Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - LOLLIA Believe Hand Cream
zhenya 4/16/2009 9:44:00 PM
The scent of this hand cream is really lovely, but it's so incredibly light that I wonder why it's marketed as something for the hands. It has a really thin consistency and is only negligibly moisturizing. I wash my hands in hot hot water, and do so frequently, so I suffer from chronically dry hands. This "cream" does next to nothing to help moisturize them -- only minutes after applying, my hands will feel tight and dry again. To my nose, the predominant scent is rose, with some light citrus and even fainter apple in the background. I really enjoy the scent, but wouldn't recommend the hand cream.
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Brows -Clinique - Brow Shaper
zhenya 4/12/2009 7:53:00 PM
I've been using a random brown eyeshadow to fill in my brows for a few years, but sometimes the color seemed a bit too warm, so I decided to give this a whirl. I bought Charcoaled, which is a cool gray-brown that matches my almost black brows really well. I use an old MAC 266 angle brush, because the brush included in the case is serviceable but a little clunky for my needs. The coverage is sheer but buildable, so this should never give you harsh dark brows. I still use a pencil to fill in the sparsest areas that need the most coverage, but this is great for everything else.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Herve Leger
zhenya 4/12/2009 7:44:00 PM
I should probably rate this lower because the lasting power is really bad, but I can't help but love this scent. To be fair, nearly all perfumes fade quickly on me, and this EDP isn't strong to begin with (wears more like a EDT), so I can easily use multiple spritzes. But even with a generous application layered with the perfumed lotion, the scent fades within an hour or two, and at the end of the day, it's completely undetectable. It's too bad, because the scent is absolutely gorgeous. I'm terrible at describing scents, so I'll leave that to the many perfumistas of MUA, but this is really feminine and lovely. I just wish it lasted longer!
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Fragrances -Burberry - Burberry Classic EDP
zhenya 4/5/2009 8:52:00 PM
My favorite of all the Burberry fragrances. For me and my unrefined nose, it's a little hard to pick out the individual notes, but overall, it smells fresh and pretty. It's very light, so it would make a great year-round daytime fragrance. Sadly, the lasting power on my dryish skin is not very good (but all perfumes are fleeting with my chemistry). It might not be super unique, but it's really lovely. I've only had my bottle (full size, 3.3oz) since last summer, and it's already 1/3 gone. I'll definitely keep this in my scent collection.
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Fragrances -Moschino - Couture!
zhenya 4/2/2009 8:06:00 PM
I picked this up on a whim, since I'd never tried a Moschino scent, and Couture is priced so inexpensively on several perfume e-tailer sites. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I do! It's sweet and peppery and the teensiest bit woodsy. At least on me, it doesn't smell much like cola at all. The sillage and staying power is pretty impressive, which may or may not be a good thing. Most perfumes fade on me before I've even had my morning coffee, but this one truly lasts. One light spritz will last you all day, and may even be too much for people whose skin holds scents better.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Jane Iredale - Pure Pressed Base
zhenya 3/15/2009 6:28:00 PM
I've been using this for about a week now, and I'm pretty happy with it. The finish is very matte (I'd actually prefer a little more dimension), the coverage is impressive (only a few sweeps will cover a LOT), and the SPF is an added bonus. I'm an NC20/Stila 20-30 watts, and the Warm Silk shade is a decent but not perfect match. (I think it might be the tiniest bit too dark or too warm, because it can look mask-like when I'm heavy-handed.) The coverage is better than Stila's powder foundation, though I prefer the finish of Stila. It comes in a mirrored gold metal case with a thin velvety pouf. I wish refills were sold separately, but so far, they're not :( The price is a little steep, but I think this will last a pretty long time.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Bobbi Brown - Tweezers
zhenya 2/15/2009 8:07:00 PM
I've owned at least 4 pairs of Tweezerman point tip tweezers. A few were confiscated by airport security, and most recently, the housekeeping staff at my hotel knocked my tweezers point-first onto the floor, which made them unusable, now that they're hopelessly bent out of shape. I probably would have repurchased Tweezerman yet again, but I just happened to be at the mall a couple days later, so I decided to pick up the BB tweezers on a whim. And WOW, am I impressed. These are SO much nicer than Tweezerman. They're incredibly precise, and even though they're sharp, they don't have the tendency to break off my eyebrow hairs like my Tweezerman sometimes did. I'll never go back to Tweezerman after this -- at $30, Rubis is definitely worth the extra $10!
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Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Herve Leger Perfumed Body Lotion
zhenya 2/8/2009 2:20:00 PM
I wouldn't have paid full price ($42 for 6.8 oz), but I had a gift card and wanted to try a new scent. It's a very, very light lotion that is only a teensy bit moisturizing -- if you're looking for a solution for dry skin, this isn't your answer. The scent, which is amazing, starts off strong but fades very quickly. I'd recommend this if you're obsessed with the perfume, and or if you want to use the lotion to layer the scent, but otherwise, I'd skip it. Not a bad product, but not for me. I'll definitely pick up the full size bottle of the perfume in the future, though.
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Lip Treatments -Weleda - Everon lip balm
zhenya 2/8/2009 2:06:00 PM
What more could I ask for? It's cheap ($5 for a hefty tube), works fantastically, lasts long, and has a pleasant but very subtle scent. It's a light yellowish color in the tube, but goes on colorless, without even much of a sheen. I love the packaging, which is similar to the Labello or Nivea lip balms (it's packaged more like a lipstick than the typical cheap tubes with the hole in the middle). I'll definitely repurchase.
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Treatments -Obagi - Blender
zhenya 12/28/2008 5:54:00 PM
I decided to try Obagi because I've recently developed a couple melasma splotches :( One spot was close to my temple, and another was along my jawline. Both were very light -- hardly noticeable, except to a skincare devotee like me. I've been using Blender for 2 weeks now, and I've definitely noticed some fading, maybe by 50%. I mix a pea-sized dot of Blender with the same amount of .1% tretinoin at night, and apply a little bit of Blender in the morning. I did wake up to a peeling, flaky face in the beginning, despite the fact that I've been using tretinoin for quite some time. Blender's active ingredient is hydroquinone, which is a tyrosinase inhibitor that inhibits the conversion of dopa to melanin. Less melanin = less hyperpigmentation. NuDerm Clear is nearly identical to Blender (both contain 4% hydroquinone), and I didn't see the point of picking up any of the other NuDerm products, because to my knowledge, they don't contain any active ingredients for hyperpigmentation (i.e. kojic acid, azelaic acid, etc). I'll update when I finish the bottle.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Topix Glycolix Elite Treatment Pads 20%
zhenya 12/26/2008 8:03:00 PM
Don't get me wrong -- this is a very decent product, just wrong for my skin. Unless you've been using strong glycolic acid products, I'd suggest trying the 10% or 15% version first. It runs about $23 for a jar of 60 pads. I figured that if it didn't work on my face, I could use it on my arms (for keratosis pilaris). I was right -- it's way too harsh for my face. I thought I could tolerate it, since I don't have sensitive skin, and I've used MaMa without problem...but the 20% glycolic acid was too much for me. I turned lobster red after swiping my face and had to run to the sink to rinse it off. But, I've been using strong retinoids, so my skin is a lot more sensitive and dryer than it would be otherwise. I do suspect that this would work wonderfully on hardier skin types. I haven't yet tried using it on my arms (I'm too lazy to even use my Glytone lotion regularly, let alone treatment pads) but I'll be sure to update if I see any results with my KP.
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Other -Unlisted Brand - Listerine Vibrant White Pre-Brushing Rinse
zhenya 12/26/2008 7:32:00 PM
Not cheap (about $6.50 for 16oz),but it's effective. I've been trying to whiten my badly coffee-stained teeth, and this happened to be the first whitening product I tried. By the time I was done with my first bottle, my teeth didn't look much whiter, but some of the visible stains had noticeably lightened. I've since incorporated several other whitening products that were much more effective at whitening, but this is a great addition to your lineup to maintain any hard-fought whitening results. I've also tried the Crest Whitening Rinse, and they're pretty comparable - I buy whichever I can find on sale. The only real complaint I have is that because the bottle is so large, it's noticeably less effective (much less fizzing) when I reach the bottom, because a lot of the hydrogen peroxide has oxidized by that point.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Kevyn Aucoin - Eyelash Curler
zhenya 12/19/2008 12:23:00 AM
I was actually happy with my ancient Shu curler, but the pads had long since worn out, and the Shiseido replacement pads weren't such a great fit, no matter what everyone else says. After struggling for the better part of a year with the ill-fitting Shiseido pads, I reluctantly decided I needed another curler. I was *this close* to buying another Shu, but then I read about how they had been redesigned...and in my view, for the worse. The Shu no longer fits my eye shape -- it seems better suited for almond eyes. Fortunately, the KA curler fits my non-almond eye shape remarkably well. It opens wide, so it's easy to position it on your eyelid to make sure every last lash gets curled. The only downside is that the KA curler doesn't come with replacement pads, nor are they sold separately. I think that's really wasteful and a lousy gimmick to make people repurchase the entire curler (same deal with KA's non-refillable automatic brow pencil). I'm knocking off a lippie for that alone, but otherwise, it's a really solid curler.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Colossal
zhenya 12/16/2008 4:25:00 PM
I was already a big fan of Volum Express, but Colossal is even better! I use Glam Black, which I believe is the darker of the two shades. At any rate, it's a very dark true black. It's definitely more volumizing than regular Volum Express or Turbo, but it's still not as dramatic as, say, CG Lash Blast. It's thin enough that I can apply several coats without much clumping, though sometimes I do have to pinch off tiny clumps from the tips. I apply this over a coat of Shiseido Mascara Base, so I can't comment on how well it holds a curl. I don't really know what the oversized brush is supposed to do -- it doesn't seem to work better than your standard mascara brush -- but I don't really mind it. My only complaint is the strong scent -- kind of like chemically flowers. But I don't notice it for very long, so no biggie. I still think Lash Blast is the best mascara I've tried to date, but this is a great mascara for daytime. Best of all, drugstores often have BOGOF Maybelline sales, so I've already stocked up!
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Moisturizers -Nuxe - Creme Fraiche Concentree de Beaute Suractivee (for dry and very dry skin)
zhenya 12/16/2008 4:11:00 PM
My skin has been super dehydrated as of late, so much so that standard moisturizers (like my Eucerin Q10) weren't cutting it. I decided to give Nuxe a whirl on a whim, and I'm glad I did. This is a pale, thick white cream that's somewhat heavily scented due to the essential oils. It has a very rich texture, but it sinks into my skin after a few minutes and doesn't feel greasy. If used sparingly, it's suitable to wear under makeup, and it's a great night cream. I'm not sure if this would be great for sensitive skin, though -- I noticed that my retinoid-irritated skin stung a tiny bit when I applied this cream. The jar is fairly large at 2.1oz, but I don't think it's worth the $41 U.S. retail price. However, if you can get it with a discount, it's a good deal.
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