Shampoo -Klorane - Nourishing Treatment Shampoo with Mango Butter
PinkBeach 9/17/2010 4:53:00 PM
This shampoo is the best thing I've found for my hair in ages. It has one very gentle sulfate (sodium laureth sulfate), no silicones, and no sodium chloride (so it's safe for those of us with BKTs). I have long, fine hair, but tons of it, and it tends toward dryness because I highlight it several times a year. The gentle sulfate helps get my scalp totally clean, but doesn't dry out my strands and the mango butter is really nourishing. If you're in France you can pick up a 13oz bottle in any drugstore for about 5 bucks. Here in the US your best bet is drugstore.com where it is $18 for a 13oz bottle. Not cheap, but not as expensive as Kerastase or Bumble and Bumble or many others. The shampoo leaves my hair totally clean, getting rid of build-up from the silicones in the styling products I use, but never strips it and even adds moisture. I'm in love!! The smell is also to die for! It smells just like a fresh mango! No chemical/synthetic undertones at all. Try it, you won't be disappointed!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Terax - Crema
PinkBeach 9/17/2010 4:45:00 PM
I looove this conditioner! I use it everyday in the shower as a daily conditioner but it can also be used as a deep conditioning treatment. Others have mentioned that it has a funky smell, and while I don't adore the smell, it doesn't bother me in the least, and I am uber-sensitive to scents. I can't tell you the number of products I've tried and been unable to use because of lingering fragrance that gave me migraines. Anyway, Crema has an odd scent but it doesn't linger and the more I use it the more I like it. Now for the conditioning properties. This conditioner will add tons of moisture to your hair but never weigh it down. It has no silicones to build up or to give your hair slip, so for those of you used to silicone conditioners, your hair may not feel as silky as with silicones, but with continued use your hair will be in the best shape of your life! I'm on my second pump bottle and don't see myself stopping or even feeling the urge to try something else anytime soon. The only negative is the price. It's not cheap by a long shot, but it's totally worth it for me!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -NARS - Laguna
PinkBeach 9/17/2010 4:40:00 PM
This bronzer has been my HG for 5 years! I've repurchased it several times and wear it daily. The color is perfect to add some life to my NW20 skin without looking too dark or dirty, and although there are microscopic shimmer bits in it, it doesn't look glittery or shimmery. It just makes you glow! I apply it with my NARS bronzer brush which I think is a necessity because it could go on too light or too heavy with the wrong brush and not give you the perfect look that you're going for!
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
PinkBeach 9/17/2010 4:37:00 PM
I can't believe it took me this long to find my HG moisturizer, but I finally and DDMG is it!!! I got a sample at Sephora, used it for two weeks, and was sold! I have combination skin. It is dry and will get dried out easily but it also gets greasy in the t-zone very easily when using the wrong products. DDMG moisturizes my skin without leaving me an oil slick. My Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer glides on overtop it like a dream. From time to time I use a heavier moisturizer at night because I don't care about looking shiny while I sleep, but for daytime use this gel is fantastic! I don't mind that it has no SPF because I'd rather use my other SPF products. One pump is more than enough for my entire face, so this huge container will last ages, and it's so cheap at 24 bucks for over 4 ounces!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Frederic Fekkai - Frederic Fekkai Platinum Brightening Shampoo [DISCONTINUED]
PinkBeach 9/17/2010 4:33:00 PM
I'm so sad that this shampoo is discontinued! It was brought back as "Correct" shampoo for a while but that is discontinued now too. This is the best toning shampoo for blonde (and gray) hair that exists. It tones hair back to a gorgeous, non-brassy shade, doesn't strip the hair, and doesn't smell hideous like Shimmer Lights and so many others! And it works 100x better then Aveda Blue Malva (which also doesn't reek, but it doesn't deliver either!) Love it!!!!
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Frownies
PinkBeach 7/8/2010 2:20:00 PM
I am blown away!! I ordered these a while ago and just got around to using them for the first time two nights ago. I'm 27 and have had two wrinkles on my left temple since I was 21. They're the kind you get from raising your brows in surprise or skepticism. I use sunscreen daily, moisturize, tried Retin A, etc, but nothing made a difference. Enter Frownies. After one night of use the wrinkles were 80% gone. They didn't come back during the day or at the end of the day like some other reviewers have mentioned (perhaps because they weren't super deep to begin with). Last night I used another Frownie on the same spot and as of this morning my forehead is 100% smooth. You wouldn't have a clue that I had ever had wrinkles there... for six years no less! Application is simple, as is removal, and I see no reason not to continue using them. I may even try to scale back and see what results I get with use every other night. But even if I need to use them nightly, I will! Thank you, Frownies!!!!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Redken - Blonde Glam Pure Pearl [DISCONTINUED]
PinkBeach 1/22/2010 2:09:00 PM
I can't believe this stuff is discontinued! It's fantastic! This product is a conditioning toner treatment that can be applied even to my fine roots without weighing them down. It doesn't tone dramatically but over time it brightens my blonde exceptionally well without harshly drying out my locks!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Aveda - Blue Malva Shampoo & Conditioner
PinkBeach 1/22/2010 2:05:00 PM
This shampoo is so drying, and no wonder, it has ALS in it! That is a really harsh sulfate... and Aveda markets itself as natural and gentle!! The shampoo was much more drying than other toning shampoos I've used in the past. It dried out my ends and lengths like crazy and the matching conditioner is nowhere near moisturizing enough to rectify the damage. In fact, the conditioner left my roots looking lank and greasy and my lengths and ends dry and poofy. I generally don't condition my roots since I have fine hair, but when using toning products I want to have even results and so I apply all over. But this stuff is terrible. I haven't had this bad of a hair day in ages! Two toning products that I love are Redken Blonde Glam Pure Pearl and the discontinued Frederic Fekkai Correct shampoo (previously called Polished Platinum shampoo). Both are far and away better products than this Aveda stuff.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Matrix - Biolage - Color Care Shampoo
PinkBeach 12/21/2009 9:09:00 PM
I bought this shampoo yesterday and plan to return it to the salon tomorrow. Unfortunately it dried out the lengths and ends of my hair really badly, and seemed to dull my highlights instead of protect them. My hair looked darker because of just one wash. It did clean my scalp really well, which is a feat because it tends to get oily, but it was just too harsh. It has SLS and I should have known better but I got suckered in by good reviews! My scalp felt super clean in the shower but as the day went on it was itchy, and by this morning my scalp was just about as oily as usual. The one great thing about this shampoo is the smell. It is divine, not overpowering, and lingers gently all day. To me it smells identical to the Fekkai shea products, like Creme Luxueuse.
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Cleansers -Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 11:08:00 PM
This cleanser is nothing special. It's cheap, and it didn't irritate my sensitive skin, but it didn't feel like it cleansed very well either, and I had more occasional breakouts than usual. I prefer Bliss Clog-Dissolving Cleansing Milk which never breaks me out. EDIT: This just went from 2 to 5 stars for me! I disliked it on my old routine, but now that I'm using Retin A (for anti-aging) I adore it. It cleans without irritation and my skin does feel totally clean without getting any more dried out. Love!!!!
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Concealers -Yves Saint Laurent - Anti-Cernes Multi Action Concealer #1
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 11:00:00 PM
Everyone raves about how this concealer is great for the undereye, but on me it was dry and settled into my fine lines, and was just very obvious. Maybe this is because I apply it with a concealer brush instead of my fingers, which might warm it some, but I'd rather use a brush so this concealer just isn't for me!
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Concealers -Prada - Reviving Concealer for Eyes in Light
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 10:55:00 PM
This is a great undereye concealer! A little goes a loooong way so be careful not to squeeze out too much as you can't put it back in the tube! I have very fine lines under my eyes and some darkness that shows through my fair skin, and this concealer covers the darkness without settling in the lines, without caking up, and without drying out my undereye area or flaking. It's so great! It makes me look refreshed. I love it! Before this I used YSL Anti-Cernes and it was always obvious that I was wearing under-eye concealer because it would go on kind of dry and settle in my fine lines, exaggerating them. Everyone seems to love that one, but for me Prada's is way better! As far as packaging for the Prada goes, I'd prefer a small glass pot that I could dip into with a concealer brush, but the tube is ok too... I just need to cut it open near the end to get every last drop out since the stuff isn't cheap!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tinted Moisturizer -Kiehls - tinted moisturizer [DISCONTINUED]
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 10:45:00 PM
Eew. This gave me whiteheads on my chin and cheeks within 3 days, and my cheeks are usually dry! Plus it's way heavier than a TM should be, and tends to oxidize too. I returned it and found Laura Mercier's TM instead and that one is a thousand times better!
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 10:42:00 PM
This is the best eyeshadow primer out there! I've used it daily for years and can't imagine being without it! It creates a smooth canvas for eyeshadow, but most importantly, it keeps eyeshadow in place, all day long! The packaging kind of sucks, but if you remove the stopper once you get to the point where it seems like you're not getting much out anymore, you'll realize that about 60% of the product is still there in the tube! I bought this for each of my three sisters for Christmas several years ago and they're all loyal fans of it now too and wouldn't find themselves without it either!
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Shampoo -Kerastase - Bain Chroma Riche
PinkBeach 12/19/2009 10:36:00 PM
I have lots of fine hair that I highlight about 3 times a year. I suffer from some breakage and have a slightly oily scalp but pretty dry ends. Chroma Riche, although intended for dry, sensitized, highlighted hair, just like mine, is just too heavy for my fine hair. After one wash it looked a little limp and stringy, especially at the roots, and after the second use the heaviness was even more pronounced. Some people love this stuff, but be careful if your roots tend toward oiliness or if you have fine hair!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No