Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Length
kavi484 1/5/2011 5:59:00 PM
This is a wonderful mascara for daytime. It doesn't do much in the way of volumizing, so it's not dramatic enough for my taste for nighttime. For the day, though, I love how it really grabs every lash and gives fantastic length and definition with ZERO clumps, no matter how many coats I layer on. I've always been skeptical of the rubbery brush style on the Lash Blast line, but I might be a convert now! This mascara also feels weightless on and it keeps my lashes curled through an entire work day, which is a big plus for me.
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Loose Powders -Almay - Nearly Naked
kavi484 11/12/2010 1:24:00 PM
Great loose powder. It's a little expensive for a drugstore product, but it's also the only drugstore loose powder I've found that comes in a dark enough shade for my NC45 complexion (I use the Medium shade). It also applies very smoothly without any "powdery" look. I will definitely repurchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Bare Escentuals - SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen
kavi484 10/4/2010 11:22:00 PM
I think this is a very nice product. My skin is oily and acne-prone, and since I use Differin, I need to be conscientious about sun protection. This powder provides good protection for my tan skintone and doesn't leave a powdery or makeup-y look. As other reviewers have said, as long as you make sure to twist the brush fully until it clicks, application is not a problem. I agree that the price is steep for so little product, but the clear plastic bottom unscrews easily, so I could imagine refilling it with a different powder once it runs out.
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - True Blue Spa Too Shea 100% Shea Butter Balm
kavi484 12/2/2007 10:35:00 PM
I agree with all the reviewers below -- great product, absurd price. I got my tub at the BBW outlet for $5 (!!) and was shocked when I came home and saw the ridiculous regular price. I use this stuff as a general heavy-duty winter moisturizer for hands, feet, and even body (mixed with a regular lotion). I hate hand creams that feel heavy on, but given a minute and a lot of massaging in, this shea butter sinks in instead of sitting in a greasy layer. I also use a thick layer on my feet with socks at bedtime, and wake up to smooth heels. I truly like this product and its lack of scents or other extraneous ingredients, but I wouldn't repurchase because of the price.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -L'Oreal - True Match Super-Blendable Makeup SPF 17
kavi484 3/17/2007 6:04:00 PM
I have always been strongly anti-foundation, but recently decided I wanted something to cover some semi-faded acne scars. No less than THREE different shades of this foundation would have been just fine for me -- True Match, indeed! I ended up going with W8, the darkest warm shade, which is perfect for my NC45 skin. I only apply this where needed - on my cheeks - dabbing on just a dot per cheek with my fingers. It blends beautifully and I've checked in every light quality (incandescent, fluorescent, sunlight) and found it looks completely natural in all. Just sinks in and melds with my skin texture (oily, medium pores) perfectly, while giving me the medium coverage I want. This hasn't given me any trouble with breakouts or with shine. The ONLY reason I give it a 4 rather than a 5 is that I wish they'd have a pump instead of just a screw-off cap -- would be more sanitary. Otherwise, though, I won't stray from this.
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Sunscreen -Coppertone - Oil Free SPF 45 Sunblock Lotion
kavi484 3/16/2007 5:50:00 PM
I use this on my face and body. I have very oily and acne-prone skin, and this never caused me any problems with breakouts or irritation. Yes, it will leave your face looking a bit shiny at first, but it does sink in and is nothing that can't be corrected with powder. It is not oily, just a little thick b/c of the high SPF protection. Honestly, I have tried *all* the sunscreens marketed as non-greasy facial products (Neutrogena, Aveeno, Olay, Eucerin, Cetaphil, Dove) and this actually leaves me less shiny and more sun-protected than those. Until the FDA gets a brain and gives us the Euro and Asia-style milky sunscreens instead of the creams we have, I'm sticking with this. Considering the price ($8 to $10 for a 8-oz bottle), the fact that it really is oil-free and fragrance-free (doesn't have that nauseating fake-coconut scent), and that I feel just as good using it for a daily moisturizer as when I'm actually going to the beach, this is my HG.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -TRESemme - Curl Care Bouncy Curls Defining Gel
kavi484 3/15/2007 12:12:00 PM
My hair: fine, not very thick, collarbone length with light natural waves. Pros: not at all sticky or "crunchy", even when I use a TON; light definition and hold; light, fresh scent; inexpensive; alcohol-free. Cons: I do have to use a ton to get any hold, and it still requires another product layered in for more hold and definition. I do like this as a base product though, since it is inexpensive (i.e. I don't mind using a ton every day) and NEVER crunchy - I hate crunchy hair. Might be better for someone whose hair has a stonger natural curl or wave, since it gives some hold without crunch. I would give it a 3.5 if I could.
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Styling Products -Got 2 Be - 2sexy- Voluptuous Volume Styling Lotion
kavi484 3/15/2007 2:01:00 AM
Very unimpressed. I bought it because it is cheap and had pretty good reviews, but all it does is leave my hair sticky and unvolumized, even when I just use a little bit. How can something called "voluptuous volume" make my hair flat, and actually greasy-feeling just a few hours into the day? It smells nice, but has nothing else going for it.
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Shampoo -Suave - Suave Professionals Healthy Curls Shampoo
kavi484 3/9/2007 11:27:00 AM
Woww... Suave is movin' on up. I bought this based on the two glowing reviews below and I am not disappointed. My hair is fine and has light waves that tend to lack definition. I have always been skeptical of the claims of curl-enhancing shampoos, but I can honestly say that as soon as I unwrapped my hair from my towel after shampooing with this, it looked and *felt* different -- I had clumpy-feeling, much more defined, tighter waves! I left the lather on my hair for several minutes when I shampooed - don't know if this makes a difference. And I can definitely handle the $2 price tag. Amazing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Olay - Sensitive Moisture Therapy Lotion
kavi484 1/12/2007 5:43:00 PM
I have oily skin which has become sensitive and a bit flaky as of late due to prescription acne meds. This lotion sinks right in and cures those dry patches. It is very soothing for sensitive skin, without feeling heavy or oily at all. No breakouts either, and no skin-irritating fragrances. I also love the squeeze-top bottle -- much more sanitary than a tub, and easier to get the last bit out than with a pump, which can't balance upside-down. For price and performance, this can't be beat.
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Lip Gloss -Smashbox - Lipgloss in Sassy
kavi484 12/10/2006 1:09:00 AM
Love it! Comes out a BRIGHT tomato red with pink undertones on me (NC45). Pretty shimmer too. The shimmer tends to stick around after the color is gone, which is annoying, but I can deal. Very good staying power for a gloss, and not horribly sticky!
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Styling Products -Redken - 15 Spray Starch Heat Memory Styler
kavi484 12/3/2006 7:41:00 PM
I have boring hair - medium quantity, fine texture, shoulder-length. It's not "thin" in the sense that my scalp shows or anything, but it definitely lacks "oomph" no matter what I do. Enter Redken Spray Starch. After reading all the raves here, I swapped for it and tried it out last night. I lifted up sections of damp hair and sprayed it lightly at the roots, then blow-dried while lifting up sections with a large paddle brush and aiming the hot air on the underside of the roots. Even at that stage, I was amazed at the gigantic, almost bouffant hair I now had! Then I flat-ironed after *very* lightly spritzing with more Spray Starch. Amazingly, my hair stayed hugely voluminous and straight through a busy, hot night of bartending. The roots didn't fall, and the ends didn't frizz. This is literally a first for me. And best of all, while my hair didn't feel like its usual silky-smooth self, I could still run my fingers through it without losing the volume! It didn't feel like crispy hairsprayed hair that you can't touch for fear of breaking the hold. It just had "grip", but was still very touchable. I can already tell this product will lead to buildup (come on, its power ingredient is potato starch), but for those women like me, who can never achieve big hair, this is worth the weekly clarifying shampoo. I am so excited to try this with my curling iron next!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Kiss My Face - Peaceful Patchouli Moisturizer
kavi484 11/26/2006 2:35:00 PM
This is the only lotion that can take me through a full day in the bitterly cold Iowa winter without having to reapply. Other lotions, no matter how greasy, leave my skin feeling tight and itchy by midday. This doesn't feel greasy, but the patchouli oil it contains must really sink in and hold in moisture. It also smells absolutely wonderful - the best patchouli scent I've found. It's soft and earthy, not at all cloying. The scent is so tenacious that I can smell it on my skin at the very end of the day, and even in my clothes after I've taken them off, but it doesn't assault other people's noses during the day like perfumes can. Others can only smell it if you pass closely by them. I LOVE this lotion.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Maximum Growth Nourishing Nail Color in Innocent Nude
kavi484 9/29/2006 8:07:00 PM
This is an excellent polish for a subtle, everyday manicure. My nails are naturally a deep mauve-pink with slightly yellowish tips, and this neutralizes all that color, leaving me with beautiful, natural, healthy-looking nails. In the bottle, it looks like a milky beige, but on my nails it almost looks like I just have a clear coat on (at least to others; I know how bad my natural nail coloration is). It is a little difficult to work with -- it's thickish and it "sets" fast while you're painting, so it can get streaky unless you're very quick. But I can deal with the extra effort for the look. Also, it wears well (three days of dishwashing and everyday activity and not a single chip so far, although I do wear topcoat too). I'm not normally a manicure sort of girl, but this is so excellent at neutralizing my pink nail beds and making my tips look whiter w/o the starkness of a French manicure that I may have to become one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Wet 'n' Wild - Fresh Face Clear Skin Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15 [DISCONTINUED]
kavi484 7/28/2006 6:42:00 PM
Yes, yes, yes! I have tried literally every drugstore moisturizer that contains SPF and is made for oily/combo skin. All claim to be light and non-greasy feeling, but I was so dissatisfied with each that after using them up as daily sunblock for my neck and chest, I reverted to regular old Coppertone Oil-Free SPF45 for my face. (That is surprisingly decent even for oily skin - a little shine, but no breakouts.) THEN I came across the glowing reviews for this Wet n Wild lotion, and I have to say it lives up. Fresh, light, non-greasy, no shine, no breakouts, leaves my skin feeling really soft and smooth -- and it's inexpensive. I couldn't ask for anything more.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No