Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Escentric Molecules Molecule 01
lollsazz 3/30/2013 11:48:00 AM
I bought 6 mL of this to try out. I would describe the smell on me as wood-like. Not cheap wood though, but like expensive dark wood, sandal - quite a natural scent. There is also something in this smelling dusty, and also a tiny bit of something like machine oil/gasoline. That's is - nothing more in there. Minimal sweetness, no sourness, no powderiness on me, no flower smell. It smells just like it smells right out of the bottle, minus the alcohol, so this doesn't change on me. The smell to me is very light, while other people may almost not notice it at all, which I actually like. It stays close to the skin. I have also applied it under other perfumes to warm them up, which also works well, for example with Chanel eau Vert. . I said I would buy this again because I like the feeling of olfactory-wise being near a wood-workshop, but if that doesn't appeal to you... at least don't buy the full bottle - try a sample. . The silage isn't that great, but this has very good lasting power - on clothes you might be able to smell it even a week later! . I do agree that this scent is very very very overpriced - it's so simple - ONE ingredient, and it's not an expensive one either. I have rated the smell only though: it's not annoying to me, it's very long lasting. I have no clue why it's so expensive though. I also have two big samples of Molecule 02 and 03 - all are very simple, and again, very overpriced. I would recommend trusting the reviewer over me.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Issey Miyake - Pleats Please
lollsazz 3/26/2013 6:56:00 AM
I don't agree with the second reviewer under me. This is NOT fresh and it IS sweet. However, I kinda like the smell. At first, it is overwhelmingly strong though, so one should be careful with this and not over-apply. This is one of the things you should put on first in the morning, so it has some time to settle - else you're going to annoy people with it. BTW, I have the EDT (is there a perfume?), and it has some serious longevity! YOU may be used to the smell and not smell it, but trust me, it WILL hang onto you for several days on clothes, so again: spray in moderation! . What I like about is this is the drydown. I wouldn't call this old lady, but it IS a grown up smell, and a little dirty and smoky - like a big city. My boyfriend actually liked this perfume... just not the initial sugar bomb that it was. . It is quite headache inducing. Even when my clothes barely smell of this I still get a light headache. Must be some chemical in this that doesn't agree with me. I don't know how many people it will bother, but I must say I have NEVER encountered a perfume that induced a headache like this does. . Will probably give this away and definitely not buy again.
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Liquid -Yves Saint Laurent - Teint Touche Eclat Foundation
lollsazz 3/25/2013 5:45:00 AM
UPDATE: My skin seems to not react to this :) It's very moisturizing and I can even use it under my eyes, and I'm extremely picky about what I put under there. I recommend this if you want a giant Touche Eclat. Works just as fine + more colours. Grab yourself a sample - just don't use too much ;) I have uploaded some pictures of how the foundation looks on me, and I think one can see pretty well how much it covers and the texture of my skin before and after. Sorry for he unflattering angles :/ The hyperpigmentation is due to my skin being very prone to hyperpigmentation whenever I get a blemish. . I have dry sensitive skin and, far most of the time, need only light coverage from my foundations. I don't like to make my skin ONE colour all over as I find it unnatural-looking on me. I want enough coverage to distract from my hyperpigmentation, redness and unevenness in skintone, but it doesn't matter if it shows through a little bit - I'm the only one who notice this anyway. . I ordered this over Internet after reading several reviews with pictures of gorgeous skin. I guessed the right colour for me would be Beige Dore 10, and it was, luckily, the perfect colour. I'm an NC15 in MAC Pro Longwear after oxiation. BD10 is a light, yellow shade. If you're on the light side of NC15, this may be a little bit too dark. My skin colour on the neck is exactly the same as BD10 is in the bottle. There's just a tiny bit of oxidation during the about 20 minutes after I put this on (those 20 I use to put on the rest of my makeup), but no more during the day. . I actually expected this foundation to be thin and lightweight, but the consistency is of the heavier type, and VERY MOISTURIZING, BUT clings to dry patches. I wouldn't call it thick, but it is for me, who is used to Bourjois Healthy Mix. It's apply sheer and easy to work with. . My first thought was: "this smells!". It's the classic YSL-foundation smell, but I don't remember Teint Radiance smelling as strongly... If you are sensitive to smells, this might be a problem. . The finish is satin, but glowy. The foundation looks quite natural, and can give sheer to medium coverage. To me this is an improved version of Teint Radiance. . I'm not a big fan of the consistency, but this foundation really looks good on (my boyfrind has complemented me on my skin when I wore this or Bourjois Healthy Mix). . As said, I have dry skin, and this doesn't last all day even on such skin. I would say better than Teint Radiance though. Primer/BB cream under may help + powder over. . I was a little surprised to see the ratings for this foundation, so I have read through some reviews and want to comment on them: - "high coverage, sitting into wrinkles, not for older skin" - this claim is made several times, that it's not for wrinkly skin, so it may be true - "not for oily/combination skin" - this foundation is dewy on my dry skin, so I imagine it would look and get very very oily very quickly on oily skin. I don't think glowy foundations have ever been suggested for oily skin. This would also last shorter on oilier skins. I would recommend this for normal or dry skin only. - "caked up, very hard to remove - had to use makeup remover, not yellow enough in light colour" - I find the comment on the colour ridiculous! I have VERY yellow light skin, and the right colour is then BD10. It colour is light yellow, if it was any more yellow, it would make the wearer look jaundiced! Wrong colour is is the buyer's own fault, unless the foundation changes during the day or that there is no colur that fits, but the BD range IS good. "Very hard to remove" - you need to use makeup remover with ALL foundations, actually. Cleansing wipes, regular foam cleansers and lotions are relatively bad makeup removers. If you want to remove all of your face makup in one step with a foam cleanser, buy Skin79's O2 BB Cleanser or Tonymoly's Floria O2 bubble Cleanser. Cakes if one use too much of it. If you want heavy coverage, don't buy a light-med coverage foundation. - "not good coverage, highligts scars, wrinkles, pores" - here a reviewer said the coverage was bad, contrary to the first one. The coverage of this is actually light-medium. It IS true that this highlight scars and pores, and this may also contribute to it looking caky - it doesn't actually cake up, but it DOES make pores look bigger and highlights roughness in skin texture if you don't use a primer or don't have small pores and even skin. This effect is true to everything that has shimmer in it. - "heavy consistency/feeling and sticky" - true. The consistensy of this is quite creamy - some may even be able to feel it a little on the skin. And your skin WILL be clammy-feeling for quite a long while after application, which makes dry skin feel comfortable, but is absolutely unnecessary for oily skin - "blotches/disintegrates fast - 3 hours wear max" - since reviewer has dry skin and this still happens. It might be the age and a moisturizer that doesn't agree with this foundation (without claiming that this for sure is the case) or applying too soon after moisturizing. - "you need to have good skin already for this to look good" (said by many) - that is about right. This will NOT hide pores - it will highlight them. Same with scars. Will not hide pimples. If you have redness you want to cover, it can only cover quite mild redness. It covers quite light hyperpigmentation. This can even you your skin TONE pretty well, but NOT your skin texture.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Queen Helene - Mint Julep Masque
lollsazz 3/21/2013 7:18:00 AM
I heard it was good for cleaning pores. I didn't see any of that - actually, this mask is quite difficult to remove and I felt this stuck to my face so well that I had to use a facial scrub so I could be sure all of it was removed. Then I suddenly got a lot of dirty pores and broke out in small blackheads. I'm not sure if it was because there was something in it that my skin didn't tolerate or because this actually clogged my pores. . I wouldn't suggest people with dry or sensitive skin to use this mask. My skin felt rough after using this and it pulls quite a lot of moisture out and left my skin looking very dehydrated. I had read that some people therefore preferred to use it on blemsihes to dry them out. I tried that numerous times, but It just didn't work for me - witch hazel toner with alcohol dries out blemishes much better. Hydrogen peroxide (3 %) also works (only use locally!). Benzoyl peroxide is good. Of natural things I think turmeric (powder mixed with water) should be good against blemishes (may stain light skin yellow). This also did nothing to reduce the redness on my face. . My sensitive, dry. picky skin benefits much more from acids, good quality moisturizers, gentle clenasers, good makeup removers and sunscreen to stay pretty. . You can buy this from iherb.com. They ship nearly all over the world and they have also lowered their cheapest shipping prize from $6 to $4. If you're a first time customer, you can use my coupon code JUZ808 and get a discount of $5 (if shopping for less than $40) or $10 (if shopping for more than $40). . I also want to say how the code works: if you use it, I get a small percentage of the price you paid. Yes: people earn money when you use their code. If you feel strongly negative about this, you can use iherb's own code ABC123, and only iherb will earn money from your buy.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Skin Beauty Solutions - Lactic Acid Skin Peel - 35%
lollsazz 3/17/2013 9:44:00 AM
I have sensitive skin, but chose this anyway. I may recommend those with sensitive skin to choose something a little weaker, but I kinda chose the strongest thing my skin should be able to tolerate. For sensitive skin lactic peel is more gentle (better) than glycolic. My mom has also tried this and she has very sensitive skin and rosacea, and it suited her too. If you're a first time user, I wouldn't advice buying anything stronger. . This is a nice peel that makes the skin smooth and instantly a little brighter after usage (my face gets even a little brighter the few following days). I haven't used it for very long yet - just 3 times till now, because I have had some skin issues in between the uses. I'm a faithful MUA-reviewer, so I WILL update this review as I have more experience with this peel. . The results I have seen after previous uses is that skin lightens up a little and this takes some of the hyperpigmentation off the skin, but it's NOT an instant solution for hyperpigmented skin - many layers will have to come off for dark marks to disappear fully. . READ THE INSTRUCTIONS (they are supplied with the product)! Acid peels like this aren't supposed to be used carelessly! Do not get in on the eye area or on your lips and also on thin, damaged skin or if you have exfoliated your skin recently. One of the times I used this I was sure I didn't have any damaged skin. After I applied this to my nose it began stinging pretty bad. I had totally forgotten that since I had been sick I blew my nose a lot and the skin there kinda got exfoliated with paper tissues. The result was badly peeling red nose for about 2 weeks (And I have all kind of barrier creams and healing products). . If you apply this over blemishes, they will peel. If this happens, I use Skin79's Gold BB cream as foundation - it makes the flakes less notisable. In general, your skin won't peel visibly if you have used this right. It's better to use more frequently, but have it on for not as long each time - don't worry about wasting product - it's better to be kind to your skin. . How I use: take a little of this in my palm, use my fingers to apply to the face, wait for 2 minutes, neutralize, wash off with water, wash face with cleanser, apply gentle moisturizer. . You may wonder if this will sting. I would say it depends a lot on how much of this you use. I just pour a little in my palm and smear it on my face - that's quite a lot, and the first time I did this it did sting, but I wouldn't call it really bad stinging. You can also use the thin pads that Skin Beauty Solutions send you together with the acid. The amount of product you will apply is then so small that you may only feel very mild tingling. Try this out first to be sure that your skin tolerates the acid (after a patch test, of course). . Neutralizing the peel is a good idea because it's a little bit viscous and won't be easily dissolved with only water or foam cleanser. You can buy neutralizer, or you can make it yourself very easily: just use a spoon of baking soda in a glass of water. As the peel is neutralized it will "foam" a little (you may hear a hissing sound), but there will be no scary reaction on your face ;) . Your face will likely feel stripped of oil, but should not feel dehydrated, actually. Apply a gentle moisturizer because your skin's barrier will be weak at this point and things will absorb very easily. Skin Beauty Solutions recommend using their hyaluronic acid. I have tried that before, but can't rember if it gave enough moisture for my dry skin or not. What I do remember was that I also applied the hyaluronic acid to my eyes and had big undereye bags in the morning because of all of the water it had pulled in there :P May not be the best idea to put HA on your eyes...?
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Givenchy - Organza
lollsazz 3/12/2013 5:17:00 PM
I don't have this, but one of my relatives does. You need to see the whole picture here: she has worn this from about 16 years old, but already at that time people often said she looked like she was 25 - not because she looks old, but because she has quite stong facial features and quite a womanly body. She looks a bit like Julia Roberts did in her younger years and is 5'8 tall. She always dresses in a feminine way, often with heels or wedge shoes, and most often the colours are quite dark. . On top of that this smell fits her body chemistry perfectly! It smells, like another reviewer said, like the smell is part of her. On her there's very little sweet smell... there is vanilla, but it's not sweet... there's something dusty about the smell too that makes me think "vintage". It reminds me of the time of feminine women from the 1920's with strong makeup, glossy hair and simple elegant dresses. Women that had that Godess-like feeling over them. On her it kinda smells mysterious, cozy, not flowery, definitely not old-lady (as I've heard many people working in perfume stores call it :/ ), like some kind of natural material and very classy. . This can have quite strong sillage, but on my relative it didn't - the longevity was probably 3 days, but the sillage wasn't very strong - you would need to be furthest 2 meters away from her to sense it, but it's not strong even if you hugged her. Must be perfect reaction between body chemistry and this perfume :)
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Powder -Shu Uemura - Velvet Perfect Lasting Powder Foundation
lollsazz 3/10/2013 12:09:00 PM
UPDATE: giving this one more lippie as my very sensitive skin absolutely doesn't react to this, and it's good as a setting powder. Would I recommend buying? No, not if you don't have very sensitive skin and need only light coverage - there are many better things out now. EN OF UPDATE . I bought this because the few reviews here were so good. I'm not sure if 2 years ago powder foundations were generally so bad or that my application doesn't suit this. . I got this in 774, which is a light neutral-yellow colour. I would like it to be even more yellow for my very yellow skin, but I think lot of Shu Uemura's makeup is getting discontinued since he died :( The colour would suit a slightly neutral NC15. I haven't got much to complain about when it comes to the colour though. . My problem is mainly the coverage, how the powder looks on and the lasting power. The coverage is sheer-light and only blurs out imperfections without much coverage at all. I have a couple of darker pigmented areas (after a recent breakout) I would like to hide and this doesn't really do it. The way the powder looks on is also not optimal: it's not quite even, can separate a little and look a bit powdery, which gives the impression of bumpy skin. It looks less bumpy if you use a sponge to apply, and more if you apply this with a brush, but the rest of the problems still remain. About lasting power: this slides around a little bit and creases around my nose and in the laugh lines I don't have. I'm not sure you could fixate this with a spray, you MAY be able to, but this is very non-water-proof and I'm afraid it may come off if you pray it with anything. My face tends to look a bit flat with this powder on. And other powder products don't apply well over - they don't stick properly, fades quite fast and apply blotchy :( . There are still some good things though: - the colours are very good - this powder doesn't oxidize AT ALL - I have dry sensitive skin that gets oily through the day with other powders, but THIS powder balances my skin very well - there is even no shine on my t-zone at the end of the day. My skin reacts to many things, but not this - my sensitive skin really likes this powder and looks soothed when I take this off at the end of the day :) - this powder has SPF - although it doesn't look optimal on me on its own, it looks very well layered over other powder foundations (yea, I sometimes do that when the colour of the powder isn't quite as I want it to be) and looks very natural, and not caky, over fluid foundations . I don't think I will buy this again - I need something that looks a little more natural on me on and preferably has a little more coverage, but for those that have VERY sensitive skin this may be one of the rare things that work because this has no irritating ingredients. But, as said, you need to want only sheer coverage.
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Surya - Surya Henna Cream - Chocolate
lollsazz 3/10/2013 6:37:00 AM
UPDATE: my mom says this may be her preferred colour. She thinks it's a bit too dark right after colouring, but she really likes the colour after a few washes. A lot of the other colours from Surya have a red/orange hue to them that colours my mom's grey hairs pink X) She is a though lady and takes it with humor, but I know far from everyone would like to walk around with some funny hair colour :P Right now Chocolate and light brown would probably be the colour she would recommend for those with gray hair. . I haven't tried this myself, but bought this for my mom who has sensitive hair and scalp. She is soon 45 and has about 30-40 % gray hair. She colours it quite often because she's not ready to go naturally grey at such a young age. Her sensitive scalp has always been a problem as she's left with an itch after every colouring, and when you itch a lot you also lose more hair. I bought this dye for her because it seemed like a more natural alternative - it doesn't have nearly as much bad things in it as regular hair dye and also doesn't contain bleach, which I see completely unnecessary if you're going to dye your hair darker anyway. . Before dyeing, my moms hair was dark brown with a yellowish/brassy hue (because of the bleach in the dyes she previously used). She followed the instructions and held the dye in for 45 minutes. The colour was pretty much black at first, which was something my mom wasn't too happy about - she has naturally black hair, but doesn't think she suits it anymore. After 3 washes the colour was like black chocolate, which my mom liked. UPDATE: my mom said this doesn't really fade a lot - the colour got a little lighter, but didn't fade from her gray hairs :) . I asked my mom about what colour her hair was when she was out in the sun. I expected it to be some kind of reddish or orange hue as it's a henna dye, but she said it was rather aubergine (violet-ish) coloured than red. UPDATE: the hue got a very pleasant mahogany later. Please write a review if you have tried this dye and experienced a different result. I have read reviews of this before here: http://www.vitacost.com/surya-henna-cream-chocolate and other people have said they get a warm hue from the colour - golden or reddish. . In general, my mom really liked this hair dye and repurchased several shades. The colour may not hold up for as long as regular dies do, but this manages to cover greys and gives no itchy scalp and less hair fallout and shinier hair. The cons are that it's, as said, not as long lasting (still last a good while) and that it may stain towels (probably WILL stain towels) and your skin after dyeing - you better colour your hair when you're not planing to go out somewhere the next couple of days (not that that's not the case with many regular dyes) . . It's also very convenient that you don't need to use the whole bottle of dye at once - you can use how much you need and store the rest for later :) Btw one bottle of this was just enough to cover my medium thickness hair, which is down to right under my boobs. . My mom has tried regular powdered hennas before, but she hates how much mess there is with them: smells a bit bad, difficult to apply, stains the shower when you wash it out and difficult to wash out all of the small pieces the powder consists of. Anyway: my mom prefers this over powdered henna. UPDATE: It may not be supposed to last a very long while, but my mom says it's long lasting - actually, she says it last LONGER on her than regular henna! . I bought this at iherb.com. If you're a first time customer, you can use my coupon code JUZ808 and get a discount of $5 (if shopping for less than $40) or $10 (if shopping for more than $40). If you have products for more than $30 you can just go ahead and find something for $10 more - with the discount it won't cost you any more. . BUT BUT BUT: . vitacost.com has the dye too and it's $2 cheaper there, so please check out both sites if you're thinking about buying. You can follow this link: https://www.vitacostrewards.com/hzlpRja if you'er planning on purchasing for $30 or more and get $10 off. Vitacost ships to a lot of different countries too, just as iherb does. . I also want to say how the codes works: if you use it, I get a small percentage of the price you paid. People earn money when you use their code. If you feel strongly negative about this, you can use iherb's own code ABC123, and only iherb will earn money from your buy.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Unlisted Brand - FaceFront Cosmetics - Loco Cocoa
lollsazz 3/3/2013 10:40:00 AM
I have 2 of this because I bought my first while FaceFront began discontinuing this. However, I will still do a review. . This is exactly what I have been looking for for SO long! I wanted a bronzer for my skin, which tends to go between NC15 to NC25 during the year. Yellow toned. Although I'm yellow-toned, I don't like bronzers that are obviously yellowtoned - I actually don't want my skin to be even warmer than it already is - just darker. I love this colour because it looks very natural on me, no mater the time of year. Unless I use too much of this, it has no orange tone. When it actually looks a little orange, it also is too dark, so, unless you apply too much, this will look amazing. This is matte, but makes the skin look good - not dry or powdery. . I have very sensitive skin that has reacted to EVERYTHING that says "mineral" on it. I have reacted to at least 10 different products - I don't know why, as there aren't any guidelines for what mineral makeup should be made from. I have NEVER reacted to FaceFront's mineral products! It neither irritates, nor clogs my pores :) This lasts on me for the whole day - no need to reapply. . 9 grams of this bronzer have lasted me for a year already. I have used it every. Single. Day. And I still have about 1/4 left! That's $6.50 well spent! . The packaging of this isn't what I would call pretty - this is a loose powder blush, so it's in one of those sifter-type of jars. Although no beautiful packaging, it's actually quite convenient as I use the lid to swirl the product into my brush, so it's well dispersed. This is definitely what you should do, because else this may look a little bit blotchy, which is something that happens quite easily with matte bronzers. . You may not find this bronzer anywhere anymore, but I would definitely recommend checking out FaceFront Cosmetics :) Their mineral products (eyeshadow, bronzer, blush) are very good!
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Skincare - Body -The Body Shop - Exfoliating Gloves
lollsazz 3/2/2013 12:57:00 PM
I've used exfoliating sponges, brushes, scrubs an gloves since about 14-15 years old. I'm not quite sure why people rate these so high. Where I live they cost $9, while a pair exactly like them can be bought for $3. Second: they aren't longer lasting than a cheaper alternative. I once bought a pair of gloves from H&M for $4. They were rougher, thicker and MUCH longer lasting without getting holes. Bottom line: yes, these are better than nothing and cheaper than body scrubs, but they are too expensive for what they are when you can buy the exactly same thing for 1/3 of the cost. I promise you, if your going to buy THIS TYPE of gloves, it's NOTHING to splurge on - just buy a cheap pair - it will be just as good. This is not a unique thing. . BTW: if you want something in the same quality, but a little rougher, you can try the ones from Soap & Glory or Earth Terapeutics (I think they are the same type), but I think they are a bit expensive. The H&M ones are my favourite though: cheap and rough (for those who are used to exfoliating gloves with every shower); they are made from a different material. I have sensitive skin, but after using exfoliating gloves on my body for so many years, the skin on my body isn't sensitive at all to rubbing/scratching.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Elie Saab-Le Parfum
lollsazz 2/3/2013 7:28:00 AM
At first this smells absolutely disgusting to me - it's very strong medical smell, and I basically feel that I've been very sick for a long time and eaten tons of meds and now it smells right through my body. BUT, the drydown of this is absolutely gorgeous! It's a quite grown-up smell (not what one would call "old lady" though) which is flowery and deep and a bit sweet, and to me, quite unique. If I had this perfume I would probably never spray it on my skin, but rather on my clothes so it could calm down to avoid the initial notes and heaviness. I would recommend testing this out, but I warn you: get out of the perfumery as fast as you can after because you will smell horrible for an hour at least.
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Fragrances -Giorgio Armani - Emporio Armani She
lollsazz 2/3/2013 7:16:00 AM
I really wanted to like this as the reviews were so good, and finally the perfumery where I live got this. I was disappointed to smell that this had some of the same notes as Flowing by Puma, which I remember as a cheap perfume I wore when I was small. Other people may not have the same memory, but this just reminds me of cheapness and childishness :(
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Christian Dior - Diorskin Forever Flawless Fusion Compact (2011 version)
lollsazz 1/21/2013 1:37:00 PM
I know this is a very long review, but I hope it will help you to understand if this powder is something that will fit you or if this is a product you would only waste your money on. . I rushed a little bit into this buy as I reeeeally wanted to get a new powder foundation, so I went into the store, looked at Kanebo Cellular performance foundation (more finely milled than Total Finish), Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat de Chanel Compact (has gotten good reviews), YSL Matte and Radiant Pressed Powder (has received good reviews), Laura Mercier Powder Foundation and Diorskin Forever and Nude. And for some reason I stopped on THE powder of all of these with the worst ratings... I don't think this is a bad powder foundation, but I do agree that it will NOT fit most people. . I don't have much I need to cover - just a little bit of pinkiness and hyperpigmentation, and even out my skin tone to match my neck. The SA applied this on me with a very big fluffy brush. After the SA applied it my skin looked beautiful, and I ended up just buying it, without wearing it around and thinking for at least a week (this IS an expensive product that shouldn't be bought without thinking first). It may in part be that the powder products I've till now tried from Dior have been so good. About 5 minutes into the wear of this my skin started to feel a little tight. I had already walked out of the store and began to regret the purchase thinking that this powder is probably for much oilier skin than mine. However, about 3 minutes later my skin no longer felt tight. The same happens to me always when applying this: first it feels a little tight, but the sensation goes away quickly. . I have light - NC15, very yellow toned skin and got this in 20, which is a little bit too dark (it goes a little orange, meaning it's too dark) - I would recommend this to people with skin tone NC20, maybe. I must warn you: if your skin isn't VERY yellow toned, you may have to pass on this one - there is quite a high probability it will be orange, because after this oxidizes it becomes even a little more yellow-toned than it initially is. This is quite confusing as the powder looks quite neutral in the pan. When something turns more orange-toned, it tends to look better on yellow than pink skin tones. . I have read some of the other less positive reviews about this and want to make some comments about them: - this doesn't become orange on me if the colour isn't too dark. I have a very yellow undertone and dry skin - things oxidize much worse on oily skin. Another reason this doesn't oxidize on me is because I use so little of it. - it doesn't dry my skin out. I moisturize very well and my skin isn't flaky. When it comes to flakiness, my experience is that all of the powders and most of the liquid foundations I have actually emphasizes flakes (and I have owned about 35 liquid, 7 cream and 7 powder foundations. Only the Skin79 - very siliconey foundation made flakes look less flaky) - it does definitely NOT cake or sit in my pores. I apply lightly with a fluffy brush, and I have small pores. Even when my face sweats a little with this, it doesn't cake up. I can even apply this several times in the day without caking. BUT: I do agree that this WILL cake if you don't apply it lightly - some people complain about the coverage, but I don't have problems with the coverage since I barely need any. Apply on dry skin - else it will cake and separate. This can be done by blotting the face with a paper tissue right before application. . PROS: - I apply it in a thin layer and it looks VERY natural - you would probably not realize I have makeup on even if you looked at my face up close - the colour matches my very yellow skin well - it keeps the oils that come during the day very much easier to keep at bay: you can see my skin get slightly oily, but I can even blot it away with the back of my hand if I need to - it doesn't make my pores show up better/doesn't circle my pores - it holds up well during the day and doesn't cake, but as said: I don't need much coverage, so I apply this pretty sparingly and a little less coverage during the day wouldn't make much difference to me . CONS: - expensive - a little bit of tight feeling after application (that goes away on me very fast + I have gotten used to it) - it's a little heavy-feeling, even with a thin layer I can actually feel that there's something on my face. It's not bad on most of my face, but I definitely feel this powder on the area between my upper lip and nose - it WILL oxidize (depending on how oily your skin is and how much you apply) - this is not a con for me, but the coverage of this is light, and I don't think you can actually build it up to be a medium without it being heavy and caking up. Personally, I would never use a sponge to apply this powder to my face, but it may be the only way of actually getting medium coverage out of this, but again: it will not look good - the colour selection is, obviously, bad because it seems to fit only one type of skin tone perfectly + oxidizes - I have sensitive skin that seems to react a little to this. May it be the sodium alginate? - Would not use it as a powder for summer as I feel a little hot under it even when the temperatures aren't high . Who would like this: - yellow undertone - small pores - normal skin type - not flaky skin - needs just a little coverage (light, light medium) - not sensitive skin - not for very warm seasons - doesn't have tendency to sweat or get oily much during the day - wants long-lasting, natural looking makeup - cannot say how this would work for older skin People with skin like that tend to be able to wear almost anything, and the only reason they don't is because some things aren't long-lasting or wrong colour or not finely enough milled. Is this the best powder? Not for me. Is it worth it? Well, that YOU decide. In any way: try before buying.
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Sunscreen -Obagi - Nu-Derm Sun Shield SPF 50
lollsazz 1/12/2013 6:38:00 AM
I completely agree with the review under me - zink is a very good ingredient for calming down the skin and fighting bacterial infections too. It is an ingredient that I would definitely recommend to people with rosacea. . I like this because it, as said, has a lot of zink, because of the high SPF, because it isn't fragranced. I have dry skin, but use this because the foundation I wear is quite moisturizing and this prevents my face from looking oily during the day. This goes on matte, but I haven't noticed it causing any tightness. I have light skin (NC15 right now) and haven't noticed any flashback in photos taken with flash. . There are a couple of cons to this though. Although this sunscreen is very fluid, it's also dry in a way: when you apply it you need to work fast and not rub this too much because it then rolls up in small balls. Because of the same reason, this sometimes leaves dried white streaks on the face, and you may have to use a moisturizer on top of this to even everything out. For those who like their cosmetics to be an all-in-one thing, this may not be the best choice (since you may need to carry a moisturizer around to even this out). For those who don't know this: moisturizer is supposed to be applied over the sunscreen. . I still really like this product as it has good ingredients, good sun protection and I don't mind some extra steps in my morning routine. I just feel that this won't get as much use when I'm not applying makeup on top because of those white streaks and balling up. I also like sunscreen to be waterproof, and this absolutely isn't. . If you have dry skin and want a moisturizing sunscreen, it may be worth checking out Banana Boat's Baby Tear-Free sunscreen. It's something I think is better for the winter though. Very nicely priced. See reviews here: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=82744/Baby-Tear-Free-SPF-50/Banana-Boat/Sunscreen
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Cleansers -Nivea - Aqua Effect Soothing Cleansing Mousse
lollsazz 1/5/2013 12:12:00 PM
I bought this for myself and also recommended it to my mom after really liking it. I myself have sensitive dry skin and my mom has sensitive, dry skin with rosacea, which means we both need something very gentle and moisturizing, and at the same time, it actually has to be cleansing enough to remove all of the sunscreen, moisturizer, calming cream and other dirt from the face collected during the day. . When using this apply water to your face first as this doesn't really foam up any more than what it comes out like from the bottle. If you apply on dry skin the foam disappears very fast and you will not manage to make it foam up again. I'm pretty used to cleansers like this - it often means that there's not as much soap in them, which make them gentle. Little foam, however, doesn't mean that it doesn't clean properly - the amount of blackheads I get has reduced since using this cleanser (used for about 1,5 months now). This may be contributed to that regular cleansers often leave a residue on the skin (although you may not feel it), which toners are usually used to remove. As my skin is very sensitive, I can't use a toner because rubbing my face with a cotton pad easily makes it irritated. . Both my mom and I really liked this - it's very gentle and effective, although, if you're a makeup wearer I wouldn't suggest this as something to remove your makeup . It doesn't dry out the our skin at all and it doesn't sting the eyes. It does have perfume (really nice scent, BTW), which is something people may not like, but neither me nor my mom have had any reactions to it. I do think that mousse removers are a bit more expensive since I seem to run out faster than with gels, but this one is more gentle than any gel cleanser I've tried so far and doesn't leave any residue on the skin. BTW: one bottle took me more than 3 months to finish with using 1.5 pumps twice a day. I will continue to use this :) Quite a luxurious product with an affordable price (about $9 where I live)!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No