Liquid -Christian Dior - Diorskin Airflash
SugarFreeSheila 5/7/2007 10:51:00 PM
I wear foundation when going out at night and am very choosy about the type I use - which is spray or nothing. Diorskin Airflash is only one of two spray foundations I have tried and loved, and I'm just crazy about this one! I am pretty fair, and the lightest shade 200 provides just enough warmth to my complexion, yet without leaving any line of demarcation. Before application, I put on a nurse cap - and place a towel over my chest and shoulders if I'm already dressed - and spray over the face in a quick S-motion. I learned quickly that this spray foundation required no sponge-blending.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock SPF 45
SugarFreeSheila 5/7/2007 10:36:00 PM
This sunscreen is great! While I am not too keen on the ultra-strong fumes, it is great for the legs if you want some decent protection, and it provides a nice bit of nice-looking sheen. I also really love that it doesn't stick to my skirts or shorts in the summertime, unlike many other creamy sunscreens - huge plus.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70
SugarFreeSheila 5/7/2007 10:20:00 PM
Very decent protection for a U.S. sunscreen, but after applying the recommended amount, it left a white cast on my face. Very thick and just a little bit sticky. However, not bad at all for back, stomach, legs, and feet!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Loose Powders -Jurlique - Silk Dust
SugarFreeSheila 9/26/2005 9:02:00 PM
I'm an eye makeup girl and that's about it. But since I have oily skin (even after matte-finish sunscreens), and since I assume rice papers remove precious sunscreen *along* with excess oil, I need something to combat the oilies. But then not just any ordinary powder. It can't have any metal ions or yellow or black iron oxides, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or mica, as these unfortunately-omnipresent face makeup ingredients have been shown to degrade sunscreen active ingredient Avobenzone (also dubbed Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane or trademarked "Parsol 1789"), thus possibly generating free radicals. While I question ALL theories such as this one and because this hypothesis is not 100% conclusive, and since I don't typically use face makeups anyway, I feel it's best to veer on the conservative side when I *do* purchase a face powder, making sure it does not contain the above. An extraordinarily rare find, Jurlique Rose Silk Dust Powder is exactly that. That in and of itself deserves the full 5-lippie rating from me! This product is simple - but believe me, it does precisely what it is meant to. It gets rid of the shines, and if it leaves a light finish, it dissipates altogether within 30 minutes max. I wear a fragrance called Miso Pretty Body Mist, and the Jurlique Silk Rose Dust meshes beautifully with this scent's notes of peony & tuberose. I love everything about this product and have full intentions of reordering - that is, if I ever run out. A little bit goes a very long way, and it will last forever!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Neutrogena - Lash Tint [DISCONTINUED]
SugarFreeSheila 9/15/2005 5:48:00 PM
I am fond of this mascara and am in fact wearing it now. This is a great one if you're going for the "no-big-deal makeup look" - a nice, understated yet refined step beyond wearing nothing. Sometimes my favorite Voluminous Mascara (even in the now-discontinued True Brown shade) can be a bit too intense for day. For me, Neutrogena's Lash Tint provides the perfect balance. It does what it says it will: it tints!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Neutrogena - Advanced Solutions At Home MicroDermabrasion System [DISCONTINUED]
SugarFreeSheila 9/8/2005 10:39:00 PM
Recently, I picked up this Advanced Solutions At Home MicroDermabrasion System at Super Target for $34.99. To be perfectly honest, I am very surprised at how much I adore this product. If I'm going to bother applying a product *meant* to do something to my skin, it is going to be an unbuffered glycolic acid or a potent prescription retinoid. But this system put me in my place! When I first opened up the box - impressive packaging, by the way, and I love that the AA batteries are conveniently included - and checked out the System Applicator, I was immediately disappointed. It merely looked and vibrated like a ... well, you know. No rotation on this instrument as I expected, and I was thisclose to packing it up & returning it for a store credit/refund that night. But I thought, "No, I love Neutrogena and am always impressed by their products, so I will give it a go." So, I did my first run on this night. Immediately, I felt like the Micro-Oxide Crystallized Cream was actually doing something, and felt that the System Applicator was in fact not a waste of money. I can also appreciate the fact that these are not granules like in harsh apricot scrubs that cause microscopic gashes and scarring in the skin, but microbeads. I spend two minutes on each section of my face (forehead/temples, cheek, other cheek, nose, and chin) with one hand, and in these minutes I steep my nighttime tea with the other. :) The next morning after this first treatment, I saw no difference in my complexion. Business as usual. But it was the *second* morning-after, upon rising, when my husband looked at me & remarked, "Honey, you look like you're wearing *makeup* right now - as in foundation." (Honestly, I feel that I have a very good, even, clear complexion, so I never wear foundation/concealer-type makeup on my skin; just Jurlique powder on occasion to combat shines.) Well, I went to look in the bathroom mirror ... and his assessment was spot-on: a complexion upgrade! What my facial skin was before in clarity, evenness, and even *brightness*, it was further enhanced now by this Advanced Solutions At Home MicroDermabrasion - and I am thrilled. What a fabulous treatment system this has turned out to be!
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios 'S' spf 30
SugarFreeSheila 7/1/2005 5:47:00 PM
For a while, I was having lots of trouble finding a La Roche-Posay sunscreen that I could wear on the arms. You know that horribly uncomfortable, gluey feeling you get in the crook of your arm when it's bent because of sticky sunscreen, or the difficulty you might have in putting on a long-sleeved shirt (particularly cotton)? You don't get either with the Anthelios "S" SPF 30. For whatever reason, when I tried it on my face, I saw that this sunscreen leaves a white cast there ... however, no white cast to speak of on the arms - even though I apply a ton of it. ?? Regardless, I love it and buy it bottles at a time from Canada. For the reasons specified above, I highly recommend it as a body sunscreen. Worth noting: Unlike European Anthélios sunscreens which contain both Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl XL, Canadian Anthélios SPF lacks Mexoryl SX. (The U.S. La Roche-Posay Anthélios released fall 2006 lacks not only Mexoryl XL, but also titanium dioxide, and is only SPF 15.)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios W Gel Ultra Protection UVA SPF 40 (IPD 34 PPD 19)
SugarFreeSheila 4/3/2005 11:17:00 PM
I was about to give up on La Roche-Posay. Dazzled by the incredible sunscreen ingredients and thus desperate to find *practical* use for one of the La Roche-Posay sunscreens, I decided to try my third formulation: the Anthelios W Gel SPF 40. Please allow me to clarify my need for just the right sunblock with these unique and unparalleled active ingredients: I wear bangs (fringe) and often wear my hair down, so grease and stickiness are not an option, and neither is an annoying white cast post-application. So, this sunscreen is one I only wear to the gym with hair back in a chignon. Clear with no white cast, yes - but it's way too shiny and sticky.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios XL ,SPF 60+
SugarFreeSheila 11/13/2004 12:06:00 PM
The 3 times I have attempted using this have been a complete nightmare: not only does it leave a (albeit temporary) white cast, I am miserable for the remainder of the day because of how sticky & white this sunscreen makes my face. Excessively shiny, too. My sleeves stick to my arms, my skin itched - I couldn't wait to go home and wash it off.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No