Skincare - Face -Skinceuticals - Blemish Control Gel
hiyashinsu 11/19/2009 4:54:00 PM
I can't believe I've been using this product for nearly 2 years, and hadn't reviewed it yet! Really great, non-drying, unscented product. Not only does it help with keeping breakouts to a minimum, it improves your skin's texture. I remember the very first time I used it, my roommate (at the time) remarked how smooth/soft my skin looked. Since I use this product at night, and it only takes a couple of drops to treat my entire face, one bottle lasts a long time.
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Hair Styling Tools -Unlisted Brand - Solia Ceramic Ion Flat Iron
hiyashinsu 2/12/2008 8:15:00 PM
I have the 1¼" iron. It's better than CHI, but I only got it because folica didn't have Sedu in stock, so it wasn't my first choice. It works fine, but I find that even on the highest setting, it takes a couple passes for each section of hair, and even then it doesn't get it TOTALLY straight. I like it okay, but I want a Sedu next.
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Palettes -Stila - Wicked Defy Gravity (Green/Peach) Set
hiyashinsu 2/12/2008 8:04:00 PM
Got this in a swap. The crystals are nice over the lipstick, and on the browbone, but they're not something I'd actively want to buy. They're like a MAC cream color base with glitter. However, the lipstick is lovely. A sheer peach shade, that's very moisturizing and shiny. I don't need to wear a balm underneath it, which is nice. I'd buy the lipstick again, if only Stila would make Elphaba permanent.
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Treatments -ENJOY - Shine and Smooth
hiyashinsu 1/21/2008 7:37:00 PM
This is my favorite Enjoy product. I use it after I wash my hair, before blow drying and flat ironing. Makes the hair very smooth and shiny, especially if you use an ionic hair dryer (I have a Conair one from Target-- $20, and very effective). I rated the price a 1, because I get it for free from my sister (her salon sells the Enjoy line). Another good product they make (which I don't currently have) is the straightening serum. It's in a purple bottle. A bit of this, mixed with some of the straightening serum yields even better results!
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Hair Styling Tools -Farouk CHI - Chi Ceramic Flat Iron by Farouk
hiyashinsu 1/21/2008 7:21:00 PM
I have a turbo, and after less than a year of use (not even daily, but just a few times a week), one day it just wouldn't turn on anymore. I thought maybe the plug had gotten wet somehow, so had the owner at my sister's salon look at it. He said it was nothing to do with the plug, but something in the iron itself had crapped out. He replaced the part, but now it turns on and heats up, but not evenly and the light flickers so you can tell it's kinda struggling the whole time. It wasn't super-effective even when it worked properly (my hair had to pass three or four times through the thing to get really straight), but now it barely works at all, but is better than nothing. I'm gonna get a Sedu next, because I don't think this thing's gonna last, even after being repaired.
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Treatments -Dermalogica - Medibac Overnight Clearing Gel
hiyashinsu 1/17/2008 8:00:00 PM
LOVE IT. I had gotten a bad facial waxing about a year ago, and ever since then I'd been getting ACNE. No idea what the esthetician did to me, but anyway... This is the only product that has made the zits stop. I still get a couple when I'm about to start my period, but they go away as soon as my period starts so I think that's just hormones. The other ones, though, the PAINFUL ones that wouldn't go away... I don't even get them anymore. But, I think it's a combination of this and the Basis All Clear bar (thanks, RavenBeauty!). If I stop using either one for a couple of days, I'll get a zit, and as soon as I start using them both again, it goes away.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Carbon
hiyashinsu 12/17/2007 6:16:00 PM
This, like all MAC mattes, is chalky and a pain to blend. I usually get compliments on my blending, and even I have a hard time making this e/s work. Is it really that hard to make a matte e/s that's silky and easier to blend?
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Primer/ Corrector -LORAC - Aquaprime
hiyashinsu 12/17/2007 6:11:00 PM
I've only got a sample of this, but I want to buy a full-size. I had a bottle of Smashbox primer, and it broke me out. When I saw this stuff had no oils or silicones in it, I gave it a shot. It did everything I'd wanted Smashbox to do, minus clogging my pores!
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Concealers -Vincent Longo - Cream concealer
hiyashinsu 12/16/2007 6:43:00 AM
I got this in a sample from Sephora (I love that the sample includes a bunch of shades!). I tried it on my most breakout-prone spots, and it didn't exacerbate anything, so I was happy about that. It also covered pretty nicely, it was like instant pretty. I didn't use powder, because I wasn't at home so all I had was this stuff and my fingers. Still, lasted at least a few hours without anything to set it. I like it, so I will probably get a full-sized one when the sample runs out (which might take a while!) I'm NW20, and I found the Medium to be slightly too dark, and the Light was just about right, especially for my undereye circles.
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Cleansers -Basis - All Clear Bar
hiyashinsu 11/20/2007 3:50:00 PM
RavenBeauty turned me on to this stuff, and it's pretty amazing! I was having weird breakouts on my cheeks (it started after a bad waxing earlier this year, so idk), and nothing was working. This, plus Dermalogica's overnight clearing gel has made those breakouts stop. Now, if only I could make the red spots left behind by the breakouts fade faster. :(
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Treatments -Peter Thomas Roth - BPO Gel 10% and Sulphur
hiyashinsu 8/17/2007 3:29:00 PM
Update: This doesn't work all that well for me. It's really drying, and I found something else that works better.
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Eye Primer -Artdeco - Eyeshadow Base
hiyashinsu 8/17/2007 3:24:00 PM
This is the best eyeshadow base I've ever tried, and I've tried many. UDPP, MAC paints AND shadesticks, etc. And this is the only one that a) doesn't make blending a total pain like UDPP does, and b) doesn't alter the color or texture of the e/s like the MAC bases do. Also, the colors are actually true when you use Artdeco. They look on your lids the way they look in the pan. I buy two pots of this at a time, even though one pot will last months.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Lovely Lily Pigment
hiyashinsu 7/31/2007 9:47:00 PM
I got this when it came out, but never got around to reviewing it. This pigment is so pretty in the pot, but even on someone as pale as me (NW20), it barely showed up. I use a really fantastic base by Artdeco that makes colors show up true to their pots, but even THAT didn't help. I wore it with Viz-A-Violet, and an hour or two later, you couldn't even see the Lovely Lily anymore. All you could see was the Viz-A-Violet (which is a way better color).
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Lip Gloss -Lancome - Juicy Tubes Pop in ICY POP
hiyashinsu 7/31/2007 2:25:00 AM
I really like this gloss. It looks fantastic over a lip tint like Benetint or MAC See-Thru lipcolor (I use Rose De Sheer with this gloss). Once you use the tint, put this over and it gives your lips a very jelly-like look. It's really pretty.
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Treatments -Peter Thomas Roth - Gentle Compexion Correction Pads
hiyashinsu 7/18/2007 7:28:00 PM
Update: Stopped using these. It turns out they didn't work well enough to justify the price.
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