Marayna
Member Since: August 5, 2008Reviews
Maybelline New York Colossal Volum' Express Mascara
The first time you use a mascara you won't get the results that you would on the second try. The brush needs a few pumps (not intentional pumps though) to get the product entirely and evenly coated. So, after you use the product a few times... +
The first time you use a mascara you won't get the results that you would on the second try. The brush needs a few pumps (not intentional pumps though) to get the product entirely and evenly coated. So, after you use the product a few times, you'll notice that it goes on a lot more dramatically.
Keep in mind, If you don't have a lot of lashes, you won't see much of a change. You usually need a good base of plenty of lashes (not necessarily thick) to get the dramatic look - and that's something they never mention in the commercials. No matter how much you put on, if you only have a few lashes, you won't get the right results. Aim for false lashes if this is your situation. We can't expect mascara alone to work miracles ;-)
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Exuberance Optimism Periwinkle and Aloe Uplifting Eye Gel
Ohh the days of using eye cream are finally amongst me. I've always believed in using anti-aging products BEFORE you actually start aging. Makes sense, right? So, upon reviewing this product, I ask myself, 'Have you seen results?'... +
Ohh the days of using eye cream are finally amongst me. I've always believed in using anti-aging products BEFORE you actually start aging. Makes sense, right?
So, upon reviewing this product, I ask myself, 'Have you seen results?'. Have I seen results? No. But have I not seen any signs of aging? YES! And I suppose 'brighter eyes' can be considered a result. Plus, I can feel the product working and I especially love the way it makes your eyes feel refreshed. It goes on smooth, soaks into the skin without much effort and you only need a little bit to cover the entire eye area.
So my advice for this product is:
Even though you don't have lines and probably just turned 24 this past Saturday, buy the product as a preventative treatment against wrinkles. If you turned 24 (aka 35) this past Saturday, then well, try it for yourself and I'll happily keep my fingers crossed for you :)
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Exuberance Believe Tangerine & Sugar Maple Facial Tonic
It seems that this product receives nothing but great reviews! And I'm not just talking about the people who tried the product, but rather the random people who notice the difference of your skin. I had only been using this product for about... +
It seems that this product receives nothing but great reviews! And I'm not just talking about the people who tried the product, but rather the random people who notice the difference of your skin.
I had only been using this product for about week and I could already notice a difference in the size of my pores and the overall even tone of my skin. As mentioned previous reviews, I have really sensitive skin and am allergic to anything that isn't completely natural, especially scents. This product left absolutely NO reactions. If anything, it helped dramatically.
Only twice in my life have I had a stranger tell me how magnificent my skin looked. The first time was a few years ago after I started using Vichy NormaDerm (which is another great product for sensitive and rosy colored skin). The second was the week after I started using Exuberance. It was my boyfriends grandmother and it was the first time I had met her. She literally walked up to me, grabbed my face and said 'Dear, you have absolutely no pores!'.
Ever since her reaction, I've been using the product at least 3 times a day. Once in the morning, once after the gym and finally once before going to bed. I find that the toner also works great if you have any tiny bumps on your face, especially the forehead. The toner makes them shrink almost instantly and makes them practically disappear by the next day.
Seriously, get this product! It not only smells great, but it works.
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Cargo Eyeshadow Palette in Bermuda
First of all, I enjoy that they name all their palettes after different cities. London, Tahiti, TORONTO, Barcelona, Vienna, etc. I had the pleasure of testing out their Bermuda quad and I was very pleased. What's important to me when it comes... +
First of all, I enjoy that they name all their palettes after different cities. London, Tahiti, TORONTO, Barcelona, Vienna, etc. I had the pleasure of testing out their Bermuda quad and I was very pleased.
What's important to me when it comes to an eyeshadow is its ability to blend and avoid hard lines with little effort. Cargo delivered excellently with this request. With just a few swipes of your brush, you're ready to go! The colors stay true to how they look in the palette and don't provide any sudden surprises of a shade too dark or a shade too pale.
Most palettes come with one matte shade which is a great addition since I don't always want my entire lid to be covered in shimmer. The Bermuda colors are great for both daytime and evening wear. Since all the colors are fairly neutral you could easily use a bright color from your own collection to make a more dramatic statement.
All in all, the Cargo palette is worth the money. $30 for four great shades that will last you throughout all the seasons.
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Softlips® PURE Natural Lip Balm - Fragrance Free
After receiving this product as part of Chick Advisors product review club, I tried it immediately. In fact, I tried all three immediately. Not sure why I chose to open every single pack and put every single one on my lips one hour after another... +
After receiving this product as part of Chick Advisors product review club, I tried it immediately. In fact, I tried all three immediately. Not sure why I chose to open every single pack and put every single one on my lips one hour after another, but I did. I was so excited to try all three scents/flavours! Can you blame me?
I was skeptical at first that Softlips would make an all-natural lip balm since most brand/main market labels tend to claim it's all natural and it turns out not to be. I read the ingredients and sure enough, it was all-natural! This is especially important to me because of my sensitivity to artificial scents and chemicals. If there were a chemical in this product I would have noticed and there were absolutely no reactions to this product.
The only downside I thought it had was it's actual effectiveness in moisturizing my lips. It felt great at first, a bit greasy but when you're lips are dry you'll take anything. However, I felt I needed to keep putting it on hour after hour.
All in all, the product was great but I'm sticking with my tried and true pure Shea Butter for my lips.
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COVERGIRL LashBlast Volume Mascara
Twenty. Twenty's my number. I have used/tried/hated/loved/thrown out/'inherited' about twenty different types of mascara. Of all twenty, which is my favourite? Well, I honestly can't say. I find mascara is like shampoo/conditioner. The first few... +
Twenty. Twenty's my number. I have used/tried/hated/loved/thrown out/'inherited' about twenty different types of mascara. Of all twenty, which is my favourite? Well, I honestly can't say. I find mascara is like shampoo/conditioner. The first few times you use it you see the difference and you love it or you hate it, but eventually you're not going to see any change in your hair and you'll end up buying a new product just so you can see the difference again.
Mascara is just like this.
The first few times I used LashBlast, I was impressed, loved it, it made my lashes more prominent and I used it everyday. But eventually I just didn't care for it anymore and wanted something different. So I tried another high definition mascara and loved it! Somewhere down the road I switched back to LashBlast and loved it all over again.
To me, cosmetics is about change. We like to see something different every now and again on our faces/bodies. We embrace change in hopes that somebody else will notice. Nobody notices the same lashes or the same hair or the same outfit, unless you change location and friends. Variety is the secret to getting noticed, even if it's noticing yourself. Admit it, you love it when you check yourself out in the mirror/window reflection and there's something different about yourself to look at and admire. And there's nothing wrong with that - except maybe the price it could cost.
So, love it or hate it. LashBlast is great if you want something different to try out and keep around like a cute ex-boyfriend until you're no longer bored with him.
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Osole Salon
Let me start with the most important detail. Eric Del Monaco, lead hair stylist for Toronto Fashion Week and Project Runway Canada, works here. I literally stalked this man to this location after he did my hair at Salon Daniel and then... +
Let me start with the most important detail.
Eric Del Monaco, lead hair stylist for Toronto Fashion Week and Project Runway Canada, works here. I literally stalked this man to this location after he did my hair at Salon Daniel and then disappeared. Okay, I didn't stalk him but rather found out in an interview where he moved. Osole Salon!
Don't let the dated website fool you. The salon is great! Their professionals are dedicated to getting you the hair style/color that you want. If you leave unsatisfied, which you won't, they will make it right. Eric especially makes sure that everything is perfect. If he doesn't like the color, he will stay another 3 hours to get the right hue that works for you. If there's a tricky color you want to get - Eric is your man!
The salon does several other services such as manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials, eyelash extensions, ETC. I have not had any of these services by this salon so I can't recommend them to anyone. But if you want to take a chance and add to this review, that would be great and highly encouraged.
Let me know how it works out!
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Spice Route Asian Bistro and Bar
Remember that dingy club/lounge that used to be on King St W at Brant St.? Yeah, why would you? Well, the owners of Liberty Entertainment Group bought that location and have turned it into a venue to be remembered. Spice Route. From the street it... +
Remember that dingy club/lounge that used to be on King St W at Brant St.? Yeah, why would you? Well, the owners of Liberty Entertainment Group bought that location and have turned it into a venue to be remembered. Spice Route.
From the street it doesn't scream 'Look at me! I'm a fancy restaurant! Adorn me!'. Rather, it screams 'What's inside?! I bet you want to know. And if you want to know, which you do, you'll need a reservation.'. I'm kidding, you don't need a reservation to look inside. But if you want to sit down for dinner, you definitely do. Call a week in advance - two weeks for large reservations. You'll be glad you did.
The second you sit down, you don't look at the menu - you look at the ambiance surrounding you. And I swear, it makes the food taste better no matter what anybody else tells you. Once you order your delicious array of food (meant to be shared with the table - not the actual wood table - your friends at the table), your food arrives immediately! And it disappears just as fast. There are tons of options for vegetarians, carnivores, drinkers and definitely people with a sweet tooth.
Perfect for a small or large birthday dinner, after work drinks (although the bar does get horrendously slow after 7:00pm), taking 'out-of-towners' somewhere special and definitely if you want to 'pick-up'. The crowd is full of fashionistas and what I can only assume are investment bankers and lawyers.
Go there and be seen, Toronto!
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l'occitane shea butter lip balm stick
This product will actually moisturize your lips and help build natural moisture within your lips. It's great since most products out there (Carmex, Blistex, LipChap, etc) contain chemicals that make your lips dependent on the product, making them... +
This product will actually moisturize your lips and help build natural moisture within your lips. It's great since most products out there (Carmex, Blistex, LipChap, etc) contain chemicals that make your lips dependent on the product, making them inevitably MORE irritated and in constant need of product. L'Occitane 100% Shea Butter is completely natural and is actually a multi-purpose product that can be used for your nails, hands, and elbows. It's great because as the website says it 'encourages cellular renewal and repairs the hydrolipidic film'. Meaning - It does EXACTLY what lip balm should be doing - 'teaching' your lips/body to keep itself moisturized.
I would put nothing BUT this product on my lips unless L'Occitane foolishly decided to no longer sell the product - in which case I would die with chapped lips.
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L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
This product was an absolute life saver for me and my skin. A few years ago I got a terrible allergic reaction (or at least that's what the technical term was - I'd like to call it 'the devil set-up camp on my face'). I had a rash that started out... +
This product was an absolute life saver for me and my skin. A few years ago I got a terrible allergic reaction (or at least that's what the technical term was - I'd like to call it 'the devil set-up camp on my face'). I had a rash that started out small and flared out all over my body. My face, my neck, my shoulders and my arms were nothing to be proud of.
This ultimately led me on a journey, searching for the best face cream/wash that wouldn't irritate my skin and help restore it back to normal. After using several, and I mean SEVERAL, face creams/washes I finally came across L'Occitane and the best thing in the world, shea butter. It was the only cream I found that wouldn't sting when I put it on my face or body and actually helped to build back my skins natural moisture. They have a small pot for $10 of pure shea butter that is also great for your lips and cuticles.
If you're a first time buyer and have really sensitive skin, I suggest purchasing the 'Shea Butter Essentials' as well as the 'Mini Pure Shea Butter' for your lips (I can almost guarantee that you won't use any other type of lip moisturizer again since this is a purely natural line and doesn't make your lips addicted to it.)
NOTE** For a face wash I actually used 'Aloette Gentle Foaming Cleanser' (http://www.aloette.com/Skin_Care/Cleansers_and_Toners/Gentle_Foaming_Cleanser). The combo of Aloette and L'Occitane is amazing!
I hope this helps any woman that is suffering with sensitive skin right now and feels that there's no end in sight. Keep at it and you'll find what's ultimately right for you and your skin.
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