Treatments -Peter Thomas Roth - Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads
ErCar 3/15/2012 10:16:00 PM
I haven't written a review in ages (bad, I know) but this product was worth coming out of hibernation for. Ever since I went off birth control 2 years ago, I've struggled with pretty consistent hormonal breakouts. It got particularly bad about 6 months ago so I bought a big tube of BP and hoped for the best. It did help but my skin was dry, flaky and still not looking great. I had heard about the PTR Un-Wrinkle pads but for some reason had never tried them. Maybe it was the cost. I got a gift certificate to Sephora for Xmas and decided to use it on these and I am SO glad I did. Like others, I cut the pads in 1/2, because I really don't need more than that (I do my face and alternate between my hands and my neck). I use this once every day. Since I started using this I've had virtually no breakouts, which is pretty amazing. Yes, I get the occasional pimple on my jaw (for instance) but they go away quickly. Any spots I had leftover from past breakouts are also fading. In addition my skin tone is much more even and I have a glow. I absolutely love these, won't be without them ever again, and highly recommend them.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Pressed Powders -MAC - Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium
ErCar 12/3/2011 8:22:00 PM
Well I've come out of hibernation to write this review. I've written a lot of various reviews over the years but haven't in quite some time. This product is so good it was worth getting off my butt to write about it. About me: I'm NC20-NC25, combo skin and I break out pretty easily (due to hormones mostly). I tend to favor powder foundations...not entirely sure why but they seem to be the most perfecting on me, plus they're just so easy to use. I've been a Bare Minerals user for a few years...less because I really adored the product and more because I couldn't find anything I liked better. OK, so I've actually this Mineralize Skinfinish in my stash for about a year but for some reason only used it one other time and thought it was too ashy on me (it was - it was Summer time); well, I picked it up again and used it for the first time last week. I was amazed. It perfects my skin like no other foundation I've tried - making it look absolutely flawless and yet not at all powdery or like "foundation". It REALLY minimizes pores and stays looking great for hours at a time - works even better when topped with Bare Minerals Mineral Veil. I really can't get over how perfect my skin looks in this. I've been using it for a week and it blows everything else I have out of the water (the aforementioned Bare Minerals, Chanel VA, Laura Gellar Balance and Brighten, Estee Lauder Futurist). I am 100% sold and will stick with this from now on (purchasing a darker color for the Summer).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Sally Hansen - Inspired By Carmindy Natural Beauty Your Skin Makeup ] [DISCONTINUED]
ErCar 2/11/2011 7:05:00 PM
I'll get straight to the point. In my opinion this is the best foundation you can buy at the drug-store. Hands down. I bought it last year and have used other foundations from Estee Lauder, NARS, Shu....this beats them all. It lasts throughout the day with only a minor touch-up and it really does look like SKIN. My other foundations, even though they might look good from far away, look not so great up close. I have a a bright mirror in my bathroom and my foundation always looks pretty eh when I look at myself in it but this one always looks awesome. Like real, dewy skin. I highly recommend.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -NARS - Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
ErCar 2/4/2011 9:18:00 PM
I haven't written a review in a long time but this product was worth emerging from the laziness. I have quite possibly the oiliest lids ever. UD primer potion was a god-send to me because it actually made my eye-shadow last almost an entire day without creasing. Strangely enough, though, it stopped working as well the longer I used it. Then this NARS e/s base came along and I decided to try it. This blows UD primer potion out of the water. My eyeshadow is 100 times more pigmented (OK, not a literal calculation) and lasts until I wash it off at night. I can't imagine an e/s base that is more perfect than this one. My only qualm is that the tube doesn't contain a ton of product and it ain't super cheap. Other than that, this is amazing amazing amazing and I highly recommend it for all oily-lid girls who thought nothing would work for them.
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Powder -Lancome - Oscillation Powerfoundation
ErCar 2/24/2010 9:39:00 AM
I haven't written a review in a while (shame on me) but thought I should bust out my pen, so to speak, for this. I came across a youtube review of this foundation and thought it looked great. I then found a few other reviews on makeup sites that were basically huge raves. However, when I checked here it seemed like people only had negative things to say. I had basically decided not to get this but then...I was walking through a department store with my fiance and happened upon the Lancome counter. The SA there applied this on me and the first reaction I got was from my fiance, who said it looked amazing. OK. So I look at myself, and it really does look beautiful. Flawless. So I buy it. And I have to say, I really, really love it. I think there's a couple of things that are attributing to the bad reviews here. First of all, you don't need a ton of this foundation - however, if you apply too lightly you're not going to get the coverage you want. It took me a couple of tries, but now I have the balance down. Second of all, you MUST let this settle into your skin. That sounds bad but what I mean is that it takes a couple of minutes to look right - it blends with the oils in your skin and all of a sudden looks amazing. And it wears REALLY well. It looks exactly the same 8 hours later. SO, I wanted to add my good review to the mix. The only reason I'm giving this a 4 instead of a 5 is because I couldn't find a perfect match. I ended up buying Beige 10 but it's still a tad too dark. Forgiving though! Also, as far as packaging goes, it can be a little messy. I think the Oscillation applicator, however, does work. I know people tend to think it's gimmicky but in my opinion it really does sort of grind up the powder and allow for a very smooth application.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -L'Oreal - Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture Nurturing Creme
ErCar 10/13/2009 2:33:00 PM
What a great, great conditioner. I randomly bought it at Ricky's (NYC) when I was picking up some hair color remover, hair color and developer. I thought I remembered maybe hearing about it and wanted a deep conditioner to restore my hair after using the remover and then coloring over that. Even though my hair went through quite a lot the night I used this, it felt incredibly soft and healthy the next morning when I blow-dried. I highly, highly recommend. I got the smaller tub and it was $9.99 - a totally reasonable price IMO!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Lustre - Honeyflower [DISCONTINUED]
ErCar 3/12/2008 5:21:00 PM
I have been thoroughly slacking on the reviews but had to get my butt back in gear for this lipstick. I have been a berry/pink devotee for as long as I can remember. I just could not relate with the people who said they love nude lip colors. They always completely washed me out, which I felt was sort of the opposite of the desired, blood in the lips look. Anyway, my mother had this lipstick lying around and I opened the tube to look at the color. To my dismay it was a sort of boring goldish/salmony color with glitter. Clearly it would look horrible on me. But I decided to throw it on anyway, just out of curiousity...and....it was love. It was the nude color I'd been looking for forever...that is to say, not nude at all. I have gone through 2 tubes of this in the last 4 months. I am obsessed. It gives my lips a warm pinkish-gold sheen without looking really "nude". It goes perfectly with my complexion (NC25) and I really can't bring myself to go back to any of my former berry lipsticks. It pulls together any and every look. It is honestly the perfect lipstick (for me anyway!) :) I highly recommend trying this one out...because it doesn't look like much in the tube but really transforms on. Might be better for warmer skin tones.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Maybelline - XXL Curl Power
ErCar 10/11/2007 6:47:00 PM
I too apologize for being one of the lone dissenters here but I just didn't like this one. Prior to this I was using Revlon 3D Extreme (see my review for that), which I love but thought I'd try this since it was new and I am powerless when it comes to new products. Anyway, this is nice and black (I got the "Very Black" one) and it separates nicely and does give some volume but it definitely did not wow me. You have to wait for the primer to dry a little on your lashes before applying the actual mascara and I just don't have time for that--especially when other mascaras give me the same look in one coat. I will say this though: this mascara is very buildable, which is a plus.
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Mascara -Revlon - 3D Extreme Mascara - Blackest Black
ErCar 10/4/2007 11:52:00 AM
I have to agree with ScarletStarlet below--I don't get these reviews! I too was a little put off when initially I opened the tube-the brush is small and oddly shaped. Howere, after using this a few times, I have decided that this is definitely the best drugstore mascara I've tried. It doesn't clump, it curls my lashes extremely well and it gives volume and length. It does dry out eventually, but only after a few months at which point you should probably be throwing it out anyway. I can't say that I won't try other d/s mascaras that come out on the market, because I'm a sucker for anything new, but if that new mascara doesn't blow my socks off, I will always come back to this. I think this definitely merits a try. Excellent.
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Toners -DDF - Glycolic Toner 10%
ErCar 9/3/2007 10:35:00 AM
This is one of those products that I will never be without. I first ordered it 3 months ago, due to numerous raves I'd heard here. I have mild acne (I get a few pimples now and then) and bigger-than-I'd-like pores. This does sting a little bit when you first use it, and still stings every now and again--but it is totally tolerable...especially considering what this has done for my skin. I think it took about a month to see full results: my pores are VISIBLY reduced. I know it is impossible to actually decrease your pore size, but this must totally clean them out or something, because my skin looks 100% better. I break out less, my skin is much, much smoother, I get compliments all the time now on my skin and it is definitely because of this product. It's pricey at $32 (at least for me) but it is a splurge I am willing to make. LOVE.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Laura Mercier - Mineral Powder SPF 15
ErCar 5/28/2007 10:38:00 AM
I followed the reviews for this product for quite a while before succumbing and I was so excited to finally try it. I've liked, but not loved BE in the past, as well as EM, and UD Supernatural Mineral makeup. I am an NC25 and ended up getting Tendre Rose, although Real Sand would probably have been a better match...one thing to note though, is that I had no problems with the color looking "off"--some people have noted that there's a very limited color selection and while that's true, I find that the colors are fairly forgiving. My problem was with the finish of the product. Perhaps this had been so hyped up that I was fully expecting a miracle in a jar or something, but I just wasn't impressed with how this looked on me. It did cover well but I didn't think it looked natural...in fact, it looked border-line cakey. Right after this I tried Serious Skin Care's Mineral makeup--Bella Rose, which I actually liked better. The LM version seems to accentuate pores too. I know a lot of people love this but it just didn't work for me. (For reference, I have combination skin but can get a little oily in the warmer months). And yes, the packaging IS great.
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Moisturizers -Neutrogena - Illuminating Whip Moisturizer SPF 20
ErCar 2/27/2007 11:58:00 AM
This is a great new product from Neutrogena. I had just run out of my usual day-time moisturizer (Olay Complete SPF 20) and thought I would try this instead. It comes in a jar, which isn't the most sanitary thing in the world, but i'm not really that picky about those kind of things. It has a light, slightly fresh, perfumey smell, but nothing over-the-top. The whip formula is truly lovely. It feels very light going on, spreads easily and makes my skin feel very soft. It moisturizes very well but isn't heavy so I think it would work for oily skin too. The only reason I'm giving it a 4 instead of a 5, is that the "illuminating" bit, is really just very finely milled shimmer. Now, I do like shimmer, but I was hoping this would create luminosity without visible shimmer. Makeup goes easily on-top of this and the shimmer disappears. Overall a great new product---and it has SPF 20, can't beat that!
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Revlon - Colorist [DISCONTINUED]
ErCar 2/16/2007 3:17:00 PM
This is my new favorite hair-dye on the DIY market and i've tried them all. First off, I would like to defend the color-glaze conditioner. I happen to think it's excellent. It's true that when you're combing your hair through afterwards, your hair might not feel as silky as it normally does with your usual conditioner, BUT, after blow-drying my hair, it felt incredibly smooth and looked really shiny. Now onto the details: I bought the "Light Brown" color. My hair had been dyed dark blonde but my medium-brown roots were starting to show and I wanted to blend the two together a little bit more. I followed the instructions for hair that has already been dyed (i.e. I left the mixture on my roots for 20 minutes and then pulled it through to the ends for another 5). The mixture is a little bit runny, but nothing too bad and the smell was certainly not the worst i've come across. Totally bearable. And now for the color: PERFECT! It came out *just* as it looks on the box. My roots and the rest of my hair match now and they are a gorgeous light brown/slightly gold color. I wouldn't recommend getting the Light Golden Brown unless you're really looking to see a little red; the Light Brown has some warmth already. My hair looks and feels great and I would definitely recommend this as well as buy it again! (By the way, my hair is just above my shoulders and I had more than enough mixture).
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Lip Gloss -MAC - ICON - Raquel Welch - Adventuresome
ErCar 1/17/2007 12:18:00 PM
This is my new favorite lipglass! I am actually considering buying a backup and I never do that. For reference I am NC25. I believe this is the cream formula because there's only slight opalescence and no obvious glitter or shimmer. In the tube this looks like a warm plummy/pink but it also has a shot of mauve in it which makes it much more neutral than warm. I think this would appeal to a lot of people---it has great color payoff but it's not TOO opaque; it has some sheerness to it which makes it even prettier. It reminds me a little bit of a sheerer Mauro, from the last Icon collection. Definitely a must have for those of us that are fans of Love Child, Pop Mode, Adventurous (I have no idea why these two have such similar names!), etc (i.e. the berry/mauve lipglasses). A winner!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - 10
ErCar 1/17/2007 10:39:00 AM
I completely agree with the previous reviewer in that this is a subtle but beautiful bronzer/highlighter combo. Obviously not everyone who tries this will think it's subtle (on some it may not show up, on others it might be too dark) but i'm NC25 and the bronzer is perfect--you can't really put too much on and the shimmer in both the bronzer and the highlighter is really pretty: it doesn't accentuate pores but it makes my cheekbones seem more prominent. I love this because you can sort of just throw it on and it'll look great. I apply the bronzer as I would any bronzer (forehead, top of cheeks, bridge of nose) and then apply the highlighter just right at the top of the cheekbones and around the eye area. I'm sick of looking like I applied a ton of blush or bronzer to my face so this is quickly becoming a favorite! I would definitely repurchase.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No