Moisturizers -Caudalie - Premier Cru La Creme
izzybella 6/16/2013 5:01:00 PM
This is a very nice cream, but I had no idea it was so expensive! I received two generous samples from Sephora and used this for about two weeks. I like that it's paraben-free, etc. etc. but I think you can find a comparable product at a lower (but still pricey) price point, such as the Immortelle line from L'Occitane. It absorbs quickly and is pretty moisturizing, and I found that while it was too heavy for daytime wear under makeup during the summer months, it's perfect as a night cream. Scent is pleasant and I woke up to supple and moisturized skin. But I have to admit, I balk at the price tag so while I like this cream I doubt I'll buy it without some sort of discount.
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Treatments -La Roche Posay - Effaclar Duo (US Version)
izzybella 6/16/2013 4:57:00 PM
I've had really random breakouts lately so I was happy to stumble upon sample packets of this product at Walgreens. Used as a spot treatment, it's very good at drying out monster zits. However, I don't think it's more effective than any other BP acne treatment, so I don't think I'd go out of my way to repurchase.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Ichikami
izzybella 6/16/2013 4:55:00 PM
I love the scent of this shampoo and the matching conditioner! They don't smell identical but I agree with the previous reviewer that it's a light, delicate but very natural/non-cloying sakura scent, almost tea-like, similar to the Kerastase Bain de force shampoo actually. My hair looks really good when I use this shampoo with the matching conditioner. Sometimes it feels a little dry if I use this S&C exclusively, so I alternate between this and a more natural shampoo from Avalon Organics (the grapefruit geranium S&C) and the Costco Kirkland moisturizing S&C. Would definitely repurchase! Fortunately it's available at many asian supermarkets around me, but I've also seen it on Ebay and Amazon.
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Conditioner -Paul Mitchell - the Detangler
izzybella 6/4/2013 1:59:00 PM
This conditioner does what it claims to do - it detangles. However, it's a bit heavy for my fine hair, so a little goes a long way. If you have dry or curly hair, this will probably work fine for you, but I have to be careful and only apply this to my ends, otherwise my hair looks and feels weighed down. This is more or less scentless, so you can pair it with any shampoo and not worry about clashing scents.
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Shampoo -Paul Mitchell - Awapuhi Shampoo
izzybella 6/2/2013 3:43:00 PM
At first I loved this shampoo. I used it for several days while staying at a hotel, and was pleasantly surprised that they provided Paul Mitchell products. The first night, I was amazed at how good my hair looked, especially since I didn't have my usual haidryer or flat iron to style my hair. My hair felt soft, was shiny, manageable, and looked really good styled with just a brush and hair dryer. But the more I used this shampoo, the greasier and more weighed down my fine hair looked. I think if I used this 1-2x a week as a moisturizing shampoo while alternating with other shampoos, my hair could look as good as it did the first time I tried it. However, using this several days in a row was overkill and it was almost like it built up on my hair. I was happy to go home and use a different shampoo. Overall, this is a good shampoo, but probably just too heavy for my hair type. I would think this would work better for dry or curly hair.
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Masks -Malin & Goetz - Detox Face Mask
izzybella 5/28/2013 1:27:00 PM
I've been using this for the last couple months and waiting for that "ah-hah!" moment when I realize I love this mask. Unfortunately I don't love this mask as much as other reviewers do. It's nice, but the results are very subtle and I don't feel like it detoxes my pores that well. It goes on as a fondant gel and bubbles into a foam, which tingles a bit. I usually only wipe off the foam and let the rest stay on overnight so that it moisturizes my skin a little more. In the morning, I can feel it rinsing off because it feels slimy when it mixes with water, but my skin gives off a subtle glow. For the price, I expected more obvious results, but it's by no means a bad product, just not what I expected. I think this would be good for dry or sensitive skin.
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Cleansers -Yes To Carrots - Yes to grapefruit correct and repair brightening facial towelettes
izzybella 5/28/2013 1:18:00 PM
These are good but not great. I didn't notice any fading of dark spots or acne scars, but my skin does feel exfoliated and smoother in the morning after using them before going to bed. I made the mistake of removing my eye makeup with these, and they sting like a mother! They smell similar to the Burt's Bee's facial wipes in that slightly cinnamon-y way. If you're in a hurry, these will exfoliate in a pinch but I still prefer a physical scrub or a dark spot serum for heavy duty exfoliating.
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Conditioner -Organix - Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Conditioner
izzybella 5/28/2013 1:10:00 PM
I bought this conditioner along with the matching shampoo at Target for less than $6 apiece. This is a great thickening conditioner. Like I mentioned in the shampoo review, I didn't like the scent of this line (almost cigar-like) but it delivers thick, shiny, healthy-looking hair. My hair is manageable with no tangles after I use this conditioner with the matching shampoo. You only need a tiny bit of the conditioner so I imagine this bottle will last a long time. It's also moisturizing, so if you have fine hair like I do, a little goes a long way.
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Shampoo -Organix - Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Shampoo
izzybella 5/28/2013 1:07:00 PM
This is a great thickening drugstore shampoo. I paid less than $6 each for the shampoo and conditioner at Target. The scent is not my favorite - I would classify it as a gourmand type scent, almost chocolately or cigar-like. However, my hair feels thicker and moisturized after lathering up and rinsing. I could probably get away without using the matching conditioner, but I apply a bit to my ends anyways. My hair looks glossy, thick, and shiny. Fortunately the scent is barely noticeable a few hours later, and I appreciate that it's SLS free. Definitely better than the Peter Thomas Roth Mega-Rich shampoo with biotin, which left my hair dry and squeaky.
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Conditioner -Peter Thomas Roth - Mega Rich Conditioner
izzybella 5/23/2013 11:19:00 PM
I bought this conditioner and used it with the matching shampoo. I agree that the name of this line is misleading - neither the shampoo nor conditioner are "mega-rich". On a moisturizing scale of 1-10, this is probably a 6 or 7. The shampoo made my hair squeaky clean (in a bad way) and dry, and this conditioner wasn't moisturizing enough so I had some frizz after blowdrying. This has the same unisex, almost cologne-like scent as the shampoo. For $18/tube, I expected more so I can't say I'd recommend or repurchase.
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Shampoo -Peter Thomas Roth - Mega Rich Shampoo
izzybella 5/23/2013 11:16:00 PM
I'm so disappointed! I bought this shampoo based on the glowing reviews here and elsewhere on the internet. I expected it to give me soft, fluffy, healthy and shiny looking hair but as I was rinsing it out in the shower my hair felt... squeaky? I continued with the conditioner, hoping it would remedy the dryness and tangles I felt, but as I was blowdrying my hair felt anything but mega-rich. My hair didn't look horrible, but it wasn't as shiny as it can be with certain shampoos, and actually looked a bit frizzy in the back. Reading the label, I was disappointed that it contains SLS and is made in China. It has a nice unisex scent, almost like men's cologne, so I could see this working for both sexes. However, at this price point I don't think this is worth it. If you're looking for a similar shampoo with biotin, try the Organix thick & full shampoo and conditioner (Dark purple bottle, gold cap)- my hair likes that one much better! For reference I have fine, slightly wavy, non-color treated hair.
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Moisturizers -Boscia - Tsubaki Beauty Oil
izzybella 5/6/2013 1:54:00 PM
I was so excited when this product came on the market and hoped this would be my HG beauty oil but I'm not thrilled. I've used it for the past month, on and off, because I would break out the next day after using it. I would stop using it for a few days, then resume, and the zits would come back. You don't need much, maybe a drop or two to cover the entire face, but to be honest, something in this makes my skin itch. It smells like lychee and the pink bottle is really pretty but it's too heavy for my combo skin. As a hair oil it's a bit heavy for my fine hair. It would probably work best for me as a few drops added to my body moisturizer, but that seems wasteful for a $46 product. If you have dry skin and hair, this will probably work better for you than it did for me. I wish all Boscia products smelled this good though!
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Treatments -Frederic Fekkai - PrX Reparatives Mask
izzybella 4/22/2013 6:23:00 PM
I'm torn about this mask. I like that it makes my hair look soft and fluffy, but it 1) makes me break out on my neck in hard, under-the-skin pimples (gross); 2) my hair is more prone to breakage after I use this, even if I only use it 1-2x/week, and 3) my scalp feels drier but my hair feels greasier when I use this mask. This is a pretty standard reaction to hair products with keratin, but YMMV.
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Moisturizers -Josie Maran Cosmetics - Argan Infinity Cream Intensive Creamy Oil
izzybella 2/27/2013 7:11:00 PM
This was sold out at my local Sephora so I had to settle for a sample, which ended up being for the better. I don't love this, but I don't dislike it either. It's just not as great as I expected based on the overwhelmingly positive online reviews and the youtube promo video.
I'm a huge fan of using pure argan oil as an all over moisturizer, but this product (is it an oil? is it a cream?) just didn't wow or grow on me. It smells like the scrub in the Olay microdermbrasion kit (citrusy like oranges) and reminds me of lemon curd or chicken grease due to the yellowish color. Depending on the temperature, it's either watery or will solidify into a balm. I used this on my face and hands as a night time moisturizer and as a lip balm and it was a decent moisturizer but I haven't noticed any "tightening" of my facial contours like the stock description claims. My skin, while moisturized, didn't seem any more luminous than it would using any other moisturizer. I wouldn't use this during the day because it's too greasy to function as a facial moisturizer or cuticle/hand cream. I also tried this as a hair oil and it was okay, nothing special. It's also not moisturizing enough for dry winter heels. Sorry to be a downer but I just wasn't a fan of this. My sample is lasting forever though, so the full size tube of this will probably last a long time.
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Conditioner -Avalon Organics Botanicals - Grapefruit & Geranium Conditioner
izzybella 2/1/2013 2:50:00 PM
I'm a big fan of grapefruit scents and love the Avalon Organics grapefruit geranium shampoo. The conditioner I'm on the fence. My last bottle had a better consistency to it - my current bottle has the consistency of paste! They recently reformulated it so that it's more sustainable, and as a result the texture of this conditioner is really odd. When I apply it after shampooing my hair, it literally melts and disappears into my hair, and I feel like I have to use a lot just to detangle my ends. Fortunately, it rinses out easily. This isn't the greatest conditioner, but because I love the scent of Avalon Organic's grapefruit geranium products I'll keep rebuying until I find something better.
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