Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Opal Essence - Chocolate Almond Lip Balm
alisha_the_kitten 1/8/2013 8:38:00 PM
The texture is smooth, creamy and slightly waxy/buttery. This is a good texture for those who like their balms to have a subtle feel on the lips, but without being matte or feeling dry. Because of the very slight waxiness this balm also lasts a decent amount of time before needing to be reapplied.
I'm not sure if it's because of all of the nut oils this balm contains or what, but the scent isn't noticeably chocolate almond to my nose. It has a subtle nutty scent with a subtle cocoa butter type of chocolate scent. I do like it, but I guess I would have to buy elsewhere to get an straightforward chocolate almond flavor. This balm doesn't have a taste or any sweetness.
I would definitely repurchase this balm. I'm actually a little surprised by how much I reach for it. My tube hasn't gone down much either, so it'll probably last quite a while. A good deal for the low price. My lips got a little chapped somehow recently, and this balm definitely felt very soothing and moisturizing.
I entered the ingredients up above.
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Lotions/ Creams -Nubian Heritage - Mango Butter Lotion
alisha_the_kitten 12/14/2012 11:43:00 PM
This 13 fl oz "lotion" is really more of a cream than your average, watery lotion. It's about the texture of a thick ricotta out of the tube, but it thins out and starts to sink in quickly when rubbing into the skin. It leaves a little bit of a natural mango/shea/cocoa butter feel over the skin at first, but it's not greasy or sticky at all. This is my favorite body lotion/cream out of all the retail brands I've tried so far. It leaves the skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated. This works well even in the middle of a Minnesota winter. Makes an amazing hand lotion too.
The smell is amazing -- like a creamsicle or an Orange Julius. It's not overly sweet, fake or strong. I adore the scent of this product. I imagine the scent would appeal to kids and teens as well. The ingredients are simple and natural. (I entered them up above.)
The only bad thing about this is the container is comes in. The product is a little too thick for a hard squeeze tube, which means that it's really hard to get out. I'm probably going to have to buy one of those lotion spoons to get the last bit out. Either that or warm the bottle up to soften up the lotion. But this is only a small complaint, considering how fantastic the product is.
I would absolutely repurchase this and the other Nubian Heritage lotions again. I will probably even try their soaps and other products as well. This product is a total bargain for the relatively low price.
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Lotions/ Creams -Alba Botanica - Very Emollient body lotion Unscented
alisha_the_kitten 12/14/2012 9:44:00 PM
I've used this lotion for a couple of years. I used to love this one in the warm/hot and humid months, because it was light and sank in quickly. It's also very reasonably priced.
However, the last bottle that I got says "new improved hydration" on it, and it's definitely a different formula. This stuff is unscented, but the ingredients now have a weird, pungent smell to them. I only use this lotion on my legs nowadays, so I guess it doesn't bother me *that* much. But the formula has changed too. It's no longer light and silky; now it's thicker and takes a lot longer to sink in. It does leave a little bit of a film over the skin, but it's not as bad as the "new and improved" versions of the Nature's Gate lotions, thankfully.
The newer version of the lotion does seem to be more moisturizing in dry and cold weather. The old version wasn't heavy or hydrating enough for the winter. So I guess that can be a plus. I've read that adding a little distilled water to this lotion makes it more similar to the older, thinner version, but I haven't tried that yet. Could be helpful for use in summer. I'll include both versions of the ingredient lists so you can compare for yourself.
New Ingredient List: water, glycerin, glyceryl stearate SE, safflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, ethylhexyl stearate, cetearyl alcohol, shea butter, avocado oil, organic jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil, organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice, organic camellia sinensis leaf extract, organic matricaria flower extract, cucumber fruit extract, coneflower extract, organic lavender extract, allantoin, panthenol, tocopheryl acetate, lecithin, polysorbate 60, potassium hydroxide, xanthan gum, organic alcohol, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, phenoxyethanol.
Old Ingredient List: purified water, safflower seed oil, glycerin, isopropyl palmitate, glyceryl stearate SE, stearic acid, jojoba seed oil, cucumber fruit extract, ulva lactuca extract, organic green tea extract, organic aloe vera extract, organic lavender extract, organic coneflower extract, organic matricaria flower leaf extract, organic rosemary extract, sesame seed oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, allantoin, panthenol, tocopherol, lecithin, sodium benzoate, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, citric acid, sodium hydroxide, carbomer, ethylhexlglycerin, potassium sorbate.
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Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Herban Cowboy - Unscented Maximum Protection Deodorant
alisha_the_kitten 12/14/2012 8:36:00 PM
This is an aluminum, paraben, triclosan, alcohol and propylene glycol free deodorant. It's also 100% vegan and US made.The texture a kind of like a solid gel (if that makes sense), so it's not the best for protection against feeling sticky/sweaty. As far as odor protection…this didn't do it for me. It works better than most that I've tried, but this still left me with odor if I sweated a lot. Perhaps I would've been better off with a scented version of this deodorant? Like most non-antiperspirants, this doesn't work for 24 hours either. You have to reapply at least once per day, even on days where you aren't sweating much.
Someone on another website mentioned that though the company claims that this product is free of propylene glycol, the "propanediol" ingredient is just another name for PG. Looking this up online, I see the there are two forms of propanediol: propylene glycol and trimethylene glycol. I'm not sure which one this ingredient falls under, but it is false advertising to claim that it's free of PG if the first ingredient is a glycol. Another concern is the silver ingredient. Is silver any safer to be rubbing under your arms (where you have lymph nodes!) than aluminum? Silver can cause things like argyria (turning your eyes/skin bluish-gray) or possibly other health issues. The label even states: "This product contains silver and/or silver salts, avoid contact with broken or abraded skin." Silver salts are said to be toxic, so I definitely don't want to be using this if they can't guarantee that this product is free of that.
I definitely wouldn't repurchase this deodorant. It didn't work as well as aluminum-containing antiperspirants, but I'm actually more worried about the silver content. I don't want to risk my skin turning bluish-gray or cause health issues. I would rather use aluminum if it came down to it.
I entered the ingredients up above.
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Kaia House - Charcoal Detoxifying Cleanser
alisha_the_kitten 12/14/2012 5:54:00 PM
It took me quite a few uses to find out the best way to apply this cleanser. It has a texture somewhere between an oil cleanser and a gel cleanser. It doesn't glide across the skin like most oil cleansers and it doesn't foam up like most gel cleansers. Too much water on the skin just thins this cleanser out and makes it run. So I found that having damp skin -- not wet! -- to start off with is important to get it to glide. And it dries out quickly (thus reducing the glide), so adding a very tiny amount of water to your hands every so often during the cleansing process is beneficial. It takes much more time and effort to use this cleanser compared to the Boscia Makeup Breakup oil cleanser. I never tried to remove makeup with this cleanser, so I can't compare that aspect.
I *do* like this cleanser, however. It never made my skin feel dehydrated, dry or flaky. As far as I know it never gave me breakouts or clogged pores. It never left any residue behind on my skin after rinsing. I'm not sure that the activated charcoal really did anything extra for my skin overall, but it's hard to say. My biggest issue with this cleanser was that I seemed to go through it like water. Even though I only used it once per day, my bottle didn't last very long.
I think I would *consider* purchasing this again, but only if I could get it for a cheaper price. I think $18 for 2 fl oz or $48 for 8 fl oz is just too much for me at the moment, especially with how quickly it gets used up.
I entered the ingredients up above.
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Lotions/ Creams -100 Percent Pure - Strawberry Nourishing Body Cream
alisha_the_kitten 12/14/2012 12:08:00 AM
I got this in the clearance section at Ulta for only about $7 or so. The original price was $15 for an 8 oz tube. It says it's 100% natural and vegan, so I decided to try it.
First, the scent. This is a very "green" smelling strawberry, if you know what I mean. It's not a sweet, juicy type of strawberry that you would want to eat. It smells like an entire strawberry plant, or maybe an unripe strawberry. Not my favorite type of scent, but not unusable or anything. The scent doesn't last that long anyway.
As far as the body cream itself... This is a bit thinner than most so-called "creams," though it's still as moisturizing (IMO) as most creams. It's on the greasy side, but it definitely helps to not over-apply. Use less rather than more and it'll be more likely to sink in and not be an oily coating on your skin. It helps my skin from being dry or itchy during the cold, dry months of the year.
The suggested time they tell you to use this in is 6 months, which isn't very long at all. I usually have more than one lotion/cream open at a time, so a short shelf-life is a definite downside for me. I might buy this body cream in another scent, but only if I saw it on sale for cheaper than the full price. I don't think I would buy the strawberry scented one again.
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Cleansers -Boscia - MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil
alisha_the_kitten 8/17/2012 7:44:00 AM
I've used this to cleanse heavier makeup off of my skin for quite a few years now. Unlike some other oil cleansers I've tried, this one isn't too heavy and rinses clean. And it seems to wash off even hard to remove foundations like Revlon Colorstay. Not only is the formula very light, but it's also very slick and easy to massage into the skin. That means the skin doesn't get tugged around as much. It has a slight mint or eucalyptus type of smell, and maybe a slight tingle when applied. I don't use this on my eye makeup for that reason.
My skin is combination/acne-prone. This doesn't cause breakouts or clogged pores for me. It doesn't leave any oily residue after rinsing either. Sometimes I feel like this stuff might over-dry a little bit if I leave it on for too long. (But that could just be my skin being reactive.)
No complaints about the packaging, though I wish the price was lower. I would probably repurchase when I have a discount.
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Cleansers -Eucerin - Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
alisha_the_kitten 8/17/2012 7:30:00 AM
Years ago, this was my HG cleanser. It went away in stores for a long time, but I searched and waited until I could find it again. I finally saw that my local Ulta started carrying it again. I'm not sure if they reformulated this cleanser at all or if my skin is just not as tolerant of this product. It used to cleanse without drying or irritating. I don't know if I would say that it was "hydrating," but it was a perfect match for the usage of retinoids. Now it seems to over-cleanse a little bit and I seem to be more prone to dry spots on my cheeks. It could just be that my skin is a little more sensitive now for some reason… Anyway, I never had any issues getting this cleanser to lather up.
Sadly, I wouldn't repurchase this again anytime soon. Maybe I'll give it another shot a couple of years from now.
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Gels/Soaps -Ulta - 3-in-1 Shower Smoothies
alisha_the_kitten 8/17/2012 7:21:00 AM
Some of the scents are nice, but overall I'm kinda unimpressed on the quality of this as a body wash. It gently cleanses without any issue, except that it doesn't seem to moisture or offer any additional benefit to the skin. Maybe I'm a little spoiled by cold process soaps. Despite being sulfate based they also aren't as foamy as some, which means that I end up using a bit more. They come in giant pump bottles, but the full price is a bit on the pricey side. I might repurchase if there happens to be a scent that I can't live without.
The scents I like are: Cocoa Velvet Truffle, Strawberries & Champagne (discontinued), Sugar & Spice (LE/discontinued).
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Fragrances -Ulta - Sheer Fragrance Mist
alisha_the_kitten 8/17/2012 7:14:00 AM
This is an 8 fl oz body spray. I got mine in the scent Endless Sunset on clearance after it was (sadly) discontinued, due to being an Autumn 2011 limited edition. This particular scent is much better in the body butter than in the fragrance mist. These sprays are very alcohol based, so there's a strong blast of alcohol when spraying. The fragrance smells very faint on the skin and doesn't really stick around long. It's probably better to layer with the lotion or body butter. With all that said, it's okay for when you want a light scent to quickly spritz on.
I would only buy another one if it was on sale and in a scent that I absolutely loved.
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Lips -My Lip Stuff - Nutty Irishman
alisha_the_kitten 6/11/2012 6:44:00 PM
This is only available as a St. Patrick's Day limited edition. I can smell the hazelnut and a rich, boozy scent of irish cream. Pretty good, though I doubt I would repurchase this one. I want to try the Vanilla Hazelnut balm to see how it compares.
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Lips -My Lip Stuff - Boysenberry
alisha_the_kitten 6/11/2012 6:42:00 PM
This one smells a little artificial when applying, but it settles down to a scent that's similar to boysenberry syrup. It's not too sweet, tart, or strong. This is one to try if you just want a generically pleasant berry flavor. As far as the berry balms go, I still like the Berry Berry flavor the best, but this one is alright.
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Lips -My Lip Stuff - Citrus & Basil
alisha_the_kitten 6/11/2012 6:41:00 PM
Smells like a mix of citrus essential oils and a fresh basil scent. I was worried that I wouldn't like this one…like, maybe it would end up smelling too herbal or something. But this is nicely balanced, fresh and strong. I do have to be in a certain 'mood' to wear this one, but it's pleasing during the hot weather. I gave it a rating of three based off of personal preference only; I generally prefer sweet/dessert scents.
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Lips -My Lip Stuff - Honeysuckle Nectarine
alisha_the_kitten 6/11/2012 6:38:00 PM
Smells just like the name… I can get whiffs of both the fruity nectarine and sweet, floral honeysuckle. It's not a very strong scent, but has just enough to be pleasant. A nice balm for the spring and summer months. Fruity without being typical.
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Lips -My Lip Stuff - Hummingbird Cake
alisha_the_kitten 6/11/2012 6:36:00 PM
I've never had hummingbird cake before. I can smell the banana most prominently (though it isn't overpowering), then some of the other things like the cake, pecans, etc. I like this flavor more than the Banana Nut Bread balm. Very nice. My only complaint is that it's a bit of a lighter scent.
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