Treatments -Dermalogica - Gentle Cream Exfoliant
Tricho 6/27/2011 4:09:00 PM
I saw this on Lisa Elridges youtube channel and she raved about it so much, I have the same skintype as her so I thought it would be great, the odd zit and a bit of pore clogging... I'm not really sensitive normally but unfortunately this product proved to be a disaster for my skin. I tried it twice - the first time it made my skin red, itchy, dry, blotchy and then flaky... Ok I thought, maybe I left it on for too long, or maybe it was another new product I bought... but alas, it's this. Lisa Eldridge was right when she said it gives you a "new face" but this wasn't quite what I had in mind. My skin right now is slathered in comfort on call by clinique and is blotchy, itchy, red and pretty pissed off. I'm realy sad because not only did this mask cost me a pretty penny but it is a great idea and comes in a very practical bottle. Oh well, I would really like to know what is in this bottle that is causing this nasty reaction, shame I can't at least learn that!! :-/
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - Naked Palette
Tricho 6/12/2011 7:11:00 PM
There isn't much I can say about this that hasn't already been said but some of the main points I would like to make in my no messing about review are: - I previously have never had any luck with UD shadows, book of shadows didn't work for me, this palette is a very loved and used addition to my collection. - I seriously didn't get the hype to start with, I was very "whatever" about it. It was only when my BB shimmering nudes palette started to become a bit dull after 3 years of service that I bought this on a whim. - The palette is immensely versatile, you can go from bronzed eyes to nude daytime eyes to dramatic evening. It covers everything except brights. - The colours never crease on me, they last all day, look perfect and I don't wear primer. - Packaging is great!! you also get a brush with it which is good quality, generally the price is rock bottom when you consider how much you're getting here. I use my palette for weekends, work, going out and summery looks. It's great... if there was one palette I could have, it would be this one, and I think that is why it's been so popular, the sheer number of things this one item covers is pretty good - you can go from bride to goth if you so wish!!! If you're doubting or unsure of the palette try it out, I honestly didn't get the hype at all, I thought it was ridiculous, but there is no denying this palette is one of the best makeup products you can buy.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Yves Saint Laurent - Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils
Tricho 5/28/2011 5:45:00 AM
For about 18 years I've pulled my eyelashes out and with a lot of therapy I've finally managed to grow them back again. I feel like I've got some catching up to do in the world of mascaras and this is the first one that I went for - Faux Cils has a brilliant reputation and with over 1,000 reviews and a rating of 4/5 I had to see what all the fuss was about. This mascara is not cheap at all, but then with the amazing gold packaging, great reputation and being a designer brand, that was fair enough. I paid about £21 for it or thereabouts. I purchased it in black. I have to say that when I first tried the mascara I was impressed, very impressed, I compared to to Bourjois Volume Glamour, it gave so much more ooomph, it gives length AND volume in one and it's lovely and creamy, when you pull the wand out you don't get loads of excess either which is great. I purchased this mascara 2 months ago and since purchasing I have to say that like a lot of people my feelings towards it have changed. Unfortunately, faux cils has become somewhat less of a wonder mascara and a lot more of a clumpy...not mess... but just not wow anymore. When I apply it I tend to get sort of beads or tiny clumps of mascara sticking on my lashes - especially at the ends, it appears that it's started to dry out and to be honest, reality has sort of kicked in. I'm not feeling forgiving towards this mascara anymore, I'm feeling like designer or not, great rep or not... I paid over £20 for this and well... I expect at the very least 3 months worth of usage from it in the same condition it was in when I purchased it. I very much did read the instructions and made sure it was closed tightly. It's still useable but in all honesty my preference is going towards my other mascaras now - and none of them are designer brands (mostly bourjois who does excellent mascaras). It's sad really... it seems to work well for a lot of people but not for me. I wish it came in tiny bottles so i could buy them for nights out or travelling or something...that might ease the pain. My advice is that if you buy this mascara, don't save it for special occasions like I did and only use it once a week - use it as much as possible, it's clear it has a shelf life and that once you let air in it starts to dry the formula out so just use it up! For the money you need to get as much as you can out of it. I don't regret trying it, but it's not a rebuy i'm afraid.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Boots - No.7 Lash 360
Tricho 5/19/2011 2:06:00 PM
I've given this a 4 but it's a 4 ONLY on the proviso that you want a natural effect because if you don't then don't bother with this. I was generally under the impression that no.7 mascaras were rubbish and I only ever tried this because I got it free as part of a gift. The wand is weird, it's got strange gaps in it but oddly it works really well. The things I like about this mascara 1. It gives a beautiful natural definition 2. No clumps 3. No smudging or running 4. It makes lashes feel feather soft rather than stiff. 5. Boots regularly does vouchers for £5 off no.7 so you could get this dirt cheap. I think for a nice work look this mascara would be great, it doesn't feel heavy or anything but I don't really notice a ton of volume or a ton of length so whatever claims it makes... ummm, not really. As a point of reference this mascara is rated well on the cosmetic cop website too. I would say try this in place of clinique naturally glossy!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - EXTRA VIRGIN Coconut Oil (All brands)
Tricho 5/7/2011 10:12:00 AM
You can buy small tubs of this stuff at Superdrug for cosmetic use, they are about £2.99 - I use them on my hair and on my legs, not on my face due to some of the warnings on here and because of the fact my skin gets clogged easily. If you buy this from Superdrug then whatever you do don't eat it, it's got added fragrance. I use far pricier stuff to cook with and make sure it's as unrefined as possible and organic if possible. I don't like using that for cosmetic purposes because when I can get it cheaper then I feel it's a waste. This stuff does a brilliant job, forget your expensive body lotions, forget moroccan oil - this stuff can do both of those jobs for you. I put it in my hair overnight then wash it out the next day, it helps it stay in good condition and smells lovely. For body this is an intensive moisturiser. For a food product it's a healthy oil to cook with and it doesn't go rancid like olive oil does at high temperatures. If you like lean eating use coconut oil to cook with. I recommend this to everyone, wonderful and very versatile!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Bourjois - Volume Glamour Mascara
Tricho 5/3/2011 10:28:00 AM
This is a fabulous mascara, there are numerous versions of Volume Glamour, I have ultra black (I don't notice it being any blacker than normal tbh) but there's also a curling one, an ultra care one and the standard one. I've owned the standard one and ultra black, both of them are brilliant and the others get great reviews. I hope Bourjois never stop selling this mascara, it's great for day time and for evening wear, it's not heavy, it doesn't clump, it doesn't make your lashes hard and crispy, it doesn't flake and on me it doesn't smudge too badly either - around 16 hours after application I might get smudging but that's nothing to complain about for me. My lashes are medium length and to be honest quite sparse from years of pulling them out due to trichotillomania, I find that this mascara does a great job of making them look longer, thicker and blacker without irritating my eyes. I guess one gripe I'd have is that the tube entrance is fairly wide and doesn't scrape the brush off so you're left with a blob of mascara at the end of the brush most of the time - very annoying but if you just scrape it off it's fine, I clean my tube fairly regularly so it doesn't get all goopy. Reasonable price, non irritating, nice looking tube, good for all occasions. You can't go wrong with this. FYI - I also own YSL Faux Cils and whilst i find Faux Cils to give you more oomph, there isn't a huge amount of difference I would say... I save the Faux Cils for special occasions but I would purchase bourjois over YSL purely because of the price factor and that there isn't double the price worth of difference.
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Loose Powders -BeneFit Cosmetics - One Hot Minute
Tricho 5/3/2011 8:25:00 AM
I suddenly decided that I had to have this product, I find this often happens with benefit, I know in my heart of hearts that their products are gimmicks but sometimes even that isn't enough to stop me. I purchased it on a whim. I am pale and quite sallow with dark hair and hazel eyes just for reference. Ok so one hot minute comes in a pretty bronze screw top tin, it has a brush included within the tin that sits on to of a plastic insert, just a word of warning, if you've just bought this, KEEP the plastic insert otherwise it will make a huge mess! I find the brush which is a small plastic fan brush is not that good, it's ok in a pinch, but i don't find it easy to blend with. The product itself is a loose powder and it's dispensed via a sifter, I'm very much not a fan of this technique, I find it messy and time consuming to get just the right amount and not spill it everywhere etc etc. I sort of think for a product called "one hot minute" it should be travel friendly and easy to apply right? The powder is a soft rose goldy colour, it's very very subtle and it's lovely for pale people, I like to apply it with a fluffy brush for a soft glowy finish but overall I only rated this a 3. This is partly for the reasons above and also the price, and well, it basically just isn't all that. Don't get me wrong it's not a terrible product, and I can see why it's been rated a 4/5 overall, but in a world full of highlighters, bronzers and things designed to give you a glow, i just found this one too expensive, not portable enough and a bit too time consuming - plus, although the result I get is nice, it is VERY subtle, you have to keep piling it on if you actually want to see a huge difference by which point your skin has got a metallic sheen rather than a glow. I do find that this powder works well as a subtle highlighter/bronzer for pale skin, bet it would look stunning on tanned skin too but it's not really a MUST HAVE product. I sort of thought this would be a go to, an "in a rush" product, a glow in a tin... but then that's what benefit wants you to believe isn't it. You can get far cheaper that gives the same effect, and is pressed to boot so you can tote it around on holiday. I guess as a positive I do like the smell quite a lot, but it's not really a reason to buy it. I will use this up as a highlighter for my face and body in the summer, but will I buy again?? Nope. Would be nice to take this away with me when i go on holiday, but I really would like a pressed, mirror compact. I think if you are planning on buying this, just be aware of what it is, and what it isn't first.
4 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Clinique - Vitamin C Smoothie in Absolute Acai
Tricho 3/12/2011 4:38:00 PM
I can't remember what colour I got, I think it was this one. I don't know what posessed me really, it went in the trash in the end. I guess the marketing sounds great, it sounds like it's good for you, and summery. This is really just a very overpriced gloss in a click pen like stilas lip glazes. If you find a colour you love then go for it, but if you're looking for a gloss with something special then look elsewhere, the one thing I did like about this was the tiny numerous sparkles but in all honesty, there are cheaper glosses that do this and you can't really see them unless you look up close in direct light. I wouldn't buy again.
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Lip Gloss -Clinique - Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Bamboo Pink
Tricho 3/12/2011 4:35:00 PM
This was a gift from my very kind sister, she knows I love clinique but unfortunately this is one product I've never ever wanted from them. The colours are lovely and I like that they have SPF but I cannot get past how sticky this gloss is, it's so heavy and sticky I just cannot stand it. I did try it on and it made my lips look like they have a plastic coating, I've never loved the wet look on lips that are anything other than perfect rosebuds and mine are not the perfect shape to pull this kind of intense glossy shine off. I prefer more moisturising and balmy type glosses that look like you have a shine to your lips but they aren't dripping in vinyl. Not only that, but my hair sticks to my lips in the most awful way ever if it's windy and I go out wearing this. ew.
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Brows -Unlisted Brand - Blinc Brow Mousse
Tricho 3/3/2011 3:30:00 PM
I bought this from the blinc website for £18.50 and purchased the colour dark brunette. I know the price is steep for a brow mousse but hang on in there a second.... Ok, so my background is that I have suffered with a condition called trichotillomania for about 18 years of my life now, it started with me pulling my lashes out and spread later on to my eyebrows... as such, they are no longer full or beautiful and are completely sparse and thin... to remedy this I have them tattooed in by a very talented lady who does a great job and it always gets me lovely compliments. However, due to the fact that hair pulling is so destructive, it causes scar tissue to form and the ink never lasts very long under my skin, it stays, but is faint. The reason I keep doing it is because I need to be able to follow the shape that's created for me to pencil them in on top of the tattoo so they look darker. It works a treat. Anyway, with that out of the way, I was very very drawn in by blincs promises with this product, they promise a brow mousse that fills in sparse areas, conditions the skin, doesn't fade, run or smudge and is designed for people with sparse brows. It doesn't sound like your everyday brow mousse at all!! So with this in mind, I bought it outright, I used the guide on the website to choose the colour which is dark but not red, my actual brow hairs are black but this is just fine for my colouring. The product itself has a mascara wand applicator which I was dubious about, very carefully, I applied it and I am over the moon. To use this product a few things need to be noted: - It is buildable, no matter how many coats you apply, it never starts looking cakey (at least not on me) - I must apply about 3 or 4 coats. - Be careful if you get it on your skin where you don't want it because it won't come off if you let it dry, wipe it off pronto! - It doesn't feel crispy on your brows - It makes the most of every single hair, literally all of them! - You have to be careful when you apply it to get it looking just right. - Your brows need to be shaped as identical as possible for the best results otherwise they'll look uneven, with pencil you can get away with it but not as much with this stuff. Basically this stuff is amazing, it makes my brows look incredible, not drawn on, not fake, just amazing. It gives me back my eyebrows!! I still have to pencil in a teeny little bit but hardly at all. It truly doesn't move and I have a job getting it off at night as well!! This stuff to me keeps its promises and I'll purchase it again and again for that reason. Wonderful stuff, I recommend it to anyone with sparse brows like me or someone who wants to darken non existent blonde brows for example. You can't get anything more natural in my view. Star product and i've never seen anything else like it on the market.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Urban Decay - 24/7 Concealer Pencil (all)
Tricho 2/6/2011 1:12:00 PM
Hmmm... I dunno about this one. I'm on the fence, and that's after 3 purchases!! I buy the shade DEA (these run very very pale and I'm never ever anything other than that lightest shade but with this I'm the second darkest!!). The concealer is very creamy and comes in a cute purple pencil with a lid on... I gotta be honest, I don't find it conceals my spots as much as I want it to, it slides right off, I find it looks cakey under my eyes, I find the sharpening a pain, I find it gets used up too quickly... so why have I said yes to buying again?? Well, I guess convenience is a big one with this product, its' great in a pinch, it's fairly thick coverage (although that counts for nothing unless it's acne scars in my case due to the above experiences). I really like the idea, and I don't know exactly what I'd want UD to do to change it so I like it better, I have By Terrys Touche Veloutee and I like it so much more, it's thinner, more liquid yet somehow it sticks and covers better than this stuff does. I know why loads of people love it so much, but for me, I would rather spend the extortionate amount of money on Touch Veloutee than much less on this - because it just doesn't work that well. Le sigh. I'll still keep one in my dirty stop out bag though.
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Eye Primer -BeneFit Cosmetics - Stay Don't Stray
Tricho 2/6/2011 1:03:00 PM
I am so shocked this product has bad reviews, I purchased it under the belief that MUA loved it after seeing good things on the boards. Anyway, my heart sank when I saw the bad reviews of this product, I considered taking it back untouched but what it claimed to offer peaked my curiosity so I went ahead and tried it (nb - in the UK we cannot return cosmetics). The results of me trying this out are I'm happy to say, positive!! I am so glad that I did!! This stuff is a keeper. Basically, I have trichotillomania and as a result, no top eyelashes, I also have under eye circles and find that my makeup smudges around my eyes as the day goes on which is not a pretty look! I have used this for a few days now and it holds up my eyeshadow brilliantly, I'm very pale and this doubles as an all round concealer for me which is amazing!! I pat this on all around my eyes and it stops smudges (mostly but not all), covers discolouration and acts as a wonderful base for eyeshadow and liner! I put a spot of highlighter under my eyes on top of this and I'm good to go!! Star product!! I can see that peoples main issue is the packaging, I adore it, it's space saving, cute and I like the pump bottle (although can't see how much is left!!) - the pump can easily dispense way too much but I find that if I'm just really light when I press it down I get a decent sized blob out that will just cover both eyes and my brow space. I suppose having considered the wider consumer market, I can see why people hate this, but for my particular situation, this is perfect and I hope they never ever stop making it!
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Concealers -By Terry - Touche Veloutee Highlighting Concealer
Tricho 2/6/2011 12:50:00 PM
This is a concealer that comes in a large gold clicker pen with a brush on the end, there are 3 shades and it retails in the UK for around £33 - you don't get a lot of product for your money, I think around 6ml or something like that. As beautiful as the packaging is, I'd like to know when I'm going to run out because it's not really the kind of thing you'd just run to the store and replace like a bottle of milk, this concealer takes a good chunk out of my spending money for the month so I'd like to be able to see how much is in there and when I need to rebuy - lippy off for this. Having said all of this, the concealer really is damn good! I bought the palest one and it does me great. What the packaging lacks, it makes up for in space saving design and luxury appearances - the product itself is silky and liquid yet seems to stick to flaws and not slide off like others (UD 24/7 concealer despite being thick and creamy and "long lasting" slips off my spots so easily). This brand has a lot of clicker pen type designs, this one however, is meant for all types of flaws rather than just dark circles - it doesn't cover everything I'll be honest, my spots are not magically erased from my face but it does a LOT better than other concealers that I've tried. My dark circles/bags are brightened up a lot but again, not taken away totally, I don't believe that's even possible to be honest. I don't want to spend a lot of money on one concealer for under eyes and one for scars/spots which is why I would repurchase this, I know it's pricey but it's travel friendly, luxurious and it works. I don't think you can ask for much more in a product and I'll be sticking with this until I hear of or come across something that works better, I'm sure that will happen one day. If you are thinking about buying this then I would say yes if you want something to brighten your under eyes, give a medium amount of coverage, hide acne scars and other imperfections and have the money to spend. I would not buy this if you have very oily and blemish prone skin, want miracles or are dark skinned because the colours run very light. I'd go and test this in store as well if you get the chance!
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Eye Makeup Remover -Clinique - Take The Day Off Eye Makeup Remover
Tricho 2/2/2011 5:38:00 PM
I bet there are cheaper products out there that perform just as well as this one but since I haven't tried on yet I'm happy to stay with this. It's brilliant at taking all my makeup off and I love the packaging and the funky purple colour. I use it for taking eye makeup and lip colour off and it requires pretty much zero effort and time. That's all really!! Just a great product!!
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Cleansers -Clinique - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Tricho 12/4/2010 7:35:00 PM
This product cost me £19 - that may seem expensive but I paid £16 for Clarins oil cleanser and that lasted me a couple of months before I used it all up. I can imagine this will last me a lot longer. I really adore this cleanser, it takes everything off and it leaves my skin feeling amazing. I don't mind the fact it's in a jar because I wash my hands before I go near the product with my fingers, you really don't need much at all and it turns into an oil when you rub it over your face which is perfect for me as I really hate greasy heavy cleansers (boots own brand - time delay, lush, eve lom). I would recommend this if you're looking for a gentle and kind cleanser that will take all your make up off, I quite like the jar packaging in my bathroom too. I definitely will buy this again!!
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