Treatments -Alpha Hydrox - Retinol Night ResQ
Lecitroen 6/4/2012 4:02:00 AM
I've been on a mission to get smooth and even-toned skin, like I had in my early 20's(I'm 30). After years of acne, I have raised and depressed scarring, and little red spots everywhere. Not wearing makeup has been impossible for yeeaaars, which can be annoying when you just want the "real" you to shine sometimes. I can't give a strict review of the Retinol cream without including the rest of my night skin regimen. So you can see where it all fits :) Also, I should mention my skin can handle harsh products, I can use them daily. After some trial and error using Retinol Night ResQ, here is what I found... Firstly, I use Boots MicroDermabrasion every night. My skin's texture improved dramatically because of it. HG product. Then I apply Retinol Night ResQ. I apply it to my entire face, under my eyes, and on my neck. I use it every night. My skin tone and texture improved after about a week. My red spots have practically disappeared and the bumpy skin near my chin is gone. I did notice a little dryness in a few areas so I apply dermaE Tea Tree & E Antiseptic Creme afterwards. I bought it on a whim and thought the Tea Tree Oil would help with my acne and the Vitamin E would help with overall healing. I apply it to my entire face and neck. Lets just say the combination of the products I have listed have officially given me my skin back. Think baby-bottom skin! Today I did not wear foundation! I have noticed that the Retinol has caused some sensitivity under my eyes, but only when I apply concealer. It stings for a few minutes. It is not unbearable, but I think it's probably because the skin there is thinner and more sensitive. So be aware. I've only recently started a skin routine and learned that my products work OK on their own, but really kick ass when I fine tuned it to my issues :) So I recommend you give a product a chance by mixing it up. However, if you have pretty good skin already, I'd highly recommend using Retinol ResQ on its own. The price is a steal for what you get!
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Treatments -Mario Badescu - Buffering Lotion
Lecitroen 5/13/2012 11:41:00 PM
I did the unthinkable, I extracted a pimple with my hands. Next thing I know a cystic pimple arrives. Learned my lesson! I was desperate to reduce it so I purchased the Buffering Lotion, since it is specifically made for cystic acne. I applied the lotion and it reduced the pain and stopped it from growing. It has been about 2 weeks(yes, a long time), but this has helped with the healing. Faced with the other option, of seeing it get massive and painful, I am ok with this route. It is about 90% smaller and I feel like I might escape scarring. I have also been applying it to small patches of small pimples. None of them have become bigger. For now, I am happy with this product. I might try another acne product from MB my skin needs something else.
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Scrubs -Boots - No 7 Micro-Dermabrasion
Lecitroen 5/13/2012 11:16:00 PM
After overdoing it with a glycolic cleanser one day, my skin was at its worst. I had already been concerned with acne and fine lines, so things were looking down. I took a break from the glycolic cleanser and purchased Boots Micro Dermabrasion scrub. I was highly doubtful of its claims, despite the positive reviews I'd read. How is it possible to achieve dramatic results without seeing a Dermatologist? Thankfully I was wrong! The first day of use, my skin felt very soft after I rinsed it off. I followed the directions and didn't see any unusual redness or "blotchiness". I scrubbed lightly but evenly for 2 minutes. The next night I looked at my skin and determined there was no visible reason not to use the scrub again. Once again, my skin felt soft after use. It was hard to stop the streak, because the results were very promising. I took a day off after 4 days of continued use. Today is one week after I purchased the scrub. I looked at my skin in daylight and the texture was ridiculous. My raised scars were flatter. The tone of my skin was even, less redness. In all my years of buying products, I've never been 100% happy with one. I've read about reviewers having HG products and I can finally say this is mine! I really hope this product is never discontinued! It has made me less self-conscious about my skin and I look forward to the long-term results! For the record I just turned 30(eek) and my skin has been losing its natural luster. I have 15 years of acne-prone skin and have a combination of raised and depressed scarring.
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Cleansers -Mario Badescu - Glycolic Foaming Cleanser
Lecitroen 5/1/2012 7:53:00 AM
I'd read good things about this cleanser so I purchased it in hopes of clearing up my acne-prone skin and improving my skin texture(ie. acne scars). The first few weeks, I washed my face nightly with the cleanser. My skin surprisingly could handle it. After 3 weeks of continued use, I noticed less acne and smoother skin. However, one day I washed it 2x in one day(I had to remove makeup twice that day) and my skin suffered for it with insane dryness. The texture of my skin was awful and I looked like I had aged. I had to stop using it for a week. So don't ruin a good thing by overdoing it one day! I should add that using Glycolic Acid will only exfoliate your skin to a certain degree. It is a chemical exfoliant. If you read Dermatologists advice, they say you HAVE to use a physical exfoliant too(ie. a scrub). Using just the Glycolic Cleanser is just half of the overall exfoliation process. In addition to the Glycolic Cleanser, I am using Boots Micro Dermabrasion. It is the best thing ever! My plan is to use the Glycolic Cleanser every other night and Boots Micro Dermabrasion on nights when I don't use the Glycolic cleanser. I will update my results in a few weeks. The cleanser will last at least 6-8 months. It foams up really well from just one drop of cleanser. For that reason, it is cost effective.
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Styling Products -Garnier - Flexible Control Anti-Humidity Hair Spray
Lecitroen 4/13/2012 11:25:00 PM
My review includes a very specific hair situation. I live in Los Angeles and I really don't encounter problems with humidity, so I've hardly used this hairspray. Yesterday I went to a Radiohead concert in Santa Barbara in an open-air stadium on a rainy day. Totally not cool for my fine wavy/frizzy hair! In anticipation of the evening's rain, I added about a dime-sized amount of John Frieda's Secret Weapon to my damp hair and then blow-dried it. After drying and straightening my hair with a flat-iron, I hair-sprayed it with about 3 even layers of this hairspray. Once we got to Santa Barbara we immediately went in search of a plastic poncho, since no umbrellas were allowed at the concert. We walked around Santa Barbara before the concert for about 1.5 hours, when it was really overcast and humid. My hair did not frizz or get wavy at all! So far so good! Luckily we found plastic ponchos, a funny experience to say the least. During the concert it rained on us, on and off, for about 2 hours. For the most part the poncho stayed on. Sometimes I'd take off the hood, even allowing a few droplets to touch my hair. Why get so precious about my hair at this point? In the end my hair had to deal with damp conditions and eventually regained some wave back. However, usually when the rain hits my hair, it is a frizzy, awful mess and I look like I am 13 again. This time, there was no noticeable frizz! Sure my hair got a little wavy(it did get wet), but it wasn't frizzy and unevenly wavy! The next morning I woke up and I had soft waves! I definitely think the ingredients in the hairspray calmed my hair. To summarize, the combo of John Frieda Secret Weapon and the hairspray kept my hair frizz-free and straight in high humidity. The combination also helped my hair remain calm once it got wet. I'll definitely use this again on a rainy day, whether I get my hair wet or not (preferably not!).
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