Cleansers -Purpose - Gentle Cleansing Wash
Benzgirl79 5/31/2008 1:58:00 PM
****Update: 12/25/2011: About 6 months ago, my skin completed freaked out and this stuff gave me the worst rash all over my face. It went away as soon as I changed to another brand. I decided to give it another go with passed week and lo and behold, my face is again a raging, red, dry, irritated, rashy inferno. It was great in my 20s but once I hit 30, it all changed...
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My HG cleanser for about a year now, better than the Plexion rx I was using for years.
Softens my skin and has never leaves it feeling dry, removes all of my makeup (including eye and foundation which has been a feat) and is quite cheap considering the products I've purchased (I usually stick to dept store facial products). The pump dispenses the perfect amount, there isn't a terrible smell and leaves no film. I don't even have to use a separate eye makeup remover.
This was recommended to me by my Derm. and honestly, I've never been happier. The price runs from about $4.99-$7.
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Treatments (Eye) -Lancome - Progres Eye Cream
Benzgirl79 5/28/2008 5:08:00 PM
* Update 3/21/10: I stopped using this about 6 weeks after use - I did, unfortunately, develop some milia under my eyes which I never ever get. * Would've been a great hydrator otherwise. One lippie off.
I've been using this about 2 weeks and so far I'm liking the results. I'll follow-up with future posts...
I purchased this cream with the understanding (from what has been said here and by the Lancome SA) that this is a very creamy, deep moisturizing heavy cream for under the eyes to replenish moisture to dry under eyes, which I have.
My make-up was looking pretty crepey and I needed intense moisture.
I also have very sensitive eye under eyes, and so far, I have had no problem whatsoever with this cream. Others have mentioned they developed milia from this cream. I have developed it with other creams, but not this one as of today.
The price is reasonable for how little product you really need. The cream is extremely thick, white and heavy. It does leave a dewy (think vasoline) finish under your eye so if you don't wear concealer/corrector or cover with powder, it may look strange for daytime but I wear it anyway.
It is a "no frills" eye cream that does not contain the latest technology but to be honest, when I look at the reviews of all the other technologically advanced, equally expensive eye creams, the reviews don't really hold up to the marketing hype. I have hollowed eyes so I've come to understand that no cream will help me, only concealer and light reflecting powders to brighten my eye area.
Like others have said, I don't really understand why there is fragrance in this and although it's not my favorite, it's forgivable for the job the cream does.
The only thing this product promises (I'm reading from the box) is that it: "Protects the delicate eye area. Combats and minimizes the appear of premature signs of aging." No miracles, just moisture. I really dislike misleading marketing ploys. Lancome at least delivers on the moisture promise.
Ingredients:
Water, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ozokerite, Petrolatum, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Glycerin, Shea Butter, Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Frangrance, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Prpylene Glycol, Methylparabed, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Methyl-Chloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
If things continue the way they are, I do believe I will continue to purchase this cream. If something comes along that will remove my fine lines, magically make my hollowed eyes look fresher and make me look 10 yrs younger, I'm there, but in the meantime, I'll stick with this.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Borghese - Il Bacio
Benzgirl79 5/21/2008 12:16:00 AM
I remember the exact moment that I smelled Il Bacio for the first time. I was 13 yrs old, shopping with my mom in Lord & Taylor just walking past the Borghese counter. I sprayed it on my shirt and sniffed the shirt for days. It made #1 on my Xmas list that year, and ultimately, it became the one gift that my Uncle has purchased for me, every single year - 15 years later.
Confession: I hate the smell of it in the bottle and after the initial spray. But, what comes later, after it warms up and mixes with my body chemistry is just pure heaven and yes, the men seem to think so too. This is, without a doubt, a man magnet as others have stated. If you sprayed this on a border collie, a man would buy it a drink.
Chemically, I have no idea what is in it and have never read up to look, I'm not sure I want to. Like any scent, it's very personal and from what I've read on here, the scent has been as memorable and original to many as it has been to me. It's become my signature and I have never, ever, told a man what the name of it is. I just say, "that lovely scent is ME."
There is a clever little Coco Chanel quote that has stuck with me over the years and perfectly epitomizes how I feel about this perfume (sorry Coco, not Chanel #5, I'm talking about Il Bacio)
"It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion, that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure."
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Phyto - Phytodefrisant
Benzgirl79 5/13/2008 11:20:00 PM
*Update 3/21/10 - I've stopped using this, I'm not quite sure what happened or changed but by the end of the tube, this product didn't do much for me. I've since been very happy using just Paul Mitchell's Skinny Serum and Redken's Heat Glide *
* (For reference, I have a lot of fine, heavily highlighted, damaged blonde hair that has a slight natural wave/frizz if I don't blow it out with a round brush daily) Oh and I'm stingy with my 5 star ratings so this is a big deal for me :) *
This morning, I was able to do something I haven't done since I was a kid with virgin, healthy hair and it's because of this product...
I let my hair air dry last night (something I just started doing to save my poor hair) and applied a quarter-sized dollop of this product, combed it into a low pony and went to bed.
I woke up this morning and it looked like the hairdryer fairy came in my sleep and gave me a miraculous blowout. I just ran a comb through it and went on with my day. This never, ever happens. My hair is always the source of resentment in the a.m. Wake up, brush teeth, resent hair, feed cat, make coffee...
Though I must admit, though petty, that the packaging is annoying. The balm is thin, clear and runny and it that gushes out as soon as you unscrew the cap, you could lose a lot of product ($30 a tube). A pump would be a godsend.
The consistency is nice, it actually feels like emollient water and there really isn't a scent. It's extremely light weight, doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your hands/hair and to my surprise, did not weigh down my hair at all.
I paid $29 for tube at Ulta Beauty but it will be replacing the need for me to use Biosilk and other serums that add up to more so I'm actually SAVING money and paring down my products.
Thank you MUA for yet another stellar product suggestion! My hair thanks you.
8 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -ABBA - MoistureScentsation Shampoo
Benzgirl79 4/30/2008 11:00:00 PM
Me: Lots of fine, highlighted, fragile damaged blonde hair.
I did have a sensation with this shampoo, but moisture was not one of them.
Reason for use: I wanted to find a natural shampoo that wasn't loaded with chemicals for a change. My hair was in silicone/protein overload for a while.
The first 2-3 weeks of use:
At first, this shampoo was a dream come for my hair. It seriously looked like I had baby hair - and my color!! I can honestly say my highlights never looked better! It preserved my blonde better than Clairol Shimmer Lights, Framesi violet shampoo, Artec Violet, etc. My luck is usually that I find a shampoo that works really well but my color looks crappy or I find a color shampoo that works brilliantly but my hair looks like a bail of hay... c'est la vie...
The decline:
HOWEVER - I couldn't run my hands through my hair without serious tangling at the bottom, and it was looking quite brittle. I also noticed some heavy duty breakage along my hairline too (think mohawk) that not even years of highlighting could compete with. However, it still "looked" pretty good and was swingy and the color was fabulous. My thoughts? Bring on the heavy conditioners......
I've tried the shampoo with every single conditioner humanly possible: Biolage Ultra Conditoning Balm, Matrix Sleek Look, Nexxus Humectress and Keraphix, L'Oreal Color Vive, Nou Nou, Shimmer Lights conditioner, Feria treatment, olive oil, Kerastase, you name it. I really wanted to find a compatible conditioner that would be heavy enough to counter the drying effect I was getting on my ends. You know its bad when even the heaviest of conditioners and treatments/masks can't even make your hair soft.
The defeat:
And so I surrender and retire this bottle to my "hair care graveyard"....I've officially cut my losses and decided that this shampoo is just not for me. It's a shame too because we started out so nicely.
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Shampoo -Clairol - Shimmer Lights
Benzgirl79 4/2/2008 10:35:00 PM
I've been using this for years on my highlighted hair...I can't believe I haven't reviewed this... This keeps my highlights fresh when they start to get brassy (which is often), there is definitely an HG staple for me. Prob shouldn't use it too much much though, I've noticed it loses it's allure and doesn't work as well. Once or twice a week for me, tops... One lippie off b/c it is slightly drying and the other smell isn't the best. However, if you highlight your hair, it's a must.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Matrix - Biolage - Color Care Shampoo
Benzgirl79 4/1/2008 9:29:00 PM
I just figured out why this has nearly ruined my hair for the past month of use.....I have been reading so much about hair, ingredients, etc. and had no idea what I was doing wrong. My hair was breaking off and I hadn't highlighted it for months, have been extra gentle with it and completely eliminated blowdrying. It's never, ever looked worse than it does right now.
Check out the first three MAIN ingredients! I'm disappointed that Matrix would add such poor, inexpensive, surfactants to their shampoo at the price you pay! I know Sodium Laureth Sulfate is supposed to be gentler than Sodium LAURYL Sulfate but why have both, and at such high percentages.
The whole reason people turn to salon products and pay salon product prices is for BETTER ingredients . Sure, it contains "Ginko biloba" and "Pollen extract" but that's on the very bottom of the list of ingredients, which could be minuscule in comparison to the SLS!
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Octylmethoxycinnamate, Bitter Almond Extract (Prunus Amygoalus Amara), Ginseng Extract (Panax Ginseng), Sage Extract (Salvia Officinalis), Kelp Extract (Macrocystis Pyrifera), Lemongrass Extract/Cymbopogon Schoenanthus, Wheat Germ Oil (Triticum Vulgare), Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Pollen Extract, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylparaben, Yellow 5, Red 4
THIS
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Protein, Fragrance, Cocamide MEA, Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Propylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 5, Orange 4, Caramel.
NOt to mention that the Biolage contains parabens and the cheap Pantene does not....Yikes...I'm already on line with my receipt in my hand lol!
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Lip Gloss -MAC - Viva Glam VI SE Lipglass
Benzgirl79 3/21/2008 2:15:00 AM
** Update 1/22/13: I wrote MAC to ask them what a good alternative would be to this color since it was limited edition. They suggested Angel lipstick topped with Dreamy lipglass would be a good dupe. I don't own Dreamy but I'm willing to try it. ** It's a shame that this is a limited edition lipglass because it's the only color I've found that has helped ween me off of Purrrr, which has been my old reliable for a grillion years. I'm looking at a side-by-side comparison of Purr and the VG VI SE both in the tube and on my hand. Although they are comparable in some ways, in the tube, they look quite different. The best way I can describe the VG VI SE is actually quite simple - it is the same color as the "Make-up" Alley banner on the top of this page but it has dainty little silver sparkles, perhaps a tad more fushia/lavender. It's "daytime friendly" meaning you can wear it to work without looking like a dancing queen. I pair this with Whirl or Hover lip liner. Since this is such a "cool" color, I find that Spice is way too warm to pair with this color, way too much orange/brown, not to mention that it's too dark against the gloss (Pam Anderson circa 1998 dark). If anyone has knows a color that is similar, please let me know, I will really miss this when it's gone.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Lancome - blush subtil miel glace
Benzgirl79 3/15/2008 11:07:00 PM
I have combo skin with dry/flaky cheeks in the winter and have always had a problem with my blushes because of it. My blushes always seemed to scream, "Hey check out my dry patches!" I would then try light reflecting blushes only to leave my house looking like the dancing queen at 9am. Blush was something that I just decided to skip, even though I really needed it - because it actually seemed to make me look worse. (I'm a PPP for ref).
Like many others on here, I own a ton of blushes ranging from Nars, Clinique, MAC, Christian Dior, you name it. I've found HG products before I never felt like I had a blush that truly hit the spot, they always seemed chalky, had too much glitter, the color was off or muddy...that is, until I tried Lancome.
I had only associated Lancome with my Definicils mascara which I've used forever. I never really thought to look at their blushes since I had tunnel vision for many years and stuck by my MAC. While I still love MAC for their shadows, etc. I have realized that in my late twenties, my needs have changed. I value quality more now and want to look polished and a little more natural/effortless now that my time is limited.
The color of the blush is as others have described it, an extremely light pinky-mauvy-peach with some sparkle. Not tacky, chunky sparkle...subtle, classy, "GLOW". It's a very buildable color and I highly recommend using a quality blush for application.
The color is extremely versatile and will basically match most eyeshadows/gloss colors so although it is pricey, it will reduce the need for you to buy multiple colors.
The texture glides on like satin and the lasting power is incredible, the quality is apparent and worth all 2,800 pennies.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Corrector
Benzgirl79 2/24/2008 9:03:00 PM
I'll preface by saying that I'm not at all very free with my 5 star lippie ratings. I'm actually quite stingy but this product deserves it. That being said...
I was in the market for a new concealer and after reading the reviews on MUA, I ran to the Lancome counter to try the Effacernes concealer.
When I got there, the lady at the Lancome counter took one look at my dark circles/deep set eyes and said, "absolutely not - their colors are very poor for fair skin" (NW25) and ran over to the BB counter to grab the Corrector.
She did one eye with the Lancome, and the other with the Bobbi Brown to show me the difference - it was huge!! As another reviewer said, when she first put the BB on me, I was in shock. I mean, complete disbelief. I had been used to having circles even with layers of Estee Lauder/MAC/etc. concealer for about 10 yrs now. It was SO strange to see myself WITHOUT them. Strangely enough, it looked NATURAL.
The product is very creamy in the pot, and blends in very smoothly under the eye. I also agree with the other reviews that a good eye cream should be used underneath to avoid creasing. I don't use anything else over/under this concealer, it's really all that I need. I have a concealer brush but prefer to use my finger to apply.
The compliments that I've received in the past week range from, "what did you do differently?" to "you look well rested" to "wow, your eyes look beautiful."
Yes, it's expensive, it's about $22 for 0.6 ounces but it's a small price to pay for looking that good.
Update 7/25/08: Still loving this gem and still have plenty left in the pot even after using it every single day. I'd imagine it will last 3-4 additional months so you figure, for about $3 a month, you really can't go wrong.
Update 10/9/08: Still on the first pot and plenty left to go and still using it every day. This may make it to the 1-year mark, that's $1.80 a month. Not bad!!
12 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Primer
Benzgirl79 2/16/2008 1:19:00 PM
Yuck! The worst purchase decision I ever made. It is loaded with sillicones and completely clogged my pores, leaving me with the biggest cystic pimples I've ever seen in my 28 yrs. To put it into perspective, this stuff feels like a less-greasy version of "BIOSILK"- yes, the stuff you put in your hair! Imagine putting that on your face? That's Photo Finish Primer. The pump is a great idea in theory, but when you get down to bottom, it's too thick and you can't get all the product out, (which was probably a blessing) it's too expensive to not have access to all of the product. The pump is also glass - which I personally don't like. Since it's all sillicone, your foundation just "sits" on your face, it felt like my foundation never dried and the evidence was on the corners of my collared work shirts. I shutter when I see it in stores. A mistake.
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Conditioner -Pureology - Hydrate Conditioner
Benzgirl79 12/25/2007 9:16:00 PM
Me: Heavily highlighted damaged fine hair. My experience: Length of use: About 3 months / 3 bottles Price: About $25 a bottle Packaging: The product is too thick and dries up in the cap fairly quickly so you'll need to remove the cap after a few uses. The conditioner: It gave me a cool pepperminty tingle on my scalp that I actually really liked. I would equate it to how your mouth feels after you suck on a Listerine breath strip. Strangely enough, it was like one day the tingling just stopped and I never felt it again? Initial reaction after first few uses: I was really happy with both the Anti-Fade Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner and didn't mind shelling out the $50+ for both each month. For a good 2-3 months, I felt like my hair was on the road to recovery (since going from dark to light in a short amount of time). My hair is prone to look brassy after a few weeks and normally I would use Clairol Colorlights or Artec but there was no need, it really held my color. Where it went wrong: About three months in, I swear this product went schizophrenic or the formula was changed overnight. I noticed that even as I washed my hair, it felt really mushy. I mean, it felt like a handful of wet spaghetti in the shower. There was an exuberent amount of buildup that was such a challenge to remove. I had read on here that it contained sillicones and followed other MUAers suggestions to use clarifying shampoo weekly and switched to other shampoos/conditioners as well. In addition to the "mushiness" it was "crunchy" after I dried it - like a bail of hay - it's still, a few months later, breaking off at the ends. I actually exchanged the bottle for another b/c I couldn't believe it was the same product! I was truly confused since I had really been loving it. Long story short, it was great after first but after a while it just really did some serious damage. It's a lot of money for such a poor product. I would give a zero if I could.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Frederic Fekkai - Glossing Cream with Olive Oil
Benzgirl79 8/26/2007 12:34:00 PM
Me: A lot of fine, heavily highlighted damaged hair that has been through hell and back this past year. Price paid: $8.50 Size: 1.6 oz. tube / Nordstrom Consistency/smell: Very light and emollient cream that absorbs into wet hair quickly, does not leave a heavy/greasy feeling/film. Very light fresh smell that fades after application. Softens hands as well. I'm comparing against: Biosilk / Dove Smooth & Soft Anti-Frizz My take: I personally find it too light to tame my dry hair alone so when I do use it, I mix a little Biosilk with it in my hand and apply it to damp hair (I've been an avid fan of Biosilk for over 10 yrs). When I use this product alone, I feel like it dries my hair out more and don't feel it gives me the shine that Biosilk does. I personally feel that this product works best when I used Biosilk on damp hair, and then use a teensy bit of Fekkai afterwards to control fly/away and slight frizz after blowdrying. I find that the Dove Smooth & Soft Anti-Frizz has the same effect for half the price/double the size. That being said, I have half a tube left and do not plan to repurchase. Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethinol, Propylene Glycol, Polyacrylamide, Olive fruit oil, phenyl trimethicone, C13-14 isoparaffin, PEG-8 Mmethicone, Ricinus Communis (Castor) seed oil, bismuth oxychloride, Laureth-7, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Cinnamidoprpyltrimonium chloride, dimethicone PEG-8 meadowfoamate, fragrance (parfum), methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, yellow 5. My notepad has all of my HGs.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -L'Oreal - Dermo-Expertise ReFinish Micro-Dermabrasion
Benzgirl79 8/25/2007 11:52:00 AM
I used this for the first time yesterday in the shower which, as others have suggested -is probably the best way to do this.
In terms of exfoliation, I've only used Aveda exfoliator (liquid) and I've been happy with that as a daily and once in a while I'd use the Clinique scrub which was very gritty and drying (but it did make my skin smooth afterwards).
In comparison to the Cliniuque, the L'Oreal was very fine, I didn' think it would do much upon initial reaction but then realized about a minute into it that it felt like it was working - I felt a light tingling, nothing scary.
When I got out of the shower, I was still me, no miracles :) but my skin was remarkably brighter and even toned - almost like I was already wearing my foundation.
The moisturizer is very basic and boring - you can literally just throw it in the garbage and use what you like.
This morning, I didn't have any milia or breakouts so that's a good thing - My skin feels soft but not like yesterday, I'll update as I use it more...
CVS (NJ/NY metro area) has this on sale for $19.99 this week.
*****Update: 11/18/07 ******It's been months and I'm still using this scrub, my skin has never looked better. Haven't been able to find the men's version anywhere local so may order online, it's half the price and doesn't include the lame moisturizer. Definitely worth the price, results are instant.
*****Update: 2/24/08******** The best beauty product I own- and I own lots. Can't say enough good things about this. On my third tube.
*****Update: 6/15/08 ***** Me and my L'Oreal are coming up on a year together and I've been using it faithfully 1-2x's a week. I've seriously found a winning combination and I honestly believe that this one product is the reason I'm now able to use tinted moisturizer instead of foundation because my skin is just so even now. My skin has never looked better in my 28 yrs...definitely an HG product I'll continue to purchase over and over again.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser
Benzgirl79 8/20/2007 7:13:00 PM
I wanted to like this because it is so cheap but unfortunately, this does not remove my makeup - specifically eye makeup and especially foundation. At the recommendation of my derm., I moved on to the Purpose cleanser and feel it does a better job and is just as gentle. Not to mention I like a little lather. PS - I have read a bunch of VERY UNHAPPY reviewers defending this product saying it doesn't remove dirt or make-up and people should read the directions, go to the website, etc. When I read the word "CLEANSER" on a botttle -I expect it to CLEANSE. What I expect it to CLEANSE is dirt/oil and/or make-up. I read from another reviewer that it isn't meant to be used to remove dirt or make-up - then what does it remove?!! Why are you using it ????
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