Moisturizers -Arcona - Peptide Hydrating Complex, Hydrate AM/PM
PanPan70 4/15/2011 4:48:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this with a GWP. Skincare buzzkill Paula Begoun has a lot of reservations about his product but I really like it. It's neither too light nor too heavy and absorbs quickly. It has a pleasant, fruity fragrance that doesn't linger. The Arcona website lists a mind boggling list of benefits this product allegedly offers and I can't imagine even a fraction of it is accurate. It is, however, a nice effective moisturizer that absorbs quickly and leaves the skin very, very soft.
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Treatments -Butter London - Handbag Holiday Cuticle Oil
PanPan70 4/15/2011 4:38:00 PM
This is a really nice cuticle oil that comes in a nail polish style container. It smells like coconut and works very nicely. My only complaint is that the brush could be either stiffer or shorter. I like this better than gels because it's easier to control and not as messy. Like!
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Sunscreen -La Mer - SPF 30 UV Protecting Fluid
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:59:00 PM
This is a really nice sunscreen. It's got zinc oxide as one of the sunscreen ingredients but it doesn't leave much of a white cast. I never find it irritating on my skin which is not true for most sunscreens. It's very light which is interesting considering that it's from la mer. I think it's meant to be used in conjunction with a heavier face cream so they didn't add a whole lot of emollients. It isn't cheap but you get 1.4 ounces in a bottle which makes it a less expensive than similar offerings from chanel. Highly recommended!
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Cleansers -La Mer - Cleansing Gel
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:54:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this with a GWP. It's a fabulous cleanser. It's effective but not too drying and it smells wonderful. It's very expensive for a cleanser but practically a bargain by la mer standards. Likey!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -La Mer - Moisturizing Lotion
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:52:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this with a GWP. I like this lotion a lot but it's very expensive for what you're getting. It's light, it absorbs fast, and it smells great. I enjoyed using it and would happily buy it but I'm not comfortable with its price point. If the price of this doesn't bother you, you might like it a lot.
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Moisturizers -La Mer - Creme de la mer moisturizer
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:49:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this with a GWP. I like it a lot. It's a thick creme that is especially nice on the dry, irritated skin that I get from using Retin A. But it's crazy how expensive is and the jar packaging isn't hygienic and antioxidants don't like being exposed to air and light. Still, I look forward to getting it with another GWP as it's such a nice product and I love the way it smells.
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Moisturizers -Kiehls - Rosa Arctica Cream
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:44:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this in a GWP. It reminds me a lot of creme de la mer in that it's a very thick cream that feels very soothing on the skin. Please don't be wooed by any of the promised their marketing is making. The jar packaging is assures that any of the anti aging ingredients degrades quickly. It is, however, a nice thick soothing moisturizer. The thickness, I think, comes from a high wax content which means that this product is particularly nice on irritated skin. I'd never purchase this but I'm enjoying the sample that I have.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Clarisonic PLUS Sonic Skin Cleansing System
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:20:00 PM
This product has improved the look and feel of my skin more than anything else has. Ever. Having said that, I think to realize that likely what's so special about it is that it has a timer and it tells you when to start and stop. I wonder if I would be getting similar results if I was using a cleanser with my fingers or a soft cloth for a similar amount of time. I don't really care I love my Clarisonic. Be prepared for a rude awakening after you've used it a couple of times and it finally manages to clean out your pores and you see how big they are. But if you're persistent that goes away pretty quickly and you're left with glowy, healthy skin. I broke out a little when I started using it but it cleared pretty quickly. I use it twice a day, two minutes each which is more than they want you to but I spend quite a bit of that time on my neck and it has completely relieved me of ingrown hairs I used to get with shaving. I use it dry with an oil based cleanser at night and in the shower with a foaming cleanser in the morning and have gotten really good results from that. I don't think you should use it dry the first couple of times after you get a new cleaning head because that might be too much. I got the plus model but I've never really used the body attachment. The head is too small to cover a large area and a scrub is so much faster. I've also never really played with the setting. I'm using the standard ones and that seems to work out pretty well for me.
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Cleansers -Jill Stuart - Cleansing Oil
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:04:00 PM
This is a very nice cleansing oil. The packaging is ultra princessy and it smells great and doesn't have a taste. The cleansing action is similar to shu. It removes everything but it isn't such a deep deep clean. It's very expensive to get if you live in the US and for that reason alone I won't repurchase-- I would absolutely buy this if it becomes available here. If you aren't bothered by the price point (wherever you live) I would highly recommend this.
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Cleansers -Yves Saint Laurent - Pureness Satiny Oil
PanPan70 4/14/2011 7:01:00 PM
I had high hopes for this cleansing oil. I'm on the lookout for something to replace my beloved Shu that I can get in the US without having to order over the internet. This cleansing oil is much thicker than the shu and I don't think that's a good thing. The fragrance isn't bad but it does have an unpleasant taste should you manage to get any in your mouth. YSL isn't kidding when they say this is for oily skin. It can leave my face feeling tight and I don't like that. I'll finish the bottle but will not be repurchasing.
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Moisturizers -Borghese - Cura di Vita Protettivo Protective Moisturizer SPF 15
PanPan70 4/13/2011 3:50:00 PM
I've gotten this as an element in Borghese kits that I've purchased. It's a nice light moisturizer and it has a nice fragrance. It doesn't have effective UVA coverage so please don't use it as a sunscreen. I wouldn't purchase it separately and have given it a low rating because of this.
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Eyes -Borghese - Botanico/Eye Compresses 
PanPan70 4/13/2011 3:34:00 PM
Does anybody seriously use this crap?? It's supposed to be an eye treatment but it's loaded with alcohol and not emollients. I've gotten a bunch of these as parts of Borghese kits I've purchased and I have neither the time nor the inclination to use them. Fail!
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Skincare - Body -Borghese - Bagno di Vita Bath/Shower Gel
PanPan70 4/13/2011 3:27:00 PM
I purchased this as an element in a Borghese kit. I really like this bath gel. It smells great and it foams nicely. It's got a strong blue dye in it that rinses easily off the skin but can get all over your shower if you aren't careful. A couple of times the pump has been broken which makes it much messier to use. I'd never purchase this separately but I enjoy it when it comes as part of a kit.
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Moisturizers -Borghese - Dolce Notte Re-Energizing Night Creme
PanPan70 4/13/2011 3:15:00 PM
I got this as part of a Borghese kit and I'm using it but I would never purchase it separately. It's a pretty greasy face cream in that comes in a jar. It has a pretty strong scent that lingers a while after application and that might be a problem for some. It makes my face sting just a little when I've been using retin-a a couple of nights in a row and since there's nothing in it that exfoliates I guess it must be the fragrance that's irritating. It hasn't broken me out and has kept my skin from getting too dry from the retin-a. I like it a lot as a hand cream too. If I ended up with more of it as part of a kit I'd use it, but there's no way I'd pay $53.50 for 1.7 ounces of this. It just isn't worth it.
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Cleansers -Borghese - Esfoliante Delicato Gentle Cleanser and Exfoliant
PanPan70 4/13/2011 3:09:00 PM
I got this as an element in a Borghese kit and wouldn't purchase it. It's supposed to be a gentle mechanical exfoliant. Paula Begoun says it's very drying and not recommended. I think it smells pretty nasty and have been using it as a very gentle body scrub and it works well. I don't know that I'd use it on my face because of it's scent.
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