Friday, April 20, 2012

003 items used up

time for another post of items i've used up. one of my favorite posts to read on other blogs and one of the most satisfying posts for me to write up. onto the mini reviews!

HAIR
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V05 CHAMOMILE TEA THERAPY CONDITIONER
this is always in my shower. i love this stuff for three reasons. for one, it serves as a multipurpose product for me. i use it in place of shaving cream, as a detangler, and of course as a conditioner. i should mention this isnt rich; on the contrary i find it pretty fluid so i almost never use this alone in my hair. i mix it with any lackluster conditioner im trying out at the moment or i dilute it into a leave in conditioner. secondly, it smells so good. i cant describe the scent but i love it. and thirdly, it is so incredibly cheap. i usually stock up whenever it is on sale for around 79 cents.

SN: while examining the bottle i realized this has no parabens or sulfates in the ingredient list. i find that interesting because usually when a product doesn't have said products in it the brand will broadcast it all over the bottle yet there are no claims anywhere on the label.

BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO
the hunt for a dry shampoo i actually enjoy continues! i dont care for this. it works well at absorbing oil and it adds a nice touch of volume but i dont like the smell and it adds a lot of unnecessary build up in my hair. i would say so far this is the second worst dry shampoo ive tried. tresemme takes the prize for the worst.

GIOVANNI SMOOTH AS SILK CONDITIONER
I really enjoyed using this. it left my hair smelling faintly like tangerines and it made my hair so soft. i would repurchase this again because i noticed it really added moisture to my ends, which are really dry. i went through this very quickly though.

SKINCARE
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NEUTROGENA RAPID CLEAR CLEANSER
not a fan. i think i am the only person on this planet that doesnt care for neutrogena skincare. i have tried their amber colored bar soap, their pore refining cleanser, and their cream cleanser. i either break out more or have other adverse effects. this one made my skin SO dry. i was determined to use it up so i only used it every few days so my skin didnt go crazy from dryness. i think my skin eventually got used to this so in the end it was tolerable.

LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO
this is definitely a staple for me. i even cut it open to use every last drop. i use this on areas that are prone to breakouts (chins, temples) and my large pore areas (nose). it is amazing at unclogging my skin. my complexion is noticeably different when i stop using this. i can't go without this.

CERAVE CLEANSER
this bottle has seen better days. it is a VERY basic cleanser, think along the lines of cetaphil. the moisturizer, if you couldn't tell by now, i absolutely love. the cleanser is just...ok. the consistency is a milky gel that doesn't lather. it is gentle, doesn't break me out, it doesn't over strip my skin's moisture...BUT i feel like it doesn't benefit my skin in the long run. it doesn't prevent breakouts, nor does it exfoliate. it just removes whatever crap i happen to have on my face whether it be makeup or sebum build up. to be fair it doesn't promise to do anything special, just to clean gently. if you are looking for a gentle cleanser with no fuss this is as good a choice as any. i prefer cleansers with more benefits involved but every now and then ill pick this up because it is so basic.

SOAPS/REMOVERS
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DR. BRONNER'S LAVENDER PURE CASTILE BAR SOAP
i really enjoyed this and will definitely repurchase from the brand. i have certain dry patches on my body that, no matter what soap i use, gets irritated and itchy all day even after i add lotion. this has banished that problem! i did try using this all over my body and i didn't like the result. it gave me that too "squeaky" clean feeling which i hate so i stuck with concentrated cleansing of my dry patches. i plan to try out the liquid version of dr. bronner's soaps to see if i get the same results since bar soaps are a pain. plus i want to experiment by mixing it with other body washes.

PHILOSOPHY BIRTHDAY CAKE BODY WASH
about time i used this up. this was sephora's free birthday gift last year. it has been sitting in my bathroom closet. it was ok. it foamed nicely and made my skin feel normal after i got out of the shower but the scent was mediocre (borderline offensive). it was free and it cleaned well but it didnt make me want to try out any other philosophy products.

ESTEE LAUDER TAKE IT AWAY MAKEUP REMOVER
i have about three of these samples in my pile of things ive abandoned in my bathroom closet. i like this. i wouldn't purchase the full size as im sure it is expensive and i have tried better removers that are more affordable. it comes out as a powder blue cream that smells faintly sweet. i find the best results are spreading a bit on a cotton round and using it on the eyes. i tried using this with my fingers all over my face and eyes as i would with a cleaning oil and didnt like it one bit. it doesn't burn my eyes and it takes off eye makeup easily with a cotton round so i will use up my other samples with no complaints.

MAKEUP/NAILS
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CND STICKEY BASE COAT
so far my favorite base coat. it adds to the longevity of my manicures and it makes my nails not peel as much. i have already repurchased this but after i use up my second bottle i plan to try something else as i am curious about other brand offerings.

MAC FELINE KOHL LINER
my favorite pencil is down to a tiny unsharpenable (not a word) stub. if i could dedicate a song to this product, it would be...


bwahahaha...

but seriously, everything i've tried isn't black enough or gets all over my contacts so i cant see all day. forever my love! it is a very finicky product though. i lot of people hate it because it smudges like crazy on them. for some reason feline really WORKS on me and i don't even set it. i like it more than smolder since it is blacker and doesnt smudge as easily. this is my favorite for the waterline as it glides on so easily and sticks around most of the day. i use it in every FOTD you see on my blog. i used this practically every day for almost two years so i definitely got my money's worth. i already have a back up and i hear this is permanent now. thank the lord! is that enough gushing? probably eh?

STILA MINI LIP GLAZE IN GUMDROP
another one of these minis down, four more to go. i must say although i initially hated these lip glazes, the second time around gave me time to reflect on the product. it isn't as terrible as i first reviewed it. would i buy the full size? negative. will i use up the last few shades i have without hating myself? affirmative. although it is very sticky, the stickiness adds to the unbelievable staying power of the gloss. and the color range is nice. all in all i shouldn't have judged it so harshly before but i still don't recommend it.

such a long post! did you get through it all? hope you all have a great weekend!

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