Hair -Unlisted Brand - Any Brand - Macadamia Nut Oil
Cymbaline 2/6/2009 3:36:00 PM
I didn't see a review for Macadamia Nut Oil but there are reviews for Coconut Oil and Olive Oil so I thought I would add this. Hopefully someone finds this helpful. I started using pure Macadamia Nut Oil as a deep conditioner for my hair around January, 2007 after I purchased Phyto 7 and Phyto 9. When I first tried Phyto 9 at Sephora at first I didn't think it did anything but after a few minutes my hair was extremely soft. I bought a tube because my hair was very dry, damaged and I was desperate. The product did help but for 24.00 dollars for a small tube of this it was pricey. Now I know you don't have to use a lot but I read the ingredient list and it was a soy base and macadamia nut Oil so why not just use macadamia nut oil? I bought an 18 oz bottle of pure macadamia nut oil at Whole Foods for $9.99 and used a bit on my dry hair and it worked great! My hair felt like silk, I didn't have any frizzies and I only needed a tiny amount. It also didn't leave my hair looking greasy. Since then I started using it as a deep conditioner and I love the effects. My hair comes out extremely soft and light. I use a bit of Jonathan Silky Dirt to weigh it down and my hair is ready to go. Since January 2007 I have used the same bottle of macadamia nut oil and just yesterday purchased a new bottle for about 10.00 dollars (different brand but about the same amount) but I still have a little left in the bottom of the bottle. When I use the oil as a deep conditioner I don't drench my hair in it. There isn't a need. I take some of the oil and rub it into my hair until my hair is coated (not dripping) in the oil , twist my hair up into a bun and clip it. I leave the oil all day or all night (depending on when I'm going to wash it) and then wash it with my normal shampoo (I have to use Phosphate free shampoos). After I shampoo I use a little (a pea size) of Frederic_Fekkai Glossing Cream with Olive Oil (I ALWAYS use this as a detangler) and when my hair is dry and it is still too light I may add a bit of of the macadamia nut oil as a leave in. Don't add the Frederic_Fakkai into the equation of the macadamia nut oil. Seriously, I have gone a few weeks without using the macadamia nut oil and I still use the Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream and I don't feel like my hair is as gorgeous as it is when I deep condition with macadamia nut oil. My hair has this deep condition look and feel to it for at least two to three days after a treatment with the macadamia nut oil. I love running my hands through my hair and feeling how soft it is and I love the deep, hydrated look it has after a treatment of macadamia nut oil. Macadamia nut oil doesn’t smell and it’s a pretty light oil. If you try and don’t like it I’m sure the store you purchased it from will take it back. I also hear it’s great for cooking lol. I found Macadamia nut oil on Amazon for $7.07 for a 16 oz bottle. That’s my next purchase! http://www.amazon.com/ORGANIC-MACADAMIA-OIL-PURE-16/dp/B0014M1VR4/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1233952497&sr=8-2 So anyways, this is one of my ultimate HG in beauty. I hope someone here finds this review and tries it. I don't think you will be disappointed.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Neutrogena - On the Spot Acne Treatment Vanishing Formula
Cymbaline 2/6/2009 2:48:00 PM
I'm 32 and suffer and from hormonal acne. I get this cyst like pimples around my chin area which never really go to head and leave behind this dark mark where it was. I had tried everything from prescription to several over the counter type of drugs. Not ONE product has ever helped but this "On the Spot Acne Treament Vanishing Formula" along with DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask has helped tremendously. Currently these two products have made it possible to keep the pimples at bay for more than two and a half months which is a record for me. I have had this luck with only the prescription product Clindamycin but after a while it stopped working even when it was mixed with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide. I started reading up on other prescription prducts and came across the website http://www.acne.org/ where one guy kept wrote his story about dealing with acne for years and his experience with over the counter and prescription medication. The one regime that worked for him was to use a large amount of Benzoyl Peroxide in 2.5% not 10% strength twice a day, every day. I started doing this along with using the DDF Sulfer Mask at least once or twice a week (Leaving it on for hours not minutes) What I have found was the I found that Benzoyl Peroxide in 2.5% was not drying (unlike 10%) and I didn't really need to use the amount recommended by the guy on www.acne.org. I apply the lotion twice a day only on my lower jaw line, and chin area (where I normally have acne break out) and use the DDF mask in that same area. As long as I keep up with this regime I didn't have much to any acne. I can't say NONE because I have had two small cysts (one one the side of my nose were I wasn't treating) so I used the DDF over night it reduced the cyct to almost nothing and it was gone within a day or two (I was applying the Benzoyl Peroxide in 2.5% as well) This is not a cure for acne and I have been using this regime for half of the year in 2008 with sucess but I was planning a wedding, running two projects and having a house built all at the same time so there were times I just became lazy and my acne would come back. Now that is all over and I have been consistant and I love the results. The only thing I don't like about this product is the price. It is pricey and I think I'm going to start buying the product off the www.acne.org website. I had held off thinking I could find the Benzoyl Peroxide in 2.5% by some generic brand but all generic brands only make it in 10% which is too strong.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powders -Smashbox - Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder
Cymbaline 12/15/2008 2:04:00 PM
I purchased this item three days ago and so far I really like it. What I like is the foundation applies like a loose powder foundation but it travels like a solid. The powder is compressed and is placed under a circle shaped disc and the disc has lots of little blades which you twist to shave off as much product as you need (see product image). When you shave the compressed powder it of course turns into loose powder. I tend to have acne breakouts on my chin and jawbone area so it's too soon to tell whether or not this product will cause me to breakout. This product is not a mineral powder which is popular right now and I find it to be more moisturizing than mineral powder foundations. Prior to switching to Smashbox's HALO I have been using a combination of Bare Escentuals (BE) and Philosophy The Super Natural foundation to help with acne breakout and because I like a lighter coverage than what liquid foundations provide. The Smashbox HALO foundation provides the lighter coverage I like but like BE you can build up the coverage which is something I had to be careful with because I managed to get it built up a bit heavy around my nose area where my skin tends to be a bit more oily. The coverage has lasted me all day with a bit of wear off under the nose piece of my glasses. My skin tends to be more on the dry side though so if you have very oily skin I would recommend using a foundation primer designed to control oil since this powder does contain moisturizers. I am able to feel the moisturizers and I think this contributes a bit to the wear off under the nose piece of my glasses and build up around my nose. Smashbox HALO is advertised that it will "refresh" your skin and the salesperson who sold me the product compared it to Prescriptive Magic Liquid Powder but it doesn't compare. Prescriptive's Magic Liquid Powder would leave behind almost a wet, cooling feeling when applied and the Smashbox HALO does not. Smashbox HALO's powder does not sit on top of your skin but rather looks like it absorbs into it , my husband commented that it looked far more natural on me then what I was previously wearing ( I was wearing Bare Escentual). The look of the powder is more natural, it is not meant to give a matte finish so again if you have oily skin expect to have shine so think of purchasing something which helps to absorb oil. Another note about Smashbox HALO is it does not have any SPF in it so make sure your moisturizer does. I use to carry in my purse Philosophy's The Super Natural mineral foundation to refresh my powder during the day because it had SPF 15 and it was travel friendly. The color of Smashbox HALO powder turned out to match me better than Bare Escentual (BE) Fairly Light did. Where BE's color Light was too pink for me the Fairly Light had the yellow undertone I needed but it was a bit too light so I warmed it up with the Tinted Mineral Veil. To help you out if you are trying to find a good color to match your skin tone I found Smashbox HALO's color Light to be a great match. I have a yellow undertone to my skin but my skin tone is fairly light. I have natural very dark black/brown hair with dark brown eyes and my skin color has yellow under tones. My best friend is blond with hazel eyes and has a very light skin tone with some redness but not pinkish undertones and she ended up using the Fair. Speaking of redness, the Smashbox HALO foundation worked very well in covering up her redness. I myself have some blemishes which need cover up and by a foundation brush instead of the kabuki brush I was able to apply the powder a bit stronger in areas I need more coverage and still keep it natural looking. Smashbox HALO comes with its own travel size kabuki brush which I don't care for. It's not that soft but if you compare it to the kabuki brush Bare Escentual's provides then it feels like cashmere. The price is a bit high but almost all Smashbox products are pretty expensive. I compared using it to using my Bare Escentuals which costs about $44.00 (Mineral Veil plus the powder foundation) to $64.00 (if you use an all over face color such as Warmth) and for $59.00 dollars I'm actually paying less in the long run. I've also managed to cut my beauty routine down switching to Smashbox HALO. It's a one step application compared to Bare Escentuals were I would have to first apply the face color, second apply Warmth and then last apply Mineral Veil. OR if I did it Bare Escentuals instructs then I should have been , first applying the Bare Escentuals primer , second applying the face color .... you get the picture. So all and all I'm happy with this foundation. If I had to give a break down of the good and bad it would go in this order. Good: 1. Good coverage 2. Moisturizing 3. Portability Bad 1. Limited color selection 2. Women with oily skin will need to use an oil absorbing primer 3. No SPF
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Colour Riche Lipstick
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:55:00 PM
I can't get pass the smell.. ugh. Only L'Oreal lipsticks have this horrible smell.. what gives?
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Prescriptives - Colorscope Lip Glosss - All Colors
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:52:00 PM
Ok - I had to do it. I had to add a review on just the product itself and not add anything about the color I am using. I figure the color I wear isn't as important as the actual product so here is my review on the product. I love, love this lip gloss. I received a free sample of it and I'm in love. It's not sticky and it lasts! My application of this seemed to "dry" out a bit and what set in was a really good color which didn't come off easily. After I finish with my sample I'm going to buy more. As for the color .. the color I received was Sporty. It looks very natural on me, almost like my real lip color. I'm thinking about wearing this for my wedding.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Prescriptives - Anti-Age Advanced Protection Eye Cream SPF 25 [discontinued]
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:38:00 PM
I've found this product does a great job with moisturizing my eye area. After using Prescriptive's scrub I found the area under each of my eyes, next to my nose to be very, very dry and crusty. I found that this really helped, and didn't sting. I only wish they would place it in a tube like the Vitamin C one. I really love the fact that it has spf 25 in it. No other eye cream I know has SPF and a good SPF is key to preventing aging of the skin. For now, until I find another really good eye cream with SPF I will continue using this during the day. At night I use the super line preventive.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Prescriptives - Super Line Preventor Plus Eye
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:35:00 PM
I've found this product does a great job with moisturizing my eye area. After using Prescriptive's scrub I found the area under each of my eyes, next to my nose to be very, very dry and crusty. I found that this really helped, and didn't sting. I only wish they would place it in a tube like the Vitamin C one and they would include SPF 25 like the anti-age advance protection one.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Prescriptives - Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Eye Cream
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:30:00 PM
This product didn't moisturize but I did notice one thing which keeps me using it. When I was testing it. I used it on one eye and went and looked in the mirror. My one eye did look brighter. I have a pretty deep wrinkle under my other eye and I noticed when I used this it helped to hide the wrinkle. After using this the wrinkle looks like it nearly disappears! It's not gone but it's well hidden by the light reflectors in this. I have since moved on to using two other of Prescriptive eye products the super line preventor and the anti-age with spf25 but I keep this one around for days my eyes need a lift.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Prescriptives - Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Eye Cream
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:30:00 PM
This product didn't moisturize but I did notice one thing which keeps me using it. When I was testing it. I used it on one eye and went and looked in the mirror. My one eye did look brighter. I have a pretty deep wrinkle under my other eye and I noticed when I used this it helped to hide the wrinkle. After using this the wrinkle looks like it nearly disappears! It's not gone but it's well hidden by the light reflectors in this. I have since moved on to using two other of Prescriptive eye products the super line preventor and the anti-age with spf25 but I keep this one around for days my eyes need a lift.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Prescriptives - Instant Gratification Skin Renewal Peel
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:26:00 PM
I have used this product about three or four times now and I feel as it has improved my skin. If it wasn't for some acne I have (not the products fault) I feel like my skin's condition is nice enough where I don't need makeup. I feel that the product has even out and brightened my skin tone and a few times I after I have used it I have gone out with just some powder on my face to cut back on shine. The draw backs of this product is the price vs the amount you get and it also makes your skin pretty sensitive. After using this product several of my normal cremes sting my skin so you have to be careful.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Prescriptives - All Skins Mineral Foundation spf 15
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:21:00 PM
I tried this product on twice and I generally love Prescriptive products so I wanted to love this as well. I currently use Bare Minerals and was looking for something where I could cut down on my makeup routine. With BM you have to put on the foundation and then the mineral veil, I want something where I only need to put on the foundation and be over with it all. My experience with this product was the coverage was way too heavy. I could tell I was wearing makeup because it's so heavy and I don't apply makeup with a heavy hand. The next thing is it left me looking shiny. I tried twice with this product and didn't like it. I finally used it on half my face and the other half of my face I used my BM. You could really tell the difference. So I took it back and explained to the girl that it's too heavy and it left a shine. She thinks it has to do with the amethyst powder in it. Weird ingredient to have in make up.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -DDF - Discoloration Reversal-Pod
Cymbaline 9/5/2008 3:11:00 PM
I bought this after seeing a review on the product in Prevention magazine. I have a few sun spots on the high part of my cheek bones and would like to get rid of them especially since I'm getting married on 12/21/ 2008 and would like to look my best. Tonight I will be using the very last pod, I have used it twice a day, every day since I purchased them. I have noticed some reduction of the sun spots but they are not completely gone. As few spots as I have I would have thought that this product would take them away completely by now but it didn't and I don't want to spend another 70.00 dollars to chance it still not working.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -DDF - Sulfur Therapeutic Mask [DISCONTINUED]
Cymbaline 6/11/2008 3:53:00 PM
Wow something that actually works! I have suffered for years with acne around my chin area. Nothing use to work, I tried everything including prescription drugs. I have been using this mask for over two months and it really has helped keep the acne at bay. I have not *knock on wood* had another outbreak since using this. I did however have one small pimple develop right after I started using this but I think it was due to the pimple already having developed under the skin. I have waited these two months before giving my review because it always seems like I find something I think works but it stops working for me in a week or two. This has not disappointed me.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Philosophy - When Hope Is Not Enough - Serum
Cymbaline 4/18/2008 1:41:00 PM
When asked would you buy this product again I said "no". I recently ran out of this product and I didn't really see if it did anything for me. Maybe my skin is already in good shape. If I start seeing my skin looking bad I'm going to try it again otherwise it's just money and time saved if I don't.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Origins - Cocoa Therapy Instant Chocolate Fix
Cymbaline 4/18/2008 1:33:00 PM
I never purchased this product. Instead I tried it at the counter and was not impressed. The chocolate smell was very fake smelling. I wanted to like this product because I love,love the smell of chocolate but alas! It was not to be :(
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No