Concealers -MAC - Studio Finish Concealer
astrick 3/4/2012 10:41:00 PM
Decent concealer for under eye circles, but if I forget to wear a primer, it creases and gets trapped in fine lines. I like the studio finish concealer in the tube better. I do like that it has an SPF 35 to protect delecate eye areas, or any areas that already have some sun damage.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Bare Escentuals - buxom lash
astrick 3/4/2012 10:38:00 PM
Received a sample of this. I really liked the mascara. Nice thick fluffy (but not clumpy) lashes. The mascara also had lots of staying power. I'm not one to spend a lot of money on mascara (I do just fine with Maybelline), so I'm not sure I'd spend the money for the full price.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Trader Joe's - Spa Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil
astrick 3/4/2012 10:34:00 PM
I like this cleanser. I have skin that can be dry, but also acne prone. This gets my skin very clean, without stripping it, and doesn't trigger my acne. I use only at night (2x a day would be too drying for me). It does smell of tea tree oil, but the smell doesn't stay on your skin (otherwise hubby would complain as he can't stand the smell of tea tree oil). Nice simple cleanser, can't beat the price.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Bare Escentuals - Prime Time Oil Control
astrick 3/1/2012 2:28:00 PM
Tried this while I was pregnant. I normally use thier regular Prime Time product, and due to my hormones at the time, the regular Prime Time was making me break out. So I tried the oil control, but wasn't impressed. It didn't spread easily,I had to use a lot of product to get it to spread over my face, and makeup didn't apply well over it (I was better off using no primer at all). Wouldn't purchase again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Commander in Chic
astrick 3/1/2012 2:25:00 PM
Love all the Sally Hansen complete manicure options. My nails do NOT retain color well, and chip easily, so I rarely wear solid colors... until now. I can wear dark colors with this product for at least 5 days with no chips. The wide flat brush makes application foolproof and results look professional. Sometimes I use a top coat, but it's not neccessary. This is the only nail polish I bother to buy anymore.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Homemade Vitamin C Serum
astrick 3/1/2012 2:20:00 PM
Holy cow!!! I've been making my own cleaning products for years because I was tired of spending $5.00 a bottle for something that's mostly water. Skin care is no different, just more expensive. I don't know why I didn't think of making my own skin care earlier! I've been using this for 5 days. My skin is more even toned and my fine lines look better. Since I can make this weekly, I can ensure the Vitamin C stays potent. I'm waiting on my hyaluronic acid to arrive so I can add it to the mix. Thank you SOOOOOO much!!! I will never go back to paying for Vitamin C serum again. PS... I use the recipe posted by DuchessofGrapes. See her post below for the recupe...
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Bare Escentuals - RareMinerals Active Triple Eye Cream
astrick 2/26/2012 9:11:00 PM
This is ok, but not great. It seems to de-puff my under eye area, but doesn't do much to combat dryness or lines. Makeup does apply nicely over it. Maybe a good product for someone in their 20's, but just doesn't have enough kick for me.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Estee Lauder - Take It Away total make up remover
astrick 2/26/2012 3:38:00 PM
I understand why people with normal skin give this an average rating. However, if you have acne-prone skin, this is WONDERFUL. I usually use less expensive cleansers and splurge on moisturizers, so I never thought I'd purchase an Estee Lauder makeup remover. I tried this as a sample and loved it. It gets all of my makeup off quickly, and doesn't contain any ingredients to make my acne worse. I understand why people with normal skin give this an average rating, but folks like me can't use a product like ponds to take off makeup for fear of clogging pores and making acne worse. To make matters worse, I also have aging skin, so can't use anything too drying. This product is the perfect balance. 1 pump takes off all my makeup, so a bottle lasts me at least 6 months.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Bare Escentuals - Buxom Lips- Dolly
astrick 2/26/2012 3:24:00 PM
Love the Buxom lip glosses. It won't make your lips bigger, but does a nice job plumping fine lines around the lips. Dolly is a perfect neutral color. It works well with warm or cool colors. I used to work in a retail store where we had to label our gloss because 3 of us (with very different hair, skin and eye colors) wore this as our go to color. Semi-sheer. Just the right amount of pigment and color.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shave Products -Trader Joe's - Honey Mango Shave
astrick 2/16/2012 3:53:00 PM
Best shave cream I've used. The price is dirt cheap... you use just a dime sized amount, so a tube lasts forever. So moisturizing you don't need lotion after you shave. Love it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -BeneFit Cosmetics - Lemon Aid
astrick 2/16/2012 3:48:00 PM
The color is right to combat dark circles, but it doesn't last and creases terribly. Won't purchase again.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Neutrogena - Ageless Intensives Tone Correcting Moisture SPF 30
astrick 2/16/2012 3:43:00 PM
I love this product!!! I had hyperpigmentation after my pregnancy. I also have aging skin with fine lines that's very acne prone, so anything too heavy makes me break out. After a microdermabrasion, I wanted something with an SPF 30 to protect my skin. Every other product I've used higher than an SPF 15 has aggravated my acne. So I gave this a shot, but I was skeptical. This is a nice moisturizer that isn't too heavy. It does improve skin tone over time, as well as fine lines (I also use the Neutrogena eye cream with hyluronic acid and retinol). Best of all, I can now use an SPF 30 and combat aging skin without breaking out.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Bare Escentuals - Prime Time Primer Shadow - Urban Nature
astrick 2/2/2012 1:10:00 PM
I bought a sample pack of 5 colors that was available at Christmas. These little cream shadows are great!!! If I'm tight on time, sweeping some over the lid gives me a look of having simple eye shadow on. If I have more time, I can layer the loose BE eye color over the top of it to create a more glamorous or intense look. You can also layer these to intensify the colors. Lasts all day. Great product!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Unlisted Brand - TRIA Laser Hair Removal System
astrick 2/2/2012 1:06:00 PM
Updating this post and increasing my overall rating to a 5 due to good results. Also downgrading price from a 4 to a 3. Although the unit is expensive, this is a much more cost effective hair removal method in the long run. Stomach, bikini line and chin are all reduced by about 50%. No adverse effects. Pain is decreasing, too, I think part in tolerance and partially because I have fewer dark hairs (which is what causes the pain). Love this product. If it only lasts me for a few years, it's worth the money and I will purchase another. I have PCOS, which means hair removal is a MAJOR part of my beauty routine. I have fair skin and dark coarse hair on my lower legs, chin, bikini line and stomach. Even when I shave my bikini line, I wear boy short swimsuits because you can see the shadow of the dark hair under the skin. The hair growth got worse when I was pregnant. I used Vaniqa on my chin with good results prior to my pregnancy, but after my pregnancy it didn't work as well for me. I have been using this for 3 weeks, and I'm already starting to see improvement. I see the most improvement on my bikini line and stomach, and am starting to see patches of hair not growing back. Although it's not approved by the FDA for use above the neck, I have also tried it on my chin and am seeing improvement there as well. The pain isn't that bad. I was able to tolerate it on the level 4 and 5 settings. I think it's much LESS painful than a bikini wax. And unlike the bikini wax, the pain stops immediately after the laser "beep" is finished. With a wax, my skin was tender for 2-3 days afterward. I have seen some people complain about the time commitment. If you have PCOS like me, you ALREADY spend a ton of time on hair removal all over your body. I am able to treat my legs, stomach and bikini line in about 30-45 minutes. If I get truly permanent results, I will come back and increase my overall rating to 5. I rated it 4 on expense, because although it's a large investment, it's still cheaper than professional treatments.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Hand and Nail Harmony Gelish Gel Polish
astrick 11/8/2011 11:57:00 AM
Sadly, I am re-rating this product. I loved it at first, but after repeated use, it damaged my nails underneath. Starting at about the third application, the gel polish didn't stay on my nails nearly as long as it first did. I changed NOTHING about the application, and followed the instructions exactly. I would use this maybe for vacations or special events, but for everyday manicures I get better results using the Sally Hansen "Complete Salon Manicure" products. ................................................................................................. This product is AMAZING!!! I used to have acrylic nails put on, not because I wanted the long nails, but because I couldn't keep polish on my natural nails. After having kids, I just gave up on nails. I tried a light polish first. After 12 days, I soaked it off and tried the red. No chips, polish was still shiny. Except for the outgrowth, it looked as if it was just applied. I spent about $75 on the starter kit and UV light (less than the price of 2 manicures done at a salon). I was able to do a full manicure in about an hour. I did make some mistakes at first and will share those lessons: First, use THIN coats of the product. If you use too much, it will spread once it gets under the UV light. Second, spend the time to watch the instructional DVD that comes with the kit. There's some good tips in here that get you better results and help the manicure last longer. I did get one small chip when I tried to scrape petrified malt o meal off my table with my thumbnail (my fault). I was able to touch up the chip in about 10 minutes. Unless you look really closely, you can't tell it's been touched up. I will say the color #130 (You like me, you really like me) looks like a deep burgundy in the bottle. It turns out more of a true red. It's pretty, just not what the bottle looks like.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No