Tinted Moisturizer -Laura Mercier - Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Oil Free
vanbergc 12/18/2008 9:51:00 PM
I've had this for a long time and never wear it. I pulled it out the other day to remind myself why I don't use it more often. Now I remember. It's not a bad cover-up...evens the skintone and sits nicely on the skin. I like the thickness and texture of it. Why I won't buy this again...besides the ridiculous price...is the shininess of it. It's got that sunscreen oily shine that never goes away...even hubby commented on it without my prodding. Can't put up with it. I won't wear any sunscreen that looks this shiney, so why would I wear a tint that looks like I just hand-polished mineral powder on my face? I suppose some might like the "glow" but I'm suspecting if you're using an oil-free product, the last thing you want is shine.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clean & Clear - Foaming Facial Cleanser - Sensitive Skin
vanbergc 12/17/2008 10:53:00 PM
This could be my find of the year...I'm just tickled pink about it. I thank a previous reviewer for her sleuthing and discovering this is identical to J&J's Purpose cleanser (which I've never used, but was about to try). Cheap, cheap, cheap, but oh, so wonderful.
This cleanser is very mild even though is still uses SLaurethSulfate, and CocoBetaine. This must have been formulated eons ago, but it's still a viable formula for a gentle cleanse. If you rub it in your wet palms it will lather, but otherwise not. I use it in the morning mostly...it has a mild, unoffensive, and soothing fragrance that kind of wakes me up. My skin is left soft and perfect. The best thing about this cleanser besides how gently it cleanses the skin, is that it's so available and inexpensive. Really no need to spend an arm-and-a-leg for a cleanser...think I spent about $3.50 for 8 ozs. No parabens!
Ingredients: water, Peg-80 sorbitan laurate, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, Peg-150 distearate, sodium lauroampho Pg-acetate phosphate, frangrance, quaternium 15, tetrasodium EDTA
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Olay - Definity Pore Redefining Scrub
vanbergc 12/17/2008 10:11:00 PM
I've used the Redefining Scrub for about a month now, and feel I can give a reasonable review. First, and let's get this out of the way, I can't stand the artificial and heavily perfumed stench of the Definity products. I believe these products are targeted to an older woman, and someone in P&G marketing thinks us oldies won't like a product unless it's overwhelmingly "perfumed". OMG! Marketing...think again. We're not our mother's generation (and our mothers probably didn't like being fumigated either.) I almost gave up on Definity just because of this issue. (Now marketing is going to tell me they sell more when they add the stench...ahem...go figure...) But it almost makes me choke. And it cheapens the product.
Anyhow, other than the stench (it really IS bad), this is a very sophisticated cleanser. A review before mine mentioned this is like vaseline. Well, it kinda is, except it's not. It is a heavy gel texture that grabs on to whatever's on your skin (makeup) and whisks it away easily. It also has salicylic acid in it (they don't tell us the %) to exfoliate along with the beads (OLAY...get rid of the beads...they're kinda skimpy, useless, and anoying). I still have oil in my skin, and this was recommended for me on the Olay website. I was terrified it would leave my skin with a layer of leftover stuff, but it doesn't...it washes away very cleanly...and no squeaks. I work it gently into my skin for about a minute to let the salicylic acid do its thing, and it's great. Like most products with SA, it does leave the pores cleaned out and refined. Now, I wouldn't use this more than once a day because it works very well (even for old iron-skins), but once a day, or once every other day is perfect. Since the Definity line is targeted toward a drier skinned woman, I thought there would be no option for a combo/oily skin, but this cleanser fills that role. It's the rest of the line that's seriously lacking in service to the oilier person. More on that later.
What else? The mongo cap dispenses the product with a twist to open, twist to close. No big deal, but not really very elegant.
All-in-all, this is a wonderful product with a different bent. I think we'll be seeing many more cleansers like this in the future from all lines...not foamy, and rather thick and viscous, but with mild cleansers washing away cleanly without leaving the skin dry. No Parabens. A must try.
Ingredients: Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Myristoyl Sarconsinate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Sorbitol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Oxidized Polyethylene, Acrylates Copolymer, Acetyl Glucosamine, Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate, Peg-100, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Aloe, Sage Leaf Extract, Green Tea Extract, Panthenol, FRAGRANCE, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Red 30 Lake, Freeic Ammonium Ferrocyanide
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Moisturizers -Merle Norman - Luxiva Nighttime Recovery Creme
vanbergc 12/15/2008 10:48:00 PM
Oh, you guys! I am entranced by the way this smells, and I don't normally approve of un-natural fragrance in products. This is a sandlewoody smell, and I adore it. Smells much like the Liz Earle Light moisturizer...they must be using the same supplier. Anyhow, I use this on my neck/chest every night. I've used it on my face, but there are a few things in it that make me too nervous use it there regularly. For instance, Myristyl Myristate (VERY comedogenic) is the 6th ingredient...and I guess that's really the worst one. Works great on my neck that's falling down to my knees though. I believe this is a much better moisturizer than say...Olay...or even Creme de La Mer, but it doesn't have any actives in it (exept a few non-noteworthy peptides)...just a moisturizer. It's really not skin-changing enough to justify the nealy $60 pricetag, but I do like it so. It's also non-greasy. Here are the ingredients (long list!): (oh, and I HATE how Merle Norman keeps their ingredients secret...can't find them anywhere...well, we're going to change that!) Water, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Stearate, Squalane, Cyclomethicone, Myristyl Myristate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Sorbitol, Stearic Acid, Peg-40 Stearate, Sorbitan Tristearate, Saccharide Isomearate, SOD, Ceramide 3, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Corn Kernal Extract, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Echnacea Purpurea Extract, Atelocollagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isocetyl Alcohol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine HCL, Proline, Glycine, Ornithine, PCA, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Citrulline, Serine, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Lecithin, Polyquaternium-24, Peg-8, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Diazolidinyl Urea, Phenolyethanol, Trisodium EDTA, Fragrance
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Merle Norman - Moisture Works Body Cream
vanbergc 12/15/2008 9:45:00 PM
I have a ton of good body lotions, but when I got this as a GWP, and used it for the first time (and every time after that), I couldn't help but take notice. This is VERY NICE. Light. Silky. Like a glove on the skin. Like baby tush skin. I haven't priced it yet, but I'm gonna get me some ASAP. Here's the formula (you can see why it's nice...oh, and no parabens): Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Shea Butter, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, PEG-8 Beeswax, Sorbitan Tristearate, Glycerin , Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Grape Seed Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Panthenol, White Tea Extract, Betula Alba Juice, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 60, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Fragrance
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Oil Cleansing Method OCM
vanbergc 12/12/2008 1:12:00 AM
Well, I tried the OCM using Weleda Iris Cleansing Lotion, and I also bought the Wild Rose, but used it less. I tried several combinations of oils...I used this mostly mixed with Castor oil. My skin behaves most of the time with breakouts only monthly, and I'm not nearly as reactive to products as I used to be. Also, I'm neurotic about my skin. I take good care of it, and am relentless about keeping it clean, and protected. I'm also aging, so I treat it regularly with anti-wrinkle treatments like glycolics and tretinoins...my skin is very well exfoliated. I've always been of the "natural" bent though, and knew if I could make the OCM work for me, my skin would be healthier for it. So I gave it a try and promised myself if I started breaking out, I would quit. I also knew if I was going to break out it would happen immediately. The morning after my first cleansing with the Iris Lotion, my skin looked absolutely stunning (for me). No more red...the tone had become even and calm. The quality of my skin was clear and moisture-full, and felt lovely to the touch. It didn't feel like baby's skin though, it was "wetter" than that. I check my skin daily for blackheads, and while I always have a couple, I don't normally have many. So while I was trying all this, I scanned my skin every day for anything new or abnormal. I noticed no new blackheads, but started breaking out almost immediately. I told myself it was just a little purging from stuff already in my skin, and it would go away. Well, it didn't go away, the little red cysts just got worse and greater in number...and no new blackheads. This must be why they're cysts...they form so deep beneath the surface, you just don't see the clog....AND anything cystic is very inflamed, so I'm assuming the bacteria was just running rampant with the new oiliness of my skin. But the parts of my skin that looked good, kept getting better...so I didn't stop...I kept on. Big mistake. When I used the OCM, I applied the oils, massaged my skin for several minutes, and removed it all with my muslin cloths (from Liz Earle) after steaming my pores with the warm cloths. I did everything by the book. There was NOTHING left on my skin...no oils, no nothing, and if you've ever used muslin cloths, you know how well they exfoliate when you wipe your skin with them. But it wasn't enough. My skin continued to break out, and after two weeks, I gave it up. I tried getting my skin back under control treating it very gently, but that wasn't working either. It's been two weeks now since I stopped the OCM, and my skin is still very reactive...you know once this starts, it's hard to get it to stop...so now I'm taking desparate measures and drying the crap out of my face. Lots of glycolics, salycilic acid, and alchohol...whatever works. It's finally starting to calm down, but I'm going to have some dark spots on my face as reminders not to mess with oils again. I contemplated all of this, wondering what our fore-mothers used to keep their skin healthy. I assumed they used oils. What else would they have used before soaps were prevelant? I should do some research. I also looked closely at the comedogenicity of the Weleda products, plus castor oil, and sunflower oil (which I used some nights without the Weleda). Most of the ingredients are rated about a 2 (out of 5), so they're not that bad. The Wild Rose Cleanser is much worse, but I didn't use that as much. Most oils are highly occlusive though...that must have more impact than comedogenicity on why they don't work for those of us with natural sebum in our skin. I also need to remember that baby's skin is not oily at all...they don't produce sebum, so a drier skin is really a more natural skin. I can't imagine anyone with oil already in their skin who this would work for. Only the driest of skins would benefit from oil in this quantity that doesn't emulsify and wash off cleanly. I'm also a little peeved that I let myself be influenced by folks who don't know my skin. It was a sad case of the blind leading the blind. I've read so many accounts of the OCM not working for people, I just hope my trial allows others to stop sooner than I did if it doesn't work for them and they start to break out. No reason on earth to destroy your skin for some silly "natural" ideal.
6 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Weleda - Iris Cleansing Lotion
vanbergc 12/12/2008 1:08:00 AM
Well, I tried the OCM using Weleda Iris Cleansing Lotion, and I also bought the Wild Rose, but used it less. I tried several combinations of oils...I used this mostly mixed with Castor oil. My skin behaves most of the time with breakouts only monthly, and I'm not nearly as reactive to products as I used to be. Also, I'm neurotic about my skin. I take good care of it, and am relentless about keeping it clean, and protected. I'm also aging, so I treat it regularly with anti-wrinkle treatments like glycolics and tretinoins...my skin is very well exfoliated. I've always been of the "natural" bent though, and knew if I could make the OCM work for me, my skin would be healthier for it. So I gave it a try and promised myself if I started breaking out, I would quit. I also knew if I was going to break out it would happen immediately. The morning after my first cleansing with the Iris Lotion, my skin looked absolutely stunning (for me). No more red...the tone had become even and calm. The quality of my skin was clear and moisture-full, and felt lovely to the touch. It didn't feel like baby's skin though, it was "wetter" than that. I check my skin daily for blackheads, and while I always have a couple, I don't normally have many. So while I was trying all this, I scanned my skin every day for anything new or abnormal. I noticed no new blackheads, but started breaking out almost immediately. I told myself it was just a little purging from stuff already in my skin, and it would go away. Well, it didn't go away, the little red cysts just got worse and greater in number...and no new blackheads. This must be why they're cysts...they form so deep beneath the surface, you just don't see the clog....AND anything cystic is very inflamed, so I'm assuming the bacteria was just running rampant with the new oiliness of my skin. But the parts of my skin that looked good, kept getting better...so I didn't stop...I kept on. Big mistake. When I used the OCM, I applied the oils, massaged my skin for several minutes, and removed it all with my muslin cloths (from Liz Earle) after steaming my pores with the warm cloths. I did everything by the book. There was NOTHING left on my skin...no oils, no nothing, and if you've ever used muslin cloths, you know how well they exfoliate when you wipe your skin with them. But it wasn't enough. My skin continued to break out, and after two weeks, I gave it up. I tried getting my skin back under control treating it very gently, but that wasn't working either. It's been two weeks now since I stopped the OCM, and my skin is still very reactive...you know once this starts, it's hard to get it to stop...so now I'm taking desparate measures and drying the crap out of my face. Lots of glycolics, salycilic acid, and alchohol...whatever works. It's finally starting to calm down, but I'm going to have some dark spots on my face as reminders not to mess with oils again. I contemplated all of this, wondering what our fore-mothers used to keep their skin healthy. I assumed they used oils. What else would they have used before soaps were prevelant? I should do some research. I also looked closely at the comedogenicity of the Weleda products, plus castor oil, and sunflower oil (which I used some nights without the Weleda). Most of the ingredients are rated about a 2 (out of 5), so they're not that bad. The Wild Rose Cleanser is much worse, but I didn't use that as much. Most oils are highly occlusive though...that must have more impact than comedogenicity on why they don't work for those of us with natural sebum in our skin. I also need to remember that baby's skin is not oily at all...they don't produce sebum, so a drier skin is really a more natural skin. So my biggest question is why Weleda suggests the Iris cleanser is appropriate for combination skins. It certainly wasn't for mine. I can't imagine anyone with oil already in their skin who this would work for. Only the driest of skins would benefit from oil in this quantity that doesn't emulsify and wash off cleanly. I'm also a little peeved that I let myself be influenced by folks who don't know my skin. It was a sad case of the blind leading the blind. I've read so many accounts of the OCM not working for people, I just hope my trial allows others to stop sooner than I did if it doesn't work for them and they start to break out. No reason on earth to destroy your skin for some silly "natural" ideal.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Muscs Koublai Khan
vanbergc 1/2/2008 11:40:00 PM
Muscs Koublai Khan starts out rather masculine on my skin, and for that reason I wouldn't buy. It's a controlled and mild animalic...civet, castoreum, labdanum, cumin...but I've got perfumes much skankier than this that stay on the girls' side of the gymn. It does evoke the nice skin of a man, but I'd rather smell that on a live specimen. The dry-down is a different story...the musk softens with the slightest sweetness of Moroccan Rose, which rounds out this skin-scent nicely. Lovely if you can perservere through the first half-hour of man-scent. For the price of a bottle of perfume now, I want perfection. I'd rather spend my money on a musky-rosey Montale, the skanky Ava Luxe "Rasa X-treme", or the wondrous Bella Bellisima "Perfect Night." No need to compromise...
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - People of the Labyrinths A MAZE
vanbergc 12/9/2007 1:47:00 PM
Okay...I get it! Tried A*Maze several times, not finding an affinity for it...until I tried some aoud fragrances. This is a Rose Aoud done in the very best manner. It's stunning when you realize what you've encountered. Aouds dry down to a warm skin scent, and the rose addition is very sweet and ceamy. I've been barking up the Rose-Musk tree, and I believe I like the Rose-Aouds even better. AMaze is my current heart-throb, and I can't believe how beautiful it is, and how lucky it is I found it! It's like finding the needle in the proverbial haystack. Absolutely breathtaking IMHO!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Caron - Parfum Sacre
vanbergc 11/22/2007 11:29:00 AM
Notes: Top: Lemon, Pepper, Mace, Cardamom Heart: Orange Blossom, Rose, Jasmine, Rosewood Base: Vanilla, Myrrh, Civet, Cedarwood A sumptuous, compelling, controlled spice that never gets out of hand. A real wrist-sniffer. The evil vanilla stays hidden until late in the dry-down, so no smelling sickeningly sweet or gourmand. The whole shebang is bouyed by Myrrh, Civet, and Cedarwood...a slightly woody, musky, clean base that doesn't feel weighty or overbearing. FBW for me also. Only problem is paying for more than a decant...I check ebay daily hoping to find the one kind soul who'll sell me a bottle for $5 just because I'm a good person and deserve it. Hah!...if wishes were horses...
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Hors La Monde, Shiloh
vanbergc 11/9/2007 10:19:00 AM
Is this both aldehydic and a chypre? Love that aldehyde burst in the beginning (or is it just the citrus?), and I usually do not. This scent took me from the start, the very first time I tried it, and it's got me craving more. It's truly lovely! It's refined and mysterious...not brazen or harsh, a bit skin-like on me, sensual, subtley woody, and only the slightest bit sweet from the rose note. If you like close-to-the-skin scents with a little more character and a lot less scream, do try this. This may have just become my most favorite fragrance...
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tocca - Touch
vanbergc 11/3/2007 7:17:00 PM
It's fall, and I'm sampling decants of hundreds(not really, it just seems so) of new scents. I've tried a bunch, and only 2 so far have talked to me in a "buy me" kind of way. One was a nice fall scent, Trish McEvoy's Trish, and then Tocca's Touch EDP. I wouldn't personally use Touch in the fall/winter, but I can see it easily being worn in spring/summer. It's a lovely jasmine floral that's not too bright...some interesting companion notes of gardenia, balsam, and pomegranite, and then sandalwood in the base to ground it. Yumm... Of course, I love jasmine, and this is a smooth, velvety one...more sophisticated than most, but happy still. It's also been my experience that jasmine disappears in fragrances early on, never to be heard from again...not so with Touch...the jasmine is ever present, and ever on top if a quick sniff is needed. The name, Touch, implies more of a skin scent, earthy and sensual(sensuous?). With the sandalwood base I definitely get more of a sensual nature than the average jasmine (not that heady jasmine isn't enough on its own!). A fine, fine fragrance, that I will be seeing more of in the future... Notes: Top: Pomegranite, Tiare, Egyptian Balsam Mid: Jasmine, Gardenia Base: Sandalwood
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Jo Malone - White Jasmine & Mint
vanbergc 11/1/2007 8:19:00 PM
Notes from The Scented Salamander:
"White Jasmine & Mint Cologne is a fresh floral featuring the exclusive Jo Malone mint accord of wild mint and peppermint leaf at the head and a heart accord of Jo Malone heirloom jasmine, sourced from local jasmine farms in the South of France.
Other top notes include camomile, coriander, cardamom, bergamot, mace and cassis. The heart holds ylang ylang, orange flower, rose de mai absolut and muguet, drying down to a base of cedar, Jo Malone musk, mate absolut, vetiver, prune and guaiac."
I love and respect Jo Malone...although I don't think this is her fragrance...didn't she leave before the development of this scent? Anywho...I adore it wholeheartedly! I wondered originally why they released this in fall...what a mistake I thought! NOT! This is spicy and musky upon dry-down. Perfect for fall/winter, and probably just as perfect for spring/summer.
As all Jo Malone scents, this is a gentle and non-obtrusive perfume, allowing the wearer a secret to share with only those she chooses to let close to her skin (also "he"...this is indeed a unisex scent). Not brash, not overpowering...but quiet and enticing. I hate orientals, but can finally get the spice/musk without the vanilla/amber scream. What a relief!
Upon first spray, the jasmine is soft, but not sickeningly sweet. It's bouyed by the chamomile/mint and spices which tone down the top...nothing screams in this formula. And I'm a fool for jasmine...this is truly lovely. (Has anybody been to Las Vegas and walked through the Bellagio's innumerable jasmine? Oh, god...the scent is divine. Jo Malone is not like this though...just my mind wandering.) Anyhow, the top (not too quickly) attenuates to a smoldering musky, spicy jasmine. This is when I made the connection to a Mojito. It smelled very similar to a beguilingly dryish Mojito on my skin. Very compelling. Drydown 6 hours later is just as interesting as the first spray. Musky, spicy tea-ish. A real fall/winter scent, and I'm dancing with joy because I have a choice now other than the nasty orientals. Can't say I'd wear this at night though...I see it as a daytime fragrance, which is just fine for me.
Sillage is very, very low...no surprise there, although this particular scent lasts for a long, long time close to the skin...at least 8 hours. Can't wait to purchase while fall is still in the air. Donations?
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Opium
vanbergc 11/1/2007 7:38:00 PM
Another darn spicey oriental...although one of the original mass market ones. Smells interesting in the bottle, but on my skin, as all orientals, it's loud and obnoxious. Makes me a bit nauseous as well. Would never buy this in a million years.
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Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Tom Ford Black Orchid
vanbergc 11/1/2007 6:53:00 PM
Posted this on Basenotes...thought I might include it here also: Top: Black Truffle, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Black Currant, Mandarine, Jasmine, Black Gardenia Mid: Lotus Wood, Black Orchid, other fruits and florals Base: Dark Chocolate (from FragranceX, also listed as Noir Gourmand at Saks), Patchouli, Incense, Vetiver, Vanilla Tears, Balsam, Sandlewood When I first sniffed out of the bottle during a recent shopping trip, I was entranced, and couldn't wait to spritz this on. Sorrowfully for me, that's as enticing as the scent got. I got my hands on a decant, and eagerly tried it for the first time last night. It was with great anticipation and relief that my first impression was indeed marvelous...the scent was so very...all over the place. What was I smelling? It has only to get better! It was a HOT scent, a touch exotic, with definite blasts of vanilla and oriental spice, and what I'm imagining as "orchid". Well, as interesting and confusing as the first spritz was, the rest was oh, so disappointing. After about 15-20 minutes, the thrill was gone. What developed was a common oriental (although marvelously smooth) with a hint of B.O. Now, knowing that Chocolate was a base note, I recognized the BO as chocolate...and not something that won me over...just out of place. The whole of the scent got very heady, and bordered on bothersome. After an hour, the chocolate was still present, but the scent had died down to roar, a simple spicey oriental. The next day even the chocolate was gone, with remnants of the everyday spice. I will try this again, but don't have much hope. I rather detest orientals, wishing that this one would have change my perception. It didn't. I wouldn't shell out cash for this, and would pass if it was handed to me. What a disappointment!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No