Epinions Recent Reviews for cardinalgrin

American Gangster: Not Just Another Shoot 'Em Up: American Gangster

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 21:24:26 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Ridley Scott's American Gangster is at heart a study in contrasts--concretely speaking, the contrasts between Harlem and Newark in the late 1960s and 1970s. More abstractly, it's a study in contrasts between the haves and the have-nots, blacks...

Plenty of Jasmine

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:42:28 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I never thought I'd like drinking tea that tastes like flowers or the last notes of a botanical perfume, but since I started drinking "classier" (i.e. whole leaf loose instead of chopped, ground bagged) teas, jasmine tea has quickly become my favorite...

Hey Guys, Where Is My Radiance?

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:34:33 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I'm a sucker for pretty packaging (lame of me!) so I really like Olay's line of body-wash-with-stuff-mixed-in solely because of the pretty marbling of the product in the bottle. This is honestly the only reason I picked up Olay Wash plus...

Cynthia Kaplan - Why I'm Like This: Nice to Finally Know "Why I'm Like This"

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:02:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Memoirs tend to be unfairly maligned as being uncreative, narcissistic exercises in self-indulgence, with the general idea being that an author writes a memoir when he or she can't craft a piece of fiction; those that can't show, tell. I maintain...

Making Like I'm 85: Icy Hot Patches

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:53:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Two years ago, my car was totaled when a drunk driver ran a red light. Rather miraculously, I came away with negligible damage except whiplash which responded pretty well to treatment, and since then my back has bothered me only every once in a while,...

Banish Eye Baggage with Boi-ing!

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:26:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Last year, I lived with a roommate who had some serious dark circles. Don't get me wrong, she was a lovely girl, but she had some amazing eye luggage going on. Yet somehow, every morning she left for class with glowy undereye skin--nary a circle in...

Good Enough to Eat

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:21:09 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Body butter is possibly the worst thing to call something you put on yourself. Butter is for eating and giving you heart attacks, not smearing on your skin like some kind of animal. Also, it's a slippery slope to name products after foods. Why not...

Enchanted (2007): Visually Entertaining, Intellectually Bleh

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:08:39 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - ***Contains mild spoilers about plot and characters.*** Disney has been long-criticized by academics and shrewd viewers alike for a certain internalization of gender roles in its famous animated features--what Snow White,...

A Great Camera For Casual and Exacting Photographers

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:57:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - There tend to be two kinds of people who use compact, single-lens digital cameras--those who want ease of use, point-and-shoot pictures, and those who don't want to mess with extra lenses and shutter speeds, but nonetheless want a little bit of...

Burt's Bees Conditioner is All Natural and All Right

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 02:45:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Some deep-buried anal retentive part of me loves things in matched sets, everything from salt and pepper shakers to underwear. Even shampoo and conditioner has to match. OK, maybe it's not so deeply buried, but it was this neurosis that drove me to buy...

Beets Are For Me

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:42:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I love everything scented grapefruit, so when I needed shampoo I grabbed a bottle of Burt's Bee's Grapefruit and Sugar Beet shampoo. The Burt's Bee's brand had impressed me previously, but I'd never used any of their haircare products...

Natural Ice Isn't Medicated Enough

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:03:32 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Winter means horribly chapped lips for me, and a few days ago in a fit of frustration I picked up a tube of Mentholatum Natural Ice at the grocery store checkout in an attempt to undo what dry, cold weather had done in the past week or so...

Clean but Not Moisturized

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:47:20 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I generally tend to subscribe to the scientific theory that we as a society rely too much on anti-bacterial products, which can contribute to the development of resistant bacteria, which you don't want swimming around in your cuts and scrapes; I tend to...

Tames Frizz and Smells Great

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:42:42 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - My hair is a maddening compromise between curly and straight, such that it takes coaxing to push it to either end of the spectrum and looks less than decent if left to its own devices. On days when I want to wear it curly, Frederic Fekkai Luscious...

A Cheap Favorite!

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:53:52 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - In the realm of bagged, black, non-whole leaf, non-organic, cheap tea, Constant Comment from Bigelow Teas is definitely my favorite. While that veritable string of qualifiers may make it sound like this tea isn't very good at all, don't let that...

No More Greasy, Salty Showers

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:40:51 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I understand the importance of exfoliating your body as well as your face, blah blah blah, but I absolutely hate the salty nature of most serious body scrubs (as opposed to exfoliating body washes.) You know what I mean--a tub of salt-like grains...

Can't Believe I'm Saying This...But Just Peachy

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:45:32 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I'm fairly good about slathering the rest of me with SPF anytime I'll be stepping out of the confines of an entirely man-made environment, but I most often forget to put anything on my lips, particularly anything with SPF, and lots of lip balms and...

You'll Probably Have to Sell An Organ to Afford This Shampoo

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:25:04 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Before I start this review, I want to play a game. What's the most you've ever spent on a regular sized (let's say, oh, 10 oz) bottle of shampoo. $5? $10? $15? Have you spent more than $20? In that case, does it thrill and delight you to learn that...

Furnace Room Lullaby by Neko Case: Neko Case's "Lullaby" Is Less Than Soothing, But Great Anyway

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:17:20 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - You wouldn't necessarily know it from her music (though she is an adept songwriter) but alt-country siren Neko Case is whip-smart and acerbically funny, and she detests anything less than total authenticity from recording artists. In an interview with...

Same Great Taste, Extra Sleepy

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:21:53 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea has been a staple in my household since I was a little girl; since I left home for college, I've kept it stocked with me even while I'm away. Now, Celestial Seasonings has improved upon near perfection with the...

Not Ideal For Me

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:52:04 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I was recently at Target, looking to pick up some new cleanser--my last bottle had been purchased on the cheap for less than $3, so I was fine with spending a few more on something that seemed a little more luxurious. L'Oreal Ideal Balance Foaming...

Pain Meets A Watery Grave

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:48:34 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I'm usually pretty healthy, but my stomach seems prone to queasiness more often than not, so for occasional bouts of no-clue-why nausea and headaches, there's nothing better to beat my pain and nausea than Alka Seltzer Lemon-Lime...

Grizzled Doesn't Translate Into Merry

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:21:30 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Point the first: holiday albums from major recording artists tend to be sort of groan-worthy, particularly if you don't like holiday music much to begin with--and really, most people who take their music deadly serious aren't likely to really...

Fresh-Baked And Delicious

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:14:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - Along with a bottle of 3-in-1
Empowermint last Christmas I received a couple tubes of Philosophy lip gloss as a stocking...

Can I Give 0 Stars?

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:24:42 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author cardinalgrin - I spend the majority of my life tooling around in various pairs of flimsy flip-flops, enjoying the halcyon Californian schoolgirl days before I graduate and have to get a real job. While this may be great for my carefree spirit and sense of bohemian...