Liquid -Prescriptives - Virtual Matte
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/12/2006 6:46:00 PM
I'm in my 20s with combination skin that tends to develop an oily t-zone in the warmer months. This is a long-lasting, medium to full coverage foundation that after nearly five months still has plenty of applications in it. The color I'm using is Fresh Champagne(19) and it's a nice match for my skin, but I would not go so far as to call it perfect. It's just a teensy bit too orange, imo. The coverage is more full than medium and there is no way I could stand to wear this when the warmer months come along--I'd say that's right about when I'll be finishing up this bottle. Speaking of, the bottle has a screw on lid and I would much prefer a pump. It took me a bit to figure out the best way for me to apply it--applying foundation with a brush is just something I haven't mastered and don't really get--and I've decided that it's with my hands. I definitely had to get used to it, because I have used sponges to apply foundation since I started wearing it. However, this is so thick and yet seems to come out too fast and absorb into the sponge so quickly that I find using my fingertips works best to both conserve makeup and to apply it evenly to all areas. Considering all the hoopla I've had to adjust and get used to, I doubt that I will repurchase this product. I'll probably go back to using Jane Iredale (after a brief test of Shiseido) because nothing has come close to that one for me. I do like the VM pressed powder, though. See review, if interested.:)
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Pressed Powders -Prescriptives - Virtual Matte Oil-Control Pressed Powder
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/12/2006 6:29:00 PM
I'm in my 20s with combination skin that tends to develop an oily t-zone in warmer weather, but no real problem in the colder months as long as I remember moisturizer. I like coverage, but not COVERAGE. About the product: Second to Jane Iredale--THE best makeup ever--this is probably my favorite pressed powder(though I've never tried Shiseido and think that might overtake the No. 2 spot if I were to try it). I purchased this at the last gasp of my precious summer tan in Level 3, which if I had to choose I'd say is more yellowish than pinkish but it really looks more like a neutral. It comes in a fairly sturdy silver/gray thin container that you can refill. Jostled and thrown from purse to purse time and again from late August until late December (pretty long-lasting imo, considering I wear makeup nearly every day) the inside tray finally had to be tossed when I dropped it and broke what little makeup was left. Until then I put it on in the morning over Px VM Oil-Control Makeup Satin Matte Finish (Medium to Full Coverage spf 15, oil-free) and I touched up one or two times in an eight or nine hour period. The VM foundation provides a little more coverage than I would like, but the two work well together because the pressed powder is light and airy and helps prevent that overdone feeling. However, after breaking the makeup inside my compact I decided to use part of a gift card I rec'd in a store that carries only Clinique, L'ancome and Estee Lauder. No Px. I bought EL (Double Matte oil-control in 02)because (1)I had never tried it and (2)knew I didn't like Clinique(it burns my skin). (3)I couldn't remember my experiences with L'ancome, and (4)the SA told me that Px is owned by EL. So I took a risk with EL. There was way too much happening on my face with all the "matte/double matte/oil-control/etc" and I ended up running out to Target and purchasing a new cheapy compact until I settle up my Christmas bills. Anyway, this is an excellent product. I'll probably test Shiseido and then go back to JI, but this would definitely be my backup compact of choice.
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Fragrances -Fresh - Red Currant & Basil
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/10/2006 7:23:00 PM
This is nice, and different enough to be recognizable as something not everyone is wearing. It's a fruity currant that dries down to more of a basil. Pretty, simple, and pretty simple.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Lagniappe Oaks Jazmine
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/7/2006 5:00:00 PM
A very bad jasmine fragrance. My least favorite. If you want the best from LO, try Lady Evangeline. It's a gorgeous powdered almond.
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Toners -Olay - Daily Facials Clarity Purifying Toner
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/6/2006 2:15:00 AM
I'm in my 20s with combination skin and hadn't used a toner in years as they tend to dry out the apples of my cheeks. I thought I'd give toners another shot and started with this one. I used it once per day the first week (at night) and then I started using it in the morning, too. Too harsh for that. Once per day will do, and I had to have a moisturizer after. I used this with the Daily Facial scrubs and the Complete moisturizer w/spf for combo/oily skin. I no longer use this and have since switched to Burt's Bees Garden Tomato toner--much more tolerable, and doesn't leave my face feel deprived--but if you're looking for a decent toner for a decent price this one isn't bad. It's just a little too harsh for my skin.
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Moisturizers -Olay - Complete UV Protection Moisture Lotion Combinaton/Oily Skin SPF15
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/6/2006 2:10:00 AM
I once used this with the Daily Facials and Clarity toner and was pleased but not impressed with them. The problem I had was that it could become a bit oily in hot weather and left my t-zone shiny (I am in my 20s with combination skin). Still, I like it better than Complete with SPF.
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Moisturizers -Olay - Complete with SPF 15 Lotion
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/6/2006 2:08:00 AM
This was fine in cold, cool and even warm weather. However, in hot weather it caused a problem for my tzone. My forehead would become too oily for my liking. I switched to the combo/oily formula and liked it much better.
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Cleansers -Olay - Clarifying Daily Facials for Combo/Oily Skin
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/6/2006 1:57:00 AM
I have combination skin that tends to get clogged in the t-zone in warmer weather. I used these and followed up with the clarity toner once per day. Then I used Olay Complete w/spf for combo/oily skin. They worked fine, but I have since moved on to different products. Decent buy, but not a holy grail.
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Moisturizers -Aveeno - Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer spf15
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/3/2006 2:32:00 PM
I used an entire bottle of this over the summer along with the brightening daily scrub. Perhaps Aveeno products just don't work for my 20something combination skin that tends to have a clogged t-zone in the summer (so I like using scrubs), but I ultimately began scrubbing my face dry(no matter how much or how little I used), then overapplying the moisturizer to make up for it. The "brightening" part isn't so much from what the product does to your skin, but more how it sits on your face. In other words, there really isn't a natural glow from within but an ingredient in the product that produces a glow on your face. I will not repurchase.
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Scrubs -Aveeno - Skin Brightening Daily Scrub
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/3/2006 2:26:00 PM
My review is based on the fact that I used an entire bottle of this over the summer in addition to the brightening moisturizer(w/spf). I'm in my 20s with combination skin that tends more to the oily side in my t-zone in hot weather, so I normally use a scrub in the summer. This wasn't the worst product I've ever used, and I really liked it at first. I grew tired of the product and its smell. When I finished the bottle and switched to a different brand and couldn't believe the difference in how my face looked and felt after only one week. I realized that Aveeno scrub was causing more irritation for my skin than brightness. And even though there was an apparent brightness from the moisturizer it wasn't really naturally glowing skin but something that came from the product itself. I will not repurchase this.
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Lotions/ Creams -Eucerin - Original Moisturizing Creme
HelenVanPattersonPatton 1/3/2006 2:14:00 PM
A holy grail can't-live-without-it product for me. I love that it's unscented because I can mix scented lotions with it and/or wear perfume without interference. I went to the dermatologist several years ago with a painful, itchy rash on my legs, arms and chest. I can't remember what lotion I was using at the time, but it was recommended that I take cooler showers and start using Eucerin. I haven't been without it since. If you are used to thinner lotions the texture of this might take some time getting used to. It's thick and may seem almost oily at first. Once it soaks in it feels great. I use it in all weather, but I don't think everyone will be able to do so. For some it might be too thick for hotter climates.
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Fragrances -Givenchy - Amarige de Givenchy
HelenVanPattersonPatton 11/2/2005 2:19:00 PM
This is really nice when applied with a light touch. Sweet, sensual, cuddly, feminine, womanly. It's warm and provides great sillage. I like it.
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Fragrances -Escada - Rockin' Rio
HelenVanPattersonPatton 10/23/2005 6:10:00 PM
Fun, flirty, fleeting. Kind of like young love in the summer. I like these summery Escada scents, but none enough to buy a regular bottle. This one is grapefruit, mango and pineapple...and my least favorite.
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Fragrances -Chanel - No.5
HelenVanPattersonPatton 10/18/2005 1:37:00 PM
What can be said that hasn't already about this classic? I adore its powdery, sultry, feminine appeal. I love its history and the house from whence (yes, whence)it came. I also love the elixir...a softer version for those who don't dare...
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Fragrances -Coty - Vanilla Fields (parfum)
HelenVanPattersonPatton 10/4/2005 3:52:00 PM
Ahhh. Junior high. The big time. As I moved from elementary school to middle school I graduated from Love's Baby Soft to this--made a new friend and she wore it so we both wore it; how very junior high of me!--then I quickly moved from this to BB Skin Musk. I'm pretty sure the other girls I sat next to in school were wearing much stronger scents than Vanilla Fields. The kind that made teachers, when asked for help, try to talk while holding their breath. VF is cheap, sure, but even now I think it's a pretty decent fragrance for the price. Very light in my opinion. I don't think quite as highly of it as I once did, but I also thought rather highly of stirrup pants, HyperColor shirts, and a t-shirt that said "Can't Touch This." I look back at Vanilla Fields in the same way I look back at those clothes: with loving and laughing nostalgia.
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