Eyeliner -Maybelline - Lineworks Waterproof Liquid EyeLiner in Black 
MewsinProgress 3/17/2008 11:44:00 AM
This eyeliner seemed to be the worst of both worlds to me. All the gloppiness, oversaturation, and difficulties in application I've encountered in the worst liquids.... all the lack of precision in a pencil. I like eyeliner pens... Trucco makes a good one IMO, and even Wet and Wild has a pen that gets the job done (although I'm still not a fan of oversaturated black). This one seemed like a poor man's Wet and Wild except a really crazy poor man who pays more for an even worse product. The felt tip on this releases too much product -- and the slightest pressure makes it release even more. Started out fresh from the package like a brush that's too loaded... the line the tip created was way too thick and actually left big fat droplets along the way. Had to stop... wash my face... and try to scrape off the excess from the tip. Every time I touched the tip against something, it just spilled its guts even more. Finally got it almost dry before it quit shedding blobs of liner. And then it wouldn't come close enough to the lashline without actually being IN the waterline. Huge black mess mixed with natural tears in the eye. Took forever to finally get a clean application, and even then I wasn't impressed. The black was SO saturated black it looked fake and cheap cheap cheap. There was no way to smudge without just ending up with raccoon eyes. I'm throwing this away. I'm generally pretty good with eyeliner pens, but I'm not gifted enough with makeup application to make this work for me (and if I were I'd be using a more professonal product). Took longer than I have patience for and did not like the result.
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Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
MewsinProgress 3/15/2008 6:36:00 PM
No. 1 Holiest Grail EVER. It's this very industrial-looking silver tube, and OH MY GOD. You need a very, very teeny tiny bit and you rub and rub and rub it into your skin..... voila. Your hands are incredibly soft, no dryness, and no greasy touch. It's very, very thick -- thicker than toothpaste and it comes out of the tube like toothpaste. You have to use a small amount and you HAVE TO rub it in until it's gone..... rub any excess on your elbows. It's fantastic for elbows, feet -- but most of all hands that touch paper all day long and get dry, or hands that have been exposed to winter weather and get chapped, or hands that just tend to be a little dry because you wash them all damned day. Your hands actually don't need a brand new application of lotion just because you washed them! Hallelujah! The scent is incredibly light and smells like a salon. One tube of this stuff will last you six months, easily, if you don't try applying it like regular hand lotion. I received this for Christmas from a coworker who always looks fantastic but doesn't really seem caught up on her looks - you know the type? Never talks about beauty products, just is always 100% put together and looks about 10-15 years younger than she is while she puts in killer hours. You'd swear it was all genetics, but you know she has a beauty regimen she must be following. This is wonderful. I've now in turn given it to so many women in my family and close friends and I always end up with new True Believers in L'Occitane. The shops frequently have sample sizes for as little as $5-$10 if you need to try it out first. You'll almost certainly be back for more.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Gillette - Venus Vibrance
MewsinProgress 3/15/2008 4:50:00 PM
Don't anybody stand between me and my Venus Vibrance. So between this, my microdermabrasion tool, electric toothbrushes and vibrating backbrush, I have FAR more vibrating products in my bathroom than I ever thought I'd admit to having. This razor does such a good job. The vibrating feature gives me a much closer shave than my Venuses without the vibrating feature gave me. Smooth like a baby's butt. Smooth like buttah. Smooth like the guy you went out with in high school who pretended like he was yawning in the movie theatre and put his arm around you at the end of the yawn. Well, maybe not THAT smooth -- but close. As with all Venus razors, it's a nice ergonomic shape for your hand and glides into the proper position, following every bump and curve so you're not hacking yourself to pieces, like you do with a disposable or fixed razor. Love the wobbling head that bends according to the shape of the terrain it encounters. There's no nook or cranny that it can't reach, and again the vibrating feature helps out with that.... like an electric toothbrush, it gets more done in a short amount of time, so if you're moving over an area that's hard to reach, you won't have to keep retracing your path so many times. Regular body wash works just fine for me as a shaving gel with this puppy. The Vibrance blades come with a moisturizing strip, which is nice (although I never count on the effectiveness of any of those strips). My only complaint is that replacement blades cost as much as a new razor - although the nice thing is that ANY VENUS BLADE WILL FIT. It might not match in color, but all Venus replacement blades are interchangeable with other Venus replacement blades, so if you see a sale on any of them, stock up, babyyy. You get a lot of shaves out of a Venus razor blade before it goes dull. Well worth the price.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Alberto Vo5 - Kiwi Lime Squeeze Clarifying Shampoo
MewsinProgress 3/15/2008 10:04:00 AM
Every now and then, a girl's got to clarify. I love the effect of silicones on my hair, but they do build up (I have stick straight hair with volume, medium to coarse strands, very thick). My regular shampoo & conditioner (now) don't have any silicones, but my styling products sure do. And every now and again I will use a shampoo with silicones. Silicones.... waxes..... all kinds of things..... can make your hair stop feeling like your hair after a while. This Kiwi Lime Squeeze stuff is great for starting fresh. I use it about twice a month, and it does a great job. I can't believe it's as inexpensive as it is! The conditioner, I'm not such a fan of, but I do love this shampoo for clarifying. I wouldn't use it every day or even every week - but twice a month or so takes care of any buildup for me
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Conditioner -Alberto Vo5 - Kiwi and Lime Squeeze Clarifying Conditioner
MewsinProgress 3/15/2008 2:07:00 AM
I wanted to like this. I've heard so many good things, and I've seen the pictures of women whose hair looks fine who swear by it - women I like. I almost decided not to review it so as not to hurt the feelings of people who get fiercely protective of products they use and recommend this to others. But I decided it wasn't fair not to give the other side of the story. As a Conditioner Only Wash Followed by My Regular (NonSilicone) Conditioner -- There's a lot of buzz about CO (conditioner only) washing. It's supposed to be gentler for your hair and moisturizing and all those good things. But for my thick, straight, medium-to-coarse hair, it just doesn't do the job. I wind up looking like I need to wash my hair and it just doesn't feel right. I've tried it. God knows I've tried. I do use silicone hair products when I blow dry (which is just once a week at most), and I use Pantene Restoratives (which contains a lot of silicone) on occasion when I'm out of Regis Cashmere, but when I tried to use this for CO washing there was not a single silicone in my hair. Hadn't used Restoratives in ages... I'd clarified the last time I washed before this....and I used a nonsilicone conditioner (the Cashmere) after I used this and then let the whole thing air dry. And it still just doesn't get my hair clean. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and oh boy I rinsed, so it actually wasn't as greasy as I expected it to be, but it wasn't shiny and clean and healthy looking. And it just felt kinda dirty. As a Conditioner after my Regular Shampoo -- I rewashed with my regular shampoo. And then tried using it as a conditioner instead of my regular conditioner. No go there either. Didn't provide any slip.... left my hair feeling tangly..... I air dried again and my hair just isn't my hair. I ended up popping back in the shower and applying my regular conditioner again. Boy I've used a lot of product today. And I can't recommend the V05 Conditioner to anyone with my hair type (Thick, med-coarse, straight). It's getting RAVES from so many others, but I haven't seen any with my hair type, so I'm thinking that's the discrepancy. (The same line's clarifying shampoo, on the other hand, works really well for periodic preventative maintenance against silicone buildup from using styling products)
4 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -ARTec - Color Depositing Shampoo [DISCONTINUED]
MewsinProgress 3/11/2008 4:53:00 PM
ARTec White Violet shampoo is the only thing that kept me going after a certain coloring disaster several years ago. I was trying to get rid of orangy tones by using box dyes and wound up with a real calico cat mess on my hands. Cost the earth to have corrected -- and the only solution the colorist and I found that was acceptable was to cut it short short and bleach the hell out of it to turn me platinum. I'd always wanted to try a platinum blond, and my hair's ridiculously sturdy. Problem was, my hair turned out the color of a baby duck. Yellow, yellow, yellow. Quack, quack, quack. With a few apricot strands mixed in. All the toners in all the land could not remove the baby duck tones from my head. But ARTec violet shampoo could. Sure, it was only a temporary fix, but it kept me going and I rocked that short platinum cut until all the original hair that had been put through so much was cut away through maintenance cuts. The texture was horrible when you ran your hands through it, and ARTec did nothing to help that -- but it LOOKED shiny and healthy even if it wasn't. Highly recommend. Don't leave it in for a long time, and don't use daily because it'll take on a purple hue -- but you can kind of see when you're getting to that point yourself, and a few shampoos in the normal course of your routine with your regular shampoo take care of that (patience). Better to avoid by just using every 2 or 3 shampoos. And would not recommend unless there's serious brassiness going on. It wouldn't work for serious disasters if it were something to be used for mild situations -- there are plenty of other toners out there for that (and they'll be a more permanent solution). Haven't had need for it in awhile, but I'm thinking of trying again because I'm back to box dyes (using carefully - can't afford a colorist right now) and my hair's doing the old *box dye hint of orangy tone* dance. Will report back. My hair's rugged and healthy enough right now to handle an experiment, and I feel a lot more comfortable experimenting with a color depositing shampoo than playing mad scientist with the dyes, considering the last pickle I found myself in. Only complaint I have is it's so hard to find.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Aveda - Rosemary Mint Conditioner
MewsinProgress 3/11/2008 12:28:00 AM
The type of conditioner I feel like just throwing against the wall. I was unimpressed with this conditioner when I first tried it about 10 years ago and I'm unimpressed with it today. More than unimpressed. Scornful of. I heard Aveda had been sold in the interim and I needed to try all their product lines as the formulation has changed. I would never have bought this, but I was staying at a resort and this was in the bathroom, so I gave it a whirl. Like the mint smell. Don't mind the rosemary. Hate the result. Did nothing to condition, detangle, moisturize.... I might as well be using no conditioner at all. Pointless. Wait, I take it back. It did have an effect -- it left my hair GUMMY. Nice. I wouldn't recommend this if it were $4 a bottle. Let alone Aveda prices.
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Shampoo -Aveda - Rosemary Mint Shampoo
MewsinProgress 3/11/2008 12:25:00 AM
I was unimpressed with this shampoo when I first tried it about 10 years ago and I'm unimpressed with it today. I heard Aveda had been sold in the interim and I needed to try all their product lines as the formulation has changed. I would never have bought this, but I was staying at a resort and this was in the bathroom, so I gave it a whirl. Like the mint smell. Don't mind the rosemary. Hate the result. I might as well be using Suave. My hair felt dry afterwards and was really, really unmanageable. Lathered to a medium lather - needed the entire travel bottle provided. I wouldn't recommend this if it were $4 a bottle. Let alone Aveda prices.
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Concealers -Smashbox - I Prime under eye primer and concealer
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 11:21:00 PM
It's ok, but it's not a Holy Grail. Great packaging (awesome compact), but I wish I liked what was in it a little bit more. I didn't find it to be dry as others have said at all -- either I got a different *batch,* or something about the way I store it keeps it from drying out, or maybe they've changed the formula slightly -- but if that's the case, they overcompensated. I like the two-toned approach and it does an okayyyyyyy job, but surely there's something out there that gives this kind of coverage (or better) without staying gooey all day. Powder could get rid of the gooey factor but then you've got the lovely look of crypt keeper, as the concealer sinks into your creases and the powder enhances and showcases. NICE! If you don't use powder, again, it's okayyyyyyy. I don't mind the brush they provide for application -- I use a different makeup brush anyway, and it's a cute little thing tucked in there like that in case I can't find my *real* brush. And I love the compact aspect enough to mention it again. 3 lippies. That's all you get on this product, Smashbox. You wouldn't even have that many if you weren't on sale for half price with no shipping right now, giving me a warm fuzzy glow for you.
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Fragrances -Calgon - Morning Glory
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 10:08:00 PM
This is a perfectly fine, inoffensive body spray if you want a cheap little drugstore body spray. Not a thing wrong with it although there's not a thing special about it. So why the four lippies? Because wait... there's more.... and I love, love, love products that are multi-taskers. It's a FABRIC REFRESHER if you've had to be hangin' out with some smoky people or if you just want to perk your clothes up with a nice little scent. Plays nicely with any other clean fragrance you might be wearing. It's an AIR FRESHENER! Oh yeah! I said Air Freshener! An only-slightly-more expensive-than-Febreeze Air Freshener with the nice twist of smelling like powder and shampoo! I picked this up in a Walgreens a few years ago because I was in a hurry, there was this nice clean fragrance in the air as I was picking up some toothpaste, and I tracked down what the smell was -- the morning glory body mist. Since someone had been smoking in my car (grrr) that morning, I thought it might help chase the smoke away if I sprayed it around the upholstery while I drove around with windows open. It worked! It makes everything (including you) smell like just-shampooed-two-minutes-ago hair, and I declare that a good thing. Blends nicely with "real" perfume worn on your body when you use this stuff as a fabric freshener. I keep it in the car at all times. For me, it's like rating tap water. Extraordinarily special? No. Indispensable? Yes.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Paloma Picasso - Paloma Picasso
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 9:47:00 PM
Spicy floral that, in the end, is just too much of itself. I loved this perfume (especially in the body cream form) to death until my boyfriend admitted to me that he hated it and asked me please not to wear it around him anymore. I think it's the mix in the chypre.... there's a very VERY sharp note rising from a warm, spicy, otherwise comforting blend. And with so many fragrances, the warmer and more hydrated your skin, the more the scent lingers and lingers and lingers. Fine if the other people around you like the scent. Not so much if they barely tolerate it. The other big problem with this is the packaging. It falls apart if you look at it hard. I can't believe they still haven't fixed this as it's been a problem ever since it came out. I still love smelling this fragrance on others in small quantities, but would never wear it again... anything that provokes that strong of a reaction isn't something I want to have on my body. But I'm a wimp like that. I like *clean* fragrances. Might think of going light on the application though - it doesn't really fade after dry down.
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous mascara
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 9:28:00 PM
I always go back to this one. This is what *Great Lash* SHOULD be - the one featured in magazines as a good, dependable mascara that doesn't do anything fancy. Never met a mascara yet that was worth five lippies and this isn't either IMO, but it's close. It doesn't clump if you keep your wand nice and clean and don't go overboard with coats, it provides nice volume and a little lengthening, it flakes off far less than other mascaras.... plus you can play with the wandy thingy. The brush is a nice size: not too big, not too wee, a nice shape; and you can bend it where it meets the wand if you prefer applying it that direction -- like you'd approach your eye with an eyelash curler. Basically, it gives you a pretty eye. When I want a huge dramatic difference, I go to Lash Blast or Maybelleine Xtreme XXL, but the tradeoff with that is they tend to flake and clump if you're not careful and you have to keep checking your makeup (since so much of your lash becomes *product* rather than actual enhanced lash). Voluminous stays put better, and this is one the gorgeous, gorgeous guy who worked as a makeup artist for Smashbox used when he was giving me a demonstration of Smashbox products.... the only product he recommended I keep in my makeup bag. You'd have to see this guy to know how much his approval meant. I'll always keep a tube handy. It's nice to come home to after I've played the field with other mascaras. And it's one of the few mascaras that I think works in brown/black and brownier shades in addition to black.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 10:46:00 AM
Bad mascara. A makeup artist at the Smashbox counter said he thinks the only reason so many makeup artists use it is because it's cheap and there's no really GOOD department store mascara. So they just assume all drugstore products are created equal. With Great Lash, you get the joys of smudges and flakes without even really doing anything exceptional to your lashes. The guy I talked to uses Voluminous on his clients, and while that's no longer my HG, it sure as darn tootin' is better than Great Lash.
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Styling Products -Garnier - Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty - Strong
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 8:50:00 AM
[THIS IS THE NEW NAME FOR GARNIER FRUCTIS STYLE SOFT CREAM CURL CREAM - STRONG. SEE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM] Well, this was something I never thought I would need. I have no curls - just thick straight hair in a short haircut that sometimes doesn't want to cooperate. I was on vacation, and none of my hair products with me would tame it.... I wanted a piece to stay back that wouldn't stay back... and when I actually got tempted to try Vaseline, I knew I needed to make a trip to the drugstore for quick fix. Nothing looked appropriate. Nothing was named right. No *Hair Sticker In Placer.* (Gels seemed too wimpy.) But this packaging was a nice sturdy round tub, it was that industrial-looking Garnier Green, I'd heard good things about Fructis, it was labeled *Strong* even though *Soft* was also in the title, and it was on sale for $3. (Walgreens) I figured if it holds curls, maybe it holds straight hair, too. Know what? It does. It's this thick green gloppy goo -- looks exactly like *Goop* (a grossout toy popular a few years ago). [Update: I hear the new stuff is White -- they left out the dyes when they did the update] I stuck my fingers in the tub and pulled out a teeny bit and stuck it on the piece I wanted behind MY EAR damn it! And the piece stayed behind my ear. Oooooooh! So then I took an even teenier bit and stuck it on the bang that wasn't playing nicely with the other bangs. And it was good. I took what was left on my fingertips, ran it over my palms, and smoothed down the back of my hair, which was puffing out. And Lo, the puffiness smooshed down obediently. Satisfying! Instantaneous! This is a powerful weapon of control. I shall save it for extreme obedience training when my hair is particularly unruly. But I shall never be without it. I had no negative effects -- wasn't stiff or crunchy, didn't make my hair look greasy -- but the amount I used really was miniscule. And it was enough. It's thick and goopy for sure..... not really a cream or a lotion, but again -- like Goop (I don't know if you ever played with Goop as a kid). More structure than a cream, which is why I only used like a teeny bit. And when it's cold it could be considered fiber-like for sure. But when it's warmed up (either because you have a really warm bathroom like me or if you've warmed it up in your palms) it gets a little less stiff. The end. [NOTE: This was named Garnier Fructis Style Soft Curl Cream, Strong when I found it. Although I think I just found old product on the shelves, which is why I can still find it at a few Walgreens, they seem to have just given this a new name to market it to more than just curly girls. The new name is Garnier Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty, Strong. Left the old review so people on the hunt for this product can find it, but repeating here under the new name.] The old product and its ingredients: Dark Green cap, green goo inside. Aqua Water , Propylene Glycol , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , PEG-100 Stearate , Glycerl Stearate , Dimethicone , Yellow 5 CI 19140 , Blue 1 CI 42090 , Sodium Methylparaben , Hydroxypropyl Guar , PEG-150 , Pentaerthrityl Tetrastearate , PEG-90M , PEG-192 Apricot Kernel Glycerides , PEG-70 Mango Glycerides , Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride Limonene , Linalool , Citrus Limonium Lemon Extract , Hexyl Cinnamal , Amyl Cinnamal , Parfum Fragrance. The new product ( Garnier Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty, Strong) and its ingredients: (Red cap, white goo inside) Water Aqua , Propylene Glycol , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , PEG-100 Stearate , Glyceryl Stearate , Dimethicone , PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate , Fragrance Parfum , Sodium Methylparaben , Hydroxypropyl Guar , PEG-90M , Limonene , Hexyl Cinnamal , Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride , Linalool , PEG-192 Apricot Kernel Glycerides , PEG-70 Mango Glycerides , Amyl Cinnamal , Lemon Fruit Extract Citrus Limonum A couple minor ingredients have been switched around, but it looks to be otherwise identical.
13 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Garnier - Fructis Soft Curl Cream - Strong
MewsinProgress 3/10/2008 12:22:00 AM
[READ THE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM. THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN RENAMED -- Garnier Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty, Strong -- YOU STILL MAY BE ABLE TO FIND THE OLD NAME AT SOME DRUGSTORES, BUT FOR REPLENISHING, TAKE NOTE OF THE NEW NAME] Well, this was something I never thought I would need. I have no curls - just thick straight hair in a short haircut that sometimes doesn't want to cooperate. I was on vacation, and none of my hair products with me would tame it.... I wanted a piece to stay back that wouldn't stay back... and when I actually got tempted to try Vaseline, I knew I needed to make a trip to the drugstore for quick fix. Nothing looked appropriate. Nothing was named right. No *Hair Sticker In Placer.* (Gels seemed too wimpy.) But this packaging was a nice sturdy round tub, it was that industrial-looking Garnier Green, I'd heard good things about Fructis, it was labeled *Strong* even though *Soft* was also in the title, and it was on sale for $3. (Walgreens) I figured if it holds curls, maybe it holds straight hair, too. Know what? It does. It's this thick green gloppy goo -- looks exactly like *Goop* (a grossout toy popular a few years ago). I stuck my fingers in the tub and pulled out a teeny bit and stuck it on the piece I wanted behind MY EAR damn it! And the piece stayed behind my ear. Oooooooh! So then I took an even teenier bit and stuck it on the bang that wasn't playing nicely with the other bangs. And it was good. I took what was left on my fingertips, ran it over my palms, and smoothed down the back of my hair, which was puffing out. And Lo, the puffiness smooshed down obediently. Satisfying! Instantaneous! This is a powerful weapon of control. I shall save it for extreme obedience training when my hair is particularly unruly. But I shall never be without it. I had no negative effects -- wasn't stiff or crunchy, didn't make my hair look greasy -- but the amount I used really was miniscule. And it was enough. It's thick and goopy for sure..... not really a cream or a lotion, but again -- like Goop (I don't know if you ever played with Goop as a kid). More structure than a cream, which is why I only used like a teeny bit. And when it's cold it could be considered fiber-like for sure. But when it's warmed up (either because you have a really warm bathroom like me or if you've warmed it up in your palms) it gets a little less stiff. The end. [UPDATE: Although I think I just found old product on the shelves, which is why I can still find it at a few Walgreens, they seem to have just given this a new name to market it to more than just curly girls. The new name is Garnier Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty, Strong. Leaving this review here so people on the hunt for this product can find it, but I'll repeat under the new name.] The old product and its ingredients: (Dark green cap, green goo inside) Aqua Water , Propylene Glycol , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , PEG-100 Stearate , Glycerl Stearate , Dimethicone , Yellow 5 CI 19140 , Blue 1 CI 42090 , Sodium Methylparaben , Hydroxypropyl Guar , PEG-150 , Pentaerthrityl Tetrastearate , PEG-90M , PEG-192 Apricot Kernel Glycerides , PEG-70 Mango Glycerides , Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride Limonene , Linalool , Citrus Limonium Lemon Extract , Hexyl Cinnamal , Amyl Cinnamal , Parfum Fragrance. The new product ( Garnier Fructis Style Play Style Reshapable Putty, Strong) and its ingredients: (Red cap, white goo inside) Water Aqua , Propylene Glycol , Glycerin , Cetearyl Alcohol , PEG-100 Stearate , Glyceryl Stearate , Dimethicone , PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate , Fragrance Parfum , Sodium Methylparaben , Hydroxypropyl Guar , PEG-90M , Limonene , Hexyl Cinnamal , Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride , Linalool , PEG-192 Apricot Kernel Glycerides , PEG-70 Mango Glycerides , Amyl Cinnamal , Lemon Fruit Extract Citrus Limonum A couple minor ingredients have been switched around, but it looks to be otherwise identical.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No