Styling Products -Nexxus - Heat Protexx
apk2 11/5/2009 5:41:00 AM
I love this heat protector! After spraying it in my hair, it makes it feel a lot better to manage and I dont' feel like I'm frying my hair as much as if I didn't have anything on my hair. It's definately not heavy as it feels like nothing but makes my hair more easy to comb. Will definately buy it again. By the way, you're not supposed to feel it in your hair if you do it'd be too heavy
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Conditioner -Redken - All Soft Conditioner
apk2 11/5/2009 5:38:00 AM
I bought this as a christmas set with the shampoo for $24 CDN. It definately did not do what I wanted and did not make my hair very soft. I didn't notice any difference. In fact, I felt my hair was drier...I most likely won't buy this again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Redken - All Soft Shampoo
apk2 11/5/2009 5:37:00 AM
After reading all the good reviews on MUA I decided to get this wonder product for myself. I got it in a christmas set at a salon in the mall for $24 CDN, which included the 8oz conditioner and 10oz shampoo. It was a steal so I decided I had to jump on it. I was so excited that when I went home I took a shower right away just to use this wonderful shampoo and conditioner. My hair felt so soft when I was washing and conditioning but when I got out to dry my hair it felt so dry and not "all soft" at all. After blowdrying and ironing my hair, i still didn't feel much of a difference. I probably won't buy this again since I don't think it had such a great effect on me. It's not bad but it's definately not good. I plan on trying the Aussie Moist shampoo and conditioner after this cause I heard it's wayyy cheaper and comparable to the quality of this shampoo and conditioner for only a fraction of the price.
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Conditioner -Joico - Color Endure Violet Conditioner
apk2 11/5/2009 5:23:00 AM
Well I bought the shampoo and the conditioner together as a set so naturally I would use them together. I was just planning to get the shampoo at first but the lady in the salon said that if I were to buy ONE thing it would be the conditioner so I got confused and bought it both since I'd need conditioner anyway. This conditioner is not bad but not that great either. It doesn't give my dry hair enough moisture but at least it's better than not having any conditioner on at all. Overall I like the violet shampoo and conditioner together because they have neutralized the yellow tones in my hair. But the product itself is expensive and can be drying. I would consider buying this again together but never by itself.
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Shampoo -Joico - Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo
apk2 11/5/2009 5:20:00 AM
This is the only purple shampoo I have ever tried but since bleaching streaks into my black hair I was really unhappy with how yellow it was. It's hard being asian and wanting light hair without sacrificing the health of your hair. When I had first got it done, my sister's bf told me my hair looked like vitamin C and i honestly didn't know what the hell that meant but i knew it wasn't good so i had to go back and get it toned down. Then I bought the purple shampoo and conditioner to make it even better. I must admit I could see results within the first wash, and it really did take out some (not all) of the yellow/orange tones. But the shampoo didn't seem to clean my hair at all and it felt a little hard to manage after I got out of the shower. I guess it felt a little dry. So I would buy this again but I won't use it everyday just cause it's so expensive and it's kind of drying. But i like the results.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Concentrated Aloe Gel
apk2 12/24/2008 6:16:00 AM
YAYY!! I don't know what the heck is up with my skin lately, and all I know is that it has been DRY. A few days ago, my skin was dry to the point where I was actually watching a movie with my bf and was clawing at the skin on my legs, arms, back and belly. My bf was so distracted he literally ordered me to go put on some lotion. That worked ok and when I got home i went to sleep but woke up with horribly dry skin still. So i put on some of the new lotion my mom bought after a shower (Jergens with Vitamin E). Hours later it felt worse and worse and i started getting allergy-like bumps all over. I didn't wanna risk the Jergens again, so I went out and bought this Biotherm milk that irritated it EVEN MORE! It was so perfumed and smelled so strongly of oranges that I immediately washed it off and returned it the next day and exchanged it for Avene's Trixera emollient creme. That worked soooo well with my legs that the next day my bumps were all gone. But now there are still some on my arms and belly. Im guessing either eczema or contact dermatitis. Whatever it is, I was itching like CRAZY until i dabbed this on all the bumpy spots and the itch was COMPLETELY gone! It's also less red now and not as bumpy or defined as it was prior to the aloe gel. I dabbed a LOT on each spot though, cause when i rubbed it on like lotion it didnt really seem to do much. I bought mine at my work place (GNC) and it's only like less than $2 even without a gold card or my employee discount. Amazing stuff. It's 99% aloe vera gel so its VERY concentrated. I will be stocking up!
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Cleansers -Avene - Cleanance soapless gel cleanser for oily skin
apk2 12/21/2008 5:42:00 AM
I first got a sample of this from a SA after raving about all the avene products I've tried and loved and she told me how amazing this cleanser was. So I tried it for a few days and bought the full sized bottle today. I have super sensitive acne prone skin. It's not really oily but I usually do get a bit shiny on my t-zone. However, after using this for a few days I have noticed that my t-zone is normal and the cleanser has not dried out or irritated my skin. I love the smell so much although I do see that many people are not exactly as fond of it as I am, and it's really up to personal preference. I like it so much that when I was at my research meeting I actually found myself sniffing my fingers cause they still smelled of this cleanser from washing my face earlier haha. I think it smells really nice and fresh. Usually, I use the micellar cleansing lotion to take off makeup, then I wash my face with this cleanser and spray my face with the thermal water. I take off my contacts while I'm waiting for that to absorb into my skin, then pat it dry. After that, I use my avene skin recovery cream and I'm done. This routine has been a miracle for my face. My skin looks so even and glowy and I no longer have any pimples on my face (and that's a HUGE deal) and my skin is no longer itchy with dry peeling patches (ew!). So far I've spent over $100 on avene products but because my skin loves them so much I find that I don't even miss the money haha. Will definately keep rebuying. EDIT: Still a HG cleanser. All of my skin care products (except my toner) are avene and the combination of everything I'm using has saved my skin from eczema sores on my face! yuck! I now have flawless skin and am always being complemented on it! It's now to a point where no one can tell if I'm wearing foundation or not so sometimes I just skip the foundation and put on blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, etc.. LOVE AVENE!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Avene - Thermal Water
apk2 12/14/2008 6:31:00 PM
Got this as a package deal with the skin recovery cream for $23 at shoppers drug mart. It's really working well with my skin when used with the skin recovery cream and it feels so good too! I know it's just water in a bottle, but i sometimes get skin irritation on my face and that makes it look red and acne-like. But this with the cream makes the redness almost completely disappear. Itching? What itching? Avene products has made my itching skin a thing of the past and I love them so much! Although I'm not sure if this is worth buying over and over again, as I've only been using it for a few days now, I will update later on to see if it really is a HG product. I haven't used it as a makeup setter yet and I don't intend to because smashbox foundation already does a hell of a good job at making me look so darn awesome without anything else.
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Moisturizers -Avene - skin recovery cream (US name: cream for intolerant skin)
apk2 12/14/2008 6:04:00 PM
I bought this a few days ago as a kit that was on sale with the thermal water spray for about $23. It is heavier than any face cream I've used in the past. Well, I've only used one, and that's Cetaphil. But this is way more amazing than cetaphil. I found Cetaphil to be too inconsistent. Some days it would give me beautiful skin, other days it would just sit on top of my skin and clog my pores making me all rashy and itchy by the end of the day. I used this and I had none of that. I can't use too much because it would be too heavy for my combination skin, but when I use just a little bit my skin feels like a baby's bum =) I also notice the redness from my pimple has almost completely disappeared when used in conjunction with the thermal water. These two products really must be used together. I tried this cream without the thermal water and found that results are not as great as with. I like this because I can use it day and night. I put on less in the day, and more at night. EDIT: This is still my HG moisturizer! I can not live without it! I can't believe seeing all the bad reviews but this moisturizer saved my skin! I always get compliments on how perfect my skin is now. I don't use the thermal water anymore though and found that my skin is now okay with that. I do use the cleanance face wash with this and it's THE BEST COMBINATION FOR SKIN CARE EVER!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Avene - Cleansing and Make-Up Remover Micellar Lotion
apk2 12/14/2008 5:54:00 PM
I bought this cause I really needed something to remove my makeup before cleansing because my skin is so prone to breakouts and it is so sensitive that basically anything that sits on my face overnight guarantees a zit the next day. Like a few others, I don't use it like they suggest. I do use the 2 cotton pads to remove it, but I actually cleanse again afterwards just to make sure everything is clean. It's a really good makeup remover for me and like other avene products, it calms my skin and makes it really soft. So far I have bought this, the thermal water (yes, I caved in), the skin recovery cream, the soothing mask, and the facial scrub. More is on the way as I'm finding that I am becoming increasingly addicted to this brand just because it does MAGIC on my skin! EDIT: This is still my HG of makeup removers! I don't use anything but this to remove makeup. I dont' know how much makeup other people use, but this removes ALL of my make up (including foundation and mascara). I always wash my face with the Cleanance cleanser after this too just to make double sure I get everything. Then I use a cheap drugstore toner and then the skin recovery creme. I notice a HUGE difference when I don't use this (i start to break out).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Avene - Gentle Exfoliating Scrub
apk2 12/7/2008 6:16:00 AM
I have been using St. Ive's Apricot scrub for my entire life since I was 13 years old and I've never actually seen a difference with my skin before and after using it but I always just assumed it was doing its job but I couldn't tell. When I went to shoppers drug mart recently to ask about products that could make my skin glow, I originally intended on being led to a bunch of shimmery highlighters and illuminating powders or creams that would sit on top of my foundation, but instead, the SA started asking me about my daily skin-care routine from when I get out of bed to getting out of the house. I told her and when I said I used the apricot scrub, she became so turned off by it and shook her head in disgust. She explained to me that apricot scrubs usually contain really harsh beads that rip the top layer of the skin instead of scrubbing away dead skin cells. It suddenly became clear to me why I had been experiencing patches of dry peeling skin sometimes. So she led me to this wonderful scrub and the avene mask. I went home and tried it and immediately saw a difference. It was amazing! Never had I had these kind of results. My skin became really soft (baby soft) and glowy. It looked so healthy I almost wanted to kiss the 2 bottles I just bought haha.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Avene - Instant Soothing Mask
apk2 12/7/2008 6:08:00 AM
I just found out about this brand a few days ago and I can say I am now a HUGE fan of their products. My skin type fits the bill--sensitive, acne-prone. I love how this mask feels when I put it on. I feel like my face has been lacking moisture for a million years and its so thirsty that when I put this mask on I feel like my face is just drinking it up! The best thing about it is that it only takes 10 mins so it's great for busy people like me that can just put this on and know you're not wasting a good chunk of your day. I don't use it with the thermal water though, I went to shopper's drug mart today to pick up my smashbox foundation, and contemplated on buying the thermal water but decided that I'd wait to see if I actually need it. I currently have this and Avene's exfoliating scrub which is also another amazing product. I plan on buying their moisturizer when I'm done my bottle of Cetaphil lotion too =)
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Foundations -Smashbox - High Definition Healthy FX Foundation
apk2 12/7/2008 5:59:00 AM
I'm so shocked that this product has been getting such bad reviews! I was actually really hesitant to buy it because I was browsing MUA on my phone while i was in the store looking for a new foundation. I got lazy after looking up a few products (this being one of them) and then got advice from the best SA there is! I basically told her I wanted to buy products that would make my skin glow and for some reason the highlighters I tried weren't doing that. So she broke it down and asked me about my daily skin care routine. I ended up learning so much, that besides a few products from Avene (which I HIGHLY recommend for sensitive skins and will post a review after) she also recommended this to me. I was skeptical because of the mixed reviews here and so she decided to give me a sample to try out. I have used it for 2 days and I am absolutely in love. No it does not cover much, but hey, that's really what concealer is for. I don't like heavy foundations anyway because they always make my skin look like a mask. I find that this product makes my skin look naturally healthy and glowy, NOT in the sparkly kind of way. But a natural glow. This product contains no sparkles or shimmer just to be clear. I love it. Usually I can't be wearing foundation for very long or else it starts to make my sensitive acne-prone skin itch and break out in bumps, but this product has done nothing of the sort and when I wear it, I feel like I'm not wearing ANY makeup at all. I find that it's pretty good at controlling oil too for some reason. I usually get a bit oily in my forehead at the end of the day, but this foundation makes sure that doesn't happen and I still look fresh at the end. I love LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Unlisted Brand - Omega 3 supplement
apk2 10/11/2008 10:01:00 PM
For the reviewer below that thinks eating fish oils may possibly only bring about a placebo effect, I can definately counter that argument with personal experience. Also because I study health sciences and work at GNC and have heard nothing but happy customers who buy our Omega 369. I have suffered from severe eczema on my cheeks for 2 years now. It came up all of a sudden out of nowhere when I was in my second year of university. At first my doctor diagnosed it as herpes because of the weeping sores, but no matter what kind of medication for herpes I was on (eg. Valtrex, Zovirax, and a few others) it would never have any effect on improving my skin from the crazily itchy sores. After going to many doctors/dermatologists, I decided for myself I was tired of every doctor telling me something different. Most of the doctors told me it was not herpes and was eczema and that relieved me a bit but I was determined to find a way to make the sores go away. I refused to accept the scars they would leave for the rest of my life. I started taking corticosteroids and other topical anti-inflammatory creams like elidel that had really bad side effects. Corticosteroids cause thinning of the skin over extended use and Elidel has been reported to cause certain types of cancer with extended use. I knew I had to get off these medications no matter what, even if they were the only things that were keeping my face clear. I then started taking Omega 369 from GNC and stopped using the creams on my face. Usually the sores would come back 2-3 days after stopping the cream. But this time, I noticed they didn't come back. I suspected it was the Omega369, but I wanted to be sure. So I stopped the Omega 369 for about 5 days before my face began itching and breaking out in sores again. I began eating the Omega 369 again and they cleared up 2 days later. I asked my doctor if it is safe to eat Omega 369 to treat this and she told me if this was the way to make the sores disappear that it would be the best way since there are absolutely no side effects known. There have been reports questioning the long-term use of soft gels, but none of the studies I've read actually confirm that soft gels have negative effects. I am a true believer in this product cause it saved my skin and my social life. Prior to using this I was always couped at home because I didn't want anyone to see my face the way it was. I was always regarded as pretty and my skin was always commented on as being flawless, I basically lost all my motivation to go out of the house when I didn't have to. When I did go out of the house I would wear hats. So ladies, if you're suffering from eczema and don't know any other way to help your cause, give this product a try! You have nothing to lose. And for people who do not have eczema, this is an all-round great product that helps with your vision, your focus, your skin (it helps with acne especailly if the formula has borage oil), your digestive system, and most of all, your HEART!
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -MAC - #187 Duo Fiber Face Brush (Stippling, Skunk Brush)
apk2 6/15/2008 2:40:00 AM
WOWWWWWWWWW... This is the best thing that I've ever bought for my makeup collection. I was really hesitant about buying it cause I've never had any luck with any of MAC's products cause they make me break out and also cause it's HELLA expensive! But I caved after seeing all the good reviews about it and figured since it's nto really a product but just a brush, it shouldn't make my skin react badly. Let me just say, this brush gives the most PERFECT finish EVER!!! No makeup lines, no uneven coverage, JUST PERFECT. It made me look like I had naturally perfect skin. And the best part... You only have to use a little bit of product on this brush. That saves me money in the long run cause I wont be buying foundation as often. I use my favourite foundation (Maybelline Age Rewind) and I only use about 1 to 1 and a half pump now. Before, when I was using a sponge, I couldn't even get good coverage with 3 pumps! I love it! Every person should get one of these for their makeup collection..I am a believer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No