Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Rice Flower and Shea Shower Gel
kearston 3/1/2005 2:34:00 AM
I love this stuff! The scent, while not the best in the bottle, is absolutely wonderful on. People actually stop me to say that I smell wonderful - given that I wear no perfume, I'm chalking it up to this shower gel. Incidentally, I find the gel formulation less drying than the cream formulation. I am devastated they're discontinuing this. Wah!
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Cleansers -DDF - Non-Drying Gentle Cleanser
kearston 3/1/2005 2:28:00 AM
This cleanser, in conjunction with the oil-free moisturizing dew and aloe toner, has been incredible for my skin. I had dry, sensitive, broken-out skin, which, thanks to these products, has been turning to a (dare I say) normal texture. This cleanser is exactly what my sensitive skin needed. Although the sensitive skin cleansing gel made my skin feel "cleaner" than this formula, that was only because it was drying out my skin. This cleanser is creamy and non-foaming, but it's doing the job. I deducted one lippie because it did not remove some freshly-applied lipstick I'd tested. I'd also use an additional product to remove mascara fully. However, no issues with foundation or any other makeup. All in all, a great product. Highly recommended for any of you dry, sensitive-skin types out there like me.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - Colourjuice - tubes
kearston 2/27/2005 3:00:00 AM
I was psyched to see these in my local Target the other day. I picked up two shades - Groove Child and Candy Apple. I have to say, I'm impressed with these. Groove Child is a nice, sheer pink color; Candy Apple is an opaque, deep magenta color. Both look great with my very light skin, though Candy Apple is one I'll relegate to the evenings - may be a bit much for daytime. Great value. The rounded-tube packaging is kinda crummy b/c the gloss just ends up going everywhere. Notwithstanding that minor flaw, great product that I'd buy again.
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Highlighters -Chanel - Ruban Perlé - Moonlight
kearston 2/26/2005 5:04:00 AM
Gah! I bought this highlighter yesterday for two reasons: 1) I fell in love with it at the Chanel counter; and 2) I loved the photographs of the model wearing it in Glamour magazine's March 2005 article on nude makeup. I wore the highlighter tonight and am deeply disappointed. Pros: The texture, naturally, is incredible. The packaging is so pretty. It looks darned fine on the back of my hand. Cons: It's expensive, which I could live with if the product were worth it. It makes me look like a 29-year-old impersonating a 16-year-old, because all it did was leave a trail of very noticeable glitter on my face. This glitter then migrated downwards, even ending up all over my hands. Not impressed! This is going back tomorrow.
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Treatments -Chanel - Solution Destressante Calming Emulsion [DISCONTINUED]
kearston 2/18/2005 2:02:00 AM
Hmm. This is a rough product to review. I bought it during my desperate search for a decent skincare line after my skin went completely crazy when I gave birth to my son. I read the reviews here and decided to give the Chanel skincare line a try. At the store I tried this product on my red, super-sensitive, chemically-burned (by another skincare line) skin. It felt very soothing, so I sank $257 into Chanel products. The Chanel rep instructed me to give these products two weeks and see how they worked. I had very, very high hopes - but just ended up with simultaneously dry and greasy skin that was "distressed" more than "destressed." On the plus side, these products on the whole feel very nice to use - they have a lovely texture and smell. However, I don't feel that they do anything special for the skin. In my case, I broke out just as much as I had before using Chanel, and my skin looked oily. This product just didn't work for me. If you want to give it a try, take a sample home, or buy the product and give it a two-week trial run, but make sure it's returnable.
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Treatments -Chanel - Hydramax + Sérum
kearston 2/18/2005 1:53:00 AM
What in the heck is the point of this product? I went to the Chanel counter for my very dry, sensitive, troublesome skin. The salesperson recommended this serum in addition to several other pricey Chanel products. Frankly, the price was a non-issue given that I would have paid anything for a product that helped my skin get back into balance. On the whole, Chanel's products were decadent, had a lovely texture and smell, and were doubtless nice products though they ultimately did not work for my particular skin issues. This serum, however, was a severe disappointment. It smelled nice, and the texture going on was okay, but it gave my skin the weirdest feeling. After applying it, the serum felt like a grease mask laying on my skin. Given that my skin was overly dry due to my hormones being out of whack after giving birth to my son two months ago, I desperately needed a well-hydrating product. If this product made even my skin feel ridiculously greasy, I can't imagine anyone in the world being able to use it. I'd pass on this product at any price. If you intend to try it, I'd ask for a sample and give it a go before sinking your money into the product.
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Toners -DDF - Aloe Toning Complex
kearston 2/18/2005 1:43:00 AM
Love, love, LOVE this! The aloe toner is awesome. At the moment, my skin is combo and extremely sensitive. I have used this product both when my skin has been very oily and when it has been very dry. No matter what texture my very fickle skin, the aloe toner works nicely each and every time. It gives me a super-clean feeling, but doesn't leave my skin feeling tight. I've had experiences with some toners that made my skin bright red or even pucker. Happy to say that this never happens with the aloe toner. Love the spray bottle too. It's especially convenient. Great product!
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Moisturizers -DDF - Ultra Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew
kearston 2/18/2005 1:37:00 AM
This product saved my skin! I gave birth in December and was left with two things: 1) a beautiful baby boy, and 2) the worst skin this side of the Mississippi: super-sensitive, red, cracked, oily, broken out. You name it - I actually was ridiculously dry and broken out simultaneously. I tried every line out there. Sisley, N.V. Perricone, Clarins, Philosophy and Murad chemically burned my skin (Sisley!), Chanel and Biotherm left me greasy beyond belief, etc. I finally decided to go for DDF as a last resort. After 4 days of use, people began commenting on how much better my skin looked. It's darn near balanced. Not dry, not greasy, and the breakouts are basically gone - amazing. My skin finally has a decent feel to it, and the little bumps that had amassed on it are almost completely gone. I'd highly, highly recommend this product. I bought my products at Sephora, who promised that I could return them if they didn't work. True, b/c I actually had to return several products I had bought there b/c they didn't work with my skin for one reason or another. Love DDF and love this moisturizer in particular. It has a great, non-greasy feel and soaks into the skin easily. My foundation goes on like a dream now. At $31 this wasn't the cheapest moisturizer, but it was worth every penny I dropped on it. Also love the hygienic pump - dispenses a good amount of product, but not too much.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
kearston 7/9/2003 1:53:00 AM
I never got what the big deal about this product was. I used it a couple of times back in my teen years as part of the 3-step skin-care program. I gave up the moisturizer after a few uses, and gave up the skin care regimen altogether when my skin began to redden painfully (about 2 years into use). The moisturizer is greasy and sickly. Now, I have about 25 little annoying bottles of it, all received free as part of Clinique bonuses. I still enjoy some Clinique lipstick shades, or their mini nail polishes that came out... but their skin-care plan, including this horrid moisturizer, just doesn't work.
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Cleansers -Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser
kearston 7/8/2003 4:31:00 AM
I bought Cetaphil because of its reputation as a mild cleanser. I have sensitive skin, prone to reddening if I use a harsher product. I had been using more expensive lines like Sisley, and wanted to find a good, inexpensive replacement. Cetaphil caused my skin not only to redden, but to pucker! It actually caused me physical pain. People who decide to check out Cetaphil based on its reputation as safe for sensitive skin should, perhaps, perform a patch test. After trying a few other products, I've found that Purpose is a much better inexpensive cleanser for my sensitive skin.
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Lip Gloss -Stila - Lip glaze
kearston 7/8/2003 4:27:00 AM
Despite myself, I love this product. When I'm browsing the Stila counter, I am drawn to the glosses. All of the colors are hip, the scents are amazing, and it's even fun to use. BUT it's ridiculously expensive, and fails to last. I'm constantly reapplying the product. Either the price has to drop, they have to find some way to make it longer-wearing, or they have to give me more! Drawbacks aside, I love the glosses, especially in Vanilla, Banana and Apricot. EDIT - I have to say, I'm more impressed with my L'oreal Color Juice! While Stila may be a little ahead in terms of texture, Color Juice has better staying power, comparable colors, comparable scents, and is way less expensive.
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Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
kearston 7/7/2003 8:35:00 PM
NARS consistently puts out high-quality products. This blush is no exception. The color is very flattering, even for someone like me with very fair, pink-toned skin. The complaints about Orgasm blush giving a "racing-stripe" or rosacea effect on lighter-skinned people stem from the fact that this product is highly-pigmented. I combat the effect described above by ensuring that I don't get too much of the blush on my brush before applying it, and by making sure that the blush is very well blended. I especially love to use this blush in combination with the St. Bart's stick. I apply the stick along the cheekbones, blending it well. Then I use the Orgasm blush on the apples of my cheeks only. I really like the effect this gives. The same goes with all of the NARS products I've used - if you have fair skin, make sure to use a light hand when applying them, and slowly build up to the effect you want.
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Conditioner -Terax - Crema
kearston 7/7/2003 8:19:00 PM
Let's start with my hair. My hair is relatively thin, very curly, and tends to have a "crunchy" texture. I'm always looking for a good conditioner that will tame my unruly hair. After hearing all the hype about Terax Crema, I bought a tube at Sephora. I was tempted to buy the "vat" of Crema at $45, because it was a better buy overall than the tube. I'm so glad I didn't. Terax Crema is okay. It's not terrible; it's not stellar. It's just... okay. The scent is reminiscent of ointment - it's not totally offensive, but not something I would really elect to put in my hair. And although the product left my hair conditioned at the end of the day, it didn't do anything amazing. It certainly didn't do anything to warrant shelling out $50. And so, sadly, my hunt for that perfect conditioner continues.
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