Shampoo -Brocato - Cloud 9 Miracle Repair Shampoo
strongbad 12/26/2012 5:26:00 PM
After two digital perms within the same year, my hair was quite damaged. My coarse, frizzy hair that reaches halfway down my back has always been prone to damage, but it kept getting splits trim after trim. I got Cloud 9 since it was on sale at Ulta, and it's sulfate free. I liked the shampoo immediately - it lathers well despite being SLS-free and feels moisturizing. It rinses off easily and leaves a very faint smell. I believe this shampoo, along with the matching conditioner, restored my hair's health and then some. My hair feels healthy, smoother and less frizzy than before, and I am now on my third liter.
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Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Iconic High Definition Lash Curler Mascara 
strongbad 5/6/2009 6:53:00 PM
This mascara was only decent for me, which is disappointing considering the price tag. It doesn't lengthen or give much volume, resulting in a natural, daytime lash. This is not for someone looking for dramatic lashes. Second coat must be applied when the mascara is halfway to fully dry otherwise it will clump. Doesn't hold curls very well; I always use my Shu lash curler before mascara, and this one weighs down my curl immediately, albeit not entirely. The SA who sold this to me said it is smudge proof, but I almost always end up with smudges under my eyes by the end of the day. I don't have oily eyes, and my lashes are medium in length and volume. I'm pretty sure there are drugstore brands that are better than this, so I won't be repurchasing.
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Liquid -Christian Dior - DiorSkin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup SPF 
strongbad 2/27/2009 8:48:00 PM
I've been using this product for about 2 months now, and have normal, slightly combo skin. I really liked this foundation at first because it felt amazing and the finish was matte and un-sticky. The coverage is a little heavier than I'd like, so I mixed some primer to lighten it up and achieve my ideal coverage. Normally on its own I'd say it's medium-full. The foundation stays on from morning till night and does not fade/change color, especially with primer (I'm using MUFE HD primer at the moment and even went for a quick jog wearing this). Added plus was the SPF 25. So why the 3 lippies? It clogged my pores. This is the first time any product has done this to me, and so I was a bit surprised at first. It didn't cause a huge breakout, but I did get a noticeable amount of blackheads of my forehead, a few whiteheads under my eyes (never before!!), and 3 or 4 tiny, tiny pimples on my cheeks. It may be that I'm not washing all of the product off because I noticed my cleanser (Purpose) wasn't making me feel as clean as I used to. I purchased MAC's cleanse off oil recently, and hope that will remove any stubborn makeup. Will update if things change. Edit: Went down to 2 lippies because now I have pimples on my forehead. I really wanted to like this product, but it just doesn't agree with my skin. Plus I noticed it accentuated the really fine lines under my eyes. I'm only 22, I shouldn't be worrying about looking old
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Lip Treatments -Neutrogena - Lip Boost intense moisture therapy
strongbad 2/18/2008 5:24:00 PM
It seems I have purchased the new and improved formula that isn't white or gathers on the corners of the mouth. Very soft and smooth texture that even fixed BF's constantly chapped/dry lips. I don't think my lips have ever felt this good! A little goes a long way which is good as I think I'm addicted. My only complaints are the packaging doesn't allow me to use the product to the very last drop, there's no sun/wind protection, and it's a little pricy for a drugstore lip balm. I generally don't repurchase items, but I think I will with this one.
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Makeup Brushes -Laura Mercier - Concealer Brush
strongbad 6/12/2007 7:59:00 PM
For the price, this brush was very disappointing. It's the first time I bought something without checking MUA first, and it proved to be unwise. It hasn't shed on me yet, but it is horrible with concealer application under the eyes (the creamier ones). Application is uneven and I'm better off using my fingers. For dry concealer, it's just OK, nothing special. I wish I didn't toss my receipt...
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Foundation brush
strongbad 11/9/2006 5:28:00 PM
I bought the whole set of ELF brushes, and this is one of the few worth keeping. This brush is good even if I compare it to my Lancome foundation brush. The bristles aren't as dense, but it still gets the job done without streaking. Edit: I find I don't use this, but I just used it to apply my Originss mask and that worked much better than fingers.
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Total Face Brush
strongbad 11/9/2006 5:21:00 PM
Quality is decent for the price, and for that reason, it hurts to use this brush. The bristles are very coarse and prick at my skin. I'd rather pay a little more for a different drugstore brand. Applying makeup shouldn't be painful.
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Lip Gloss -E.L.F. - Hypershine Gloss - Vixen
strongbad 11/9/2006 5:05:00 PM
I'm not a big fan of lip gloss because of the goo, and this didn't change my mind (not that I was expecting it). It has a strong, fruity fragrance is nearly repulsive when mixed with the taste. It has that cheap lipstick/lip gloss taste that remained even after I wiped the product off. I'm not really disappointed since I wasn't expecting much, but the color is actually pretty nice.
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Lipstick -Delux Beauty - Tintstick [DISCONTINUED]
strongbad 7/2/2006 3:31:00 AM
I have this in Flossy, and this is actually one of my favorite lip products. It's not very moisturizing and is very pigmented, but I wear some lip balm underneath, and problem solved! It gives that "just bitten look" when you use just enough and because its not glossy. Staying power is okay, I'd have to reapply like a regular, non-long wearing lipstick. I'd repurchase this, and already have after I lost my first one. So far I haven't found another product that gives me this kind of result, not even Tarte.
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Lip Gloss -BeneFit Cosmetics - Benetint Lip Balm
strongbad 7/2/2006 3:14:00 AM
Glad I got this free, otherwise I'd be very disappointed in the purchase. Because it's in a pot, its not very sanitary to stick your finger in there, especially if you have long nails. Or you can carry a lip brush around with you. I have to use a lot to see a slight tint on my lips (I have kinda pigmented lips), which is really gross cause by then I would have had to stick my finger into the pot about five times. If I want the "just bitten" look, I use just a tad of Deluxe's Tintstik in Flossy. The product doesn't last very long, but does a decent job at moisturizing.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Shiseido - The Skincare Essential Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 [DISCONTINUED]
strongbad 7/2/2006 3:07:00 AM
Light is just slightly lighter than my actual skin, but it works fine anyways because it is sheer enough. I use this as a sheer foundation rather than for moisturizing, but I'm going to rate this product for what it is and try not to review it based on my personal preferences on a product. It doesn't moisturize much, and the tint rubs off by midday (maybe I just touch my face too much?), so one lippie for that. On the plus side, it is spf 15, doesn't clog pores, the packaging limits bacterial contamination, and goes on sheer so it doesn't make you look very made up -- a good alternative to liquid foundation. I said I'd repurchase, but I'll do that after I try other TM's too.
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Cleansers -Biotherm - PURE BRIGHT Polishing Clarifying Cleanser
strongbad 7/2/2006 2:46:00 AM
First off, some say this doesn't exfoliate enough for them, but then nothing on the label says its supposed to do that. THIS IS A CLEANSER, NOT A DANG EXFOLIATOR! With that said, I use this with Dermalogica's Daily Micorfoliant and the Pure Bright toner, and when I first started using the combo, my skin was never better. Not exactly sure if this or the micorfoliant is making my skin really soft. But now I get pimples here and there, and skin is sometimes a little bumpy in the area between my nose and eyes, but generally in good shape. I think it helped even out the skin tone difference on my forehead and face, and even help fade away some acne marks. Nothing special in packaging, standard $18.50 Biotherm price, and not very fragranced! I'm satisfied enough to say I'll repurchase, but I also want to try a gazillion other cleansers out there, so it just depends if I ever get around to it.
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Scrubs -Dermalogica - Daily Microfoliant
strongbad 7/2/2006 2:32:00 AM
This makes my skin feeling soft after every use! My bf likes to touch my fac3e even more now! We are both very happy. This helps me get rid of my piples faster, and my acne scars from the past faded faster. I *think* this may have helped me even out the skintone difference between my forehead and face. Like other users have said, the less than perfect bottle clogs up after a while, but nothing a q-tip couldn't fix. The powder started to harden a little on the bottom, but I shook the bottle up, and problem was solved. This is a tad pricey at $45, but it looks like it will last me a long time, and the quality is great! If I don't find anything better, I'll repurchase. Most likely will sooner or later.
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Cleansers -Murad - Energizing Pomegranate Cleanser
strongbad 7/2/2006 2:24:00 AM
This cleanser did basic cleansing for my combo skin, nothing special, just the feeling of clean skin any cleanser should deliver. People seem to like the pump, but I don't think its too big of a deal. I bought this because I'm too lazy to lather up the product myself. I guess it kinda has to do witht the pump then. =P This product didn't do anything for me in terms of "energizing" and I barely noticed the toning the prodcut was labeled to do. When I first started using this, I thought I noticed less pimples, but it may have been me. My skin still got pimples and stress-related breakouts later. Good for someone looking for a very basic cleanser, but I won't repurchase because I'm sure there's something better for $22.
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Makeup Brushes -Pretty Pretty - Kabuki Brush
strongbad 7/1/2006 12:18:00 AM
I bought the generic one off ebay too! I was skeptical about buying a generic brush on ebay, but it's not that bad. The bristles are very soft and applies MMU very well. Mine actually shed a little before the first wash. Afterwards, it shed a few more hairs even though I was very gentle with the washing. I took off a lippy because it lost a bit of its shape after it dried; it became kinda poofy. I put it back in the original packaging (good thing I kept that plastic thing!) for a while, and now its good to go! If I have to do that after every wash/drying, I may just use this for travel and buy another brush for everyday use. I said I'd repurchase, but if I ever lose or break this, I might not.
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