torontogirl84
Member Since: July 22, 2010Reviews
MAC Cosmetics Eye Liner in Penultimate
Omigosh I really love this MAC Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack It has been a reoccurring staple in my makeup bag for the past year. I use this eyeliner only in conjunction with wearing false lashes. It's perfect for: (1) hiding any extra... +
Omigosh I really love this MAC Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack
It has been a reoccurring staple in my makeup bag for the past year.
I use this eyeliner only in conjunction with wearing false lashes. It's perfect for:
(1) hiding any extra lash glue when wearing false lashes
(2) lining any clear strips on the base of false lashes.
The felt tip of this liner is sharp enough to get in between the lashes to cover up any lash glue.
It's fast drying after application. I should note that one of these eye liners lasts me a good 3-4 months so the felt tip and liquid liner do not dry up as quickly as I had initially anticipated.
Even though it is a liquid eye liner from MAC, it is not like MAC's Liquidlast Liner at all - which is so gunky I got rid of it after a few uses
It's a nice intense black colour which I love (it's more intensely black than the Revlon Colourstay liquid eyeliner in black)
I don't see any setbacks to this eye liner. I really do love it and will continue to re-purchase it.
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HANA Shine Shield
The HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant contains silk proteins, botanicals, jojoba oil and vitamins to keep hair healthy and strong. And in case it matters to you where your beauty products are made (it kinda does for me!) it's made in Korea. I... +
The HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant contains silk proteins, botanicals, jojoba oil and vitamins to keep hair healthy and strong. And in case it matters to you where your beauty products are made (it kinda does for me!) it's made in Korea. I have found that Korea produces some great quality beauty products.
The HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant is a sheer serum that is a bit thin in consistency.
I wanted to note that I have used sooo many hair serums over the years: from cheaper ones like Garnier and John Frieda all the way to higher end ones like Sebastian Laminate Drops. I'm very particular with my leave-in protectants and know a great one right away. Before trying the HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant my favourite leave-in conditioner was Chi Silk Infusion
Now the problem I have had with Chi Silk Infusion is that it's very easy for me to go overboard and apply too much product. When I apply too much product, my hair looks very oily and greasy :S Also, since Chi Silk Infusion is thicker in consistency, it's not as easy to evenly distribute it over my hair. I honestly find that the HANA Shine Shield is a lot more forgiving if I go slightly overboard with applying too much product (especially if it's applied in damp hair). And the HANA Shine Shield is also easier for me to distribute it evenly over my hair, which is key when using a leave-in serum.
Another point I wanted to make was regarding the scent. A lot of people dislike the cologne-ish scent of Chi Silk Infusion. I personally don't mind the scent of Chi Silk Infusion, but if you fall into that category you should consider HANA Shine Shield since it has a lighter, clean smelling fragrance.
So for the reasons I have mentioned, I have been reaching for my HANA Shine Shield much more often than I reach for my old long-time favourite, Chi Silk Infusion
I really love the HANA Shine Shield Thermal Protectant and highly recommend it :)
Please feel free to see more pictures of my review on the HANA Shine Shield directly through my personal blog link here: http://karen-is-here.blogspot.com/2011/08/misikko-review-hana-shine-shield.html
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China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy Nail Polish
This colour is really bold and I love how it dries into a matte finish. It's absolutely gorgeous and I've gotten a number of compliments on my mani when I have this China Glaze colour on ;) Please feel free to check out pictures of my mani... +
This colour is really bold and I love how it dries into a matte finish. It's absolutely gorgeous and I've gotten a number of compliments on my mani when I have this China Glaze colour on ;)
Please feel free to check out pictures of my mani directly through my blog link at:
http://karen-is-here.blogspot.com/2011/04/notd-hit-with-guys-new-york.html
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Nexxus Therappe Shampoo
This Nexxus Therappe Luxurious Moisturizing shampoo is moisturizing yet it doesn't weigh down your hair like a lot of other moisturizing shampoos. With this Nexxus moisturizing shampoo you still get some volume in your hair. The scent is lovely... +
This Nexxus Therappe Luxurious Moisturizing shampoo is moisturizing yet it doesn't weigh down your hair like a lot of other moisturizing shampoos. With this Nexxus moisturizing shampoo you still get some volume in your hair.
The scent is lovely as well - my younger sister thinks it smells like bananas, while my boyfriend thinks it smells like almonds. Either case, all three of us (my sister, my bf, myself) love it!!
This is my first Nexxus product and I'm really happy with it. I can't wait to try out products in the rest of their haircare line.
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L'Oreal Superior Preference Les Noir Fatals Hair Colour in Deepest Indigo NF02
I coloured my hair a deep navy blue (Indigo) shade for the first time using L'oreal Superior Preference Hair Colour in Deepest Indigo. Judging from the colour chart, my "before" hair colour was the top shade of the three "natural hair... +
I coloured my hair a deep navy blue (Indigo) shade for the first time using L'oreal Superior Preference Hair Colour in Deepest Indigo.
Judging from the colour chart, my "before" hair colour was the top shade of the three "natural hair colour".
But the key here is not your actual current hair colour, it is your natural hair colour that determines the colour result. So my natural hair colour is be between the middle and bottom shades on the colour chart (I uploaded a picture of the colour chart)
This was my first time using hair colour from the L'oreal Superior Preference line.
I have used a number of shades from the L'oreal Feria line of hair colour, which I like very much.
I found the L'oreal Superior Preference to be similar to the L'oreal Feria line. What I like about both is that (well, at least I know this with Feria) is that if I stay within 3 shades of my hair colour, the colour results are accurate. There is also a lot of formula with each kit so I have no problem with one box of colour covering all of my long hair.
The main difference for me between the L'oreal Superior Preference and the L'oreal Feria hair colour is that Feria includes a capsule of scented oil to mix into your hair colouring formula so that the chemical smell is not so bad. But as long as you're in a well ventilated room (as anyone should be when colouring hair) the chemical smell of the L'oreal Superior Preference is manageable.
The colour results came out accurate.
The indigo shade within the black is barely noticeable. If I point it out to someone, then they may notice the cool indigo tinge within the black colour. Otherwise, most people would assume my hair is black.
It's a great colour if you want something a bit more playful than regular dark brown/black hair colour but still want to stay conservative (unless your natural hair colour is blonde in which case I'm sure the indigo will be more evident).
Personally I hope the shade lightens up in the next few weeks with my regular hair washes so that the indigo shade is more noticeable. But even if it doesn't, I would certainly repurchase this colour again.
If you'd like to view more pictures of this hair colour and to see my "before" and "after" results (since I can only upload three pictures for my review), please feel free to visit my direct blog link at: http://karen-is-here.blogspot.com/2011/08/loreal-superior-preference-hair-colour.html
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Sanctuary Spa Anti-Cellulite Treatment
My bf originally picked up this Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Professional Sculpting anti-cellulite treatment cream for me on our London trip when we went to Boots together. That was back in December and since then I have probably been through 4 or 5... +
My bf originally picked up this Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Professional Sculpting anti-cellulite treatment cream for me on our London trip when we went to Boots together.
That was back in December and since then I have probably been through 4 or 5 bottles!
I haven't seen this brand sold in Toronto or anywhere in the States during my travels.
So the main downfall is you would have to order this product online if you're in North America.
I had used it consistently nearly everyday after my shower
The directions say to use the treatment with The Sanctuary massager - there are a few on their website.
I don't have the massager so for the first few months I just used my hands to really work the cream into my skin.
However, I am extremely fortunate that my bf bought me the Clarisonic PLUS 3-Speed about two months ago. So that's my version of the recommended massager ;) I found it has really helped me with cellulite.
Anyways there is a convenient dispenser pump on the bottle. The pump doesn't have a twist lock on it but the clear cap fits well to cover it - making it great for travel. I find that a number of my products that have a pump dispenser do not have a twist lock on it, and if there is no cap to cover that kind of pump dispenser then I cannot travel with that product since it's bound to leak.
The consistency of the anti-cellulite treatment is like a lotion/gel (it is suppose to be a gel).
It is a bit sticky like many other various cellulite lotions and gels I have tried.
I really do like the fresh citrus scent of this product - you can definitely smell the grapefruit and mandarine notes.
Overall the Sanctuary Spa Sculpting Anti-Cellulite Treatment is one of my favourite anti-cellulite creams. I think it's a combination of the gel absorbing a bit better than most others, the fresh scent, that it does appear to minimize the appearance of cellulite and it leaves my skin smoother. Even my bf noted that my skin is smoother - he really seemed to be pleased with the results. That being said, it's absolutely not a miracle product. But for some reason out of the few other anti-cellulite creams I had in my stash over the past half year, I almost always reached for this one.
If you'd like to see more pictures of the product, please feel free to check out my review on my blog here at:
http://karen-is-here.blogspot.com/2011/08/sanctuary-spa-covent-garden-sculpting.html
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Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hands Stronger Nails Conditioning Lotion
I'm surprised with the moderately high reviews for the Vaseline Healthy Hand & Nail Lotion. I honestly do not like this hand lotion. It did nothing for me in terms of providing enough moisture. In fact, it was so poor for me as a hand cream... +
I'm surprised with the moderately high reviews for the Vaseline Healthy Hand & Nail Lotion.
I honestly do not like this hand lotion. It did nothing for me in terms of providing enough moisture.
In fact, it was so poor for me as a hand cream that I ended up using 80% of this bottle as a body lotion. And nowhere did it perform as well as my HG body moisturizer, Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
That says a lot since I always expect a hand cream to out perform a body lotion when it comes to moisturizing.
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L'Occitane Rose 4 Reines Velvet Hand Cream
When it comes to hand creams I expect it to be a great moisturizer on its own. I don't look at my hand creams the same way I look at scented body lotions because with scented body lotions, I already have my solution for getting the moisture I... +
When it comes to hand creams I expect it to be a great moisturizer on its own. I don't look at my hand creams the same way I look at scented body lotions because with scented body lotions, I already have my solution for getting the moisture I need (I mix the scented lotion with my HG body lotion). Plus, I realize that there isn't a scented body lotion that does nearly as good as a job as my HG body lotion.
But with hand creams, I'm not going to mix a scented hand cream with a moisturizing hand cream the way I do with body lotions - that's too tedious for a such a small area of skin like my hands. I have discovered my HG hand creams and even though I'm 100% cured of the eczema I had on a couple of my fingers for years, I don't experiment with hand creams at the moment unless I am given one (in this case, my bf bought me this L'Occitane Hand cream).
I don't recommend the L'Occitane Rose 4 Reines Velvet Hand Cream. It's not velvety at all in terms of texture - the consistency is very much like a thin lotion and it just doesn't deliver moisture. But the scent is very nice so if you like this rose scent I would suggest checking out their Rose 4 Reines Body Cream which is a lot thicker in consistency.
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L'Occitane Green Tea Body Milk
I really love this L'Occitane Green Tea Body Milk and I love it purely for it's scent. My boyfriend loves how it smells too and the scent lingers on my skin for some time after ;) My bf picked this body milk up for me at a L'Occitane... +
I really love this L'Occitane Green Tea Body Milk and I love it purely for it's scent.
My boyfriend loves how it smells too and the scent lingers on my skin for some time after ;)
My bf picked this body milk up for me at a L'Occitane store in one of the American airports we were at.
It's a very soft, warm fragrance even with the citrus notes in it.
It's not very moisturizing on its own and because it is a body milk, the consistency is very thin and runny.
But I buy scented lotions for their scent and not for their moisturizing properties. I simply mix half a portion of scented lotion with half of my favourite body lotion (the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion which is essentially unscented) so that way I smell great and my skin is well moisturized :)
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Zeno Heat Treat Blemish Prevention Kit
My younger sister who is more acne prone than myself, gave me this Zeno Heat Treat Blemish Prevention Kit as a hand-me-down. But she got this at Target. One thing to note is that this skincare tool has unlimited use. You just have to replace the AA... +
My younger sister who is more acne prone than myself, gave me this Zeno Heat Treat Blemish Prevention Kit as a hand-me-down. But she got this at Target.
One thing to note is that this skincare tool has unlimited use.
You just have to replace the AA batteries and replenish your supply of the treatment cream.
The handheld size of it is perfect and it's very portable.
There's only a power button to operate it and the button turns it both on and off.
The product automatically shuts off on its own after 5 minutes if you chose not to turn it off.
The instructions for cleaning recommend using only soap and water after each use.
You just have to take care not to dunk the Zeno into water when washing it since the battery compartment easily slides off and it is not waterproof. So following the instructions, I carefully wipe some soapy water on the silver treatment tip. It's very easily cleaned.
As I mentioned, the cap easily slides off to access the battery compartment.
I wish the cap was built in more securely - or it'd be even better if it was waterproof tight. This is why it's important to use a wiping motion with soapy lather and water to clean it. Water could easily seep into the battery compartment if liquid soap was applied straight to the heated treatment tip and the plate was dunked under running water.
The Zeno kit comes with a 0.5 oz (14.2 g) Zeno Heat Treat Blemish Prevention Treatment.
You'll have to repurchase this part of the kit once the treatment runs out.
It is sold separately in 1.0 oz tubes for about $15 USD.
I know 1.0 oz doesn't sound like a huge amount of product but the treatment spreads very easily and thinly so a tube does last a while.
I wanted to note that the tool does not seem effective without this treatment; my skin doesn't warm up as much without the treatment and it also seems difficult to glide the tool along my skin if the treatment is not used. So repurchasing the treatment is a must to keep up this skincare regimen.
The Zeno Treatment is a clear liquid.
The instructions indicate to apply a thin layer of this treatment all over your face on dry skin after cleansing.
I personally do not use this treatment all over my face because I only develop occasional pimples along my T-zone. So I only apply this treatment on my T-zone. Once it's applied you just turn on the Zeno tool and it starts to vibrate and heat up quickly. I just hold it and gently massage it against my skin.
The one thing I found interesting about the treatment is that the consistency is oily. I think that's why without the treatment, the tool doesn't glide against my skin very well nor does my skin warm up as much. Also, once the tool powers off it is advised to leave the treatment on the skin - do not wash off the treatment. I personally don't like the consistency of the treatment which is why I mostly use it once a day. The instructions say you can use it up to three times a day....but because the treatment is so oily, I just can't see myself putting foundation or concealer on top of the treatment. That means for most days that I am wearing makeup, I won't be using Zeno in the daytime. So that only gives me a chance to use it at night after cleansing my face.
Despite only using it once a day for the most part (I have not used it everyday consistently) I have noticed that this Zeno Treatment is very effective. I know it's marketed as a blemish prevention tool and Zeno actually makes another product for targeting actual blemishes, but I have used this Zeno heat treat prevention on a couple of actual blemishes and it has worked like a charm. The couple of blemishes that had just formed which I applied the Zeno to, had remarkably disappeared the next day. It works so well for me
I really do love my Zeno Heat Treat and I do recommend it.
I have sensitive skin more than anything and I am not acne prone. I'm the type of person that may get up to 2-3 hormonal zits a month at most. My younger sister on the other hand did not like this product and claimed it didn't work well for her acne prone skin. She's use to using heavy acne prescription medications so our skin types are vastly different. What works for her will not work for me.
So that's two honest perceptions on the same product for you.
If you'd like to see more pictures (since I can only upload three pictures max for my review), please feel free to visit my review through my direct blog link at:
http://karen-is-here.blogspot.com/2011/08/zeno-heat-treat-blemish-prevention-kit.html
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