Primer/ Corrector -BeneFit Cosmetics - Dr Feelgood
erynnia 3/22/2009 9:13:00 PM
Hmm. I am surprised to be writing this review, but I think this product is actually working for me. I bought it several years ago (I was obsessed with the Benefit line), and never really tried it much. I've been purging my old makeup, and came across this. The pores in my T-zone have become very apparent in the last year or two (age, weight loss, some other factors), and they really stand out after I've put makeup on, no matter what I do. Particularly the center of my forehead and my face on either side of my nose. Using this stuff after *putting on all other makeup*is like using the 'blur' tool in photoshop on those big-pore areas. It's really pretty amazing, and not at all subtle...they're just gone. I'm thinking about posting a photo of my forehead with one side feelgooded at the other not. I don't remember this stuff doing anything at all when I first bought it, but my skin has changed a lot since then (again, age), and I wonder if it just takes a specific set of conditions to see the dramatic results with this. I'm not saying it's good for your skin or that it's a HG product, but it does improve the visual texture of problem areas of my skin (when worn over makeup!) so much that I actually use it every time I wear makeup now.
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Hair -John Frieda - Brilliant Brunette Shampoo & Conditioner
erynnia 3/22/2009 9:03:00 PM
After years of Pantene and store-brand products, I finally decided to dip my toe in the water of higher-price products with this line (and also with some Nexxus products). I alternate using this line and the Nexxus Dualiste line. Overall since making this switch away from cheaper brands, my hair condition has improved dramatically (seriously, it's amazing). I have thick, coarse, over-dyed hair (stubborn grays), and since the switch, my hair feels like *hair* again. While I think both the product lines contribute to this, I can tell now that the Brilliant Brunette is really making the most difference. My friends keep commenting on how shiny my hair is; the texture and manageability is better than it has been in years. If like me you've been buying the $2 products and just eyeing this stuff, go for it. It's worth the price upgrade.
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
erynnia 3/21/2009 9:33:00 AM
Bought this because of the hype and to hopefully get certain shades to show up on my eyelids better. It's not exactly the magical product I was expecting. The texture is kind of hard to describe, but it's surprisingly hard to apply smoothly, especially with the included wand. It does seem to give staying powder to eyeshadow, just don't expect magic beyond that. I didn't think about the inefficiency of the packaging design till reading the later reviews here, so we'll see how that goes.
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Hair Color -Clairol - Nice n' Easy -new formula
erynnia 3/20/2009 3:28:00 PM
Prematurely gray, have been dye-ing forever. I never bought this stuff because it was cheaper than the other d/s brands, so I assumed it must be lower quality. After reaching the point where the usual suspects (Garnier and L'oreal products, including buying the individual items at Sally's) would no longer make a dent in covering my gray roots and were leaving me with too much built-up muddy color, I tried this on a whim. Finally! I guess everyone's hair must really be different, because this is the only product on shelves right now that gives me real gray coverage AND leaves my hair feeling like hair. I had some leftover l'oreal creme and developer and tried it on my roots last week--learned my lesson. Bad coverage and shocked, frizzy hair. Back to Nice n Easy.
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Treatments (Eye) -Principal Secret - Reclaim Eyemazing Eye Serum
erynnia 3/17/2009 1:35:00 PM
Mom gave me a full kit of this line of stuff. So far I'm just experimenting with it so will update if it actually does anything. I just wanted to warn people that the eye serum has a *very* strong alcohol smell, which seems surprising, especially for something you are putting on your eye area.
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Liquid -Revlon - SPA Age Defying Foundation [DISCONTINUED]
erynnia 3/13/2009 3:28:00 PM
This is an early impression, may be updated. I've been away from makeup for a while, and when I came back after losing a lot of weight, it seems like every single product is mineral this, mineral that. It took me a while and some $$ to realize that the mineral powders are really not working for me (they just make me look dry and older), and someone at Ulta finally took pity on me and clued me into the fact that I should be looking more towards a tinted moisturizer. I saw the reviews for this product on the front page the same day, so I figured I'd try it. Coverage is about what I'm looking for (I may need some concealer for red spots), it goes on well, and I don't mind the brush design. Color match is fine for me. I do get the glow/dewiness and it minimizes, does not accentuate, fine lines and pores. Basically everything I keep stupidly assuming the mineral powders will do. :) Does not trigger my rosacea, which other foundations often do.
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Moisturizers -Philosophy - Hope in a Jar - for all skin types
erynnia 3/9/2009 2:33:00 PM
I'm sorry, this isn't going to be a hugely useful review, but I just got a sample and it has the exact chemical/wet-dog smell of a freshly shampood carpet. Really gross. Can't imagine paying money for this.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Umberto Beverly Hills - repairing deep conditioner
erynnia 12/7/2008 4:13:00 PM
This is for the Umberto Beverly Hills Repair Treatment Masque available in a boxed jar at Target. I have moderately graying hair on which I use Garnier color, pantene shampoo and conditioner, and occasional heat styling. My hair is thick and mostly straight. Lately the texture of my hair has been getting pretty dry and fried-feeling, so I wanted to try to something extra. I don't usually use any other products or treatments. I used this product on towel-dried hair, put on a shower cap and let it sit for about half an hour, occasionally hitting it gently with the blow-dryer (it does say it can be used with heat). The end result is that horrible gummy feeling you get after spending too much time in an overchlorinated pool. I couldn't even blow dry it, the brush doesn't want to go through my hair. It's also incredibly DULL, there is no shine whatsoever. It did add some volume seemingly, but I don't have a style where I want volume, my hair is already thick, and mostly the added volume just looks like frizz. This was awful awful stuff on my hair--I don't have much experience with these products, so I don't know if this is a 'you get what you pay for' thing, but I am afraid to go spend more now and have the same result with another 'deep conditioner'. I don't want to keep piling on here, but my hair really does feel destroyed after this. I'm going to try some clarifying shampoo and possibly some metalex, I will report back if the situation improves.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Finacea Gel
erynnia 7/17/2008 6:05:00 PM
I've had 'mild to moderate' rosacea for years. I could go for months without a flareup as long as I avoided triggers, and only had a small bit of residual blotchiness. About five months ago, I began a phase of very high stress at work, and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I was having extremely bad flushing and burning almost every day. I changed jobs but the stress continued, and most work days I would end up having to hold an icepack on my face. Makeup tends to make it worse, even mineral makeup, so I was stuck constantly having people at work ask me what was wrong with my face or why I was holding ice on it. I tried MetroGel, but it irritated my face. I happened to run across people mentioning Finacea here at MUA (I had not been here in some time), and my doc agreed to prescribe it for me. ($50 on my insurance, but at least it seems it will last some time.) From the literature, it sounded like Finacea was more about the esthetics--reducing redness etc. But for whatever reason, I've only had 2 very minor flareups in three weeks of Finacea use. So apparently something in it can help control the actual outbreaks. (I'm willing to admit that it may be a placebo effect, but my stress levels have actually gotten *worse* in those three weeks, and I've had to spend far more time in the sun than I usually do. I've even had red wine.) This has been a 'HG' find for me; after three short weeks of a regime of Eucerin Redness Relief cleanser followed by 2x daily Finacea, I can trust my face not to go crazy at work, which means I can actually wear a little makeup without worrying about further irritation. My skin looks better overall, with older residual redness fading along with the newer 'burn' marks. I did not experience any burning or itching, but I used AHAs extensively when I was younger. I had one large cyst appear on my chin the day after my first use, but it went away within 2 days, and I have not had any further breakouts. (No PMS in that time frame, though, so that may change.) Bottom line: I was shocked at how effective this was at getting my rosacea under control, both in reducing redness and controlling flareups. Update 2009: Finacea still effectively reduces my rosacea flareups and redness, I just have to remember to use it consistently. Have not seen any other amazing skin changes, though.
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Color Oops - Regular Strength Hair Color Remover
erynnia 3/16/2008 7:22:00 PM
This seemed to be pretty much the same thing as Colorfix. The ingredient list is different but it affected my hair in exactly the same way. I had a few months' worth of brown dye that was getting too dark. Color Oops brought it back to my natural lighter reddish-brown. I'd already read all the reviews here and many at Walgreens.com, so I was very diligent about trying to 'rinse the dye molecules out'. Also went much lighter than usual for the re-dye color (re-dye necessary due to gray). The new dye process still seemed to "re-activate" the old dye, just like colorfix, so I have the typical too-light roots, ridiculously dark ends. Hair texture was also really awful until re-conditioning. I guess this would work the best for someone who does not need to re-dye and is happy with the 'natural' color after removal. Not a miracle product like I was hoping, sadly.
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Treatments -Neutrogena - Advanced Solutions At Home MicroDermabrasion System [DISCONTINUED]
erynnia 5/2/2005 10:35:00 AM
Echoing what others have said--this product delivers real, visible results in about a week. I'm 33, with sensitive combo skin and some red spots from acne and from previous rosacea-like reactions to others product. I followed the package instructions and used the product every day for a week. At the end of the week, I had some dryness & peeling--possibly I overdid it a little. But the end result is my skin is much smoother, clearer, and going on week 2, there is absolutely no doubt that my skin tone has evened and red spots have faded. I've never seen anything else work this kind of magic, including retinol/AHA/BHA products. As a side note, I am very surprised that people are opting to forego the buffer and are using their fingertips instead. Maybe it's because I have such sensitive skin, but even rinsing the stuff off with my fingertips, if I'm not very careful and gentle I can feel the crystals poking into my skin in in what definitely feels like a bad way. I don't get that feeling with the the buffer. Even if it doesn't *feel* like you are damaging your skin, I would strongly recommend using the buffer for a more consistent and controlled application.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Holographic - Princess Jade
erynnia 8/21/2004 10:49:00 AM
This is it, between this product and the recent Quads, I'm done with L'Oreal eyeshadows. Like other posters, my experience was a super-pressed powder (to make that cute 'holographic' texture on top of the product) with sub-par pigmenting. I'm extremely fair and had to layer this stuff with a wet brush for ten minutes to get any effect. The stuff looks fairly dark in the pan when you buy it, and if you are used to Sephora-brand shadows, or heck, even Jane or Prestige, you will be very disappointed with the actual result. I was in a hurry to get a mossy green shadow, I should have just saved my three bucks.
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Eye Shadow -L'Oreal - Wear Infinité Eyeshadow Quad
erynnia 7/21/2004 11:16:00 AM
It had been a couple of years since I had bought drugstore-brand eyeshadow; had gotten sort of spoiled with Sephora brands (esp. Stila). But I saw this quad in "Autumn Leaves" and really liked the rich earthtone colors, so I grabbed it. As many have noted, the pigmentation level is laughable, and even the darkest colors in this quad barely show up on my extremely fair skin. I don't have a lot of patience for layering and experimenting with wet/dry looks, so this stuff is just about useless to me. If you're tempted, just walk down the aisle and buy the much-cheaper Prestige individual colors instead. :) Also... why do they even bother including the miniature applicators?
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Scrubs -L'Oreal - Exfotonic
erynnia 7/21/2004 11:10:00 AM
This is a serious scrub. It really will leave your skin feeling freshly polished, all over. It's great for upper arms, feet, etc. The main drawback is the packaging. The plastic container is very cheaply made (I have seen more than one of them cracked open in the drugstore), and the stuff is so messy that you will eventually end up with scrubby goop in the threads of the jar lid, making it difficult to screw shut properly. The goopiness factor also means it's best to use in the shower; it's very hard to wash completely off your face just standing over the sink. UPDATE: It looks like they re-released this product in a tube instead of a jar, so I will probably try the new fomulation and update this review.
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Eyeliner -Bobbi Brown - Sepia Ink Long Wear Gel Liner
erynnia 7/21/2004 11:03:00 AM
After a long absence from Makeup Alley, this was my first 'lemming' purchase upon my return. I hadn't bought any new cosmetics products in a long time, and had totally missed the gel/cream eyeliners. After reading many reviews of the various brands (Smashbox, Stila, etc), I decided to go with Bobbi Brown, and I'm really glad I did. This is probably the best eyeliner I've ever used, in any form, and I've used them all. Takes a little time to get used to the gel, but you can do some really cool things with inner/outer lid lining... and you can achieve a very professional look. You know how some days you put on eyeliner and it's just not working, you look like a raccoon or like you have a totally unnatural line drawn on your face, just sitting there and not really doing anything for you? That hasn't happened to me yet with this stuff. I also love this particular color (Sepia Ink), it is very good for someone like me who doesn't wear a lot of makeup to begin with. And it really does last for hours and hours, much longer than most liners I've tried Update: After some temperature extremes, this dried out and cracked badly. Only drawbacks are 1) You really need to use a high-quality liner brush with this, as it will make you want to get creative and your eyelids will resent repeated poking with a cheap brush; and 2) You don't get much product. The jar, tiny as it is, is still deceptively large compared to the interior. The price, as my boyfriend snarkily pointed out, works out to about $200/ounce. ;)
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