Fragrances -Pacifica - Egyptian Bergamot Rose
jzpeterson 7/26/2012 11:54:00 AM
I loooooooooooove the Egyptian Bergamot Rose candles, so I had high hopes for the perfume (spray). When I sniffed the bottle, it smelled pretty good-- not as good as the candle, but appealing. On my skin, it smelled like hair spray. I gave it to a friend, and it smells much rosier and prettier on her, but still doesn't compare to the candle.
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Lipstick -Lipstick Queen - Natural Sinner
jzpeterson 12/3/2011 5:15:00 PM
I'm not in love with the feel of this-- like it's sitting on TOP of my skin-- and it could be a bit longer-wearing, but... This is my DREAM everyday lipstick color. The Lipstick Queen website describes it perfectly: "the color of lips but magnified hundreds of times to an intense pink brown shade." I ordered it based on that description, even though the color swatches shown on the site (and on QVC and Barneys) are really light and washed-out and nude-y looking. Normally I'm a red-lipstick girl, so this was brave of me. It has the same high-contrast and face-brightening effect that a good red lipstick does, but it reads as totally natural. It isn't as bold as red, which is why it's perfect for daytime. It looks like most of the other reviewers have different coloring than mine, but it looks great on me too. For reference, I have black hair, green eyes, and very fair neutral-tone skin (MAC NC20 or NW15).
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Hair Color -Clairol - Nice n Easy - Gray Solution
jzpeterson 8/3/2009 11:39:00 PM
My natural color is brownish-black-- it's maybe 40% white on the sides, and 10% white on the top and in the back. Even before it started turning white, it was almost un-dyeable. With that in mind, I chose this product because it claimed to have extra gray-covering powers. It hasn't really delivered; it doesn't seem any different than any other dye I've tried. I colored my hair a week ago, and it has already begun to wash out. At this rate, it will have washed out well before I develop any kind of visible roots. I tried to investigate what the "pre-treatment" is, or what it's supposed to do, and didn't have much luck. The info on the box and on their site was vague, and just said something about softening the gray hairs. The pre-treatment stuff is weirdly gooey, almost gelatinous. The actual color part is pretty unexceptional; it goes on just like any other box haircolor. This probably works just fine for most people, but it's no match for my super-slippery resistant hair.
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Lotions/ Creams -Burt's Bees - Shea Butter Hand Repair Creme
jzpeterson 3/19/2009 8:18:00 PM
Wow! I'm amazed at the reactions to this lotion's smell! I live in Minnesota, and this is my #1 best winter hand lotion. It's a little bit thick and balm-y, but I actually like that it give my poor hands a little bit of a "coated" feeling. And the smell? I love the smell. It smells like roses with an undertone of mothballs, but in a really good way.
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Candles -Pacifica - Mexican Cocoa Candle
jzpeterson 3/3/2009 5:17:00 PM
I love love love this scent. Love. It's definitely more cocoa than chocolate-- only a little bit sweet-- with cinnamon and some other note that I'm not sophisticated enough to identify. The soy candle does smell more when it's not lit, which is a bit strange, but my candles are not-burning a lot more often than they are burning, so I'm ok with that. It makes my (small) house smell good either way.
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Lipstick -Jemma Kidd Makeup School - Lipsticks - All
jzpeterson 12/3/2008 9:53:00 PM
(This is from the Jemma Kidd line that's available at Target.) I'm one of those "quest for the perfect red lipstick" women, so I got it Icon, which is a neutral strawberry-red. At $16, it's pretty pricy for Target, but I love it. It's almost matte, but has a tiny bit of creaminess to it. That means it doesn't last as long as a MAC or Besame red, but it doesn't just vanish either. And it wears off evenly, so you're not stuck with that lipstick-around-the-edges mouth. For me, though, the color is the very best thing. I am very fair with green eyes and black hair-- just a tiny bit more cool-toned than warm, but almost neutral skin. Most red lipsticks go pink on me, even the ones that really look like they should be neutral. This is the single best red I have ever found-- and I have a lot of red lipstick. It doesn't turn pink, it doesn't go on orange, it's just primary-color red. It's also really easy to go movie-star solid with it, or to blot it down to more of a stain, so it works day and night. I will probably buy another tube or two, since I think that this is a limited-time collection at Target. Best. Red. Ever.
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Conditioner -Phyto - Phytobaume Conditioner
jzpeterson 8/12/2008 12:53:00 AM
Unlike a lot of the reviewers, I have very thick, heavy, medium-coarse hair, but I still love this conditioner. Because I have pretty short hair, and because my hair is naturally very slippery (ie, doesn't hold dye, bobby pins slide out), this works really well. It thwarts any tangles that may appear, keeps my hair shiny, and doesn't add any extra weight.
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Styling Products -Aveda - Light Elements Defining Whip
jzpeterson 3/29/2008 10:08:00 PM
EDIT: I just posted this review, and then saw on folica.com that Aveda is discontinuing it. Last year Aveda discontinued my other favorite product-- their Elixir leave-in conditioner-- and if they drop this too, I'm leaving them, after a 20-yr relationship. Gah! I've been known to leap out of the chair when a stylist gets ready to add product to my hair-- 90% of products make my hair look "done" and flat. However, this product is Total Genius. I have very thick, heavy, slightly wavy hair, that I wear in a sharply angled short bob. A little bit of this on the long ends in front gives me a soft version of that Supremes-type wave at the tips, and a little bit on the back of my head roughs it up so I don't look overly coiffed. It also works on wavy-hair days AND straight-hair days, which is impressive. It is pretty pricey, but one jar lasts me 9 months or more. And whoever said it resemble Noxzema in both appearance and texture was dead-on. But compared to its many awesomenesses, those are minor complaints.
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Candles -Pacifica - Spanish Amber
jzpeterson 12/16/2007 5:59:00 PM
Best. Scented. Candle. EVER. Normally I loathe scented candles-- they give me a headache and stingy my eyes. But Pacifica's, in general, are awesome. And their Spanish Amber is one of my favorite fragrances in the world; it's actually what got me seriously interested in fragrance. (And, happy day, they now make a perfume in the same scent!) It's sexy and cozy at the same time-- amber and bergamot. Loooooove it.
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Cleansers -Dermalogica - PreCleanse
jzpeterson 12/16/2007 5:49:00 PM
I use Dermalogica's Ultra-Calming Cleanser on a day-to-day basis, but when I'm feeling oily and clogged-pore-y, this is the MAGICAL stuff. It seems to grab all the gunk out of my skin, and has definitely reduced the number of mini-blackheads on my nose. As a follow-up, I do still use my regular cleanser-- partly to make sure that I get all the oiliness, partly to further encourage the gunk to leave my face. It does sometimes leave my skin feeling a little tight and dry, but less so than many other cleansers that are far less effective. *** Edited to remove a lippie: I've found this is too "botanical" in that it sometimes stings my skin a little in that essential oily way.
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Cleansers -Dermalogica - Ultra Calming Cleanser
jzpeterson 12/16/2007 5:42:00 PM
I have sensitive skin, with mild rosacea and a tendency toward clogged pores. It's neither particularly dry nor particularly oily, and I wear very little makeup, so I can't comment on that aspect. This cleanser is probably the best I've found; it's not awe-inspiring and life-changing, but it works well. I wouldn't characterize it as "calming" on a day-to-day basis, but it has definitely moderated my skin's "mood swings" over the past several months. ***Update*** This isn't working as well now that it's summer-- it just doesn't leave my skin feeling as clean. For me, at least, this is a cold-weather-only product.
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Cleansers -Mario Badescu - cucumber cream soap
jzpeterson 5/10/2007 10:43:00 PM
Feels really gentle, and (on me, at least) rinses clean-- way cleaner than I thought possible for a non-foamy product. After a couple weeks, though, my skin started to feel like it had a little film on it. It would probably work better for someone with dry skin-- mine is very sensitive but more normal/combination.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Costume National Scent
jzpeterson 3/16/2007 11:01:00 PM
A strong amber at first, but very very quickly dries down to a really sexy slightly spicy "skin" smell. The jasmine (or jasmine tea?) keeps it from smelling like a dirty body, or at least, keeps it from smelling like the wrong kind of dirty body, and it lasts all day on me.
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Lotions/ Creams -Aveeno - Intense Relief Hand Cream
jzpeterson 2/10/2007 1:17:00 PM
Disappointed. Somehow it feels more like wax, and doesn't quite sink in. I live in Minnesota, and while my hands aren't being eaten alive by the cold, I do need a good hand lotion. This just doesn't seem to do the trick.
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Scrubs -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Natural Facial Scrub
jzpeterson 2/10/2007 1:12:00 PM
Thick and fine-grained so that it doesn't feel like it's scratching my skin-- unlike St. Ives or Origins Modern Friction. Gently buffs off the dull stuff, and leaves my face (arms, feet, whatever) smoother and happier. Not to get too poetic, but it reminds me of how walking on the beach will smooth your feet. Basic, no surprise ingredients. Good stuff, but actually a bit hard to find.
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