Liquid -Cargo - Foundation - Oil Free
debstar75 6/22/2012 6:50:00 PM
The beauty industry keeps discontinuing products every time I seem to find a good one. Since my last foundation is no longer made (Korres Ginger & Vitamins), I had to hunt to find something similar, if not better. I've always liked Cargo's products, and this foundation is no exception. The formula is very lightweight, yet provides moderate coverage and lasts all day. It has a matte/satin finish, which I follow up with loose powder just to set everything. My skin looks even, fresh, and it doesn't sink into fine lines or pores. Just looks healthy. I also love the convenient packaging, and the fact that it's made in Italy. It reminds me a lot of Bourjois' Matt Lovely only with better coverage, and the scent is almost identical (a light powdery fragrance). Most importantly, I haven't experienced any breakouts or skin irritation. So I think we have a winner!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Korres - Materia Herba Night Cream
debstar75 2/4/2011 4:54:00 PM
I was looking for a winter-time moisturizer and luckily the Korres website had this for 50% off during their Black Friday sales.The formula is a dream, super rich and really moisturizing. It makes my skin glow, and has a very subtle herbal fragrance. Much better than the Honey Thyme scent, which was way too overpowering for me. I'm very impressed that this hasn't irritated my sensitive skin or caused any breakouts. But it's still rich enough to thoroughly moisturize my skin & plump it up a bit. I would buy this again on sale, since the regular price is a bit too steep for me. Otherwise, I would recommend Burts Bees' Radiance Night Cream, which is a similar product for a fraction of the price.
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Styling Products -A/G - Recoil Curl Activator
debstar75 9/21/2010 12:29:00 PM
Although this product is supposed to be a curl booster & smoother, it seemed to do the exact opposite. I tried this multiple different ways-- on its own, with a gel, with a leave-in, air dried, diffused, etc...and I ended up with a rat's nest of hair each time! It's supposed to help in humid climates, but when I used it on the coast the effect was actually worse than inland. Will not be repurchasing this one.
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Styling Products -ISO - Bouncy Creme
debstar75 9/21/2010 12:23:00 PM
I've tried this time and time again, and every time I'm underwhelmed by the lackluster results. I keep thinking maybe this time it will be different, maybe it's reformulated or my hair has changed. Not so, unfortunately. The only effect I've noticed is that my hair cuticle is a bit rougher after using this. It doesn't help with frizz or encourage more curls. It just takes up space in my bathroom.
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Mascara -DHC - Mascara Perfect Pro
debstar75 9/20/2010 4:07:00 PM
This was my first venture into tubing mascara technology, and I have to say I'm hooked! I've tried countless mascaras and all of them irritated my sensitive eyes. For several months I just gave up, and went without any eye makeup. After reading good reviews of tubing mascaras & being a DHC fan in general, I took the plunge with this--and I'm glad I did. It has a very thin, precise brush that coats each lash with product. No thickening or lengthening here, but more of a defining look. If you like Clinique's Naturally Glossy or were a fan of Neutrogena's Lash Tint, then I highly recommend this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Jouer - SPF 15 Lip Sheer
debstar75 5/13/2010 4:50:00 PM
This is DA BOMB! I knew the moment this product touched my lips that I had to add it to MUA reviews. This lip sheer seems a lot like MAC's tinted lip conditioner, only in a lipstick-like twist tube and with better pigmentation/coverage. This was listed in Lucky Mag's "Lucky Breaks" section, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. The price is a bit high at $22, but you definitely get what you pay for here. I chose the St. Barths shade, described as a sheer coral red. I would definitely say it's coral, though leaning towards pink rather than red. The formula lasted several hours on my lips & kept them hydrated even after it wore off. No dryness or flaking here. I also love the "Try it On" feature on Jouer's website, where you can see what the shade looks like on different skin tones. Lastly, the packaging itself is great, since it's fairly solid & takes some effort to remove the cap. So I know that my pricey lip tint won't leak or smear all over my cosmetic bag. I can already see myself using this daily over the summer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Earth Science - Deep Conditioning Masque
debstar75 4/24/2010 5:59:00 PM
I agree, this stuff IS great! It's actually creamier & provides more moisture than my previous faves (Neutrogena and Frederic Fekkai). It's so thick and rich that it takes awhile to rinse out, which may be the only drawback. I love that it comes in an upside-down squeeze tube instead of a tub, since it's more hygienic & easier to get the product out. The natural ingredients are also a plus, and the price can't be beat! I would highly recommend this. Here are the ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Trideceth 12, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Persea Gratissima Avocado Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Olea Europa (Olive) Oil, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetyl Esters, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)
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Lip Gloss -Bobbi Brown - Tangerine
debstar75 4/5/2010 5:28:00 PM
Am I missing something here? I kept hearing that this gloss had a moisturizing formula with lovely pigmentation, but the opposite seems to be true for me. This gloss is very sticky, and accentuated every flaky bit on my lips. I would have to exfoliate my lips immediately before using this if I wanted a flawless application. Also, it's fairly sheer (not pigmented), which is a good thing considering the bright orange shade in the tube. But the color wears off pretty quickly--within an hour for me. So it's almost not worth wearing! To add insult to injury, the price is ridiculous for the size. I'm so glad I had a gift card for this, because the product is teeny-tiny. I compared it to the average size of a lipgloss, and it's about 1/3 of the product. I'm going to see if I can return it, just because it's such a waste sitting in my cosmetic case unused. :(
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Lips -TheBalm - Stainiac in Homecoming Queen
debstar75 3/16/2010 2:55:00 PM
I've been slowly testing the waters with lipstains, and this is my favorite one to date. It's water-based and goes on very light, then takes a couple minutes to dry into the stain. Whether I top it with lipbalm and/or gloss, it stays for hours-- through drinking, talking, eating, whatever. It's also one of the few peachy-coral lipstains I've found, and I love that it's reasonably priced. I actually picked mine up from Apothica for only $9! I also have truly sensitive, dry, chapped lips & this hasn't irritated them once! I think one's opinion of this shade really depends on your natural lip color. Though this stain seems bright-orange right out of the tube, it goes on a lovely sheer peach on my pigmented lips. I would imagine that one with lighter lips might get a more vibrant orange/coral result. I tried the Prom Queen shade first, but it really was too close to my natural lipcolor, so I returned it. But this goes on perfect with just one layer & stays in place.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Aveda - flax seed aloe strong hold sculpturing gel
debstar75 1/4/2010 5:37:00 PM
This smells like alcohol and leaves my hair crunchy and sticky. No matter how little I use or how much I scrunch my hair, it will be stiff until I wash it out. For this reason, I would recommend this gel for very short, spiky hair only. It did hold my curls all day, but I didn't like the stiff, sticky feeling. It also seemed to dry out my hair, even though I used a leave-in conditioner with it. Oh, and it also seems to exacerbate frizz! If you're looking for a nice gel for curly hair, I would recommend one of the following instead (depending on your price point): Nexxus Exxtra gel, DevaCurl Angell, Fekkai styling gel.
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Cleansers -Origins - Clean Energy Cleansing Oil
debstar75 12/13/2009 4:07:00 PM
This cleansing oil has a lighter texture than DHC’s, and seems to rinse away easier too. I also like that it’s cheaper & easier to purchase (same size too)! At first I was a little leery of all the essential oils in this product, but so far my skin hasn’t been irritated or broken out. It actually helped purge several stubborn blackheads that didn't budge with DHC. And it smells pretty nice too. The only downside is the packaging--it’s really cute, but you have to purchase the pump separately. I just poured this into my old DHC pump bottle instead. Since Origins doesn’t post their ingredients anywhere, I thought it would be helpful to post them here in plain English (for others who have super-picky skin like me): Olive Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Grape Seed Oil, PEG-25 Glyceryl Trioleate, Macadamia Seed Oil, Kukui Seed Oil, Sweet Orange Peel Oil, Lavandin Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Bergamot Fruit Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Cedarwood Bark Oil, Patchouli Oil, Clary Sage Oil, Rosemary Leaf Oil, Geranium Flower Oil, Australian Sandalwood Oil, Sandalwood Bark Oil, Linalool, Limonene, Sorbitan Trioleate, Tocopheryl Acetate
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Mascara -100 Percent Pure - Fruit Pigmented ultra lengthening mascara
debstar75 9/8/2009 3:05:00 PM
On the plus side, I liked that this product was all-natural and the company is local to norCal (hence, quick shipping!). I also liked that they offer a smaller tube that's supposed to last about 2-3 months, until you need to replace it for hygienic reasons. Sadly, I couldn't even make it to 1 week with this formula, since it started clumping within days. I also didn't notice any lengthening. The final straw was that it irritated my sensitive eyes, which seemingly all mascaras do. The irritation factor may be unique to me, since other reviewers seem to be okay with this formula. But I would suggest purchasing the small size from the company website if you'd like to try this out. They also send a bunch of cute samples with your order. :)
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Styling Products -ISO - Bouncy Curl Definer
debstar75 8/20/2009 2:08:00 PM
I've been trying to figure out how to use this product & how much to use, but I don't think it's working for me. I've tried a dime-size amount for my shoulder length curls & there wasn't enough hold. Then I tried a quarter-size amount & it was way too much and made my curls waxy & weighed down. This product is really a pomade, although on the creamy side. So maybe my hair just isn't meant for pomades? I would probably recommend this to someone who doesn't need that much hold, and wants a pliable pomade for coarse/super curly hair. I would look elsewhere if like me, you have to coax your hair into a stronger curl pattern or need any hold.
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Shampoo -Modern Organic Products (MOP) - C-Curl Curl Enhancing Shampoo
debstar75 7/13/2009 3:44:00 PM
This is expensive for a shampoo that does nothing. I'm giving it two points just because it doesn't damage my hair, but it doesn't clean it either. I'm used to sulfate-free shampoos, yet this product is different from the rest. I couldn't get this to spread through my hair, it just wanted to sit in one area. I tried different amounts, different water temperatures & pressure--all to no avail. The texture of this shampoo is just too thick and gloppy (almost gummy) to work effectively. Yes, the ingredients all looked great and I felt good buying an organic product, but I won't make the same mistake again. I would highly recommend Abba's shampoos as an alternative.
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Styling Products -Modern Organic Products (MOP) - C-System- C-Curl- Curl Enhancing Cream
debstar75 7/13/2009 3:32:00 PM
When I first started using this product, I was excited that it had the hold of a gel. Most curl creams do nothing for my curls, and have no hold whatsoever. But MOP's cream has almost too-much hold! If I let my hair air-dry instead of diffusing, this product gives me stiff ringlets. The diffuser definitely softens things up a bit. However, I noticed over time that this product weighs down my hair and messes with my curl pattern. Since I'm looking for light/springy curls and not heavy/messy ones, I'm not going to repurchase this product. PS- The twist cap of the tube is a great idea in theory, but gets blocked by dried-up product way too easily.
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