Shampoo -John Frieda - Full Repair Full Body Shampoo
chocolatecadre 3/20/2013 10:30:00 AM
It's a very conditioning shampoo, probably because it's meant for such damaged hair. I use this whenever I know I'm going out, because it really makes my hair super-shiny and healthy-looking. I wouldn't recommend using it all the time, though, for two reasons - 1) it's not the cheapest shampoo, so if you wash your hair daily or even once every two days, you'll be spending quite a lot of money! and 2) it tends to leave the hair a little bit oily because of that very conditioning nature. So in the long run your hair probably won't be as clean-feeling as I think most of us enjoy. If your hair really is damaged, I don't think any one shampoo can entirely fix that but using something like this and natural-ingredient hair treatments is a step in the right direction!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Stiletto - Waterproof
chocolatecadre 3/20/2013 10:22:00 AM
Bought this at a holiday in a tropical country, trying to make sure I didn't constantly sweat my mascara off. Well, I can't really speak for water-proof. It certainly doesn't come off with just water, but often the lengthening effect would land stripes of mascara on my top lids during the holiday! Gah! Later on, though, I started to find general use for this product. The brush packs a bit too much product at first so I began using a different brush to apply it, which worked wonderfully until there wasn't too much product in the bottle, so using the brush the product came with started to be fine as well. The result is a little too clumpy for my liking at times, but if I'm careful in the application process, it looks good. I use it whenever I need a really long-wearing mascara.
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Mascara -Lumene - Excellength Mascara
chocolatecadre 3/20/2013 10:17:00 AM
Great all-around mascara, certainly lengthens without clumping and comes off nice and easy without need for much eye make-up remover at the end of the day. At first I had a bit of a problem with the fact that the brush caught too much of the product, but I think after maybe about a week of using it, that problem went away.
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Mascara -Clinique - Lash Power
chocolatecadre 3/20/2013 10:14:00 AM
For a high price, you are not getting a very high quality product! There is something to be said for long-lasting, but I found this almost impossible to get off my lashes without intense scrubbing - which I don't want to do, in case I damage my lashes or the sensitive under-eye skin! The package says it's supposed to come off with warm water, but I found the mascara creates a heavy coat around the lashes and doesn't turn back into liquid when you start removing it (using a make-up remover, in my case I tried two and had similar results!). Instead the coat has to be kind of eased off using scrubbing motion with a cotton pad. What a pain! My lashes also felt weirdly heavy and clumpy, so I found myself touching them during the day, trying to separate them a bit. It is very lengthening but the removal process is SO arduous I wouldn't recommend this at all!
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Eye Shadow -Yves Saint Laurent - Ombres Duolumieres #1 Heavenly Beige / Astral Brown
chocolatecadre 3/4/2013 10:01:00 AM
I call this my "job interview" duo palette. It's just perfect for a very every day look, and you can use the brown with other colors for a more night-time look. I love the shimmer of it. It's a bit on the pricey side, but you'll be getting a lot of use out of it, since it basically creates a very lovely, simple every day look for work, school, lunch date etc. Plus the golden packaging with a mirror just makes me feel strangely luxurious when I touch up my make up during the day.
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Hair Color -LUSH - Caca Marron
chocolatecadre 3/4/2013 9:49:00 AM
I swear by this product. In fact, I'm sitting on the computer with the henna in my hair right now! The pros of all of the Caca series (Noir, Marron, Rouge, Brun) is a long-lasting, vibrant colour that comes out extremely natural and doesn't damage your hair as much as other hair dyes would. If you're looking for a natural hair dye solution, this is the way to go. The cons list is intimidating: it's messy to use, takes a long, long while (you're better off doing it on a day off) and can take a while to wash off, as well - it generally isn't the most user-friendly dye to use. To me, it's completely worth it, though. I get compliments on my red hair all the time, and if there are no roots showing (my natural colour is ashy blond, so the roots are not too visible even when there are some), people think it's my natural hair color. I once used Brun and found it a bit dull, a sort of dark, dull brown - so I would go for Rouge or Maron or Noir if you really want black hair. Things to look out for when using: it's best to grate a couple of squares off the bar into a bowl, using a grater you won't be using for food (ie get a cheap new one and then only use it for henna). Then add boiling water, and try to get the consistency of yoghurt in the mixing process. Touch the paste with gloved fingers, and when it's warm but not so hot it burns, apply it to hair. Once you've applied it all over, definitely cover your hair with cling film and then a warm hat or a towel. Leave on for minimum 2 hours, I prefer 4 hours or even 5 (just watch some movies while it's on!). It's the best natural hairdye out there, and worth the trouble for me - for anybody wanting a super-quick, easy fix, though, I wouldn't recommend it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Champs Elysees
chocolatecadre 3/4/2013 9:35:00 AM
This has been my signature for a small forever (possibly going on 10 years, makes you feel old), but I'm thinking of switching things up a bit. I've always used the EDT, so perhaps EDP would be better, but here are my experiences about the EDT: It's a nice, youthful, classy floral that makes me feel just the tiniest bit more feminine and beautiful when stepping outside. However, the EDT's scent wears off embarrassingly quickly, so you're in a dilemma - do you spray on too much and risk giving other people more scent wafting around you than anybody would like, or do you use the usual amount and then just consign to not having the scent on you for longer than 4 hours or so? It's a dilemma. I do love a small spritz of it on my scarves and the like. I'm starting to think I would personally like a new scent that's just as classy as this one, but has a bit more kick, a lot more staying power, and perhaps more exoticism. I would, however, recommend this to people who want a youthful scent that is floral but isn't too sweet.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Korres - Shea Butter and Vitamins Nourishing Hair Mask
chocolatecadre 3/4/2013 9:22:00 AM
I found this on sale, so decided to test it out - I typically use home-made hair masks. I have henna-dyed hair that is quite dry from non-henna dyeing treatments. I sometimes get flaky scalp, so the idea that this was a mask for both the hair and the scalp was appealing to me. I put it on towel-dried, washed hair and allowed it to absorb for the recommended time (3-5 minutes) and rinsed it. The smell is definitely something you either hate or enjoy. I personally dislike it. As far as moisturizing my scalp goes, this product did an okay job, put putting it on throughout my hair, from roots to tips, meant that the middle part of my lengthy hair was quite heavy and unpleasant. It did moisturize the hair as well, but it seemed that even after a lot of rinsing, there was still a lot of product weighing down my hair. Even when I just used it on the tips, the post-rinse, post-dry feel was not heavy. Plus the scent being unpleasant, was not something I wanted to have on my hair. I'll continue to use up the product but won't be buying it again. Not worth it - you use quite a lot if you have long hair, and it's an expensive product.
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Polishes -Essie - Sand Tropez
chocolatecadre 1/9/2013 8:25:00 AM
Classiest shade of nail polish I own. I pair this up with an awesome gold glitter polish I have by Butter London, and it really does give that posh, glamorous but neat Saint Tropez feel to it. Just gorgeous, and works wonderfully with my skin tone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -LUSH - Ultra Bland
chocolatecadre 1/9/2013 2:22:00 AM
I bought a small tub of this and used it for various things - eye make-up remover when travelling, general cleanser, to line my face when dying my hair with the Lush Henna (as suggested in Lush Times). It just wasn't for me. As an eye-make up remover, it's okay, but I was wary because it's creamy and moisturizing, and my eye-lids are quite oily enough as it is. As general cleanser, again, quite moisturizing, which can be great for some skin types but I didn't like the after-feel personally. As far as lining my face for henna smears while dying my hair, it was GREAT, but it was also too expensive for that single purpose (nowadays I tend to use a cheap basic creme to line my face, as it does the same job equally well).
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Eye Primer -Too Faced - Shadow Insurance, Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
chocolatecadre 1/9/2013 2:16:00 AM
I got this after some really good reviews on this place and others. I'm combination skin and have had problem with creasing for ages, and while powdering my eyelids before applying make-up, and other primers have kept my eye-make up in place for around 3-4 hours, but at the end of a long work day or a school day, it's usually a mess. Out of habit I first used this and then put powder on top of it, but that wielded the same result - 4 hours in it was just a line in the crease. When I started applying my eye shadow directly over it, I finally got the desired effect - my make-up stayed place for 8-12 hours, and possibly more than that, as I don't always note how long it's been since I put it on. I'd definitely recommend it for those with the same problem. It's not the cheapest primer but it's one that's worked best for me so far, and it seems like a long-lasting product as well (my eyelids are small, so I don't need much primer).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No