Styling Products -LUSH - Sea Spray
LauraW74 3/25/2013 11:25:00 AM
I really, really like this stuff. My hair is chest-length, and naturally relaxed and quite straight. I wouldn't use this on just my naturally dried hair, I don't think much would happen. But when I go sleep with damp hair I separate it in four sections that I twist into buns, and then brush them out in the morning for big, fluffy waves. When I got this stuff I put it on day-old, pre-waved hair and it added some nice texture and hold, also helping some sections stay out of my face. I also slept on it again that night (I don't wash my hair much), putting my dry hair into two buns, applying just a couple more sprays. The next day, my hair was so fluffy even though it had only been in two buns and was totally dry. It was so fluffy, volumized, and much more textured than usual! The SA told me it works best if you leave it in for a while before styling, like if you put your hair in braids and then comb them out. I used buns, but she was definitely right! Last night I decided to try spraying this on my damp hair before putting it in the four buns... This did not work out. Volume overload, very poodle-y. Maybe I'll try again with two buns and wet hair, or four and dry hair. But two buns with dry hair definitely works! I guess my point with this is that you have to figure out what's right for you based on hair type. I have a little criticism about the packaging, as I think the bottle spray is too direct, making it difficult to disperse evenly. But I use a boar's hair brush and I think that helps spread it out over my hair. Also I find the smell to be very bitter at first, but it fades after initially spraying it on, and it's definitely growing on me. I know this is a long, thorough review - I hope it helps! I think I'm going to be using this stuff up very quickly!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Marcelle - Clay Mask with Kaolin
LauraW74 1/7/2012 6:35:00 PM
Like everyone has already said, this is a product that really delivers! Lately my skin has been quite unpredictable and acne-prone, and I really hoped it wouldn't react to this. It didn't! My skin has also been very dry, but once I massaged this off with a face cloth and moisturized, I was fine. It calms redness a little, but you'll notice the big differences over the next day (if you use it at night like I do). The next day after my first use, my pimples really shrunk down, and that's quite a feat considering how many there were. I have used it a few times since, no more than twice a week, and it has continued working, with no side effects! Lately I really simplified my skincare and now this mask will be a staple in my routine! Bottom line: It is the most effective thing I've used for reducing acne, and I've really tried a lot lately. It's also great as an overnight spot treatment! And if you can stand to leave it on for 20 or 30 minutes (it makes your face feel crazy tight), do so! The results will be even better.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -MISSHA - M Vita BB Cream
LauraW74 1/7/2012 12:40:00 AM
As someone who prides herself on buying only vegan cosmetics, I really screwed up and missed the fact that there's caviar extract in this one... At least Missha is against animal testing! Basically the point of me writing this is to prove that even though it goes against my usual beliefs, I really have got to encourage people to try this product. I have really dry, red, acne-prone skin, and it's hard to find appropriate coverage that still looks natural and does not make me flake. COVERAGE: Light-medium but layer-able, but if you put on a thicker amount you will definitely need to powder (I suggest patting rather than blending/swirling, to keep the BB Cream from smudging or sliding, as it is pretty wet). It really covers overall redness well, and sinks into the skin within the first 15 minutes (So don't be afraid if it looks shiny or slick at first). For extra coverage I go over really red areas with the Skin79 Intense Classic Balm, which I used to use as a full-face foundation until I found it too drying/thick. It's perfect for a concealer, though! Like many BB Creams, it's not incredibly long-lasting, and I do lose some moisture throughout the day, but it's one of those products that you can re-apply over mineral powder without it caking up too heavily. Important to note - it applies much better to moist/well-moisturized skin!! SKIN BENEFITS: UNBELIEVABLE!!! I cannot stress this enough! I have really troubled skin and was consistently breaking out for weeks and weeks, worse than ever before, and nothing helped. I also have very scar- and redness-prone skin. THIS HELPED SO MUCH! One night out of sheer laziness I went to bed without taking off my make-up or washing my face, and woke up to find my skin looking better rather than more irritated! This calmed the redness, and pimples even looked smaller and less inflamed. Now I almost never wear it with a primer, and my skin tone is slowly evening out. I do wash it off at night, 99% of the time. It won't be a quick miracle, but in combination with proper skincare, I have high hopes! * Note: The skin benefits are probably due in part to the fact that I started using Vitamin E oil beneath my face cream every day. Try that, too! It really does work miracles!
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Bath and Body Works - Aromatherapy Vanilla and Jasmine Sugar Scrub
LauraW74 1/7/2012 12:22:00 AM
BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT. I got this when it was reduced to $4.00 for the BBW "Hello Yellow" sale, but when it runs out I won't hesitate to buy it at full price. Firstly, a warning to scent-sensitive people: While I love the scent of this and do not mind it lingering, it may bother some people how long-lasting the fragrance is. As an example, I used this in the shower and the entire bathroom smelled of it for the next two days. Not a really prominent scent, but definitely there. This product is super-exfoliating, and ridiculously hydrating. I put lotion on my body when it still feels a little slick from the oils, and that moisture will last for days! I usually have to slather on body butter daily to keep away flakes on my dry legs, but with this, I won't have to use lotion until after a few days, even with showering! So amazing!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Cremesheen - Shy Girl
LauraW74 1/5/2012 7:45:00 PM
This is so flattering for my blue eyes and yellow-toned skin! I have a lot of skin trouble and redness so I stray from darker, red-toned colours, even natural ones. This is great for everyday wear, and the cremesheen finish means it lasts longer. I don't find it too drying, but then again I moisturize my lips constantly and also exfoliate them about once a week. Despite the slight shimmer and orange-y pigment, I find this quite natural-looking, which I really like. Sometimes I pat it on very sheer or go over my lips for a deeper peach. It might not have a great effect on very pigmented lips, though! Mine are a very light pink, so this shows up well.
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Mascara -Urban Decay - Supercurl Curling Mascara
LauraW74 1/5/2012 7:37:00 PM
First of all, let me say: DO NOT JUDGE THIS PRODUCT BASED ON WHEN YOU FIRST USE IT! The first few times I used it, I really hated it, but now that I've waited a few weeks I absolutely love it. At first it was wet, messy, and did not separate or thicken at all. I did, however, get great results from using a tacky primer (MAC Prep+Prime Lash, in this case). Let me mention, for reference, that my lashes are already quite long and plentiful, but very very flat and droopy. There is a slight curl overall, but no curl at the root. I always used thick, fibre brushes (a la Diorshow), and this is my first ever plastic, curled brush. Once dried out a little and without a primer, this mascara separates and lifts lashes really well. Because my lashes are very limp, curlers are quite useless - this mascara can't get a 5 only because my lashes will never curl more than about 50% no matter what I use. :-P With this, my lashes really are lifted and fanned out, without clumping. I find that doing a coat on one eye, letting it dry a bit, and then going over with a much lighter coat gives the best results. It makes my eyes look huge! If you have a little patience, you can get great results!!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -MAC - Mineralize Foundation / Loose - Light
LauraW74 11/8/2011 2:35:00 PM
Firstly, I just want to say that the price of this stuff is so worth it! I got mine for Christmas last year, and here we are in November, and I've still got a little left, probably enough for another two days. Still, it's lasted almost a year, and I wear it almost every day! It would have lasted even longer too, but twice it's been dropped with a LOT of powder spilling out... Darn my clumsiness. This powder has great pigment and coverage without being heavy. If my skin is well exfoliated and moisturized (it's pretty dry to begin with, so doing this is best for summer), sometimes I'll put on just my MAC primer and this powder - covers redness so well! I also use it on a concealer brush sometimes, and use it to conceal (non-flaky) pimples or undereye circles. It's really not that drying for a powder, which is great for my skin. You can wear it all year round too! I like using a kabuki and not the buffer. Because the package can be a hassle, sometimes I'll pat the powder on with the buffer and then blend with a brush. I would give it five lippies if it came with a nice brush instead of the buffer, and sometimes it's a little cakey, but that only happens when I don't let my foundation sink in first (give it a couple minutes before you apply the powder!!), but that's really not much of a downside. I wouldn't really recommend it for oily skin, as it might not control shine well enough.
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Mascara -MAC - Opulash
LauraW74 10/16/2011 12:08:00 AM
This is my first MAC mascara, I bought the Wonder Woman version partially because I couldn't resist the packaging. :-P This is sort of my less expensive answer to DiorShow, which I could not really afford to buy on a regular basis, and whose animal testing policy is a little unsure. Hooray for cruelty-free MAC! This mascara is not quite as dry or thick as Dior's, which is a little unfortunate for me, because my lashes are very limp and need that thickness to hold them up. Well, Opulash is pretty close, and although I find it flakes a bit when combed through, a Q-tip can easily fix that, and it won't flake throughout the day unless your eyes water excessively or you rub them. I don't wear mascara on my bottom lashes, and the one time I did with Opulash it flaked pretty bad, so I wouldn't recommend it. It looks natural but thickens very well. My lashes are quite long, and it fans out the outer lashes really nicely, making my eyes look huge. With MAC lash primer underneath it thickens more, but can look a little spidery if you don't comb through properly. I find the best technique for my lashes and this mascara is to wiggle at the base and pull straight up - it adds a little more volume, and doesn't cause any clumping. A great, thickening, volumizing mascara!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -LUSH - Ultrabland
LauraW74 10/15/2011 11:55:00 PM
(Just a warning - this is long, but detailed! Read it if you want to heal redness!!) I don't really like this product as a make-up remover, but I LOVE it as a morning cleanser. First: Why I don't like it for removing make-up. I find that, while it removes my eye shadow and liner easily, it takes a lot of rubbing and multiple cotton pads to remove foundation, and I don't even use waterproof! Even when I put toner on the cotton pads, I still feel the need to use a regular cleanser and make-up remover afterwards, because there is still makeup on my face. For removing mascara, it takes a while, and splashing your lashes with water first makes all the difference. I recommend it for morning use, to cleanse without stripping your face of moisture. Which brings me to... Why I love it! It is so softening and healing, and works so well, so quickly. I use it alone as a morning cleanser, removing it with a cotton pad with a dab of witch hazel on it. OH MY LORD, zero redness or dryness on my face afterwards, all day! Usually, even my very gentlest cleansers leave me a little red - my teenage skin is very prone to redness, scarring, uneven tone, etc. But this healed and smoothed everything over, instantly! After removing it with the witch hazel toner there doesn't seem to be much of a residue, but my face does feel smoother and softer. No break-outs so far, and I've been using it for a couple weeks. I just started using this as MOISTURIZER too, even though it's sold as a cleanser. My skin is really dry in the winter, and I find myself re-applying moisturizer all day. This stuff is so rich, but doesn't make my skin greasy or oily! HOORAY FOR MULTI-PURPOSE PRODUCTS! I cannot recommend this enough for anyone with dry skin, redness or scarring that they find just won't heal!! If you react to heavy oils, though (then again, I used to think I did, but maybe I just wasn't using the right ones), you might want to try a sample before purchasing!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -Skin79 - Intense Classic Blemish Balm (SPF 20 PA++)
LauraW74 10/3/2011 11:24:00 AM
This is my first ever BB Cream, and I love it! Firstly: My skin tone: NC20 My skin type: Teenage and prone to redness/scars, and more prone to dryness in the winter. CONSISTENCY/COVERAGE: Very thick, and very full. As an overall foundation, best used by rubbing between the fingers, and then spreading over/patting into the skin. This way you will cover basically all redness/tone imperfection, without a cakey look! I don't feel the need to powder. I would recommend moisturizing well before use if you have dry skin - it's pretty moisturizing, but I require a little extra. Often I use it as a concealer only, patting a reasonable amount over acne or dark circles, letting it sit a couple minutes, and then gently blending with more patting motions. This technique gives, like, perfect coverage! Just an amazing product, and I really think it nourishes my skin, as well as making it look practically flawless - I love that it has very few ingredients, is vegan-friendly, and mostly plant-based.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Cremesheen- Modesty
LauraW74 2/12/2011 6:12:00 PM
Just bought this today and it's gorgeous! It looks kind of nasty in the tube, but nice on my pale lips and NC 20 skintone. It also looks great on my mom who has slightly darker lips and skin than me. I recently got rid of my red-toned lipsticks, which I really wish I could pull off, and decided to get some that were more pigmented, but soft. For reference to my taste, the lipstick I'm saving up for is Mademoiselle from the Chanel Coco Rouge line. This has a similar effect in that it's more neutral, but is less pink. Love it, great on paler skin!
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Cleansers -Nivea - Gentle Cleansing Cream
LauraW74 1/20/2011 3:50:00 PM
I have been using this on-and-off, switching between it and the Nivea cleansing gel for normal/combination skin. After experimenting between the two, I like this better. I have been getting so many pimples on my forehead lately despite my meticulous skin care and hygiene routine, and I think I realized that I'm over-doing it... I need moisture! This cleanses without being too drying, but you do need a little extra cleaning power a couple times a week. Now I use this, a home-made scrub and toner (though the Nivea ones aren't bad), and various moisturizers... I haven't foud the right one yet. I think both Nivea daytime moisturizers and the night ones soak in too quickly, and leave my skin kind of oily. I might switch to a home-made moisturizer... olive oil maybe? EDIT: This cleanser isn't good for people whose skin isn't already pimple-free. I thought my skin was breaking out purely from dryness, but after extended use of this cleanser, I realized that that isn't the case. This cleanser is more of a surface cleaner, despite the exfoliating beads (I don't think there are enough or that they are abrasive enough to do anything, even for sensitive skin), and all the dirt in my pores just sits there. The new Nivea natural cleanser is definitely better, and now I use that in the morning, and LUSH's Ultrabland at night.
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Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
LauraW74 1/3/2011 5:17:00 PM
Despite the price, this is my favourite mascara. It would get five lippies if it held a curl, but only one mascara does this for me (Diorshow Extase), so the problem is with my lsahes, not this mascara. Diorshow is (almost) perfect because it gives dramatic results without looking unnatural, very much like false lashes. Like just about all mascaras, having long lashes guarantees results, so if yo've got shorter ones... Sorry, but don't expect a miracle. This mascara makes my lashes full, fanned out, pretty voluminous, but does not look like I have tons of product caked on. It's a drier formula, which I love, because it never looks spidery or chunky. It's very clean, I think the right word is. Once you get used to the large wand (the only kind I really use now!) it's a piece of cake.
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Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Extase Flash Plumping Mascara
LauraW74 1/3/2011 5:11:00 PM
Much like the previous reviewer, I have long, but not voluminous lashes. They are thin (as in the hairs are thin, but not fine - in fact, they're plentiful), and very limp and straight. This is the only mascara I've ever used that gives them volume, and doesn't limp after an hour! My eyelashes curl just fine, but as soon as I apply mascara they fall flat, so sometimes I just curl them and put no product on. But without even having to curl my lashes, this keeps them up! YAY! It would get five stars if it made my lashes more... what's the word... plush? I've only used the mascara a couple times, and it's brand new, so I'm sure it'll only get better once it dries up a bit and gets less spidery (though for its first use I was really impressed, as it was not as liquidy as most new mascaras are), and I expect it to look more natural. For practically perfect lashes, I used DiorShow Extase and then regular DiorShow on top. I love DiorShow for how natural, fluffy, and fanned out it makes my lashes look, and Extase just gives the extra curl hold. The perfect combination, dramatic but still natural-looking! I hate the look of having product caked on to my lashes, all spidery, chunky, and generally unnatural-looking, and with these two products I swear you'll get just the opposite!
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Treatments -OPI - Natural Nail Strengthener
LauraW74 10/24/2010 7:10:00 PM
This product added protection to my nails for a day, but then they started peeling in thicker layers! My nails go through phases of being strong and then weak (my diet and habits are pretty consistent, and I take B12 everyday, so I've no idea why), but I've been sticking it out with this product for at least a month and they've only continued to get worse. Two of my nails were so strong they seemed fake when I first put this stuff on, but shortly after they peeled off in thick layers, thicker than they've ever peeled before, and now as they continue to grow in they just keep breaking or tearing off because what's left is so weak and thin. I use cuticle oil almost daily, but it's not helping. I don't know if I should have bought the formula especially for peeling nails, but I don't think I'll try it unless it goes on sale...
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