Hair Color -Schwarzkopf - Color Mask
LilLexy100 5/3/2013 10:07:00 AM
I bought this in Golden Brown and it was on offer in TJ Hughes for about £4 so I thought I'd give it a try. I wasn't expecting much after reading the mixed reviews but I love the results. I have medium brown hair and it's turned my colour exactly the shade it promised. It's a gorgeous deep golden brown and I've had loads of compliments on the condition and shine on my hair. I applied it to my roots for 20 minutes first (as they were growing out and slightly lighter than my ends) and then to the ends of my hair for the final 20 minutes. Then I applied the masque conditioner - you get loads of it - at first I thought it was a 6 week supply!! The dye is in a 'tub' and you apply with your fingers, which for some might be odd, but I've always applied my hairdye with my fingers (gloved of course) so I can 'smoosh' it right into my roots. The colour is super-even - at first I thought there wouldn't be enough product, and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. I think I've found a new hair colourant! I must say - all these reviews are entirely subjective and the horror stories I've had using blonde home dyes; well i could write a book on them. I always find the medium and darker shades of home colourants to work better and leave being blonde up to my hairdresser! So I'm positive I would have given a different review with a lighter colour...
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Hair Color -Garnier - Olia
LilLexy100 4/5/2013 1:06:00 PM
Let's start with the pros - 1. The conditioner has a gorgeous smell. Seriously gorgeous! 2. It's not *too* expensive - I paid £6.99 at Boots. The cons - Where do i start? 1. I bought 'Dark Blonde' - I have medium brown hair (I seem to have been every hair colour since I discovered MUA haha) and now I'm no fool, I've been dyeing my hair for 20 years and know boxed dye colours are photoshopped within an inch of their lives. This one shows a shade at least 5 shades lighter - I knew this wouldn't happen without a pre-lightener but I was expecting 1 or 2 shades lighter maybe? Just something that would reflect the sun on my forthcoming holiday and now it's getting into springtime. I kept it on for the full 30 minutes...... and ..... nothing. No shade change whatsoever. Not darker, not lighter, not warmer, not ashier, just nothing. An absolute waste of time. To be honest, after reading all the reviews after the event, I'm just glad it didn't turn my hair a crazy shade! 2. My hair (it's now the day after I've dyed it) is soft, but really REALLY static. 3. Whoever thought of the excessive packaging the unnecessary extra tube and the strangely shaped bulbous applicator (you'll need an iron grip to stop it shooting out of your hand) should be collecting their P45 and looking for another job. 4. There's hardly any product. 5. Rinsing with water alone wont work - you will need shampoo to rinse it out, otherwise you'll be rinsing for 20 minutes. Aaaargh why do I get suckered into new hair dyes?!?! :-(
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Mascara -Maybelline - The Rocket Volume Express
LilLexy100 2/3/2013 4:58:00 PM
I don't like this mascara as I feel the brush hurts my eyes!! It's one of those big hard plastic brushes that seem really sharp. Maybe it's great for people with naturally long lashes, but for me it's like a thousand tiny needles stabbing my eyeline when I try to apply it. I've tried it over mascara primer (Clinique) and still doesn't give a great effect in my opinion and it's a little bit watery. I have very short lashes though. When I apply more than 3 layers it goes clumpy at the ends. I do love the Maybelline mascara in the yellow tube, but I wouldn't buy this one again I'm afraid.
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Cleansers -Clinique - Facial Soap for Oily Skin
LilLexy100 9/10/2012 3:25:00 PM
If I had submitted this review within 2 weeks of buying this bar, I would have given it 5 stars. Now it's 2 months after buying it and it barely deserves 1 star. I have a very oily T Zone and at first, this made my face feel so squeaky clean, I loved it to bits! - I soon found out that it was stripping every speck of natural oils from my skin, and subsequently caused my skin to overcompensate and produce MORE oil. I'm 36 and have about a dozen nasty spots on my forehead chin and even cheeks - I've never had spots on my forehead even as a teenager! I'm gutted. Maybe a little natural oil in the skin is a good thing. I'm reverting back to my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and will carry my blotting tissues around with me during the day (and crossing my fingers that my skin goes back to 'normal' and my spots go).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -LUSH - Cosmetic Lad
LilLexy100 7/1/2012 3:53:00 PM
Weird, weird product. Made and marketed for boys (but I bought it anyway after going on the Lush website and deciding it would be best for my skin type). I gave it 3 stars, because as a moisturiser? 1 star. As a cleanser? 5 stars!! I have combination/oily skin and this made my skin even shinier (even though I chose it because it's supposed to be good for combination skin) - I mean, it made my skin REALLY shiny. But as an eye-make up remover (even waterproof!) it's amazing!!! I rub this over my eyes - it never stings or irritates my eyes - then wipe if off with a cheap-o cleansing cloth (Tesco cleansing wipes 59p for 25) and it does the job! Fantastic. I do however have to cleanse my face with my beloved Liz Earle afterwards but for an eye make up remover it's fab and I know I'll be using it up but not as a moisturiser. Wouldn't pay £12 for this again though, it's just not the moisturiser for me.
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Skincare - Face -Liz Earle - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
LilLexy100 6/9/2012 4:35:00 PM
This is my all time favourite cleanser. I've spent the last six months trying out Estee Lauder's cleanser and I've started to get spots - at 36!!! Not sexy. I've tried all kinds of elimination as to what could be causing it - and narrowed it down to my new(ish) cleanser. So i went back to my Cleanse and Polish and within 2 weeks my skin was so grateful, the spots were almost gone and I was back to 'normal'. Cleanse and Polish just works for my skin and has done so for the past 8 years or so. I have combination skin and it's never too heavy with the cocoa butter. I can't say my skin would be the same if it was really greasy and can understand the reviews saying it doesn't work for them, but it just works for me. It loves the dry patches and doesn't make the oily patches worse. My skin feels totally cleansed after using the muslin cloth and I can use just a light moisturiser. And it's the ONLY cleanser on the planet that doesn't sting my eyes (and v good at removing waterproof mascara). Girls with sensitive or stingy eyes who loves their eye make-up should give this a try. Oh Cleanse and Polish how I've missed you!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrance -LUSH - Dirty fragrance
LilLexy100 6/9/2012 4:25:00 PM
This is a strange one. I know it's mainly marketed for boys, but I'm a girl and I hate 'girly' smells (like Guerlain and all that overpowering stuff) so I read the reviews on this and headed off to Lush to get the hard sell... Its....just weird....but I've given it 4 stars and I'm not sure why, it's addictive! I first spray it and it smells like 'salad garnish' with the abundance of herbs in it. Imagine salad garnish then brushing your teeth. That's the first smell. Herbs and toothpaste. It's odd. But spray with abandon then get ready. 30 minutes later it smells amazing on your skin - mild, musky, minty....just absolutely gorgeous! As long as you don't go within a 10 metre radius of another person in the first 30 minutes of spraying, then you will fall in love with the dry-down smell of this body spray/perfume. The smell lasts for hours too! One odd addition. If I've been out for the day, when I come home, my flat smells like a dentist's waiting room - all minty and weird from the residue of this spray - but in a very good way....just clean and fresh and lovely!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Mango Body Butter
LilLexy100 5/21/2012 2:37:00 PM
There's no denying it's super for moisturising my dry bits and a tub lasts ages so it's good value. And the moisturising effects lasts for hours and hours. However, it does feel a little bit like I'm greasing myself up in goose fat for a swim across the channel. And when it goes 'off' (as mine did after a while), it smells like one-coat gloss. Good for very dry skin, but I prefer my Nivea so much more.
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Self Tanners -St.Tropez - St.Tropez Tinted Self Tanning Mousse/Whipped Bronze
LilLexy100 5/21/2012 1:53:00 PM
The best fake tan for pale people - no contest - I've tried them all!! I'm super pale - I look like I've been taken out of the oven too early - and I don't tan (can't tan). This doesn't bother me, but I often do need a bit of colour to stop people asking me if I am ill haha. Some tried and test advice on this mousse. Use a tanning glove and use on dry skin!! Cover every square inch of skin, dont miss any out even if you overlap (it wont matter once you wash the excess off), once you've applied, try and keep it on overnight, then shower in the morning. I promise you will have the best glow ever! I'm not keen on tanning creams, lotions and sprays as I always seem to acquire the 'orange ankle' look, but I never do with this one. Even if it was twice the price I'd still buy it. Oh and make sure you have tissues/kitchen roll handy, because the mousse dispenser can squirt dark dark liquid after a few goes (doesn't stop me giving it 5 stars!) If you make sure you moisturise every day, this tan will last 3 to 4 days before fading.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Unlisted Brand - CVS Whitening Dissolving Strips
LilLexy100 5/12/2012 5:00:00 PM
On one of my fairly frequent jollies to the USA, as an English Girl, I have to stock up on these kinds of things! I've tried the Crest Whitestrips (expensive!) and the CVS versions - and these are so versatile, I HAVE to stock up on them. Having just returned from San Diego, I've bought another box even though I haven't ran out of my previous box! I like that THAT much! You stick them to your teeth and leave them (I drive to work in them and they have dissolved by the time I've got there in 20 minutes). They do work also. In the UK, we can't get anything like this strength. I always look after my teeth an these make them pearly white. I do like them a lot. The taste is a bit odd but I can live with that - for $20 for what seems like a million of them, I can't do without them!
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Treatments -Chanel - Nail Colour Remover
LilLexy100 4/28/2012 4:52:00 PM
I never thought I'd see the day where I'd spend £12.50 on a 50ml bottle of nail polish remover...! But being the shallow materialistic make-up junkie that I am, I read the reviews on here and had to buy. It's in a Chanel bottle! What's not to love?! I genuinely cannot remember a time where I wasn't wearing nail polish - I love my nail polish - every colour - darks, neutrals, neons, brights, reds (oh the reds!) - so I wanted to try something that would care for my nails. And I wasn't disappointed. It smells lush once you've removed your nail polish, very old fashioned but lovely. It doesn't dry out your nails. And like previous reviewers have said, a few drops on a cotton wool pad is enough to remove even dark nail polish. I go through gallons of the cheaper stuff, so I genuinely think this is actually reasonable value for money. And the bottle looks so lovely :-D
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Philip Kingsley - Elasticizer
LilLexy100 4/28/2012 4:34:00 PM
I alternate between this and my beloved Fekkai Protein RX. At the moment I'm using this. I actually don't mind (and prefer) that this is a pre-shampoo treatment! I apply it sparingly to my dry hair, do my business (have dinner, chores, waste time on Facebook etc) then shampoo and condition as normal. I find this stuff works best if you keep it on for at least half an hour. I have fine hair (but lots of it) and years of abusing it left it in a pretty sorry state. I've gone through the entire colour spectrum of hairdyes!! A couple of years ago, I had the most woeful dry, brittle hair and along with my Fekkai, this was a saviour. I still use this once or twice a week and it's not too heavy for fine hair (as long as you rinse well), it makes your hair look thicker and shinier and as a bonus, they now do a squeezy tube of this as well as the pot, so it's the perfect size for travelling! The size I buy in the tube is £14 in the UK or you can buy the bigger tub for about £24 in the big department stores. I've also tried the Elastisizer Extreme at love that too, but that has to be used VERY sparingly unless you have super-thick hair!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Ultrasun - Ultralip spf 15
LilLexy100 4/28/2012 4:26:00 PM
Ultralip is just under £6 in the UK, and you may think a bit pricey for a lipbalm, but in my eternal quest for a lip balm that doesn't a) tingle b) cause a reaction c) have a strong smell/taste d) all of the above :-) then I think I've found it! Having the spf of 15 is simply a bonus. It doesn't make your lips go white (like a lot of balms with sunscreen in) and it sinks in immediately - you can apply lipstick and even lipgloss over without having to wait. I like it because it's not glossy, you just feel like you have really good conditioned lips. I have one in my car and my handbag and it's perfect - and it lasts for ages so it's actually worth the money! Plus it's in a functional neutral white casing with minimal writing on, so men wont be embarrassed to use it in case they look like they're applying a lipstick!! :-) Definately one of my favourite everyday lip balms.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Avon - Nail and Cuticle Balm
LilLexy100 4/27/2012 7:06:00 AM
This comes in a handy little tin and like previous reviewers have said is very portable. I've used this cuticle balm for years (about 10!) - it used to be in a different little tiny plastic tub, but the formula seems to have remained. I HATE using cuticle oils, I just don't like the texture but my cuticles can get soooo dry. I really do like this balm, the good points - it's thick, waxy and smells fine and you only need a tiny amount and it's the only balm that sorts out my cuticles (I've tried a lot! and they're either too greasy, too thin or not moisurising enough). You do have to keep using it daily, it's not a miracle moisturiser, but it's still worth the money - at about £4 in the UK (and often on special offer in the Avon catalogue) it's worth it. Plus a small tub lasts for months even if used daily! The bad points - it takes ages to sink in, if you're at a laptop/PC at work all day, then you have to wait a good 10 minutes unless you want your keyboard and mouse covered in a waxy residue. But I can live with that, I just have a little tea break :-)
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Treatments -Soap and Glory - Dr Spot Invisible Spot Fighting Gel
LilLexy100 2/29/2012 3:50:00 PM
Hmmm mixed feelings about Dr Spot but I've said 'yes' to buying this again. The good things - it really does the job. I, like most people get the occasional killer spot and a blob of this clear 'gel' on the spot before you go to bed really does calm it down immensely, and do this for 2 nights as soon as you get home from work and the spot will have almost disappeared. I haven't found a product for an occasional spot that is this good. HOWEVER.... (and this is where it only get the 3 stars) there is no way you could ever apply this under make up! You can only apply this if you're not leaving the house. Remember that kiddies non-toxic water based gloopy glue that you used in nursery and juniors? And you could put it on your fingers and have fun peeling it off? Well the consistency on your skin is exactly like that. Try and put any form of concealer or foundation on top and it will peel the whole lot right off, and that aint sexy! You'll be forever checking your face in the mirror in case you look like the Singing Detective! So 3 stars as it's good at its job, but not one for wearing during the day. Such a shame.
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