Polishes -China Glaze - fairy dust
dawneaoi 5/7/2012 2:51:00 AM
I wanted something to add a subtle rainbow shine to my nails and Fairy Dust was just what I'm looking for! It comes in a clear base and the glitter is sparse enough that it won't change your base colour. I have two bottles of this at home and use it frequently! It looks great with anything, but I find it's just the thing to jazz up a creme polish.
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Cleansers -John Masters - Bearberry Oily Skin Balancing Face Wash
dawneaoi 3/22/2012 10:22:00 AM
I have extremely oily skin which I find very embarrassing. A few hours after washing my face I'm usually shiny and have to use at least two oil blotting papers before I can apply powder again. I read a few reviews about this product and thought I'd give it a shot. I bought the face wash, serum and mist. I have to say that from day one, my skin was far less oily. I could even go for the majority of the day without using blotting paper. I washed my face twice a day and then used the serum as a spot treatment and carried the mist in my purse. While it does cut down on the oil (or sebum, if you prefer), I found that my skin broke out a lot while using it. It just isn't strong enough for me. I now use it after my regular face wash. It seems excessive, but between the two, my skin is now clear and relatively oil free without being too dry. I'm looking forward to the summer and seeing how it holds up against Tokyo's humid steam bath.
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Polishes -Essie - Guilty Pleasures
dawneaoi 3/22/2012 10:12:00 AM
I bought this by chance when I was in a drug store browsing around. I don't tend to go for bright fushia polishes, but this one caught my eye. I LOVE it! The formula is a bit thin and runny like a lot of essie polishes and even with three coats you still have vnl, but I love it as a base for nail designs. It's a bright pop of colour and great for summer. I've used the majority of my bottle and now I'm having trouble finding it anywhere. I wish that I had bought two bottles back when I had the chance!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Merry Midnight
dawneaoi 3/22/2012 10:08:00 AM
Like a lot of other people, I got a little crazy about duochrome flakies. When I saw this polish from OPI, I just had to have it. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations. I can barely see the flakies at all when I put it on. This is disappointing, because inside the bottle they look great. It in no way compares to other polishes like Koh's Blue Universe or anything Nfu Oh is putting out. It's a nice vampy colour to wear for a special night out, but the reason I bought it was for the ton of flakies in the bottle and they don't really show up that well if I'm not outdoors in direct sunlight. I've barely used it since I bought it and will not need another bottle.
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Polishes -Essie - Playa Del Platinum
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:46:00 AM
LOVE this shade. Some people aren't fans of essie polishes because the formulas can be kind of thin or runny, but I find that makes them dry faster and I can control the coats and make them even. This shade isn't really a gray. It's greige. It doesn't sound like a very appealing colour, but I find it to be very sophisticated and a great change from regular neutral beiges. I think this shade would look good on any skin tone and it's a good "work" nail polish. I work in a conservative office and everyone liked the shade.
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Polishes -Essie - Chinchilly
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:44:00 AM
I wanted a gray shade for the winter and picked this up at the local drug store. I love it! It's a really warm almost purplish gray and goes great with everything. I worried about it being too dark looking since my skin is so white, but actually the warm undertone kept it from looking like I was going through a goth faze. Anyone who wants a really opaque gray, this is for you!
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Mint Candy Apple
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:41:00 AM
I saw this shade when I was searching for green polishes online. It was hard to find here in Japan, but I know a website where you can order essie and other nail polishes for quite cheap, so I got it in a large batch order. I love this shade! It's kind of between a mint green and a sea foam green. It has a thin formula, so it takes me three coats to get full coverage, but it dries pretty fast, so it's not a big deal. Perfect shade for spring 2012 since we're seeing a lot of pastels and sherbet colours now!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Navigate Her
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:37:00 AM
LOVE this shade! The majority of this collection is a keeper! I also love To buy or not to buy (the lavender shade), even though the blue sparkles don't translate well on the nail. As for Navigate her, I couldn't have asked for a creamier, opaque polish! I can do a nice cover in two coats, but sometimes I do 3. I love to wear this as a base coat and then do white designs with my konad nail stamps. Perfect for spring and summer!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Save Me
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:35:00 AM
Really beautiful polish, but it has it's problems. I was instantly attracted to save me when I saw pictures of the bottles of polish. I've never seen so many kinds of glitter packed into one bottle before! I knew I had to have it. It can be worn on its own if you're willing to put 4 to 5 coats on and spot dab any empty spots with glitter. I prefer to wear it over creme shades, especially dark ones. My biggest issue with this polish is the bar glitter. It sticks up all over the place and even with several layers of top coat I still snag my pantyhose or anything else I'm touching. I like the holographic aspect to the glitter, but think I'll stick with flakies that are more flat.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Gold Shatter
dawneaoi 3/11/2012 11:31:00 AM
I have the silver shatter and love it so much I own more than one bottle of it (in case they stop production). I expected the gold shatter to be another winner, but was sorely disappointed. Gold shatter has a very thin formula, doesn't show up well over lighter colours and doesn't shatter the way the silver one does. I used it a few times, trying different techniques, but it turned out the same every time. Do NOT waste your money on this one! Buy the silver shatter or black shatter instead. Much thicker formulas than the new shatters that OPI brought out last year.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - BADgal Lash
dawneaoi 7/2/2011 10:40:00 AM
When I first bought this product last winter, I thought it was God's answer to my mascara prayers. It volumized my lashes and lengthened them, making my lashes so lush that people constantly asked me if I was wearing falsies. It got to the point where I wouldn't leave the house without my bad gal mascara on my lashes and stowed away in my bag for emergency touch ups. One day I noticed that it was smudging under my eyes after a long day of work. Several times after that, I noticed the panda eyes happening again. I know this mascara is not advertised as waterproof or smudge proof, but I've never had this problem with mascaras before. Usually I just get some flaking at the end of the day. Eventually, as the weather got warmer, I had to stop using this mascara, as I really had black rings under my eyes thanks to it smudging. I do like it a lot, but I would never wear this mascara for the whole day anymore. This is a short term, night out mascara. I've switched to Helena Rubenstein's Lash Queen for my all day coverage.
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Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Vitamin E Protective SPF 15 Moisture Lotion
dawneaoi 7/2/2011 10:33:00 AM
I first picked this up in the winter, since I suffer from combination skin (but the dry bits get REALLY dry in winter). It left my skin feeling so smooth and dewy without being oily looking and I was in love. I thought this was my new forever moisturizer. Then summer happened. When the temperatures started to rise and I was sweating a lot, I found this moisturizer is just too thick for use when it's hot. My skin looked oily and I started breaking out a lot. Once I switched moisturizers, my complexion went back to normal, so I know it was this moisturizer that made me break out. I DO recommend it for the winter, or to anyone who suffers from dry skin year round, but for oily skinned or combination women it is not a good choice when the weather gets warm. I will buy it again once the weather turns dry and cold.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Vitamin E Hand and Nail Cream
dawneaoi 7/2/2011 10:28:00 AM
LOVE this hand cream! It's really nice and rich without being greasy. Since I've been using it on my hands, cuticles and nails, I've noticed that my nails don't split as much. For the first time in several years, my nails have grown to be over an inch long! The scent isn't strong (for which I'm thankful) and I can safely apply it anywhere, even when riding the subway, and don't have to worry about the smell bothering other people. Great value for your money as it is reasonable and a little goes a long way. Will continue to buy it as long as they make it!
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Shampoo -Kerastase - Bain Satin 2 Shampoo
dawneaoi 7/2/2011 10:20:00 AM
I bought this product because I had read online that it's good for color treated hair with highlights. I recently went back to red from a dark brunette (stripped my hair) and then had balayage highlighting done. The first time I used the shampoo, it was really hard to get a good lather going. I had to keep adding more and more shampoo to my hair. I have really thick hair, so a shampoo that lathers well is important. After washing out the shampoo, my hair felt dry and was a tangled mess. I had to leave my conditioning masque in for a really long time, just so I could run a large comb through my hair. Maybe three weeks after using the shampoo, I found it was making my hair feel softer and silkier, and that the colour I got is still fairly bright (we all know reds fade the worst!). Had you asked me a month ago if I was happy with the product, I would have said no, but now I can see the benefits. This shampoo isn't very moisturizing, so I recommend having a good conditioner and maybe use one of Kerastase's masques once a week. It DOES work well at keeping colours from fading too fast, though. I think anyone who paid a lot of money for a salon colour will appreciate that. If you have damaged hair, this product takes a while to make a change, but give it a chance. Try it for a whole month and you'll notice a difference!
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Treatments -Kerastase - Kerastase Reflection Chroma Reflect Rich Radiance-Enhancing Masque
dawneaoi 7/2/2011 10:10:00 AM
I have very damaged hair that has been stripped, colored again and recently had balayage done for the first time. My hair felt like straw and the tangles were impossible to get out. I wanted to cry because all my life I've had very healthy, shiny hair. I started using Chroma Reflect along with Bain Satin 2, since a lot of people recommend it. I heard it's good for colour treated hair with highlights. At first, I found the Chroma Reflect didn't make my hair feel very soft or moisturized after the first few times I used it. It just didn't compare to the oleo-relax, which is my usual conditioning masque of choice. My ends were still a dry, tangled mess and I was mad I wasted money on the product. I stuck with it (having paid so much for it, who would throw it away?), and after using it for a month, I can say that my hair is now getting silky and a lot of the damage from the ballayage has been repaired. I'm going to try and rotate this and the oleo-relax and see how that goes. Will update again in another month.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No