Treatments -Vichy - Aqualia Thermal Hydrating Concentrate
darcy123 12/3/2008 1:30:00 PM
This serum is excellent for helping to bring some moisture back into my winter dehyrated skin. My skin is oily and acne prone, but winter air makes certain areas of my face tight, dry and flaky (attractive, I know ...). One small pump of this, used morning and/or evening as required is helping to keep my face soft and smooth and better yet, break-out free. I love the pump bottle too. This retails for $37 CAD but I got mine using my Optimum points. I imagine a bottle will last quite some time and I will buy a new one when this one runs out. A winter essential!
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Liquid -Clinique - Superfit Foundation [DISCONTINUED]
darcy123 11/14/2008 2:51:00 PM
I really like the new Superfit formula, but as many other reviewers have mentioned, the colour selection is still lacking. I tried the old Superfit a couple of times but just couldn't get a good colour match. So, I was pretty excited to see that it had been reformulated. I love the way this new formula wears, it's truly like a second-skin. It provides medium coverage and dries to a natural soft matte finish. I only need a little concealer over problem spots and a touch of powder to set it. The staying power is great (I wear Pore Minimizer under it, like I do with all my foundations) even with my very oily skin and it doesn't oxidize. But, the colours... I first bought Neutral (MF-N) and it's slighly dark; it may look good in the summer. Then, I tried Cream Whip (VF-N). It's pretty good and I can correct it with pressed powder, but it's just not quite right and I think it perhaps makes me look slightly orange (?). So, will I repurchase? Probably. I now like this better than my DWL in terms of wearability, price and even colour (my DWL #2 is now a little too yellow since my slight summer tan has faded). If you have oily skin and can get a good colour match, this could be HG stuff. UPDATE: OK, the colour of this foundation sucks ... I am a little too orange ... Such a shame because I do like this formula but I can live without looking like I got a bad spray-tan in the middle of November ... back to the drawing board to search for my HG foundation that's neither too yellow or too orange. Does such a thing exist? ...
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Skincare - Face -Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair Concentrate
darcy123 11/14/2008 2:20:00 PM
I just finished a 21-day period of using ANR Concentrate at night and all I can say is ... wow. It takes a lot to impress me, and given that this stuff is $100 CAD for a 30mL bottle, it had better perform. I only used one dropper full each night, as two droppers seemed to be a lot and I was hoping to make this last. This serum helped to reduce the appearance of some acne scarring and general unevenness in my skin tone; my pores seem less noticeable too. This didn't make my bad skin look perfect but I did notice enough of a difference to use this again, perhaps every 6 months (fall and spring) during GWP time to help justify the price.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
darcy123 11/14/2008 2:04:00 PM
Still on the hunt for a great primer, I ordered this from MAC on-line based on good MUA reviews. And, the hunt continues. I guess I was hoping for greater miracles from this poor product. As a primer, it was OK. My make-up looked nice over it but it didn't keep my skin matte for any longer than any other primer. I'm not sure how effective it would be as a sunscreen as I only used a little on my T-zone given the high price ($33.50 CAD) for such a small tube. And, I got a few break-outs on my chin when I wore this. Will not repurchase.
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Toners -Clinique - Mild Clarifying Lotion
darcy123 11/14/2008 1:59:00 PM
My skin is oily and acne-prone, but this is the only toner I can use in the fall and winter months when my skin becomes sensitive from the dry air. I'm not sure if the salicylic acid is strong enough to really help exfoliate my skin, but it doesn't do any further harm and makes my skin feel clean for my moisturizers and/or serums. The price is reasonable too; it retails for $14.50 here in Canada. Have and will repurchase.
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Liquid -Revlon - Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup SPF 15
darcy123 11/2/2008 10:04:00 AM
I was skeptical that a foundation could morph to match your skin tone exactly, but I had a coupon for $5 off this product, so I thought I would give it a try. I bought Light/Med, which seemed to be the best match. When I tried it on my hand, it seemed a little orange, but I thought it was just bad lighting in the store. When I tried it on at home, it seemed a little orange. I thought it was my bathroom lighting (those compact florescent bulbs ... good for the environment, bad for m/u! ...). In natural daylight, it seemed a little orange. When I washed my face, the facecloth had an orange patch. Furthermore, the coverage was just too sheer for me. If you have pretty good skin to start with and are looking to just even out your skin tone, this might work for you, providing you can get a good colour match. I like the idea, the SPF, the packaging, and the price is OK (I only paid $12 CAD with coupon), but will not repurchase based on poor colour selection for me.
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Eye Shadow -MAC - Shroom
darcy123 10/19/2008 9:09:00 AM
OK, so I finally submitted to the hype and bought Shroom from MAC on-line. My decision was based on the popularity of this e/s in all the MUA reviews and boards. Shroom this, shroom that ... When I received my package from MAC and looked at the apparently blah colour, I thought "Is this what all the hype is about?!" Then, I used it. This is a fantastic highlight colour for me; not too pink/white/yellow/glittery/matte ... just right. MAC e/s retail for $17 CAD and I will repurchase as I could easily spend $37 looking for a lower priced dup that I don't like nearly as much. Thanks MUA for yet another worthwhile purchase!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby
darcy123 10/8/2008 1:30:00 PM
I've been looking for a new blush and bought this from MAC on-line based solely on positive MUA reviews. And, I really like this! The colour looks quite dark in the pan, but because it's sheer when applied, it gives a nice hint of natural colour on your cheeks. Excellent quality: smooth application, nice pigmentation, lasting colour, no shimmer. This was my first MAC colour cosmetic purchase (I have previously only used Blot Powder) but I I will definately be trying more of the Sheertones Blushes!
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Cleansers -Clinique - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
darcy123 9/19/2008 2:58:00 PM
I, like so many others out there, also love this cleansing balm and would have never tried it had it not been for good reviews here. My skin is oily and acne-prone so I would have thought this would be one of the worst things I could use to clean my face. But, I wear sunscreen and longwearing foundation and I wanted to make sure my skin is clean. I only need a little of this, applied to a dry face, to remove all the "yuck" from the day. I follow up with Clinique liquid facial soap and find there is no residue on my cotton pad after I use my toner. Will repurchase.
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Primer/ Corrector -Unlisted Brand - Monistat - Chafing Relief Powder-Gel
darcy123 9/19/2008 2:26:00 PM
Still on the hunt for the perfect primer for my very oily, acne prone skin, I finally broke down and tried Monistat (took a while to come to terms with putting "Monistat" on my face). In terms of it's texture and feel, it rivals all the other, much more expensive primers on the market (Smashbox, I'm looking at you! ...). It did do good job of keeping my face less shiny by mid-afternoon. Is it the miracle I've been searching for? Probably not. I did get some strange whiteheads on my forehead after wearing this for a couple of days, and they cleared up when I stopped. Hey, this was worth a shot. A tube was only $8 at Walmart. Although I won't use it myself, I would recommend this to my friends over many other primers.
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
darcy123 9/5/2008 10:44:00 PM
The only cosmetic product that I have ever purchased that actually DID AS IT PROMISED!!!!!!! No creasing. None. Not even on my super oily lids. Not even after a long, hot, humid day. Eyeshadow stayed put. On me. Amazing. Sure, the packaging sucks, but the product itself rocks. Will definately re-purchase. Thanks MUA for finally helping me make my e/s look good! :)
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Treatments (Eye) -Clinique - All About Eyes
darcy123 8/27/2008 9:17:00 AM
This neither the best nor worst eyecream I've used, but I like it. It's a really nice, soothing eye moisturizer. Although my skin is very oily, I have lots of fine undereye lines and the skin under my eyes is quite dry. I find most eye creams feel very dry on my skin. AAE moisturizes my eye contour really well and my make-up looks better over it. I don't think this is doing anything for fine lines, puffiness, dark circles, but neither has any other eye cream! Like most other Clinique skin care products, the jar packaging SUCKS and is very unsanitary (would it kill them to join the 21st century and invent a "pump" for their products!?! ...). But, because this stuff feels nice, I'll probably repurchase this until I find that miracle product.
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Liquid -Estee Lauder - Double Wear LIGHT Foundation SPF10
darcy123 8/24/2008 7:33:00 PM
DWL like is the perfect love child of the original DW and Revlon's ColorStay Light: a light weight foundation that covers little imperfections without looking masky AND that stays put on oily skin! I originally tried this in Intensity 1 when it first came out and the colour match was way off, much too pink. So, I assumed the other colours would be too dark and I ended up buying the original DW in Fresco (2N2). DW has great coverage and wear, but if you're a little too heavy-handed, you do end up looking plastic-y. And, it's heavy to wear in summer. So a couple of weeks ago I tried a sample of this in Intensity 2 (as Fresco is in the 2 range) and I finally found a great liquid foundation! I need only a touch of concealer on really troublesome spots and a bit of ColorStay powder on my T-zone to look great all day, with only a small blot needed in the late afternoon. I wish it had a higher SPF, but overall I really like the natural finish I get from this and will be purchasing a full-sized bottle soon. UPDATE: This foundation looked fabulous on me in summer when I had a bit of colour. Now that it's winter and I'm more pale, Intensity 2 looks too yellow on me. I'll keep this for my summer foundation though because I still like it. I am also finding that the coverage is more sheer than I had originally thought. I recently had a big breakout on my chin and I'm left with some red, ruddy scars, in addition to the broken capillaries that are the bane of my existence. DWL did not cover this mess at all. In the summer when I loved this foundation the most, my skin was in much better shape. If you need to conceal heavy redness or dark scars, stick with the original DW.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Clinique - Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher
darcy123 8/24/2008 6:33:00 PM
I have owned several of these blushes over the years: Pink Blush, Mocha Pink, Totally Tawny, Plum Gorgeous. I like the nice light sheer coverage of these blushes and the lack of shimmer/sparkle. My skin is oily so I don't need anything to enhance the shine on my face. I do find, however, that after using these for a while, a hard film tends to develop on the top and you really have to scrape your brush over the product to get the colour ( ...yuck ...). I don't mind the "old school" green Clinique compact and you get a generous amount of blush. I'll probably stick with these as I like the colours and coverage and find that they don't cause any problems for my skin, despite the fact that they're not oil-free.
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Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Light
darcy123 8/13/2008 1:35:00 PM
Despite the low ratings on this product, I decided to try it anyway. I know, I know, ... I thought maybe this one would be different. Nope. I found this to be a merely average primer. It feels nice on your skin and your makeup does good just after you've applied it. That's about it. No real reduction in the look of your pores, no lasting matte effect. I bought the trial sized tube at my local Shopper's Drug Mart and that still set me back $25 CAD for .5oz/15mL. I might finish the tube, probably will not and definitely will not repurchase. This is the second disappointing Smashbox primer I've used. Should have trusted you, MUA ...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No