Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
DinaC 5/25/2012 5:34:00 PM
I use Cream Ivory, the palest shade, and it's a great match for my ivory-porcelain skin. I have a lot of sun spots (hyperpigmentation) on my face, and this does a better than average job of helping them blend in. This foundation strikes a good balance between matte and dewy; my natural skin is neutral, neither oily or dry. After several hours of wear, the color is still true and has not oxidized or changed in any way. I apply this with a makeup sponge, sparingly, because it blends very easily. A little goes a long way, so this expensive foundation turns out to be a pretty good value.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Burt's Bees - Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub
DinaC 11/17/2011 12:46:00 PM
First of all, the smell: smells like rancid oil and vomit. My jar was purchased brand new from Ulta, and the safety film inside the jar was sealed tight when I first opened it. However, I think this had turned/gone off. Second: the oiliness! This leaves behind a thick layer of grease all over the body, the bath tub, clogs up my razor, etc. I felt like I was getting ready to swim the English Channel, I had so much grease on my skin. I had to re-wash with another product before I could leave the shower. That much oil would have stained and ruined whatever garments I put on, not to mention the towels I used to dry off. As an exfoliator, it worked fine, but I couldn't get beyond the smell and feel of this. I'm actually going to throw this away rather than finish what's left in the jar -- it's that bad.
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Cleansers -Mario Badescu - Enzyme Cleansing Gel
DinaC 3/16/2011 10:46:00 AM
I thought this was a good, basic cleanser. It washed off a day's worth of makeup, mascara, foundation, sunscreen, etc. using warm water and a wash cloth. I didn't see any remarkable transformation, i.e. improvement in my hyperpigmentation, reduction in my fine lines and wrinkles, etc. After washing with this product, my skin felt soft and comfortable, not tight or itchy or burning. Pretty good for sensitive skin.
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Hair Color -L'Oreal - Superior Preference Hair Colour
DinaC 1/28/2011 4:12:00 PM
I'm one of those brunettes who started turning grey while they were still in their teens. I've been coloring my hair since I was 20, and I've used several different brands and products. I've been using this L'Oreal Superior Preference in 5A -- Medium Ash Brown for a few years now, and it works very well. I do find that the grey-er I get, the more resistant the hairs are becoming to the dye. I leave the color on 30-40 minutes, and that works very well for me. My hair is longer than shoulder length, and this doesn't damage my hair in spite of coloring it once per month. I also appreciate that this particular brand comes with a very generous amount of haircolor, so I have enough to color all my long hair without having to buy two kits. Coupons are available in the Sunday paper on a regular basis, so using them cuts the cost a bit too. It's a very good value compared to having long hair colored every month in a salon.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Aveeno - Active Naturals Positively Nourishing Smoothing Body Wash in Pomegranate
DinaC 1/13/2011 10:06:00 AM
I have really mixed feelings about this product. Let's start with the good points: Like all Aveeno products, it is very gentle on my sensitive skin. It has a high-quality pomegranate scent that is not overpowering. It does a mild, gentle job of exfoliating. However, this product has a BIZZARE TEXTURE similar to phlegm (snot, boogers, boogies) mixed with small flecks of red sand. No kidding. The texture is so thick that I can't squeeze it out of the cap. I have to unscrew the cap and squish and shake the bottle to get some of this gelatinous glop out! If you can stand holding this in your hands (ewwww!), rubbing your hands together and emulsifying the product helps a little, but it still feels like rubbing gritty snot all over your body. It would be perfect for one of those Halloween Haunted Houses where you make people put their hands in bowls of pretend "guts." I won't be buying this product again once I use it up.
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Gels/Soaps -Aveeno - Active Naturals Hydrating Body Wash
DinaC 1/13/2011 9:58:00 AM
This is a very good, everyday body wash with a high-quality fig scent. It makes lots of lather when I use it with my Body Shop exfoliating gloves or when I use it as bubble bath in the tub. Like all the Aveeno products, it doesn't bother my sensitive skin. I like to layer L'Artisan Premier Figuier Extreme edp, a wonderful green fig-sandalwood scent, on after getting clean with this body wash.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Maybelline - Dream Smooth Mousse
DinaC 12/16/2010 10:09:00 AM
An online friend recommended this foundation, and I'm so glad she did. I already had plenty of nice foundation from Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown, but the way she raved on and on about it made me want to try it. Since it was a d/s brand and very inexpensive, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I recently repurchased it at Walmart (not affiliated) for about $7.35. The texture of this foundation is called whipped cream (mousse), and I apply it with the sponge applicator. I particularly like using it slightly dampened with water. The texture feels great on my skin. Better than having nothing on my face, but not at all make-upy to me. The color I use is the lightest one, 110 Porcelain Ivory. It's a perfect match for my PPP skin. I really appreciate that the color never turns, even after several hours of wear. It's neither too greyish, too pink, or too yellow. The plastic compact that it comes in is rugged and lasted several months without chipping, breaking or falling apart. It's not particularly gorgeous, but that's okay with me. I'd rather have a product that works great than a pretty container full of yucky product. Finally, this product did not bother my sensitive skin. Nor did it cause any breakouts. It was not drying in cold, windy weather. It held up in mild weather, too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -NARS - Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls
DinaC 8/26/2010 3:21:00 PM
NARS Lip Lacquers have a thick, emollient quality with great staying power. In my experience, they go on best with a lip brush. This color is a beautiful neutral peachy-pink nude, a MLBB shade. I wish it wasn't so expensive, but this is offset by the fact that the product lasts a long time because 1) you can apply it sparingly, and 2) you can get *all* of the product out of the container unlike the kind of gloss that is in a tube. In my opinion, this makes it a good value.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Womanity
DinaC 8/6/2010 7:26:00 PM
I sniffed this new release from Thierry Mugler today at Bloomingdale's. If you haven't seen the bottle, it is something to behold...a glass column of pink juice topped with a silver Medusa head-like sculpture with silver chains. Very off-putting. Here are my comments about the actual scent: "A blast of cheap fruity air freshener used by a teen-aged boy to cover up the smell of his stale dorm room filled with dirty socks." I was repulsed by it! There are so many other, better choices out there. Don't let a SA talk you into getting this one!!
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Eye Makeup Remover -Almay - Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover Pads
DinaC 7/9/2009 12:16:00 AM
I finally gave up on this eye makeup remover today. My biggest complaint is that it stings terribly on the skin around my eyes, especially under my eyes. While the name of the product is "moisturizing," I would argue that it would be more accurate to say "oily." This is straight oil. The plastic bottle that it comes in has a wide necked opening which makes it more prone to spillage, too. I suppose it's a good value since it's 4 ounces for very few dollars, but when the product isn't good, it's wasted money. Ironically, there is a large seal on the front of the bottle with #1 in it stating that this is "America's number one eye makeup remover brand." Well, this American is voting no!
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Treatments -The Body Shop - Vitamin C Night Repair [DISCONTINUED]
DinaC 5/18/2009 12:47:00 AM
I wanted a night time product with vitamin C that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and this seemed like a good match. Product has a strong orange smell (which didn't bother me), and goes on very smoothly (almost like a foundation primer). However, because product has a lot of silicone in it, I think it blocked my pores and caused me to breakout. Nothing else has changed recently in my regimen, so I'm attributing the breakouts to this product. I won't be buying this one again.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55
DinaC 3/27/2009 11:48:00 AM
This is my HG facial sunscreen. I have purchased it for many years now, and even though I've tried other brands and other Neutrogena products, this is the one I always come back to. I have some hyperpigmentation on my face and am trying to prevent further spots, thus my desire for a high SPF product. I wear it daily no matter what the weather is . Reasons why I love it: It contains no titanium dioxide to give that dreaded white pasty look; it is slightly mattifying, not shiny; it doesn't pill up on the skin like the Neutrogena Age Shield 45 product does; it doesn't cause break outs; it is a reasonable price; the tube stands up on its cap so the product is always ready to dispense; it doesn't have a strong smell to bother my nose or eyes; my foundation applies nicely on top of it whether I use a foundation brush, sponge or my fingers; it doesn't sting my sensitive skin. There are nine reasons why I love it. Maybe you'll like it, too!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream (US Version) with Mexoryl SX
DinaC 3/27/2009 11:39:00 AM
Quick summary: overpriced disaster! Like so many others who have reviewed this product, I had heard the good things about the French La Roche Posay sunscreens and wanted to try one. Since I was low on my normal facial sunscreen, when I saw this product at CVS, I bought it. Let me note, right away, that there was no price tag on the display, so I had no idea that it was going to cost me $32 for a very small tube! When applying this to my face, no matter how much I rubbed or how quickly I rubbed it in, it left a noticeable white mask all over my face. I am a PPP to begin with and certainly don't need to look any paler! With my dark brown hair and this sunscreen, I looked like i was dressing up as Morticia Addams for Halloween! Also, my medium coverage foundation did nothing to cover the whiteness of the titanium dioxide in the sunscreen. I can only imagine the glaring halo of brightness that would show up on any photographs if I continued to wear this sunscreen on my face. So, I immediately returned it. For that amount of money, I would expect a product to be outstanding, and this was wretched indeed! Don't waste your money! I went back to using what is apparently my real HG sunscreen: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 55. It contains NO titanium dioxide, doesn't pill up on my face, doesn't cause breakouts, and is very affordable.
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Fragrances -Bulgari - Omnia Green Jade
DinaC 3/15/2009 12:09:00 AM
This scent is a lovely mixture of clean, white musk and light, sparkling floral top notes. A good fragrance for all ages, appropriate for everyday wear, and not a bit overpowering. I think it would be acceptable in the office, too, as it didn't trigger any migraines in me. It has a fresh, green, woodsy quality that especially appeals to my taste in perfumes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Tools -Essie - Crystal Nail File
DinaC 12/17/2008 11:00:00 PM
I bought the mini version of the Essie crystal nail file today. I was impressed because it worked much better than the Revlon crystal nail file that I purchased just a couple of months ago. The Essie file left my soft nails extremely smooth. I will definitely be on the lookout for this on sale after the holidays at my local Ulta.
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