Cleansers -Korres - White tea fluid gel cleanser
Magnificus 1/22/2012 5:01:00 AM
The cleanser came as a sample in a set I bought from Sephora. I almost didn't use this because my skin is sensitive and acne-prone, but decided to just give it a shot 'cause it was mostly all natural and I needed a new cleanser. I am incredibly glad that I decided to use this. This helped to clear up my acne and helped the texture of my skin. Despite the fact that I do have a few small bumps (whiteheads/clogged pores) on my forehead and apples of my cheeks, my skin feels very soft and smooth. My skin is less red and more balanced (not too oily, not too dry). I also notice that my pores are less clogged. I like to use Sephora's pink face scrublet in conjunction because it works even better. I wish the packaging wasn't in a bottle with a flip-top cap, because of the consistency of the product. The product s thin and runny, so when you have to be very careful when you're pouring it out or risk a spill. The scent of this is very light and does not linger. It smells citrusy, kind of like limes or lemons, and is very refreshing in the morning. Due to the fact that is it mostly natural and does not have sulfates, it is not as quick to lather and the lather it does produce might not be as substantial as some would like. That's not an issue for me, because sulfates are actually bad for the skin. A trick to getting this to lather is to first wet the face and hands, pour a nickel size amount of product in the palm of your hands, and then to rub both palms together (as if you're washing your hands) before distributing the product on your face. Using a face cleanser implement (scrublet, Clarisonic, face "brush", etc.) definitely helps creating a nice light lather. It does remove light face make up, but you will most likely need a separate eye make up remover or make up removing wipes for heavy make up. I think this product is definitely worth a try for those with normal to oily, sensitive, acne-prone skin. This is quite possibly a holy grail and the end to my search for a good face cleanser that fulfills all my needs.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Crème -Laura Mercier - Silk Creme Foundation
Magnificus 1/12/2012 5:26:00 PM
For reference: NC25 in MAC, #123 in MUF, and Bamboo Beige in LM. I applied this with a damp beauty blender and found that it gives really good coverage and blends easily. However, this looks a little heavy/cakey. I bought this mainly because the SA told me it would give me good coverage while still looking natural and would help control my oil. I'm not generally very oily, but certain products do cause my skin to produce excess oil. Throughout the day, this made my skin incredibly oily and I found myself blotting 2-3 times. I also found that my face was feeling a little itchy as the day wore on. After I washed this off, I found my skin to be red, blotchy, and my forehead covered with new whiteheads. The pores on my nose and chin also looked clogged. All this, from after one use! Prior to this, I had only a little redness and a few white heads on my forehead. People with sensitive, acne-prone skin beware! I suffered not only an allergic reaction, but I also broke out from this.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Make Up For Ever - HD High Definition Foundation
Magnificus 1/3/2012 9:22:00 PM
I have combination skin that can get very dry in the winter, but somehow this foundation ends up making my face very oily - especially so if I don't use a powder on top. I think this would be better for normal to dry skin. That being said, this foundation provides a light/medium coverage and will look cakey if you try to build it to full coverage. I'm an NC25 in MAC and the shade #123 matches me best. It does come in a lot of other colors, which makes matching a lot easier. Personally, I'm satisfied with the coverage this gives me and how natural it looks when applied properly. It hides minor imperfections like light acne scarring and some redness. Your skin doesn't look matte or dewy, but it has the sheen a bare face has - if that makes sense. Another plus, is that this doesn't break me out. I find that it's best to apply this foundation with a damp sponge, because any other method seems to apply this too heavily and doesn't blend well enough.
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Cleansers -Clinique - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
Magnificus 10/17/2011 9:36:00 PM
I wanted a moisturizing cleanser and thought that a cleansing balm or oil would work best. This was the pretty much perfect on my set of criteria. Unlike previous cleansing balms/oils, this rinses clean - no film! (I do follow with my Dickson's Witch Hazel toner anyway.) This left my face soft and supple, no dry patches or tightness, and helped with the redness I have. I always wash my hands before I used this as to not contaminate the product, so I didn't mind the product coming in a jar. I personally liked the tub because I could get every little bit out (if I continued to use this), but a squeeze tube might be easier for travel. You don't need much of this either. HOWEVER, after regular use (about a week and a half to two weeks), I noticed that my pores were very clogged and I had to use a q-tip to unclog them almost every two days. No breakouts, but eventually some of the clogged pores developed into little bumps of my nose that would not go away. Once I stopped using this and switched over to my previous cleanser (Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel), the bumps went away. This would've been my HG if only this didn't give me severely clogged pores. Sensitive acne-prone combination skin beware!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Milani - Jewel FX Gems
Magnificus 10/2/2011 6:50:00 PM
This is a great dupe for Deborah Lippman's Happy Birthday as well as the cheaper dupe (Sephora by OPI has a dupe of DL's Happy Birthday). You can get great coverage in two coats and it's best worn over another nail polish color. Like all glitter nail polishes, it will be tougher to remove. While I love the effect this polish gives, I've noticed that this stains my nail bed yellow. I use a base coat and two coats of polish before I apply this, and I still notice that my nail beds are stained. That is disappointing and causes me to reach for this less often. Maybe I got a defective bottle? I don't know. This is still so pretty, though. Deborah Lippman, Happy Birthday: $24 Sephora by OPI, Spark-tacular: $9.50 Milani Jewel FX, Gems: $3.99 - 4.99 I've also read about Claire's and Ulta having a dupe for DL's Happy Birthday as well, so ya'll might want to check those out if you can't find this.
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Cleansers -Clarins - Pure Melt Cleansing Gel
Magnificus 9/12/2011 5:15:00 AM
I really like the packaging of this product and it's light scent. It's in a clear squeeze tube so you can get every little bit of product out and so you can see how much product you have left. I'm not too big a fan of it's color 'cause I prefer something with less added ingredients, but it's not that big of a deal. This comes out of the tube a gel, and as you massage this into your face, the heat of your fingers melt this into an oil on your face that emulsifies with water. I've been using this for about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks once daily and I notice that it has improved the texture and tone of my skin. I have some redness but after using this, I noticed that I was only a little bit red on my problem (acne) areas. I was using MAC's studio fix fluid that broke me out terribly and this helped to fix it! After you wash this off, it does feel like something's been left on your skin, but my cotton ball with toner comes up clean. Also, when your face dries, you don't feel the residue. I think this clogs the pores on my nose faster than usual but it hasn't caused any breakout/whitehead/blackhead (KNOCK ON WOOD). I also noticed that I get a few dry patches around my mouth that don't even go away after a lot moisturizer - it just ends up feeling like oily, dry, rough skin. I will continue to use this but I plan to try something else before I repurchase this.
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Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85
Magnificus 9/12/2011 4:59:00 AM
I was looking for a high spf sunscreen because i'd be walking around campus in 100 degree weather. The packaging is really slim, perfect to take on the go with you, and I like that it's a squeeze tube. However, I have mixed feelings about the product itself. Pros: - blends very easily - no white cast - evens skin tone (ex. redness) - did not feel sticky - very lightweight - absorbs quickly - moisturizing - mattifying Cons: - broke me out (after one use!) It would've been the perfect sunscreen for me if it didn't break me out every time I used it. I feel like this would be a better suited for someone who doesn't have sensitive, acne-prone skin like I do.
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Styling Products -TRESemme - Thermal Creations Curl Activator
Magnificus 9/12/2011 4:49:00 AM
I'm a big fan of the Tresemme Heat Tamer (all-in-one heat protectant), so when I saw this I decided to try it out - big mistake! I knew this was something I would be immediately returning because it left my hair extremely sticky and it also smelled like liquid chemicals. Even though I followed the instructions and blow-dried my hair after using this, my hair felt rough and was tangled. On top of that, it felt like I had fried my hair despite the fact that I only blow-dried it for about 30 seconds on medium heat! Save your money and stick with the Tresemme Heat Tamer, it smells better and it leaves your hair feeling super soft!
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Cleansers -Burt's Bees - Deep Cleansing Cream with Soap Bark and Chamomile
Magnificus 7/26/2011 1:40:00 AM
Like a lot of other reviewers said, this will leave a film of residue on your face. You only feel like this while you're washing this product off your face because it's a little hard to rub your face. It kind of feels like you have oil on your skin and you're trying to rinse it off with water and it's not working. However, after you dry your face, it feels clean. This is probably because of the menthol in this product - it makes your face feel super tingly and refreshed. I wasn't expecting the menthol in this to be so potent. It's like as menthol-y as an Altoid. The product is a white cream but it doesn't lather or foam. There also isn't much of a scent to this product. This product made me feel paranoid about breaking out because it does leave a "film" on the skin, so I discontinued use. I also felt like it might've been too drying if I continued to use this long term.
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Cleansers -Origins - Clean Energy Cleansing Oil
Magnificus 7/26/2011 1:30:00 AM
I was looking for a moisturizing cleanser so I thought that an oil-based cleanser would work best. However, oddly enough, this ended up being too drying for me. It ended up giving me a few dry patches. This gets three lipsticks because it rinses clean and leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. I felt like I had "normal" skin after washing my face with the exception of a few dry patches. I think this would be good for someone who has oily skin and for people who wear a lot of make up. When you rinse this off, there is no foaming action or lather like some emulsifying oil cleansers. This does not come with a pump so I had to buy a pump ($1.50,) which I felt should've been included in this price. The scent is light and does not linger. If I had oiler skin, I would've kept this.
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Styling Products -Unlisted Brand - Zotos Blow Dry Addict
Magnificus 7/8/2011 4:25:00 AM
I bought this on a whim at Sally's when I went there to look for a crystal nail file. I don't recommend anyone to buy this. The only positive thing would be that the product came in a pump bottle. The product itself is like a gel/cream consistency, more on the cream side, and is misleading. When you're rubbing it in your hands, it gives you the impression that it will distribute evenly throughout your hair. However, as soon as you try to apply it to your damp hair, it does not cooperate and makes you feel like you're putting rubber into your hair. I combed it through with a wide-tooth comb hoping for better distribution but who knows if that worked. After I blow-dried my hair, my hair didn't feel any softer and in fact felt rougher. My hair also felt incredibly weighed down and kind of dirty. I didn't use much product either, only a pump for my bra length hair. I'm going to stick with Tresemme's Heat Tamer Spray for now; cheaper and works better.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
Magnificus 7/8/2011 4:00:00 AM
I love this moisturizer! It is my all-time favorite! I've been using this for about a year now as a day/night cream. It comes in a jar in two different sizes. I don't mind that it comes in a jar, but keep that in mind if that is a really pet peeve of yours. It's scent-free but it does have a light pink color to it. I have sensitive, acne-prone, combination skin and this does not irritate my skin or cause me to break out at all. I love the gel consistency of this because it absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn't make you feel sticky. It feels cool and soothing when I'm applying this to my face, too. It is very moisturizing for something that is oil-free. I always wake up with a smooth, plump face - it makes me look like I've gotten a full nights rest when I generally only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. This is pretty pricey, but you don't need much. I use this everyday, morning and night, and it's lasted me months! Love this stuff!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cerave - Hydrating Cleanser
Magnificus 7/8/2011 3:51:00 AM
I bought this on a whim at CVS 'cause I was getting dry patches from this one cleanser I was using. This didn't work. As I was rinsing it off, my face didn't even feel smooth. After three uses, it dried out my whole face and left my face feeling kind of rough. Even though this claims it's moisturizing, it was quite the opposite. I did like the pump though. The consistency is like a gel/cream hybrid and it doesn't foam or lather. The first time I used it, I felt like there was a film of like ... oil or something left on my skin. For $12.99 + tax, this was a rip off. Going back to CVS!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -L'Oreal - EverStrong Hydrating shampoo
Magnificus 7/6/2011 3:26:00 PM
At first, I really liked this shampoo. it smelled really good and it only takes a little bit to clean your hair. However, I noticed that the ends of my hair felt really dry. I thought that it was because I might've needed a trim since I haven't had one in months. Even after my trim, I noticed that the ends of my hair were still dry. Then I realized after reading reviews on here about this product, that this shampoo was causing dry ends for others as well! So as an experiment, I used a different shampoo the next day and voila! My ends were not dry but soft and heathy. I immediately threw out the shampoo even though I still had some left.
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Treatments -LUSH - Grease Lightning Spot Cleanser
Magnificus 7/1/2011 4:01:00 AM
I liked the packaging a lot and I also liked the gel-type consistency of this. There is really not much of a fragrance, and what little fragrance you can detect is not unpleasant. However, that's all I liked. The product itself says it's a super effective spot treatment for developing and existing acne, but I noticed no difference. It didn't help my acne but it didn't worsen my acne. I was still getting break outs, but it's most likely because this was so ineffective. I felt like I was just smoothing on aloe vera gel but even that is probably more effective than this. In my opinion, this product was a waste of money. It's expensive for how much you get and how useless this is. If it was super effective, I wouldn't mind how much it costs.
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