curlysue10
Member Since: November 5, 2008Reviews
Clarins Water Lip Stain
I am seriously in LOVE with this product. I don't think I have tried anything from Clarins before but considering how great this is, I am going to have to investigate their full line of products. I am going to quote from the promotional material... +
I am seriously in LOVE with this product. I don't think I have tried anything from Clarins before but considering how great this is, I am going to have to investigate their full line of products. I am going to quote from the promotional material here because it says it all:
"A formula rich in active plant ingredients and an ultra-sensory lip tint delivers customizable and long-wearing colour, for a kiss-proof matte finish and a barely-there feel"
Cue 100 emoji. Seriously. Everything it says there is 100% accurate. It certainly is "ultra-sensory" - it smells and tastes like a jolly rancher. It is customizable in the sense that you can layer the product to create a richer deeper colour (more on this in a moment). It is long wearing, no doubt about this (again more on this later) and finally, barely there is an understatement. I have never - EVER - worn a lip product that I forgot I was wearing. This lip stain truly feels like having NOTHING on your lips. Even if the rest of the claims weren't true (which I assure you, they are), it would be worth it for me just based on this.
The texture of the lip stain is just slightly thicker than water. The one and only thing I don't love about it is the brush. It is like a nail polish bottle with a nail polish brush and I found this a little bit tricky for application. It is slightly forgiving in that if you go "out of the lines" you can quickly wipe it away before it dries (or I used a micellar water on a q-tip after it dried) but I would rather have a brush that allows for more precision so I don't have to worry about this in the first place.
One coat gives you the kind of look that feels like perfectly blotted lipstick, but it stays looking like that for hours. The colour I got is "Violet Water" and it is a great berry colour on my olive/neutral skin tone. Think grape popsicle here. With more than one coat you can build the colour up so that it looks like a deeper, richer, more opaque stain while still being matte.
If you have ever tried LipSense products you will have a feel for what I mean here. I found that if you allowed each layer to dry before applying the next, the colour payoff lasted longer. Also, the first time I applied it I did so to only my bottom lip and pressed my lips together. This worked and gave me a nice mild tint, but I found that when I applied a layer to each lip separately and allowed it to dry before pressing my lips together, again the colour payoff lasted longer.
I wanted to see how long the product would last without having to reapply and my best estimate is around four hours. I found that eating does diminish the colour ever so slightly (especially greasy foods) and talking a lot does as well. I applied lip balm and gloss over it a couple of times and was pleasantly surprised to find that this actually extended the wear instead of breaking the colour down.
I am over the moon about this product and not only want to repurchase it but want to look for the other colours as well. I would absolutely recommend it to a friend. Any lip colour lover will love this product!
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Bourjois Twist Up The Volume Mascara 24HR
This mascara features a twistable brush that allows you to customize it either for thickening or lengthening. What a unique idea, I honestly can't believe no one has ever thought of this before! I generally gravitate towards thickening mascaras... +
This mascara features a twistable brush that allows you to customize it either for thickening or lengthening. What a unique idea, I honestly can't believe no one has ever thought of this before!
I generally gravitate towards thickening mascaras. For reference my two loves are (drugstore) CoverGirl LashBlash and (luxury) Benefit's They're Real Mascara.
I like this mascara but I don't love it. After playing with it for a few days, trying a few different looks, I found the process that works best for my needs. Instead of just using the thickening or lengthening brush on their own, I found that starting out with the thickening brush to coat my lashes, followed by the lengthening brush to separate them worked the best.
I did find that it flaked ever so slightly as the day went on, but not horribly. I tend to like mascaras after they have been exposed to air for a couple of weeks and have thickened a bit (just me?) so by that standard I have to wait and see if my love for this product grows. As of right now I find that it is a little sticky and wet, and my lashes clumped together a bit more than I like and am used to with my other two FAVE mascaras.
I will certainly continue to use this mascara and would consider repurchasing. I would recommend it to a friend to try, simply for the unique experience of using the twist up brush.
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Vichy Pureté Thermale Perfecting Toner
I am a complete skin care junkie and use a number of products on my skin each day. For reference, I have slightly sensitive, slightly acne-prone skin. My skin care routine in the morning consists of a cleanser, serum, and lotion while in the... +
I am a complete skin care junkie and use a number of products on my skin each day. For reference, I have slightly sensitive, slightly acne-prone skin. My skin care routine in the morning consists of a cleanser, serum, and lotion while in the evening I use a micellar water to remove my make-up, followed by a cleanser, AHA product, serum, and lotion. In general I use Simple, Aveeno, Cetaphil, and Body Shop products on my face.
As I generally use a micellar water to remove my make-up on a daily basis I do not tend to use toner but for the sake of trying this product out I decided to forego this step to use toner after I cleansed instead.
I am very happy with this toner overall. A little goes a long way so the bottle will last for quite a while - great value! I love the mild, pleasant scent but can see how this may bother some. My skin felt clean and tingly after I used this, it did not sting at all. It felt really gentle which I appreciated (that horrible astringent stinging feeling is the reason I don't generally love toners). My favourite thing about this one is that I swiped it over my eyelids to get some of the residue left on my eyes from my mascara and it not only took it off but didn't sting at all! What a win!
I received this toner free to try from the Product Review Club. I would consider repurchasing and would definitely recommend it to a friend.
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Vichy Mineral 89 Skin Fortifying Daily Booster
I am a complete skin care junkie and use a number of products on my skin each day. For reference, I have slightly sensitive, slightly acne-prone skin. My skin care routine in the morning consists of a cleanser, serum, and lotion while in the... +
I am a complete skin care junkie and use a number of products on my skin each day. For reference, I have slightly sensitive, slightly acne-prone skin. My skin care routine in the morning consists of a cleanser, serum, and lotion while in the evening I use a micellar water to remove my make-up, followed by a cleanser, AHA product, serum, and lotion. In general I use Simple, Aveeno, Cetaphil, and Body Shop products on my face.
I was super excited to try this serum as part of the Product Review Club because I trust Vichy as skin care experts and I feel confident in the fact that they promote their products as being hypoallergenic and good for sensitive skin.
This serum did not disappoint. The gel like texture soaks into skin quickly and does not leave any sticky residue. When I first started using it I used it morning and night but did find that this was a bit too much for my skin (it initially caused a tiny bit of redness around already irritated parts of my skin) so I reduced it to only once a day, with my night time routine. I used it for several weeks straight and am pleased to say that I have been receiving compliments on how glowy, healthy and radiant my skin looks (not kidding, all of these words have been used). I don't think you can get any more definitive proof of the effectiveness of a product than this!
Super happy overall and would definitely repurchase and recommend to a friend.
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Schwarzkopf Hair Mascara - Dark Brown
I have a handful of gray hairs at my temples which are particularly visible when I put my hair up. Of course they are wirey and prone to sticking up at odd angles so I have been using my brow gel on them for quite some time. That being said, after... +
I have a handful of gray hairs at my temples which are particularly visible when I put my hair up. Of course they are wirey and prone to sticking up at odd angles so I have been using my brow gel on them for quite some time. That being said, after using this hair mascara for several weeks, I prefer the results of my brow gel.
As other reviewers have commented application is a bit tedious. The size and shape of the brush do not really allow for you to target specific hairs. If you were doing an overall root touch up I suppose this would be preferable but for a few hairs here and there it isn't ideal. I found the bristles on the brush to be a bit too short to truly coat the hairs, causing you to have to go over them a few times.
The product does take a few moments to dry after application. The final result was a good colour match to my hair but it was lacking the hold that my brow gel provides (not that this product made that claim, but I am comparing it to what I had been using). Finally, the product says it will last until your next shampoo but I did not find this to be the case. I wash my hair every third day and was certainly reapplying this product every morning.
Overall I was not super impressed and would not repurchase. I received this product free to try from the Chickadvisor Product Review Club.
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Nude by Nature Flawless Brush
This brush is super fluffy and soft. It works as the perfect compliment to the nude by nature bronzer as it fits perfectly into the well of the container and doesn't pick up more product than you need. It is an absolutely perfect bronzer brush, I... +
This brush is super fluffy and soft. It works as the perfect compliment to the nude by nature bronzer as it fits perfectly into the well of the container and doesn't pick up more product than you need. It is an absolutely perfect bronzer brush, I would definitely recommend it. -
Nude by Nature Natural Glow Loose Bronzer
OMG. Like, seriously OMG. I cannot tell you how much I love this product. First off, the packaging is glorious. It is beautiful and thoughtfully crafted. There is a little well in the middle of the pot so you can get your brush in there without... +
OMG. Like, seriously OMG. I cannot tell you how much I love this product. First off, the packaging is glorious. It is beautiful and thoughtfully crafted. There is a little well in the middle of the pot so you can get your brush in there without losing any valuable product. Then there is a little mesh strainer thing that you can gently press on to get the product out of the canister and into the pot (I'm sure all of these things have proper names but I have no idea what they are...) again so you do not excessively waste product when you put your brush in there.
I will review Nude by Nature Flawless Brush separately but know that it is equally as incredible as the bronzer.
The bronzer applies smoothly, blends easily and provides an utterly flawless glow. I cannot sing its praises enough. I really cannot wait to try more products from this company because between the highlighter stick, brush and now the bronzer I am completely and utterly in LOVE.
HIGHLY recommend (in case I didn't make that clear HA!)
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Neutrogena Hydro Boost Multivitamin Booster
I am a total skin care junkie. As a result, I am rarely loyal to any particular brand or line of products because I love trying new things. It is difficult to assess to effectiveness of a skin care product without trying it for a few weeks to see... +
I am a total skin care junkie. As a result, I am rarely loyal to any particular brand or line of products because I love trying new things. It is difficult to assess to effectiveness of a skin care product without trying it for a few weeks to see longer term results. I will share my initial impressions about this serum though, and they are quite positive.
This is an incredible value for a serum! Luxe brand facial oils and serums can easily run you close to 100 bucks or more, so the fact that this one is a larger sized bottle for 25 bucks is incredible.
It claims to brighten your complexion and quench dry skin with powerhouse ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. I have sensitive, acne-prone skin so I am always wary of products that claim to quench my skin. Unlike many products aimed as moisturizing dry skin this seum is light and absorbs quickly. It has a mild, clean, fresh scent that does linger slightly after application. I was able to apply my moisturizer and makeup right away after using this with no problems.
I also tried it on the back of my hands. I have extremely dry eczema prone skin on the backs of my hands, particularly where my hands meet my wrists. The weather has been cool in the mornings here lately so my telltale dry patches have started to return. I wish I had taken before and after pictures to show you because this serum (applied after washing my hands to lock in the moisture from the water) smoothed my dry patches and soaked in immediately. Even after washing my hands again several times in the hours afterwards, my hands were still smooth. I cannot tell you how impressive this is! If it can do this for the rough skin on my hands, just think of how effective it would be on more delicate facial skin.
Overall I am extremely impressed with this product and look forward to seeing results with it over the long term.
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eos Organic Smooth Stick Lip Balm in Strawberry Sorbet
The original EOS eggs (is that what they're called?) are cute but the packaging always annoyed me. I didn't love the clunky, bulky egg shape because I am a lipbalm-aholic who likes to keep a balm in every conceiveable place -- in my desk drawer... +
The original EOS eggs (is that what they're called?) are cute but the packaging always annoyed me. I didn't love the clunky, bulky egg shape because I am a lipbalm-aholic who likes to keep a balm in every conceiveable place -- in my desk drawer, bedside table, in the car, in my purse ... you get the idea. I just did not find the egg shape to be convenient for this purpose.
That said, these lip balm sticks take the high quality and effective lipbalm and put it into a MUCH more convenient packaging. I like that it rolls up like a lipstick. And it smells delectable! This is a big thumbs up from me.
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Bobbi Brown Luxe Liquid Lip High Shine
I am obsessed with lip products. I seriously want to try any and every variation on a lipstick or gloss that exist. That said, my favourite style of lipstick is a cream matte formula, so take my review of this liquid lip shine with a bit of a... +
I am obsessed with lip products. I seriously want to try any and every variation on a lipstick or gloss that exist. That said, my favourite style of lipstick is a cream matte formula, so take my review of this liquid lip shine with a bit of a grain of salt.
First off I really love the packaging. It is sleek and has a nice weight, making it feel very luxe. I always think it is a bonus when your lip products look and feel beautiful when you pull them out of your purse. I received the colour "Camisole 4" to review for the Chickadvisor Showcase. It is a versatile and fairly neutral pinky brown colour, perfect for daytime.
The product goes on easily and feels like a thick lip gloss, without the stickiness. (If you've tried Fenty's Glossbomb, I would say it is a very similar texture). I love that it never did get sticky or gross on my lips. The colour is beautiful on and I think it would compliment a large number of skin tones as a "your lips but better" type look. On me it pulls slightly more pink than brown for your reference.
My only complaint about the product is it - as it claims - is very high shine. This comes down to personal preference and is not a reflection on the product itself. I simply prefer a more matte look.
Overall I think this is a extremely luxe product all around. It would be a bit of a splurge for most people at that price point but I think it is worth it for a high quality product.
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