Fragrances -Jimmy Choo - Jimmy Choo
candacej 5/3/2012 7:17:00 PM
This review is for the EDT. I haven't purchased a new perfume since Stella McCartney came out with Stella back in 2003 (I think - at least, that's when I bought it). Normally, when the perfume people are waving around their fragranced pieces of paper, I don't usually take one. For whatever reason, when a guy waved a Jimmy Choo card at me, I took it and had a whiff. WOW! I loved it immediately. I am very very picky when it comes to perfumes (hence, haven't bought anything in 9 years). I dislike anything too sweet, cloying, heavy or headache-inducing. I also like complex scents - not a one-note boring scent. And the drydown must smell, IMHO, as pretty as the first note. So, as I said, no new scents for me in 9 years. I liked the scent enough on the card to swipe it onto my wrists, and spent the rest of my day sniffing my wrists. I loved it! So pretty - and I loved it initial notes of green and fruity with a base note of caramel. Delicious!! I thought about it for another week, and then headed to the store to pick it up. Note though that the EDT is a softer prettier smell (again, IMHO) than the EDP. I found the EDP to be too heavy and a little stinky. LOVE!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Chanel - Joues Contraste in Espiegle
candacej 3/4/2012 6:03:00 PM
I have to add my two cents even though there are tons of reviews already. I am a blush addict - I just bought a new one yesterday (Nars Torrid) - I just can't resist blushers! Anyways, I picked up this beauty a couple weeks ago and despite the fact that I probably have around 50 blushers (yeah, I know - I have a problem), this is definitely one of my favourites. It imparts the prettiest, healthiest soft glow that looks so fresh and pretty. Some blushers look like, well, powdery pink or peach on your face. This blush looks like you, with a pretty glow. LOVE it! Highly recommend!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Shiseido - Luminizing Satin Face Color - RD103 Petal
candacej 2/16/2012 9:10:00 PM
Have to add my two cents about this fab blush! I am a blush addict, and have too many to count, from all of the major companies. I was out over the weekend and was lemming a new blush and realized I had never tried Shiseido (although I love their eyeshadows and cream eyeshadows are second to none). I picked up this one and was really happily surprised at what a beautiful blush this is. It does look blah in the pan, but on the cheek, it gives off a natural, pretty soft glow that just lights up your face. Very fresh looking. My only quibble is the boring packaging. Highly recommend!
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Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Lilash - Purified Eyelash Stimulator
candacej 11/17/2009 8:26:00 PM
Yes, this stuff really does work. I've wanted longer lashes forEVER and a couple months ago, paid almost $300 for lash extensions (my husband almost fainted). The lash extensions didn't fulfill my wildest dreams (they were full, but kind of straight, so you couldn't really see them except from the side) and are pretty expensive to maintain so I looked for another solution for my obsession. I checked out all of the lash growth reviews and this product had the best ratings/reviews so I bought a tube off eBay. As soon as it arrived, I started applying this stuff every night to my upper lids. Nothing happened for about 6 weeks (and believe me, I checked the mirror regularly) but I had fortunately read enough reviews that cautioned patience. Then at about 6 or 7 weeks, I started noticing that my lashes looked longer (although not fuller). Yes, they were definitely longer!! I'd say about 1/3 longer!! The only drawback has been that I did notice some burning when I applied it, for about the first week. That did make me wonder what ingredients are in the product and if I was crazy to keep applying this to my eyes. (And I do still wonder ...) Anyways, I use this about 4 times a week now just to maintain the length and am very happy with this stuff!! EDIT 02/05/12 - I dropped my review from 5 lippies down to 2 because this stuff started making my eyelids turn bright red - so much so that I was in a restaurant, and the server (a complete stranger) asked if my eyes were ok or if I was just 'really tired'. The trade-off of long eyelash to looking haggard is not worth it to me - so I immediately stopped using this!!
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Styling Products -Paul Mitchell - Freeze and Shine Spray
candacej 11/17/2009 7:52:00 PM
I have been using this hairspray for a very very long time. Every once in a while, I get bored of it and try something new. Two weeks ago, I ran out of this old reliable, and while at the salon after getting a haircut, I decided to try the new Sebastian Shaper Fierce aerosol spray. Over the next few weeks, I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my hair. It looked kind of flat, and lifeless. My husband assumed I had just gotten a bad cut from my usually excellent stylist. I thought the same thing and was thinking of going back in for her to fix it. I tried a couple other hairsprays in my cabinet, trying to get some life back into my thick, shapeless hairstyle. Nothing worked. Then I realized - all this started when I had abandoned Paul. I hightailed it to the nearest BSO (Beauty Supply Outlet in Canada) and picked up a bottle, brought it home and styled my hair with good ol reliable Paul. And presto - my hair looks back to its usual perky self - full of body, life and no longer flat and boring. Thanks Paul! I promise I won't cheat on you again!
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Treatments (Eye) -Olay - Professional Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex
candacej 10/24/2009 7:10:00 PM
Wow, wow, wow!! Ok, first of all, I am a huge product snob. I usually like to use department-store products - I never tend to use products from the drug stores, considering them to be full of petroleum and other cheap fillers. Having said that, though, the department store brands (and I've used everything from Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Bobbi Brown, etc etc) have usually been a little ... meh. They're ok, but I never really noticed much of a difference - especially in the finicky eye area. I have dry skin, but not much in the way of wrinkles .. YET. I do have one deep line under one of my eyes, though, that has always kinda bothered me. I've tried so many eye creams, but the line was determined to stay. So I lived with it. I ran out of eye cream (Shiseido) about three weeks ago and turned to trusty ole MUA to search out a new eye cream. Noticing the high ratings for this cream, I thought - ehhh, why not? HOLY CRAP! Within about a week of using it, my lines under my eyes were less noticeable. I kid you not. Even my husband was impressed. I am so happy with it that I went out and bought the Pro-X face cream too (still in the testing mode for that one). Thanks MUA!!! I would never have tried this eye cream if I hadn't read the rave reviews.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Make Up For Ever - Sens Eyes
candacej 3/23/2009 10:53:00 AM
I am shocked I haven't reviewed this before - it's my HG eye makeup remover and I'm now on my third bottle (you don't have to use very much, so you can see how long I've been using this product - literally years). Whenever I read a review about waterproof mascaras, where the person writes "...but I couldn't remove it!", I think, I don't have that problem! I've got my trusty Sens'Eyes. It works like a charm and I do use waterproof mascaras (they hold a curl better and I don't get yucky grey smudges under my eyes) every day. I smooth it on my eyelashes and wait for about 10 seconds for the product to really get in there, then I rinse, rinse, rinse. If there's still a little stubborn mascara left, I repeat. Gone! I don't have any burning sensation (like the previous reviewer mentioned), although that did happen to me with a different eye makeup remover (Estee Lauder - ouch!). Love this stuff!
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Mascara -Anna Sui - Super Mascara DX Waterproof
candacej 3/23/2009 10:45:00 AM
I HAVE FOUND IT! The ONE! The HG mascara, at long last!! Pardon my excitement, but you will understand if you were to look at all of my reviews for mascaras -- I think I must have tried at least 40 different mascaras over the years, and was unhappy, for one reason or another, with all of them. Some came close, but there was always just one thing ... Ok, anyways, here it is. The HG!! I bought this mascara on the heels of just returning a Lancome Hypnose waterproof mascara (it didn't turn out to be waterproof - left grey circles under my eyes). I applied two coats of this stuff (which smells delightfully like roses). I have puny Japanese eyelashes, but I want big fat luscious eyelashes. This mascara applies beautifully - no clumps, and separates really nicely. I applied two coats and it just looked blacker and thicker - but not like tarantula legs. Incidentally, the black of this mascara is really black - not like Lancome, which look dark grey. I had NO wilting (most mascaras wilt my just-curled lashes) and at the end of a long day (where I even took a 20-minute nap), there was no smudging, no flakes and my lashes looked just as fresh as when I first applied. Hooray! The only downside (and I'm NOT taking a lippie off for this, although some might) is that it's a little hard to remove. However, I just use my HG eye makeup remover (Make Up Forever Sens'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleaner - which removes all traces of mascara with NO rubbing or pulling - I just wash and rinse) and presto - gone!! Hip hip hooray!
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Mascara -Kiss Me - HEROINE MAKE long and curl mascara (black)
candacej 3/20/2009 2:13:00 PM
An ok mascara. After reading all the reviews, I found it on ebay and ordered it from Hong Kong. When it arrived, I was so excited - couldn't wait to try it on! But, same old, same old: it builds ok volume and although it didn't wilt my lashes, it did smudge somewhat. It's ok, but certainly not worth buying on ebay, having it shipped, paying postage/shipping/handling and customs.
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Styling Products -Aveda - Pure Abundance Volumizing Hair Spray
candacej 3/20/2009 1:54:00 PM
I wish they had a "NO!!! NEVER!!" answer in the "Would you buy this product again? I have a love/hate relationship with Aveda. When I love a product, I really love it and when I hate it - the product (IMHO) really sucks. This one definitely sucks. It makes my hair flat (kinda the OPPOSITE of volumizing), fly-away and gives me one of those "haven't washed my hair in a week" looks (i.e. my hair looks matted, dirty, flat and lifeless). Thanks Aveda. Maybe you should rename your hairspray "Lifeless Crap Hairspray" - then it would do exactly what it's supposed to.
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Styling Products -Frederic Fekkai - sheer hold hairspray
candacej 3/3/2009 8:53:00 PM
Yes, this hairspray has a nice even mist, and I like that I didn't have any crunchy pieces in my hair. But the hold is awful! I styled my hair, sprayed this in and then an hour later, it's like there's nothing in my hair. My hair is even staticky and stuck to my head, with little fly-away hairs all over the place. So I used some more hairspray. Again, though, a short time later, it's like there's nothing there. I'm going to have to try something stronger (but not crunchy!). I also didn't really like the scent of this ...
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Eye Shadow -Shiseido - Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow H1 Goldlights
candacej 1/6/2009 9:34:00 PM
LOVE! These are gorgeous, stay-true colours (I also have Glistening Sand - H9). The goldlights is a really pretty shimmery - rather than glittery - colour that sweeps on softly. I use a BB cream shadow brush, because I found my finger was a little too big for my eyelid, and I got shimmery gold on my bottom lashes as well which kinda looked cool, actually). This stuff wears well with no creases. A definite 5. I'll be back for more!
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Highlighters -Smashbox - Soft Lights - Shimmer
candacej 1/6/2009 9:31:00 PM
OH NO! I hate being one of the few who dislikes a product. But ... I do. I soo wanted to love this, since everyone else seems to, and I bought it based on the rave reviews. I don't mind the twist-off packaging (although a little bit of a PITA), but I hated the way this stuff looks on me. I feel like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz ... with a face that looks rather metallic and shiny rather than glowy. Plus it looks kind of caked on and accentuates my pores (which really aren't that big in the first place). It gives me that 'heavily made-up' look that I hate. Anyways - sigh - back to the store with you, Soft Lights.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Corrector
candacej 1/2/2009 3:42:00 PM
(They should have a YES, YES, YES - a Meg Ryan-type orgasmic YES - for really amazing fantastic products like this one - in the "Would you buy this product again" dropdown.) Hoookay. Let's just say, right from the start, that I like this product. A LOT. Love it in fact (although I guess that's pretty obvious). The irony is, I wasn't even looking for a new concealer. I've always just kinda slapped on whatever concealer I had at home and just sighed over my somewhat darkish circles. I love makeup books, though, so I had picked up Bobbi's new one, and stared in amazement on the section about concealers. Wow - it really did make a difference. The next day, I was off to the BB counter at Holt's. The MA didn't apply concealer on me - she used this - the corrector. She applied an eye cream first, then a couple layers (ahem - I guess my dark circles are rather dark). I saw a little bit of difference close up, but when I walked around, I caught a glimpse of myself in another mirror. WOW OH WOW!! I looked so fresh-eyed I couldn't believe it. I ran back to the BB counter and immediately bought a pot of corrector AND a pot of concealer (basically, lady, just give me EVERYTHING you used on my eyes!!!). I felt (and looked) about 10 years younger. Thanks Bobbi!! I will never be without this stuff! You have a lifelong fan here!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Iconic High Definition Lash Curler Mascara 
candacej 1/2/2009 3:25:00 PM
I almost didn't try this mascara. In fact, I almost didn't even NOTICE this mascara, if it weren't for an enthusiastic MA (what MAs aren't enthusiastic, bless 'em!). I have had bad luck with Dior's mascaras, so I wasn't about to plunk down any more $ for this one. But the MA was so insistent that I would love it, that I thought, ok - why not? (Yes, when it comes to mascaras - or rather makeup in general - I'm rather spineless!! haha!) Anyways, I got this baby home and was eager to try it out. The brush is kinda weird (I prefer very plush brushes) and I didn't really like the packaging (kinda cheap looking as opposed to the more sophisticated/elegant Chanel mascaras, IMHO). But this bad boy delivers. Buildable lashes that don't wilt and stay upturned all day long. No smudging, flaking and it removes easily at the end of the day. It even adds some length (although I don't think this is a lengthening mascara - WHEN are they going to develop an all-in-one mascara, I'd like to know?). EDIT Dec 09 -- I changed this rating from 4 to 3 lippies. It does smudge and gives me raccoon circles. Maybe because I just picked up a new tube with new colour (bold black) but this one is smudging quite a bit.
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