Styling Products -Nick Chavez - Plump 'n Thick Leave-In Thickening Cream
jd-jd 1/9/2009 11:51:00 AM
I got this as part of a TSV set on QVC . The set comes with the matching plumping shampoo, a setting spray, hairspray and gloss spray. This is a leave-in conditioner. Normally, I do not like leave-in conditioners. I feel they tend to weigh the hair down. But this one works well. You use a DIME-SIZE (no more) for longish hair (mine is shoulder-length or a bit more.) I start at the ends and scrunch it in. Immediately you see some waving and volume. It combs out well. After blowdrying, my hair is smooth, not so fly-away but not heavily weighted or greasy. I did notice however that the glossing spray did not work as well on the hair after the conditioner AND the hairspray. Of leave-in conditioners I've tried, this one is the best so far.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Copperplate
jd-jd 1/9/2009 8:56:00 AM
Would I buy this again? Yes. I think this is heading for HG status or in other words, a staple eyeshadow. Copperplate is a medium-pale warm gray. It is lighter and less warm (browned) than French Grey (which was a limited edition.) So if you are annoyed you didn't get French Grey, Copperplate is a good substitute and in my opinion, it is more wearable, and by more people. The finish is matte, but it is very sheer. I use this as a crease color for daytime wear. I wear it with Orb and Jest (both peachy light colors.) Shroom, Yogurt, Vanilla, or any neutral light shadow would work, as would silvers and pigments like Vanilla or Provence. If you want a medium smokey look, you could wear this all over the lid and use a darker shadow like Knight Divine or Carbon as the eye-lining smoke part. The only person who might not wear this well could be a woman of color who gets ashy in certain makeup, because this is an ash-gray. But a woman of color who can wear grays or silver might look stunning in this.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - MAC Orb Eyeshadow
jd-jd 1/8/2009 8:17:00 PM
Orb is very light--a kind of peach yogurt color. If you were BORED by MAC Vanilla (I really don't like it--chalky) then this may work for you. It's a satin finish, meaning less matte but also less frosty than veluxe pearl or frost. Almost matte, is how I'd define it. The color is very light, again, think Yoplait Peach yogurt. It goes on as a very good light base and works well with Copperplate and other shades.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -DHC - Scalp Cleansing Shampoo
jd-jd 1/7/2009 11:17:00 AM
This is a new shampoo formula from DHC, the mail-order Japanese skincare firm. I got a sample in the catalog, and I'd consider buying it after trying it out. The shampoo is a clarifying formula. The liquid is a pearlized white, and it makes very plush suds that seem to expand as you massage your scalp and hair. It rinsed easily. My hair was VERY shiny afterward. Caution: This will give a lot of volume but also a lot of flyaways if your hair is fine (mine is thick but baby fine.) The accompanying conditioner (Soft Conditioner) did nothing to control flyaway, and I even had some tangles, so I had to add a leave-in conditioner to style my hair. If you want a reasonably priced, effective clarifying shampoo, look no further. No strong scent, either.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - All That Glitters
jd-jd 1/7/2009 11:12:00 AM
All That Glitters is a rose-gold. It is slightly golder and frostier than "Jest" which is my usual HG shadow. It makes a good frosty peach base, which is my favorite type of shadow to use as all-over the lid. It is a veluxe pearl (my favorite formula, smooth, creamy frost with less piecy-ness than frost.) Jest is less gold; Honey Lust is frostier, piecy-er and more warmish orange. It is especially nice with golded-browns like Sable, Go, Patina, Twinks.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Chanel - Mascara Exceptionnel
jd-jd 1/7/2009 11:05:00 AM
Without a doubt, I got the most dramatic lashes ever with a sample tube of this mascara. The wand has a brush/comb effect; one side is a brush (teddy bear type) the other side is a short comb. The color I got was deep black. It goes on with minimal clumps (even after opening the sample tube, which do tend to dry out faster than full tubes.) The result after a few swipes is huge, voluminous and lengthened lashes. They seem to curl as well. Downsides: Doesn't seem to build without clumping. There IS flaking during the day. It is not inexpensive (especially if you are diligent about replacing mascara after 2-3 months of use.) If it were not so expensive, I could see this being an HG despite the occasional flake. But I'm not likely to pay $20 or so for a mascara. Back to the drugstore for me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Vaseline - Petroleum Jelly
jd-jd 12/25/2008 10:51:00 PM
I actually get the generic petroleum jelly --it's the same stuff. I pile it on my feet at night and put on socks. This gets rid of those cracked heels in a few nights. Here is another trick *caution, gross.* Pile Vaseline into your navel. The next morning, carefully wipe it out. You will find a blob of dead cells and dirt. I also like it for a lip balm once in a while or for hands chapped by washing dishes or the cold. In the OLDEN days they made a carbolated (phenol or carbolic acid) laden version in a small brown jar. It smelled. But it would heal things up overnight. Not made any more. Oh well.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Primer
jd-jd 12/24/2008 1:55:00 PM
This primer is relatively expensive at $38 a bottle, but you can get it as part of special packages of Smashbox on QVC--and so if you like it, this is a great way to purchase it. The primer does come in colors (everything from clear to a pinkish that dries clear--with Dermaxyl, to bronzing or color correct.) I've only tried the clear and the Dermaxyl version, the latter of which I really like. A small amount goes on very evenly, leaves your face quite soft and quite smooth. I don't notice, however, that my foundation lasts any longer but it does smooth on well. This makes my nose a tiny bit shinier. The problem with the pump is that eventually it stops pumping. They know about this issue but as yet don't seem to have fixed it. I think a tube rather than a pump would make sense for them--but then it doesn't look as nice in a plastic tube. You will need a thin spatula or a long straw to get the product out eventually, as the pump becomes useless. So off a star for that.
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Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Wei East Chestnut Extra Firming Cream
jd-jd 12/11/2008 6:07:00 AM
This is a thick, yellow-beige cream. It is somewhat astringent at the same time as moisturizing; it goes on and makes the skin feel taut, not moist. It leaves a heavy sort of layer. I like it in winter--good as a wind and cold protecting day cream.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Wei East Chinese White Olive Lip Smoother
jd-jd 12/11/2008 6:02:00 AM
I got these in a set. The colors are scary; one was a flat coral, the other a scary purple. The purple goes on like a light "Black Honey" lg and is soft and makes my lips feel great. They come in a tiny tube like a mini Vaseline lipcare. The pink was very natural. I like them! The flavor is slightly minty. Very pleasant.
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Skincare - Face -Kinerase - Kinerase C6 Peptide Intensive Treatment
jd-jd 11/18/2008 6:25:00 AM
I got this as a full sized bottle with a Clarisonic (Thank you Sephora Friends & Family!) That was quite a deal as this little bottle retails for $96 which I find ludicrous. My skin is mature (I'm nearing 60 heavens!) but I have few wrinkles--just some forming in crows' feet and the infamous 11 over my eyebrows. You have to use this cream with a moisturizer on top--this is NOT a moisturizer and I did try it without during the day and I was pretty dry and tight. (I have normal skin,not oily, not dry.) It leaves my skin slightly rosier than using the Clarisonic alone. Skin feels very smooth and tightened in some way. You only need (they say) three pumps, but I find 2 is more than enough, even 1.5 and so it would last fairly long but the price is really sad. I think it relaxes the light lines next to my eyes and so far the 11 is looking the same. If it relaxes that frown line, I will post an update--so far this is after a week's use.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Pro Skincare Brush
jd-jd 11/13/2008 7:58:00 AM
The Sephora yearly sale (F&F) is good for those pricier beauty tools--so I plunged into the Clarisonic this year. At $195 plus $25 for replacement brushes needed every 4 mos or so, it's not cheap. But I believe in top notch skin care and justifying it that I don't go for facials anymore, I tried it out. The unit is bulky, but fits the hand well enough (if you aren't tiny--I have medium sized hands.) It has a brush mounted on top and fits into a charger for cordless operation. When you get it, like any battery unit, you charge it for 24 hours before first use, then you replace it in the charger between uses. There are several brush types. I got the regular "sensitive" that comes with it, and one extra-sensitive as a replacement as my skin does tend to redden. Starting on the sensitive (regular), overnight I see no issues. I do feel very squeaky clean with my regular DHC mild soap. (you can use your regular cleanser though it comes with some small sample tubes.) There is also a harsher brush, perhaps for men with ingrown beard hairs? I have a patch under my chin that tends to be rough and scaly. When I got up, it was much improved in the am, so I have great hopes for this brush. So far, I like it, though as other reviewers have remarked, the beeping is irritating. I can count 10 seconds.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -BeneFit Cosmetics - Creaseless Cream Shadow Liner in Bunny Hop
jd-jd 11/12/2008 5:50:00 AM
This is a Creaseless Cream shadow, the freebie from F&F2008 at Sephora. The shadow is a pale slightly warm pink champagne shimmer. No chunks of glitter. Very light texture and minimal coverage. On medium skin such as mine (Caucasian NW25-30) it really doesn't show but it makes a nice base. The texture is MUCH smoother and slicker than I remember the original cream shadows from Beneft. Frankly, I stopped using their makeup as I thought it was overpriced and underperforming, but this formulation is very nice and I could see buying other cream shadows in place of MAC's Paint Pots. The product itself is in a small screwcap pot, quite a bit smaller in depth than MAC Paint Pots. The shadow arrives in a perplexingly large box with a false bottom, but it's a very cute box. As usual, Benefit is all about the packaging and marketing. But in this case, I give Creaseless Cream shadows a big thumbs-up because they feel so nice. I can also see using Bunny Hop as a highlighter, in fact, it looks like one of those things you can pop into a small makeup bag for evening touch-ups.
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Mascara -Estee Lauder - Sumptuous
jd-jd 10/12/2008 6:06:00 PM
Got a sample of this with an irresistable bag deal from EL, along with my HG Resilience Lift foundation. I put some on this am, grabbing any mascara handy. WOW. wow. wow. Length and Volume. Together at last. I got long, fluffy looking lashes. A bit more lengthening than volumizing, a tad of curl there. I have to say, I was impressed. No stinging, not much in the way of smearing after a nap. I hate buying 15buck mascara (drugstore for that) but this is awfully good.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Marilyn Miglin - Magic
jd-jd 10/11/2008 7:00:00 PM
HEADACHE in a bottle. Asthma-inducing, spicy, peppery, horrible scent. Some people love it. I hate it. And I have to say, this perfume and those fruity things like rancid bubblegum actually make my whole body, and I mean WHOLE body itch if you are wearing them. Awful.
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