Styling Products -Living Proof - Full Thickening Cream
lagomorph 3/17/2013 5:23:00 PM
I have full, thick, frizz prone hair that I often straighten when I haven't kept up with my Brazilian keratin treatments. After a day or so the top/crown area tens to flatten out and doesn't have that just washed bouncy volume that I like. What I love about this stuff is that it adds great volume without any residue/stickiness. I do find it builds up on my hair after a few days but a vinegar rinse takes it out. Works for me on wet hair, just a tiny dab. Expensive but I use so little it lasts forever. Only thing I dislike is that it's very very hard to get the right amount out of the bottle. Bought on ebay for less that retail. :( They say they don't test on animals but the answers are vaguely worded on their blog and I think they might have third party testing. They simply state they don't test but they won't elaborate when asked about third party testing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Cerave - Moisturizing Cream
lagomorph 8/30/2012 8:23:00 AM
Really, nothing works like this. Ok, maybe Amlactin, but I hate the way that stuff smells. I've tried every drugstore lotion, cream, etc and besides Amlactin nothing will soften your skin like this does. I get this for 12 dollars on Amazon with free 2 day shipping bc I have amazon prime. I actually think this cream is a steal bc I'm not waisting my time putting lotion on twice a day. My time is money and this works so well I can skip days and still have smooth skin. Works great on any bumps or nicks on my legs. Love this for my face too. Very nonreactive, great for sensitive skin. Under faq they state they don't test on animals.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Everyday Minerals - Jojoba Base
lagomorph 8/9/2012 10:58:00 PM
I really like this mineral makeup. Usually not a fan of mineral makeup but after moving somewhere much warmer I don't think I can deal with liquid makeup in the summer anymore. This stuff is really super soft looking/feeling. Melts into my skin. No itchy ness which I got w/bare minerals. Cream is a good neutral match for me. I have pinkish/cool coloring and neutral balances my face better than a cool tone. I like the sample of everday bronzer too, very natural tan looking on me. It doesn't feel super soft and nonreactive like the jojoba base though. Love, love the color, but not sure if the ingredients of the bronzer will work w/my skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Removal -Unlisted Brand - Homemade Sugar Wax
lagomorph 8/9/2012 5:15:00 AM
I've tried both the strip and strip free versions of sugar waxing. The ball or paste method works but it takes a lot of hand work. My hands would get sore, just grabbing the paste out of the container takes work bc it's so thick. I have a little carpal tunnel in my right hand so this method is not for me. The other, strip version works well. It's not terribly expensive to buy sugar wax but if you don't mind making it yourself it will work just as well. A store version will last me four full leg waxings at a cost of about 2 to 3 dollars each time. I just wash and reuse the strips. I find this works ok if you have fairly fine, average girl hair. If it's thicker it's less effective. Hair really needs to be long enough. I find at least one half inch of growth works best for me. I use a home laser for a lot of my hair removal. It's not permanent so I'm also using sugar wax bc I think this will eventually kill some of the hair follicles or at least lighten the growth. I've done a little experiment on my lower ankles and tweezed a small patch repeatedly. Eventually the hair started coming in very very light and fine so waxing may help reduce growth over time.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Unlisted Brand - aluminum foil
lagomorph 4/21/2011 2:21:00 PM
I use a small bit of aluminum foil/reynold's wrap to clean my mascara wand when it's all goopy. It works really well and there's no lint to worry about.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyes -Unlisted Brand - Careprost~Generic Brand Latisse
lagomorph 4/19/2011 8:43:00 AM
I have serious eyelashes already,like Rachel Weisz eyelashes, so I don't think I would have ordered this on my own. A friend gave me a bottle to try and it does work. I started getting super long lower lashes that looked odd and it wasn't worth it for me.. (only put the tiniest amount on my upper lashline once a week but somehow it transfers) I would like to just mention, to anyone that orders from ADC or any overseas pharmacy- you might want to use a Visa gift card instead of your normal credit card. I have heard of people having problems with unauthorized charges so to be super cautious I use a store bought gift/credit card when I order Tazorac online.. Update- I had a few people ask about using a visa gift card with ADC. One person had problems trying to use one and her card was rejected. If you have a visa gift card and are trying to order from ADC make sure you go to the visa gift card site and register your card first. When I tried to use one without registering the card my order was rejected from ADC. I haven't ordered from ADC for awhile and it's possible that they no longer accept these cards ???
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Removal -Silk'n - SensEpil
lagomorph 3/1/2011 8:18:00 AM
update 3/26 I'm thinking of selling mine on ebay and getting the new remington i light - it is 300 and the cartridges are much cheaper and last longer than the silkn. Better deal in the long run bc of the cartridge cost. Still love this way of removing hair, has made my life much easier. This is actually for the earlier silkn, not the SensEpil. The technology is exactly the same though. I bought mine off Ebay, used. I was taking a risk and have no warranty but it's been fine. If I had to buy a Silk'n again I would buy the SensEpil only because it's easier to find the cartridges at a discount compared to the earlier model. Basically, I love it, although the cartridges are expensive and the hair removal is not permanent. I have sensitive skin and loathed waxing, shaving, and epilating. Tried the NONO but it is very time consuming. I have pale skin and brownish hair on my lower legs. I noticed a difference after one use, and after 5 months had very little hair on my lower legs, bikini, back thigh area and underarms. On my upper legs/ thighs the hair is blonde and the Silkn does not work as well there but I decided to do extra passes to deal with that area. I tend to get bumps easily on the back of my thighs from shaving/waxing even though the hair is very very fine. I always use the highest setting and it's painless. Some people obsess over eyeshadow colors. I've always been obsessed with having super soft skin. I'm tight with money but there are some things that actually make a huge difference and this is so worth it for me. I am not convinced that the Silkn is the best home laser. I think the Tria might have more permanence and there's another one called Viss that sounds good. (I've read that the Viss cartridges have a 4,000 flash life) I'm happy with the Silkn though, it takes no time at all out of my life and yeah I'm free from the tedium of hair removal. Update- still works great, not permanent though. I read on a forum that there is a carbon dye you can use with lighter hair to make the process more effective. If I find out more about it I will add it to my review. (read about it on eds forum - under the Viss thread) Update- this is a youtube video about the dye- I really don't know anything about it but if someone wants to do some research here's the link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LSffIHjo0 Another Update- I've been reading a bit more about the dye. It runs about $12 on Amazon.com This is a link to a forum with a photo showing results with and without the dye http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=39102&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=375 The photo was taken using the dye and the Viss hair removal device but because both Viss and Silk'n are IPL lasers it should work for both. The forum discusses how to use the dye with the Viss IPL device.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Burt's Bees - Lip Shimmer in Nutmeg
lagomorph 1/6/2011 6:02:00 AM
I would describe this as a color that gives some warmth to my very cool coloring while still being flattering to my skintone. I have very pinkish fair skin and it's hard to find colors that work like that. Urban Decay's Smog is another color that works like this for me- flattering to my skintone and yet has a "warmth" to it.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Incoco Dry Nail Applique
lagomorph 9/3/2010 9:00:00 AM
Thank you sashavice for your awesome review. I tried warming the strips between my fingers before application and it makes them so easy to apply. I always polish my toes but when it comes to my hands I just suck at polishing with my left hand. With Incoco my manicure looks flawless and it lasts forever. I only end up taking it off because of the eventual gap at the base because of nail growth. If you've ever seen the perfect polish applications at the Laquerized blog, that's what incoco does for my nails. I use these with SH insta dry topcoat. Cons- price, 8 dollars and shipping at Incoco.com- you do get 36 strips now instead of 16 so that's enough for 2 applications, but still, not cheap I've tried the French manicure but find the tips to be a little thick looking. Also it's very stark white and I like a more subtle tip. If you do use the French I suggest just applying the tips and using a topcoat over them. The overlay with the f manicure is very thin and difficult to apply. Edit, ok, I've tried the sally hansen effects and I have to say they are a lot easier to use.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Organix - Awakening Mocha Espresso
lagomorph 8/26/2010 10:03:00 AM
I wish I could find this in stores. I bought it last summer and loved the it, smelled amazing. I don't normally like Organix but this was great.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - Brazilian Keratin Treatment - Marcia
lagomorph 8/11/2010 1:24:00 AM
I've been doing a keratin treatment every 4 months or so. I order QOD max online and do it myself with a flat iron. There are health concerns with the formaldehyde in these products so please do research before deciding on this. For me it's amazing. My hair is naturally thick and wavy in texture. It looks great when it's blown out but I was so sick of spending so much time on it. The keratin treatment saves me literally hours every week. It smooths out my hair and I need to do very little with it now. I start the treatment 3 or 4 inches below the roots in back so I keep some of the natural volume intact. Going all the way from the top can leave it a little too flat. Update- still love this. I've found I can vary the amount used and keep more body/wave if I want by using less. I noticed Organix has a brazillian keratin shampoo out now without sulfate or sodium.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -The Body Shop - Flawless Skin Protecting Foundation SPF 25
lagomorph 8/10/2010 8:43:00 PM
I got this really cheap off ebay. I think the color is nice and neutral like the colors you get with higher end foundations but the texture isn't that great. Very good coverage but feels and looks a tiny bit grainy on my skin close up. I would never pay full price for this as I prefer foundation that doesn't feel like foundation when I'm wearing it.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Coastal Scents - Silica Spheres Powder
lagomorph 3/14/2010 7:57:00 PM
This gives the same sort of "soft focus" finish as Smashbox or Monistat primer except in a powder form. With my dry skin I can only use this during the summer months. I love to mix a tiny bit with a creamy concealer and use it as a base for my eyelids.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -L'Oreal - HIP Kohl Eyeliner in Teal
lagomorph 2/17/2010 7:07:00 PM
A friend gave me this to try from her bogo purchase. It does last on the waterline- nothing else ever has. I want to get this in brown for daytime. This is easy to put on with a soft concealer brush. I just tap it onto the waterline. I thought I'd have problems with fallout and getting the powder everywhere during application but I haven't. I can't stand feeling like I have makeup on my eyes- even mascara bothers the hell out of me if it feels crunchy. I have no problem with this. Update- very sorry to hear that L'oreal still tests on animals.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Unlisted Brand - Braun 7280 Silk-Epil Xpressive Epilator
lagomorph 12/29/2009 2:33:00 AM
I've hated every epilator I've tried except this one. This is just effective enough that I might switch from waxing. I owned the previous model, the braun silk epil, and I find this works much better. It makes wider passes and catches the hairs better than the previous braun. Epilators are notorious for ingrown hairs, imo worse than waxing. I make slow passes- as tempting as it is to go faster you'll likely break the hair off and cause ingrowns. I love having soft, smooth skin all the time and was going crazy this winter trying to deal with increasingly dry legs. I finally bought a humidifier and have had such success with it that I felt confident I could use an epilator in winter and keep my legs exfoliated to prevent ingrowns. Don't even try this in the bikini area. Epilators change the direction of hair growth to a greater degree than waxing and while the problems might not occur right away, eventually the hair is going to be growing back at odd angles and cause permanent problems. I would stick to waxing. If you do try this be very careful and do a test area first. I really advise against it for most people. Update- still happy with it. So much faster than the braun silk epil. Ingrowns are not a problem so far, preventable and no worse than waxing. I'm doing a combination of epilating, shaving, and using my nono. You can buy replacement parts separately. The epilator head (the roller that grabs the hairs) is available for $15 at this website www.theessentials.com There is also a "precision head" available online that did not come with my kit. Maybe this is for the face? Bikini? Update- I have noticed some ingrown hairs even though I exfoliate all the time and keep my skin very smooth. Not a lot, but even one or two really look bad now that it's summer. I'm not taking off any stars because as epilators go it's probably the best. I might just be more prone to ingrowns than other people. I've gone back to just using the nono and shaving. Saving for a tria. Update- bought a silkn. Love it although I hate having to buy the replacement cartridges. It's not permanent but so far it's the best thing I've used. Ok, another update- still using the silkn. After all this time I still have 2 areas where I have a single hair that grows out crooked and will become ingrown if I don't super exfoliate it. Not a big deal, only 2 hairs, but this never happened from waxing and I only used my epilators for maybe a total of 8months. So be careful, I would hate to have a bunch of these and I'm glad I stopped when I did. YMMV Took one star off because epilators in general need to be used with caution. Update- switched to silkn. love home laser hair removal, so much easier.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No