Liquid -Maybelline - Pure Mineral Liquid Foundation 
CreamyGardenia 3/17/2013 1:46:00 PM
I've got foundations from MAC, Esteé Lauder, Kanebo and a cupulel BB's as well, but you know what? I come back to this foundation all the time! My favorite way to use it is half and half with Maybelline or L'Oreal BB (I forget which I use).. I just mix it on my hand and use a Real Techniques stippling brush to apply it. I love the finish it gives.. not a lot of coverup but I don't really want it.. at 54 my zits seem at bay, thank heavens, but I still like *something* on my skin. I do wonder how much of this is actually minerals, though!
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Moisturizers -Elizabeth Arden - Eight Hour Cream - Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face SPF 15
CreamyGardenia 12/21/2012 3:07:00 PM
As a face moisturizer? Oh hell no! As a lip treasure? Yessss... 5 stars for the lips, really none for my face (I can only imagine the clog-power this stuff must contain lol!), but it is the only -- and I genuinely mean The Only -- product that keeps my lips smooth and fresher than I ever thought they could be! I received a deluxe sample size in a GWP but I'll be dragging myself into the store and pay the over-inflated price it probably costs because for my lips the financial amount is worth it, it truly is. Nothing else comes close!
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Lip Treatments -The Body Shop - Lip Care Stick - Cocoa Butter
CreamyGardenia 2/20/2010 12:03:00 PM
I gave this product about a week before writing this. My lips were in absolute flaking, peeling, hurting, disgusting shambles prior to buying this. Nothing worked! Not even eye creams with vaseline applied on top--nothing. Bought this spur of the moment ($$ to me, 79 KR = circa $11 these days) but it is worth it. I apply it about 5x daily and my lips are so hydrated and smooth now. 90% improved and I have faith for more improvement ahead. Olé!
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Toners -Clinique - Mild Clarifying Lotion
CreamyGardenia 2/2/2010 1:48:00 AM
Yes, kind of $ (to me) for a toner.. the packing is crap (it has this huge opening that just begs to be spilled or overused!! grr) but I like it. I don't put it on cotton or paper.. after really cleansing my face, I pour just a little into my clean palm and distribute it to the other hand (very little product, btw) and apply it to my skin that way. I learned that from a Kanebo toner a while back.. I *know* my skin is cleaned when I use it so there is no need to use this to further remove grime. I use it because of the BHA. It does not have much, but combined with cleanser/scrubs that have it, too, is working very well for me (I don't have zits/blackheads, but battle clogged pores.. and the combo is working!). I use it only once per day, usually, tho sometimes 2x. I typically let it dry a bit and then apply moisturizer but sometimes I only apply eye cream when I'm hanging around the house. 2nd bottle and there will be more.
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Scrubs -Neutrogena - Visibly Clear spot stress control daily scrub with MicroClear
CreamyGardenia 2/2/2010 1:40:00 AM
I prefer the Daily Blackhead Eliminator (though I don't have those or zits really, I am 51 so ya know..) but this is good. I alternate the two. I have clogged pore issues and nothing.. nothing!.. has helped for some years, but this IS. Alternating this with this brand's Daily Blackhead Eliminator and Clinique's Mild Clarifying that contains salicylic acid.. in fact all three products listed contain it has made a rather dramatic improvement and I mean fast. Surprised the heck out of me. This is gentle and that's nice.. I've been overzealous in scrubbing throughout the years. Using the right products, easily on your skin, seems to be the best approach. So glad to have found these!
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Scrubs -Neutrogena - Blackhead Eliminating Scrub
CreamyGardenia 2/2/2010 1:34:00 AM
I didn't realize we had Neutrogena prods here.. I've been wanting to try some things for years but never saw any. I am 51 and really don't have blackheads, but I was looking for something to handle some clogged pores, some of which I've been battling for years. Nothing has worked! I am not kidding, I bought this on a Friday, today is a Tuesday, used it perhaps 4x (alternating with the gentler MicroSomething scrub, which also has Salacylic acid in it) and use Clinique's Mild Clarifying Lotion (yep, Salacylic acid there, too, though in low amounts) and I swear there is already a 50% improvement in clogged pores! Scrub gently.. be easy on your skin, ladies.. I wish I'd known this earlier in life.. learned it from an aesthetician about 1.5 yrs ago.
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Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
CreamyGardenia 2/2/2010 1:27:00 AM
This is the best secret I have found to really get some smooth, non-shiny, natural skin post-foundation. I use just a little liquid foundation, cover up a mark or two, put this on and wow! Seriously good stuff. I'm eyeballing the brand's mineral foundation as well.. it's pricey, gah! but it's good stuff. Buy it.
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Mascara -Max Factor - Lash Extension Effect 
CreamyGardenia 2/2/2010 1:18:00 AM
Flaked. No wonder it was the only Max Factor mascara choice left. Every other one was cleared out of the store.
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Fragrances -Narciso Rodriguez - Narciso Rodriguez For Him
CreamyGardenia 3/20/2009 12:23:00 PM
One word: STANK.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Allure Sensuelle
CreamyGardenia 3/16/2009 5:32:00 AM
Oh I was excited about this one! Back in the old MUA days (about 7 yrs ago for me) a generous swapper sent me a large sample of the original Allure EDT. I felt the epitome of class when I wore it.. yes, it had a sharp note that I didn't particularly like, but I didn't care--I was ready to buy it. By God, it was Chanel! I had to have it! Then someone sent me the EDP, or I think it was more the actual perfume itself. After two wearings, I retreated into fetal position and had to admit: Chanel scents are just not for me. I felt a failure as a woman. Waaaah! Ok, so seven years pass and a SA gives me a samp of Allure Sensuelle EDP.. ooh-la-la, now we're talkin' bebe. I'm bathed, wrapped in fleece, feeling very, well, sensuelle, and I spritz a bit on my wrist, rub them together, a tiny bit at my throat, which I distribute around. Mmm that delicious beginning the scent has, I'm confident every man within a one-mile radius--including my husband--is curiously sniffing upwards, wondering what siren it calling to them.. big time sensuality (sorry, Björk).. and then that dang sharp tang of Allure of old smacks me down. What? They didn't temper it? Why not? *irked* If I were one of the noses who created this scent, I'd have insisted it be softened--sensuelled!--with a cozier note(s) such as a good-quality musk, or even sandal, for God's sake. At least it goes through some phases during its dry down, ending with a powdery note, and--of course--that blasted sharp tang. Maybe the EDT would be nicer?
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - j'adore
CreamyGardenia 3/16/2009 5:11:00 AM
This is for J'adore EDP and I write the review after using two testers. Ok, when I first joined MUA, I hung around the fragrance board a lot. There was a buzz about this one so I made sure to get a sample or two from the SA. I thought it was divine and nearly bought it. Fast forward 7 years and I got another sample. First, I am a fan of several Dior fragrances so my mind was open. This one seemed like a classy, fashionable scent when I first sampled it back in my early MUA days, but what a difference seven years make.. It is a very strong floral that has that insta-bugspray thing (to me) and almost immediately it changes to what seems like a one-floral note: gardenia? Noo.. could that be? Probably not, but it's strong, as in 80s perfume strong, and it is flat and does not change on me. One positive note: It lasts and lasts! Even the next morning, it was still there.. one note, flat, 80s, only a bit less stronger than the night before. I envision a woman wearing this to a dressy event, confident that those who come near her will think that she smells really nice, and she will, but I could slap a bathroom deoderizer stick-ems on and smell pleasant, too. Ok, I'm being cranky (harsh dieting) and the case with this may be that it smells and reacts differently on each person's skin. Just like bathroom deoderizer stick-ems :)
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Double Extend Beauty Tubes
CreamyGardenia 3/11/2009 11:39:00 AM
I wish they had a selection for the question "Would you buy this product again?" that said "HELL NO!" because that's what I'd select. I read the reviews before buying, so I should have known what to expect: You will gain length but no volume, and that, folks, is the exact truth. I have both skimpy and shortish lashes so yes it is nice to have length, but they stick straight out because the formula is kind of heavy, even when using one coat, which I do. Now, I DO like the fact that it does not smear or flake at all. Not even on my lower lashes, which I typically cannot apply mascara to because I use an eye cream and other mascaras will smear pretty quickly. Hm, maybe I should use my Dior BlackOut on my top lashes and this one on the bottom! Now there's a thought. Anyway, trying to hold this goofy design is nearly impossible.. I manage to get the mascara part on me and trust me, it does not want to come off. If you get it on your bedding or clothing while applying, good luck. I follow the "rules" that one girl pointed out, which is using the white "tube" part first and then immediately applying the mascara before the white part dries. I am not sure if that is necessary but I follow it anyway. Maybe I'll live dangerously and do the upper lashes on both eyes with the tube (white) part first and then use the mascara on them. It sure would be easier to manage the akward structure of the product. This thing cost me 169 kr, which is almost $24! Another sucker is born..EDIT: Ok, If you wipe the gloppy stuff off, it actually is controllable and if I curl my lashes first, it gives a nice, flirty lash. And it truly stays on.. no flaking or smearing at all. Dumb packaging, though :) I might buy it again.
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Hair Color -L'Oreal - Preference Shine Extending Hair Color
CreamyGardenia 2/20/2009 6:39:00 AM
I've used this brand but with a light gold tone (pretty!). I felt like trying something new and went with 8.31 (Chicago), which is (oddly enough) called light gold and light ash. I suppose this means neutral. Normally DH does not notice hair color since I stick to the usual (often using Garnier) but he mentioned he liked this color right off the bat! I have to admit that I love it, too. Normally I prefer to color my hair 2-3 days prior to an event but I went with the actual day of the event, expecting some color clumping on my scalp.. nada! It was very natural and it looks like the color I was born with, except I was a tow-head and this is not quite as light (8.31) and that is just fine by me :) I hope it lasts long with the grey coverage, as that is my only reason for coloring my hair.
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Mascara -Rimmel - Exaggerate mascara
CreamyGardenia 6/27/2008 7:34:00 PM
What's with all the neg reviews? I bought this like a year ago and it seemed to smear so I set it aside, considering using it as a brow filler/color for dramatic looks (I bought brown, not black). Yesterday I tried it on for the 2nd time and even though it is nearly July and warm, it held up all day, without flakes and no irritation. Came off easily when I washed my face, too. The brush was just right and in fact has been the best size/fluffiness for as long as I can remember, since I had a really easy time doing my lower lashes, which is usually a no-no for me. This outperforms my Dior Show. EDIT: Dried up but in all fairness, it *was* a year, though I'd only used it 2x.
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Treatments (Eye) -Shiseido - Benefiance Revitalizing Eye Cream [DISCONTINUED]
CreamyGardenia 10/10/2007 3:43:00 AM
Insta-Milia. But of course it moisturizes brilliantly. EDITING years later: It took a lot of work and a few years to get rid of the milia bumps!
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