Polishes -Wet 'n' Wild - 2% Milk
strawberrykitten 3/11/2013 12:25:00 AM
I have found a replacement for my essie mademoiselle!
Color: Less Pink but more opaque than the Essie.
Application: The polish itself isn't streaky (especially not compared to Essie polishes) but because the brush is so "rough" it's easy to streak it if you press down hard. My suggestion for applying this polish is to just barely have the brush touch your nail and then pull.
Wear: with a good base and topcoat it's pretty long!
Coats: Need 3 to get to a semi-opaque/not-clear color.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Murad - Intensive-C Radiance Peel
strawberrykitten 11/20/2012 3:20:00 PM
I've used this for two months now and it's really good at removing post-acne marks. In the past, I've had nothing but breakouts from Murad products so I was really surprised to like to this. When I use this I wash, exfoliate with a brush, then leave this peel on for about 15 minutes. There's no immediate difference but skin is visibly clearer the next morning. (I'm NC15/20 so acne marks are super noticeable on my face.) I will concede that there's no noticeable difference in the size of my pores etc. (so I'm guessing this fails on the "fights environmental aging" aspect of it's marketing claims) but since that isn't what I wanted it to do I'm only taking off 1 lippie for it.
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Skincare - Face -Kate Somerville - Eradikate Acne Spot Treatment
strawberrykitten 9/21/2012 1:56:00 PM
So now I can definitely say that this works - with the caveat that it works more slowly than you'd expect. I used it every night for almost 3 weeks and my face is mow almost clear. (For reference, both my checks were covered in large raised bumps before.) Now I have no big raised bumps, a few hard small ones, and some redness where I had bumps. Given the time lag, I don't necessarily think that this made my acne go away. But it dried up the breakout and took the inflammation down enough that the bumps were less red/inflamed/painful. For me, personally, this is important because I'm less likely to pick at them and irritate them further if they don't hurt which in turn means that my face heals faster and I don't get scabs. (I also haven't gotten much in the way of new acne but I don't know how much of this is attributable.) What I don't like about this is the price, the amount of wasted product, and the dry flakies you get where the bumps are. I'll definitely keep using it and I *might* repurchase - but I'm not sure yet either way.
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Cleansers -Dove - Beauty Bar - Sensitive Skin
strawberrykitten 9/21/2012 1:13:00 PM
EDIT: After using for 2 solid months I can honestly say that this is at least as good as the $40 cleanser I was using before. Woohooo! <3 I've only been using this for a week but holy crap my face appears to be clearing up! I NEVER would have thought to buy/use this because I a) break out from EVERYTHING (purpose, cetaphil, purity, etc.) b) didn't believe it would take off my makeup and c) didn't have any luck with bar soap when I was on my all natural/organic/vegan kick but someone on the makeup board recced it and my roommate had a bar so I figured why not. It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight. It DOES take off my makeup (even stubborn eye makeup) and it DOES appear to be clearing up my breakout. Yay! Clearly, I should have given this a try earlier.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Sacha Cosmetics - Sally - Hair One Hair Cleanser and Conditioner
strawberrykitten 9/21/2012 10:49:00 AM
Update: After using for 1.5 months I've stopped. It was fine for the first month but after that I started noticing that I was getting a lot of random breakage. (Like, I would find 2 to 3 inch pieces of hair all over the place and confused because I have really long hair.) I've stopped using this for 3 weeks now and I'm not getting that breakage anymore. So weird. No idea why this causes that but taking a lippie away. Original Review: This Review is for: Olive Oil for Dry Hair My Hair: East Asian, Dry, Heat Damage. The Product: I like this and will be buying it again. It cleans my hair well and doesn't leave a heavy residue. (Previous CO wash only experiences have not been this good.) The smell isn't likeable exactly but it's not bad (think... faint liquorish? smell) because it's a) faint and b) doesn't linger. I do clarify with baby shampoo once every two to three weeks though. (I only wash my hair 2 to 3 times a week because it's too dry for more than that.) Cons: There are only 2 cons for me. 1) the product is too thick. I had to pour it into a different container and add about 1/3 water before it was a "good" texture for me but I freely admit to preferring slightly more watery conditioner. 2) If you don't get it off of your skin (think back of neck) it might break you out a tad. This only happened to me after the first time I used it though. As long as you're mindful of washing it all the way off you're good.
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Lipstick -Clinique - Chubby Stick (all shades)
strawberrykitten 9/21/2012 10:43:00 AM
I got two of these but ended up returning them. While they were seriously some of the most beautiful colors ever, there was just too much slip and it ended up wearing for less than an hour. (Definitely no stain afterwards). Compared to tarte's lipsurgance I much prefer the tarte. (Though I'll add that I use matte lipsurgance pencils). Overall, if they could make these stay better I'd buy them again in a second but for the price it's just not worth it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Urban Decay - Naked Skin
strawberrykitten 9/17/2012 9:11:00 AM
As someone who breaks out like crazy from silicone in skin products, I should probably never have tried this. (Shame on me for not reading the ingredients list on this one before grabbing a sample.) The foundation had a beautiful finish, was lightweight, and didn't appear to oxidize too much even in 90 degree heat. That said, I'm into week 3 of a cystic breakout the likes of which I haven't seen in over a year.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - LiquidLast Liner - Inky
strawberrykitten 9/4/2012 10:23:00 AM
Look: Nice, even color. Application: I found this easy to apply but I don't apply liquid liners with the in-bottle brushes. What I do is that the liner brush and "dot" liner onto an angled brush and then apply to lids with the angled brush. This controls how much product gets on my lid and provides a nice even line. Wear: Stayed on for 12+ hours and in the pool. Final Verdict: If I could, I'd give this product a 3.75. I absolutely LOVED it when I first got it but a week later I'm less in love because it's already dried down from "liquidy" to "almost a gel". True, it's not all that much effort to add a drop of visine but For $19, it shouldn't dry up that quick.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Mia2
strawberrykitten 8/19/2012 6:22:00 PM
My Skin: Combination, reacts to almost everything; have to super careful about the products I use otherwise I'll break out. The Product: I bought the Clarisonic Mia2 because I had some clogged pores around my mouth that I wanted gone. For two weeks, I used this every other day, once a day, with the delicate brush head. At the end of two weeks, I returned it because my face had gone from "couple of clogged pores" to "full on breakout". In short: This just didn't work for me. That said, it did leave me with really soft skin. If it weren't for the red blotches and pimples, I'm guessing my skin would have been kind of "glowy" too. The timer feature is super useful because I defiantly would have over done it without it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Milani - Eye Tech Liquid Eyeliner
strawberrykitten 8/14/2012 2:07:00 PM
Update: Taking away 1 lippie because it dried up in under 2 months. Will try the eyetech extreme to see if that lasts better. Me: Oily lids. East Asian. Usually have major issues with eye products smudging. This: HG Eyeliner right here. I put this on in the morning and 14 hours later is still there. This is HUGE for me because almost everything I use smudges and disappears on me (Urban Decay, MUFE, etc al.). It dries quickly, looks good, and I like that the cap screws on and that tip is flexible but not too soft (it's a sponge/felt type applicator). That said, even though I give it 5 stars it's not a perfect product. The biggest flaw is that the flow isn't always even so if you under shake or over shake one eye can/will come out darker than the other. Not a huge deal for me since I put on liner first and then usually set with shadow but if you wear only eyeliner you'll notice it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - Salon Grafix Citrus Creme Conditioning Cleanser, 12 oz
strawberrykitten 8/13/2012 8:44:00 PM
My Hair: Coarse, East Asian, Shoulder Length, Damaged.
The Product: This gets 4 stars because it cleansed as advertised, had good slip, was easy to use, and my scalp feels clean. (My previous attempts at CO washing have always gone poorly. Not so much with this.) However it has a couple of cons: 1) The smell. Dear. God. The smell. This is the deal breaker for me and why I won't be re-purchasing this. It's smells like a sugary-sweet mold culture died in my hair. There's no citrus scent to it at all. Way, way too sweet. 2) The moisture. If you use this, you will probably still need a separate and/or leave-in conditioner. I didn't use one but I *did* put argon oil in my hair after washing and waited 20 minutes after that before blow drying and uh, even with that? My hair is dry looking and kind of not as shiny as usual. 3) The pump. I know this is a small thing but this pump really isn't the best. It's hard to push down, kinda sticks, and takes like 3 or 4 pumps to get to what would be one "squeeze" of a normal shampoo bottle.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Koh Gen Do - Moisture Foundation
strawberrykitten 4/13/2012 11:32:00 AM
What you absolutely have to know about this product before you buy it is: #1 It wears like a TM not a Foundation. Coverage is light to medium and you really have to slather it on to get to medium - however, it's so light weight that you won't really feel it even if you do slather it on. #2 This foundation is designed for unevenness in TEXTURE *not* unevenness in COLOR. I have a great number of acne scars. The ones that are ice-pick/box-car/due-to-collagen-loss look 100x better after I apply this. The ones that are red/brown/manifest-as-discoloration are absolutely NOT AT ALL covered by this. #3 This shit stays on your face. Not kidding. I went for a 30min swim yesterday and when I got out of the pool it was still there. That said, I've only been using this for 3 days so I can't comment yet on acne/pore clogging properties but I love it so far.
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Urban Decay - 24/7 Concealer in DEA
strawberrykitten 3/12/2012 3:58:00 PM
Love this! I wear it under my eyes and it makes me look so, so much more fresh and awake. I initially tried CIA but it was just a little too pale (I'm east Asian, probably an NW20). Application is easy, a little goes a long way, and it stays on for a really long time (like, I'm currently at 10 hours and counting - and *nothing* stays on me this long!). I haven' t had it long enough to comment on breakouts with any certainty (only 1 week) but so far so good. Edited to add: No breakouts but I don't like this on anything other than my under eye circles. AMAZING for under eye circles though.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Perversion
strawberrykitten 3/12/2012 10:33:00 AM
I put this on at 7am. It was 100% gone by 10am. This was extremely disappointing to me as I've gotten more wear from drugstore eyeliners. It gets two stars because it applied smoothly (although I use an angled brush anyway so I'm not even sure that matters) and looked good for the brief time it stayed on. (I do have slightly oily lids but even a foiled shadow lasts better than this...)
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Mascara -Urban Decay - Lush Lash Mascara
strawberrykitten 3/12/2012 10:23:00 AM
I got this Mascara because I'd been using the UD Lush Lash System and really liked it. This Mascara however leaves me with mixed feelings.
My Lashes: East Asian; so short and Sparse.
Mascara Application: Wand is easy to use and applies product evenly - but I should mention that I don't wear Mascara on my bottom lashes so idk how it performs on the lower lashes.
Wear: On it's own, the mascara flakes (though it doesn't clump) and doesn't make that much of a difference visually. However, applied over the Lush Lash Conditioner (the mascara wand end of the Lush Lash System), it's fantastic! When I wear it this way, it lasts all day and holds a curl really well. No flaking and no Panda Eyes.
Verdict: Since I already had/was using the LLS, this was a good buy for me. However, I wouldn't get it if I didn't already have the conditioner. (If you do the math, it's like $65 total!) I'd buy it again if I had money to spare but will probably look for a cheaper option once my tube is out.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No