Makeup Brushes -MAC - 182 Buffer Brush (Couture)
halogens 3/27/2011 11:45:00 AM
This brush is the devil. It's really pretty, it's so soft on the skin, it fit's comfortably in the hand. It makes liquid foundation look invisible on my face. It applies powder evenly. With all that praise you'd think it was a 5, right? Wrong. This brush sheds like I've never seen before. I've never understood why people feel shedding is such a problem until this brush. It sheds big hairs, those I can live with. It sheds tiny short little pieces of hair that are difficult for me to see (not the greatest vision) and that itch so badly I want to tear my face off. It can drive me to the borderline of insanity, especially if I've left the house in a hurry and the itching starts on my way. It's unbearable, and it makes the brush useless for me. It sheds EVERY single time I use it, it's just a matter of whether it sheds 5 hairs or 25 hairs. I've tried every tip for shedding that I've come across. Nothing works though, it just sheds even more. I expect better than that when I pay this much for a brush. EDIT: this is horrible as a regular soap. After a few days of using it every day my face feelt so raw and I got rosacea from it. I'm chucking it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - JR Liggett's Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo
halogens 2/25/2011 1:17:00 PM
I REALLY wanted to like this. Not least because it costs 15 usd over here but alas it was not to be. I've tried this five times, done it five different ways. Rubbed it on the hair itself, rubbed it on the scalp only, rinsed only a little, rinsed medium, rinsed loads -- I've tried it all. It lathers well and it cleans the hair alright, so far so good. But there are two huge cons: 1) It leaves my hair impossible to wear down since it keeps knotting and tangling. Literally a minute after I've combed it all through it's back in knots yet. It's okay, although not exactly smooth when it's still wet, but once it's dry it's impossible. It feels like I've washed my hair with regular soap, not shampoo. It's a kind of coarse feeling, not entirely dissimilar to what my hair feels like when it's been drenched in salt-water surf spray. Or what I imagine my hair would feel like if I didn't follow Redken's clarifying shampoo up a with conditioner -- really stripped but still tacky feeling. 2) My hair gets so electric that it sticks to everything. I look like Einstein, but very stupid. It's way beyond something that can be smoothed down with water or a bit of serum. I last washed my hair with this over 24 hours ago and my hair is STILL so electric you can actually hear it. Completely unbearable. The only reason I'm giving this one star instead of zero is that it removes makeup okay and is relatively gentle on the face. Not as gentle as regular dove soap bar, but it dissolves makeup better. Because of that it's not completely useless, and I think I'll finish the bar even if I wont repurchase it.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -MAC - Mineralize Foundation / Loose - Light
halogens 6/10/2010 8:28:00 AM
I have mixed feelings on this product. First of all, I've never been a foundation girl in the past, but as I've bought some foundation brushes I've found that I can apply it with a more natural result. I have tried mineral makeup from ID and L'Oreal in the past with mixed results. They both had a better shade selection for my skin, but the foundations in and of themselves were less appropriate. I should preface that by saying that when I've used those foundations I haven't been as meticulous as I've been with this one. When I use this foundation I start off with moisturizer, then a silicon based primer and finally I brush the foundation on with my MAC 187 skunk brush. Left like this I find that the finish is so-so, it looks alright but a little bit powdery and mask-like. Not excessively, but like I said I'm not a foundation girl and I like a natural-but-better finish. The way I achieve this is by spraying a mix of glycerin and water to fix it. (I would use fix+ but I haven't been able to find this and my homemade version does the trick as well.) The finish I end up with is excellent. However, and this is a big deal for me, I can't do more than a very sheer coverage because if I try to build more coverage I end up looking a bit like an oompa loompa. Seriously, the color is called light, but light/medium would have been a better name for it. I'm sure if I get a bit of a tan in the summer it will suit my skintone better, but I'm NC15-NC20 and this is a little bit too dark for me. Compared to ID I would say that this is a tad darker than "fairly light". I would like to try "extra light" if I can get a hold of it. So in conclusion: PROS * Natural finish, isn't very visible on the skin if applied correctly * Evens out complexion very well * Doesn't rub off white fabric when the skin is dry (if I'm sweating like a whore in church then it's a different matter...) CONS * Horrible packaging * Too dark if built to a medium coverage I would give the grade 3,5 if it was available.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Lancome - Le Crayon Poudre in Taupe
halogens 5/25/2010 11:20:00 AM
This product was a huge disappointement to me, but that was probably because I'd built up expectations too high before I had even tried it. I really like the idea of the powder in a pencil form, and it really does work. I'm better at applying powder like this than I am with a cake and brush approach. But now for the bad part. I don't understand why it's so difficult for companies to include a true ash shade in their brow lines. Clinique has one, but it's a little bit dark for me, and the consistency of that brow liner isn't nearly as nice as this one. My skintone is a warm PPP, but the rest of me is all cool -- cool pinkish cheeks, pale cool blue eyes, and light brown hair without a speck of red in it. Any warmth in my hair (including the brows) comes strictly from yellow; if I didn't know that red pigment is present in every darker hair color I'd never guess there was any in mine. Both the pouder itself and the packaging looks like it would match me, but somehow both on my face and on my hand it's just too red. Mind you, it's not a very red color, it's just that I have no visible red tones anywhere on my natural body so it sticks out when I wear it. I don't know, maybe I'll end up gifting it to a friend if it works for any of them. I really wish it worked better for me, because the product aside from the color is really unique and works great.
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Conditioner -Nexxus - keraphix
halogens 11/20/2007 5:56:00 AM
I really like this. On a good day it can make my hair look almost healthy (it's really dry, brittle and damaged). I love that it moisturizes at the same time as it's a protein treatment, I have having to first stick a protein treatment on for 10 minutes and then moisturize. Although I can't use it everytime I shampoo my hair without making it a bit dull. I don't know if it's build-up or if it just doesn't moisturize enough to use it long-term. It is however the only thing that can compare to redken smooth down for me when it comes to making my hair look "normal" and healthy, as opposed to fried. Not a miracle cure, but a pretty damn good hair treatment.
The only downside is that it really only works for me when my hair is in horible condition, which it isn't at the moment. Although I'm getting it coloured and highlighted tomorrow so I might have to repurchase soon!
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Lips -Elizabeth Arden - Visible Difference - Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick - SPF 15 
halogens 11/19/2007 9:39:00 AM
This feels very nice and moisturizing on the lips, but doesn't do that much more than drugstore versions and the price is ridiculous. But I still really like wearing it. I would give it four if they didn't always break off.
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Treatments -Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream
halogens 11/19/2007 9:36:00 AM
I've been using this for almost ten years so I should probably like it more than I do. I always end up buying it at the airport and then a tube ends up lasting for years since I only use it on my lips. It's sticky, I think it smells nice but everyone else I've met seem to hate the smell. It doesn't relly do anything for my lips that a tub of vaseline doesn't do for a fraction of the price. I've tried using it on my face when I have dry patches, but if anything that seems to dry them out even more...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Mason Pearson - Handy Bristle & Nylon Brush
halogens 11/19/2007 8:42:00 AM
I'm a bit torn when it comes to this one. On the one hand it's very high quality so in that sense I do think it warrants its price. On the other hand my hair is way too thick for this brush. Maybe the largest nylon mix brush would be enoguh, but I doubt it. I use it if I want really smooth hair when I blow dry, and since I got a nice discount I don't regret buying it. But I can't use it to detangle or just brush my hair. I can't even feel it on my scalp, but I have pretty thick hair...
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Styling Products -Sebastian - Shaper Hairspray
halogens 11/19/2007 8:37:00 AM
I would buy this product again, but in a smaller bottle. I would give it 4 lippies if it weren't' for the horrible packaging. The nozzle always dries up, and even if you rinse it in hot water it's dried up when I try to use it a week later. But aside from that it's the perfect light hold hair spray. Yes, the smell is a bit annoying, but gives hold without being too drying, too sticky or too visible. You can brush your hair after putting this in it. And my hair tangles easily but the texture seems to almost improve when I use this compared to serums like Kerastase Oleo Relax -- It actually makes it easier to brush. If it werent' for the smell fo hairspray I might use this every day instead of just weekends.
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Moisturizers -Dr. Hauschka - Rose Day Cream
halogens 11/19/2007 8:32:00 AM
Smells nice and moisturizes okay. But I think it's to oily compared to the limited hydrating effect it offers. It does smell very nice though, and is quite affordable here in europe. I would give it 3.5 if I could. I think the key to making this work is to use less than you think you need to use, and not rub it directly on the skin but first between the fingers and then just pat it on. I've used up two tubes, and I would buy it again but I think it's a bit comedogenic. I'm hoping that Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance will be better for my skin in the long run. Also, the packaging isn't great, the metallic tune does thend to get damaged in the end.
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Masks -Decleor - Aroma Purete Instant Purifying Mask
halogens 11/19/2007 8:26:00 AM
This does absolutely nothing for me, but at least it isn't overly drying. You also don't need that much of it, it smells nice and feels good on the skin. But it doesn't actually purify or clarify my skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -TiGi - Catwalk Honey & Oatmeal shampoo
halogens 11/19/2007 8:12:00 AM
I bought this years and years ago and loved the scent, although I thought it made my hair a little crunchy. I remember the conditioner being slightly more impressive. Five years later I tried it again, by now I hated the smell and it made my hair really crunchy and not really that clean. I wont even bother with the conditioner since I don't like the smell anymore. It smells like it used to by the way, I guess my taste has just changed with age. I really like the packaging, but that's pretty much all.
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Conditioner -Joico - Moisture Recovery
halogens 11/19/2007 8:08:00 AM
Completely underwhelming. It does very little for my very dry hair, doesn't improve texture, leaves build-up and doesn't untangle well. At least it's easy to rinse out.
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Shampoo -Joico - Moisture Recovery
halogens 11/19/2007 8:07:00 AM
Underwhelming. Not awful but not great either. Like regular drugstore shampoo in my hair. Doesn't improve texture, does leave some build-up. I also don't like the packaging. Slightly better than the conditioner though.
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Shampoo -Joico - Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo
halogens 11/19/2007 8:05:00 AM
Worked okay. Wasn't too drying, but also didn't counteract the brass from bad hair color well enough even if I left it in for twenty minutes every other day. Also doesn't really clean the hair so you need to use another shampoo as well. My hair had a bit of an orange tint that I tried to counter, maybe it's better if it's more of a lighter yellow tint.
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