Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Keratin Infusion Color Care Shampoo
redqueen11 3/22/2012 12:41:00 PM
I'm quite impressed. This leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth, without weighing it down or turning it into a greaseball (I'm looking at you, Dove). I have very thick and wavy hair that tends to be coarse and dry, but this gives me the silky hair that I'm used to only getting with a blowout. I've tested this both blow-dry and air-dry, and the results are about the same -- pretty great. For about 4 bucks a bottle (less, if you don't live in an urban area with jacked-up prices), this is a huge bargain. I use this together with the matching conditioner, but from lathering up I feel this is the superior of the two items. The conditioner is just sort of a cherry on top.
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Moisturizers -Cerave - Facial Moisturizing Lotion - PM
redqueen11 3/22/2012 12:25:00 PM
From the reviews, this is a hit-or-miss product. I'm one of the lucky ones - this worked out great for me. I generally have clear skin, but I was looking for a basic, inexpensive but nevertheless quality moisturizer without SPF for daytime use (I use a separate sunscreen). Previously I was using the Cerave lotion, but read that the facial formulas had even better ingredients; the packaging is also much more convenient - this will fit in my medicine cabinet unlike the large lotion bottle. This is slightly more moisturizing than the regular lotion, and so far I have no complaints. This does exactly what I wanted it to do at a price I'm happy to pay, and it's easily found at any drugstore. A new staple for me!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Mudslide
redqueen11 12/12/2011 1:08:00 PM
On my NC20 skin this was darker than a true nude, but still a beautiful rosy silky matte neutral that really flatters my skin tone. I love the Complete Salon Manicure line -- I get really excellent wear from these polishes and I like the wide flat bush (I have large, wide nails, and this helps avoid streaking for me.) This is a staple polish for certain.
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Shave Products -Aveeno - Positively Smooth Shave Gel 
redqueen11 5/5/2011 2:25:00 PM
I had such high hopes after hearing so many good things about this product. I'm often a soap-and-water shave girl, sometimes splurging on CVS gel, and I always go too long before changing my razor. And I've never in my life had any problems with ingrowns, bumps, or irritation. This product destroyed my legs -- utterly. Did it work? Absolutely - in most places it's taken weeks for my hair to grow back--in patches. But where/when it has come in has been marred by awful, intensely itching bright red bumps (and in some cases blossoms of eczema.) It will be weeks until I can show my legs again, and that's the best case scenario (hoping to god PC AHA lotion takes away any scarring). I used this shave gel exactly once -- and that's all I will ever it use it.
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Hair Styling Tools -Sedu - Revolution Tourmaline Ionic TGR 4000i Hair Dryer
redqueen11 4/12/2011 5:54:00 PM
Oh my goodness, I could marry this hair dryer. This is my first professional (non drugstore) hair dryer purchase; considering how low the price for this was on folica.com (i paid about $120), it was completely worth the extra money. It is even smaller than I thought it would be (very cute), with a long, heavy industrial cord. The dryer itself is also heavier than it's small size would indicate; but hey, it's a good workout for the arms. Hair dries so fast that you'll be done before you are that tired, anyway. My asymmetrical chin-length bob would normally take about 20 mins to dry completely (I have thick, unruly hair), and after drying my hair would be dense, poufy, and starched-out. This little guy dried me completely in about ten minutes, and I needed only to use my fingers (no round blow out brush) to get my hair sleek and straight with all the ends behaving (slight curl under --not flipping out). WOW. My hair feels so silky and shiny and light; it has that "swish" to it that I used to only get when I went to the salon. This also seems to help cut down on frizz and static; it's a humid, pouring rain day outside and the hair I blew out last night still looks fab. I'm sure the Redken Smooth Down products I'm also using (especially the Heat Glide) are helping to give me these results, but I was using those products with my previous dryer and my hair turned out nothing like this. Happy, happy with this dryer.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -L'Oreal - EverStrong Hydrating shampoo
redqueen11 3/3/2011 3:48:00 PM
I have long (almost to my waist), thick (very, very thick), slightly wavy hair that tends toward dry. I don't blow dry, and have only colored it a few times in my life (not recently), so I thought I'd give this shampoo and conditioner a whirl. I LOVED the smell. I HATED what it did to my hair. After the second use, my hair was a dry and matted mess. I couldn't get a detangling comb through it in the shower even with my hair loaded up with conditioner. It only got worse the more I used this. I had to go back to Aussie Moist just to get a brush through my hair again, which pains me because I hate the smell of Moist. But unlike this "hydrating" shampoo and conditioner, Aussie actually keeps my hair conditioned. Ah well.
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Treatments -Aussie - 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep
redqueen11 4/10/2010 4:10:00 PM
Can't beat it for the price. Leaves hair soft and tangle-free. Makes my thick, dry and tangle-prone hair happy! I use this once a week, at least.
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Moisturizers -Paula's Choice - RESIST Barrier Repair Moisturizer
redqueen11 4/1/2010 8:00:00 PM
I haven't had the problems with the pump that others have mentioned, but I can see how that's very possible with this packaging. Overall, I'm very pleased with this product; I prefer to PC hydralight, which I was using previously. This sinks in better, and in addition to moisturizing, has dramatically evened out the texture of my skin. I don't think I need any other kind of exfoliant with this...my skin always feels baby soft. Skin tone/fine lines seem moderately improved. No breakouts from this. First week or two I did notice very small patches of irritation, but those have disapeared. I am using this twice a day; morning under my Sheseido SS and night over my B5 gel. As with most of Paula's products, this is a solid product for the money.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - # 239 Eye Shader Brush
redqueen11 3/11/2010 5:51:00 PM
Soft, precise, versatile. I love it. After years of using cheap drugstore brushes or the applicators that come with eyeshadows, I can see just how big of a difference there is with this brush. The price is a little steep, which is the only thing stopping me from running out and buying 5 more.
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Gels/Soaps -Neutrogena - Rainbath Shower Gel
redqueen11 9/17/2009 4:00:00 PM
I am a big fan of Molton Brown's Suma Ginseng shower gel...but that stuff is pricey, and not at all moisturizing. I just love that spicey, earthy, almost masculine smell! I am delighted to find this much less expensive, and much less drying, alternative. Always ignored this product before, and bought it on a whim. So glad I gave it a try!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Peter Thomas Roth - Botanical Buffing Beads
redqueen11 5/14/2009 3:01:00 PM
The price put me off to this initially, but at the rate I'm going through this bottle it will last me long enough to be the most inexpensive scrub I've ever purchased. I'm not too into manual exfoliation - I need something extremely gentle, just enough to buff away slightly dry patches and bumps, and most products are way too harsh. The level of exfoliation with this feels almost too gentle while you're using it, but the result is soft, smooth skin with no redness or irritation. It is gentle enough for daily use. As with most scrub products, I use this is the shower to prevent the little scrubbers from hitching a ride in my hair. Not a life changing product, but a great addition to my skin care routine.
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Conditioner -LUSH - American Cream
redqueen11 4/15/2009 2:28:00 PM
Way too expensive. Insufficiently conditioning for my long, thick hair. That said, oh my GOD do I love the smell of this. I could just sit and smell my own hair all day. I am suckered into buying this sometimes for that reason alone. But, it does leave hair very, very soft - it just won't help you if you're a tangled mess.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -LUSH - Crash Course in Skincare BioFresh Mask [DISCONTINUED]
redqueen11 4/15/2009 2:22:00 PM
I've tried almost all of the LUSH masks, and this one might just edge out my fave, Brazened Honey. While I like the smell of BH better, this mask is more effective. It seems to work similiar to a clay mask (sucking the bad stuff out of your skin as it dries) but unlike other clay masks I've used, this does not make my skin feel tight and dry. In fact, after I washed this off my skin felt incredibly soft and smooth - like I'd just used a moisturizer. Now that LUSH has the new smaller potions of the masks available, I might just find myself purchasing this on a semi-regular basis.
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Cleansers -LUSH - Angels on Bare Skin
redqueen11 10/27/2008 12:59:00 PM
I use this as an exfoliator several times a week, not as a cleanser. Most products adverstised as "scrubs" are just way too harsh; this is gentle and still effective. I mix this with a pump of gel-type cleanser (P. Choice) and a little water; this creates the ideal consistency. It is a little too dry/crumbly when mixed with just water; the gel cleanser gives it a nice paste-like texture that is easy to work with. I use this in the shower, as it can be messy (like any scrub). It's not a miracle product, but it lovely to use (I like the smell and texture), and it exfoliates skin gently without irritation.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Body -LUSH - Emotibomb Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire
redqueen11 10/23/2008 1:55:00 PM
This is the kind of thing you take into the shower with you when you are taking a shower for purposes other than getting clean and getting out. Each of the scents caters to a different kind of shower ( the "I can't sleep shower", "I'm in here with my lover shower", "I'm trying to recover from this hangover/illness shower", etc). The scent of this one is strong yet subtle enough that strongly scented shampoos/gels would overpower it. But again, if you're just getting in the shower to try to relax, or to cry your eyes out, then this is a nice companion. I do wish the scent wafted a bit more, though. These last a while if you throw it in the back of the shower; you can probably get 3 10-15 minute showers out of each one if you break it into pieces. Would I buy again? Eh, probably on a whim. But I wouldn't consider it indispensible.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No