bonniepang
Member Since: January 7, 2016Reviews
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
The hype is so real. So believe it. I've been using Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat for about 4-5 years now and I wouldn't know where I'd be without it. Not only does it dry your nails within a few minutes, it also adds this beautiful shiny gloss... +
The hype is so real. So believe it.
I've been using Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat for about 4-5 years now and I wouldn't know where I'd be without it. Not only does it dry your nails within a few minutes, it also adds this beautiful shiny gloss coating as well. I've had so many friends and strangers compliment my nails and ask where I got them done, only for me to tell them that I do my own nails. They always think that it's shellac or gel nails because of the added thickness and shine. I do find that within a week's time, the colour does dull down, but I don't find that an issue because it's easy to fix. I see way less chipping when I use Seche than when I do not. Usually the issue I'm faced with is grow out after 1-2 weeks, which is when I'll re-do my nails. Ever since I've started using it, I've purchased 2 full size bottles and 1 mini. Personally, I would say skip the mini (for those wanting to test it out) because the full size is not that much more $$, but you get way more product. As some have mentioned, the formula of Seche tends to harden or become thicker the more it is exposed to air (I think), which will generally become noticeable 1/2 through the bottle. I never got around to buying Seche Restore, so I have about 1/3 the bottle of the mini and 1/5 of the bottle of the full size left because both became unusable at that point. Nonetheless, it is totally worth it and I highly recommend. There is nothing else like it on the market that I've come across.
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Clarisonic Mia
I swear by the Clarisonic Mia and think that anyone suffering with skin issues should invest in a sonic cleansing system, whether it's the Clarisonic or FOREO Luna, etc. I especially recommend it for anyone who wears makeup. It really cleanses much... +
I swear by the Clarisonic Mia and think that anyone suffering with skin issues should invest in a sonic cleansing system, whether it's the Clarisonic or FOREO Luna, etc. I especially recommend it for anyone who wears makeup. It really cleanses much deeper than you normally can with just your hands. I've used mine every night for over 2 years now and still have not had any issues with the battery life. The Mia is automatically set for 1 minute and only has 1 speed setting. I charge it about once a month and purchase new brush heads every 4-6 months. I started out using the sensitive brush head, then switched over to the regular. I think after the first 6 months to a year was when I first started really noticing my face clearing up. In conjunction with my night time routine, I started to see less breakouts and smoother skin. I still don't have perfect skin, but it is definitely better than it was 2-3 years ago. -
Dove® Nutritive Solutions Colour Care Shampoo
Like many other Dove hair care products I've reviewed in the past, I do like em. But, do I think that they work exceptionally well for their individual, specified purposes? No. As I mentioned in my Dove® Nutritive Solutions Volume Boost Shampoo... +
Like many other Dove hair care products I've reviewed in the past, I do like em. But, do I think that they work exceptionally well for their individual, specified purposes? No. As I mentioned in my Dove® Nutritive Solutions Volume Boost Shampoo review, I think their claims are a little exaggerated and feel that all their shampoos work more or less the same. I have personally used this shampoo in the past when my hair was colour treated, and now I watch my mom use it. She dyes her own hair every few months with professional products (Wella). Within a month's time, I can see the colour fade and it's no longer as vibrant. Unfortunately, it doesn't retain colour like some of the higher end brands from the drugstore. It's not a problem for her because she likes the smell, the way it makes her hair feel, and the value of the product, and because she dyes her own hair, but if you're seriously looking for a product line for colour treated hair, I likely wouldn't consider or recommend this line. -
Dove® Nutritive Solutions Cool Moisture Conditioner
This Dove Cool Moisture Conditioner was the first Dove product I ever tried and what converted me to their product line. I remember the first time I tried it and felt like my long, damaged hair never felt better. After using it, it was so soft and... +
This Dove Cool Moisture Conditioner was the first Dove product I ever tried and what converted me to their product line. I remember the first time I tried it and felt like my long, damaged hair never felt better. After using it, it was so soft and smooth, I couldn't stop touching it. If you really want to test out a conditioner, try not conditioning your hair for a week or two. There really isn't much more to say other than it works great as a conditioner. A small amount goes a long way. Also, I tend to only use it on the lower half of my hair. As with all Dove products, it smells great and relatively inexpensive. Solid product, and I highly recommend. -
TRESemmé® Keratin Smooth System Heat Activated Treatment
First and foremost, I've always loved TRESemmé's Heat Tamer Spray, so I had high expectations when using the TRESemmé Keratin Smooth System Heat Activated Treatment. Now, this product claims to transform unruly hair into salon-smooth hair that... +
First and foremost, I've always loved TRESemmé's Heat Tamer Spray, so I had high expectations when using the TRESemmé Keratin Smooth System Heat Activated Treatment. Now, this product claims to transform unruly hair into salon-smooth hair that even lasts for one week or up to 3 washes. The directions are to first wash with their shampoo and conditioner (note: I do not use the first 2 steps of TRESemme's 3 step system), apply approx. 8-10 pumps, blow dry, and flat iron. In my opinion, I think that applying 8-10 pumps is a little excessive as one bottle only comes with 88mL. Not only that, but it literally drowns your hair in product and weighs it down. Personally, I use 2-3 pumps, applying to the ends and working my way up. Right off the bat, I love the smell of this product. If their shampoo and conditioner smell like this, I would consider using it. The product isn't sticky. It applies like a leave-in conditioner. Next, I let my hair air dry to avoid any additional heat damage, but will regularly style my hair with a flat iron or curling wand the morning after. Naturally, my hair is thick and more or less "straight", but I'll still straighten it for that sleek straight appearance. It is coarse, but not frizzy. After straightening my hair, my hair is softer, smoother and shinier, but I say that with a bit of skepticism as I think it's hard to pinpoint specifically whether it made a difference in my opinion. Generally when I straighten my hair, I get softer, smoother hair anyways. For me, it's a bit hard to make a comparison because I recently cut off all my dead hair (over 10 inches). Overall, I would say, don't expect a miracle worker, but if you have frizzy, unruly, hair or damaged hair, you will likely see some sort of results after long term use. One bottle will likely last you up to one month with regular use, unfortunately, as a small amount of product does not go a long way. I would repurchase it in the future as I don't currently use any other heat treatment products, and because this stuff truly does smell amazing. -
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer
When I first bought this at Walmart, I wanted to like it so bad because I heard so much about it. Many people were comparing the consistency and coverage to the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Concealer. People were using it to conceal dark circles and... +
When I first bought this at Walmart, I wanted to like it so bad because I heard so much about it. Many people were comparing the consistency and coverage to the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Concealer. People were using it to conceal dark circles and hide blemishes. Below, I split up the review into the concealer and concealer pencil.
Heavy Duty Concealer
I wanted to like this concealer so bad that even after buying the wrong shade the first time and seeing how poor quality it was, I went back and bought a lighter shade, thinking I got a bad one the first time. What do I mean by a bad one? Well first and foremost, after twisting off the cap, you'll notice immediately that the formula of this concealer separates into pigment and water/oil. Seeing this just really makes me question the quality of the product and what I'm putting on my face. This doesn't just happen once, but rather whenever you let the product sit untouched for long periods of time. If you're able to get past that, then you're faced with the HORRENDOUS smell, and boy does it linger after applying. The combination of these two qualities make me believe that I'll break out from using it. As mentioned by many others, you really only need the smallest amount of product as it is highly pigmented. 1/10 of a pea size. One bottle could likely last you a life time. While it is full-coverage, I find that it extremely looks cakey! There is no way to blend this out to make it look natural, not with a beauty blender or brush or fingers. Though it's cheap, there really isn't any good way to use this product. It's too thick and cakey for under the eyes and only emphasizes the flakiness of blemishes. I've even tried to use it to outline my brows, but even then, I can't deal with the smell. Lastly, I believe there are only 3 shades. Overall, do not waste your money on this. Stay far, far away.
Concealer Pencil
It is not creamy, therefore hard to apply and blend. It provides lots of precision since it is a pencil, so you can outline your eyebrows, but I still wouldn't recommend.
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COLAB Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo in Rio Tropical
Over the past few years, I've tried many dry shampoos from the drugstore including Batiste (Original, Dark & Deep Brown, Blush Floral & Flirty, Tropical Coconut & Exotic), Dove, Herbal Essences, TRESemmé, etc. When I first received the travel sized... +
Over the past few years, I've tried many dry shampoos from the drugstore including Batiste (Original, Dark & Deep Brown, Blush Floral & Flirty, Tropical Coconut & Exotic), Dove, Herbal Essences, TRESemmé, etc. When I first received the travel sized aerosol of COLAB as part of my goodie bag at last year's ShopCrawl in Toronto, I decided to save it to take while travelling. In addition, at the time I was very brand loyal to Batiste for a number of reasons, specifically, it was (and still is) effective for it's price ($7), so I never got around to using COLAB. However, earlier this year when I unexpectedly crashed over at a friend's house, I woke up with pretty greasy hair and I had no way of effectively cleaning it. It was then I wish I had my travel sized companion. I started carrying it with me in my purse and first tested it out after work one day when I found my roots looking awfully oily. I was so blown away and impressed at not only how well it disguised my oily hair, but also gave me volume! This does spray out as a white powder, but I find it very easy to blend in to my black hair. Since then, I've used it a handful more times and still have some product left. I hate to say this, but I think this dry shampoo has officially replaced the #1 spot on my list of dry shampoos (sorry Batiste). I love everything about this dry shampoo, from the quality to the value to the effectiveness. (FYI, I have not tried the other aerosols in this product line yet, so I cannot comment about how well they work in comparison.)
While Batiste and COLAB are both competitively priced at the drugstore for $10-12, Batiste can be found regularly at most Winners/Home Sense/Marshall's for ($6.99). Occasionally, COLAB can be found on-sale for around $7.99 at the drugstore, which is when I would say to stock up! For the extra dollar, I think it's worth it.
Overall, I highly, highly recommend.
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Simple Kind to Skin Nourishing 24HR Day/Night Cream
I originally bought this because I ran out of my old night cream and this was on sale. It's the first Simple product I own so I didn't know what to expect, other than the fact that it should be "kind to the skin". While it didn't break me out, it... +
I originally bought this because I ran out of my old night cream and this was on sale. It's the first Simple product I own so I didn't know what to expect, other than the fact that it should be "kind to the skin". While it didn't break me out, it also seemed to be overly simple in the sense that it wasn't very moisturizing for a "24HR Day/Night Cream". Because I was looking to replace my night cream, this was not rich enough to leave my face plump and moisturized the morning after. I think it's great for daytime wear during the summer because of its non-greasy, lightweight formula, but as we're transitioning into cooler weather, I've noticed that this leaves my skin still feeling parched and even flaky in some areas under my makeup. -
Dove® Nutritive Solutions Volume Boost Shampoo
If you're looking for a miracle worker to achieve bigger, more voluminous hair, this isn't the product for you. While I do enjoy Dove products over many other brands at the drugstore, I think their claims are a little exaggerated and feel that their... +
If you're looking for a miracle worker to achieve bigger, more voluminous hair, this isn't the product for you. While I do enjoy Dove products over many other brands at the drugstore, I think their claims are a little exaggerated and feel that their shampoos work more or less the same. I have thick, medium length hair, and after using about half the bottle, I can't say I've noticed any long term results for volume (To avoid heat damage, I don't blow dry my hair, so maybe there's my problem). The length and weight of my hair tends to weigh it down, so I don't generally see much volume at the roots anyways. That said, I do like that it leaves my hair clean, nourished, and smelling great. Overall, I would repurchase in the future if I ran out of shampoo, but not specifically for its volume boosting claims. Perhaps it has better volume boosting results for people with short hair. -
Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Foundation Stick
I received this product on behalf of the ChickAdvisor Product Review Club in the shade 320 Bisque W as my FOUNDATION shade. For reference, I am ~NC25 in MAC foundations, and found this shade to be a good match. FIRST IMPRESSION: Generally, I have... +
I received this product on behalf of the ChickAdvisor Product Review Club in the shade 320 Bisque W as my FOUNDATION shade. For reference, I am ~NC25 in MAC foundations, and found this shade to be a good match.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
Generally, I have combination skin - I get oily in my t-zone throughout the day. But lately, as the weather has been cooling down and the air getting drier, my skin has been getting dry patches on my cheeks and forehead. On the first day of testing this product, I prepped my skin with La Roche-Posay's EFFACLAR Mat moisturizer with Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer. I applied this foundation on 1/2 my face and Maybelline's Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick on the second 1/2 for comparison. While they both glided on my face smoothly, Lancôme's had a more buttery texture. I blended both in with my Sigma F80 flat-top brush with ease. Compared to a beauty blender, the brush gave greater coverage (medium w/ brush, light w/ beauty blender), but because my skin was dry, the brush accentuated these dry patches on both sides. With Lancôme's foundation stick, coverage is definitely buildable, however be very cautious over dry patches and acne. I did not set my foundation this day. Within 3-4 hours, I noticed that my dry patches looked the slightest bit better (but still noticeable), and oil started to seep through on my t-zone, which is normal for me. My takeaways the first day were as follows: my product is definitely rich and creamy. It is very easy to apply and blend. It is extremely light-weight after applied (I don't generally rest my hand on my face when I have makeup on, but I caught myself doing so midway through the day). It is compact and easy to carry in your bag for touch ups, travelling, etc. It provided good coverage with a brush, however, emphasizes dry, flaky skin. It claims to leave the skin pore-free and their research results claim that women noticed it minimized their pores, but I did not notice this on myself. On the bright side, it did not sink into my pores either.
SECOND IMPRESSION:
After my experience on the first day, I decided to prep my skin better by exfoliating and hydrating my skin more. I used a moisturizing sheet mask and followed up with First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream the night before application. The morning of application, I used First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration followed with Smashbox's primer. I applied the Lancôme foundation all-over my face this time, blended it out with my Sigma F80 brush, followed by my beauty blender. I set my foundation with a powder this time. My takeaways the second day were as follows: the difference in the final result after properly prepping your skin is night and day. While I felt almost uncomfortable walking around the first day with dry, noticeably flaky skin on the first day, I loved how it looked on the second. I'm sure this foundation would look amazing on normal to oily skin types, especially during the summer months when there is more moisture in the air, or in climates that are more humid in general. Having set my foundation, I noticed it was longer lasting. I was able to lightly touch-up 3 hours after application and saw that about 6-7 hours after application, my foundation was still holding up strong. My blush and bronzer were still noticeable and it did not look like I needed another touch up.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
While this foundation definitely rivals some of the other top foundations in my collection, I still have mixed feelings. First and foremost, it does require a bit of skin prep beforehand to ensure that dry patches are not noticeable or emphasized. Second, the cost is competitive with other high-end foundations, but you sacrifice the amount of product for portability and convenience. While most of my foundations have a specific 'use' or occasion (ie: everyday foundation, special events, running errands, etc.), I'm still undecided with this foundation. It seems a bit over-the-top for everyday use (esp. on your wallet), but also doesn't give me full coverage like my go-to Estee Lauder foundation does (for Weddings, etc.). Overall, I do like the product itself and I would recommend it to those looking for a matte, light-weight, medium coverage foundation that is high-quality, portable, and easy to apply.
Coverage: Medium
Consistency: Powder-cream texture
Shades: 20 (According to Sephora.com)
Finish: Matte/Soft-matte
SPF: 21
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