Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Johnson Products gentletreatment Semi-Permanent Gentle Conditioning Creme Hair Color 
daybreaking 5/12/2008 8:07:00 AM
I found this on clearance for $1 a box. It’s marketed specifically towards women of color. While not designed for my hair type, I’ve used Dark & Lovely dye before with decent if unexpectedly bright results, so I thought that I’d give gentletreatment a shot.
The box includes:
* Conditioning pre-shampoo: This comes in a small foil packet which requires scissors to open.
* Color developer: This comes in the standard clear plastic bottle with a twist-off top. It does contain peroxide.
* Conditioning semi-permanent creme color: This comes in a poorly-considered toothpaste-style tube, and its contents stain even before being mixed with the developer.
* Gloves: These come in a neatly-wrapped plastic bundle rather than bunched inside the instruction sheet.
* Instruction sheet
* Detangling conditioner: This is packaged in a small bottle similar to those found in hotel rooms, and is a good-sized 1.7 oz. It smells a bit soapy, but works well.
This worked fairly well, although I had to leave it on for an hour rather than the recommended twenty minutes for it to ‘take’. It washed out after three weeks, as the box claimed that it would.
It's much runnier than most brands of dye, and stains your scalp and skin as badly as Manic Panic.
There’s not much point in buying this – Even on closeout, buying something better, (such as Natural Instincts), is only a few dollars more.
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Lip Gloss -Avon - Precious Pouts Gloss Stick
daybreaking 5/6/2008 8:19:00 PM
I'll start with a disclaimer: I'm not a fan of 'bright' lipstick colors, and as the color that I got is a very bright, fuchsia-leaning red, I was biased against it as soon as I put it on.
The shade that I got is ‘pink punch’ (c). This comes as a short wooden pencil, similar to the eyeliner pencils, that appears to require the larger size of a dual-sized pencil sharpener.
It went on rather roughly, and ended up looking quite like regular lipstick, as it wasn’t particularly glossy but was very pigmented. I can’t speak for durability, as I promptly wiped it off – It did leave a Kool-Aid-hued stain and a petroleum-like slick that wouldn’t come off with plain soap – I ended up using eye makeup remover to get it off.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Sunflowers
daybreaking 10/9/2007 1:55:00 AM
Notes: Rose, jasmine, cedar, moss, lemon, musk, sandalwood ...
Sunflowers smells cloying, of rotting flowers, of funeral homes with the strong scent of flowers attempting to mask the scent of bodies decaying. The scent itself is just too much - but then it also induces a classic drugstore perfume headache.
There has to be some drastic difference in how some people smell the floral indoles in this - There's no other way to account for some people reviewing this as 'light', or 'clean', while only one spray makes me gag.
Both from personal experience, and from reading the other reviews - I'd suggest against wearing this in public unless your specific goal is to make people you encounter find you unpleasant to be around.
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Fragrances -Ulta - Black Currant Orchid cologne
daybreaking 6/6/2007 11:19:00 PM
From Ulta's website:
Black Currant Orchid - This oriental scent begins with top notes of raspberry, white peach, freesia, and black currant followed by mid notes of vanilla, orchid, jasmine and coriander. The scent fades to base notes of tonka bean, sandalwood, and musk.
Initially, this smells exactly like rubbing alcohol. In a minute or so, it then fades down to a very sweet, very warm berries and vanilla. I don't agree with Ulta's classification of this as an Oriental - Neither the sandalwood nor the musk notes come out on my skin. The scent seems more casual and flirty than elegant, and could easily be worn to an office.
It comes in a classic glass rectangular bottle, with an elegant transparent fuchsia cap. It's an uninspired design, but isn't tacky.
The oddest thing about this scent is that I seem to have become accustomed to it in only a day - The first day that I sprayed this on, it was an intoxicatingly strong and delicious scent. The next, after five minutes my nose literally had to be touching my wrist to get a faint whiff of berries.
For the price, ($6.99 on clearance at the B&M, $0.99 online), I have to take a lippie off for the amazing disappearing act, but it gets four stars for the most incredibly luscious smell.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Erox - Realm (Women)
daybreaking 6/3/2007 5:44:00 AM
Top notes: Mandarin, water lily, peony
Middle notes: Pheromone, rose, honey
Base notes: Amber, Vanilla, Cedar
Realm's gimmick is that it claims to contain human pheromones, which not only supposedly will attract the opposite gender, but will make you feel more confident, lift your mood, etc. etc.
I picked this up for three reasons: this is listed as having water lily as a base note; the reviews for this have been outstanding as at the least a pleasant scent; finally, the 3.4oz EDT was on sale for $11.
It starts out strongly with tangerine, with the honey note coming through initially more so than any floral ones. It dries down to just a faint citrus smell, down to the point that I can no longer smell it after a half hour. I did get a bit of headache with this, but I suspect it might be from a perfume I washed off a bit prior to trying this one.
The bottle is lovely asymmetrically-shaped red glass, with a poorly-fitting gold-foil-plated plastic cap. (Subtracting 2 lippies from package just for the cap).
For me, this is nothing special - I suspect that I'll find stuff to layer it with - Maybe with Yves Rocher Peach for a Fuzzy Navel - But I won't be repurchasing this.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Vermont Country Store - April Showers
daybreaking 6/3/2007 4:20:00 AM
From what I can tell, this is supposed to be a clone of the discontinued Cheramy fragrance ‘April Showers'.
It comes in a glass flask-shaped bottle, with a cheap plastic cap, and a thin label saying 'April Showers Eau De Toilette’. The liquid itself is an interesting hue of lime green, (a blend of Yellow #5, Green #3, and Red #33) . There's nothing to indicate brand on it, (perhaps Vermont Country Store is rightfully ashamed), but the white cardboard box in which it came has text stating that it was manufactured by Sportsfragrance, Inc.
According to the store website:
Notes: Rose, Heliotrope, Patchouli
It starts out like a generic citrus ammonia-based cleaning product. It dries quickly, to a green floral, with a strong grassy note that I can’t quite identify. It ends up a nondescript powdery floral. There’s just nothing to recommend this – a much better fragrance can be had for the same $3 at any drugstore.
Since ordering, I've seen many folks advising against getting these remakes, (including their other commonly sold one, Tigress), from Vermont Country Store .. I wish that advice had been here on Makeup Alley for me to find before buying. Nothing against their website in general - the name-brand, (Lanvin, etc), scents that they also carry have been fine. However - Please avoid these remakes.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Vermont Country Store - Straw Hat ( Fabergé remake)
daybreaking 6/3/2007 2:39:00 AM
From what I can tell, this is supposed to be a clone of the discontinued Fabergé fragrance 'Straw Hat'.
It comes in a glass flask-shaped bottle, with a cheap plastic cap, and a thin label saying 'Straw Hat Eau De Toilette’. There's nothing to indicate brand on it, (perhaps Vermont Country Store is rightfully ashamed), but the white cardboard box in which it came has text stating that it was manufactured by Sportsfragrance, Inc.
According to the store website:
Top notes: Lemon, Lavandin, Geranium
Middle notes: Rose, Violet, Heliotrope, Patchouli
Bottom notes: Vanilla, Musk, Sandalwood
This starts out quite poorly - The first spray strikes with an overly strong amber and musk note, with lemon bringing a bit of a floor cleaner note to the bouquet. It is reminiscent of a dimly-lit, cluttered second-hand store in the 80s; a whiff of the lingering traces of perfume on the cuff of a cast off, musty fur coat that brushes against you, the incense that the store owner constantly burns. It's the epitome of a stale drugstore oriental, including the choking strength of it and that magical 'headache' twinge.
It dries down quickly enough, however - and ends up smelling like pencil shavings. There's a powdery note, and on second sniff, it could be incense. But then the pencil shavings come back. The dry-down isn’t horribly bad - I can imagine maybe wearing this when studying, for an elementary school classroom atmosphere - But only the lightest of a single spray on one wrist.
The original Faberge scent sounded wonderful - One reviewer on Basenotes describes it as having notes including 'a sweet, bright violet, more like what I imagine violet jam or jelly would be like'. This is nothing like that.
Since ordering, I've seen many folks advising against getting these remakes, (including their other commonly sold one, Tigress), from Vermont Country Store .. I wish that advice had been here on Makeup Alley for me to find before buying. Nothing against their website in general - the name-brand, (Lanvin, etc), scents that they also carry have been fine, and I also imagine that if you ran across a bottle of the original Faberge version serendipitously, it'd be a treat. However - Please avoid these remakes.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Rocher - Fraîcheur Végétale Chevrefeuille ( Honeysuckle )
daybreaking 6/3/2007 12:27:00 AM
This cologne is painfully bad.
Perhaps the worst of all Yves Rocher scents, if not all commercially marketed scents, the experience of spraying Fraîcheur Végétale ‘ Honeysuckle ’ outshines the scent. The initial sinus-swelling blast on your wrist quickly fills the room, leading to any nearby co-workers looking up and wondering if they should evacuate the building.
It does have staying power - While desperate washing with many varieties of detergent gradually cut down on the powerfully offensive sillage, the faint chemical-factory-runoff-in-the-breeze note lingers on and on.
My main gripe about the bottle is the lack of a biohazard warning symbol on it. Without this, it does not fulfill the most basic purpose of the bottle - properly containing the fluid.
This could be classified as a green, industrial fragrance; it would most appeal to Al Qaeda operatives for use at soirees with containment-suit-attire listed on the invitations.
If coupon codes and free shipping are imploring you to shop at Yves Rocher, and your better sense is willing to overlook the risks of poor packaging and crapshoot customer service, please consider instead their Bourbon Vanilla, or other products in their Plaisirs Nature line.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jockey - Physical Woman
daybreaking 6/2/2007 9:34:00 PM
Top notes: Aromatic foliage, bergamot, juniper berries
Middle notes: Chamomile flowers, lily of the valley, rose, jasmine, raspberry
Base notes: Sandalwood, musk, amber
(Launched in 2001)
On the initial spray, I thought that I was going to hate this. It starts with that sharpness that I usually associate with men's cologne, as well as a strong acetone note, and that chemical twinge I've caught from certain drugstore and Yves Rocher scents that's a precursor to the beginnings of a headache. So - If you're sensitive to certain perfumes - be cautious with this one.
Shortly, the acetone fades to the background, and much more pleasant watery and melon-like notes show, with a bit of pine. It fades to a distinctly peppery white floral. This could be classified as a daytime scent - it dries down softly enough to wear in an office.
Much like the scent itself, the bottle itself is another YMMV. The bottle isn't bad, per se - It's clear glass in the shape of a torso, with the back frosted and curving in, for the effect of a headless female form with six pack abs wearing a sports bra being visible through the lavendar-colored liquid. The cap is a matte silver, with a press-down button to spray - It doesn't come with another cap to prevent accidental sprays. The bottle doesn't appeal to me at all, and actually strikes me as rather grotesque. To someone who appreciates an athletic female form, it could be considered a stylish and unique addition to their bathroom vanity.
I compared this to Avon's Perceive, (both sharing a peppery note), as well as to Ming Shu. It's greener and sharper than Avon's Perceive, and much less sweet. It shares the same water lily note as Ming Shu, and if you like Ming Shu, but thought it too sweet and dull, and would prefer that water lily and melon under a pine tree instead, then you should like this.
I can easily see how people could describe this as smelling like bug spray, or men's cologne - I don't think this would be for everyone. For someone who likes green florals, and dislikes sweeter scents, this may be exactly for them. I didn't end up hating it, and didn't need to wash it off - It just isn't for me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Rocher - Peche (Peach) EDT
daybreaking 5/24/2007 3:38:00 AM
This ends up smelling exactly like Peach Schnapps - It's a syrupy, boozy peach. On me, it stays true to that until it fades away in two - three hours.
The bottle is plain glass, with a well-fitting plastic cap. The liquid itself is a pale apricot color. It's currently $8 for a large (3.4oz) bottle, but as often as Yves Rocher has 'special' sales, it can be had for half of that price.
It's not a traditional perfume-y smell, but it's not childish either - It's a casual gourmand scent for days when something more sophisticated isn't called for.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Ellen Tracy - Ellen Tracy
daybreaking 5/24/2007 2:53:00 AM
I purchased this untested based on the reviews here, and it's as wonderful as the reviews make it out to be. As mentioned many times below, it's a perfectly blended daytime scent: it starts and mainly stays a soft, natural peach and cinnamon scent. The floral notes don't show up to me for several hours, when the cinnamon and peach are almost completely gone - it then becomes a sweet sandalwood and lavender.
While the scent itself isn't especially dramatic, it's strong - I have the EDP, and after a spray on each wrist it was noticable a foot or two away several hours after spraying it on.
It's a mood-lifting, pleasant scent that would be great for anyone 20s and up - I think it'd seem unnaturally subdued on teenagers. It's a business-suit-and-chignon type scent.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Almay - Nearly Naked Touch Pad Liquid Blush
daybreaking 5/24/2007 2:26:00 AM
I have this in 'Bare Pink'. This ended up looking entirely naked on my face, rather than nearly. It's scentless as far as I can tell, and glides on smoothly enough - another shade may have worked better.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Cococare Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
daybreaking 5/24/2007 2:16:00 AM
I have the non-SPF version of this.
It has a barely distinguishable scent that's more coconut than chocolate, and no flavor that I noticed. It has a much silkier texture than expected for the price, and the retro-looking golden-yellow plastic tube stands out enough to pick it out immediately from a drawer full of pens and pencils.
Besides that, there's not enough that stands out about it for me to buy it again.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Rouge Pulp
daybreaking 5/24/2007 1:59:00 AM
Despite the packaging shortcomings, I like this lip color.
It goes on clumpily if applied with the sponge applicator that it comes with, but goes on smoothly with a lip brush.
The color is strong, bright, and opaque; it lasts all day on me. The perfume-y smell has long since dissipated, (I've had one for six years), and it smells vaguely waxy. It doesn't have a strong taste.
I mainly use color 06, Craving, which I'm on my second tube of. It's a coppery-orange brown which looks better with my complexion than redder tones.
I also have 04, Passionate, which is a bright red which I use very sparingly over liner.
I saw 26, a sky blue, on a model in a magazine, and it looked great on her. I picked it up on clearance at BigLots, but haven't yet made it out of the house with it on. It just doesn't look right on me, even when I'm going for a dramatic look.
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Eye Shadow -Physicians Formula - Physicians Formula Matte Quads - ALL
daybreaking 5/24/2007 1:21:00 AM
This is the best eyeshadow that I've run across so far. I have the 'quartz' quartet, and use it a couple of times a week. It's incredibly blendable, and three of the shades, (two dusky-rose pinks, and a light grey), look perfectly natural. The final shade, a deep grey, works well as an eyeliner. None of the colors are overly dramatic, and it gives eye-enhancing shading without that 'made up' look.
I like the packaging - It comes in a silver plastic case, with a little mirror on the inside. The silver case is a bit scratched up at this point, but despite many tumbles has yet to spill open.
The oddest thing is how long that I've had this - Despite using it almost daily, I'm just now finishing up two of the colors - and I've had it for at least two years. I'm not sure if it's just that only a tiny bit of powder comes off on the applicator each time, or if the compact is stuck in a time-warp, but either way, this is my must-have eyeshadow.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No