Shampoo -Phyto - Phytocitrus
mmmmary 1/28/2008 6:05:00 PM
Looking back at all my hair reviews, I see that I tend to change my opinion of these products more than any other type of products I use:-( That said, this is my current favorite shampoo. I was using B&B Gentle when the weather was warmer but developed HORRIBLE static electricity as soon as the cold, dry Midwest winter set in. Changing to Phytocitrus made an immediate difference. I don't know that this is Holy Grail -- I don't like that it has SLS, for one thing, and it's darned expensive -- but it's working tolerably well for me at the moment. I feel like it cleans gently without stripping. All I need is a pea-size drop of B&B Leave-In Conditioner after I get out of the shower. Does an okay job of preserving my color, but nothing fabulous, even when used in conjunction with the Phytocitrus Mask.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
mmmmary 1/28/2008 5:44:00 PM
I hate going along with the crowd, but I do love this. This is the first truly expensive perfume I've ever bought, because it has been impossible, before now, for me to really commit to a scent. It's like artwork for me -- you are spending a big chunk of change and it's something you have to live with on a daily basis for a considerable amount of time and it needs to suit your own personal style. I have seldom really been wowed by ANY fragrance before, and when I've been in like, it is usually just a passing thing. I don't see this as a particularly "young" fragrance, but then that may just be me. I'm something of a late bloomer. To me, this smells warm and womanly and comforting. It melds into my skin and makes me feel strong and sexy, but not in a catering-to-men sort of way, if that makes sense. I enjoy wearing Chanel (Chance as well as C.M.) with jeans and cowboy boots:-)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Skinceuticals - Eye Cream
mmmmary 1/28/2008 5:31:00 PM
I don't know whether it is just that I am getting older or that, as my skin problems have improved, I am more aware of other issues, but it has seemed to me in the past 6-8 months that my eyes need some serious help. Zia's eye cream makes my eyes puffy, but every product I've tried to specifically "de-puff" the eye area leaves me looking rather skeletal, as my eye sockets are weirdly prominent. SC's eye balm gave me milia. I had high hopes for La Roche Posay Redermic for eyes, since I love LRP and it worked GREAT for filling in wrinkles, but for some odd reason it was causing breakouts on other parts of my face. Migrates, I guess. I've been using the Skinceuticals Eye Cream now for 2-3 weeks, and I think I've found a winner:-) It does not cause or contribute to puffiness, nor does it noticeably de-puff. It moisturizes nicely, filling in the wrinkles, but still sinking in quickly -- no greasy feeling. It does not irritate either my eyes or surrounding skin. My only complaints are price -- $44 on www.skin-etc.com -- and the glass bottle. On the plus side of the packaging, it's a pump, so you don't have to keep sticking your fingers in a jar.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Self Tanners -Clarins - Gelee Auto Bronzant Express - Self-Tanning Instant Gel
mmmmary 8/29/2007 6:49:00 PM
Nice stuff. The only other self-tanners I've tried have been the gradual, lotion-based ones like Jurgens. This is MUCH better. The effect is very subtle, though. It DOES leave your skin so soft!
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Blush -Clarins - Multi-Blush Tender Raspberry 05
mmmmary 8/29/2007 6:47:00 PM
I got an ugly zit after the SA put this on my face, so I was afraid to try it again after I got it home. Back to the store it went.
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Self Tanners -Clarins - Liquid Bronze
mmmmary 8/29/2007 6:44:00 PM
Don't expect dramatic results with this. It warms up my face a little but that's fine with me. I don't want people commenting on how bronze I look, thank you very much! Considering how long it lasts, it's really quite inexpensive. I was using a small sample from Sephora almost all summer. Just bought my first bottle a week or two ago. Never any streaks. Not only does it not break me out, I think it actually helps keep my skin calm. And I love the smell. UPDATE 4/10: Last summer I added a drop or two of this to my body lotion for my arms and each of my legs and it worked beautifully. Needs to be a very spreadable lotion, though. I use Alba Botanica.
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Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - Honey Royal Jelly Propolis Body Balm
mmmmary 8/29/2007 6:41:00 PM
THE BEST body lotion on the planet.
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Cleansers -La Roche Posay - Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cream Cleanser
mmmmary 8/29/2007 6:22:00 PM
I don't find that this takes off makeup well, however it does an excellent job of calming down my skin. I have reactive, oily, hormonal skin that is sometimes also dehydrated. Fun, huh? Right now what is working for me is to use MyChelle Cranberry Cleanser to take off my makeup at night and help with keeping any breakouts at bay and this in the morning to keep my skin from getting too dried out. Unlike some other posters, I find this non-drying. I now use about a half-dozen different LRP products. Along with SkinCeuticals, this is my favorite brand!
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Fragrances -Clinique - Happy
mmmmary 4/16/2007 5:21:00 PM
Nauseating.
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Fragrances -Coty - Princess
mmmmary 4/16/2007 5:19:00 PM
Too sweet and, to me, this smells incredibly cheap. EDIT 9/08: I've upped this from one lippy to three. I have a sample vial and will occasionally spray some on. I think it is too sweet for summer but okay for colder months. I doubt I'll ever purchase this tho.
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Moisturizers -Zia - Ultimate Oil-Free Moisture
mmmmary 3/8/2007 5:45:00 PM
I tried this product a couple of years ago and thought it was just okay. Anyhow it sat on my medicine cabinet shelf for quite awhile until I decided to give it another go. I'm glad I did! My perioral-dermatitis-affected areas love it like nothing else. Around my nose especially there is almost no redness now. Because I have to use a fairly strong cleanser, my face is too dry to use this all over (at least in winter), so I use La Roche Posay Toleriane Fluid and Creme on my forehead and cheeks, but this on my lower t-zone (yes, I know, I have a very complicated face:-() I am giving some thought to trying the Ultimate Toner for Oily Skin since I think some of the ingredients are the same. UPDATE 1/08: I'm back to never using this. I think it is okay, but for my sensitive skin, I get better results on a consistent basis from La Roche Posay Toleriane moisturizers, so I'm dropping it down to 4 lippies.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Topix Glycolix Elite Sunscreen SPF 30
mmmmary 11/17/2006 5:44:00 PM
I did not think that it was possible for me to find a sunscreen that I liked better than Skinceuticals, but this is it! I get less of a white cast with this. In fact, it gives me a bit of a healthy glow. While the SC sunscreen did not harm my face, this actually seems to improve the condition of my skin. The redness around my nose is almost all gone. I need very little, if any, moisturizer with this, so it could be that I won't like it quite so much when my skin gets oily next summer, but I'm loving it right now.
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Shampoo -John Masters - Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner
mmmmary 10/19/2006 5:47:00 PM
I strayed from my former HG Abba Creme Moist because for some reason my color is starting to look weird on days when I use that. Unnatural somehow and too light. Also, over the summer I was experiencing an itchy scalp and more than normal hair loss, so I decided to try the Zinc & Sage Shampoo mostly to see if it would help with that. And it has. My hair loss is back to normal, though it might have just been that I was going through a phase. I am now alternating between this and the Abba. What I like about the John Masters is that it makes my color look really good and also, strangely, my hair often looks better the second day after I wash it, which is definitely not the case with the CM, and I like not having to wash my hair every day. What I'm not so crazy about is that my hair doesn't quite shape as well somehow when I'm styling it. It's hard to explain but it's maybe a little straighter and flatter than when I use Creme Moist. I wish I could find a way to combine the best of both! UPDATE 10/11: Since I use this consistently after all these years, I have to bump it up to 5 lippies from 4. I stray now and then but always return to this. No, I don't have model hair with this shampoo, but so far nothing is better.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Topix Replenix Green Tea Serum CF
mmmmary 9/22/2006 5:14:00 PM
This is working out very well for me. I have oily, sensitive skin, though in colder weather it easily gets dehydrated. Since there are very few moisturizers that don't break me out, I am always on the lookout for a product that helps to keep my skin hydrated without causing problems. I use this under LRP Toleriane Fluid as an extra boost of moisture every night and, here lately, in the morning too. So far I can also use it in small amounts on the area under my nose, which is extremely sensitive due to perioral dermatitis. This helps keep the redness there under control. Great ingredients and reasonable (though not cheap) price. I'm happy:-)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Dolce & Gabbana - Light Blue
mmmmary 8/15/2006 6:01:00 PM
I really love this in lotion form. Light and clean and non-perfumey smelling. Smells like a woman should, IMO. For some reason when I have tried the EDT in the past, however, I have been left with a certain lingering note of tobacco on the drydown, which I guess might be okay if you are a smoker and like that smell, but I'm not and I don't. I'd still give it a 5 for the lotion's sake but the lasting power could be a bit better.
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