Masks -The Body Shop - Tea Tree Oil Face Mask
aiislyn 3/24/2013 2:54:00 AM
I got a free sample of the Tea Tree Mask from my local Body Shop and I'm currently letting it dry on my face. I applied it to a couple of spots on my cheeks that I can feel small pimples on, on my chin, and around my nose(lower T-zone area). When applying it, it's not as thick as other masks I own but it doesn't take much to cover your skin that way. With the .15 oz sample I got, I could probably use it as a complete face mask twice then have some left over for spot treatments. It definitely feels like any tea tree oil product I've used; very refreshing and cooling on my skin,. I love the way it feels. I'll update when I've washed it off.
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Lotions/ Creams -St. Ives - Oatmeal and Shea butter
aiislyn 3/20/2013 10:33:00 PM
After my failed attempts in trying to find a decent body lotion from Bath and Body Works(Silly me!), I decided to retreat to a Target to find the lotion that fit my budget, moisturized my skin, and smelled decent. I spent twenty minutes smelling various lotions in the aisle and nothing looked promising. Then I spotted one lonely bottle of this lotion sitting on a bottom shelf pushed toward the back. It was a 21 oz. bottle with a pump for less than four dollars, which was the best price I could have paid for a lotion. I smelled it, decided it was alright, and went ahead and bought it. I went home, showered, and tried out my new treat. And what a treat it was! The pump is very convenient and hygenic. I need a few pumps to cover all of me but there is enough that that is no problem. The smell is very mild and is a very light coconut scent. It lingers on the skin but doesn't cover up any other scents you may apply. I was only looking for a daily moisturizing lotion that didn't feel tacky on the skin and absorbed quickly; this met both criteria. I'll post a follow-up later about how this is performing but I like my initial impression.
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Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Aloe Vera soothing rich night cream
aiislyn 3/14/2013 10:13:00 PM
I went my local Body Shop to inquire about products to help with the redness in my face. I feel I have very healthy skin but because I went blonde, the redness in my cheeks is more noticeable and I just wanted something to even my skin tone a bit. I tried their Tea Tree oil facial wash and toner but those didn't work. Thanks to their great return policy, I went back and decided to try the Aloe foaming cleanser and night cream. I've noticed the redness in my skin has gone down a bit. At first, the cream didn't seem to be doing much moisturizing. I put some Gigi smoothing serum on under the cream and that fixed the problem, but I felt like I shouldn't have to put on anything under a "rich moisturizing" repairing night cream. Not for $20 for less than two ounces. The packaging isn't great, though. A tub? Really? I'll probably take both products back and try something else for half the cost of the cream.
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - Sun Ripened Raspberry Body Lotion
aiislyn 3/11/2013 2:45:00 AM
This always reminded me of elementary and middle school since moms would get their little girls the little travel sprays and travel lotions, and off to school they'd go. Every little girl was passing this stuff around and everyone smelled like sweet raspberries, including me. Even now, the scent elicits nostalgia but I wouldn't buy it for myself now. This is the perfect scent for anyone under the age of 14 or so; I wouldn't hesitate it to buy it for my sister who's in seventh grade now.
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Fragrances -Bath and Body Works - Forever Red
aiislyn 3/11/2013 2:34:00 AM
While I've heard most complain about how Forever Red smells like a less complex version of Midnight Pomegranate, I completely agree... And I actually like FR more for it. I owned Midnight Pomegranate and I never wore it, because it just didn't smell that good on me. On me, it goes on smelling more like the vanilla rum with a light overtone of the fruity notes, unlike how it goes on others I've smelled it on. I really love it. I'm 20 but not a fan of their other scents since they smell like something middle schoolers wear, so I feel I fall into the demographic they were aiming at. I bought the body lotion and the shower gel, and got the rollerball EDT for free. The packaging seems so much cheaper for a scent they want to tote as more mature, but that's nitpicking for me. They all smell heavenly but I am so disappointed with the longevity of the scent... There is no lasting power at all! The shower gel makes my bathroom smell amazing after I've used it but even with layering the lotion on top, I can't smell it on me after a couple of hours max. The lotion isn't even that moisturizing either, which is a big disappointment. I'm probably going to take them back and try the eau de parfum, or the triple moisture cream. If those don't work, I'll give up on such a nice scent and try to find something else.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips in Cherry Me
aiislyn 2/25/2013 1:27:00 AM
I heard about Baby Lips when I lived in Houston and decided I didn't have enough lip products(three lip balms, two chapsticks, one heavy lip treatment, one lipstick, and one lip plumper... I counted one day just from my purse!), and thought I'd give these a try. I didn't have any tinted lip balms at the time, last December. I bought Pink Punch, Cherry Me, and Quenched for $3.50 each, but I have seen them cheaper at Target and Wal-mart. I tried Pink Punch and the Quenched and fell in love, and used the Pink almost exclusively, though it did dry out fast and I was applying every half-hour or so. With that, the color would build up so bright it looked like Viva Glam GaGa on my lips(good news for those looking for cheap dupe of the color). One day I decided I wanted red lips but didn't want to use my MAC Ladybug lipstick, and remembered I had this. On it went and in love I fell! It goes on sheer with one quick swipe and brings the faintest touch of color to my lips without looking like I put anything on. I use it everytime I decide to wear makeup. With some mascara and light powder, it gives a very natural look that I wear almost everyday. You can build it up until it's fairly bright, but I rarely do. It leaves a slight stain as it wears. It doesn't last eight hours but I tent to reapply it every hour or so out of habit. It isn't terribly moisturizing but I don't wear it as one so I don't mind. I plan to buy some of their newer colors, but this one is my HG red balm. I love these lip balms!
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Treatments -Sexy Hair Concepts - Big Sexy Hair - Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner
aiislyn 2/1/2013 2:42:00 AM
After bleaching my hair twice in one week(shame on me, I know), I needed a trim to get rid of dead ends and needed a lightweight product for after I showered. My hair is fine as it is and frizzes a bit, though it is stick-straight. After I got my hair cut, the stylist recommended this to me since my complaint was that I needed a leave-in of sorts but my hair was so fine that anything weighs it down, even the It's a 10 Miracle Treatment Lite was too heavy for me. I also don't blow-dry or use any heat on my hair at all. I took it home and used it the next day and was thoroughly impressed. My hair is softer and doesn't feel like I'm experiencing the fallout I should be. My hair is stronger and isn't nearly as frizzy as a result, even though I've only been using it for a week. The spray bottle seems like some of the product isn't getting to my hair but I use so little anyway, it doesn't really matter. I think I paid $17 for it which is steep for me, but I'll check my local TJMaxx and Marshall's and see if I'm as lucky as other reviewers on here. I'll update when I can comment on the long term results of this but for now, I really enjoy this product.
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Loose Powders -Maybelline - Shine Free Oil Control Loose Powder
aiislyn 1/25/2013 2:30:00 AM
I bought this since I do tend to have a problem with shine, plus I wanted a colored powder instead of the translucent powders I'm known for using, and I thought I'd give this a try. I can't remember how much I bought it for though my shoddy memory seems to want to put it in the six dollar range. I don't carry it with me so I don't mind the packaging, though I will admit that it isn't the best for carrying around since the lid will slide right off in a purse or makeup bag. I don't like the puff it came with so I use my e.l.f. Powder Brush instead. I bought it in light which is just a tad lighter than my skin tone and foundation so I like how it brightens my face. It does get rid of the shine in my t-zone, like it says. It doesn't make me look cakey with foundation, but if I touch it up later in the day, it will a little bit(But all foundations I've tried have done this which explains why I don't enjoy foundation at all). What I like most about this is that, since I recently went blonde and the redness in my cheeks is more noticeable, it eliminates a lot of the red in my cheeks without making my face look flat and colorless. That alone is worth what I paid.
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Hair Color -Revlon - Colorsilk
aiislyn 1/19/2013 9:12:00 PM
I used 04 Ultra Light Natural Blonde after picking it up from five bucks at a local drugstore(though I have seen it at Wal-Mart for three and four dollars). Most of my hair is a dark brown with part of my bangs being a dark golden blonde from a bleach job three months ago. The box didn't show what my hair would look like after using as this is not meant to be used on darker hair. I applied it to my hair, covered it with a cap, and left it on for 35 minutes. My hair is maybe an inch long in the back and to my chin in the front so there was an adequate amount for my hair. After rinsing the dye, then the included packet of conditioner out, I applied Garnier's Moroccan Oil Treatment for extra conditioning since my hair did feel a little dry. My bangs are a much lighter shade of blonde, quite close to what shows on the box, and the rest of my hair is a darker golden blonde with hints of strawberry blonde. There is no brassiness to my color and, though my hair didn't turn out as light as the box(I wasn't expecting to reach that blonde in one go, I assure you), I am very happy with the color and the condition of my hair. Yes, it is a tad dry but a few deep conditioners will fix that plus there was no fallout at all except for maybe two strands when I was brushing out my hair. I'm very happy with this color and I may use it again in a few weeks to get my hair even lighter.
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Moisturizers -Olay - Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream
aiislyn 1/5/2013 5:22:00 PM
I have been using Ponds Dry Skin cream lately, as my Aveeno Positively Radiant lotion I used in the past ran out and I just needed something cheap to moisturize with. I picked up Ponds and, though it does work on a basic level, it wasn't quite what I was looking for. (Look out for my review on the product in the next couple of days, if you're interested) It was decent but I needed something better. One night after showering, I noticed my stepmother had left her Olay Regenerating lotion on the counter and I thought "What the heck, why not" and applied it to my damp face. I can safely say that this is my HG facial lotion, at least thus far. It absorbs quickly and leaves my skin with a matte finish. My skin feels soft and moisturized all day without getting shiny. It isn't really a 'deep moisture' cream, though. The scent is very light and, though most would liken the smell to something older women would wear, I don't mind. The packaging is handy and pretty straight-forward; a 'button' that you push down and a perfect amount comes from a little hole in the center. It seems like very little would be wasted with this kind of product. I'm thinking about picking some up in the next couple days, since I don't want to get in trouble for using my stepmothers, haha!
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Masks -Freeman - Chocolate & Strawberry Detoxifying Mask
aiislyn 11/20/2012 2:27:00 AM
I bought the sampler size at Walmart and tonight, decided my skin needed a little "detoxifying". I cut open the little pouch and squeezed about half of the product out and applied it. It was almost too much for my face so I sealed the package and put it in my medicine cabinet for another day. It went on super easy, much easier than the QH Mint Julep mask I have. It has a much smoother, creamier consistency, is tan-colored, and smells like chocolate though I could detect no notes of strawberry. I admit, it was strange smelling chocolate while I sat around in my Snooki-esque face getup but it didn't really bother me. It says to leave it on until it dried but I kept it on for an hour, since I figure it can't hurt. There was definitely a tightening feeling but it wasn't unpleasant. I noticed that as it dried, it didn't flake like QH, which is a major plus. After an hour, I applied a warm, wet washcloth to my face to soften it up and gently rinsed it off. I immediately noticed a change in my skin. My pores seemed smaller, a lot of redness in my cheeks was gone, and my skin felt so smooth. It was unreal! I moisturized afterwards since I saw reviews about it being a bit drying but I hadn't seen any dryness in my skin prior. The packaging was a little cumbersome but it was also a flimsy, sample packet. I still took off a lippie for that. The smell, albeit unique and a tad odd, wasn't unbearable. I will definitely rebuy if I see the full-size tube for sale anywhere.
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Treatments -Garnier - Sleek and Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment
aiislyn 11/20/2012 1:18:00 AM
This is my do-all, all-purpose HG hair product that has yet to disappoint me. When I had florescent hair that I can only call raspberry-colored, I needed something lightweight to condition my hair so it wouldn't dry out after bleaching it from black to blonde then subjecting it to further torture by applying pink and red onto that. I used the Garnier Weightless Anti-Frizz serum but it seemed a tad too heavy for my finer hair some days in the Houston heat. I bought this when I saw the good reviews and I wasn't disappointed. I used this alone after I showered and it worked great, softening my hair and eliminating a lot of frizz. I ended up combining it with the serum and all of my frizz was virtually gone and my hair was soft as silk. With my pixie cut, I barely use a dimes-size worth but I can tell the difference when I don't use it. When I moved back to Oregon, I bleached my hair and dyed it a light brown leaving it even more fried. I started adding a tad of this to my conditioner in the shower and my hair feels and looks like normal healthy hair thanks to this stuff. Since Oregon has virtually no humidity, I started using this without adding any serum and my hair looks great. The smell is very light so it doesn't bother me. I think I paid like $4 for it and it's lasted me at least five months so I say for the price, it's definitely worth it.
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Styling Products -Garnier - FRUCTIS Sleek and Shine - Leave-in Conditioning Cream
aiislyn 9/20/2012 6:29:00 AM
My hair is a little on the fine side and, considering my vibrant, unnatural red color, has been significantly bleached in the past. As a result, it's a little dry and I was just looking for a leave-in that helped get some moisture back in my hair. I had never tried a leave-in conditioner before so I wasn't sure what to expect, though I have been using serums. I bought this after reading rave reviews on MUA, thinking it could be what I needed. I tried it for a couple of weeks and even using just a pea sized amount on my slightly-longer-than-chin-length hair, it left my hair feeling heavy and greasy, and didn't seem to help me with my moisture problem. I assumed it was because my hair was a little finer but for under $4, it wasn't a huge loss. I put it in my cabinet and forgot about it for a while. A couple months later, I ran out of conditioner and didn't feel like running out to get more. However, conditioner is a must for my hair. I remembered reading a review where someone used this product as their shower conditioner and decided to give it a go. I used maybe a gumball-sized amount and ran it through my hair, then rinsed it out. It rinsed out easily, so it seemed promising. After I got out, I put on my normal mix of the Garnier Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum and Garnier Morccan Sleek Oil Treatment(half and half, with barely a penny size amount). I blow-dried it about a quarter dry and let it air-dry the rest of the way and when I did, I noticed my hair was considerably softer and had less frizz than it normally did. It seemed healthier and wasn't weighed down at all, which made it look so much better than normal. I couldn't stop touching my hair all day and even got compliments from my date that night, who also couldn't keep her hands off my hair! I don't know if it was the leave-in that did it but I'll be trying again for the next few weeks and update when I have a definite answer. For it's intended purpose, I would only give it two lippies, since it didn't help me for my type of hair though it does smell really good. As a regular conditioner, I give it a four and a half thus far. Edit: I don't think I'll rebuy, since it doesn't make sense to only buy it to use as a regular conditioner. Though it isn't expensive, I could probably find an actual conditioner for the same price and get much more for my buck. For now, using this daily mixed with Aussie's Three-Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner with a dab of Garnier's Moroccan Oil Treament works great for my pixie-cut, fine, damaged hair that's recovering from a botched bleach job.
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Hair -Beyond The Zone - Color Jamz
aiislyn 8/20/2012 2:30:00 AM
I had jet black hair for a while and I decided to go bright red again(I had red hair in high school via box L'Oreal Feria in Ruby Rush). I had a girl at work bleach my whole head(I work at a hair salon) and she dyed my hair a weird red-violet color. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't what I wanted. I went to Sally's and bought Manic Panic in Vampire Red and coated my head in it after washing it out a few times and I was happier with the dark rich red, though I wasn't too happy with how quickly it rinsed out(then again, it's a semi-permanent and I have friends who change their hair color like they change underwear so Iknew what to expect there). I bought another tub and mixed it with Biolage's Conditioning Balm(about a 1:3 ratio), and also some of the color in with my normal conditioner. I condition my hair every day and deep-condition it every week. The color in the deep conditioner keeps my color vibrant for longer while the regular conditioner keeps most of the color in my hair, but if I go more than a week without deep conditioning, my hair turns a sickly orange color. I bought BTZ in Candy Apple Red just to mix things up and I mixed a bit in with my color-conditioner and it's worked really well at keeping the orange color at bay. Instead of a gross orange color, it fades to a fairly tolerable pinkish color. Every so often, I'll slather just the BTZ color on my dry head and sleep in it and when I rinse it out in the morning, it's a vibrant red with the barest hint of pink in the sun which I love. That way, I can stretch out my deep conditioner a bit longer and don't have to do it nearly as often. The squeeze bottle is alright, though I prefer the tubs of MP. I had to fight to get the last bit out, whereas with MP you can just scoop it out with your fingers(I wear gloves when dealing with any color so I don't worry too much about getting it on me). The price is pretty good and it doesn't smell horrible. It still smells a tad chemically but it isn't unbearable, almost a sweet scent that I can't put my finger on. The price is alright for how much you get.
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