Bronzers -Physicians Formula - Powder Palette Healthy Glow Bronzer
jdruler 6/18/2010 7:53:00 PM
I've been looking for a good matte bronzer (most are shimmery/glittery) and I love this one. Ignore the fact that it says for medium tones (and ignore that the other one says for light tones). I have fair skin with warm undertones and the other one hardly showed except for some red and yellow. This one gives me a nice glow and despite how it looks in the package, it's not too dark (but the pigmentation is good). The first layer gives me a nice subtle glow and tan and another layer makes me look TAN so for the most part, one layer is usually enough. The package is a bit bulky but that's ok.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Physicians Formula - Powder Palette Multi-Colored Face Powder Light Bronzer
jdruler 6/18/2010 7:50:00 PM
I have fair skin with warm undertones and this just made me look kinda reddish yellow, but otherwise didn't really show. Did not work as a bronzer at all and very light, even for more fair skin-- maybe because I have yellow undertones so over rode it? I tried the darker version of this and loved it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Physicians Formula - Baked Collection - Baked Sweets
jdruler 3/22/2010 3:49:00 PM
My sister gave this to me because she never used it so being a fan of two other baked trios (baked sands, and oatmeal), I decided to try it out. Compared to the other trios, this one falls short. The pigmentation is not strong at all and just looked like a mess on my eye. What a shame because the colors are so pretty.
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Telescopic: Clean Definition
jdruler 3/8/2010 11:04:00 AM
I was looking for a mascara that just accentuates my lashes. Kinda like I'm wearing mascara but it looks like I'm not-- for days when I want a very natural look. The name definitely attracted me. I used it for a couple of months and I found that it does not part my lashes very well and kinda sticks them together giving me "I just got out of the pool look" (as Paula Begoun described it).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
jdruler 3/8/2010 11:02:00 AM
I love this mascara. It really does make my lashes fuller yet they still look natural. It holds very well too. Would buy again :)
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Bare Naturale Gentle Lip Conditioner
jdruler 3/4/2010 10:55:00 PM
They looked so cute in the packaging. Anyways-- this lip gloss has a slight sheen and it does moisturize. The colors are very sheer. I got them in two different colors, one significantly darker than the other, and I can't tell the difference on my lips. The packaging is a cute idea, but really a pain and I just prefer the good ole gloss tube and stick. The packaging looks like a smaller than usual lipstick and the gloss is in the bottom part. You turn a dial and the gloss is supposed to come out the hole and you apply. Cute in theory, right? But you have to turn the dial a kajillion times to get something then it just comes out like crazy and while you apply it on your lips, there's a ton coming out and you have to unturn the dial or you end up with too much gloss all over your lips. I don't have that much or energy to do a simple task like applying lipgloss. In sum: pros: good moisturizer, decent gloss cons: annoying packaging, nothing spectacular, colors don't really show
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Neutrogena - MoistureShine Lip Soothers
jdruler 3/4/2010 10:48:00 PM
I bought two colors awhile back (can't remember which). I did not like them because they were sooooo sticky on my lips. They moisturized ok, can't complain about that. Also, they were way too sheer. I got one color significantly darker than the other, and they were nearly the same on my lips. I'm not opposed to sheerness, but there was NO difference between the colors-- so what's the point? I wasted my money on two colors of gloss when they were ultimately the same thing. In any case, I could not get past the stickiness...
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Eye Shadow -Physicians Formula - Matte Collection Quad Eyeshadow in Classic Nudes
jdruler 3/4/2010 10:46:00 AM
It is so hard to find a good set of matte eyeshadows. The best set of matte neutrals I have yet to find is Cargo's Essential's palette but I was hoping to find a cheaper equivilent but my search continues. I bought this set hoping to make it like an everyday matte neutral eyeshadow look. The shadows themselves are good, they are pigmented just fine, and the colors are pretty good too. The only qualm I have is the color combination. The browns are a bit too similar for me. Sure they look different in packaging, but on the eye when you put them in your crease, the difference is very subtle, in my opinion. I wish there was another lighter color (for the eyelid?) and I wish the darker shade was dark enough to be used as a brown eyeliner. Currently I just lightest shade for both lid and brow bone area and whatever darker shade I feel like using in my crease and the darkest in the outer corner. It serves its purpose and as I said before, the colors and quality of the shadow are great. In any case, I still gave it 4 lippies because it's difficult as it is to even find a good neutral truly matte quad (or any matte eyeshadow for that matter). I just hope they consider their color scheme in the future.
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Styling Products -TRESemme - Thermal Creations Straightening Gel [DISCONTINUED]
jdruler 3/3/2010 5:37:00 PM
I love this product. I really notice a difference between applying this in my hair versus when I don't put anything in my hair beforehand. Makes straitening my hair (in my case, with a blowdryer and brush) much, much easier and gives me better results!
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Treatments -Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment [DISCONTINUED]
jdruler 2/18/2010 4:41:00 PM
I don't know why it's so hard to just find a 2% BHA lotion/cream/any type of leave on medication. I was using stridex until I realized they had menthol (a skin irritant) so I stopped using them but then I read about this nice little product in Paula's book. I have noticed that I get less bumps/clogged pores since I started using this (I've been using it for a little over a month). I see that in some reviews some complain about it being overly drying-- can't speak to that since I use a moisturizer afterwards but I *think* my skin feels less oily during the day but I've added/exchanged other products with this one so I can't say which is what. In any case, I know it's helping my skin. It also has a lot of great ingredients for the skin like antioxidants. And it smells nice too and feels nice and cool when I apply it to my skin. It doesn't sting me but I've been using chemical exfoliants for awhile, you have to get used to it. If anyone finds it too drying, a simple moisturizer should fix that but it has so many great properties so it's definitely a keeper! And a note about the difference between salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide. You can't compare the two as they battle acne in two different ways. SA is as chemical exfoliant that cleans INSIDE your pores and it has mild antibacterial properties. Benzyl is primarily an antibacterial agent (don't forget that acne is a combination of clogged pores and bacteria festering inside). So if you have an inflamed pimple, SA alone is likely NOT going to fix that instantly like benzyl. However,SA is more likely to getting pimples "before they start" and work better in the long run as they kill the acne process. Just to clear that up for some people (pun intended, hehe). And yes I know I spelled benzoyl wrong-- don't have time to look it up now.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Cover Girl - Outlast in My Papaya
jdruler 2/17/2010 5:58:00 PM
I'm typically a fan of CG Outlast but this was too bright for me.
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Lipstick -Cover Girl - Outlast Smoothwear in Satin Latte
jdruler 2/17/2010 9:55:00 AM
I'm a huge fan of this line but this color looked really bad on me. It looked like a silvery grey purple on my lips... so it's going back :) No complaints about the lipstick itself though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Ulta - Ulta- whole store
jdruler 2/15/2010 10:28:00 PM
Wow I didn't know there was so much hate for Ulta! I haven't had any bad experiences with the customer service. Sometimes they're not so cheery, but that's like any other store. As far as the makeup selection, I like that they have a combination of high end and drug store products so I can compare and decide what I want. They carry NYX (but very limited choices, not sure if NYX or Ulta is to blame). I've noticed in the past month or so that the supplies have been depleted, but I noticed the same for Walgreens and CVS so it could be the brands themselves and not the store. As far as testers go, ya, they don't have them, but again, it's probably the brand and not the store. Have you ever seen a Revlon or L'oreal tester ANYWHERE? And have you NOT seen testers for UD or Cargo? The only beef I have is the hair salon. It's overpriced. Highlights and and a trim should not cost $150. As far as the return policy, I've never had a problem with it. I return what I want when I want used or unused. Once I lost the receipt and one of the ladies that worked there told me I can call corporate and have them Email the receipt to the store so I can return my stuff and I did. Overall, my Ulta experiences have been great. Oh, and AWESOME sales!
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Pressed Powders -Maybelline - Dream Matte Pressed Powder
jdruler 2/13/2010 6:01:00 PM
I don't know how to classify my skin type. I had acne a couple of years ago for which I went on accutane but now my skin is zit-free (which I do attribute to my skin regimen). Nevertheless, my skin gets oily during the day but it doesn't look oily/shiny, it just.. feels? -oily. My pores are not large either. In any case, I wanted something that would give my skin a subtle glow while hiding my past acne marks (though of course I don't expect something like this to cover them completely). So I found this somewhat chalky and too drying (at least for the first couple hours after which it was ok). I didn't like the finish either. This probably would be better if I had more oily skin or had shine issues, which I thankfully don't. It does mattify (too mattifying I guess for me-- almost chalk). It's not 100% matte though, just fyi. It does have a hint, just a hint, of sparkles that is really barely noticeable but probably helps give that added glow. So long story short, great for oilier skin (and it turns out Paula Begoun agrees in her book). As far as packaging-- it's all right. I like that the mirror and puff are separate but the twisty thing was sort of annoying. Lastly, I tried to wash the puff and the puff part get a bit separated from the back. I also wish that the puff was white instead of cream so I could gauge when it needed to be washed. Overall the product is good, but just not for me.
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Shampoo -Yes To Carrots - Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo
jdruler 2/11/2010 9:42:00 PM
Seeing this line all of a sudden pop everywhere in a relatively short period of time made it tempting to try something out so when shopping for shampoo for my oily hair, I figured "why not." What a let down. Within 24 hours my hair started to get all oily again and would even itch (not from dandruff, but I guess oil?). It's cleaning properties didn't do anything really. On the bottle it says it is for all types of hair though. I didn't like the smell (but it doesn't smell like carrots). It doesn't last long or anything but I like nice smells while I shower. So all in all, the shampoo is a bit less than average, methinks. I'm with head and shoulders now and I love that.
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