Blush -NARS - The Multiple in Maui
taract 6/12/2008 11:11:00 PM
So I've had this product for awhile, about 2 or 3 years, and for a long time I was 'meh' about it. I do love the color, but the texture was just so strange and dry and powdery and it just kind of freaked me out. Also, my stick has been disconnected from the packaging for awhile, so it's kind of hard to get up and down, which is annoying. So yeah, it's just been sitting around, but not getting used that much. Recently, it's become one of my favorite products. I think I was inspired by this girl christine's video review of it on youtube, I liked watching her apply it and decided to try it out again. It was the perfect time to try such a dry-textured product, as we've been having a major heatwave in New York, so anything sticky or glossy has just repelled me. I was reminded that this really is just a perfect color. I have a recent photo of myself with it on posing with my boyfriend on one of these said 100-degree days (i had just reapplied) and it's crazy how great the color is. It's almost hard to explain - it's so different on than in the package, it's kind of reddish and pinkish and bronzish all at once. A perfect color for summer because it suggests a tan slightly without actually being a bronzer, which is bizarre but true. I'll try to upload the photo onto my profile so you can see the color. Anyway, this product is just one of those reasons to hold on to products that you're drawn to even though there's something a bit off - there might be a perfect time or place for them!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Tarte - Cheek Stain in True Love
taract 6/12/2008 10:59:00 PM
Sigh. I just don't know what to think of Tarte cheekstains. On one hand, I love them - I have True Love and Blushing Bride, and as the names attest they are perfect products for a girly romantic like myself; they're those products that you see in a magazine and just have to have. I LOVE their scents and theire colors - True Love's watermelon pink and Blushing Bride's perfect plummy red. However - they are sticky. They are just really, really sticky. I'm surprised that more people don't have this problem. For me, these are cheek glosses rather than cheek stains. I've wondered if the problem is that I use moisturizer with sunscreen underneath that might interfere with the Tarte's absorption - but even when I put them on my lips, there's a sticky consistency, like a sticky (yet water-based, strangely) lip gloss. I think that these would work really well for someone with dryer or duller skin - someone really after the dewey look. In fact, my (already gorgeous) girlfriend once asked me how she can look more "luminous," and I suggested the Tarte cheek stain for her and as far as I know, she really likes it. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately? who knows), I already have the "luminous" thing down - my skin is pretty oily, especially in the summer, so I really don't need an extra layer of stuff on my skin to make me sticky. I am much more prefering my NARS multiple in maui right now, or a liquid stain put on right after I moisturize. Of course, I can't part with these cute little tubes of stain - for some reason, even though they're really just not right for me, I still love them. I sometimes go on little kicks where I try to ignore the stickiness and just use them anyway - they're nice to throw on first thing in the morning when I go to the gym, when I haven't washed or moisturized my skin and it's groggy and lacking in the glowiness department. So yep, they're staying in my drawer.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Dove - Body & Lift Volumizing Mousse
taract 3/21/2008 2:23:00 PM
So I was excited about this product for awhile, as it was a mousse that was not sticky and didnt have a strong-god-awful smell. I liked that it was moisturizing and had that nice, soapy Dove scent. However, I've realized that as a volumizing product, it really doesnt do much at all. I would actually categorize this more as a foam leave-in conditioner. If you have dry, frizzy fine hair, I would imagine that this would be a nice, light smoothing product for a blow-dry. For my long, fine, wavy-ish hair that i basically let air-dry, however, it really only makes it quite limp.
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Shampoo -Head and Shoulders - Classic Clean Shampoo
taract 3/11/2008 10:13:00 AM
I used to LOVE head and shoulders classic clean for its gentle cleansing, dandruff fighting, AND its light, clean-laundry smell. I let my air air-dry, so fragrances stay for a long time in my hair. I am also very smell-sensitive, so I'm very picky about fragrance in my hair - if it's overly strong, it will give me a headache. Imagine my disappointment when I go to pick up a new bottle of this, bring it home, get in the shower with it, and it smells like sour watermelon. NOT a nice, subtle, fresh watermelon - a fake, STRONG, knock-your-socks-off watermelon scent. I could immediately feel the headache coming on. I'm especially disappointed because I NEED this shampoo - it wasn't like when Pantene switched to a watermelon scent (I swear EVERY drugstore brand seemed to love doing this) and I could just buy something else. I really trusted this shampoo as a treatment and now I'm screwed. I guess I will try other shampoos in the line, and maybe other brands, but I am sad, sad, sad.
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Lips -Vincent Longo - Lip Cheek Gel Stain in My Sunshine
taract 1/2/2008 12:11:00 PM
I am so glad I finally bought this product. I have always loved the idea of a stain, as my lips and cheeks generally don't have much color to them. I've tried Benetint, Sonia Kashuk's version of Benetint, Sheer Bliss (which is essentially the same as the Benetint, just cheaper), and Tarte's Rise and Shine Plumping lip stain in Cherry. I don't know why I continued to buy these - they're all pretty much the same cool purply-pink, which really doesn't work that well on me. I'm still not quite sure if I'm "cool" or "warm," but I'm pretty sure that these cool fuschia stains are not ideal on me. (I was also disappointed by the benetint's and sonia kashuk's staying power - they swipe right off if you take a water-moistened tissue to them. kind of ridiculous for a "stain." The tarte at least stays around for awhile.) I had considered Vincent Longo's stains for awhile, as there were so many colors in the line, but I chickened out on actually buying one until I got a 25 dollar gift certificate for xmas. I pounced right on My Sunshine and brought it home - and I have to say, the color is PERFECT. Not orangey or overly peachy, just a warm pinky-red that is ridiculously flattering. And it really does last on my lips, which is huge. My only problem is getting it on evenly on my cheeks - I'm sure it takes practice, but its gets a little streaky on me, even though I have smooth, slightly oily skin. I'm thinking that my Aveeno moisturizer with sunscreen affects my blending abilities. When I blend too rigorously at a streak, it kind of pills off with what i'm guessing is residue from my moisturizer. Ugh. I'm thinking that if I just stick to getting it on my apples somewhat evenly, I'll eventually get it with practice? If anyone has tips for me, let me know.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -John Frieda - Frizz-Ease - Dream Curls- Curl Perfecter
taract 8/16/2007 7:12:00 PM
This stuff sucks. I used to use this before I discovered my HG Fekkai wave spray, and recently decided to try it again to see if I might be able to get by buying this instead of the pricier Fekkai. Nope! This stuff is gross and really just doesn't work very well. Fine-haired, wavy girls - stay away from this and go get Fekkai's!
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Styling Products -Frederic Fekkai - Wave Creating Spray
taract 8/16/2007 7:07:00 PM
This is my HG hair product. I have long, blonde, highlighted hair that varies between very wavy and straightish, depending on the amount of moisture in the air and how i style it. This pumps up and defines my waves like nothing else. I've tried many other drugstore wave sprays, and they all tend to make my hair crunchy and limp, with ugly little waves. They also tend to darken my blonde hair and just make it look gross. This stuff, on the other hand, is magical. The trick is to wait until your hair is almost dry, and then put in a few sprays and scrunch. This not only enhances my curl, but volumizes it. I'm so glad to have it back after trying to replace it with a product I used to use - John Frieda Dream Curls. It wasn't even close!! The Fekkai is worth the extra money. The only downside is that the nozzle tends to leak a bit when traveling. I also want to point out that I have healthy hair that I rarely heat style that has a definite natural curl pattern. I tried spraying it in my aunt's drier, more damaged hair, and it really didn't do much. I think with hair like that, a combo of curl styling cream and soft-hold gel might work better, and letting it dry in a bun. I think this spray is a great option for fine-haired, wavy girls though!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Burt's Bees - Blushing Creme
taract 7/5/2007 10:31:00 PM
I have this in plum. I was excited about this, but it's texture is too dry for my taste (difficult to blend) and it just doesn't really show up. I didn't throw it out, but don't really have any use for it either.
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Shampoo -Burt's Bees - Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo
taract 7/5/2007 10:18:00 PM
I was SO excited about this shampoo and conditioner. I am a total Lucky magazinephile, and when the beauty editor, Jean Godfrey-June, wrote a feature on this, I flipped out. It was by Burt's Bees, all-natural, was grapefruit-scented, AND had the kiss of approval from the Lucky queen of beauty? I ran right out to get it. I wasn't expecting the shampoo to lather like a pantene or something, so the texture of the shampoo didnt bother me. The conditioner not being very emollient also didn't shock me - I just figured it wasn't going to weigh my hair down with tons of silicones. The thing that DID bother me, however, was the scent. I LOVE me a grapefruit scent. I really do love all things grapefruit, really all things citrusy, and this was the weirdest and yuckiest interpretation of grapefruit I've ever come across. Instead of it being fresh and crisp, it's strong and obnoxious and fruity. I'm not sure if it's the addition of sugar beet or some other essential oil in the poo, but it's not good. It wouldn't bother me SO much if the scent was simply there while washing and didn't linger throughout the day, however, that is not the case. The scent really gets into your hair and lasts ALL day - I can even smell it when my hair gets wet in the shower the next day. And, since I'm very smell sensitive, this is not good for me - it gives me a headache. That being said, if anyone happens to love the scent, they'll probably love that it has such lingering power! So I guess the bottom line is, the formula is fine, but the scent is just too much for me. I'll probably use these up, making sure I only use the shampoo OR the conditioner, and not both together.
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Blush -Almay - Smart Shade Blush
taract 6/28/2007 12:02:00 PM
I totally agree on this product. I was really excited to try this. My CVS was have a BOGO 50 percent off on Almay products, and I had to buy another of my HG Clear Complexion concealer because for some reason I can't stop losing them, so I thought it would be a great excuse to try this blush in Pink. I was so excited that I tried it on in the car, right over the makeup I was already wearing. I was a little worried because I initially put on too much, and it DID change color, so I blended it in a little more before running in to Blockbuster. When I came out, I looked in the mirror, and it looked like I had NO blush on. I was very confused, but figured that I had just blended it in a little too much. The next morning, I had an early doctor's appointment, so I thought it would be the perfect chance to try this on its own. I put it on and it looked great initially, but when I got out of my appointment, my face looked completely naked. It was GONE. I was amazed. It's so strange to me that this product seems to turn from white to pink, and then loses its color again. I had been hoping to find a cheaper version of the Smashbox O-Glow that sounds so exciting, but no such luck.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Cover Girl - Invisible Concealer
taract 3/29/2007 10:55:00 PM
I tried this stuff after I lost my usual HG Almay Clear Complexion concealer, and my local CVS was out of my shade. I really needed a new face concealer, so I decided on this. When I first tried it, I was disappointed as it didn't really seem to conceal red marks on my face at all - I dabbed it on with the wand, and then when i blended lightly it was suddenly almost completely gone. I tried it again this morning, and not only did it not conceal my red marks, but the slight bit of product that actually stayed on my face was ORANGE. so instead of having pink spots, they were now orange. Needless to say, I went out today and trekked to a better CVS and got my Almay!
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