Liquid -Maybelline - Fit Me Foundation
Luna73 4/28/2013 11:09:00 PM
I'm not a fan of foundation in general, and don't wear it on a daily basis, since I'm usually OK with just concealer -- but for special events I wanted a little more coverage to hide some mild discoloration and spots. This foundation was an almost perfect match for my skin tone. I applied very little -- just dabbed on with a sponge and that completely hid almost all of my skin issues. (The one exception was a honking red chin zit that only Photoshop could fix.) The coverage is light to medium, but felt very light on to me -- heavy, greasy foundation is my pet peeve and why I don't wear it more often. It didn't cake up or show in any creases. After a night of dancing, it seemed like some of this wore off before I actually washed it off, but my skin still looked pretty good. I'm enough of a fan that I'm may wear foundation a little more often.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Tanda Skincare System
Luna73 12/9/2012 1:33:00 PM
I've only been using the Tanda for a few weeks -- and not religiously at that -- but I've definitely already seen noticeable improvement in my skin. The first two weeks, I used it only on the right side of my face and neck and only on my personal problem areas: Early marionette lines, my forehead "11," and crepey skin in my decolletage. The best results were seen on my forehead and neck -- those lines are gone on my chest and close to gone on my forehead. I can't say it's the kind of transformation that people who hadn't seen me in awhile would notice, but comparing the left to the right side, there's no denying the improvement. It's less clear that the deeper lines around my mouth have been filled in, although it appears they have slightly. I'm hoping that with more time, these will see the same kind of benefit. The device itself is easy to use and problem free: Comfortable on your skin, easy to charge and maintain, etc. Definitely would recommend for early wrinkles. I'm giving four lippies for now -- I'll update later if I've seen improvement on those deeper lines. Update: After a few more weeks of off-and-on use, I can definitely say it has helped the deeper lines around my mouth as well. The improvement isn't as dramatic -- the lines still exist, but they're much shallower and less noticeable. The finer lines dissappear -- but I noticed when I stopped using the device they do rebound a bit. All in all, I'm very pleased with the product.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Visibly Even Daily SPF 15 Moisturizer
Luna73 11/23/2012 2:45:00 PM
I'm a big fan of Neutrogena products in general, but this is not one of their best. I bought this when I desperately needed more moisturizer and they were out of my usual product -- which is also from Neutrogena. I thought being by the same brand they'd be similar. Hardly. This does an OK job moisturizing, but it's not quite as rich as I would like for my relatively dry skin. It's probably fine if you have oily or normal skin, but those with very dry skin will want to steer clear. It also doesn't glide very smoothly over skin which I have never before experienced with a moisturizer. It's got an almost tacky feel to it once it's on your skin. Unpleasant and awkward to work with. It's supposed to help brighten skin and even out complexion -- fortunately, I don't really have a need for that, so I can't speak to how well it meets those criteria. Packaging is Ok, although I think getting the last bits out of the bottle will be tough since this is a harder plastic that's tougher to squeeze. I won't buy again, and wouldn't recommend unless you don't need a moisturizer that's meant for dry skin.
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Lip Treatments -Fresh - Sugar Rose Lip Treatment SPF 15
Luna73 9/7/2012 10:53:00 PM
I was so disappointed in this balm. The packaging is good: sturdy and attractive. But the product inside is close to worthless. The balm is a basic balm with some SPF. It does an OK job of moisturizing but it feels very heavy, and comes off if you so much as look at a glass or piece of food. The tint looked good in the container (very similar to my favorite Clinque chubby stick) but it barely showed up on my lips -- and wore off so fast it was pointless. The product is soft, but in a twist-up tube, so every time you use it, the stick moves and gets dented by the side of the tube. I can see already I'll have to move this into a tub before it breaks off at the base. I got this as the Sephora birthday sample, so for the price I "paid" it's OK. But at $20+ for the regular size, I would never ever buy this or recommend it to someone else.
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Lip Treatments -Fresh - Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
Luna73 9/7/2012 10:40:00 PM
This is just not a very good product. I'll start with the positives: The packaging is very good from a technical standpoint (sturdy and protective) and it's very attractive and high-end looking. Sadly, the product inside is close to worthless. The balm is your basic, generic brand lip balm. It does an adequate job of moisturizing and protecting lips, but it's nothing to write home about. It feels a touch too heavy, and yet it doesn't last very long. On the plus side, it does have sunscreen. Because the product is soft, but in a twist-up tube, every time you use it, the stick moves around in it's holder acquiring little dings and dents. I can see already that I'll have to move this into a tub before long if I want to continue using it. I got this as the Sephora birthday sample, and it's OK enough that I'll probably keep using it til it breaks or runs out. But at $20+ for the regular size, I couldn't possibly be talked into buying it, nor can I recommend.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Alterna - Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Dry Oil Mist
Luna73 6/23/2012 11:20:00 PM
A new HG product for my fine, dry, color-treated hair. This oil smoothes, defrizzes, adds shine and leaves my hair so soft my boyfriend noticed IMMEDIATLEY that I had used something differrent on my hair. What it doesn't do: Weight my hair down, feel greasy or leave a residue. I paid more than I would like to for the bottle, but you need so little product per use that it ends up being a pretty decent value. (One bottle will last you months -- over a year if you don't use it every day.) Highly recommend.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Clinique - Chubby Stick - Super Strawberry
Luna73 6/1/2012 4:52:00 PM
LOVE this product. I'm a fan of Clinique's Almost Lipstick, and I think I like this even better. It is similar in texture and opacity when applied. I was looking for a product that would give a sheer, natural-looking tint to my lips, a little shine without glossy or feeling sticky and wouldn't dry out my lips. This delivers on all points. If you want heavy color, no, you will not like this. And it does fade a bit faster than I would like -- although that's true of every lip product besides a stain. Packaging is awesome -- easy to swipe on, no mess, no melting or shifting in the tube in the heat and very durable so I can stick it in my purse and not worry about it. It seems like a lot of money for a lip color, but this stick lasts forever. I've been using mine constantly for two weeks and have barely worn down the nub. Highly recommend.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - Rita Hazan Root Concealer
Luna73 8/3/2011 4:51:00 PM
I really wanted this to work, but it delivers too little and costs a lot for very few uses. Pros: --The colors match pretty well, and what you get on your hair will effectively cover roots and/or stray grays. --Once you let it dry and brush it out, the texture is quite good and loses the initial stickiness. --It does stay put until you wash your hair. Cons: --Anytime I touched my hair, some of the residue came off on my hands -- even hours later. I didn't notice at first, so by lunch time, my right hand looked like i had been digging in dirt. -- Application is somewhat tricky. If you're applying it to your hairline or part, good luck not getting it to stain the skin underneath. The excellent color saturation on your hair will be matched by a not-so-pretty muddy smudge on your forehead/scalp. And it's hard to get off, because the color stays put until you shampoo -- water alone won't remove it. -- Costs way too much for a can that will give you only a handful of uses. In short, I would use this only in desperation, but for the price, it's not really worth it. I can't recommend it, and I will not repurchase.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -L'Oreal - Root Rescue
Luna73 4/13/2011 3:52:00 PM
Steer clear. I bought this out of desperation when my regular product was sold out. I would've been better off sporting my gray roots than this color. I used the Dark Auburn shade, which is specifically mentioned as being a match for the Nice 'N Easy shade I usually use. Because of that, I didn't bother pre-testing the color. HUGE mistake. The applicator worked very well for me -- almost as good as using my brush. And the process seemed to go smoothly. Until I washed out the color. The "dark auburn" color (which is shown to be basically a medium brown with reddish tones -- just like the NNE 112 shade) came out nearly Ronald McDonald red on my hair. It isn't even remotely close to matching anything anyone would describe as auburn. After several washings, I've gotten it toned down to a dark burgundy which looks better -- until you see that the rest of my hair is brownish-red. This product is a complete waste. Will not buy again, would never recommend. One lippie only because it will not allow me to select zero.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -L'Oreal - ColorVive
Luna73 1/5/2008 4:31:00 PM
This used to be an HG for me, but it seems in the past year or so, they've changed the formula. When I first bought the new version, I was astonished at how BAD it was. After it dried, my hair looked as if I had never conditioned it: Dry, tangled and not soft at all. I ended up tossing the bottle. There are far better products out there.
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Fragrances -The Body Shop - Oceanus Line
Luna73 12/24/2007 10:21:00 AM
This is my go-to summer scent: light refreshing and clean smelling at a fairly low price. I was a little worried when I realized I'd gone through a large bottle in just two weeks or so -- until my bf admitted that he'd started using it when he ran out of his own cologne. Gotta love a product that can multitask. ;-)
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Fragrances -Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Schezerade
Luna73 12/23/2007 6:06:00 PM
My fave of all the BPAL scents. It's warm and spicy without being overpowering. And it lasts and lasts and lasts....
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Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara
Luna73 12/23/2007 4:56:00 PM
I'm surprised this is rated so low... I've been using this consistently for years and have never had problems with smudging, flaking, etc. It wears long, has a rich color and is dirt cheap. I love it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -DDF - Glycolic Toner 10%
Luna73 12/23/2007 4:37:00 PM
I have pretty dry, sensitive skin, but am prone to blackheads and that combo has made it hard for me to find a "pore product" that didn't kill the rest of my face. But DDF is a miracle product. I noticed visible results within 2 days: clearer skin, less redness in my cheeks, etc. With longer use (about six months now) I find that I breakout less and the few fine lines around my eyes and lips have just about disappeared. If I use it right after I wash my face it stings just a tiny bit -- but waiting 10 minutes after a wash to use it takes care of that problem. Interestingly, I had a small wart on one of my fingers that had not responded to treatment, and after a few weeks of using DDF even that was gone. (The wart was on the hand I hold the cotton ball with.) While it's not the cheapest toner, it's the most effective skincare product I've EVER used. Highly recommend it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No