't give any specific endorsement of it - no wow factor for me I'm afraid. But it seems to be doing an ok job so far.
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Masks -Dr. Hauschka - Firming Mask
JClarke 4/13/2011 2:33:00 PM
Extremely disappointed with this - I had such high hopes for it! It was very expensive - I ordered it over the internet and was stunned when it arrived to find how small it was! Because of that, the first time I used it I applied quite sparingly. It had absolutely no effect so I realised I had to bite the bullet and apply more generously which I did. I reckon I probably got 4 applications out of this tube which made it about £5 each time! And to cap it all, even applying it generously, it did absolutely nothing for me. I could see no difference after using it at all.
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Lip Treatments -Guerlain - Guerlain Lip Lift
JClarke 4/13/2011 2:26:00 PM
I bought this after reading reviews which suggested that it would: * make lipstick last longer * make lipstick colour stay true * prevent lipstick feathering Unfortunately it didn't really do any of these for me. Maybe helped just a little with the feathering, but not a lot. It comes in a very expensive looking but hideously old fashioned gold wand. I needed to use it a couple of times a day and so it lasted hardly any time at all - just a few weeks I think. Which made it horrendously expensive.
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