Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous mascara 
candicehope 4/7/2012 6:11:00 AM
This is a great mascara. I use mascara every day, so I tend to go through it pretty quickly (about every 30 days) but I do notice a distinct change in the consistency. A fresh tube always goes on easier and looks better than a tube that's been opened and used for a few weeks. It's not too expensive, compared to department store brands that cost 5 times as much, but I still try to grab it when it's on sale, which happens frequently enough. This is my daily mascara, but for me, it is a little too prone to clumping to use for a going-out look, when I want to layer it on the lashes.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Olive Oil as Serum for Hair
candicehope 4/7/2012 6:06:00 AM
I do an occasional olive oil mask because I like the way it makes my hair feel and look. For me, since I wash my hair every day, I would say the effects last a couple days or so. However, I don't use it all the time because it is so messy and it is difficult to wash out. Normally I use a very small amount of shampoo, but when I do an olive oil treatment, it seems like it takes two or more shampoos to get the greasy feeling out. However, the day I do it, I always get compliments on how shiny and "perfect" my hair looks. So, I would definitely advise trying it, and if you find it time consuming like I did, save it for special occasions.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Wiggle Perfume Perfume Oil in Speakeasy Vanilla
candicehope 4/7/2012 5:55:00 AM
I bought 2 scents from this seller's Etsy shop. (the other one was Maggie, which is a vanilla cookie type scent which is not terrible, but not terribly sophisticated either.) Speakeasy Vanilla is supposed to have a "bright, intoxicating bourbon vanilla scent" that "mellows into a softer, creamy vanilla" but to me, it smells like a strong mixture of different kinds of incense, all competing to be the strongest. After wearing it for a while, it gives me a headache. People who have smelled it say that it smells like something a 90 year old granny would wear. Unfortunately, at no time has anyone mentioned any kind of vanilla scent. It's just not good.
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Lipstick -Jordana - Easyshine Glossy Lipcolor--Sugar Cookie
candicehope 1/27/2012 4:06:00 PM
Love this stuff. I usually use the CG lipslicks, but these little glosses come in great colors, taste good, and I get them at Walgreens for $1.99. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
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Lip Treatments -eos - Lip Balm Sphere - Sweet Mint
candicehope 1/11/2012 6:49:00 AM
I've avoided buying these so far because they seemed expensive. However, I was at walmart last night and they had them for about $2.50, which is more reasonable than the $3- $4 range they were in before. Also, I love the sweet mint orbit gum, and hoped this would smell the same, and it does. I keep it on my desk at work, so the bulkiness of the packaging is not a problem, although it does roll around sometimes if I bump it. It's cute, but when I carried it in my pocket, it gave me a weird lump in a place where ladies shouldn't have one... like that it clicks closed. Haven't dented it with the cap so far, but that seems like it could happen very easily. So far, it feels like it's doing its job, not too greasy, stays on for about 30 minutes or until I eat or drink something. I exfoliate my lips with a sugar scrub, so they are already smooth, so I can't speak to how well it moisturizes. It seems like it would work as well as a chapstick or other similar product. It smells minty, and maybe tastes a little minty too. There's a minty "cooling" sensation when I put it on. If you have really chapped lips, it might tingle a bit too much.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - salon effects
candicehope 10/20/2011 1:50:00 AM
The first thing I will say is that when these work, they are brilliant. However, they are not completely without issues. Pros: + I always get compliments on my nails when I wear these. I have tried the leopard print and the flower print, and my mom has tried them as well and gotten compliments on the rainbow/paint splotch print. + They last for weeks without chipping, if you are not hard on your nails. I usually leave them on for about two weeks, then take them off because my nails have grown out. + They look fantastic and are really easy to apply, and are dry and ready to go immediately. They feel just like regular polish, not like fake nails or stickers. + If you have short nails, you can use some of the strips on two nails, so you can get two uses out of each package, or do both hands and feet. Cons: - They are a little harder to get off than regular polish. You don't have to soak them, but it took me about twice as long as removing straight polish from a salon manicure (with topcoat). - They are more expensive than regular polish. I try to get them on sale, but most of the time pay between $8-$10 for them. Less than a salon manicure, though, and there's really no other way to get patterns like these on your nails that look this good. - The packaging is not good. You get two little packs of strips in each box, and once you open one of the packs, you have to use them right away or they dry out. Sometimes they are already dried out, straight out of the packaging, which I assume is a defective package. If they are dried out, they will not stick or stretch to fit the nail. You can use clear nail polish to make them stick, but it bubbles up and they don't look very good. - Some of the strips are to narrow and I ended up with some nails that were not completely covered by the strips. They still looked good, and most people don't look at your nails that closely. Beware of this if you're trying to get two uses out of one box of the strips. Despite the drawbacks and the expense, I love these so much, I will continue to buy them as long as they make them. I am looking forward to trying the new Halloween designs and I hope they come out with more.
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Masks -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Masque
candicehope 6/9/2011 11:10:00 PM
What prompted me to write a review is that I was recently on vacation in Las Vegas, and some woman at a very expensive kiosk at Caesar's Palace tried to sell me a face mask for $120 (for like, a 2 ounce jar!) and I flat out told her that the stuff she had me try didn't make my skin feel half as good as the Queen's mint julep mask. So there. You don't have to buy super-overpriced "imported from Italy and made from the tears of virgins" face masks to have soft skin. There isn't a lot more I can add to the reviews that are already on here. Just try it. It's cheap, it's effective... if you end up not liking it, you're only out a few bucks.
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Wet 'n' Wild - Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner - Black
candicehope 5/12/2011 3:17:00 PM
I used this a couple times and it looked fine. The brush it comes with is a little stiff, and felt like it was scraping my eyelid when putting it on. The color lasted all day and I was looking forward to trying it in the plum color. Unfortunately, after not using it for a couple weeks, when I came back to it, it had completely hardened and was unusable. It had the cap fully screwed on, but it is such a cheap little plastic cap, so it dried out. Would not buy again. Very disappointing.
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Self Tanners -Jergens - Natural Glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer-Fair to Medium
candicehope 5/11/2011 2:08:00 PM
Ok, if you're looking for the holy grail of self tanners, that you can just slap on and go about your business and end up with a perfect tan, this isn't it. I don't know if that exists. But it's pretty close. Do yourself a big favor, and exfoliate first, then put a little lotion on any extra dry patches, like heels and elbows. If you have really pale skin (I am a couple shades darker than the guy in Powder...) then it will get streaky and splotchy if you aren't a little careful. Fortunately, even with my lack of skill and paper-white skin, I still ended up with a fairly even color. Personally, I would like it to be even more gradual- you can tell a difference the first time you use it, and yes, my heels are a bit orangey right now, but it's nowhere near as bad as with the tanners that are marketed "medium" to "dark." This is a little more forgiving of mistakes made during application. Next time I apply, I'll be using a bit more lotion first, to prep my skin so it doesn't absorb so much tanner. As for the smell... I am pretty sensitive to the scent of self tanner, and sometimes I just stay pasty white all summer rather than having to smell like whatever that is. (Moldy fruit? Old gym socks? I'm not sure.) This stuff isn't too bad. It does have a bit of a smell, especially if you get sweaty after you put it on. But of all the brands of self tanner I've used, it's the least noticeable. I don't feel like I need to take three showers and douse myself in perfume before I can go out in public, you know? The can says it dries in seconds, which I suppose is true, considering that minutes can be counted in seconds... it took about 5 minutes for me to feel comfortable touching it without having it rub off. So, in Jergens terms, I guess that's about 300 seconds... Even then, since it's a hot humid day, I put on a dusting of body powder and I'm feeling good about it. I think I paid a little over $8 for the can of foam, so it's not the cheapest or the most expensive. You don't have to use a lot to get a nice subtle "glow." Used every day, all over the body, it might last a couple weeks. Used every other day/ every third day, or just on the arms and legs, it could last all summer. (I've used the lotion version of this as well, and although it's a little cheaper for the amount you get, with the lotion I would say I used more at a time, so it works out to about the same number of applications.) So, bottom line is that it lives up to its promises and my expectations, and I think that I will be buying this again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Suave - Professionals Black Raspberry and White Tea Color Care
candicehope 4/27/2011 1:27:00 PM
After I fried my hair with my last coloring (I am never using Feria again!), it was dry and crunchy. I've been conditioning it like crazy, and it just hasn't gotten better, until I tried this conditioner. It smells delicious, and it was $1.37 at walmart, and it makes my hair really smooth and soft. Yay! I get similar results when I do an olive oil treatment, but this is so much easier and smells way better, and not nearly as messy. I used it with the matching shampoo, but I go through conditioner about 3 times as fast as shampoo, so I will definitely be stocking up when I go back to the store. It says it's comparable to Aveda, but I haven't used that so I can't say. I like the "natural" ingredients, but I'll be honest, I don't care if it's chock full of chemicals if it makes my hair look good and stop breaking off.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Bon Bons - mini nail polishes
candicehope 11/11/2010 9:45:00 AM
Nice colors, go on very sheer, so you do need a few coats if you want an opaque look. And please, let your nails dry adequately in between coats. If you don't let it dry, you will end up with soft polish that smudges and gets wrinkles and such. It's not gloppy at all- if you get gloppy nail polish, it's probably been opened before and dried out, or it's just old. This stuff is no worse in quality than WnW, Rimmel, Revlon, or any other drugstore brands, and it holds up just s well as some more expensive brands. The main thing to remember is that any polish is going to go on badly if your nails aren't prepped. Buy a buffer and use it. Moisturize your cuticles and push them back. File your nails properly. It doesn't matter if you spend $1 or $20 on a bottle of nail polish, if you have overgrown cuticles, ragged edges, and ridges on your nails, it's going to chip. I file and buff regularly, so this polish works great. If you are worried about chips, invest in a good topcoat. The main drawback, I think, is the bottle is so little, and the brush is tiny, so you have to dip it in a couple times to get enough polish to do a nail. However, if you pay attention to what you're doing, you can get great looking nails regardless. Like others have said, it's cute, and it fits easily into your purse or makeup bag. And if you take it on vacation and security makes you throw it out in the airport, you're only out $1.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Parfums de Coeur - Body Fantasies Fresh Lemon Sugar Fantasy
candicehope 8/24/2010 9:24:00 PM
This lotion smells soooo good. Like a lemon cookie, or if you remember the lemon-y Sugar Sugar scent from Bath & Body Works a few years ago, it smells just like that. Unfortunately, while it smells delicious going on, the scent fades quickly. I put it on 10 minutes ago and now I just smell like regular lotion. Maybe if you layer it with the body spray in the same scent, it would last longer, but you shouldn't have to do that. The consistency is ok. Not too thick, but not runny either. It is not as moisturizing as I would like. You know how with some creams you put them on, and even after you wash, your hands still feel soft? This doesn't do that. All in all, I'd say it's a good summer lotion to carry around with you, to get a kick of sweet lemon scent to pick you up in the afternoon and keep your hands from getting too dry. However, when it runs out, I am not likely to buy it again.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara
candicehope 8/24/2010 7:45:00 PM
I saw this mascara was given yet another award in a recent Glamour magazine. Why? I have no clue. This is probably the worst mascara I've ever tried. It clumps up, it doesn't do anything for either length or volume (unless you like the "I have a tumorous caterpillar sitting on my eyelid" look) and it dries out. I guess it's a good way of getting people to throw out their mascara more often- it becomes unusable in a few weeks! There are so many other drugstore mascaras that are light years ahead of this one in quality, I don't know how anyone can feel right about recommending it to someone. All I am left to think is that Glamour and the other beauty mags that promote this crap are being paid by Maybelline to do it.
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Lip Gloss -Cover Girl - Lipslicks in Daring
candicehope 8/20/2010 5:39:00 AM
Great sheer color. Plus, when it wears off, it's not obvious like with lipsticks and liner (you don't get that line around your mouth.) Looks very natural by itself. My favorite everyday gloss. The packaging looks cheesy, but the price is right, so it's forgivable. I wish it tasted/ smelled better (it smells kind of like a cheap candle or crayon), but the texture is good. I wouldn't say it's the best moisturizer, but it doesn't dry my lips out either- it just sort of maintains the status quo.
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Lip Treatments -Blistex - Lip Infusion
candicehope 8/20/2010 5:31:00 AM
Wow, I can't believe so many people gave this a negative review! I love this stuff. Recently it's gone on clearance at Meijer for 87 cents, which makes me wary that it's about to be discontinued. I hope not, but I've been buying up every tube I can find on sale because I love it so much. Even the cherry flavor, though I prefer the original. I can't tell you how many compliments I've gotten on my lips since I started using this stuff. Just last week my mom told me I should be a lip model! I do re-apply it quite often, but mainly because I love the way it feels. The roller ball is cool and smooth. (In the winter, I keep it in an inner pocket and it gets warm and feel so good on my lips.) I'm a gloss and lip balm addict, though. I can see how it wouldn't be good for windburn and outdoor activities, you'd probably need something more waxy for that. However, when I first started using this, I had really chapped lips and aside from petroleum jelly/ carmex (which I don't like because it's messy), this was the only thing that helped.
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