Cleansers -MD Forte - Facial Cleanser II
onestarrynight 2/7/2008 12:39:00 AM
I've been using this for about a month now. I also started using retin-a about six weeks ago and I was hoping this would help ex foliate the flaking from the retin-a. I decided to try cleanser II instead of I, since I don't have sensitive skin and generally tolerate most products pretty well. So far I have to say I'm really liking this cleanser. It does sting a little, but I don't leave it on long, and my skin is looking and feeling very smooth since I started this. I think it is helping with the flakes from the retin-a, although not as much as I hoped it would. Initially I only used it at night, but have recently started using it in the mornings too. My skin definitely has more of a glow now.
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Treatments -Lancome - HIGH RESOLUTION with COLLASER-48
onestarrynight 2/7/2008 12:21:00 AM
I got this as a gift with purchase and loved the way it made my skin look. It obviously has silicone and filled in the fine lines on my skin like putty. I find that if I looked tired in the mornings this helped me look more awake. The bad news is this product gave me horrible cystic acne. I don't have sensitive skin at all and I'm very careful about removing my makeup at night. The first time I broke out, I thought it was just a fluke and hoped it wasn't this stuff because I liked it so much. After I broke out a second time on my cheeks (a place I only rarely get acne) I knew this stuff was causing it. I still have a red mark on my cheek six months after discontinuing it. I gave it two stars because if your skin will tolerate this it really does make it look nice, although only in a cosmetic way. I don't believe this product actually improves the quality of your skin like an antioxidant serum would or anything. Plus it's incredibly expensive.
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Lipstick -NARS - Lipstick in Dolce Vita
onestarrynight 8/16/2007 9:37:00 PM
I bought this about a year ago and hated the color on me so much that I returned it. I normally have dk hair and eyes, but I recently foiled my hair with the overall effect that I now have light brown hair with highlights. As a result I've had to change some of my makeup (oh goody!). Anyway I decided to try this color again and hello! it looks great. In fact it's become my new favorite go to lipstick this summer. When I had darker hair I found the color was just too light and pink on me and washed me out, but with the lighter hair it's flattering. I took a lippie off because as much as I like it, it comes off pretty easily and I find myself having to reapply it a lot. Other than that it's a very pretty pink/mauve MLBB color.
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Mascara -Lancome - Cils Booster
onestarrynight 8/16/2007 9:27:00 PM
The only thing this product seemed to do was make my lashes impossible to curl. The just stuck straight out. It also made them somewhat brittle. I got this as a GWP and I'm glad I didn't pay for it. If you're looking for something to increase length and give you a false eyelash look try Tweezerman Fast Lash. That stuff is insane.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Bond No.9 - Chinatown
onestarrynight 7/27/2007 11:35:00 PM
I am so into these Bond No.9 fragrances. It's like when they get it right, they REALLY get it right. Plus they're not afraid to try something unusual. When I first smelled Chinatown I thought now this is *real* perfume. This is something you'd imagine Cleopatra wore, or Anais Nin wore. It smells incredibly exotic. It conjures up images of riding the Orient Express or sitting in a Turkish opium den. I was in love at first whiff. Now for the bad news. This has the funkiest dry down on me. The dry down is so horrible it's hard to believe it's the same fragrance I initially sprayed on. It smells great for about two hours and then it starts to turn and turn and turn. Ick. What to do? I almost gave up on it, which is sad because I love this scent (and so does my husband for that matter), but I figured out two things that help. 1.) I spray it on my clothes. The gorgeous sent remains the same without changing. Thank goodness! 2.) I created a small travel size bottle for myself that I use if I'm out at night (or anywhere) and want to refresh the scent on my skin. This isn't a fragrance for everyone. It's an unusual spicy oriental style fragrance and there's nothing run of the mill about it. If you like incense type scents you should definitely give this a try. Top Notes: of Peach Blossom, Bergamot Middle Notes: of Gardenia, Tuberose, Peony and Orange Flower Base Notes: of Patchouli, Cedarwood, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cardamom and Guaiac Wood
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrance -Bulgari - Pour Homme
onestarrynight 7/27/2007 10:34:00 PM
I bought this mostly out of curiosity because it's the fragrance that Ranger wears in the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. My husband being a good sport is always willing to let me sample men's scents on him. Anyway this is DIVINE! I have fallen in love/lust with this men's fragrance. I initially only got a small sample, but I have since purchased DH the shower gel, shave gel, and a big bottle of the cologne. It's a really nice clean light sexy men's fragrance that is perfect for spring/summer. I'm not sure what the notes are. It's a bit green and has maybe a tiny bit of citrus, but nothing super strong stands out. It's very well balanced and it smells very classy. I could smell this stuff all day and thankfully my husband likes it too and is happy to indulge me.
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Blush -NARS - The Multiple in Portofino
onestarrynight 7/27/2007 8:49:00 PM
I have so many of these Multiples it's embarrassing. I'm something of a blush junkie, so these are hard to resist. This color is like orgasm blush without the gold glitter, which is perfect for me, because I detest that gold glitter. It does have a bit of shimmer, but not much. I'm very fair complected with yellow undertones in my skin. I wear this mostly in the summer time and it gives a pretty sun kissed look to my face. I don't wear it on my lips or anywhere else, so it is kind of pricey for just blush. There is a lot of product in the tube though, so I figure that balances the price out somewhat. Also the NARS colors are just so gorgeous, what can you do?
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Mascara -Chanel - Inimitable Mascara Multi-Dimensionnel
onestarrynight 7/27/2007 8:21:00 PM
I finally broke down and bought a tube of this stuff, since I've been curious to try it. I have naturally long, reasonably thick lashes, so mostly I just want something to add oomph and help them hold a curl. This seems fine and certainly does the trick. It looks fairly natural and doesn't give you a heavy mascara look, so if you like high drama from your mascara, I doubt you'll like this stuff. Normally I use Clinique's Naturaly Glossy which gives similar results. I occasionally use Cover Girl's Volume Extract and I think the Chanel is nearly identical to that. It even has that groovy little brush and it's a lot less expensive. I don't know if I'll repurchase this. I do like the shade of black it imparts. For some reason it seems blacker than my other mascaras. All in all a good mascara, but there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well.
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Primer/ Corrector -Smashbox - Photo Finish Primer
onestarrynight 6/26/2007 7:53:00 PM
I've been curious to try this for awhile and was happy to receive a sample size tube recently from Sephora. As far as I can tell this stuff does absolutely nothing. It goes on sheer and smooth and is completely invisible in every way. It's like I didn't put anything on. Obviously a primer should blend in, but come on! This stuff is like the emperors new clothes. I'm glad I didn't pay anything for it, since I know it's pretty pricey. I know some people like it, but after trying it every way I could think of I don't get it. I mean it didn't hide fine lines, it didn't help my makeup look smoother or last any longer. Nothing. Nada. If you're thinking about buying this, definitely sample it first.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -NARS - The Multiple in Copacabana
onestarrynight 2/8/2007 6:22:00 PM
I've tried so many highlighters and this is by far the best of them all. It seems like with so many of them I look like a disco ball. That or it highlights every pore and line on my face - not good! I'm 41, so it can be tricky finding something that gives me a "glowy" look without making me look haggard. Copacabana does the trick. I wear it on my cheeks, bridge of my nose, dab on my chin and a bit on my eyelids. I wear blush and some powder over it and it still shows through in a nice way. This stuff is shiny silver and looks scary in the tube, but it really looks natural when you put it on. I'm very pale complected with dark hair and eyes and this is perfect to brighten up us pale people in the winter time. I own a whole bunch of multiples and I probably use this one the most! I never would have guessed that when I bought it.
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Treatments -Clean & Clear - Persagel 10
onestarrynight 1/25/2007 6:50:00 PM
I started getting cystic acne on my chin area about a year ago and it's been driving me crazy every month. After reading about this stuff I decided to try it as a preventive. I've been using it on my chin area once a day for the past two months and guess what---no acne! I'll put it on after washing my face with Cetaphil at night. I did try using it as a treatment on the zits I had when I first bought it and it helped get rid of them too, though it wasn't anything miraculous. It's very drying and I have dry skin already, so I have to be careful. I've found using it just once a day or even twice a day doesn't seem to dry me out though. This is good stuff.
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Fragrances -Bobbi Brown - Beach
onestarrynight 1/9/2007 8:01:00 PM
I got this in a small sample size on eBay and I will definitely be purchasing when my sample is gone. Like so many other reviewers have said it perfectly captures the essence of the beach. I spritzed some on my arm and let my husband take a whiff and that's the first thing he said too--it smells like the beach. It does smell kind of like Coppertone tanning lotion, but I've always liked the way that stuff smells. I suspect I will be wearing this quite a bit next summer. If you are someone who does not like the smell of Coppertone, you probably won't like this scent. I did detect some floral notes when I first sprayed it on, but now an hour later all I can smell is that sun warmed skin with sun tan oil I'm lying on a beach towel scent. Love it!
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Fragrances -Comptoir Sud Pacifique - Aloha Tiare
onestarrynight 11/15/2006 7:28:00 PM
I really wanted to like this scent. I read about it in In Style and thought wow - a mixture of coconut, gardenia, and vanilla? It sounded divine. Unfortunately it is cloyingly sweet. It also smells totally synthetic like those car deodorant things people hang from their rear view mirrors. After a couple hours on me it just smells like plain vanilla which is not bad, but not that impressive. Luckily I only bought a small sample of this on eBay. I figure I'll try it again during the summer months next year. Maybe it will smell better in warm weather (or maybe it will be even more disgustingly sweet!)
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Fragrances -Agent Provocateur - Agent Provocateur EDP
onestarrynight 9/27/2006 1:42:00 PM
I was curious about this fragrance and decided to buy a small sample on eBay. I'm glad I didn't buy the larger bottle without trying it out first because it's not at all what I thought it would be. It smells very old fashioned. It's also familiar and the more I thought about it I realized my mom used to have some sort of cold creme she used on her face when I was growing up and this smells just like it. It smells like oily roses. My husband thought it smelled gross. I give it two stars because it sure does have staying power and if you like this scent you'll be in heaven. I could still smell it on my wrist the next day.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Stoked by Bethany Hamilton
onestarrynight 7/26/2006 8:06:00 PM
I was in the mall at Claire's awhile ago and on a whim sprayed this on my wrist. I was not impressed with the initial heavy fruity alcohol smell and dismissed it immediately. I sort of forgot about it, but then after an hour or so I smelled again and was surprised by how much I liked it. The dry down has a nice fruity coconut smell with just a hint of floral. It smells like a day at the beach. It's a very youthful scent. I am definitely not a teenager, but I liked it so much I picked up a bottle for myself when I saw it again at Target (Only $14.99! And the bottle is shaped like a surf board! Tubular man!) I've worn it occasionally this summer taking my kids to the beach/playground or running around town doing errands. It's just a fun beachy girly kind of scent. I had to laugh when I saw the reviews for it here at MUA and discovered I'm not the only "older" reviewer that likes this scent. I can't think of any "expensive" perfume that smells as fun and beachy as this. My gosh, perhaps, there is an actual perfume market niche that is not being filled?
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