Shampoo -Aveda - Pure-Fume Brilliant shampoo
gleaf 1/21/2009 8:55:00 PM
I am really loving this. Aveda products can be weird; they are high quality but it can be hard to find the right one for you. Since they aren't cheap, it's hard to experiment. Like many other reviewers here, I have fine, straight, dry hair and this works really well--but my hair is neither "textured" nor "treated" which is what it says it's for. If not for MUA, I might never have tried this! It cleans without drying, and has that addictive Aveda smell. My hair is soft and full. Would repurchase, despite the $13 price tag.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Annick Goutal - Eau De Charlotte
gleaf 12/4/2008 3:02:00 PM
This is not what I thought it would be, but I still really love it. I don't get as much of the berries/cocoa, and get more of the floral/mimosa, especially at first. The sweetness is in the drydown. I love how it is both fresh, floral and sweet and doesn't smell like everything else out there. It really sparkles. I also love that it's subtle, as I hate to shout "perfume!" when I enter a room. I got a sample first and this will be my first full-size purchase in a verrrrry long time.
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Lip Gloss -NARS - Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls
gleaf 12/4/2008 2:50:00 PM
Heaven in a jar! There are a million nude glosses out there, but this one stands above the rest. As others have said, it's very pigmented and thick, with a lip balm feel and almost a sheer lipstick look--not gloppy at all. One thing that annoys me about a lot of "nude" glosses is that they end up looking like nothing but clear shine on your lips. This is such a beautiful color, pinkish beige but not corpse-like (I am NW20, dark brunette). A word about the jar packaging: this is the only reason I avoided buying this for so long, but I now realize that this formula must be too thick/dry for a wand, and I am happy to use a little brush now. Like everything NARS, it is pricey but you do get a lot for your money.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Dr. Hauschka - Rose day cream light
gleaf 10/29/2008 8:37:00 PM
I love some Dr. Haushka products, and this is one of them (lip balm is another). I am about to hit 35 and after a lifetime of oily, then combo skin, I am finally veering toward dry. I wanted something natural and soothing that smelled wonderful and this is IT. The rose smell is intoxicating and it makes your skin feel like velvet. I use quite sparingly, and find it plenty moisturizing, but my skin is just barely on the dry side. Downside: really pricey for the quantity you get, but it seems worth it as I use so little each day. So luxurious, no breakouts...wonderful. Love that it's in a tube!
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Scrubs -Origins - Never A Dull Moment Skin Brightening Facial Polisher
gleaf 10/5/2008 9:54:00 PM
Love this!!! So gentle yet really, really works. Great scent, feels great going on. I'm careful to be gentle when scrubbing and not get too abrasive, otherwise the grains could be slightly irritating.
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Crème -Chanel - Teint Innocence Cream to Powder Compact Foundation
gleaf 10/5/2008 9:43:00 PM
I am really impressed with this foundation. I am NW20, dry skin with some redness, and got matched at the counter with Gentle Ivory, the lightest shade. If you are extremely pale, you won't have luck with this. It's neutral, and I usually match with the pinker, almost-lightest shades in a line, but despite that this is a very close match. I really hate liquids because I leave myself about 5 minutes to do my makeup and don't have time to blend. I haven't found a compact makeup that has a nice dewy finish or doesn't look mask-like, until now. I have always loved MAC's color and quality but they have nothing in this formulation, and I never felt like spending the money on a higher end brand, but my search lead here and I am glad it did. The one downside: price. It is Chanel, after all. Not sure how long it will last but I don't go through makeup quickly. I apply with a foundation brush and the finish is gorgeous, soft-focus, but truly undetectable. Covers redness and marks much better than your average liquid. Love it!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tocca - Florence Perfume
gleaf 3/17/2008 4:36:00 PM
This opens beautifully, with the fruit and the flowers, and quickly becomes tuberose. I have very mixed feelings; I like tuberose and this is a really nice version, but I just wish the top notes lasted a bit longer. All the Tocca scents have this problem, which I guess is only a problem if you don't like the note it settles on! I wear it, but I have to be in the mood.
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Fragrances -Tocca - Touch
gleaf 3/17/2008 4:33:00 PM
This opens nicely with the pomegranate and tiare, but within minutes it is balsam and only that, which smells really masculine to me. Beautiful bottle, though!
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Fragrances -Tocca - Stella EDP
gleaf 3/11/2008 2:14:00 PM
Stella is just kind of nondescript fresh/floral. I too was hoping for the blood orange, but it's so bland. It reminds me a little of Fresh's Pink Jasmine in that it goes to the drydown almost immediately. I just have a sample so I can't comment on packaging quality, but the bottles are among my favorites ever as far as pure aesthetics go. I am sampling all the Tocca scents so hopefully the others will be better. Just by the notes I knew I wouldn't love this, I am more into headier florals.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -NARS - Napoli
gleaf 3/3/2008 11:55:00 AM
I feel like I have been looking for the perfect "nude" forever. I have coloring that doesn't lend itself to what most makeup lines consider nude: very dark hair and eyes, pale skin, not very pigmented lips. What most people consider nude seemed either very dark or very beige on me--not flattering at all. So I experimented over the years with different glosses and pencils, and I have a lot of combos I like, but when it comes down to it sometimes I just want a lipstick and not a gloss. It looks more modern and fresh to me compared to a really glossy shine. This fit the bill perfectly! It's got just enough pink/peach/beige to make it show up, the texture is sheer and satiny, and it just perfectly completes the look with smokey eyes. My search is over! Like other NARS products, you really have to try them on. They do not look accurate in the pan for sure, and not even swiped on your hand. I spent a little time in Sephora with an alchol pad and a q-tip but it was worth it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -NARS - Mata Hari
gleaf 1/30/2007 11:13:00 AM
I have been looking for the right blush for a loooong time. I was thrown off by gel/stick blushes...I thought they were right for me but really, they aren't everyday blushes for me. They are sticky and require precise placement to look right, plus if you want to wear foundation or tinted moisturizer they don't work well over it. But I just could not get the right color/formula in a powder. I admit my coloring makes finding a good match hard; I am pale with dark hair but not in a snow-white way--no color at all in my cheeks (think Mary Louise Parker). I am NW20 and have a lot of pink/ruddiness in the T-zone due to having sensitive skin, and I look better in warmer colors clothing-wise. Everything blush I tried was either too peach/tawny, too muddy-rose, or too peppermint-pink, all of which looked unnatural or emphasized my redness. I kept being drawn to the NARS blushes because of all the raves and I was convinced that there was one for me there. Orgasm is more of a summer blush (and I love the Milani Luminous knock-off), I am not crazy about shimmer blushes in winter, so I finally narrowed it down to Desire and Mata Hari based on the reviews here. I tried both on, but Desire was in the too bright hot pink category. But finally....Mata Hari! Bingo! For some reason, though side by side MH looks darker and more mauve than Desire, it translates to warmer on the skin. You simply cannot judge the color of NARS blushes by looking at the pan or running your finger over them. You have to try them on your face with a decent blush brush (though I know some feel a skunk brush is necessary I didn't find that to be the case; I use a good-quality blush brush that I got 10 years ago at Bath & Body Works). I can't believe I finally found the right color! It's almost a plummy-pink-rose, but it enhances rather than clashes with my coloring. If anyone does have similar, hard-to-makeup coloring, check out this blush. Quality and packaging is superb. Price seems steep but really isn't for the quality and quantity you are getting.
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chantecaille - Frangipane EDP
gleaf 11/18/2006 8:47:00 PM
Fragrance is so utterly personal that it's difficult to write a useful review. That said, I am incredibly picky about perfume and can only wear a handful consistently. I also wear scents seasonally....I can't wear the same thing in warm weather as I do in cool. This is definitely a cool weather scent. It also takes a "mature" nose; it won't appeal to those who love the fresh, fruity, or foody scents that still dominate the landscape. Frangipane is, as others have said, a simply constructed fragrance of mandarin, jasmine, and vanilla drydown. But if you love clean forals, love the idea of citrus but can't wear the ubiquitous fruit-florals, and also love sweet, non-foody vanilla, this is as good as it gets. The jasmine and orange combine into something almost sharp, but the vanilla is so good that it softens it and is really warm and wearable, without being cloying. For what it's worth, I wear gardenia in the summer (Marc Jacobs, Kai, Monyette) and spicy/floral/vanilla in the winter (L'Artisan Vanilia, Obsession and now Frangipane).
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Moisturizers -Clean & Clear - morning glow spf 15
gleaf 5/23/2006 12:15:00 PM
Let me start by saying I have very finicky skin. It is sensitive, blotchy, parched in winter and oily in summer, breaks out occasionally and has no rhyme or reason to what products it likes. For years my spf 15 face cream of choice was DayWear. I still like that, but I just can't justify the price. So I've been searching for a cheaper alternative ever since. For winter I use L'Occitane Ultra Shea cream in the silver tube--fantastic! Summer has always been a challenge due to the increased oiliness. After poring through the reviews I decided on the Morning Glow. It's $5 at Target, smells nice (citrusy, but it fades), and has spf 15 (if I am going to be in the sun for any length of time I use a DDF spf 30 face sunscreen), nice pump bottle. Overall, it does the trick. It moisturizes but not too much (good for summer). Hasn't made me break out and leaves no flakes. It feels pretty good on the skin, not greasy or thick. I normally hate drugstore spf 15 face stuff--most of it breaks me out. So far so good with this one. A good option for the price.
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Scrubs -LUSH - Ocean Salt
gleaf 8/28/2004 11:11:00 AM
This stuff has been described very well by others so I won't go into it, but I won't be without it! The packagin is eh but I haven't really had any problems with it. A little goes a LONG way. I used it once or twice a week and it makes my skin so clean and smooth! Love it and will def. repurchase.
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Fragrances -La Maison de la Vanille - Vanille Fleurie de Tahiti
gleaf 8/27/2004 7:56:00 PM
It's my own fault I bought this unsniffed. I love vanilla scents, but this vanilla, though I can definitely smell a truly fantastic note, is totally hidden and overwhelmed by the lemon and benzoin. All I get is lemon baby powder. Gorgeous bottle. I guess I thought by buying this I would wake up with Jessica Simpson's hair and successful career. I am an educated woman, why do I do these things? Ah well. Maybe I need to sample the others in this line because I can certainly detect a luscious true vanilla behind all the other loud notes.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No