Masks -LUSH - Oatifix Fresh Mask
lightchaser16 7/28/2012 3:00:00 AM
I'm in the minority here I recognise, but this mask broke me out into a violent, itchy red rash. I had clear skin moments before I used it. When I washed it off I was impressed as it's tremendously moisturising. The next morning however I woke up with a crazy rash all over my cheeks and forehead. Stupidly enough, I was so taken with the smell and feel of this mask that I tried it a second time, a few days later. Never again! Broke me out just as bad. Impossible for me to recommend it despite the deliciousness. Please test this on your skin before applying all over.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -The Body Shop - Lip Butter
lightchaser16 6/4/2012 2:16:00 AM
Bought this in Sweet Lemon. It looks creamy, smells and tastes delicious, but really is completely useless. No hydrating properties whatsoever, my lips got drier and drier, and it left the most vile white residue on my lips (which, juxtaposed against my South Asian skin, makes me look positively diseased). I would not recommend this to anyone. There are so many better alternatives available, for a fraction of the cost.
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Lipstick -MAC - Lustre in High Tea
lightchaser16 12/6/2011 7:54:00 AM
I feel almost guilty posting a negative review about this lipstick, clearly a Holy Grail lipstick for many, judging from the reviews below - but on my NC 44 skin, it looks ghastly. I look pale and sickly and like I've borrowed lipstick meant for a much lighter-skinned woman. So to be able to use it at all, I have to cover my lips with MAC's Burgundy lipliner first, a dark shade with a lot of personality of its own - which kind of defeats the purpose of using a nude like High Tea. MAC's packaging has also been disappointing of late. I've had too many of my lipsticks break inside their packages without any obvious external damage (eg dropping them on the floor or knocking them about in my bag). I no longer consider MAC lipsticks worth the ridiculous price. If you must buy MAC, for darker skins, I'd recommend Touch, a shade which may look brown on light-skinned women but is nearly-nude on darker ones. Otherwise, I'd recommend moving to a brand like Chambor or Maybelline. A much wider range of colours, good quality and packaging, and value for money.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Maybelline - Color Sensational
lightchaser16 12/6/2011 7:30:00 AM
I'm amazed that I'm so late discovering Maybelline's lipsticks. I bought two this weekend - Dusty Rose, from the Color Sensational range, and Pure Plum, from the Moisture Extreme range, and am super-satisfied with both. Great quality, lasts four or five hours at a stretch, does not feather, and fades gracefully. I originally paid a visit to the MAC store and then just got annoyed by their usual pale, western colours that make olive-skinned South Asian women like myself look like we have pneumonia. I've fallen prey to these shades before, and have several very expensive MAC lipsticks lying around that I'm simply unable to use. I moved on to the Maybelline counter and discovered that Maybelline sells its lipsticks at ONE-FIFTH the price of MAC, their range of colours is far more exciting and experimental, and the quality of their stuff is very satisfying. I've also discovered that these lipsticks are truly moisturising and do not dry out your lips at the end of the day, unlike many other brands. Will recommend and repurchase without a doubt.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Bath and Body Works - Sweet Pea products
lightchaser16 7/5/2011 6:18:00 AM
A cousin who knew I liked B&BW bought me the entire range of Sweet Pea a few years ago - and I mean every single product in the store that had this fragrance. And I positively loathe this range. Sweet Pea is not appealing in any of its avatars, least of all the body splash or perfume. Redefines "sickly sweet" - cloying, even suffocating. And oh yeah, overdone! Everyone around me seemed to be using it. I much prefer light, fresh fragrances to sweet, floral ones so perhaps that explains my aversion to it - but it may be a tad much even for those who like floral scents. Will not repurchase. With fragrances like cotton blossom, fresh apple and toasted hazelnut, not to mention amber romance, in the B&BW store, I'm at a loss to understand why Sweet Pea has been such a massive success.
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Lip Treatments -LUSH - Honey Trap Lip Balm
lightchaser16 6/17/2011 8:13:00 AM
Lush's Honey Trap lip balm smells divine, and has a soft, gentle texture which makes it a pleasure to wear. But that's about it. After an hour or so, it feathers into the lines on my lips and I feel like I need to scrub it off or it'll flake out. It's exorbitantly expensive, comes in somewhat inconvenient packaging, and honestly, doesn't stand up to the competition posed by cheaper, better-packaged and equally pleasant lip balms. While I do love the fragrance, I'd be rather silly to repurchase.
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Sultana of Soap
lightchaser16 4/18/2011 11:32:00 AM
Although this is frightfully expensive for a soap, and lasted me all of ONE week (just about, that too) - what can I say. Temptation has a new name, and that's Sultana. The berries and cream smell is to die for. I didn't have a problem with the dry fruit in it, but I can't say it has any redeeming exfoliating properties either. The soap is extremely hydrating, soft to the touch (explains why it melts away so darn quick) and will make you smell and feel irresistible. For those times when you're feeling rich and want to be spoiled :)
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Cleansers -Clinique - Rinse-off foaming cleanser
lightchaser16 2/6/2011 6:05:00 AM
This is an extraordinarily mediocre product from the Clinique stable. Doesn't take off all your makeup, though it promises to - I was always left with a thin layer of foundation on my skin that had to be removed with a cotton swab and wipe-off cleanser - and the extremely foamy texture left even my oily skin painfully dry, chalky and stretchy. I started to dread washing my face with it, and that's when I figured it was probably time to get rid of it, despite the high price. All in all, a pretty unhappy experience! Switched to Origins' Clean Energy makeup removing oil immediately thereafter and there's been no looking back since.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
lightchaser16 2/6/2011 5:52:00 AM
I have oily skin that breaks out easily and often. It still needs a good moisturiser though, and often feels rough without. I first tried Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion - that was way too hydrating and caused a crazy reaction where my face became red and itchy - so I ditched it promptly. Years later, at a Clinique Store in New York, a salesgirl recommended I try the Gel version of the product. This is now the only moisturising product I ever use on my face - it's been three years and I have never experienced any irritation or breakouts with it. I can't say I love the fragrance but it's unobtrusive and nothing to complain about. A hardworking, gentle moisturiser whose effect lasts all day. Skin is visibly happier with a dose of it.
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Masks -LUSH - Cupcake Mask
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 3:11:00 AM
Cupcake smells utterly amazing - you won't want to wash it off. If you've refrigerated it before use, your skin will feel cool, happy and refreshed, and definitely smoother. It didn't have the magical acne-relieving effects for me that some others have experienced, though. For a real acne solution, I'd go with Origins' Clear Improvement. However, Cupcake is still worth a buy once in a while and although Lush says its pots are good for 4-5 uses, they do last a lot longer than that.
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Masks -LUSH - Brazened Honey face mask
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 3:07:00 AM
This is by far my favourite Lush mask, and I'd venture to say possibly the best mask I've ever used. It's not meant to do what the acne-attacking, pore-tightening masks are - it's gentle, it's rich and it calms your skin down like nothing else can. My skin glows wonderfully for a few days after I've used this and the difference in smoothness is tangible. It's like your face is thanking you for giving it this treat! Would recommend and repurchase without a second thought.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Origins - Clear Improvement
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 3:02:00 AM
Good short-term effects - tightens and really cleans out skin, reduces the size of pores. Is pretty gentle as well, no itching or stinging. And I've found that after every use, my skin tends to break out just a little bit - small bumps - but they go down within 24 hours and I think that's a consequence of the pores being cleaned out. I don't like the tube packaging because I've always found masks that come in a tub to be easier to apply, but the tubes are admittedly more sanitary. Not sure if this is markedly better than other masks for oily skin in the long term, so may not be a staple for me, but I can attest to the fact that it does what it claims to.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -MAC - Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 2:46:00 AM
I've been using Studio Fix fluid for nearly 2 years now in NC 44. I'm no longer sure this is the right shade for me - it has prominent yellow tones and can make me look overtly made-up for the first 10 minutes or so after I put it on - the next time round, I'll be looking for a closer match. The product itself is extremely strong on all the points a good foundation needs to be strong on - complete coverage, absolutely no irritation or breaking out (even on acne-prone and oily skin like mine) and though it can make you look a little tired and patchy at the end of a long day, it takes about 10-12 hours of wearing it for that effect to turn up. I will be repurchasing this for a long time - can think of no other foundation that's as reliable. I do wish M.A.C. would fix the awful smell of this product though. I try to avoid having people kiss me on the cheek while I'm wearing this because of the plasticky, chemical smell!
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Shampoo -Origins - Knot Free Shampoo
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 2:37:00 AM
I have extremely thick hair which falls almost all the way down my back. It's constantly getting knotted and tangled and brushing it out is an arduous task. I had high hopes from this shampoo because I love all the other Origins products I've used - unfortunately, Knot Free just did not work for me. It wasn't particularly detangling, which is bad enough because it's already failing on its USP, but to make things worse, it's horribly drying and makes me feel like I'm carrying a bale of straw around on my head. The Knot Free finishing rinse is somewhat better but only when used in conjunction with a different shampoo - this shampoo is an absolute no-no for me. I gave it a fair try about 4 or 5 times and then had to give up because the state of my hair was starting to scare me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Origins - A Perfect World Deep Cleanser
lightchaser16 2/4/2011 2:32:00 AM
Smells great, lathers beautifully, and a little goes a very very long way - have had the same tube for six months now and it isn't even half done! However, it doesn't remove makeup well, so you'll need to use a makeup remover before using this cleanser; and it doesn't have an exceptional effect on skin. It's mild and pleasant and for that reason I wouldn't be averse to repurchasing but would prefer to try other promising products first.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No