Shampoo -Joico - Moisture Recovery 
lsquires12 10/17/2012 2:30:00 PM
OMG, finally a shampoo I can picture myself repurchasing! I have dry, coarse hair with damage from heat styling, and I have tried Kerastase, AG, Biolage, Redken, Wen, and Dove (my favorite on this list, believe it or not), to name a few. None have been moisturizing enough to repair or prevent damage and split ends, and most have made my hair feel weighed down. This shampoo, along with the conditioner, has noticeably improved the health of my hair. My stylist, who lives and breathes Kerastase, commented on how much healthier my hair was when I got it cut last week. Equally awesome, it doesn't leave my hair feeling heavy or coated, but rather light and manageable. It lathers nicely and has a light, fresh scent. Overall great product!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Urban Decay - YDK eyeshadow
lsquires12 10/17/2012 2:12:00 PM
I love UD shadows in general, but this is one of my favorites. It's a beautiful silvery, chocolatey taupe. It's very shimmery, almost too shimmery, and there's some fallout (minimal), but I can't justify taking a lippie off because the color is just so beautiful, it's a dream to apply, and it lasts all day. It's similar to Sidecar (in the Naked pallette), but with way less glitter and fallout. One of my favorite go-to looks is YDK on the lid, Twice Baked in the outer V and along the lower lashline, and Sin or Sellout in the inner corner and up to the brow. Love it!
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Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Mia
lsquires12 10/17/2012 1:56:00 PM
LOVE it! I use it twice a day every day and my skin is in the best shape it's ever been in. I can't imagine going back!
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Eye Shadow -Jane - Sungloss
lsquires12 9/13/2012 12:38:00 PM
This is the only e/s I have ever repurchased. I've probably gone through a dozen of them over the last 6 or 7 years. It's the perfect all-over shade for me, and works with browns, purples, and greys. The consistency and coverage are excellent, and it's not too matte, not too shimmery. Definitely my HG. Sadly, it's been discontinued, but up until recently, I was able to find it on eBay. I dropped my last one a couple of months ago and it shattered, and I've been on the hunt for a dupe ever since, with no luck. Everything I've tried is too light, too grey, too peachy, too gold, too matte, too shimmery. I had given up hope! Then, yesterday while I was perusing the cosmetics at Nordstrom Rack, what did I find, but TWO pots of Sungloss! Needless to say, I bought them both and will be heading to the other Nordstrom Rack in my city ASAP to see if I can find more.
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Conditioner -Dove - Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner 
lsquires12 8/7/2012 1:18:00 PM
I wanted to love this based on the rave reviews, but I was disappointed. It's a nice conditioner, especially for the price, but doesn't provide enough moisture for my thick, dry, coarse, heat-damaged hair. Also, I broke out around my hairline within a few days of use. I like the shampoo and absolutely love the daily treatment conditioner from the same Dove line, so all is not lost, but I won't be repurchasing this conditioner.
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Treatments -Dove - Damage Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner
lsquires12 8/7/2012 1:09:00 PM
This is a fabulous conditioner, especially for the price! I have thick, coarse, dry hair and I heat style, so I need a LOT of moisture. I've tried the most moisturizing product lines from Kerastase, Biolage, AG, and Redken, just to name a few, and I think this conditioner is the best. It leaves my hair feeling soft and hydrated without extra weight or build-up, and it smells divine. I'm not sure it's HG, but it's pretty close!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Kerastase - Ciment Anti-Usure
lsquires12 7/11/2012 1:16:00 PM
I know there are many people who swear by Kerastase products, but I don't get the hype. My hairdresser harped on me for years before I finally broke down and tried them. I have dry, coarse hair and damage from heat styling, so I alternated between the Bain de Force/Ciment Anti-Usure (to repair) and the Bain Satin 2/Masquintense (for moisture/deep conditioning), plus the Nectar Thermique before heat styling. After a few weeks the condition of my hair was worse. It felt dry, looked dry, and had more split ends than before. My hairdresser suggested that I switch to the Bain Nutri-Thermique and Fondant Nutri-Thermique, plus the Masquintense for deep conditioning. The results with that combination are a little bit better, but I'm still not sure it's worth all the hype. Since this review is specifically for the Ciment Anti-Usure, I'll take a moment to review that. The consistency was very runny, and it did not detangle or add shine or moisture. I realize that it's supposed to repair, and not necessarily detangle or moisturize, but a product that does all of those things (or any one of those things!) would work better for me. I definitely won't repurchase.
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Shampoo -Kerastase - Bain de Force
lsquires12 7/11/2012 1:09:00 PM
I know there are many people who swear by Kerastase products, but I don't get the hype. My hairdresser harped on me for years before I finally broke down and tried them. I have dry, coarse hair and damage from heat styling, so I alternated between the Bain de Force/Ciment Anti-Usure (to repair) and the Bain Satin 2/Masquintense (for moisture/deep conditioning), plus the Nectar Thermique before heat styling. After a few weeks the condition of my hair was worse. It felt dry, looked dry, and had more split ends than before. My hairdresser suggested that I switch to the Bain Nutri-Thermique and Fondant Nutri-Thermique, plus the Masquintense for deep conditioning. The results with that combination are a little bit better, but I'm still not sure it's worth all the hype. Since this review is specifically for the Bain de Force shampoo, I'll take a moment to review that. It lathers well and has a nice scent, but that's about it. It's hard to say whether or not it actually repaired my hair, but it sure didn't seem like it. For $36 for an 8-oz. bottle, I expect more. I'll use it here and there until I finish the bottle, but I won't repurchase.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Retin A
lsquires12 6/7/2012 1:02:00 PM
I wanted to like Retin-A so badly, considering the rave reviews for both acne and aging. I know things are expected to get worse before they get better, but I just couldn't deal with the side effects. I used it twice a week for several weeks, following all of the recommended guidelines for minimizing side effects (pea-sized amount applied on clean, dry skin, moisturizer, gentle exfoliation, etc.) and my skin looked absolutely horrible. It was a dull, greasy, broken-out, flaking mess. Maybe I'll try it again on small areas, like directly on sun spots or around my eyes, but never again on my whole face.
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BB Cream -MISSHA - M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream SPF 25 PA++
lsquires12 5/15/2012 7:18:00 PM
Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing! I've been applying it after cleanser and toner (foregoing my serum, moisturizer, and primer) and then setting it with my MAC Mineralize Skin Finish powder. I've only been using it for a week, so I can't speak to the anti-aging or skin brightening effects, but I'm very impressed with it as a foundation. Of all the products I've ever tried (liquid foundation, cream foundation, mineral makeup), this looks the most natural, but still provides medium coverage. I'm an NW15 with pink undertones, and like nearly all of the other reviewers have said, the foundation looks ashy going on. However, by the time I've blended it in, it matches my skin tone perfectly. It lasts all day, doesn't make me oily (or dry), doesn't transfer, and so far has not caused any breakouts. It can be layered for fuller coverage, and I've used it as a concealer by dabbing on a spot, letting it dry a little bit, and then gently blending with my fingertip. What's so amazing to me is that it does what other foundations do (covers imperfections, evens skin tone, etc.) but almost looks like I don't have foundation on at all! How is that even possible? I love it! Update: I've been using this for two weeks and my acne-prone skin is completely clear, which is something I can't say very often at all... This stuff is awesome!
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Shampoo -Wen by Chaz Dean - Cleansing Conditioners - All
lsquires12 5/10/2012 2:15:00 PM
I have just-below-shoulder-length, thick, coarse hair with some split ends due to heat styling. I alternated between the Lavender and the Fig until I'd almost used both 16-oz bottles, which only took about six weeks. I can't really tell whether the overall condition of my hair improved, but I'm not sure that six weeks is enough time to say one way or the other. However, my hair felt weighed down while using Wen, no matter how much I rinsed. I've switched back to regular shampoo and conditioner and I like the feel and texture of my hair much better. Once I decided this was not the product for me, I tried it several times on my daughter's hair, which is extremely curly, coarse, and dry, and it didn't seem to improve the condition or manageability of her hair. The packaging leaves something to be desired because the pump is too short and stops pumping once you get about 4/5 the way through a bottle. Also, Wen is incredibly expensive - I spent $75 for six weeks of product! I might be willing to spend that much for amazing results, but not for merely average results.
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Tinted Moisturizer -MAC - Studio Moisture Tint SPF15
lsquires12 5/10/2012 1:09:00 PM
This was the first MAC product I tried after hearing rave reviews about their products. I went to the MAC counter and told the saleswoman that I was looking for a medium-coverage foundation. I don't remember what she used on me first, but when I looked in the mirror, I looked like I was wearing a mask. I guess "medium" is a relative term, and I concluded that MAC foundations in general are very full-coverage, at least compared to what I'm used to. Anyway, the saleswoman told me that the only product they had with lighter coverage was the tinted moisturizer, so I tried that, along with one of their primers. It looked pretty good, so I went ahead and purchased both products. I was very happy with how my face looked throughout the rest of the day. However, after patting my skin with water that evening as I was preparing to wash my face, I looked in the mirror and, to my horror, saw the foundation literally running down my face in rivulets. It's safe to say that there is absolutely no way it would withstand sweating, swimming, rain, snow, etc., so I returned it.
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Crème -Laura Mercier - Crème Smooth Foundation
lsquires12 5/10/2012 12:48:00 PM
This foundation did have a nice, airbrushed look when I first applied it, but by afternoon, it was literally melting off of my face. I don't have particularly oily skin, but this foundation made me terribly oily. I was mortified to look in the mirror in the bathroom at work and see pools of foundation around my chin and streaks where I'd touched my face. I tried it with and without primer and with and without setting powder, but the result was the same. I did not use it long enough to find out if it caused me to break out, but I can only imagine that with all of that oil, it eventually would have. I think it is probably a wonderful product for dry skin, but not good for combo/oily skin.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Cover Girl - Perfect Point Plus Eyeliners
lsquires12 5/10/2012 12:33:00 PM
This is my absolute HG eyeliner and I've used it for years. I don't know what I'll do if they discontinue it, because I've never found another liner that I even remotely like. On the couple of occasions I've been suckered into trying a different product, I've immediately tossed it out and gone back to the Perfect Point. I've found other pencil eyeliners to be too hard and liquid eyeliners too messy. The Perfect Point goes on smoothly and I can get a thick, dark line, a thin, precise line, or a soft, smudged line (using a light hand and/or the sponge), so it's perfect for any look, day or night. I use the charcoal, espresso, and black, and love all three. I do experience some occasional smudging under my bottom lash, or some very light "bleeding" into my fine lines, but not enough to take away a lippie. Love, love, love this eyeliner!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Arbonne - Entire Line
lsquires12 5/9/2012 1:03:00 PM
I have loved almost all of the Arbonne products I've tried, but this review is for the RE9 skincare line, which consists of a cleanser, toner, serum, day cream, night cream, and eye cream. I have acne-prone combo dry/oily skin, and while the RE9 line hasn't eliminated my breakouts, I don't believe it exacerbates them either. However, the overall look and tone of my skin is better than it has EVER been. It did take a few months, but now my tone is much more even, I have less oil in the oily spots and fewer flaky, dry spots, and I have a dewy, healthy glow to my skin. The cleanser is probably the best cleanser I've ever used. It smells wonderful, lathers well, and cleanses thoroughly without being harsh. The day cream is SPF 20 and is also one of the best, if not THE best, day creams with SPF I've ever used. The night cream is decadent. All of the products smell nice and are free of many of the more harmful chemicals out there. I'm not a fan of the packaging. The bottles are bulky and the lids always crack and then no longer stay on. Also, you can't tell how much product you have left, but since I've used this line for several months, I've got a pretty good idea of how long each product will last and when I need to re-order. The line is very pricey, but if you do the RSVP and get 50% off, it's not too bad. I think I love it enough that I would pay full price if I had to. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend the RE9 line.
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