Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Tamanu Oil
wiresinhisheart 5/12/2013 10:23:00 PM
ive been using tamanu oil for about a year now. i have very clog prone acne-prone skin and this hasnt cause me any problems. when i first started using it, it made my skin peel which was... alarming, but i continued to use it and my skin has had a nice glow ever since. the only time i cant use tamanu oil is if i have done a tca peel, it gets trapped underneath the dried out skin and gives me painful whiteheads.
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Mascara -Unlisted Brand - Elysambre short lashes mascara
wiresinhisheart 10/27/2011 12:46:00 PM
i like this mascara. i got the one for longer lashes in black and its just as good as any other "high end" mascara ive used. i put on two or three coats, waiting for each coat to "set" (it doesnt become crispy and dull like a normal mascara does which is great) before applying the next, this makes my lashes appear thicker and fuller. i havent had any problems with the mascara smudging or flaking so far. i also love that this mascara comes in a reusable metal tube - good for the environment, but as well as that, the refills are about £5 cheaper than the refill + tube together. until a better "clean" mascara comes along (this fulfills all of my requirements for a mascara though), im going to stick with this one.
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Brows -Bare Escentuals - Eye Brow powder 
wiresinhisheart 8/18/2011 5:36:00 PM
this is a true dark brown powder, theres no red in this as you find with some browns, and the colour works perfectly with my almost black eyebrows. this stuff lasts all day on me, even through summer, despite having skin that can get oily. the only thing i would change about this powder is its packaging. itd be so much easier if it came in a jar with a sifter lid, because you dont need much powder at all to create a nice dense looking brow and dipping my brush into the pot picks up too much product. edit: well, after using this for over a year, ive realised that something in it (bismuth?) is causing nasty EYEBROW ACNE ;_; i have switched to a (cheaper) non-comedogenic brow powder by sobeBotanicals on etsy.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Smashbox - Brow #12
wiresinhisheart 8/18/2011 5:29:00 PM
i love this brush. of all the brow brushes ive tried, this is my favourite, its got the perfect shape for filling and shaping my eyebrows. its dense, not scratchy and doesnt shed either. i use it to apply bare escentuals brow powder, and those two things combined make my eyebrows look amazing. if i lost this brush, id definitely repurchase it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Smashbox - Face and Body Brush #19
wiresinhisheart 8/17/2011 9:32:00 AM
i love this brush! i got one when it first came out years and years ago on ebay for about £10?! i didnt use it much at all and ended up throwing it away, i dont know what i was thinking really. i recently started using a powder sunscreen and wanted a nice brush to apply it with. i searched for the #19 brush and found one on justbeautydirect (official uk smashbox stockist) for almost half of what theyre going for elsewhere. this brush is lovely and just as i remember my first one. its basically a long handled kabuki brush. its soft (even after washing), very dense, applies and buffs powders brilliantly and from what ive seen it doesnt shed. couldnt be happier and i wouldnt dream of throwing out this brush again!
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hurraw Balm
wiresinhisheart 8/13/2011 9:47:00 PM
i love these balms! i have tried the moon balm, vanilla and black cherry. i like black cherry for adding a noticeable tint to my lips and the vanilla is just a spare i keep in my bag, it is quite moisturising and smells nice. my absolute favourite is the moon balm. its meant to be an intensive night treatment balm, but my lips get very dry easily so i use it throughout the day. the smell is incredible, the balm itself is so thick and creamy that i only need to use it a few times a day, its THAT moisturising. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. i buy them from supersmoocher in the uk and theyre cheap as hell, use organic ingredients that dont irritate the skin around my mouth and are so much better for you than lip balms packed with chemicals/petroleum/parabens. i cant say enough good things about these lip balms, and as long as theyre around, ill buy them (the moon balm especially)
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Jane Iredale - Powder-Me SPF Dry Sunscreen
wiresinhisheart 8/9/2011 2:39:00 PM
i had been looking for a sunscreen that wouldnt cause irritation or acne for ages, and read many reviews on various websites saying this stuff was good. the jar this product comes in has a little application sponge attached to it, that seems really gross and unhygienic to me, so i used a make up brush to apply instead. this sunscreen is GREAT at protecting my skin against the sun, my skin tone has really evened out since i started using it, but thats the only real positive. i bought the tinted version which works very well with my yellow-based skin tone, although it would probably make a lot of pale people look orange. it works like a light foundation and my skin looks improved when im wearing it. however, it causes terrible irritation on my cheeks. i dont pick my cheeks, but every time i use this stuff i end up with little scabs/grazes on my face that dont heal. once i give my face a break from the sunscreen for a week or so everything heals okay (i do have some scarring on my cheeks that have always been clear up until now :( ) and as soon as i start with the sunscreen again, more grazes/scabs develop. i am waiting to try ellaroseminerals foundations from etsy as they contain sunscreen ingredients and claim their products are non comedogenic, so im hoping their products work for me, because this doesnt sadly.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Organic Neem Oil
wiresinhisheart 8/9/2011 2:27:00 PM
well, this stuff stinks. i have got used to and kind of enjoy the smell now though. to me it smells like burnt rubber. i get my neem from garden of wisdom, its cheap and you can be sure its cold pressed and doesnt have any extra ingredients. i mix a drop of this with jojoba oil and use it to moisturise my whole face, including my eye area. if i have any pimples it really helps to heal them up faster, plus it gives my face a nice "glow". if i only use jojoba, the glow isnt there, so i know its caused by the neem. this is one of the few oils i can use that doesnt give me acne or clogged pores. its really stinky, but i dont give an eff, having nice skin is more important to me than how i smell, and the smell goes after about 20minutes anyway.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - Haute & Naughty Lash
wiresinhisheart 4/12/2011 2:57:00 PM
i got this mascara for free when i purchased a lipstick from the mac uk website. i have tried a couple of mac mascaras before and hated them, they flaked and didnt do much for my lashes at all. i am in love with this mascara though - i apply the "naughty"/purple lid and i can go without wearing any eyeliner or anything else on my eyes, it gives that much definition/length/craziness to my lashes - even my brother, who doesnt notice anything, mentioned that my eyelashes looked longer than usual. i like this even better than diorshow, which i have used and loved for years :) when i get through this tube, i will probably repurchase. hopefully mac wont discontinue this mascara - its the best one theyve got.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Corrector
wiresinhisheart 3/6/2011 9:53:00 PM
at first, i thought i liked this. it blended in with my skin and made my dark circles disappear... and then... i spent the day shopping and didnt even think about looking at myself in a mirror until i got home, and what a sight it was. the corrector that had matched perfectly with my skin was now very shiny, a couple of shades lighter than my skin and had almost congealed around my eye area (not like eye bogies, this was around my dark circles and not close to my waterline), it looked disgusting to be honest, shiny and gloopy and horrible and i will not reuse this again. i dont like the pot either, it gets messy very easily.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - Bee Mine - Purity Rhassoul Clay Clarifying Bar
wiresinhisheart 3/2/2011 2:21:00 PM
i really love this bar, it has a nice creamy lather and leaves my hair feeling clean but not stripped or dry like even sulfate-free shampoos can. i rub it directly on my head and then work it into my scalp with my fingers. it smells a little bit like washing powder, with a faint herbal smell to me, but the scent didnt last on my hair. i cut the bar up into thirds so it lasts for ages and really makes it worth the £10 inc p&p that i paid for it.
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Moisturizers -Garden of Wisdom - Kukui Oil
wiresinhisheart 3/2/2011 1:56:00 PM
i really like kukui nut oil. it is one of the few oils i can use on my skin without breaking out or ending up with clogged pores or multiple cysts. it sinks right into my skin and leaves my face feeling soft. edit: ultimately, this just wasnt moisturising enough and i have switched to using a couple of drops of jojoba mixed with neem oil, but besides that, i still think this is a good oil for clog prone skin.
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Toners -Unlisted Brand - Drugstore Rose water
wiresinhisheart 3/2/2011 1:46:00 PM
i really like rose water. i buy a litre bottle from an online store and then put around 250ml in a bottle, freeze the litre bottle and decant from the 250ml bottle. i use it as a toner twice a day and also to moisten my face inbetween my retin a/vit c serum/oil applications. i find it cooling and very soothing, it doesnt irritate my skin at all. it can also be good for using in facemasks and henna instead of water, but i havent tried either of those uses yet.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Fluidline Eye-Liner Gel in Blacktrack
wiresinhisheart 3/2/2011 1:33:00 PM
such a good eyeliner. ive had my pot for at least two years and it hasnt dried out. this stays on my sometimes oily lids all day without smudging, its brilliant. i have never used this on my lower lids, so i cant say how it would last on them. i apply with a mac 311 brush as i find it much easier to use than an angled brush, and i get a really nice smooth application.
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Treatments -Garden of Wisdom - Manuka Oil
wiresinhisheart 3/2/2011 1:29:00 PM
i use this at times when i cant use manuka honey on my skin (when im going out somewhere for example). i prefer using manuka honey in general as this can be a bit drying sometimes, but it does the same job as manuka honey - reduces redness and swelling, brings pimples to a head and helps to heal them too.
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