Conditioner -TiGi - Catwalk Honey & Oatmeal conditioner [DISCONTINUED]
Necrobella 8/30/2012 2:04:00 PM
The best thing about this conditioner by far is the smell, (Bath & Body Works, three words for you: Oatmeal, Honey, Sandalwood. You’re welcome.) and sweet little baby Cthulhu, that fragrance is intoxicating! It doesn’t appear to linger in my hair once it’s dry but then, if I’ve had my hair up in a chignon or have braided it and happen to take it down… BLAM! Nag Champa burning and cookies baking in the oven. The conditioner felt quite luxurious the first few times I used it, but honestly after that I think it started to dry out my hair with continued use. Odd. Also, take note, the honey does give it a slight peroxide effect and it won’t do any favors for dyed hair. If you are trying to lift a pesky dye job gone wrong you may want to try it though. Apparently it’s discontinued but I still see it here and there. I bought an 8 oz. bottle at Target.
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Treatments -Matrix - Biolage - Fortifying Leave-In Treatment
Necrobella 7/24/2012 3:47:00 PM
I love this product and I've been using it for years. Pretty much every time I wash my hair. I have waist length wavy over-dyed, blown out and stressed out hair and this seems to knock out whatever tangles may be left behind by my shampoo and conditioner. It helps immensely with that annoying little halo of frizz too. You know the little humidity mullet? I've also been known to spray a little in my dry hair the night before and brush it through if I know for sure that I'm washing my hair the next day and it's feeling a little lack luster for whatever reason, and I've used it to help ease out complicated up-dos and teasing. I count the sprays when I use it on wet hair, because I've found that more than five (side, crown, side, back & length) is too much and makes my hair greasy. It appears that Biolage has done a mysterious brand overhaul recently and reformulated all of their products, so I hope that this one is still good, but I haven't purchased a new bottle in a while because it lasts forever - making it cost effective too!
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Shampoo -Matrix - Sleek.look Shampoo
Necrobella 7/13/2012 1:45:00 PM
My favorite shampoo ever, ever, ever. I had been using this and the matching conditioner for 10+ years at least until they discontinued it last winter. I enjoyed years of having long, shockingly healthy, frizz-free strands despite monthly dying and frequent flat ironing. The product went through several reformulations (I think it was called Smooth and Sleek initially) and the formula always seemed to get better and better... until now. Sadly it has been replaced by Matrix Total Results Sleek which I am afraid to try because when I tried the conditioner it was not unlike what I imagine just putting straight butter in your hair would be like, and gave me a savage and most unfortunate case of back acne. I am so sad for my lost sleek.look.
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Conditioner -Matrix - Sleek.look conditioner
Necrobella 7/12/2012 7:57:00 PM
My favorite conditioner ever, ever, ever. Have been using it for 10+ years at least. I enjoyed years of having long, shockingly healthy, frizz-free strands despite monthly dying and frequent flat ironing. The product went through several reformulations (I think it was called Smooth and Sleek initially) and the formula always seemed to get better and better... until now. Sadly it has been replaced by Matrix Total Results Sleek which when I tried it was not unlike what I imagine just putting straight butter in your hair would be like, and gave me a savage and most unfortunate case of back acne. I am so sad for my lost sleek.look.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Fumerie Turque
Necrobella 7/12/2012 7:37:00 PM
I think Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque is simply superb, and I consider it one of my most precious fragrances. Let me state for the record, I am female and I happily wear this masculine scent. I especially enjoy it in warmer months, outdoors and at the beach where the scent can truly blossom. This one takes time to develop so don’t be off put by the initial blast of tar pit if it discourages you. I was looking for a smoky oriental gourmand scent (as always) and a very helpful SA kept trying to get me to try FT and I kept thinking “ugh, why does he want me to try that gross smelling stuff?” but he insisted and 30 minutes in it mellowed into an intimidating yet sultry tobacco, leather, jasmine, vanilla and rose… the most beautiful rose. Clever SA, turns out he was spot on with what I wanted. This perfume conjures so many images for me I can’t narrow it down to just one: the scent of vintage black velvet, a swarthy young man wearing an old leather coat breaking down his drum kit at three in the morning at a club after a show in 1997 (I married him, BTW), and if the cult classic "Vampyros Lesbos" directed by Jess Franco had a scent, this would be it. The movie was filmed in Turkey after all. I also loved the old Luckyscent description about nibbling on Turkish Delight in a leather paneled room (or it was something like that). Excellent sillage and lasting power which I find is typical of Lutens, the scent of FT practically drips from your skin in Summer and lingers provocatively in Winter.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Vitriol d'oeillet
Necrobella 6/12/2012 6:08:00 PM
Carnation with bite. I’m not a fan of floral perfumes so this isn’t my favorite, although I greatly respect how unusual a scent it is. The clove is my favorite part about it. It’s not a clove cigarette clove, but more of a clove simmering in a caldron over an open fire in a dark coniferous forest clove combined with pungent lillies. I was wearing this whilst I went to see the movie “Prometheus” recently and now the scent permanently makes me think of aliens. In fact I think xenomorphs must smell a little like this perfume. (I don’t mean that in a bad way.) I did layer it with Datura noir and Five o'clock au gingembre once. (Honestly, what posessed me to do that?) I must say the result was positively mesmerizing, although a bit toxic. Sadly, alone it seems to not have the longevity that I am accustomed to with Serge Lutens and to be just a tad lackluster. Notes from www.luckyscent.com: clove, carnation, wallflower, lily, ylang-ylang
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Datura Noir
Necrobella 6/12/2012 4:02:00 PM
I’m not fond of floral or white flower based perfumes. I generally much prefer the scent of ancient rituals, smoke curls from burning resin, and other fragrances evocative of odalisques languishing on brocade cushions or shadowy cathedrals, tempered with a little vanilla or something warm and gourmand. Burning incense and baking cakes. That said, I think Serge Lutens’ Datura noir is lovely, and I’m beginning to wonder if any Serge Lutens perfume can truly be bad. I would classify Datura noir as a gothic floral and if I were going to wear one for any reason, this would be it. I think perhaps the hint of myrrh makes it more pleasing to me, and in that regard it reminds me a little of a floral version of Annick Goutal’s Myrrhe Ardente. It seems beautifully blended, and my inexperienced nose doesn’t detect any one particular scent from the dry down aside from an overall hint of myrrh and white flowers. To me, the fragrance is very reminiscent of the classic old floral oriental perfumes in their vintage bottles that I have of my grandmother’s, which I treasure and sneak a whiff from every now and then. Haunting and ever so slightly poisonous, Datura noir may put you under it's spell. Personally, I will not be buying a full bottle, but I intend to keep a decant on hand. I think it would be lovely for a romantic dinner or a fancy brunch. It is a scent for a sophisticated woman in stockings and heels and perfectly applied lipstick, who may have spent a night or two once in a faraway seraglio, unbeknownst to her handsome dinner companion. Notes from www.luckyscent.com: myrrh, bitter almond, tonka bean, musk, osmanthus, heliotrope, mandarin, lemon blossom, tuberose, vanilla, coconut, apricot
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant
Necrobella 4/28/2011 5:43:00 PM
Best. Natural. Neutral. Black. Hair. Dye. Ever. I ought to know, I've been dying my hair black for 23 years. It's my "natural" color. Yes, it is a pain to rinse out. You will rinse and rinse and then you will rinse some more. But the result is shiny, Scheherazade worthy, molten darkness. Tints of Nature may smell like blueberry croissants when you are putting it in your hair, and in my humble opinion the color is prettier - at first, but the black that Naturtint "settles" into is far more rewarding. Plus, Tints of Nature seems like it fades and fades and fades some more, every time you shower. Fade factor for Naturtint is comparable to standard drug store packaged permanent hair dyes, which in other words, is better than natural permanent dyes tend to be. Technically I haven't tried Organic Color Systems so I can't speak to that. Make sure you USE the shampoo and conditioner that comes in the package. This is an important step in the process since this dye does not have ammonia. The conditioner takes my hair from snarled straw to slinky silk too. Always remember that no hair dye is truly "natural" or truly "safe", and follow the directions! Dear, but you get what you pay for. I think when Peter Steele sang about "Black No. 1" he was referring to this dye.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No