Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Monday, July 2

A Step In Time


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Back to Black Cloche Hat  ~ gifted from my mother!    Frosty Cardigan   ~  Thrifted   Basic Red Knit Top  ~  too old to remember    Pleats Button Me Up Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Threesome Brooches  ~ Jane flower brooch trio, Acorn & Will    Shutter Knee-Hi  ~  too old to remember   Saddle Shoes  ~  Amazon.com   Azure Atom Bag  ~  Oasap.com

~ * * ~

It’s interesting to me how I tend to reach for a stronger, bolder colour palette come winter ~ jewel tones like ruby red, or onyx tempered with a touch of pale cream seem to be my favourite mix at the moment. 

However, I really like the pop of blue that my purse provides to offset all the serious red and black, it’s nice and cheery on a cold winter’s day!  You might have seen this purse sneak into my Instagram ~ as I love the style of it.  But there are some downsides, which I am about to warn you of!

Oasap.com Product Review ~ The Three Pin Buckle Detail Makeup Case with Lace Trim to Flap

I am not happy with the quality of this bag. It is advertised as a makeup bag, so that may have something to do with the cheap feel, and the horrid plastic-y smell it had!  I could live with both of those facts, particularly now that the smell has dissipated somewhat, but I am not impressed with how quickly the bag has started to break.  : /   The front strap guards are starting to pull away, they don’t seem to be attached securely.  The worst damage is to the edging ~ the lace scallops around the edge of the bag flap have split and peeled, almost within the first week of carrying it. I had to mend the scallops with super glue and felt to stop them from breaking completely off! 

That’s not good in my books, especially considering that I paid the full $42.00 for the purse as the 20% discount I was supposed to get didn’t apply to the transaction.

I did email Oasap about it, but they basically told me that if I wanted the discount I’d buy something else from them to get it.  Er, no thanks!  If the discount didn’t work the first time, why the heck would I buy something the second time and risk it not working again?  Customer service fail if you ask me.

So long story short, although I love the look of my new bag, I am not sure I would buy it again if I had the choice.  It’s a poor quality make in my opinion, too expensive for what it is and I was less than impressed with the customer service of that site.  Sorry Osasp, but I am not buying from you again!

Have you guys had any experience with Oasap?  Was it good or bad?  Let me know in the comments, I want to be fair about this review.   : )

xox,

bonita

Thursday, July 14

Some awesome tech that I ♥

BeeegSmilesMilkDrunkBigEyesNomnom

I have a few websites & iPhone apps that I wanted to share & review with you today.  I having been loving these ever since I found them and I think that they are just too good to keep to myself, so here you are!

Instragram

Okay, so a lot of bloggers already know about this free app for the iPhone, but I want to share it anyway just in case. 

Instagram is a great app for anyone who loves to capture an instant photo, and with the added advantage of a polaroid type picture, it produces some pretty cool snaps.  It’s simple and easy to use, so this app is superb for everybody! 

The thing that I personally like the most about Instagram is that it forces you to work with limited lens and capture technology.  It’s a challenge to get a good picture, but once you do, you can make it look pretty spiffy with the tilt shift function and the awesome range of filters.  I like that I can grab a shot when I see it, and still have to rise to the challenge to put the shot together in a way that looks good.  I think that this is great app for furthering my photography skills and technique so that’s why I am loving it!*

Verdict:

4.5 /5  ~  could be faster to load up into the camera view, other than that, fantastic.

TinyHandsSleepy

Extragram

And if you are taking all these gorgeous photos how are you going to share them?  Why, with the Extragram website of course!  You can share your photos and follow other people, and much like Twitter, receive the feed of the people you are following on you iPhone.  Sweetness!   There are some great pictures out there and it is really inspiring to see what you can do with a simple phone camera.

Ravelry

Okay, now I heading off in another direction and into another hobby of mine; knitting and crochet.  If you are a knitter or crocheter { or both; like me! } and you’ve looked up patterns on the internet, Ravelry might be old news to you.  However, I only just discovered it recently and I am impressed! 

It provides a nifty way of not only finding patterns, but also storing them, keeping track of your UFOs { Un~Finished Objects! }, your yarn stash, and, of course, the successful projects that you have finished and want to gloat over.   I like that I can put up photographs of my projects and keep them all organized ~ so again, loving this site. 

2Do

Speaking of organization, I have to mention 2Do.  It’s an iPhone app, so it’s limited in availability, and you also have to pay a $7.49AUD fee for it{ it’s gone up since I bought it{ !! }but if you consider how much you pay for an organizer, it’s still worth it and you never have to throw it out or buy new pages }.  If you are wanting something to help you stay on top of things however, and you happen to have an iPhone, I can really recommend this app. 

Usually { as you probably know } I am a traditionalist.  Give me good old paper over tech any time!  But the thing is, I can only fit so much in my tiny vintage handbags and using this app helps me to loose an address book, a to-do list, shopping lists, a social calendar, a blogging calendar, an art & craft ideas notebook, etc ~ basically the brick of paper that is a Filofax/organizer!

I like that I can bundle most of my life into my phone and I am good to go!  Okay, so I still keep a separate journal, but between 2Do and Instagram I am pretty much set.  I have slimmed down the contents of my purse, and as a bonus, feel a lot less “scattered” with all my bits and bobs in one place.  Yay!   > ω <   ~ 

Verdict:

5/5  ~  You know what?  No complaints from me.  I was trying to think of a downer, but there just isn’t one.  All in all it’s a really great app!

What apps/websites do you use to help keep you organized?  Are there any that you just love?

xox,

bonita

*All the pictures were taken with Instagram.  Theodore makes the best subject!  ^  U  ^  ~ 

Saturday, February 26

Review ~ Imju DEJAVU Fiberwig Mascara

Fiberwig

I bought the Imju DEJAVU Fiberwig mascara a month or so ago after reading a recommendation on Eki’s blog ~ ekiblog.com.

The reason I wanted to try it was that Eki said  it worked really well and gave your eyelashes a ‘falsie’ effect without actually having to wear false eyelashes.

Who wouldn’t want longer, nicer lashes?  I put it on my “to buy” list and here we are. 

I do not consider myself a beauty blogger, but I do like trying out new products when I am unsatisfied with the product I have, and let me tell you ~ when the product works!!  I really can not keep this one to myself because this mascara is, in my opinion, a. w. e. s. o. m. e. 

For the visual people here are the photos of what it looks like on:

Fiberwig_1         Fiberwig_2

                      ~ *  No mascara…  Eeep!  * ~               ~ *  With a two to three coats of Fiberwig  * ~

Fiberwig_3   Fiberwig_4

~ *  With Covergirl Blast Volume waterproof mascara  * ~      ~ *  With Fiberwig over the top  * ~

Fiberwig_5

~ *  The left eye with just Fiberwig; the right with Covergirl and Fiberwig over the top  * ~

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Please excuse the different angles in the photos ~ this is the first time I have tried photographing my eyes and it is definitely not easy to do! 

For anyone who wants more detailed information I have more facts about Fiberwig,  plus my own personal experience using this product.

Instructions:

Like any other mascara; apply to lashes.  Sweep from the bottom of the lash to the tip.

Extra tips and information:

  • When pulling the brush from the tube, be sure to gather plenty of fibers. You will immediately see the fibers on the brush.
  • Start applying the fibers to your lashes by using the tip of the brush. Add fibers to both the top and bottom part of your upper lashes. This will film-coat your lashes completely.
  • Apply fibers on the top part of your lashes too.
  • Once fibers are added unto the lash, use the brush to stroke the lashes from root to tip until desired length is reached.  Take plenty fibers and apply to your lashes repeatedly; no need to worry about clumping and flaking.
  • To achieve the best length, be sure to dip the brush into the tube between layers to gather more fibers.


Product Details:

I bought my mascara off Ebay and you can find it for $15.65 USD or cheaper.   If you just search Ebay for Fiberwig mascara you can find a lot of the mascaras for sale but just beware of fakes.  I am pretty sure that nothing but the original stuff from Japan would work; so check the manufacturer before purchasing your product. 

I bought mine from here and it was marked with made in Japan marks so I am fairly confident the seller is not selling fakes.

Here are more details about the product itself:

  • Fiberwig is the top-selling mascara in Japan - beating the competition with remarkable, "false eyelash-like" results.   Fiberwig coats each individual lash with a light film of fibers. Your lashes become coated with a film.

  • Fiberwig is made up of two types of extra thin nylon fibers; a short and a long fiber. The short and long fibers intertwine to form a light and smooth film coating that gently surrounds and seals onto your lashes.

  • As the fibers seal onto your lashes, they seal onto each other. As a result the extended fiber lashes give your natural lashes appearance of extreme length.

  • Fiberwig's light film coating defines and separates each lash while creating a fresh and natural gloss finish. Thanks to the film-coated lashes, Fiberwig will not smear nor smudge when you tear or sweat.

  • Wear it on hot, humid or rainy days without fear of smudging anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

  • Apply it in the morning for work straight through late at night without worrying about panda eyes!

  • Fiberwig's film coating resists tears, oil, and sweat. Yet when you are ready to remove, all that is needed is warm water!

  • Fiberwig absorbs the warm water and then swells, making it easy to slide off your lashes. When washing your face, simply wet your lashes with warm water. Then gently slide off the fibers with your finger and thumb.

  • Have you ever applied mascara but mistakenly missed your lashes only to dab some on your face?  Fiberwig is easy to remove. Simply wait a couple of seconds for it to dry and peal off with a Q-tip.

Review:

When I first used this mascara I thought that although it lengthened my lashes wonderfully it did not add enough volume so I was not really very happy about that.  But I tried it again over the top of my Covergirl Blast Volume waterproof mascara and it worked wonders! 

I found that it did not smudge {unlike waterproof mascara…  >  < }, it did not run ~ even when swimming{!!} and it came off super easily without leaving dark rings under and around my eyes.   {Although sometimes the Covergirl does not come off with the Fiberwig and then I have to deal with that separately.  : S }

What can I say?  After years of using waterproof mascara because I hate how easily normal mascara runs I had resigned myself to smudge~y, hard to remove smears and panda eyes in the morning.  I could never get all of the mascara off, no matter how hard I scrubbed, so I always woke up to a mess. 

At the risk of sounding like a corny commercial ~ Fiberwig changed all of that.  I can actually just wash it off at the end of the day and it is all good.  Sure, I still find little flakes of black on my skin if I do not do a good enough job cleaning it all off.   And sometimes when I swim the mascara will peal off depending on how warm the water is, but mostly it stays put.  

And yes, I pulled out the big test.  Tears.   Lots of them.   It did not even move.   I was really stoked!  After I got over being miserable and sad that is….   >  .  <

Plus, it really does lengthen and define your lashes, so that they look lush and long.   Maybe they are not quite as dramatic as fake eyelashes, but you get all the benefits of fakes without the actual overtop~ness of falsies.

Conclusion:

Love, love, love it!   No smudge, no smear, no mess mascara that looks great on!   I do not think there is a better mascara out there and I would not dream of ever going back to normal/waterproof mascara. 

My tip:    Find a clear mascara that volumizes your lashes and apply Fiberwig over the top.  You do need something underneath to get a full lash effect ~ you could also try a plumping mascara. 

Rating:

1 million/10? ~  because really, this mascara is fantastic.   I am addicted.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this review.  I have plans to try out a few other products like facemasks, and I am planning to post about those too.  Oh, and please let me know if I am over writing my reviews because I am a bit worried they get too long and boring!

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ I am not affiliated with Fiberwig in anyway; I bought this product myself and chose to review it because I like it.  Plain and simple.  : D

Saturday, January 15

Review ~ Sassy’n’Punk + Cute Magnet Craft!

Remember a while ago when I did a post about Sassy’n’Punk’s online shop and all the cute things they had for sale?

Well, they sent me a little thank you gift for writing the post and I got in the mail just the other week.  When I opened my package this is what I found all safely nestled in bubble wrap!

~ * ♥ * ~  Sassy’n’Punk Item Review  ~ * ♥ * ~

Sassy_1     Review:

It’s a pretty heart pendant as far as I can tell…  > . >   I don’t actually know what it is because it’s actually quite large ~ about 2 inches high and about the same across, so is it a large pendant or a keychain charm?   I am not really sure…. 

It is really well made and I can tell that Leyla {she’s the owner, but I am not sure if it’s just her making the items or if she has help} takes care with making sure the Sassy’n’Punk products look really good.

Sassy_2  Sassy_3

I love the colours of the little hearts too ~ they are really cute.   But there are a couple of things that I do have to mention because I do feel that they affect the my overall review.

The major thing was that it took a very long time for the item to arrive from the UK ~ I did expect that because Leyla warned me that it took a long time to ship to Australia.  I was surprised that it took over a month though; that was really unexpected.

The other point is more personal; I was under the impression that Sassy'n'Punk were offering to send me an item from their store in exchange for the post I did about their products.  However,  I searched their website and they are not selling this item.  I really wanted to be able to review an actual Sassy’n’Punk product, so that was really quite disappointing to me. 

Still I was able to see the quality of the handmade items that they do produce and I think that it is good quality.  

Conclusion:

I think Sassy’n’Punk craft really cute, well made, handmade items.  The shipping is slow though, at least for Australians, so be prepared to wait if you order. 

Would I buy it?

I would buy from Sassy’n’Punk ~ but I’d order the things I want all at once I don’t have to wait forever for the shipping.

Rating:

7/10  ~  over a month for shipping is a little bit much, but other than that the service and product is really good. 

I am not counting my personal disappointment, because I don’t feel that it’s a reflection of a customer’s over all experience of Sassy’n’Punk.  : )

Cute Magnets inspired by Melanie of Beauty meets Kawaii

Magnets

Melanie wrote a tutorial on Pretty~fying Your Ugly Fridge Magnets ~ it was such a simple, easy idea that I thought I’d give it a go myself.

It was also a great way to use the cute Sanrio packaging {the Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Hamster pictures} that I carted all the way from Switzerland back to Australia…  >  <

The other two magnets are from the puffy sticker sheets I bought from Modes4u ~ I LOVE the bunny and veggies in box; it’s soooo cute!  > w <

So I don’t have a fridge yet, but I do have cute magnets to start my collection of cute kitchenware!   I can not wait to set up house ~ it’s going to be some much fun.   ^ U ^

xox,

bonita

Only six days and seven sleeps until my darling comes home and all the fun begins!   ♥ ♥ ♥

Thursday, December 2

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Packages, Presents and Stuff ~ Modes4u Review

I was online a week or so ago, and the cuteness of Modes4u brainwashed me into making a massive bulk purchase!  Deco, stickers, stamps, and more ~ I just couldn’t resist.  And when the package turned up on my doorstep yesterday?   >_____<     *eee*  Very happy!!   I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you.

Modes_1      Modes_2

Modes_3

   L to R clockwise  ~   Face Clothes: my favourite is on top!     Two stamps:  one panda with strawberries and a cupcake one with sweets and a bunny and a bear      Two packs of puffy stickers:  Food bunnies and cute kitties      A fairy tale note book:  No lines ~ perfect for my notes and pictures!      Pacer pencil: cute bears, cakes and doughnuts and I love the doughnut charm hanging off the top of it!!      Deco items: Large roses, small roses, and cookies with strawberries on top    

Modes4u had really great customer service ~ there was some sort of problem with my order and it wouldn’t go through, but they sorted it out really quickly and helped me finish the payment.

I was also very happy with the quick delivery ~ I ordered these items on the 22nd of November and received them on the 1st of December.  It was only just over a week before I got my items!  Plus, everything was packaged well, so that was great.

I am not so much a fan of the prices though….  I love what Modes4u do ~ their shop is clear, easy to order from and, obviously, they sell super cute stuff.   The only drawback for me was the prices of everything.   The Australian dollar is doing pretty well at the moment, so at least I didn’t have to worry about the exchange rates.  But even then, I found that while the notebook was a reasonable price at US$6.49 the pacer pencil cost US$5.07 which seemed excessive to me for what you got.   I don’t think I’d buy many of the deco items either ~ I love the strawberry cookies I got, and I want to get some of the cherry cookies too, but at US$2.59 for 5 pieces, when I can buy more than that for AUD$2.00, it just seems a little over the top.

All in all, I found the service and items from Modes4u great, but the prices a little expensive.  I’d save and buy things you really want from the site, but I’d also think twice about what you want to get.  To be perfectly honest, you might find it cheaper else where, and I’d rather having to wait a while longer if I could spend less! 

holly

I know it’s early, but I am very excited for Christmas this year.  I think it’s going to be awesome and that’s why I have a special surprise!  I thought it would be really nice to do something celebrating Christmas on Depict This! so I am going to randomly give a Christmas present to one of my readers.   Okay, so it’s more like a really small version of a giveaway, but it’ll be fun anyway.  ^ w ^

PresentGiveaway2

~ *  You’ll receive an ice-cream bubbler, a snowman coin purse and a mystery present!  * ~

To put your name in for the present, please just comment and leave your email address so that I can contact you to send your Christmas parcel to you!

There is just one rule; please follow Depict This! publicly through Google Friend Connect so that I know you actually read DT!.  Other then that, anyone can enter.  Good luck everyone.  ^__^     GIVEAWAY CLOSED.

xox,

bonita

Sunday, August 8

Review ~ Sally Hansen Treatment Polishes

To make up for my slack posting this week I thought I would put up an extra post that I had prepared over the last two weeks. I hope you all like it, as I thought I would try my hand at a review….. It is rather long. Sorry!

I thought I would do the review on the Sally Hansen polishes I’ve been trying out. Just in case anyone cares!!    O_o

I am not doing a review of coloured polishes, but of these three treatment polishes.




1} Sally Hansen Miracle Cure ~ For severe problem nails. Packaging claims polish will cure peeling nails with 50% stronger nails in 3 Days.

2} Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle ~ Salon strength. Packing claims polish will cure soft nails, brittle nails, and help nails to grow 30% longer {tip length} in 5 days.

3} Sally Hansen Insta~Dri ~ Anti~chip top coat. Packing claims the polish will dry your colour polish in 30 seconds.


~*~ Polish 1 ~ Miracle Cure ~*~

Instructions:

Shake gently. Apply one thin coat to clean, dry, bare nails every other day. If wearing nail colour use as a base coat, then apply colour.
 


Product Details:
Costs around $8.00 from Woolworths {Australian supermarket}




Review:

I used this polish as an undercoat and I left it on for around five days. Firstly, the polish went on really smoothly and dried quickly. It made a great base for my nail colour. I noticed that after a couple of days ~ whether it was strictly three I am not sure, my nails did feel stronger. I could not tell if the polish had ‘bonded’ the peeling layers on my thumb nails together {being covered with the pastel pink colour coat and all!} but when I took the polish off, I could only see a tiny bit of peeling on my right thumb and that was an improvement from before.

Conclusion:

I would not say that the polish cured my peeling problems in 3 days, but I did notice that my nails were stronger so it could be with extended use {more than once like I did!! ^^; }the polish could ‘cure’ your nail peeling problems. I for one am willing to give it another go.

And I will say that compared to other nail treatments for peeling I have tried at various times, this Sally Hansen one seems to be the most effective by far as in I can actually tell my nails are better and “see” the results!

Would I buy it?

Yes. I will keep using this, and if I run out, I will get more! I think that it is good value and saves you a trip to the salon to try and stop the dreaded continuous peeling effect.

Rating:

9/10 ~ it does not quite exactly manage to do what it says it does, but it did improve my nail health as far as I could tell without proper testing.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



These next polishes are featured in these pictures.
I used them as the base/top coats.



~*~ Polish 2 ~ Nailgrowth Miracle ~*~

Instructions:

Shake gently. Apply one coat to clean dry bare nails every other day. Wear as a base coat under your favourite Sally Hansen nail colour. Apply two coats of your favourite Sally Hansen nail colour and let dry. Apply one coat as a protective top coat. Use one thin coat as needed to refresh manicure. Remove with Sally Hansen Polish Remover.

Product Details:

Costs around $8.00 from Woolworths {Australian supermarket}

Review:

I used this polish as an undercoat and I left it on for around two weeks. Firstly, the polish went on really smoothly and dried quickly. It made a great base for my nail colour ~ much the same as the Miracle Cure. My nail tip on my left ring finger measured 3mm when I first put the polish on and my thumb {which are my slowest growing nails as well as the only ones with peeling problems!} tip measure all of 2.5mm! Yes, I have really short nails which is why I decided to alternate the Miracle Cure with the Nailgrowth.

After two weeks of using the Nailgrowth as an undercoat on my nails I measured my thumb and ring finger again and both of them had only grown a little bit. The ring finger had grown 1mm from 3mm to 4mm and the thumb had only grown 1/2 a mm from 2.5 to 3mm

Conclusion:

This polish makes a great base coat with the added bonus of being a treatment at the same time. I would say, however, that the effectiveness of the treatment was lacking. I did not really see any growth. It took twice as long as the recommended treatment time {5 days} to get the 30% growth. So as a growth treatment, it is not as effective as it claims. It may not even help the nail to grow as I am pretty sure that is my nail’s normal growth rate!

Would I buy it?

It does make a good undercoat, so if you are looking for something that dries quickly and goes on smoothly I would buy it. But if you are looking for a polish to use as an undercoat and a treatment at the same time I think that there could be other polishes out there that may perform better than this one. That being said, I do not know which ones they are! I would try something else before I came back to this one I think.

Rating:

3/10 ~ disappointing with the growth results, but a good undercoat nonetheless.



~*~ Polish 3 ~ Insta~Dri ~*~

Instructions:

After applying your favourite Sally Hansen Nail Colour, wait two minutes, then apply one coat of Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat. Manicure will be dry to the touch in 30 seconds.



Product Details:

Costs around $8.00 from Woolworths {Australian supermarket}


Review:

I used this polish as the top coat as instructed over a Rimmel 60 seconds midnight blue and a Sally Hansen pink {I am sorry I do not have more details as these polishes belong to my sisters and I did not think to get the names, numbers, etc.}. I did the base with the Nailgrowth, put on one coat of each colour and waited a few minutes for the colour to dry. The Insta~Dri went on easily and did not smear the polish beneath it; like some top coat polishes will! It was nice and thick.

I waited two minutes like the instructions said and surprisingly my nails were touch dry. They were only tap dry though, not bump dry! I found that if I accidentally nudged them too hard, the polish would wrinkle/smudge. I found I had to wait at least another fifteen minutes before I could really use my fingers again ~ I certainly would not doing anything like doing up a zip before that. The final product, once properly dry, is really glossy and shiny. Not quite as shiny as a wet nail polish shine, but very close. It ended up very smooth and very nice.

Conclusion:

I would say that this polish, much like the other ones, comes close to what it claims to do, but does fail slightly. I would not say that it is touch dry in 30 seconds, because sometimes I wack my nails really hard! But perhaps if you are gentler you would be able to get away with it.

I do know that the three coats of polish I had on did dry a lot quicker than what they normally do, and were less inclined to smudge. That being the case, I was still happy with the results of applying the Insta~Dri to my nails in terms of dry ability.

For the top coat, anti~chip protection, I would say that it works quite well. I must admit I am brutal to my nails ~ between horses, hot glue guns and super glue, paint and all sorts of nail polish chipping activities, I was quite pleased that this manicure lasted as long as it did. Five days showed a little wear in the polish around the tip of the nail, and two weeks showed quite a lot of chipping, but it was still better than what my nails look like after two weeks without a top coat.

Would I buy it?

Yes, it is best top coat I have found so far.

Rating:

9/10 ~ I wish my nails really did dry as quickly as they were supposed to, but other then that I am very happy with this product. Money well spent!


xox,

b.

P.S. ~ Sorry about the length of the post, I hope it was worth reading that much text! ><
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