Eye Makeup Remover -Lumene - Sensitive Touch Cleansing Wipes
domokun_nyc 6/6/2013 3:43:00 AM
I was looking for an alternative to DHC make-off sheets and another wipe by Waitrose and Paula recommended these. They are now my first choice for wipes. They feel soft to me, are not soaked in solution, but not dry either, and I have never had any irritation with them. I see they are being reviewed as eye makeup remover, but I use them for my entire face. I also run some toner over my face after using just to get whatever the wipes may have missed. Packaging is typical soft pack and I keep mine in a ziplock to prevent drying out. They are quite expensive for wipes, about double the price of the DHC. Thus, while I prefer these wipes, I alternate between them and the (much) more affordable DHC.
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Treatments -DERMAdoctor - Picture Porefect serum
domokun_nyc 6/3/2013 6:45:00 AM
I got a generous tube sample from Sephora and looked it up on Beautypedia where it's listed as an AHA. So, I treated it as an exfoliant rather than something only to shrink pores, which I don't have much issue with anyway. I used it rather regularly over 2-3 weeks and feel it did have some exfoliation effect, possibly brightening up my skin just a tad. I have some sun damage that I am always trying to fade or at least even out my skin tone. It didn't irritate or burn me and I didn't have any itching or peeling. It's a rather runny serum and I used it over my entire face. Didn't notice any effect on pores, but like I said, I don't have an issue there. The full size seems to be in a good air-tight pump so I gave it a good rating for packaging. While I'd be fine with purchasing a full-size based on its performance, the price does put me off at 40 USD per ounce. There are much cheaper AHA options out there that are equally effective.
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Moisturizers -Cerave - Facial Moisturizing Lotion - PM
domokun_nyc 6/3/2013 6:34:00 AM
Love this stuff. It's a relatively light, but not runny, lotion. Kind of a creamy, 'cone-like, smooth texture. Sinks in well. Doesn't irritate my combo skin or clog me up or break me out. Has lots of extras like ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. Has no fragrance. I ignored the "PM" part of the name and used it in the daytime either over or under a sunscreen (depending on whether chemical or physical) as well. It may not be enough if you are super dry, but it is a great all-round moisturiser that ticks a lot of boxes for me. Price is very reasonable for the 3 oz bottle; lasts a few months of constant use. Pump bottle is hygienic and effective - just enough pumps out; not messy; can get every drop at the end. Just a great product.
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Makeup Brushes -The Body Shop - Eyeliner Brush
domokun_nyc 5/30/2013 2:28:00 PM
This review is for the slanted brush. I've had one for about 2-3 years and I love it so much I bought a second one for my gym/travel make up bag. I use it to apply powder to my brows, not for applying eyeliner. As everyone says, it stands up to repeated washings and keeps its shape and stays soft. I also like that it is animal-friendly. Beyond its great performance, one of my favorite things about it is the length of the handle. I'm near-sighted and when I lean in to use the mirror, the handle is not so long that it bumps into the mirror! It also fits into all my small cosmetic bags. I have a couple other brushes that were either too long handled (I suppose I could have tried sawing the extra length off) or just got mushed down and splayed out after a year of use. Not much more to say. Love this brush.
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Moisturizers -Olay - Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion spf 15
domokun_nyc 5/30/2013 2:09:00 PM
I've been trying a number of sunscreens looking for something effective and affordable and this might be it. I like the Olay for a number of reasons: 1. no heavy fragrance 2. decent price for the amount of product 3. effective spf 15 sunscreen 4. feels somewhat moisturising, but not greasy 5. has lots of extras to combat ageing 6. hygienic pump delivery 7. lightweight plastic bottle that I can scrape most everything out of 8. works well under make-up; I didn't notice any pilling 9. didn't break me out I've also used the spf 50 version, which is a bit heavy/greasy for my combo skin. Some other chemical sunscreens have been too greasy or too fragranced or irritated my eyes. While I do avoid getting this in my eyes, and often prefer a physical sunscreen to avoid eye irritation, this is currently my favorite chemical sunscreen. Price is not too cheap for a drugstore brand, but this works well and has enough extras that it's worth it.
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Pressed Powders -Physicians Formula - Mineral Wear Talc-Free Face Powder
domokun_nyc 5/30/2013 1:53:00 PM
I've liked other Physician's Formula powders in the past and gave this a shot in Translucent Light. My biggest complaint is that it is very loose for a pressed powder. I used my own powder brush, either standard style or kabuki, depending on what I felt like that day, and inevitably powder ended up on my hand, chest, shirt, etc. So, in short, kind of a messy product. I might rather just have a straight-up loose powder. Also, not a fan of the packaging -- bulky and I don't use their brush or the mirror, so a bit of overkill for me. The Translucent Light color does have enough pigment that I could use it almost as a powder foundation. It's somewhat buildable to hide imperfections. Sometimes I'd just use it over a tinted moisturiser and be done with any foundation or concealer for that day. In that respect, it's almost like Clinique's Superbalanced Powder Makeup or The Body Shop's Face Base. The powder didn't gather in my lines too badly (I only use it from my cheeks down most of the time.) I said I'd repurchase, but only if I couldn't find anything better. It's not bad, just not that great. And it's about 15 USD, so not terribly cheap either.
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Treatments -Clinique - Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector
domokun_nyc 5/23/2013 6:18:00 AM
Used a generous sample of this serum once or twice daily for three weeks and noticed no change whatsoever on my sun damage/zit scarring. There was also no general improvement on overall skin tone or evening of tone. Maybe my skin is just stubborn, maybe I need to use the product for 6 weeks instead of 3. In any case, based on the sample they provided (which I would hope would be enough to give results such that you could decide to purchase the full size) I'm not impressed. The most that can be said for it is that it didn't break me out or irritate me. I use other Clinique products, but will be passing on this one.
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Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Hemp Hand Protector
domokun_nyc 5/23/2013 6:04:00 AM
The short review is: this stuff really works to soothe/repair dry skin. Very rich and emollient. The details are what drops this from five to four lippies. 1. The odor is very strong patchouli-ish, as I'm sure practically everyone else has mentioned. While it's not terribly offensive to me, it will linger enough that I don't want to use it before food prep or meals or before touching some items or in places where other people might be bothered by it. So, somewhat limits use. 2. The metal tube packaging is a pain because as soon as the cap is removed the product comes gushing out. Also the metal tube may split when bent or folded over. 3. Maybe a bit too greasy. OTOH, that's what helps it do its job. That's about it. Price is okay, the body shop is always running specials. I'm not buying another tube right away due to the above criticisms, but if my hands were in a bad way, I'd not hesitate to pick this up. I tried the almond hand cream as a less smelly substitute and feel the hemp works better for really dried out hands.
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Styling Products -DHC - Nuance Hair Wax
domokun_nyc 4/21/2013 12:02:00 PM
I have a short, almost pixie or boy cut and this product works great. I've tried a number of other products and find this gives great hold without being heavy or getting crispy. It's great for creating "bed-head" or a messy look, but can also slick down fly aways and fringe. It's a soft, white, creamy, almost "whipped" wax. Comes in a good-sized plastic jar, kind of mid-range in price, but worth it. I also like The Body Shop's beeswax, but prefer the DHC as it doesn't build up as quickly, so you can add more while styling without things getting too waxy too fast.
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Powder -Physicians Formula - Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 12:13:00 PM
HG for me. I got this in translucent light and love it. I'm using it more for the foundation than for the sunscreen and apply it with a kabuki brush only on my cheeks, chin and nose. This is very finely milled, but solidly in the compact. There's no mess/fuss with loose powder flying everywhere. I have been using steadily for about two months and am not close to hitting pan. I did first try using the included sponge and the oil from my skin caused the powder surface to darken/get hard, so I switched to the brush, which I prefer anyway. I use a bit of Origins Quick Hide concealer if needed, then brush this over it and everything looks quite natural. I can use a small brush to dab extra powder if I need extra cover on a spot or two. This doesn't settle in my pores or fine lines and everything just looks great. The 50 spf is an added benefit, but I do not depend on it; I use a lotion sunscreen/moisturiser. The compact is adorable, very cheerful color combo. Easy for travel. Love, love, love. This has displaced my previous fav powder foundation by Clinique. Price is not cheapest, but reasonable for drugstore and often on special. I will pick up as many of these as possible next time I'm in the states. Afraid of it being discontinued.
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Pressed Powders -Cover Girl - Advanced Radiance Pressed Powder
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 11:51:00 AM
Was looking for a cheap-ish pressed powder and got this in 105 ivory. It got good reviews from Paula Begoun, but there are a lot of products near this one's price point (around $10 US) and several of them are better. This powder is decent, but not the most finely milled or silky. Sometimes it showed up in the lines near my nose or mouth. The color was good enough on my rather pale skin, but sometimes felt a bit too dark. Compact is sturdy, puff is crap. For the money, I much prefer Physician's Formula or The Body Shop. I was not terribly impressed with the Cover Girl. I can get about the same performance from Rimmel Stay Matte for about half the price. It's good enough that I'd buy again in a pinch, but not if I have access to other options.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Shiseido - sponge puff
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 11:38:00 AM
This is the best makeup sponge, hands down. I just repurchased after my first one finally gave up after two years of constant use and washing. It's a more or less rectangular sponge (more of a parallelogram) that is just perfect for liquid foundation or concealer. Other sponges soak up foundation so much that there's none left for your face. Or they are so synthetic and plastic-y that they just smear the foundation around or wipe it completely off. This sponge actually helps pat the foundation or concealer into your skin for a smooth, even application and is great for a blended natural look. I generally use a patting motion rather than a wiping and that works great. I originally purchased to use with Shiseido foundation, but have been using with all different liquid foundations and concealers. Just cannot rave about this sponge enough. I'd rather spend a little more on this one sponge than spend the same amount on a ton of the cheap drugstore triangles.
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Treatments -Olay - Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 11:19:00 AM
I'm a bit torn about this product because I think it's probably very good, but just not right for me. It does have a lovely silky texture and lots of great ingredients, but it also has a very heavy fragrance and can look very matte/dry. I have combo skin and after applying this, I felt like I needed to slap on a layer of moisturiser. It's a bit of a disconnect between the fact that the product should be very moisturising based on the label, but instead makes my face feel very dry. I also didn't find it to be a great primer -- my makeup tended to sit on top of this stuff or rub off of it. That could be because I was often using powder foundation; maybe it works better with liquid. The pump worked well enough -- it had a kind of smushy, slushy action, but I didn't have problems getting the product out. Some folks like the look of the bottle, but it's very squat and wide and really quite huge for travel. Additionally, this stuff is at the high end for a drugstore product, $30+ depending on where you live. For me, it feels too drying and the fragrance is just too strong to justify repurchase.
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Treatments -Palmers - Skin Success Eventone Fade Cream
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 10:52:00 AM
Bought a jar of this not expecting much, but it's rather cheap, so I thought, no great loss if it doesn't do anything. I was pleasantly surprised. I originally intended to use it on my face, but as it's a rather thick, almost waxy, cream, I didn't like having to really rub it into my skin and was worried about clogging pores as I have a tendency to breakout. I used it for a bit (and had no breakouts), but got some Alpha Hydrox that I started using on my face and decided to do a little experiment by just putting the Palmer's on the back of my left hand. After a few weeks, I noticed that hand looked brighter or at least more even skin tone. I don't have severe sun damage, just lots of little freckles and a few larger dots. Mostly the freckles were fading away, leaving only a couple dots here and there, so overall the skin looked clearer. There was a discernable difference between my two hands. So the Palmers did work. It's not a miracle worker that will make all pigmentation disappear, but it does have some effectiveness. I want to get some more for my hands and try their thinner lotion version for my face. Stupidly I thought I'd give Porcelana a try and cannot stand the sour odor long enough to use it. One downside is that the Palmers comes in a heavy glass jar, so bad for travel and it will start to oxidise due to contact with air. Didn't notice any horrible odor like the Porcelana. Give it a shot. At the price point, you can't go wrong.
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Scrubs -Clinique - 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse Off Formula
domokun_nyc 2/4/2013 10:33:00 AM
Got a large tube of this as GWP and while I want to like it, I just find it average. It's a little too harsh for its name -- no way could I ever use this 7 days a week. Tube is great for the shower, no strong fragrance, effective exfoliation, but rather expensive for a scrub. Mostly I just find it too harsh an exfoliant.
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