Lip Treatments -E.L.F. - Studio Lip Exfoliator
skandelouslala 5/27/2013 2:09:00 AM
I had quit wearing lip gloss/ lipstick because of the dry skin on my lips... everything flake shows when you are wearing color on your lips. Then I remembered seeing this product in the store and figured for $3 I had nothing to lose. Turns out it is fabulous. It is rough enough that it gets rid of the dead skin without hurting lips and leaves behind a nice balmy feeling that is good prep for lipstick or lip gloss or just for smoothing balm on top and keeping the moisture in. I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. It's a great product. My only complaint is mine broke at the base. I wish instead of a traditional lipstick shape, E.L.F would make these flat on top. I think that would stop with the breakage issue and also just work better in general.
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Polishes -Sally Hansen - Fuzzy Coat Textured Nail Color
skandelouslala 5/15/2013 4:36:00 AM
The Sugar Coat Texture polishes from Sally Hansen may have been a fail for me, but the new Fuzzy Coats are winners. These are matte colorful bar glitters, that when layered, create a fun look on nails. I wouldn't call it "fuzzy" (and that's probably a good thing) but it is a little different. And thankfully the bar glitter lays pretty flat, so it is not so much textured either. I bought Fuzzy Fantasy (pastel minty green and white matte bar glitter), Wool Light (pastel pink and white matte bar glitter), and All Yarned Up (a mix of pastel blue, pastel yellow, and pastel orange matte bar glitter). I have yet to try Fuzzy Fantasy or Wool Light but I have tried All Yarned Up and it is a very fun shade. The mix of glitters is definitely unique! You won't get an effect like it from anything else. I haven't tried these just layered yet but I definitely plan too. I wanted to test out the full effect first. It is possible to get these glitters to almost opaque levels by layering. I did around 3 coats and pretty much none of my natural nail was visible. Very cool effect. The downside was b/c of the thickness, these wanted to chip and peel fast. Definite tip wear in one day and by day 2 it was chipping and peeling. Overall still worth it though, fun and unique and affordable.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Sugar Coat Textured Nail Polish
skandelouslala 5/15/2013 4:24:00 AM
When these were first announced I was really hoping they would be Zoya Pixie knock offs... texture finish with sparkles. After all you do kind of think that when you hear the name... sugar is kind of sparkly and crystally... Well upon seeing these in person it was obvious that was not the case. They are part of the more matte-ish textured nail polish trend that is just..... bumpy. I wasn't very impressed but felt compelled to try, just so I knew if I was missing out on anything or not. I selected Sour Apple, a pastel minty green. Application process was annoying. The little chunks that give this polish its texture made the whole color apply unevenly. I ended up doing 3 coats to get full opaque color. It looked dreadful around my cuticles though where the chunky bits had sort of built up with each brush stroke. The color was also not the pretty pastel minty green that was in the bottle. It some how transformed this this garish pukey green shade that was not at all flattering or soft and delicate and spring like, like the color in the bottle. I gave this a few minutes to set on my nails, because the texture becomes more apparent as the polish dries. The effect was just..... gross. I really felt nobody was going to look at this and see cool textured nail polish. It was more of a freak show of "omg did you polish go bad" or something. It just looked horrible... between the color and the finish...just....no Sally...no. I like my Zoya Pixie Dusts... and my JulieG Gumdrop finishes but these are just wrong.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Nature's Gate - Awapuhi
skandelouslala 4/23/2013 7:23:00 PM
Perhaps Awapuhi is a scent only some people like lol... I love it and this shampoo smells strongly of it. That was my main reason for buying it. Sadly... the shampoo sucks. My hair never feels clean after using it although it does manage to look alright initially. This is anything but volumizing though and repeated usage has actually weighed my hair down. Very flat and lifeless using this. It is also a very drying shampoo... my hair feels awful as I'm working this into it and afterwards feels very stripped and dry. Terrible shampoo.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Colour Riche Balm in Laze in the Maze
skandelouslala 4/16/2013 6:11:00 PM
From the Versailles 2013 Spring collection... a very cute collection of pastel colors, most with little color payoff as far as the lip balms are concerned. I've avoided the Colour Riche Balms in the past because I knew they weren't particularly pigmented, however I was suckered into this collection b/c I love pastel-springy colors. Laze in the Maze is slightly worth it if you have pigmented lips. It creates this soft pastel peachy-pink glaze over them. Initially. The downfall is the color kinda morphs after it has been on lips for a bit and turns pinker. My biggest gripe with this product is how fast it seems to disappear off lips. They do seem to moisturize my lips but I can apply a pretty decent coat and it will be gone in no time... so odd that a lip product can disappear so fast w/o eating or drinking. These have nothing on Revlon's Lip Butters... I wish Revlon would have put out a pastel collection like this for spring.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Revlon - Baby Stick in Sunset
skandelouslala 4/14/2013 10:12:00 AM
Super quick version of this review: BLAH. I was so excited to find these new Baby Sticks by Revlon because I've always been a gel or gel-like blush freak. "Baby Stick" is such a corny name for a product, but considering how much product you get.... Baby stick indeed.. You get maybe half an inch of product or .1 oz for around $10. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. No matter because you might as well get no product for $10, you have to scrub this stuff into your skin to get the slightest hint of coral color. I haven't been pissed over a product purchase in a long time but yeah, really annoyed I paid money for this. Numerous brands have many products like this that have color payoff, Revlon should go back to the drawing board on their version.
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Lip Gloss -Bonne Bell - Lip Smacker to-ki-o treats Vanilla Ginger Cake Lip Gloss
skandelouslala 4/1/2013 5:58:00 AM
Bought this b/c I am a sucker for the idea of ginger scented lip balms. This is a collection from Bonne Bell Lip Smackers that apparently deals with a Disney character that I am not familiar with. The packaging is all very kiddy. That aside, the gloss smells so good. It reminds me almost of carrot cake. Some vanilla and spice in there. Very yummy. It doesn't taste very good though, sort of chemically actually which isn't good, especially since it is so thin that it has the tendency to seep into your mouth. Goes on clear with some shimmer. The only thing it really has going on for it is the smell... everything else is ehhhh. I wish they would made this scent into a solid lip smacker instead of this thin greasy feeling gloss.
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Lips -Bonne Bell - Lip Smacker Brights Carnival Collection
skandelouslala 4/1/2013 5:51:00 AM
These Lip Smacker Brights collections come with a Lip Smacker balm and a scented nail polish. I bought this particular one only because of the Lip Smacker... it is supposed to be funnel cake scented. I really really wanted it to smell like a real funnel cake. It does not. I set myself up for disappointment but when I purchased the Dulce de Leche Lip Smacker and it was so amazing, I had hoped that maybe Lip Smacker had gotten the hang of creating realistic scents since I had last tried their products. I was hoping for the scent of fried dough with powdered sugar, instead Funnel Cake has a generic vanilla cakey type scent. The texture of this Lip Smacker is also weird. It is quite sticky and the stick itself is a clear translucent pink instead of a regular solid cream type balm. Because it is so sticky though it seems to last longer than regular Lip Smacker balms on lips. Ingredient listings on Lip Smackers are kind of scary though, there isn't one natural ingredient detected... hmm. The nail polish I am not interested in, I wanted this pack solely to try the balm. It is a basic cream bright pink. Has a slight sweet smell when dry, hence the 'scented' description.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips in Cherry Me
skandelouslala 4/1/2013 3:39:00 AM
Smells like a mix between Flintstone vitamins and cherry koolaid. Thinner consistency when applied but easily melts on lips and does feel moisturizing. I wanted a nice red tint out of this and instead it just kind of deepens my lip color a little. There really isn't anything red about it on my lips. Sort of a boring purchase really. I've bought 3 Baby Lips now and none of them have really wowed me so I think it is time to stop trying these.
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Hair Color -Garnier - Olia
skandelouslala 4/1/2013 1:44:00 AM
The only reason I bought this was for the shade Darkest Violet... it really intrigued me. I have yet to find a violet shade that I really like or that really leaves a bit of an impact. For me, I felt like the application process and rinsing process were fine... nothing bothered me too much about that, it seemed up to par with other hair colors. After I rinsed and dried my hair though I felt like I didn't notice that much change in my hair which seemed odd because before I colored it it was a light to medium brownish shade. This was called DARKEST violet and I was expecting a deeper shade. The color also seemed oddly patchy... that bothered me a lot because there were areas of my hair where I could see the effect of the color better than others and I knew that was a baaaaaad sign. In certain lighting I would get this flash of violet initially. I got a few compliments on it from people but that didn't last long because every time I washed my hair the violet aspect of the color would quickly fade out. The remaining bits of the color faded out in record time... it was only a few weeks later and I felt compelled to color my hair again just because the was no trace of the Olia.
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Lip Treatments -Maybelline - Baby Lips in Melon Mania
skandelouslala 4/1/2013 1:32:00 AM
I hadn't seen this shade before so during a BOGO 50% sale it was one I snatched up. Green & pink is also one of my fave color combos so I loved the packaging hehe. I was hoping for a nice little pop of pink on my lips from this but alas, it is mostly invisible. It is a nice lip balm though, feels moisturizing on lips, softens them up. Not that I really wanted another clear lip balm but ehhh, what's done is done. Mine is also lacking in anything that resembles melon...the scent is just faintly non-descript sweet.
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Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick
skandelouslala 3/31/2013 1:12:00 AM
I was on the fence about trying these... I bought quite a few of the Revlon gloss sticks like these and wasn't completely impressed but I actually think that ELF ends up doing these better than some of the mid-range drugstore counterparts. For $2 the concept is exactly the same as all these twist up tinted balms/gloss sticks out there. So far I've tried In the Nude and Summer Nights. In the Nude has a slight spearmint smell, no discernible taste. Has a good amount of pigment... feels sort of like a light lipstick rather than a gloss. The nude looks a little yellowish in the tube but goes on surprisingly neutral. Pretty good amount of pigment, really cancels out my lips and gives them that beigy nude look. So far it hasn't mutated into any weird yellow or orange color. Summer Nights... I was not expecting to be so taken by this shade, especially for $2 but it is a perfect MLLB w/o any mauve to speak of. Comes with gold shimmer which is rather refined for $2... very soft and delicate shimmer, no frostiness or chunkiness, it just makes lips sort of glow. Gorgeous gorgeous shade. Scent on this one is spearmint mixed with some waxiness. Texture is also waxier than In the Nude, but seems to be a little longer lasting because of it. This one is a must try IMO. Pretty good product.. the colors are so nice on these 2 that I've tried so far, that I really want to try more. Update: I have added Pink Umbrellas to my collection. It unfortunately smells a little medicine-y but the scent fades pretty quickly. I love this one as well... it is a great creamy clean pink without any frost, shimmer, or milkiness. Lots of pigment and feels pretty creamy on. I was surprised how long this one lasted on my lips.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Bonne Bell - Lip Smackers in Dulce de Leche
skandelouslala 3/21/2013 6:39:00 AM
A limited edition Lip Smacker is kind of strange coming from Bonne Bell, I hadn't gave their full display a good once over in a while and when I did I found this gem. It smells amazing! Reminds me of one of my favorite indulgences, caramel puffs. It's caramally and buttery and just awesome in the scent department. I haven't bought or used a Lip Smacker in a long time but the texture on this one is absolutely perfect... Much more creamy and moisturizing than I remember. I don't notice any color payoff from this Lip Smacker. Definitely need to buy another tube or two since it is LE and I like it so much, plus it's under 2 bucks. Nom!
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Polishes -Color Club - Halo-graphic
skandelouslala 3/17/2013 7:26:00 PM
I've been misinformed that these are actually Spring 2013... Color Club actually has a few NEW holo shades out for Spring 2013 and the Halo Hues were originally Fall 2012, however my Meijer just got Halo Hues in a few weeks ago. I wish I didn't know about the new ones coming out, now I'll never find them lol Anyways...Halo-graphic is gorgeous. It looked super similar in the bottle to Cloud Nine in this collection, so I skipped picking up Cloud Nine for now. On nails Halo-graphic is rosy holographic goodness. Very strong linear holo, I get a superb holo effect from it even under artificial light. Even under super dim light I still get a bit of color change from it. I think it is one of the strongest from this collection. Application is a breeze... 2 coats full coverage, no need for a special base coat. Dry time is really good and lasting power is super nice on these.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -E.L.F. - Daily Moisture Stick
skandelouslala 3/17/2013 5:26:00 PM
I'm kind of in love with this oddball product. It's like a giant fat lip balm only it's a moisturizer. Comes in ELF's sleek looking black studio packaging. On their website I think it retails for around $6 but I found mine for $3. It's a lightweight clear gel balm that feels almost water like and cooling when applied to skin. I use it on my face when getting out of the shower. I was worried it might break me out but so far that concern has been unfounded, yay! It creates the perfect base for makeup and leaves skin feel velvety for awhile as it absorbs, without the use of silicones. Has zero scent, if yours smells I would replace since its possible the oils went rancid or something. I have combo skin, prone to hormonal breakouts and sensitive to many silicone ingredients. Elf states you can also use this on dry elbows, knees, etc. I would recommend a separate stick if you plan to use on both face and body. It doesn't really seem heavy enough for my dry body skin but it might work for others.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No