Polishes -Butter London - Bumster
melloh 8/12/2010 10:18:00 PM
Even though I love the color mustard, I wasn't sure if I would like this grey, toned down mustard. I just had to try it out though. I think it's really neat. It seems less grey on the nail than it does in the bottle. I'm Chinese by ethnicity and it looks like a neutral against my skin but it's still a bit edgy. Although I wouldn't call the colour khaki or camel, it gives a similar neutral feeling. I'm going to keep it b/c it's unique, but I wouldn't buy it again b/c there are always new colours to buy!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Butter London - Marrow
melloh 8/12/2010 9:58:00 PM
I just want to reiterate what the other reviewer said about bottle color. Many of the butter London polishes do look different on the nail. I really love the Marrow color as well. I think it's a great dark nail without looking too heavy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Butter London - Jelly Collection
melloh 7/28/2010 7:16:00 AM
I tried the pink (Twee) and purple (Stroppy) colours. I am keeping Twee but not Stroppy. I'm not the greatest at applying polish to my own nails, but I found it really hard to avoid streaks. I tried using small amts and adding layers and i tried thicker layers. It was harder to apply the Stroppy IMO. Perhaps b/c it's darker. Even though I love the Stroppy colour, I couldn't wear a sheer layer b/c it made my nails/hands seem sickly. Twee is fun but not amazing. As blog reviews say, these do not have much of a jelly/rubbery look. They are mostly just sheer with interesting sparkle/shimmer. If you want to layer with other polishes, there might be exciting possibilities, but I'm not that creative :) EDIT: i layered Twee over West End Wonderland (gold glitter) and it looked like Rosie Lee (pink glitter). I also tried Twee over Minger (burnt orange) and it came out kinda pink/coral-y with shimmer. It is fun to change up the colors w/a quick coat, but maybe you guys have cheaper sheers at home already.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Butter London - Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat
melloh 7/28/2010 7:01:00 AM
I haven't used too many other basecoats, but I really like this one. It really fills in the ridges. IMO, a thick coat or 2 can be worn alone and looks nice, satiny, and natural. If I'm going for the natural look, I don't like a super shiny clear basecoat. I'm going to buy this for my sister too.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -Bio Oil - All Products
melloh 6/26/2010 8:03:00 PM
I bought this b/c I have post-inflammatory pigmentation (brown spots) from some bug bites. The fact that the instructions recommend AT LEAST 3 months of use suggests to me that they are just relying on the body's natural healing time. This is just a bunch of vitamin and herbal oils. For faster results, I would suggest AHA, BHA, retinoids, or vitamin C. If you want to stick to vitamin and herbal oils/creams, I think there are a lot better ones out there that are more elegant and soak in better. Btw, I am acne prone and IMHO, I would NOT use this on my face. Isopropyl Myristate is listed near the top of the ingredients (which means it's a main ingredient) and it is categorized as comedogenic (pore clogging). Also, I have found that Vitamin E makes my face bumpy (not acne, just bumpy). This isn't true for everyone though.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Ambre Sultan
melloh 3/31/2010 10:02:00 PM
What an amazing experience. I'll have to pay attention to the beginning when I try this again, but I love the middle and end! After the top notes, it smelled exactly like the Chinese temples I visited as a child... Incense... wood... then it mellowed into vanilla rounded out by amber. The drydown does have a slight resemblance to Play-do when I think about it :) I don't think it smells like sex, genitals, or asian food mart at all.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Parfumerie Generale - Bois de Copaiba
melloh 3/18/2010 9:22:00 PM
This is a really interesting scent. All of the other reviews ring true to me. One minute I smell medicine and rubber, the next minute I smell bazooka bubble gum and wood. I wouldn't wear this, but I'm thinking about getting my guy to wear it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo - Rose Noir
melloh 3/13/2010 10:13:00 PM
I'm a perfume newbie, so maybe I don't know any better. :) When I put this on, I feel sexy and beautiful! FYI: I do love the smell of real roses and rose perfumes. The rose scent seems prominent on my skin. Most people seem to say it is a little boring, but Karen Dubin (Founder of Sniffapalooza) says she loves it and that "it utilizes rose in such a completely modern and unique way" (b/c of the citrus and musk...) I find it enlivening and warm at the same time. I agree that it's definitely not that dirty and dark. 4 lippies b/c of the price. If you've smelt something similar at a lower price, please let me know. I'd like to compare.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Sukí - SukiColor - Liquid Formula Concealer
melloh 4/30/2008 5:19:00 PM
For reference, I have light to medium skin tone and I'm Chinese. I'm using the linen color. The amazing thing about this concealer is that I'm not afraid to put this over my pimples. In the past, I didn't wear makeup unless it was a special occasion. Now, I'm putting this concealer on problem spots (current pimples and dark spots left by old pimples) every day. I really think it helps the dark spots fade. I'm using other exfoliating/brightening stuff too (glycolic acid). At first, the concealer was hard to handle b/c it can accentuate flakes and look chalky. But used the right way, application is quick and the results are very natural. I've never liked any other concealer. I use it 2 ways: 1- to hide a pimple or dark spot, dab a small amt DIRECTLY on the spot and pat in, don't go outside of the spot, b/c the contrast will look obvious. I use a sharp q-tip or brush. 2- undereye circles or areas of redness, blend a sheer layer into skin. EDIT: I was sent the wrong color!! :) it was too light, that's why it was hard to use!! Now I am using linen for real and it is great. 2nd EDIT: Still love it, on my 3rd bottle. Mixing it with a sunscreen to make my own foundation/sunscreen. Also use it to conceal. See my notepad. 3rd EDIT: It's 2010 and I'm still using it.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Jurlique - Balancing Foaming Cleanser
melloh 3/16/2008 5:57:00 PM
Jurlique revamped their products. The new bottles and boxes are so cute and pretty. I think the ingredients changed a little, not sure, never tried jurlique before. I'm in a cold, dry climate now, so this was too stripping (has alcohol and it foams pretty vigorously). All the extra herbal stuff did make it smell and feel nice. I think it made my skin soft, before it started to feel too tight. I didn't have an allergic or irritant reaction even though my skin is sensitive. Rosaceans should stay away. And if you're allergic to glycerol, stay away. I think this will work better for me in the summer or in another country :) Ingredients: Aqua (Water); Decyl Polyglucoside; Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate; Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate; Glycerin; Chamomilla recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract; Calendula officinalis Flower Extract; Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract; Vitis vinifera (Grape Seed) Seed Extract; Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract; Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract; Rosa gallica Flower Extract; Bellis perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract; Prunella vulgaris (Self Heal) Flower Extract; Viola odorata (Violet) Extract; Curcuma longa (Turmeric) Root Extract; Spilanthes acmella Flower Extract; Honey; Lactic Acid; Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein; Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride; Fragrance (Parfum)*; Aloe barbadensis Leaf Extract; Alcohol; Sodium Chloride; Totarol; Citral*; Limonene*. // * From Natural Essential Oil (Grapefruit - Citrus grandis; Lemon - Citrus medica limonum; Lemon Myrtle - Backhousia citriodora; Peppermint - Mentha piperita)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -TiGi - Bed Head After Party
melloh 3/16/2008 5:10:00 PM
Love it, but there are limitations if you have hair like mine (stiff, chinese horse hair :) ). Positives: nice mousse-like texture, smooths without flattening, nice effects in dry and wet hair (diff effects), I like the smell (so did the party-crashing guy who wasted a ton of it trying to get high sniffing it and my nail polish!!). Limitation: all the baby hairs on the top of my head are close to uncontrollable. I have to lightly swipe with a wax-based product.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Sukí - pure facial moisture - nourishing
melloh 3/16/2008 4:49:00 PM
I love Suki! I alternate between this serum and the chamomile one depending on my skin condition (as Suki suggests). I use the serums during the day and also over my nighttime glycolic acid treatment. The serum helps keep the skin supple and calm while the glycolic acid does its stuff. It is jojoba-based (check MUA reviews of jojoba for the benefits), but I find the serums more moisturizing than straight jojoba. EDIT: Sorry Suki! I'm using vaseline! sin of all sins. the jojoba just didn't block my exfoliated skin from the London wind. Also, the jojoba made my chin break out. Loving the suki concealer though (which contains jojoba), I mix with sunscreen and put it all over my face! see my notepad.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Aveeno - Daily Moisturizing Lotion
melloh 3/16/2008 4:36:00 PM
I stopped using it for a long time, but I picked it up again and realized that it is pretty good for my hands. So-so on the body, definitely not good on my face, but good on my hands. I might prefer something less synthetic and plastic-y, but I'll probably buy it again b/c my husband likes it.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Eucerin - Q10 Sensitive Skin Anti-Wrinkle Fluid
melloh 3/16/2008 4:13:00 PM
It was good, but now I'm using jojoba and this lotion does not go on well on top. I guess this fluid wasn't good enough for me b/c I'm in a cold, dry climate and this is light and has alcohol. I'm also trying to avoid chemical sunscreens b/c of photostability problems.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Jojoba Oil
melloh 3/16/2008 3:37:00 PM
For me, straight jojoba is great everywhere but the face. For the face, I'm using Suki's jojoba-based serums, which are expensive. Straight jojoba on the face gave me the same problems that other people had (dry underneath the oil). Jojoba has controlled my oil. Pores no longer enlarged b/c of excessive oil production, cysts and nodules controlled (with the help of other products too). I'm still a bit shiny, but that's the way my face likes it. EDIT: I'm using vaseline now! sin of all sins. the jojoba just didn't block my exfoliated skin from the London wind. Also, the jojoba made my chin break out. Loving the suki concealer though, I mix with sunscreen and put it all over my face! the concealer has a little jojoba.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No