Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Pure Skin Formulations - H.A. Serum 100% Pure Hyaluronic Acid
miranets 5/18/2008 3:01:00 AM
I have oily but dehydrated skin and I have always been conscious of my slightly crepe skin. I tried this as a cheaper alternative to Skinceuticals' B5 hydrating serum which irritated slightly. This gives momentary plumpness but once dried it seems to create a film over the skin which ends up feeling more drying than without the serum.
I only understand now that HA should be used in minute quantities because of its water binding effects, the levels of HA in these pure serums are too high to be functional in the long term.
I do like HA in lower quantities, but I almost prefer plant sugar alcohol derived humectants.
I consider this a mistake purchase during a fleeting tangle in smaller online only skincare companies. Never again.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Pure Skin Formulations Papaya Cleansing Gel
miranets 5/18/2008 2:47:00 AM
From a sample which I had good results with, I purchased the full size product. After analysing the ingredients I realised it contains ammonium laureth sulfate which I was not that pleased about, I avoid detergent type cleansers.
Firstly, the size is ridiculously large, claims to be a concentrated product, you are supposed to only use a tiny amount. The bottle is a pain to dispense a product which literally sticks together as one whole blob - it reminds me of a jello soap - and you end up squeezing out too much then having to suck the excess back in.
Has a sweet scent of jelly beans. The initial results I had was an improvement of skin clarity but with long term use it dried my skin out. I don't really believe in the idea of colloidal silver having effect on a rinse off product which only has momentary contact with the skin.
I ended up using it as a brush cleanser but it dried up the bristles, it went down the drain eventually, I couldn't even be bothered to use it as a bathroom cleaner.
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Loose Powders -Christian Dior - Diorskin Extreme Fix
miranets 4/29/2008 9:16:00 PM
I have never been a fan of Dior's regular powders, bad colour selection and scents. I chanced upon the reviews and the moment I realised it was one of those translucent airmill type powders, I knew it would be excellent for oil control. In the past I have had good experiences with the By Terry loose powder and La Mer powders (similar type of texture except for complete transparent colour)
The powder is pure white but goes on clear, not even a "ghostly" mask, so it is excellent as a finishing powder and also has the ability to create a soft focus effect. I use this on top of Cargo's HD foundation and my face looks porcelain, almost unreal.
For extra oil control I do use this always on top of another powder, either my rice/silk blend or Jill Stuart loose powder and I blot once at the end of a 10 hour day - my skin is probably on the "very oily" end of the sebum production spectrum
Only cons - price, $45usd but it will last a while as very little is needed. The sifter top is a pain to decant, I have to bang the whole container to loosen the powder.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Sofina - Aube Impression Eyes EX01 Summer 2008
miranets 4/29/2008 9:05:00 PM
I really like these neutral brown palettes, excellent for creating a gentle smokey eye and enhancing the natural contours of the eyes. The colour selection is extremely similar to the YSL 2008 Asian-exclusive Anniversary Ombres Quad eyes but at a more affordable price. The two cons of this palette - glitter could be more refined, or the same tone as the shadow and not chunky silver. I really don't like the cream shadow that is in all the Impressions palettes, very bold and unblendable. Overall an excellent colour selection!
click "continue" to see pictures
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Mascara -Shiseido - Majolica Majorca Lash Heat Metallic 2008
miranets 4/29/2008 9:00:00 PM
Despite my initial horror that it goes on orange it dries as a dark copper bronze which is lost on my black lashes. The mascara itself is a disappointment, does not coat or separate very well. I like the comb type applicator as I had good results with the Cargo BluRay mascara but this just does not work.
click "continue" to see pictures
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Kanebo - Lavshuca Summer Gradually Compact 2008
miranets 4/29/2008 8:48:00 PM
This is a review for both versions 01 "Shiny Sandy Beach" and 02 "Windy Aqua Beach". Limited edition 2008 Summer release. This is quite different for Lavshuca, past seasonal collections have always been rather uninspiring even for an avid LE cosmetic collector like me.
This year's release is rather sensational relative to the Lavshuca standards. The packaging itself is very elegant, comes in a flat oversized box which lays out the case and palettes separately. You have to take out the palettes and place them into the casing, so you have an option of mix and match if you buy both versions.
Upon closer inspection, and once I cooled down from the excitement of something so fancy, I realised that again like many Lavshuca releases, there is just something that doesn't quite do it for me to get the 5/5! The colour selection is safe and mundane, to the point where I feel like I've just doubled up on several neutral shades - they feature just a little too repetitively across both palettes.
As for the colouring and texture, it is so-so when used against bare skin. I usually use a shadow primer like UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance which does intensify pigmentation slightly. There aren't many darker shades that I can use as the base to create a nice gradient for a smokey eye.
Overall, a very nice release for Lavshuca, and for the price and target consumer population it is a decent LE release.
click "continue" to see pictures
Cases, long narrow - reminds me of the Bobbi Brown packaging
Palettes
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Polishes -Laura Mercier - 24 Karat
miranets 4/17/2008 8:42:00 PM
From the 2008 Golddigger Collection, I saw a swatch of this on a beauty blog and I fell in love with the colour immediately. It is a nice champagne gold with pale shimmers. I am not usually a nail polish user because it is so easy to get carried away trying colours and collecting LE items.
I have yellow undertones in my skin so this champagne gold looks like a "nude" for me, after a second coat the beauty of the colour really shows through. My only gripe about this (and ALL nail polishes) is the second coat always softens the first coat and no matter what I do I always smudge or chip the coating before it dries. I leave about an hour in between applying coats but nothing really works. I've tried all sorts of base and top coats and it just worsens the polish's ability to dry.
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Treatments (Eye) -Cellcosmet - Eye Contour Gel XT
miranets 4/5/2008 2:54:00 AM
Despite having congestion prone skin, my eye area is not as sensitive as the rest of my face and I can tolerate either light gels or rich eye creams very well. I don't have any significant issues around the eye area, I do have heavy upper eyelids that I want to keep firm and lifted so I need to start moisturising at an early age! My lower eye area has some slight chicken-skin texture on the inner corners, which can be described as somewhat milia like bumps but it is not caused by sebum blockages. I also have dark circles but that is very much caused by lack of rest.
I have used the Contour Cream and it is also very nice but I prefer it in cooler climates. My only gripe about the gel is that if not spread evenly and absorbed fully, it can peel a little and ball up - sometimes I notice slight white flecks around the eye and as soon as I begin to rub it away more comes off! This product only comes in a 15ml pump size, so it is a lot more expensive than the 30ml Cream verison. Once I finish my first bottle I don't think I'd repurchase as the cream works just as well.
A very light jasmine like scent, I use a dot for both eyes, anything more is too much. I do notice softening effects but the chicken skin texture takes a long time to disappear though. I chose the XT gel over the regular gel product because this contains cellular extracts whereas the regular gel is only a conditioning type product for irritated eyes and does not have any anti aging benefits.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Cellcosmet - Active Tonic Lotion
miranets 4/5/2008 2:45:00 AM
I don't think it is an essential part of completing the moisturisation process, I'd rather buy the Activator Gel than this. It is nice, but does not moisturise very well for me, I need another glycerine based spritz on top of this. I would prefer something with a lot less additives as a toner.
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Gels/Soaps -Cellcosmet - Gentle Cream Cleanser
miranets 4/5/2008 2:41:00 AM
My skin - oily, prone to congestion, fast skin turnover, dehydrated.
Never was a big fan of "cream" cleansers because my experiences with various brands (organic, high end, drugstore etc..) always left an uncomfortable film on the skin and I never could use it as an evening cleanser because it never thoroughly removed makeup and sebum build up.
For a while I was using NIA24 cleansing cream in the morning, it is decent but nothing like Cellcosmet.
Cellcosmet's texture is not like a regular cream cleanser where it adheres to the skin, it actually slips away very easily so you need to actually look to make sure it has been applied. It removes sebum very well (I can tell as usually there is always some traces of oil left around the t zone area with other cleansers) and I do not need to cleanse a second time. I have yet to try removing waterproof sunscreen and various sweatproof eye makeup primers but I normally use a cleansing oil anyway.
The scent is a light rose aroma, does not over dry at all, but it does not leave the skin squeaky clean like a foaming cleanser, neither does it leave a film that would make me want to cleanse again. It claims to relipidise the skin which is very important for me as I have a very unhappy skin barrier which needs a lot of topical repairs.
Depending on your budget, you can make it worthwhile either way. Although it would be so luxurious to use generous pumps of it to cleanse the whole face and neck, it is also possible to use something like 1/2 inch blob to cleanse the face and jaw area very well and so the regular tube would last a decent while.
I am very particular about my cleansers now, I no longer use stripping gel cleansers with no pH formulation. Perhaps some others can use any sort of cleanser and consider a moisturiser the most important investment in skincare, I have learnt from my past mistakes and I always choose a very well formulated cleanser and it is worth the investment.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Cellcosmet - ULTRA VITAL
miranets 4/5/2008 2:32:00 AM
My skin, early 20s, easily congested porous skin, prone to dehydration, very oily t-zone, fast skin turnover, sensitive to acids, some redness from over zealous scrubbing.
I had been using the salon version of the Concentrated cream which is the second most intensive cream apart from the Ultra Vital. Despite my skin being somewhat "acne prone" I have absolutely no issues with Cellcosmet at all. I use NIA24 as a treatment cream, and Cellcosmet in between.
I prefer the PUMP version as it is more hygenic, there is no difference in cellular concentration between the pump and jar, except the jar is a lot cheaper. The consistency of Ultra Vital is quite different from Concentrated. Ultra Vital is more serum like and spreads less easily, I think the serum texture is because there is a very high concentration of cellular extracts rather than base fillers. I have to use this over damp skin otherwise it dries up before I can apply evenly to the skin. I prefer Ultra Vital over Concentrated! I am starting to spot/patch treat acne with BPO and azelic acid, so I am very careful to protect my skin barrier during treatment.
Ultra Vital has a slightly more "woody" fragrance and is less cloyingly feminine than Concentrated. After applying to well prepared skin (scrub or mask, then Activator gel and tonic) it does leave a slight shine to the face and feels stickier than Concentrated but it is not an issue as long as my skin does not get clogged the next morning. I find this suitable both for day and night use despite having very oily skin.
Yes Cellcosmet products are extremely expensive, and I am still very young for such "intensive" creams, but they work so well for my skin I consider it an investment, I save on having to try different product lines and I'm sure I will look back and be grateful when I'm 50.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Kanebo - Lunasol Intellectual Lips Full Glamour
miranets 2/20/2008 1:56:00 AM
Beautiful colour selection, wonderful texture. Everything about Lunasol lipsticks screams class. The pigment is quite sheer but if one chooses something from the dark spectrum and uses it on top of Canmake's lip concealer, it will look divine. Very creamy and moist but does not bleed beyond the lips, fades evenly and does not leave a gross pigment ring.
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Eye Shadow -Shiseido - Majolica Majorca Frozen Splash Eyes
miranets 2/20/2008 1:55:00 AM
Colour selection is very blah, I chose the blue but perhaps one of the golds or yellows would have been better as a shadow base. The blue is very ordinary, nothing different. The finish is mediocre. It is more of a fun product, I think in future I'll stay away from experimenting with cheap drugstore brands.
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Eye Shadow -Jill Stuart - Brilliance Eyes eyeshadow quads
miranets 2/20/2008 1:53:00 AM
My first high end eyeshadow quad, I picked Crystal Jade but I think I can pull off all other shades well too. The most beautiful and elegant texture, scent and finish. When I use the three lighter shades as liner, the pigment can go on very bright with a good quality liner brush, but if using a soft squirrel shading brush pigment is very sheer but sparkly on the eyelids, I use the taklon brushes to build up pigment as the shadows are very versatile. I don't really use the dark shade as I find the pigment to be too strong, perhaps a dab around the corners to enhance natural contours. I get a lot of compliments using the blue and green shades, it's unusual and even though I collect blue and green shadows, I have yet to come across another that is similar. LOVE IT.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Shiseido - INTEGRATE Aqua Diamond Rouge
miranets 2/20/2008 1:49:00 AM
Although Integrate is a drugstore brand, everything about it, from packaging to product texture, stands out as quality. Sturdy metalic cases not unlike something from the expensive brands (like Lunasol, Coffret D'or) but huge colour selection and excellent textures. Pigment is sheer against my lips but I use Canmake's lip concealer to enhance pink shades and it works very well.
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