Hair Color -Clairol - Nice 'n Easy Perfect 10 
apricotmuffins 11/22/2010 3:29:00 PM
I should have come here to read the reviews first. We live, we learn... I tried to lift red from my hair and didnt have very nice results so i went to my fallback plan of dyeing it dark brunette (something i like anyway, so i was happy and willing to do so) I picked up the medium ash brown because it said it would help minimise red tones. I had to use two boxes - my hair isnt so long but quite thick - and i left it on for the 10 minutes and didnt want to go longer just because the whole 'ACTS SUPER FAST' thing freaked me out a tad. I had help, so i didnt actually use the comb tool myself. They seemed to be fine with it and they did get all my hair perfectly, so i assume its not so bad to use. I got some considerable stinging on my scalp which i pushed through and ignored, perhaps i shouldnt have. Very chemically smell, too. but, its hairdye, right? its chemicals. When it came to washing my hair, i nearly cried. My hair had been transformed into a black matted mess. I have dyed my hair several times before, used several different brands and my hair has NEVER felt like this. my natural hair texture is lovely but dye and bleach has made it a bit dry - nothing compared to this. I couldnt even wash all the dye out properly - i ended up slapping on loads of the conditioner, which is mercifully very very good - and combing through my hair before really managing to get it all out. though it was a bit dark, i did like the colour and my hair seemed okay despite the matted hair fiasco - but after ONE WASH i can see my dyed red hair coming through again and I can see my roots, which have taken on a greenish tinge. Pass this one by. your hair will thank you and you'll get better results with something like Garnier Nutrisse, which do very good dark colours. wish i had stuck with them :( all the points are for is the conditioner.
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Lipstick -Revlon - ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick 
apricotmuffins 7/23/2010 9:26:00 PM
I tried some of this on in the shop and spent the next 10 minutes after trying to get the damn thing off my lips! So I bought it. I got Top tomato, and its a nice true red colour with a little shimmer. I wore it for half a day as a test, ate food, drank drinks, talked lots. It was as perfect as when I put it on. i'm sure it would have lasted much longer if I had let it. Anyway, I found the best way to apply it is to apply a thin layer to get your grounding, let it dry for a minute, then apply another thin layer to bring out the true colour. It is very pigmented and requires less work than normal lipstick. no lipliner, no blotting/powdering/etc blah blah, just careful precision and a bit of waiting. The doe foot isnt the best, i would have preffered a brush but oh well. Oh, don't forget to get the inner parts of your lips, or you'll look like a wally. Also: yes, the formula is drying. What do you expect, from a lip colour that lasts this long? I think the people complaining about this really don't understand what they are getting with the product. Its a lip colour, that STAYS ON. its not meant to condition your lips, its meant to look pretty. If you apply too thick a layer it feels a lot worse than it should. If you need to keep the dryness at bay, slick some normal lipstick/balm/gloss over the top, but it will wear the colour away a little faster. I personally found top tomato matches L'oreal's Penelope lipstick (the one for penelope cruz) perfectly. So I put some of that on to combat some of the dryness and I have some pretty freaking beautiful lips. I never got red lipstick to work for me without rubbing off within 10 minutes. no longer. hopefully I will get to wear this outside of fancy dress!
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Cleansers -L'Oreal - Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Towlettes
apricotmuffins 4/19/2010 9:25:00 AM
I bought two packs of these on offer, and really regret it. They do work - they remove makeup and have plenty of wetness to them, but THAT SMELL. The perfume is terrible, and my skin broke out the worst it has since i left my teenage years. I should have stuck to my simple/no.7 ones that don't irritate my skin with needless perfumes. 2 out of 5 for at least doing the job. oh, yeah packaging sucks too. I lost the lid bit almost immedately.
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Cleansers -Avene - extremely gentle cleanser
apricotmuffins 4/19/2010 9:22:00 AM
I really like this cleanser. It doesnt remove heavy-duty makeup, but I use it instead of a face wash and have found my skin loves it. I live in a hard water area and i think it really affects my skin. Now, the only time water touches my face now is in the shower, and my skin has drastically improved. Its no longer prone to dryness, and my breakouts have significantly lessened. This is after 3 weeks of use - so we'll see how it pans out in the long run. This cleanser is the only one i have found that feels like ive just washed my face, instead of just slathering stuff all over it. Its very gentle and very easy to use, so if you need a waterless cleanser (that replaces washing your face - you should use makeup removers BEFORE this, like normal) try it out.
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Concealers -MAC - select cover-up
apricotmuffins 7/22/2009 3:17:00 PM
Ho hum. I'm quite dissappointed with this concealer. Having tried and loved the Select Moisturecover but really needing something with a little more coverage, I bought this instead. It does indeed, have excellent coverage capacity, but I cannot for the life of me get on with the texture. Its very heavy, and doesnt do anything for my skin. If I have a few blemishes, its ok. Its also very good for just around the nostrils to conceal the redness. But I get some pretty bad breakouts from time to time and this doesnt look good. A little DOES go a very long way, believe me, but if you want to cover large areas, it tends to look very cakey unless you spend about an hour carefully dotting it on to only the very reddest areas! Also note: this really isnt for undereyes. the MUA told me it was for blemishes and something like the moisturecover was better for concealing dark circles. The plus side is the packaging and the quantity you get is excellent. Very good control over how much you squeeze out, and it will last months I imagine.
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Pressed Powders -MAC - Mineralize Skin Finish Natural - Medium Plus
apricotmuffins 7/13/2009 4:21:00 PM
I too had this picked out by a MUA for me, and was sold on it even though I was only looking for a liquid foundation! Ive been using this for a few months now and I love it. It can be worn on its own, or to set foundation, and gives a nice finish that isnt totally matte and smoothes over your skin. It also looks pretty good in photos, even though its a mineral makeup. I think I probably wouldnt have personally gone for this exact shade, I feel like it could be lighter, though my opinion on that varies from day to day! I havent experienced any problems with this product breaking up and its been dumped in my handbag a bazillion times, and dropped once, I think. However, the packaging gets a low mark from me because the clear plastic insert popped out the other day. luckily i managed to get it back in, but it gave me a scare. I feel like it could be less bulky too. I appreciate the amount of product I am actually getting, but the size of this thing is that little bit too big to go in smaller makeup bags, and tends to make packing other makeup around it a bit of a bother. Maybe im just picky! I'd also consider it fairly expensive, but then my idea of expensive makeup is anything above £12!
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Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel in Blacktrack
apricotmuffins 7/1/2009 2:32:00 PM
I Love this! I only bought it yesterday andseveral of hours after my first application my mind was made up, this is my eyeliner of choice from now on. Its SO versatile, easy to apply and most of all: stays put! I wore this on a hot hot sweaty day, walked up the side of a hill, came back down and discovered it didnt look much different from when i first applied it. I had some slippage, but i did put it on over nothing AND it was hot, AND I have quite oily eyelids. Conditions aside, I was highly impressed. The application was fantastic, its creamy and thick, you can have a little, you can have a lot. I have a small brush with it because i bought it as part of a little travel set (with a silver and a case too!), and its not a flat angled one but a small tapered round one. It can be pin thin, thinner than a pencil ever could, and you have much more control over your line than with both a pencil or a liquid eyeliner ( which can be MESSY) . I lined right between my lashes and got a beautiful, natural effect that made my lashes look thick and dark. (something I find quite difficult to achieve because of the shape of my eye and my light, short stubby lashes) and I also experimented with some serious catliner, and it performed brilliantly. Very happy with it! I'd like to get some more brushes though. I'm tempted to remove a lipstick for that fact alone, because I am well aware it doesnt normally come with a brush included, making it a highly expensive purchase indeed. I'm lucky I found the set. Also, the necessity for a brush makes it a bit difficult to pop in your handbag on a night out for touch ups, unless you have a small handled brush you dont mind risking. aside from that, best eyeliner I've gotten my hands on. I've been eyeing up gel eyeliners for a long time now and it's worth all the hype.
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Makeup Brushes -The Body Shop - Mineral Foundation Brush
apricotmuffins 6/24/2009 12:27:00 PM
An excellent brush. soft, full, perfect for buffing into the skin. I use this to apply my mac mineralized skin finish powder, and it looks loooooovely on. It also comes in a handly little pouch, and as its much smaller than a full on face brush, so much easier to travel with! This is my favourite brush of the lot. I think mineral makeup really needs a decent brush and while i dont specifically use it for mineral powder, I have done in the past and loved the results much more than this scratchy kabuki i had (which i cant remember what brand it was). I have experienced no shedding and I've washed it several times and its still perfect. Though, it takes a long time to dry because of its density. If i had any need to buy this brush again, i most definately would.
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Crème -Boots - No7 Stay Perfect Compact Foundation
apricotmuffins 6/24/2009 8:33:00 AM
I first bought this when my skin was still fairly oily, and i liked it because of the coveage you could achieve (almost total) but it does have a tendency to look heavy. I stayed off it but I've recently come back to it and OH MY, i have discovered an amazing way to apply this. First of all, My skin has changed from combnination to mostly dry (but not too dry). I've taken to using moisturising foundations much more now, but right now i'm big on The Body Shop's vitamin E tinted moisturising lotion as my skin is looking fairly good for the summer. This is what I do: Any tinted or non-tinted moisturiser will do, but APPLY IT WITH A FOUNDATION BRUSH. Then, work this foundation on to the SAME brush, and apply it where you need it. the moisturiser helps the foundation to glide on to your skin and blends in perfectly, allowing you to build up the awesome coverage this foundation gives in the areas you need it, and a sheerer, lighter coverage where you dont. Then, powder lightly to fix (important!) I have some break outs around my jaw which I can cover much better with this technique than with any other foundation or concealer. If you've had some trouble with this foundation compact, I thoroughly recommend this application before you write it off as lost. (unless you have oily skin, in which case this product really isnt for you)
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
apricotmuffins 6/9/2009 7:33:00 AM
hoo boy, look at all these mixed reviews. Time to add my opinion to the list. I like this moisturiser. I've tried to find one with a similar texture but is cheaper, and ive found nothing comparable. Its very fluid, and when used with the 3-step cleansing system clinique does, its very cooling and refreshing on the skin. no other moisturiser has that effect for me, and my skin obviously likes it. I wasnt big on moisturising before I started using the 3-step system ( I know! big mistake) but now I must have it or my skin doesnt like me. A couple of points to help people along with this item: The packaging, when buying a smaller bottle, is really annoying. If you're getting this I highly recommend getting a bottle with a pump, as it dispenses a tiny amount each time with ease. It will last longer, and you'll get less annoyed in the mornings because you dont have to shake a bottle upside down to get some out, only to have too much fall out on you. my second point: DO NOT USE TOO MUCH. Seriously. this is an intensive product, and you dont even need a pea sized amount to moisturise your face effectively. If you use to much, of COURSE your skin is going to feel greasy and over-saturated. This is also a good reason to get a pump bottle, because you can easily control the amount you dispense, and I use two pumps morning and evening. thirdly: I love this moisturiser!
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Foundations -The Body Shop - Moisture Face Base
apricotmuffins 6/7/2009 3:13:00 PM
Oh Body shop, you have confused me. I used to dislike body shop foundations. They never seemed to suit my skin, and so I wrote their foundations off as a no-go area even though I loved most, if not all of their other products. Then I talked to a salesperson in my local shop, and she grabbed me, took my makeup off and put this one on me. I have to say, she knew what she was doing because I bought the foundation, after admitting it was actually, very good even though it didnt hide everything, it made my skin look natural and healthy. I usually stay away from 'moisturising' foundations, simply because I believed I had normal/oily skin and it would just make things worse. Turns out I'm wrong in this case. my normal 'holy grail' foundation is Superfit, by Clinique. Its twice the price. Now I cant decide, because superfit covers my imperfections brilliantly, which this body shop foundation doesnt do, but I love the texture and colour of Moisture face base. And above all, the excellent moisturising qualities. I may have to just buy both.
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Cleansers -Boots - No7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes - All Skin Types
apricotmuffins 6/7/2009 2:57:00 PM
Some of the best wipes I have tried. Brilliant at removing most makeup, except for the heavy duty mascaras and liquid eyeliners, and nicely moisturising. I usually use these along with my normal routine, but I feel they are good enough to just wipe off the day and drop into bed if im too lazy! The packaging is good - the snap shut lid is great, until it gets pulled off around the edges and leaves the wipes exposed. That shouldnt happen if you're careful, but i'm not and its happened more than once. the first time I hadnt even used 1/3 of my wipes. Still, its much much much much better than the usual packaging with the crappy sticky peel lid that doesnt stick back down after the first 3 uses. I can't think of these as cheap simply because £6.50 a pop for wipes feels like a lot, but then you DO get a good amount, and they are good quality. You could spend more and get a lot worse.
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Lip Treatments -Korres - Lip Butter - Pomegranate
apricotmuffins 6/7/2009 2:44:00 PM
I've had this for a while now, and its been my main lip balm/gloss of choice. I love the colour, I love how it isnt sticky and how it tastes and smells lovely. I found it moisturising and comfortable to wear. However, im not such a big fan of the packaging. Its well made but not as functional as it could be. The design means that when getting near the bottom, its difficult to get the product out properly and I usually end up sticking my nails in it too, which is bad for both hygeine reasons and inconvenience reasons. I also wish it would last a little longer on, but as a compulsive lip-balm applier anyway, it doesnt bother me as much as it should!
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