Moisturizers -La Roche Posay - Toleriane Soothing Protective Light Facial Fluid 
productprincess 3/17/2006 9:26:00 PM
This doesn't have enough oomph to use as an everyday moisturizer on my dry, sensitive, sometimes flaky skin. (I've been using NeoStrata with AHA) But I love it on days when my face gets irritated, chapped or when I fly. It's not at all greasy and is very soothing. Good stuff.
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Mascara -Boots - Lash Extensions mascara
productprincess 3/17/2006 9:21:00 PM
No clumping, no smudging, but no oomph either. I have thick, dark, short, straight lashes that have to be curled. This goes on very sparingly; it actually seems a bit dry, but not flaky or clumpy. It's not a bad mascara, it just didn't do anything special for me.
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Conditioner -Bumble & Bumble - Creme de Coco conditioner
productprincess 3/17/2006 9:04:00 PM
I really like this conditioner. B+B Superrich continues to be my HG of conditioners, but this one is high on my list. I *love* the Coco shampoo. I have thick, color-treated hair with some wave. My hair gets dry easily and can get frizzy, especially on the top layer behind the crown. It doesn't really tangle, though. I like the Coco conditioner because it's moisturizing but not heavy; no greasiness. After I use the Coco shampoo/conditioner, my hair blows out smoothly with nice volume (I still need a little styling product). I will definitely re-purchase.
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Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 30
productprincess 3/17/2006 8:45:00 PM
I like this. Non-greasy, but doesn't dry out or irritate my dry, sensitive, very fair skin. I'll definitely buy it again.
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Shampoo -Bumble & Bumble - Creme de Coco
productprincess 3/17/2006 8:37:00 PM
love, love, LOVE this shampoo! i've always been a big fan of b+b styling products and conditioners, but the shampoos have always been a bit disappointing. this one is fantastic! it's very moisturizing, but not heavy. it lathers a little, unlike other b+b shampoos (b+b gentle feels like i'm putting cetaphil on my head) and rinses nicely. it does smell coconutty, but it's not overpowering. i will absolutely repurchase!
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Lip Treatments -Neostrata - Lip Conditioner
productprincess 8/18/2005 7:59:00 PM
I love all the other NeoStrata products I have tried, but I was really unimpressed with this lip balm. It feels great going on, but for some reason, it just dries my lips out. Very disappointing. I won't re-purchase. Back to Burt's Bees lip balm for me!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Lash Discovery Mascara
productprincess 5/31/2005 11:19:00 PM
This may be the perfect mascara for me. I've always used higher-end mascaras and the results have been pretty tragic. I have very thick, full, dark lashes (all good things) that are also very short, stick-straight (I swear they point *down*) and will not stay curled for any length of time. I stash eyelash curlers everywhere. I also have sensitive eyes, so mascara is really uncomfortable for me. And I have a very unfortunate tendency toward raccoon eyes. I'd about given up on mascara altogether until I found this one. I bought it on a whim and I'm so glad I did. The little straight wand is perfect for finding my lashes and depositing just the right amount. I've yet to get my usual 3pm raccoon eyes and I've had no flaking or clumping. Don't get me wrong--this is not miracle mascara. It gives me a nice amount of definition (which is want I really want) and helps hold the curl, but it doesn't significantly lengthen or thicken my lashes. To sum up, I think Lash Discovery enhances my lashes without looking unnatural or irritating my sensitive eyes. Plus, it's ridiculously cheap. Love it! UPDATE: I took off two lippies because after a few weeks the mascara started to clump and the primer got a little gummy. But it was great while it lasted...
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Self Tanners -Coppertone - Endless Summer
productprincess 5/31/2005 11:03:00 PM
I have such a love/hate relationship with this product! I should say up front that I'm self-tanner impaired. I have super dry skin, so even with lots of exfoliation I get orange knees and ankles if I'm not very, very careful. And I'm not the most coordinated kid on the block, so even when I'm careful there are lots of streaks and orange blotches. Factor in skin that's a shade or two lighter than Casper...Really, at some point I should face the fact that self-tanner and I are really not compatible. HOWEVER, I love the color that I get from Endless Summer. It streaks less than anything else I have tried and it's very emollient, so the knees and ankles aren't such a huge issue. And if I mess them up, it's fairly easy to smooth out because the color starts to show up in about 30 minutes, before the stuff is anywhere near dry. But that very emollience could be the reason this product frustrates me so much--it takes for-freakin'-ever to dry. Seriously, after an hour or so I run out of patience and start trying to be productive (there's only so long I can stand around or sit on an old towel in my underwear) and inevitably I end up staining things. The stuff gets all over. It really is maddening. But it works better than anything else I've ever tried in terms of the color itself and even distribution of the color. It's not orangey on me at all. So I will probably buy it again and just learn to live with streaked towels. Today I noticed some of it rubbed off on my sports bra when I was on the treadmill. Not a whole lot, but still. EDIT: Now that I've tried the Jergen's Natural Glow, there's NO WAY I will ever go back to Endless Summer. It's such a nightmare to apply. The Endless Summer color is deeper and a slightly nicer shade than Jergen's, but the aggravation of waiting for it to dry is so not worth it!
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Lotions/ Creams -Burt's Bees - Coconut Foot Creme
productprincess 2/24/2005 10:53:00 PM
I'm a big BB fan, but this is not my favorite product. Too sticky.
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Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Orange Essence Facial Cleanser
productprincess 2/24/2005 10:52:00 PM
This is, hands-down, my HG cleanser. I have tight, dry, sensitive skin on my face. I also have eczema and, while I don't typically have it on my face, I do get the occasional flare-up. I'm disappointed to see how many people dislike this product, but I can't say I'm surprised. It's perfect for me, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone with oily or even normal to oily skin. It's for those of us who battle flakes. I do get the occasional breakout (chin and cheeks), but they are rare and I attribute them to my phone usage and excessive face-touching, but not this product. If you really feel like your face isn't quite clean, try the BB wild lettuce toner. It's very gentle and not at all drying. I don't love *all* the BB products, but this is one of my staples. I don't think I'll ever find another cleanser that works this well for me, especially at this price. EDIT: Ack! They changed the packaging and it seems they may have changed the formulation as well. Now that it's in a plastic tube instead of the old (admittedly poor) metal packaging, it doesn't seem to rinse off nearly as well. It's all filmy and kind of ick. I might have to look for something else. :-(
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Eye Shadow -Pop Beauty - Eye Cake - Brown Eyes
productprincess 4/1/2004 7:25:00 PM
I've been using this for several months and I'm pretty happy with it. It's true that the colors don't go on quite the same as they look in the tin, which is not necessarily a bad thing. You just have to experiment a bit. I think these are very flattering, versatile shades that are easy to use with one caveat--the lines are very narrow and it's hard not to overlap with my brush and accidentally get the wrong color on my brush along with the right one. I particularly like the shimmery pink as a base color and the deepest color as a liner. The darker colors are very pigmented while the lighter ones go on very sheer and have to be layered. The tin gives you lots of options and I've had no trouble at all with the packaging. The lid stays on tight and I carry this one in my makeup bag almost every day because I love the versatility. I would strongly consider repurchasing.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Lash Pro - Lashpro eyelash curler
productprincess 4/1/2004 7:16:00 PM
This curler did not work for me *at all*. Literally NO CURL. I have short, dark, thick lashes that are just stick-straight. I'm not Asian, but I think my lashes are very similar to Asian lashes. The Shu works fine on me, Shiseido works better. I'm on a quest for my HG eyelash curler and I've tried them all! I'm not sure I'll ever find an HG curler because my lashes are so tough to curl, but the LashPro is definitely not it!
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Eyeliner -Estee Lauder - Eye Defining Pencil
productprincess 4/1/2004 7:05:00 PM
Over the years I have had a million (okay, give or take a few) of these pencils. I long ago became disenchanted with Estee Lauder in general, but I find myself going back to these pencils. I discovered Khaki (which is an olivey-green color with just the faintest gold flecks) back in high school. I'm 27 now and keep going back to it. I'll go through phases where I forget about it and then I'll rediscover it and fall in love all over again. I have very dark brown eyes and Khaki is absolutely perfect for when I just need a little definition. These pencils *are* a bit smudgy and this is a bigger problem with deeper shades. While my Khaki looks great because it's not very dark, I've bought other colors in this pencil did not wear well at all. I have Walnut Brown and it's okay but not a holy grail product for me. I really like Hyacinth Sky. I had Amethyst and Plum Grey, but when I wore them the rims of my eyes looked very red. One thing I really like about these pencils is that you can buy the refills for $11 USD instead of having to buy the whole pencil every time you want a new color. The initial pencil purchase is about $22, but once you have the pencil the refills can be switched in and out. I don't use the smudger, so I typically have a different eyeliner color in either end. The EL lipliners (which I don't really love) fit in the eye pencils and vice versa.
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Conditioner -Redken - All Soft Conditioner
productprincess 5/11/2003 10:16:00 PM
This is a fabulous conditioner for frizzy hair!!
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Shampoo -Redken - All Soft Shampoo
productprincess 5/11/2003 10:15:00 PM
I used to use this shampoo all the time and it's still one of my favorites. Great for frizzy hair!!
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