Styling Products -Fudge - Membrane Gas
KerryGold 3/1/2013 6:48:00 PM
I've bought this three times to date and can't see that I'll be stopping anytime soon. My hair is short but with quite long layers, soft and fine. This is the best stuff to give it lift - far better than ordinary spray. I flip my head upside down after drying it, spray with a "count to 5" burst of Membrane Gas and stay flipped for 30 to 60 seconds, then tweak a little. It's great - adds body without looking like gluey helmet hair. Despite its considerable strength, my hair still looks flexible. Very useful for refreshing your style anytime.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Paula's Choice - Shine Stopper Instant Matte Finish
KerryGold 6/14/2012 6:10:00 AM
Shine Stopper lives up to its name. If you're fed up with your oily skin, try this. And I MEAN "try" because I think it's one of those things that work for different people in different ways. Read through the reviews and experiment with the different methods mentioned to hit on the one that's right for you. I don't like to wear this directly before or after applying foundation. Here's what I do: My preferred weekday/office make-up method is to apply my make-up as usual in the morning, then finish with powder, and around midday when I'd normally blot and powder, I blot and pat Shine Stopper on my T-zone - no powder necessary. This keeps me shine-free for the rest of the working day. On a foundation-free, minimal make-up day, I apply concealer, mascara and blush, then pat Shine Stopper on my T-zone and top with a bit more blush if necessary. There's no need for foundation or powder. Shine Stopper seems to even out my complexion sufficiently. If you don't need coverage, it's just fabulous. I find three small blobs - one each on my index, second and middle fingers - the right amount.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Schwarzkopf - Instant Volume Powder
KerryGold 2/26/2012 2:44:00 AM
Description: This powder is described as a weightless formula that gives instantly visible and long-lasting volume. Directions on container: Shake a small amount into your palm and rub hands together. Apply on dry hair, focusing on the roots and then style as desired. For an extra volume boost, shake powder directly onto dry hair and roots, using your fingertips to work it in and then style as desired. Start with a small amount. Add more if required. My experience: My hair is grey and I currently have a short pixie cut. I'm always looking for something to give texture and piecey-ness without looking as if I'm trying too hard. So far, after a week of daily use, I love it. After blowdrying my hair, I apply a couple of shakes of powder to the palm of my hand, rub my hands and fingers together, then ruffle my fingers through my hair, lifting the roots a little and mussing things up a bit. I then quickly finesse it, which doesn't take long. I've discovered that over-styling backfires and have learnt when to stop! It adds just the right amount of separation and body to make my hair look less boring, without it looking as if I'm desperately trying to be a trendy, quirky baby boomer. Other comments: The container size is very handbag/purse friendly so it's easy to carry around for touch-ups. The powder is white but disappears and turns almost imperceptibly, slightly sticky on being rubbed in. It isn't as sticky or wet as hairspray nor as thick as a styling pomade.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Aveeno - Intense Relief Hand Cream
KerryGold 1/1/2012 1:49:00 AM
I suffer from dermatitis on one thumb, which in recent times has spread, so I was desperate to find something to halt its progress. Having tried hydrocortisone cream and many over-the-counter "natural" relief and remedy lotions, this is the one that truly makes a difference. Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream is a non-greasy, easily absorbed gel-like lotion that soothes and improves irritated, dry, cracked skin. Despite its supposedly not washing off, I always reapply it after I've washed my hands, and this is keeping the dermatitis well under control, which is the best that can be asked of this pesky skin condition. Along with using this, I'm very careful about washing with a non-irritating cream or liquid soap whenever possible and drying my hands thoroughly. I also avoid any potentially irritating substances or, if I can't, I wear cotton-lined gloves for protection. If I'm out and unable to reach for my Aveeno, I find rubbing a plain lip balm onto my thumb a good emergency measure, albeit a far greasier one. Do try this if you're at your wits' end. I hope it works well for you too.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Garnier - BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One 
KerryGold 12/24/2011 3:16:00 AM
EDITED 1/22/12: I won't buy this again, despite what I've said below. It's just too oily and useless on the hottest of hot days, which are being delivered in my part of the world right now. I can only recommend this for people with VERY dry skin. For those people, the following may hold true: It isn't a miracle. It doesn't perfect my complexion. And it isn't all-in-one because I like to use a separate sunscreen underneath. Despite all that, I find it useful. Why? Because it's a bridge between no foundation and just looking as if you're wearing no foundation. Does it improve anything? Slightly. Is that enough? Yes, for my weekends and holidays, when I'm happy for most of me to show through and to glow a bit. I find it a bit too moisturising/oily but I do brush powder over it and it holds up reasonably well with the odd blot or two on a hot Australian day, which is tough on any foundation. If you have ANY doubt about needing light or medium, choose light. Like me, you may regret choosing medium. Even though it spreads thinly, it looked too dark, and I now have it in light, which is more forgiving and blends to almost nothing. It's a plus that it has sun protection, but Australia demands more and I wouldn't trust my skin's health to what is basically a tinted moisturiser. Its name promises more than it delivers in my opinion and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants to cover an imperfection, but it's as cheap as chips and a quick-fix base to fool anyone into thinking you're not wearing foundation, yet makes just enough of a difference.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Unlisted Brand - Boom! by Cindy Joseph- Boomstick Color
KerryGold 10/29/2011 9:58:00 AM
Cindy Joseph promises much and she delivers. Boomstick Color is satisfying simple. It's foolproof and imparts a beautiful, authentic flush of colour. It's divine as a blush - soft and sheer, and it allows the natural skin tone to show through, yet it lasts. It looks pretty on my lips and feels like a cross between a lipstick and a lipbalm. Surprisingly, it works on my eyelids as well. To warm my complexion up a bit more, I also use it where I might otherwise apply bronzer. It's fun to experiment with. Boomstick Color is a good thing in a small package. It's perfect for holidays, perfect for when time is short, perfect for a guaranteed beauty boost. In my book, it's perfect full stop.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -The Body Shop - Almond Oil Daily Hand & Nail Cream
KerryGold 2/27/2011 5:44:00 AM
The price is approximately double what I'm prepared to pay for an everyday hand lotion, so this is in my wish/gift list rather than a regular purchase. If it were more reasonably priced, I'd be buying it over and over again. As many before me have said, the scent is divine - light, almondy, refreshing, clean - and the texture of the lotion is light, quite oily at first, and nourishing. It's great for hands, nails and cuticles. It quickly sinks in and is such a treat to apply. LOVE.
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Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Ego Sunsense Daily Face Matte Formula SPF30
KerryGold 12/5/2010 3:34:00 AM
My experience is that this is suited to the drier end of combination skin, normal skin and dry skin. I have an oily T-zone but I still LOVE this and am willing to put up with needing to blot now and then. I use it on my face only. Under my eyes and on my neck I use SunSense Moisturising Face SPF 30+ which is untinted so doesn't discolour collars and doesn't ball up around the eye area when I apply concealer. This is very quickly absorbed but leaves a slightly sticky finish, which is easily taken care of and soon forgotten. The tint disappears fast but leaves skin looking healthy and glowing, even after the shine is taken care of. It's very flattering to my complexion and I don't need to use foundation after applying it - hallelujah! I do however use an illuminator here and there and I sweep powder over my T-zone. During the day I blot a few times as well. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: * SPF 30+ * Sheer tint for matt finish * Oil-free base * Suitable for normal/combination skin * Suitable for acne prone skin * Moisturising * Fragrance-free, PABA-free, lanolin-free and propylene glycol-free * Blocks UV-A and UV-B rays * Manufactured to pharmaceutical standards. Regular and frequent use helps prevent skin cancer, premature ageing and wrinkling of the skin due to sun exposure. Every morning after cleansing apply evenly over the entire face and neck. May be worn alone or under make-up or moisturiser. Reapply after swimming or exercise. Avoid eyes. If irritation occurs, wash affected area and discontinue use.
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Concealers -Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer
KerryGold 10/30/2010 1:17:00 AM
This is currently my No. 1 concealer for the eye area because of: (1) its perfect liquid consistency for application and blending; (2) its effective but natural coverage; (3) its long wear; (4) its inability to settle into creases. Using the applicator wand, I dab on a teardrop. Then I spread it with a concealer brush, concentrating just on the darkness (up a little, down, then out a little to the side - rather than doing an around the eyes raccoon placement). To finish I pat and blend with my ring finger until it's undetectable from my own skin. If you like Lancome Effacernes, as I do, try this for comparison. I think Double Wear covers a little better and sticks around longer.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Self Tanners -Nivea - Summer Beauty
KerryGold 4/10/2010 6:53:00 AM
I use Fair to Medium and apply it to my arms three mornings a week and to my legs twice a week. The lighter shade is preferable for me as it's forgiving and won't look uneven if you slop on too much, or more one side than the other. It takes the edge off the paleness of my upper arms and looks natural. For some reason, the look is less natural on my legs if I use it more than twice a week. The lotion doesn't have a strong scent. It sinks in well and dries quickly. The colour build-up is gradual. When I began using it, it took about three applications to see a result. Nivea Summer Beauty is cheap and cheerful and does the trick. Update 5/22/11: I dared to start using the darker shade and discovered there's nothing to fear. It gives a slightly deeper result without looking obvious and again is forgiving of sloppy application and won't streak or go orange.
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Eyeliner -Lancome - Artliner- Brown
KerryGold 10/11/2009 5:56:00 AM
This is a very well packaged all-in-one liquid liner. The liquid sits in the "cap" and the long handled applicator with its fine flexible tip screws into the cap. Brown is a beautiful deep chocolate brown. It's a good substitute for black if you want a softer look without compromising impact and depth - great for daytime. I use it both to tightline and to line above the eye. My preference is to use it for tightlining as I prefer a pencil liner above my lashes. (I'm a liner klutz.) Shake before using. Draw a line on your hand first to remove excess liquid and then apply. Rather than dotting or doing a line in one sweep, I lay the tip as full length and flat as possible along my lashline and move along depositing colour in joined sections, if you get my drift. The only problem with the packaging is that my old eyes don't easily see the colour of the liner. As I have both the black and the brown, this is annoying.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -L'Oreal - Infallible Lip Colour Duo
KerryGold 8/22/2009 6:03:00 AM
This review is for the lipstick duo, not the doe-foot applicator duo, and it's ... Just awful! Anything that needs too many tips and tricks to make it a success is a dud in my book. This is far drier than even a long-wearing lipstick needs to be and its texture makes it very difficult if not impossible to apply evenly to lips. Applying it entails committing to a firm and perfectly placed first swipe - good luck. Then if you'd like to pare the depth of colour back a little, forget it, because trying to fix matters only results in a patchy mess. The colour I've been trying to persevere with is 500 Stay on Fire. The lipstick casing gives a good idea of the shade - a pretty and deepish red with a metallic finish, which is better for night than day. On the plus side, the packaging is clever and convenient with its mirror finish, the balm is useful even if the lipstick doesn't work for you, and the lipstick does stick like glue to the lips if that's what you're after and you're a better woman than I when it comes to application!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick
KerryGold 8/16/2009 3:22:00 AM
Regal Rose is a flattering shade for brunettes and the one I’ve chosen to begin with, but you can bet I’ll be buying more. It has enough medium rose oomph to light up my face without being over the top. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Paula’s Choice Beautypedia review site is so down on this lipstick. It’s in many ways similar to my experience of wearing the Paula’s Select long-wearing liquid lipstick, which I liked a lot, but this is better and the colour selection is superior. I line my lips first and then apply a couple of dabs to my bottom lip which I blend out with a lip brush. Then I smack my lips together, use the lip brush to neaten up the top lip and wait for it to dry, giving it about a minute. At this point it can be left as a nice matte finish but I blend one dab of Revlon’s Shine City lip gloss over my lips. This gives a little lustre without being so greasy that the lipstick comes off. It may not wear for as long using this method but it still sticks around far better than a normal lipstick, through drinking and eating foods that aren’t too greasy. Use a Q-tip rather than a lipbrush for an even lighter application. If you need more depth, build light layers rather than do it in one application. Highly recommended.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Ultima II - Wonderwear Longwearing [DISCONTINUED]
KerryGold 7/4/2009 9:57:00 PM
I'm surprised I haven't heard more about this foundation on the MakeupAlley boards. It's quite simply the perfect medium to full coverage foundation for combination to oily complexioned girls. I don't wear it on a daily basis as it may be a little too drying, but when I'm invited to something special, nothing beats it. It's easily applied and smoothed onto the face (I use my fingers) and it covers and evens the complexion wonderfully well without even a hint of looking like a mask, yet even blemishes disappear without needing concealer - in my experience, at least. You can easily add glow and oomph with blush, bronzer, luminisers or whatever you like, but unwanted shine is kept at bay for ages. It doesn't settle into creases and fine lines - hallelujah! This may be helped by my use of Clarins Instant Smooth primer underneath. And it gives hours and hours of confident wear. You won't need to check in the mirror until it's time to wash it off.
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Lip Treatments -Fusion Beauty - LipFusion XL 2X Micro-Injected Collagen and HA Lip Plumping Therapy
KerryGold 6/26/2009 7:06:00 AM
My top lip is thin to the point of invisibility (almost) when I smile and my bottom lip is of less than medium thickness. I reach for LipFusion XL with a 7-out-of-10 confidence score that it makes my lips look a bit more generous. I'm following the instructions to use it at night before sleeping. I have tried applying it before lip colour too but it isn't designed for this and is too goopy. It could, however, be used on its own successfully as a clear gloss - and I mean "gloss" as it is shiny. It causes a tingling sensation shortly after application, but not unpleasantly and not for long. It's quite expensive but try a tube at least once. Having my lips injected is not an option I'd consider, so I'll be buying this again unless it's superseded by something even better. If you like the "injected lips" look but not the thought of the injection, here's a tip I learnt here to create a modified version: rather than following the outline of the cupid's bow with your lip liner, join the two points of the bow with a straight line across, then fill in all over with colour. It gives a little bit of the duck look but not the whole beak.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No