Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri
malibuvelouria 10/18/2012 2:19:00 AM
I, like many others, have had issues with Seche Vite. I fiddled about with it more than I’d like to admit - tried applying it to wet and dry polish, tried wrapping my tips, etcetera. Constantly being left with a line of “shrinkage” drove me up the wall. After Natalie Dee suggested Sally Hansen Insta-Dri as an alternative to SV on her beauty blog, I figured I’d give it a go when I saw it for less than $4 at Walmart. Bottom line: this stuff is great. The packaging says that it will be dry to the touch after 30 seconds, but I give it a little extra time and wait a whole minute. I found that I can go to bed 30 minutes after applying this and will not wake up with sheet marks. Also, it’s not noxious-smelling like SV.
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Blush -Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Blush 831E Pearlescent Pink
malibuvelouria 9/22/2012 2:17:00 AM
I decided to try this blush after watching one of EmilyNoel83's videos. I've also been enjoying WnW's eyeshadow offerings, so I thought I'd give their blush a spin. Pearlescent Pink is perfect. I find myself reaching for it everyday instead of my old standby, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends in Fresh. I'm really pale so just a gentle tap of the brush gives me enough color for each cheek. I find that the glitter in this product isn't obnoxious, and offers a lovely subtle highlight. I'll definitely repurchase, although it will take me a good while to use it up.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - Wild Shine Nail Color - Night Prowl
malibuvelouria 8/25/2012 6:00:00 PM
I tend to veer towards dark nail colors and this is a nice twist on standard black. The first coat looks like sheer gray with glitter – don’t be scared! A second coat gives you the color you see in the bottle. The glitter is more subdued, but I like that about this polish – it’s not as in-your-face as some glitter polishes can be. I paid full price ($0.99) but I’ve seen it on sale at Rite Aid for $0.69. Try it!
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Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - FastDry - Teal of Fortune
malibuvelouria 8/4/2012 6:58:00 PM
I think I'm in the minority when I say I really like this brush. I get a medium amount of polish on the brush, then push the brush towards my cuticle, causing the bristles to fan out, creating a perfectly clean edge - no pooling, either. Before applying this color, I put down two layers of basecoat so I didn't experience any Smurf fingers. I have yet to try other shades in the Fast Dry collection, but based on my experience with this one, I'll definitely be getting more. Edit 8/7/12: Just added a layer of Sinful's "Nail Junkie" over the top of this and now I have magical glistening mermaid nails!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -E.L.F. - Nourishing Cuticle Pen
malibuvelouria 8/1/2012 12:52:00 PM
I saw this for $1 at Target and I figured I'd get one to keep in my purse. I've had it for maybe 4 or 5 months and there’s still plenty of "juice" left in it. I, like a few others here, have no other cuticle pen experience to compare this to, but I enjoy this one quite a bit. Will repurchase.
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Lip Gloss -New York Color - Liquid Lip Shine
malibuvelouria 7/29/2012 6:01:00 PM
My favorite lipgloss. I find myself buying a new shade to add to my collection everytime I'm at Target, which is a pretty cheap thrill because they're less than $3. So far, I have: -Fashion Avenue Fuchsia (a very wearable pink, contrary to what it looks like in the packaging) -Nude York City (the perfect nude gloss for my fair skintone) -Honey on the Hudson (slightly deeper than Nude York City) -Wine & Dine (a beautiful opaque wine color) -City's Clear (basic clear gloss) -Peach Melba (LE peachy shimmer shade) The scent is delicious and I don't detect any sort of flavor. My lips feel cushiony and wonderful after applying. Do yourself a huge favor and try them!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Victoria's Secret - Incredible
malibuvelouria 7/17/2012 12:33:00 AM
"Bright magnolia, sparkling pear and sultry sandalwood" - yeah! To my nose, it smells clean, powdery, and slightly sweet. The scent of the first spritz is divine, as is the drydown. I own this fragrance in the scented body mist, so I can’t attest to its lasting power as opposed to the actual eau de parfum. However, the scent lasts for hours on me so I don’t see a need to spend more when the mist suits me just fine. I have the matching lotion, which smells just as wonderful but leaves my skin feeling a little dry.
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Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Satsuma Body Butter
malibuvelouria 6/30/2011 12:19:00 AM
This used to be a favorite scent of mine in high school. I was recently at Sephora and I saw Satsuma included in the display of Body Shop butters. I remember the scent being delicious and juicy, whereas the tester smelled weird. "Okay," I thought, "it's probably an old tester so that’s why the smell is off." I went ahead and bought the full-size jar of it. When I got home and tried it, it literally smelled like beer (Blue Moon, to be exact)! My body chemistry must be out of whack.
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Polishes -Chanel - Black Pearl
malibuvelouria 3/24/2011 5:51:00 PM
First off, this was a birthday present, so normally I wouldn't purchase a $25+ nail polish. The color in the bottle is pretty nondescript, but I thought it would transform into something amazing once I applied it - no such luck. I own a gunmetal gray polish from Urban Decay that looks pretty similar (to me, at least). The application wasn't great. The thing that bothered me the most was the nonexistent lasting power - this stuff chipped the next day.
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Polishes -Sinful - San Francisco
malibuvelouria 3/18/2011 8:26:00 PM
I was pleasantly surprised with this polish - the application is downright dreamy. It refused to get gooey or difficult to work with no matter how many times you swipe the brush over the nail. Two coats and you're done. Granted, the color that ends up on your nails doesn't look exactly like the color in the bottle (it looks like a dark forest green in the bottle but kelly green on the nails) but it's still nice. Pick up a bottle to wear on St. Patrick's Day!
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri in Pronto Purple
malibuvelouria 7/2/2010 12:50:00 AM
I don't normally buy "quick dry" nail polishes but I picked up this one because I just couldn't pass up the color. That being said, the brush is terribly unwieldy. The concept is good (shaped for ease of application) but fails. The weird rounded tip that makes it hard to make a clean line around the cuticle. Also, it being a quick dry formula, the polish gets gummy instantly. I normally like Sally Hansen polishes but this was a dud.
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Polishes -Sinful - Gogo Girl
malibuvelouria 5/19/2010 12:42:00 AM
Oh. My. Gosh. This color is PERFECTION. I've spent forever trying to find a true '50s red and I found that in Go Go Girl. Another thing I like about this polish is there is absolutely no shimmer or chunks of glitter to be found. Needless to say, this stuff is killer for pedicures. The closest I've come (in color) is Wet n Wild's "Red Red" polish which was a great color but would streak like crazy - this is not the case with Go Go Girl. I like to think this is the exact color Nancy Drew would wear :)
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Conditioner -Suave - Professionals Almond & Shea Butter
malibuvelouria 5/15/2010 1:39:00 AM
I use this in combination with the matching conditioner. The consistency is thin but don't let that fool you. It conditions fabulously and my hair feels like silk afterward. The only complaint I have is storing it upside down (like the package is meant to) makes all the product fly out of the container once you flip it open. I store it wrong-side up to avoid this.
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Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Almond & Shea Butter
malibuvelouria 5/15/2010 1:31:00 AM
Going into this, I've never tried Aveda's Dry Remedy so I can't compare Suave Professionals to that. However, this stuff is great. I have long hair and it usually takes me a huge dollop of shampoo to get my hair fully lathered - with this 'poo, I use maybe a silver dollar-sized amount and it gets my hair all bubbly. And it smells super.
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Polishes -Milani - pink out loud
malibuvelouria 4/19/2010 12:51:00 AM
By itself, this is an okay nail polish. It takes a few coats to get the true bottle color. However, I use it layered over Rimmel's Pink Punk (#289) and it looks fabulous!
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