Treatments (Eye) -L'Oreal - Dermo Expertise Eye Defense
shelby101 12/11/2008 6:34:00 PM
this eye cream is a really good inexpensive alternative to Clinique's all about eyes or super defense eye cream, which is what I used to use. I went about 2 months without using eye cream because I couldn't afford to buy $25 eye cream, and my dark circles got horrible and the fine lines looked really obvious. then I bought this for $16 and it has really improved the way my eye area looks. Also, it doesn't seem to interfere with my makeup or irritate my eyes. I'm just so happy I found something that works good that is $10 cheaper!
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Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - True Blue Spa Lay It On Thick Shea Butter Body Cream
shelby101 10/26/2008 7:09:00 PM
This cream really helps me with the dry and itchy skin on my lower legs, and has all but cleared up the last traces of eczema on my hands that never seem to quite go away even after using my prescription creams. The moisturization lasts a really long time and it is not irritating, so you won't have to reapply constantly and it won't make you itch. The tube container is wonderful also. I don't like tubs of body butter because it always ends up getting under my nails. :) I guess my only complaint is the scent--I personally was looking for more of a cocoa butter type scent, which I thought this was, but the macadamia nut oil mixed in makes it smell a little odd. but I've found the scent fades quickly so it isn't a big factor for me. Overall this is a great cream and I will definitely purchase it again.
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Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Straight
shelby101 10/17/2008 12:42:00 AM
I love this!! I have wavy, thick, frizzy hair. If I let it air dry, it just looks awful even though I take good care of it. I always need some kind of serum in my hair to fake that smooth hair texture I wasn't born with. This is the ONLY serum or styling product I have used that makes my hair shiny both when air dried AND after blow drying or flat ironing. I am totally floored. I never used to be able to let my hair air dry without looking horrible! I used to love Pureology's Super Straight Relaxing Serum, but this Straight stuff makes my hair shinier than that. I still love using the Pureology Super Straight shampoo though and the Hydrate conditioner, but this serum is awesome. Wow. I'm not sure if it helps straighten anymore than anything else iIve tried, but as far as a serum goes it is great! I bought the little one to try it out, now I'm going to go buy the bigger tube. Love it!
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Skincare - Body -NADS - Hair Removal System - No-Heat Hair Removal Gel
shelby101 10/13/2008 1:26:00 PM
this is a fine product, I have used it 2+ times on my legs and countless times on my underarms. PROS: Easy to clean up (water soluble - very handy in case you accidentially get a glob on yourself, just wipe with a dishtowel soaked in warm water), non skin irritating, inexpensive. CONS: a little hard to use, and ineffective on very fine body hair. It took me a few tries before I got consistently good results so here are some techniques I've found that work well. 1, get about a tablespoon of NADS onto the white applicator, and wipe it into about a 1.5 inch by 3 inch area (you can try larger when you are more experienced, but the largest I've done is 2 by 4 inches). Try to smooth out any large glops so the wax is neither too thin or too thick. 2. Wipe the section both against and with the hair growth with the applicator, up and down, several times (this makes sure each hair is thoroughly coated). 3. Wipe all hairs down in direction of hair growth. 4. Place strip on top and rub it vigorously so it sticks well. 5. Rip fast against the hair growth as close to the skin as possible. Don't pull "up", just try to pull against the hair growth. 6. Use the same strip again on another section, but this time when you put the strip on, tug the strip down a little bit when its stuck on your skin so you can be sure all the hairs are going the same way before you yank. This will make it more effective. HINT: I've found I can only use a strip 2 times before the wax gets too warm and is not effective, but if I put that strip aside and use it again after a few minutes the wax cools again and i can then get 3 or 4 uses out of it. But older strips are harder to use effectively and you will miss some hairs. the first use is always the most effective. Finally, put some hydrocortizone cream on the waxed area after wiping it down with a warm washcloth. This will make the redness go away in a few hours.
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Styling Products -Pureology - Dry Shine
shelby101 10/11/2008 4:49:00 PM
This stuff smells SO good and there is actually gold shimmer in it... this is the only styling paste I can think of that actually has shimmer in it and makes your hair shiny. I actually got a little impulsive one day and bought it when my stylist used it on me. It makes my hair shiny and yet still separated and "piecey"! However, I found out my hair "eats" this and the effect is lost within a couple of hours and it looks like I didn't even put any on at all, although it leaves my hair more moisterized and not weighed down. I have since found out that this vanishing effect is because one of the ingredients is one that evaporates. Oh well. The other ingredients include several types of oils, 2 silicones (further down in the ingredients), some proteins, and of course the divine scent (sort of like jasmine??). Even though it doesn't make a very long lasting styling paste I still use this product all the time because I've been noticing it has helped keep my hair moisterized and prevent my ends from getting too dried out from styling. i use this on my hair all the time now. I use it on my hair after it has air dried to get a little shine and moisture, and I use it on my ends before or after flat ironing to avoid that dry ends look. The label says it also serves a dual purpose of heat protection so that's why I put it on my ends for extra protection in addition to the serum I use. I love this product, it's like a does-it-all hair miracle goop for us gals with dry hair.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Curl Conscious Defining Creme
shelby101 10/10/2008 9:25:00 PM
I am still trying to figure out this product. I have thick wavy hair and I bought this to encourage my waves while air drying. It certainly does that task well, but it just makes my hair look dry and parched and I am not sure what I am doing wrong... I am experimenting with different amounts and trying to mix it with other products such as with BB's defrizz serum. Next time I will try mixing with leave in conditioner to see if that improves it. (in fact, if anyone reads this and has some hints for me it would be much appreciated!) I also really don't like the smell, which was surprising because I'm normally not picky about that. to me it is a rather unisex type scent which smells a little like carpet cleaner. But it is very light and seems to fade.
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Styling Products -Bumble & Bumble - Styling Creme
shelby101 10/6/2008 11:43:00 AM
I recently got my hair cut short again (chin length) and I wanted to find a product I could use to let my hair air dry so I could just "scrunch and go". My stylist told me to try mixing this with the defrizz, combing it through, and then using the BB curl creme and comb it through, and then scrunch or twirl sections of hair. I don't think this product is exactly what I needed. I have very thick hair and I combed this through when my hair was damp and scrunched and let it air dry but I got so much volume just from doing that that it was ridiculous. I was also put off slightly by the scent--it smells like celery and isn't exactly pleasant (I'm not sure if they changed the fragrance or what since other reviewers feel that it smells good). It also gave my hair a pretty matte finish so I suppose I would have to mix it with something ilke brilliantine to get more shine. I was disappointed with how big it made my hair when air drying so I got my hair damp again with a spray bottle and got a round brush and blew out all of the waves. This produced a style that wasn't over the top HUGE but yet still had the holding power to still look nice the next day. It also appeared much more shiny than it did when I let it air dry, even though it does change the texture of your hair to have more "oomph". I don't think I will try to use this product to air dry again since it gave me so much volume, I will probably just use it as a blow drying product.
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Conditioner -Pureology - Hydrate Conditioner
shelby101 9/8/2008 8:38:00 PM
I started using this with the Super Straight shampoo under the recommendation of my stylist and so far I really love it! It moisturizes my scalp as well as my hair, doesn't leave my hair goopy or too dry. It makes it shine naturally like it hasn't in a long time. The first time I used it, I was skeptical, and my hair honestly felt a little rough when it dried, but I loved the smell. The next couple of times I used it I used less and I got better results. By the fifth time I used it, I noticed my hair was noticeably shinier even before I used the flat iron (which for me is a miracle! Shiny hair without using my flat iron?? wow). It's so fluffy and bouncy now, not dry and frizzy and disgusting. I wore my hair wavy and loved it for the first time in god knows how long today, probably back before I started using flat irons and did nothing to my hair and had no damage at all! and that is just wonderful for me! (my shoulder length hair is really damaged from having to use my flat iron every time I did my hair when I had a bob). I only use a tiny bit, I mix it with water, and then spread it through my hair and let it soak for 5-10 minutes in the shower. You don't need to use a whole lot of this. I can't wait to try it with heat to see what it does. I'll always be a Pureology fan!!
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Styling Products -Nexxus - Heat Protexx
shelby101 8/29/2008 12:49:00 PM
I normally flat iron with a generous dab of Pureology Super Straight Relaxing serum worked through my hair, but I thought I'd try this to give some extra protection to my hair. I sprayed it on after the drying was complete and then ironed and I have to say, I'm not totally fond of the result. It is not as shiny. My flat iron normally imparts a glorious sheen to my hair but after I sprayed it down with this and flat ironed it was just...blah. Take it from someone who has perfected flat ironing to a science. lol. Also, the ends look a little squiggly, like they got burned. I'll keep trying it and see if it turns out better.
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Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Active Light Makeup SPF 25 ] [DISCONTINUED]
shelby101 8/25/2008 8:38:00 AM
This is so nice for a drugstore foundation! HELLO! after spending most of my 20's short on cash I got used to being disappointed after buying makeup at the drugstore. It nearly always looked cakey and awful or did not match my coloring. However, this stuff's great! I put a tiny dab on and blend it very well with my fingers. As long as I don't put it on too thick I don't get caking which I love. The coverage is not as good as with my Prescriptives virtual matte, but hey, sometimes I don't need all that coverage. And I think the color match is just spot on, I picked up Natural Beige and it was perfect, not too warm and not too cool. I tend to change my mind a lot about foundations (my skin needs different things on different days) so I will add this one to the rotation.
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Cleansers -Clinique - Liquid Facial Soap - Mild
shelby101 8/24/2008 10:20:00 AM
I have used a variety of cleansers but I keep coming back to Clinique. Everything else seems to cause my rosacea to flare up. I recently switched back to the this cleanser for Dry Combination Skin after using another cleanser all summer and when I woke up my face was noticeably less red. I was amazed. For whatever reason, my skin does not react to anything in this product, and as an added bonus it doesn't dry my face out so much that the oilys are increased (the formula for Dry Combination Skin is less drying). I love it! Sometimes I use it with Clinique's toner and/or moisterizers, sometimes I don't. Either way it really works good for me. The only thing I hate is packing the huge bottle so I put some in a travel bottle when I go on a trip.
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Lip Gloss -Christian Dior - DiorKiss - 018 Sugar
shelby101 8/22/2008 9:59:00 PM
this gloss will instantly make you like you were playing in the craft store in the glitter aisle. Or it will make you look like you used the lip gloss in the Hello Kitty pack from Claire's that my 4 year old has. not a good look. However, may be a good thing to use when going out in Vegas and you're going to an extremely dark night club...an EXTREMELY dark night club where it will be so dark that no one will notice the red, blue, and yellow glitter chunks all over your lips or lipstick. lol. I got this as a sample and will be giving it to my daughter... however, texture was good. I'd definitely try other shades.
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Mascara -Prescriptives - False Eyelashes Mascara
shelby101 8/18/2008 10:37:00 PM
got this as a sample with a prescriptives online purchase. It was ok at first but then started to be more flaky and clumpy. I normally don't have that problem with my staple Loreal Volumnous. Big disappointment!
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Concealers -Neutrogena - 3-in-1 Concealer for Eyes
shelby101 8/18/2008 3:20:00 PM
Too many nights up studying have made me suddenly need concealer under my eyes whereas before I never did. I also need a full-fledged skin care assault on my eye puffiness. I also didn't want a concealer that would dry out my already dry eye area, so I picked this up. I like it! this concealer seemed to make my eye area feel more moist and it did not settle into fine lines. also, I don't know if I'm imagining things but the skin around my eyes does seem less puffy and tighter. I feel like I am wearing eye cream and not concealer, so it is comfortable to wear and not drying. It brightens the eye area also. the only thing I don't like is the area right near my tear duct is still a little blue and shiny. right there is where my under eye circle is the darkest. I put powder over that but I still wish the concealer would cover it. All in all not a bad purchase for the price.
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Eye Shadow -Revlon - Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eye Shadow
shelby101 8/18/2008 2:56:00 PM
we all have had moments of weakness in CVS and I had mine when I bought two of these quads. I got the grayish brown quad and the warmer brown quad. I was looking for an extremely subtle eyeshadow that wasn't too shimmery. This is definitely subtle and i love the finish. It is very natural looking. but the color payoff is a little too weak for my taste. I was looking for a wash of color that wasn't over the top shimmery. This isn't shimmery but you don't get any color. and even though I took great care in applying it, it did crease on one of my eyes (one of my eyelids is droopier than the other). The color was disappointingly sheer and it faded off completely after a few hours even when using UDPP. I also discovered that when you use MAC fluidline with this it completely smears off the fluidline! I guess all in all this is an OK shadow set but its problems are too frustrating so why bother?
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