Lip Gloss -NARS - Bloodwork
polypharmic 7/25/2007 1:51:00 PM
This is everything MAC's Russian Red wants to be but fails at. I stumbled upon Bloodwork at Sephora after a long time searching for the perfect true red opaque lipgloss. It's my first NARS product and I have to say that I find everything but the taste to be fantastic. The staying power is good, the texture is pleasant, it gives a very opaque and shiny gloss, and it's the perfect assertive, sexy shade of red. There are many other much cheaper products out there but I found everything else I tried to either be an unflattering or overly bright shade, too translucent, or otherwise a near-miss. Again, it does have a slightly unpleasant waxy taste to it, which you learn to ignore but may be a bit of a shock if you're not used to NARS lip products. It's not as bad as their pot lacquers, but it's still there. Jungle Red lipliner is a great match for this.
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Fragrances -Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Kabuki
polypharmic 3/17/2007 1:16:00 PM
In the bottle this smells pleasant - like fresh, bright sour cherries with a hint of musky amber. However, once this hits my skin and the top notes wear down, my skin turns it into a less pleasant & somewhat acrid version of BPAL's Absinthe. If the bright fruity smells toned down more pleasantly, I'd rate this higher, because I love herbal/anise scents. Sadly, they don't (at least on me) and in a couple of hours after applying Kabuki I smell like a dusty licorice factory.
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Gels/Soaps -Dr. Bronner's - Peppermint Castille Soap
polypharmic 3/5/2007 1:54:00 PM
This is a great, natural alternative to some other more expensive boutique soaps. It's not as pretty, but it has no added colorings or scents and the packages on Dr. Bronner's products are always fun to read. The scent is strong in the shower but doesn't linger on the skin for long, which is good if you want to wear some sort of perfume. My skin also feels fresh and tight after using... great when you're oily or spotty. Be very careful using this if you're sensitive to peppermint oil, though, or if you've just shaved. It can tingle a bit. I personally love it, but YMMV.
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Lipstick -Revlon - ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Wine
polypharmic 1/5/2007 2:02:00 AM
I loved this color! I think it's a great, flattering wine red. It's not a dark wine by any means, but it is a nice cool tone and not electric-bright. I get the same mileage out of this as MAC Pro Longwear and at the cheaper price, it may have won me over. It's still very difficult to remove when you do want it off, though, and I do get some strange flaking like I do with all 2-part lipcolors I've tried. Plum Wine Timeliner matches this perfecly.
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Scrubs -Philosophy - Senorita Margarita hot salt scrub
polypharmic 11/23/2006 1:13:00 PM
I smelled this on a trip to Sephora (so yummy!) and decided to give it a whirl. This stuff smells just like a margarita to me - rich and limey. The salt is also fairly fine so while it gives your skin a great smoothing scrub it doesn't tear it up like some products with big chunks. My only complaint is that it's a very thick product: it's almost like dough. It makes it a bit difficult to use as directed (on dry skin) but if your skin or hand it just the teeniest bit wet it helps spread it around a lot without dissolving too much of the scrubby goodness. The scent stays on you for a good long time, too - a great alternative when you can't have a margarita everyday. :)
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Scrubs -LUSH - Ocean Salt
polypharmic 10/6/2006 3:44:00 PM
I have very oily skin with large pores that needs to be exfoliated heavily, and Ocean Salt is wonderful for that. My skin is now bright and clean with minimal blemishes. It does give a very tingly sensation on occasion, but my skin seems to have gotten used to it. Don't leave it on for longer than you have to, though, and be sure to mix it up so you get a good variety of salt sizes when you take some out.
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Gels/Soaps -LUSH - Sexy Peel Soap
polypharmic 10/6/2006 12:47:00 AM
Snooze-button mashers rejoice... this is the morning soap to end all morning soaps. Where some soaps are 'citrus?" and many just 'Citrus.", Sexy Peel stands up and screams "CITRUS!". Nothing gets my butt awake faster than this stuff in the morning. The color, scent, cleansing nature and little exfoliating peel bits are a fantastic match for my oily, lazy morning self. It's one of the cheapest of the LUSH soaps, too.
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Lip Varnish in Cute Yet Sexy
polypharmic 10/5/2006 3:34:00 PM
I bought this yesterday against my own wisdom, but I love it! The color is great and I have no problems with bleeding as I've heard some have. It's like a slightly thicker, very pigmented gloss and doesn't make my lips feel funny like a Pro Longwear. Going to try some of the other colors for sure. *EDIT* I'm knocking down the rating for this because this product separated into two layers within a couple months of buying, and I can't mix it back up to save my life. My other varnish, Varnishing Rose, is still fine. Swappers beware if you're looking for backups or replacements after this stopped being sold by MAC.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No