Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Hand & Body Lotion Extra Dry 
zanderae 3/25/2013 6:05:00 PM
I have super-dry, super-scaly skin everywhere except on my face, which is a little oily in spots. This moisturizes my skin very well for 24 hours but the scent is a little much for me; I like other lotions in the Dial line, and I prefer them because this one's fragrance is not for me.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Colossal
zanderae 3/25/2013 6:01:00 PM
First off, they make this in brown. So that's a plus for me. Brown mascara is not real easy to find in drugstores, which is where I get the little makeup I wear. I like a minimalist look so, even though I used to wear black mascara, these days I go for brown or black/brown. The brush is easy to use and the product doesn't seem to flake or clump on me. I do agree with other reviewers in that it has an off-putting smell; I used Great Lash for years and I don't remember it having any kind of odor, but this does. (And I smoke off-and-on, so let's just say my sense of smell is not real keen, but I did notice the odor and I was kinda taken aback by that.) I would buy this again but what I have will last a good while so I wouldn't buy it soon.
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Gels/Soaps -Olay - Body Age Defying Bar
zanderae 3/6/2013 9:52:00 PM
When I was in my thirties I still had oily skin on my face. If this Olay Age Defying bar had been available then, it would have been my HG. But I'm twenty years older now and I find this bar to be incredibly drying - I mean taut, uncomfortable-face-type of drying. In fact, all of the Olay bars do this for me now; I was all excited about the mandarin one from a couple years ago (the scent was just wonderful) but it had the same effect on me. So if you have oily or maybe combo skin, the Age Defying bar might serve you well, but if you're more on the mature/dry side, Dove bar soap whips this stuff around the block.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Rebelle EDP by Rihanna
zanderae 3/1/2013 8:22:00 PM
This is what I WANTED "Queen" by Queen Latifah to be, primarily because I love Queen L and am no fan of Rihanna. It's a very unique fragrance: on me it's strongly fruity/pineapple at first but calms down to very slight patchouli with vanilla, slight sandalwood, delicious coffee, and various gourmand notes that blend together to form a soothing, sexy-but-not-too-loud mixture of enticement. *Very* sensuous: if you put it on lightly, in time for the drydown to unfold, it would be suitable for work, but frankly I'd save it for non-work occasions. The bottle is thoroughly gaudy and horrifying but I don't generally care about packaging (that being said, it IS tacky - I mean, really). However, they could put this stuff in a Mason jar with a spritzer top and I'd buy it because it's Just. That. Good. Currently in my top five rotation of fragrances. As is usually the case with me, I'm late to the party; Rebelle is being removed from some stores (Belk, at least, in the Southern US), so if you try this and are into it you might think about stocking up.
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Moisturizers -Burt's Bees - Intense Hydration Night Cream with Clary Sage
zanderae 1/13/2013 7:23:00 PM
I'm really kind of surprised that I even bought this. I recall all too well Charles Revson's (Revlon's founder) comment about "hope in a jar," and I've told myself for years that I'm just gonna age gracefully; on top of that, I think Burt's Bees products are all too often cutesy, overpriced, and overhyped. BUT. I did buy this because there was a deal on it at RiteAid and I just can't resist a good bargain. And whaddya know? The cream is light without greasiness and the fragrance is lovely. I have crow's feet on the side of my eyes and some rather deep lines on my forehead; I don't know whether use of this cream on those areas has actually made me look better - I think it has - but whether I'm deluded or not, I'm going with the "hope in a jar" on this one. I have repurchased and will continue to do so. I use it as a night cream and a day cream because it's not too heavy. Burt, well done: I give you credit for a great cream.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Gold Bond - Sheer Ribbons Body Lotion
zanderae 11/26/2012 6:45:00 PM
First time I saw this I thought, "Lotion in a can. How quaint." I had a coupon and there was a sale on it so I bought the Pearl Radiance version, thinking I'd just try it and it would be a gimmick and it'd be too pearlescent for me - but a fun idea. Well, I was wrong on all counts except for it being a fun idea; this stuff is very, very moisturizing and works as well as any other lotion I have. I have both formulations of this and prefer the Pearl Radiance because it has less of a floral scent, but if you're looking for pearlescence and/or radiance you might look elsewhere; there's a little shimmer to this product, but really not much and that suits me just fine. Would repurchase, have repurchased, will continue to repurchase - but not for full price.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -John Frieda - Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturizing Shampoo
zanderae 11/26/2012 6:21:00 PM
This shampoo smells superb. I wouldn't call it especially moisturizing, but it does seem to add some shine to my hair. The sole reason I would repurchase (and have done so) is because it lathers up beautifully and its scent complements several fragrances I use. Since I rotate between several shampoos I can't speak to whether long-term use yields more moisturization, but I doubt it (and in any event the conditioner is pretty sad, IMO).
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Conditioner -John Frieda - Brilliant Brunette Light Reflecting Conditioner
zanderae 11/26/2012 6:14:00 PM
I LOVE the Brilliant Brunette shampoo, but as for the conditioner, well....let's just say I couldn't get a comb through my hair after using it. And it seems to me that's one of the things a conditioner is FOR - especially one that costs as much as this. On the plus side, the scent is pleasant (although not as good as the shampoo's, for whatever reason). Some of the V05 conditioners work light-years better than this, and they're a fraction of the cost. Would not repurchase.
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Treatments -Garnier - Sleek and Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment
zanderae 11/26/2012 6:08:00 PM
My hair is halfway down my back, having not been cut in three years. I've got a lot of hair, but it's fine in texture. I have something of a dry/split end problem; yeah, I could use a trim, but that hasn't happened yet (and I HATE the whole haircut experience), so when I saw this at Rite Aid I figured I'd try it, just to see if it would tame the dry ends a bit. And, boy, DOES IT EVER. I was absolutely amazed. I use a quarter-sized dollop of it and work it through my damp hair after washing. I air-dry my hair and it ends up sleek and healthy-looking. I used to have oily hair (not so much now that I've aged some) and even two days later my hair looks just as good as it did the first day, with no oil slick at the roots. I've waited a long time for something affordable which would serve me half as well as this stuff, and now that I've found something better than I expected I will buy it as long as they make it. Complete HG!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - Vanilla Musk
zanderae 11/26/2012 5:54:00 PM
As others have noted, the initial blast of this is off-putting. I think it's a little heavy on the alcohol. So my way around this is to spray one spritz on myself 20 minutes before I leave for wherever I'm going, and by the time I get there I smell just wonderful. One spritz is all it takes. There's just the right mix of vanilla and sandalwood in this fragrance; I don't consider it especially musky, actually - I do like musk, but this is more sandalwood, at least on me. I love it and wish that some of my other, more expensive, fragrances would suit me half as well as this, but I take the small victories where I can get 'em. Five stars all the way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Garnier - Intense Leave-In Smoothing Cream
zanderae 7/14/2012 7:03:00 PM
If you live in an area with low humidity, this product will rock your world. If you don't, simply stated, it won't. My hair situation background: long hair to between shoulderblades, uncut in 2-1/2+ years, fine and straight, some damage on ends but not too bad. I use Rogaine and the "hair/skin/nails" vitamin supplement from Nature's Bounty, which have helped my hair immensely. I picked up a bottle of Garnier's cream while I was on vacation in the drought-stricken, super-hot and unusually-non-humid Midwest. It worked like a charm: smoothed my hair, made it look super-soft, conditioned it well, completely met the "fight frizz for 48 hours" claim on the bottle. I was thrilled. But then I came home to the Deep South, where extreme humidity is a way of life. And, alas, this cream doesn't cut it. I have to go back to either Clairol LTR Leave-in or the less-effective Infusium leave-in. Too bad, so sad for me, but if you live in a dry clime this stuff is fabulous. (I'm no fan of the fragrance but the cream more than does the job....in dry conditions.) So 3 lippies overall cuz it ain't Garnier's fault that I live in a swamp.....
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Powder -New York Color - Loose Face Powder - Translucent
zanderae 5/5/2012 5:58:00 PM
I'm gettin' up there in years but I still have oily skin. On top of that, I live in the heart of the humid Southern US, so my face has, shall we say, quite a glow in the spring/summer/early fall months. This powder does an excellent job of cutting down the shine, wears well, and doesn't cling to or accentuate my wrinkles as mineral foundation can. In fact, it camouflages my rather light (ahem) wrinkles very well. And it's cheap enough that I can keep one at home, one at work, one in a travel bag (securely sealed with rubber bands - because, as others have noted, the packaging leaves something to be desired), and one at any other place I might need a touch-up. Goes on beautifully with a big fluffy brush and doesn't have an annoying fragrance. Solid gold HG!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Alba Botanica - Coconut Cream Lip Balm
zanderae 4/7/2012 9:06:00 PM
I didn't expect to like this as much as I do. I use it as an overnight lip treatment and although the product in the tube gets mushy and is rather more difficult to apply evenly than I'd like (which is annoying), it smells great, tastes great, and leaves my lips super-soft and smooth with no drying or caking. I do love to buy lip balms but this one is just about the end of my road. Vegetarian product with no animal testing, reasonably priced. Superb. My HG.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -mark - Sophistique
zanderae 2/14/2012 7:17:00 PM
Oh, my. This fragrance is very, very well done. I think it's Avon/mark's answer to Estee Lauder's Sensuous - and a very good answer it is, too. If you like a woodsy fragrance with a bit of spice, this one is for you. Sensuous is one of my favorites, and Sophistique reminds me of Sensuous...but a little sweeter and possibly deeper with just one shade more intrigue...and also reminds me of Avon's "vintage" fragrance Instinct, and slightly of Burberry Brit as well, with maybe a whiff of Fire & Ice/VS Amber Romance in there for kicks. It's slightly rich, but not one of those CK-type of "rich" fragrances that needs a very light hand. Not to say one should go overboard, but it's not a room-clearer like some of my fave CKs are if overapplied! Superbly done; I'm going to Avon's website right now to order at least two more bottles, because (of course) since I like it they're discontinuing it. Until I tried Sophistique I would have said that Mirada was the best effort Avon had made in recent years; I still like, and wear, Mirada very much, but this takes the prize for Best in Show. Boo, boo, boo on Avon for discontinuing it!
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Treatments -Clairol - Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave-In
zanderae 2/13/2012 7:46:00 PM
Dear Clairol: This is your last chance. You discontinued Renewal 5X leave-in, which I loved; you discontinued Herbal Essences Citrus Lift Detangling Spray, which I loved; you discontinued Herbal Essences Break's Over Shampoo, which I grew to REALLY love. All of those worked beautifully and made my long, fine, straight hair look and feel silky, healthy, and soft. I have found no acceptable alternative to any of these which fits my budget. Long Term Relationship Leave-in is a fair substitute for Renewal 5X; it can be a little waxy, and if I get just the right amount on my air-dried hair it will look reasonably good, but I can't use it every day because it's kinda heavy. Nonetheless, I do like it. Therefore, I warn you: if you discontinue this, I am done with you - period, end of sentence, DONE. WITH. YOU. Govern yourself accordingly. Yours, etc., Z
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