Fragrances -Coty - Truth or Dare by Madonna
lisbet 5/4/2013 7:53:00 PM
Found this at T.J. Maxx for $15!! I got into my car, opened it and sprayed it and immediately returned for another bottle! Despite all the negative reviews, I find it to be an outstanding fragrance! I love white flower fragrances like Fracas and Black Orchid and do not think TOD is too strong! I think this is a fragrance for more mature noses. The younger women these days like lighter, fruitier, sweet fragrances and this one is none of those things. I am pleased with my bargain and plan to use up both bottles! Oh and BTW-my husband noticed this one on me and actually liked it! He usually hates florals. I decided not to tell him it was Madonna's fragrance-I didn't want to give him any reason to criticize it and his opinion of Madonna is not favorable-he's just an old fuddy-duddy! She's not my favorite either, but her fragrance has found a place in my collection!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Balenciaga - Balenciaga Paris
lisbet 5/4/2013 7:45:00 PM
I love this! It's sophisticated and sexy and my husband actually asked what I was wearing! This is a guy who doesn't think it's necessary to own more than one fragrance! His usual comments when I ask what he thinks of a fragrance are "Smells like perfume to me" or "Smells like soap". A perfume lover he is not. But I had a sample of this from my SL at Nordstrom's who just wanted me to give it a test run. Reading about it didn't really interest me a whole lot, but a free sample-who can resist? I was really surprised! It suits me and I find myself reaching for it several times a week! Of course I had to purchase a bottle after hubby complimented me wearing it! A lovely fragrance. I won't go into the notes, etc. as you can go to Fragrantica for that. My reviews usually consist of my general impressions of a fragrance and with Balenciaga Paris they are most positive. I love wearing it. Longevity is my only complaint. I have to re-spray after about 3-4 hrs. but after the great buy on E-Bay I made for a slightly used bottle, I don't mind! I highly recommend at least sampling this beauty! For grown- ups only!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Physicians Formula - Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Airbrushing Pressed Powder SPF 30
lisbet 5/4/2013 7:33:00 PM
I also got this at CVS on sale for $7. I got it home, tried it and jumped back into my car and sped back to CVS and bought the last two compacts! Now I can bring that Make-Up Forever back to Sephora. It's an inferior product compared to this baby! I knew my DS cosmetics could keep up with the HE stuff. Proves you don't have to go to the mall to get good quality make-up! It gives me more $$ to spend on something that's really important to me-perfume!! Now that's where I don't mind spending money! Guess I'm just not a big make-up person, but I do have a lot of Urban Decay shadows. So I do like some nice make-up, but even those aren't that superior to DS products. It just all depends on where you want to spend your money and also, I lucked into this great product. Had it not been on sale I would have passed becaue it doesn't exactly look like anything special. But it goes on like a dream, covers all the redness in my skin, and doesn't get into my fine lines. I don't think it exactly minimizes my lines, just doesn;t emphasize them, like some powder foundations do. Give this a try! Even at the full price of $14 it's a great product! At age 59-I have a lot of trouble getting foundations that work well for me. They are either too greasy, too dry, oxidize-I still am oily in my T zone. A lot of foundations look mask-like which is something a woman my age does NOT want! The trick is to look like you have on NO foundation-not good foundation with great coverage. I recently began using Retin-A and my skin is reacting with a little extra redness and this covers it well and lasts all day. It's in a compact so it's convenient to carry with me for touch-ups. I love minerals-but got sick of the loose ones. This pressed mineral is all you could want in a foundation!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Gucci - Guilty Black Pour Femme
lisbet 5/2/2013 11:16:00 PM
I love this new Gucci Guilty flanker! It's a really scrumptious and sexy new fragrance. I got two samples at Sephora and both times kept sniffing my wrist and was sorry when they went empty. It wasn't on my "buy" list, but I had to have a bottle. It's not cheap, but I did get a pretty good buy on a 1.7 and really wish now I had sprung for the largest bottle because I'm using this one up quickly. My husband remarked that I smelled good as I walked past him and compliments from him are few and far between! He usually says something like "it smells like perfume", or "it smells like soap". Perfume isn't his thing so when I get noticed, I automatically buy a bottle because I have to admit, he does have pretty good taste for a non perfume lover. He doesn't understand why anyone needs more than one fragrance! Anyway, back to the Guillty Black! It's a fruity oriental floral that, IMO, bears little resemblence to Guilty original or Intense. I love those two fragrances and will always keep the Intense in my collection, but the Black is a really sexy fun fragrance best worn at night. Of course, I wear it all the time-I have no shame! Fragrantica has some wild story behind the two lovers this line is based on, but I don't care about that. I just crave this fragrance and can't stop sniffing it. It does start out with a blast of red fruit, but you do get hit with a good whiff of patchouli and amber. Oh and there is pink pepper and some yummy floral notes in there too. I'm not great at describing fragrances or even picking out the different notes, but I do know what I like and I love this! I definitely recommend at least giving this a try. I think it's going to be either a love or hate fragrance, but that's OK. Those of you niche lovers may be surprised with this little ole flanker. I'm happy I purchased a bottle and will definitely get another when I use this one up!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Make Up For Ever - Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation
lisbet 5/2/2013 10:53:00 PM
;This was a replacement for Merle Norman's Ultra Powder Foundation, which I like pretty well, but just happened to be in Sephora's checking out fragrances. So I thought, oh what the heck, give the new kid on the block a try-after all the Merle Norman's shop has become difficult to get to due to road work from Hades. The salesman seemed very confident that I would LOVE this foundation. He easily matched me with 118-Neutral Beige and it did look exactly like my MN which I had no complaints about. I just started wearing powder foundation about 6 months ago when I went into the hospital to get double knee replacements and I wanted something more convenient to use than a liquid or cream while laying in bed recuperating. The MN covered well and was the best match I had worn in a long time. I was a confirmed DS make-up person and the thought of spending $30 for a compact seemed outrageous to me, but since I was having surgery-I treated myself. Back to the Makeup Forever-it went on nicely and seemed to have almost as good a coverage as the MN. I'm 59 and need a little more coverage than I used to since I'm beginning to get those horrid little brown age spots. The MUF compact was harder to get into than the MN, but no big deal. And I recently saw the dermatologist and had most of the brown spots frozen off, so less coverage was fine with me. I don't need a mask-I've taken good care of my skin and it shows. I wore the MUF home and have had it on now for several hours and it's holding up pretty well. I don't think I'll try it wet because I like the coverage it gives dry. My slightly oily T-zone isn't acting up but time will tell. I have gotten cystic acnes on my chin in the past that have been make-up related, but not since I switched to powder. So far so good. It cost about $9 more than the MN, has slightly less coverage, and is hard to get into, but those are the only negatives I've found. My skin looks good and natural and the Neutral Beige is a perfect match. I don't know why I waited all these years to switch to a powder foundation-it's so much more convenient! I like this product, but when the road repairs are done, I may go back to MN's. After all $9 is enough savings to go back to MN's as long as the MUF isn't superior and it isn't. It's a good enough product, but hardly an HG! Unless I break out I'll probably keep this and continue to use it. I might buy it again, if the roads keep MN difficult to get to! Oh-my shade in the MN is Chiffon-a perfect match and almost identical to MUF's neutral beige. But I would recommend giving MN a try if MUF doesn't work out for you!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Merle Norman - Luxiva Ultra Powder Foundation
lisbet 1/26/2013 10:31:00 PM
I was scheduled to have knee replacement surgery in December and I didn't want any foundation that would be liquid or creamy. I felt a powder would be easiest to apply while laying in bed. I had tried numerous foundations-I must have spent a mint on both high end and drug store products and nothing seemed to work. My complexion is about an NC25, but notoriously hard to match for some reason. The neck area has like a red rash from sun damage and while I don't need heavy coverage, I am developing some dark spots with my advancing age (58). I was tired, knees hurting, and I saw a Merle Norman store on my way home from a very tiring trip to the mall. It was about 5 minutes from my home and I had never noticed it!! I had associated Merle Norman with older women-but who am I kidding?? I AM an older woman now LOL! So I stopped and explained what I needed and the beautiful saleslady, who looked like a VERY well preserved 60's removed my makeup and remarked "why are you trying to cover your skin-it's still very young looking!" Well, I fell in love with her on the spot! She sold me some powder foundation in Ultra Chiffon which for the first time in a very long time actually blended well with my skin tone! I didn't even have to use it all over-just in the spots that needed evening. since then, I have received dozens (no joke!!) of compliments from friends who want to know what I'm doing different!! This is definitely my HG foundation. Just sorry it took me so long to find it and in my own back yard!!
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Lancome - La Vie Est Belle
lisbet 11/6/2012 12:32:00 PM
I think I just found my HG!! Who knew I would fall in love with a sweet gourmand?? After a frustrating hour in Nordstrom's trying to find a fragrance to bring home with me, I spotted LVEB and tried a tiny spritz. It was love at first sniff!! I accused my poor saleslady of holding out on me, but to her defense, she also had no idea I would suddenly decide I loved sweet gourmands. Before that time, I mainly wanted Orientals and Chypres. But LVEB lifted me up to fragrance nirvana. Being a little skeptical about sinking my teetlh into a brand new fragrance-I purchased the small bottle. It is now empty and I have already purchased the biggest bottle they had. I just love love love this fragrance. I don't care about reviews, generally, but I see some people have really hated this fragrance. It is NOT for everyone as the sweetness can be a bit cloying. But on my perfume-eating skin, it's just right! Plus-my husband loves it!! What more could I want?? Do yourself a favor and give it a try!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Givenchy - Dahlia Noir
lisbet 9/3/2012 12:01:00 PM
I'm currently wearing this fragrance and have had it on about one hour and the powdery notes are just singing to me! This is an absolutely lovely fragrance. I'm used to Givenchy's previous offerings that are anything but soft and pretty IMO. This smells a little like baby powder-yes, but in a very grown-up feminine way. This fragrance makes me think of our trip to Las Vegas-LOL-years ago when we were still in our honeymoon stage. We didn't leave the room for 3 days and when we did, we went to the casino that has the Italian them and gondolas-so very romantic. We held hands and gazed into each others eyes and we knew that 30 yrs down the road we'd still be holding hands! And 31 years later-the hand holding hasn't stopped! I guess what I'm trying to say about Dahlia Noir is that it's an extremely romantic scent. It's softer than my signature Angel LOL-which is why I'm enjoying it so much! As I type I find myself thinking about joining hubby in the shower-but I don't want to wash this off just yet. Perhaps I'll....oh well, you get the picture! I will definitely purchase a bottle of this. I'm still not sure if this fragrance lasts well-but I won't mind re-spritzing (to heck with the costs!!). As far as for the name Givenchy chose-it did get my attention. It also is a very poor choice for this lovely juice. The murder years ago was hideous and graphic-this fragrance deserves better! I don't know who makes the decisions in such matters at Givenchy's corporate level, but they should be fired for attaching such an unpleasant and horrible reference to such a romantic and lovely juice! Oh-and another thing-the bottle! It's cheap looking and extremely boring. Although I lovel the fragrance, I won't be displaying it with my collection-it just doesn't make the cut! But the final answer to the big question-Yes! I will purchase a bottle. At least give this one a sniff!
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Revlon - ColorStay Whipped Creme Makeup
lisbet 8/13/2012 3:44:00 PM
I just had to try this! I have been a fan of Colorstay liquid for years, but recently it just stopped working for me-I think the formula has been changed. It began to look mask-like on me. But when the Whipped Colorstay came out-I was intrigued. It delivered everything I could ask for in a foundation. It went on very well-evenly and silky. The coverage is good and the color I chose, True Beige-is perfect. I'm an NC 35. The coverage went from my face to my throat seamlessly. I adore this product. It is a little expensive for a DS item, but so was the L'Oreal Magic Smooth Souffle-which is a comparable texture. Comparing the two, I prefer the ColorStay. The L'Oreal goes on pretty as well, but it disappears after several hours on me. I must add that the climate here in Texas is not very conducive for ANY foundation at all! We are having scorching days of heat reaching into the low 100"s. The Colorstay did not sweat off as easily as the L'Oreal-but I'm not spending any time outdoors, but even so, just getting in and out of your car will bring on a bad case of the sweats LOL! But I do think the Colorstay is the superior product. I would put it up against any HE foundation. I've tried them all. I've purposely avoided reading any reviews on this product, trying to stay as subjective as I can. Now I'll go on to read what other ladies are saying about this foundation. Believe me when I say this: I am very critical when evaluating foundations. They have to meet a certain standard with me. I have 58 yr. old skin that I've fought hard to maintain as wrinkle-free and as young looking as possible. I won't just slap on any old foundation. But I've found a winner in the Colorstay Whipped creme make-up!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Givenchy - Organza Indecence
lisbet 7/22/2012 2:44:00 PM
I absolutely adore this fragrance. It is everything I want in a scent. It's softly spicy and woodsy. No juvenile fruit and flowers in this juice! A real womans scent. My husband loves it because it's softer than the loud fragrances I normally prefer. I am a daily fan of Angel, please don't hold that against me, but Angel is my signature. Organza Indecence is what I wear when I want to feel warm and snuggly and pretty. Angel is what I wear when I am slightly manic. Seriously, this is such lovely juice. Cinamon spicy with amber and patchouli makes it strongly sensual and almost erotic. Some reviewers find the opening sharp-but I don't. On me it immediately envelopes me with a wonderful spicy vanilla. It has nice staying power, which is unusual on my older skin which cannibalizes most fragrances. The original Organza smells like Irish Spring to me, so this was a huge surprise discovery! Only available online now since it has long been discontinued, but IMOP worth the hunting on E-Bay. I just ordered a second bottle. My current bottle is in the more recent bottle, which looks like a Hanae Mori bottle. The one I'm waiting on is in the beautiful goddess-like bottle. I'm super excited to receive it and compare the two! Mmmn good! Like Addict with bourbon(I stole this comment from another reviewer!).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
BB Cream -MISSHA - M Perfect Cover BB Cream
lisbet 7/14/2012 7:53:00 PM
perhaps I'm writing this a little prematurely, but I just received it and have just used it today. I had never heard of BB cream (can you believe it??), but I do know that I will definitely continue to use a BB cream everyday, I'm tickled pink over all of the benefits in one tube of relatively inexpensive product. I have only used the L'Oreal Youth Code and liked it, but I am more impressed with this one for the following reasons: the high SPF and the coverage. I am somewhat surprised that the most women writing reviews are much younger than myself. BB cream has a lot to offer a 58 year old woman who is fighting age spots and the dulling of your complexion that is just part of aging. It doesn't have enough coverage for me, so I will have to use a light amount of regular foundation-but it does cut down on the amount of foundation I have to finish up with, so my skin appears less mask-like and definitely younger. I got this on Amazon for about $18.00-love that! So you older gals: get on the BB cream wagon! You will be thrilled with the benefits!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No