Cleansers -Basis - Basis Cleaner Clean Face Wash
blondeambitioned 2/13/2010 11:30:00 AM
I've been trying to find a new HG cleanser after losing my beloved Rachel Perry Tangerine Dream. The RP cleanser kept my oily, acne-prone skin completely clear and I just haven't found another product that has done the same for me. That being said, this product was ok, it was good at removing dirt, oil, and makeup, but still made me break out. The added pore-clogging silicones (to make your skin feel artificially smoother) and menthol (to make your skin feel artificially 'tingly', which is really is just irritation) is unnecessary and aggravating to my skin. Wouldn't use this again.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Nubian Heritage - Honey and Black Seed Lotion with Apricot Oil
blondeambitioned 2/12/2010 10:45:00 PM
Oh my God. Like the other reviewer, I can honestly say that this is the BEST lotion I've ever tried. First off, the SMELL is delicious - like honey! It spreads on really thick, and at first I worried that the whitish cast would not go away and that the product would be greasy. Within a minute, the shea butter sunk into my skin and left my skin moisturized and soft without being greasy. Secondly, it's 100% natural - no nasty chemicals! It's made by a company with a conscience that uses fair-traded ingredients, and this lotion is cheap - AMAZING. I have started giving these to friends as gifts and they have all fallen in love with these products as well. 5 stars!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Nubian Heritage - Raw Shea Butter Soap with Soy Milk Frankincense & Myrrh
blondeambitioned 2/12/2010 10:41:00 PM
One of my favorite NH soaps, along with Black Seed & Honey and Goats Milk & Chai. 100% natural, smells delicious, cleans without stripping, fair-traded ingredients, and made by a company with a conscience. Oh yes, and it's dirt cheap. What's not to love?
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Nubian Heritage - Black Seed Soap With Apricot Oil and Wild Honey
blondeambitioned 2/12/2010 10:36:00 PM
Oh my God. Absolutely delicious. I will continue to buy this until they discontinue it. Lathers up great, smells yummy (like honey), dirt cheap, 100% natural, fair-traded, and made by a company with a conscience. If you love this scent, you MUST get the Honey & Black Seed lotion as well!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Merrily ] [DISCONTINUED]
blondeambitioned 2/10/2010 11:07:00 PM
Tried it because of the rave reviews, but this just didn't work for my light-medium complexion, and applied too dark even with a light hand. The color was not flattering and did not look natural. Back to Foolish Me.
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Cleansers -Rachel Perry - Tangerine Dream Cleanser [DISCONTINUED]
blondeambitioned 12/28/2009 9:49:00 PM
I loved this cleanser, but now it appears it has been discontinued. Sad.
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Cleansers -Clean & Clear - Makeup Removing Cleanser [DISCONTINUED]
blondeambitioned 12/28/2009 9:46:00 PM
I bought this based on reviews to replace my beloved Rachel Perry Tangerine Dream cleanser, which apparently has been discontinued. I'm not a fan of chemical-laden cleansers, and my skin isn't, either. I hardly broke out at all while using the RP cleanser, but I have been breaking out since using this one. Ironically, my skintone has evened out much more quickly than when I was using the RP cleanser, despite the new breakouts. The cleanser is very drying, which didn't bother me much since I live in humid South Florida, but now that I'm up in DC for winter break this is much too drying to be used on my skin, much less my eye area. Next!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Grandpa's Thylox Sulfur Soap
blondeambitioned 12/13/2009 10:48:00 AM
For months, I have been breaking out horribly all over my back from (stupidly) using coconut-oil based soaps. NOTHING worked at getting the breakouts to go away - I was using every acne remedy I knew of - nothing worked. In the 4 days I've used this so far, my skin has cleared up MUCH faster than from all the treatments I've put on it for MONTHS... enough said. The smell isn't that unpleasant, it smells very spicy (like ginger) with a hint of sulfur. I can tolerate it for these results. I've also been using this on my face... will update in a few weeks with results.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Nubian Heritage - Soaps
blondeambitioned 12/13/2009 10:40:00 AM
I'm completely addicted to these soaps. I've used the Olive Butter, Shea Butter, African Black Soap, Goat's Milk and Chai, Hemp and Vetiver, and Coconut soaps and they are all are amazing. One caution to anyone with acne-prone skin: some of these have coconut oil as a base and may clog pores, so keep away from areas prone to breaking out. The Goat's Milk and Chai and Shea Butter ones are my favorite. Love them so much I bought my roommate a whole box of them for Christmas. Highly recommended.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Davines - Nounou
blondeambitioned 3/25/2009 3:03:00 PM
$21 for this tiny tub of conditioner is crazy. But slather this through your hair, leave on for 10 minutes or so and your hair comes out buttery soft and shiny. The scent is a bit herbal, not unpleasant, and certainly not like green curry (?). I want to say I wouldn't purchase again because of the price, but the results are definitely worth it. Somewhere, my wallet is quietly weeping.
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Treatments -Everyday Minerals - Carrot with Poppy & Illipe Cuticle Butter
blondeambitioned 3/25/2009 11:40:00 AM
Any fans of LUSH's Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter should really check this out. It's a dead ringer for the stuff, the only differences being that it works much better and is far less cheaper! It moisturizes very well and doesn't leave a greasy feeling. My cuticles had been splitting and healed very quickly when I started using this... and I swear my nails have gotten much stronger! Unfortunately, they use the same hard-to-open tins, although I haven't had too much trouble with this one. All natural ingredients and has a lovely scent of lemon, ginger and geranium. $4.00 for this little tub is a steal.
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Lotions/ Creams -Aura Cacia - Organic Cocoa Butter
blondeambitioned 3/4/2009 11:31:00 AM
Wow, just ... wow. Chocolate lovers, run - don't walk - to your nearest health store and pick up a jar of this. This pure 100% cocoa butter has the most luscious, decadent chocolate fragrance you've ever smelled. The only downside is that this product is as hard as a rock. I chipped it out of the container with a knife, poured the pieces into boiling hot water, added it with some carrier oil (sweet almond or sesame will work well), added some vegetable glycerin, put it in another container, and voila! You have a spreadable, much easier to use version that is still 100% natural.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - JR Liggett's Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo
blondeambitioned 3/4/2009 11:17:00 AM
I really, really wanted to love this shampoo bar, and given the glowing reviews, I thought my horrible experience with this was just a fluke. So I tried using it again, and again, and again.... same shampoo, different horrendous results. How horrendous, you ask? Take your worst hair day and multiply it by 10, and then you're getting close. This leaves my hair coated in a thick, gummy residue that takes 2-3 washes with a sulfate-laden clarifying shampoo to come out. My hair is so thick, gooey and tangly that I wind up yanking out a lot of hair just trying to brush it. Blowdrying is pretty much ineffective, because my hair is so coated with thick oily residue that it looks wet even when it's dry. You would think the oil would help condition my hair, but oddly, it is dry and frizzy nonetheless. I was so disappointed because this seemed like a great idea... and other people had such great results. (For the record, I have fine hair. Maybe this would work well on people with coarse or curly hair). The only thing saving this shampoo from getting the dreaded 1 star review is that it is a good concept. ** Edit: I was using the Dry hair version, but found the regular Herbal formula worked better for my fine hair.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Alba Botanica - Coconut Milk Cream Body Wash
blondeambitioned 2/8/2009 2:38:00 PM
I really wanted to like this product. The body wash is nice and thick and smells divine. It moisturizes well, but I guess I'm just not a fan of non-foaming cleansers. It feels like I have to use a ton of product to get myself clean. I wind up getting frustrated and adding it with another foaming body wash just to speed things along in the shower. If they kept this body wash the same but added some foaming action I would repurchase.
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Cleansers -Boscia - Clear Complexion Cleanser with Botanical Blast
blondeambitioned 1/13/2009 10:06:00 AM
If I could give this cleanser a huge whopping 10 stars, I would. Many cleansers claim to cleanse your skin of dirt, oil and makeup and not overdry your skin. This one actually does everything it claims. I'm on Retin-A, and have been using VERY gentle cleansers as not to irritate my very irritable skin. Sebamed left my skin very irritated, despite its pH-balanced formula for sensitive skin. Even Cetaphil irritates my skin. This does not - and it leaves my oily skin so clean and clear it's hard to believe it's so gentle. It was hard to pay $22 for a cleanser this tiny, but it is worth every darn penny. Love the natural ingredients and pump dispenser. Will buy again and again.
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