Cleansers -Oxy - Chill Factor BP 10 percent face wash
suiw 4/24/2008 1:03:00 PM
The only reason why I ever tried this was because I was using this new acne regimen that required this and the Oxy alpine bar soap. Surprisingly I actually liked using it; though there are some cons to it. 10% can be too strong for some people. Luckily I tolerate benzoyl peroxide quite well, and with the regimen I was on (which I'm no longer on anymore) you're required to let this sit on your face for 10-15 minutes before washing off. Afterwards my face would be really taut and dry, which is expected and a good moisturizer will remedy. However, I have to say that for the most part I had quite a pleasant experience with this face wash. At first it took a while to get used to the "chilling" effect from the menthol. But I liked it quite a bit. It made me think it was working. Marketing ploy? Hmm.. The blue beads on the other hand, do absolutely nothing - I don't know why it's even in there. It doesn't exfolitate, sometimes it clogs the bottle. The only thing is that is looks cool. Overall I think I prefer this to the original bp wash, which for some reason didn't give as good a result. But I stopped using this face wash and went to a 3% bp wash instead from another brand which I'm very satisfied with. It's not the HG of bp washes, but I can see how this would work for people. So that's why I'm in the middle with this. It helped to kill the p.acnes bacteria and keep breakouts at bay while I was on it.
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Moisturizers -Alpha Hydrox - Sheer Silk Moisturizer-spf 15
suiw 4/24/2008 12:51:00 PM
I'm in the middle with this one. I've been on the hunt for a good, hydrating moisturizer that has enough spf in it but also doesn't change the color of my foundation. This moisturizer does a well enough job, but I feel like it could be better. Sometimes it feels a little too thick when applying, and I have to give it time to soak in before applying my foundation. The good thing is that it doesn't change the tone of my foundation or makeup. Although by mid-day my face feels a little oilier than usual when I use it. Definitely has that 'sunblock' texture to it. I'm a fan of Alpha Hydrox, but because I'm on the fence, I think I'll keep looking for a good moisturizer. The good thing about this moisturizer is that it didn't break me out.
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Powder -GloMinerals - GloPressed Base
suiw 4/16/2008 3:03:00 PM
I just have to say "wow" about this pressed base. I've been using BE faithfully for over 5 years, and if you can convert me from that to this...that's a miracle in and of itself. My BE mineral makeup wasn't cutting it, nor was it able to hide blemishes or give me a smooth look anymore so I went hunting for something else. I heard that GloMinerals is excellent for acne prone skin, so I figured what the heck, couldn't hurt to try it. I was matched to Honey Light, which I think is still a tad bit dark for my face, but still looks okay. I placed an order for Honey Fair so I'm waiting for that to come in this week. But enough about that.....let me tell you about the makeup itself. The coverage is phenomenal. It easily masks my redness, old acne scars, and discoloration. The makeup also goes on so smooth, and because I use less, it doesn't look like I have makeup on. I don't need to "buff" my face so much because this base literally covers everything I need with the first pass. I also purchased the Ultra Brush with the pressed base, and I love, love, love it! The Ultra Brush is a must-have. It blows away my BE kabuki brush. The bristles are soooo soft and feel like a soft pillow on my face. I enjoy applying my makeup now. It also wears well throughout the day. I have really oily skin and need to blot my mid-day, but touch ups are a breeze, and when I do touch up, it doesn't look like I have caked on foundation. I lightly dust with the perfecting powder to set the makeup, and I also purchased the glo moist hydrating mist. The price was a little steep at first. But now that I know how good this makeup is, price is not a factor. I also have not been breaking out as much since using this base. Must be something worth saying if it's recommended by dermatologists. I can use it on my acne prone skin and not have to worry about the bondo look. This glopressed base is absolutely terrific! I don't know why I didn't convert sooner. **Edit: I received Honey Fair and have been using it for over a week now. I love it! It matches much more closely to my skin. It's lighter than Honey Light. The pot isn't as yellow as internet pictures make it look. I'm of mixed heritage. Chinese, filipino, hawaiian, tahitian. So it's hard to find a color that matches my skin tone. I have slight yellow undertones. GloMinerals is now my favorite base - no more BE for me!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Lotion Exfoliant [REFORMULATED]
suiw 2/21/2008 4:11:00 PM
Holy hell! This 1% BHA lotion wrecked havoc on my skin worse than anything I've ever used. I completely broke out in a week with cysts, whiteheads, papules, pustules, you name it. I don't care if it's the purging, but I've NEVER in my life seen my face as bad as it looks now. And the only change I've made was the addition of this BHA to my daily regimen. I currently use Alpha Hydrox 10% enhanced lotion which is a miracle for my skin and what it did for my acne (read my review on that). However since I heard a lot about Paula's BHA products, I figured it wouldn't hurt to add this to my regimen. Boy was I wrong! I don't know if my skin just absolutely hates salicylic acid, because it could be that. I had a much worse but similar reaction to Murad's products which also contain salicyclic. I stopped using the 1% BHA lotion because my skin was just ultimately horrible, broken out, bumpy, red, itchy, dry, you name it. Arrrghghh. My husband felt so bad for me one night. He actually hugged me to say that I was still beautiful to him. He had never seen my face this bad, either. So now I have to start the healing process on my face. I went back to using Alpha Hydrox 10% glycolic products, and guess what?! After day 2, I noticed an improvement in my skin and my acne is healing. I'm thinking that maybe I should try the 2% BHA liquid since I see good reviews for that one. But I'm too scared to try again because I can't stand having another massive breakout like this again. Not all of Paula's products are as wonderful for everyone's skin or reacts the same. I wish it could have been a better experience, but needless to say, I'm sticking to Alpha Hydrox.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Alpha Hydrox - Enhanced Lotion - 10% AHA
suiw 2/21/2008 3:56:00 PM
I started using Alpha Hydrox specifically for acne because of the great reviews I've seen on how this AHA improves acne-prone skin. This 10% enhanced lotion literally transformed my face in under 2 months. I've never seen clarity, tone, improvement in my skin on any given product except for this. Even my husband remarked at how great my skin looks. It glows, my skin is soft and smooth. No more inflamed acne or redness. My pores are clearer, and I look healthy and younger than my 29 years! Granted, I had some purging when I first started, but that went away and I saw how fast the cell turnover of my skin was and how it literally shortened the life of a whitehead. I had cystic acne along my jawline, and the 10% lotion killed and healed the acne within 3 days. My skin is improving every day. I also use the lotion on my body and buttocks area for my stretchmarks. It works. Amazing product!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Alpha Hydrox - Moisturizing Body Wash, Sea Mist
suiw 2/21/2008 3:23:00 PM
I purchased Alpha Hydrox's sea mist body wash out of curiosity and from the great reviews. I've been using it for the past 2 months, and I've competely converted to using ONLY this and threw away my bother bars of soap and body washes. I could never find a body wash that sufficiently moisturized, and didn't break me out. The formulation of this body wash is excellent. I don't mind the smell at all; in fact it has a nice, light clean smell to it, and isn't too masculine like some other reviews, nor does it linger profusely after the shower, which is great because I don't like strong scented products anyway. It foams great in the shower, even with hard water (and our house has very hard water). And, the biggest plus of all - no breaking out. In fact, I used to get mild breakouts on my back and chest. Not anymore. They've healed and subsided since using this body wash. My skin is much smoother and soft, and I notice a huge difference when I step out of the shower. No more itchy skin at night. In fact, I don't need to use lotion on my skin after showering because this body wash has just the right ph level for my skin. It's fantastic. I ran out a couple weeks ago, and went back to using my old body wash until my order came in. As soon as I resorted back to the old stuff, my chest started breaking out again and my arms and legs went back to scaly dry skin. As soon as I got my Alpha Hydrox body wash in the mail, I threw out all the old stuff. I can feel a big difference in my skin when I use this body wash. It's wonderful and from now on will be my ONLY body wash. Don't fall for the hype of other body washes out there that market fruity scents or moisturizing properties. Alpha Hydrox has the only products that have ph levels suited for all skin types. Update 6.05.08: I went online to order a new bottle, and I was so disappointed that the larger 12 oz. size has been discontinued and replaced with a smaller 6 oz. size, for a little under the price of the larger size. I was appalled! I wrote to Alpha Hydrox. Can you believe it! People...write to the consumer relations at Alpha Hydrox and complain that you want the larger size brought back!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Desert Essence - Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi
suiw 11/2/2007 12:23:00 AM
I gave this cleanser 3 months. That would be enough time to judge it....well, not the miracle face wash I was hoping it would be. Needless to say, even with using jojoba oil (which I absolutely love), this face wash is way too drying, even with my very oily, acne problem skin. My complaint is not on the pump, because I solved that problem early by transferring the product into an empty "foam dispenser" by BABW. So the liquidy product foamed up great. However, after washing, my face felt completely stripped...and not in a good way. I felt like all the moisture from my face was completely gone. It was so harsh for my skin, that it aggravated my acne more. I don't know if it was the tea tree oil, but I don't have sensitive skin, and this just made my acne worse, not help it. I had to do double battle with benzoyl peroxide and the jojoba oil as a moisturizer just to counteract the harshness. It left my face dry, the area around my eyes peeling, and I would get these really rough, dry patches around my mouth and lower cheek. My skin was uneven, and because of the stripping, my skin started overdeveloping oil in my face just to get the moisture back. I had to use jojoba oil after every wash just to balance it out. I stopped using the face wash, and it's been almost 2 weeks now, and guess what?! No more rough, dry patches. My face is getting under control again. So I've concluded that it was the face wash that was giving me problems. Too bad, and I had high hopes for it. Now I'm on the hunt for something better. Sorry, but this face wash didn't cut it for me. I won't be buying it again.
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Polishes -OPI - Don't Wine...Yukon Do It!
suiw 8/22/2007 1:47:00 PM
This is my go-to polish of choice for my pedicures. I've used this color on my toes for the last two pedicures I've gotten, and it's lasted for almost a whole month each time! Wonderful color. Just gorgeous on my toes. I receive so many comments when I wear it. It's the perfect shade of deep red, with some shimmer and purple tones to it. It looks smashing in sunlight. So cute with open-toed shoes. I love-love-love it!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No