Lotions/ Creams -Lubriderm - Advanced Therapy Moisturizing Lotion
SinCity 5/12/2013 4:42:00 PM
I haven't tried every body moisturizer on the market, but had to write a review for this one when I discovered that a patch of discolored skin on my leg had almost gone back to normal. Over a year ago my doctor told me the discoloration was a result of some eczema that had never completely cleared up, and that it was unlikely to go away. Admittedly, I had not been very consistent with moisturizing my legs over the years. I've used a few different products, including Kiehl's Crème de Corps, with totally acceptable results for the rest of my body, but nothing seemed to make a difference to the patch. One day I ran out of my moisturizer du jour and decided to try Lubriderm AT. Within a couple of weeks the patch is virtually gone and the only change in my routine has been using Lubriderm daily. I also like the light scent and agree with others that it does not feel greasy to me. This is a total winner for me, and I actually don't mind taking the time to use it every day.
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Liquid -Giorgio Armani - Maestro Fusion Makeup
SinCity 2/10/2013 6:29:00 PM
I am an Armani foundation fanatic. I've used Luminous Silk, Lasting Silk and Face Fabric. The only one that really didn't work for me was FF. I was so excited to try Maestro, and I was not disappointed. There's definitely a learning curve to it. It provides light but very even coverage, and is somewhat buildable, but I find that if I try to layer it on too thick my skin will look extra dry and the foundation sits on top of it rather than blending in. In fact, every so often when I am in a big rush I slap too much on and it will get uneven and caked on in areas. So less is definitely more with this product. Because I have a couple of areas that need extra coverage (e.g., my nose) I dot some Lasting Silk on instead of trying to build up the Maestro (I'm a 4 in LS and a 3 in M). This works very well. It takes me literally seconds to blend Maestro into my skin so long as I start with a just a small amount. I squeeze a drop into my palm and simply smooth it on with my fingers, again, being very careful not to overdo it. This stuff has a lot of slip to it! I have tried it with and without primer and definitely prefer the look with my HG primer, Laura Mercier Radiance. Note that many other reviewers consider this to be a better product for combination to oily skin. I have dry, but typically well moisturized, skin with no major dry patches. Still, at times, without primer underneath, Maestro can look a little "flat." I'm almost 40 and a lot of heavier coverage foundations have started to exacerbate the appearance of my fine lines (alas, including Lasting Silk). If applied correctly, Maestro does look smooth and natural and it feels like nothing on my skin. Yet it is still better coverage than I get from a TM. I wish I could give it a 4.5 instead of a 4. I can't give it a 5 because it is not quite as buildable as I would like and I am not a huge fan of the dropper bottle. The makeup is very liquid and slippery and gets all over the rim. Also, Armani claims that this has some kind of long term anti-aging benefit and honestly I can neither confirm nor deny it. Certainly I would not buy this product hoping to see some major change in my skin. To me it's just a really nice foundation that looks natural and feels good on.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Smashbox - Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer
SinCity 10/2/2012 7:01:00 PM
Having used this for two weeks under a couple of different concealers, I feel I can finally comment on it. This primer provides a nice, even surface, fills in the lines under my eyes and smooths some of the crepey skin around my inner eye (this is a tough area to fix for me). It has a subtle pinkness to it that helps even out my skintone a little bit (note, I am very fair with blueish purple undereye circles). I have tried a few different regular (face) primers under my eyes, and they all worked to some degree, but there really is something unique about this product that has me reaching for it every day. I'm not sure if it's hydrating exactly but it's definitely not drying nor does it leave the eye area feeling greasy and it sinks in within seconds. I use it over an eye cream without any problems. I expected to return this product thinking it couldn't possibly be worth the $29, but I'm keeping it and will probably buy again when it runs out.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Giorgio Armani - Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup
SinCity 1/24/2012 6:38:00 PM
I got through most of a tube of this before deciding to review it. At the beginning I absolutely fell in love with this product for two reasons: the first is that the color match was excellent on my fair skin, just a tiny bit darker than my shade in Lasting Silk Foundation (very "healthy" looking), and the second is the ease of application. Thanks to the silicones, this product takes me about 15 seconds to apply and blend. I got so used to the simplicity of it that if I switched back to one of my other foundations I would run out of time to finish the rest of my makeup! However, I recently returned to my old standby Lasting Silk. I did not like how Face Fabric looked on my skin in photographs, it seemed to wear off during the day, it was not covering redness very well (even with concealer) and when I returned to using Lasting Silk I realized that my days of getting away with a tinted moisturizer or really lightweight foundation are clearly over. I think 10 or 15 years ago this product would have been wonderful for me. One thing that I love about Lasting Silk is that it seems to meld into my skin during the day, while still providing good overall coverage (my skin is on the dry side, so the result is a very subtle dewy glow that I think works for me. I have always been somewhat surprised that Lasting Silk has this effect on my skin since it is more of a normal to oily skin foundation). I certainly recommend trying Face Fabric and I will continue to use it on low makeup days, but I have decided that it does not replace a full coverage makeup for me.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -A/G - Recoil Curl Activator
SinCity 8/17/2011 12:54:00 AM
I have naturally wavy/curly hair. Previous reviewers have pretty much said it all, but I have to say this worked best for me when I used fastfood leave-in conditioner first to minimize frizz. I let my hair air dry and this combination gave me very nice results.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - AG xtramoist moisterizing shampoo
SinCity 8/17/2011 12:47:00 AM
I bought this along with fastfood leave-in conditioner. Frankly I'm not sure whether this product is any better or worse than other moisturizing shampoos; it doesn't leave my hair feeling particularly moisturized, but it seems to work well with the conditioner so I'm giving it a 4. I am not a fan of the smell, I find it a bit sickly, but it dissipates quickly.
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Shampoo -A/G - Xtramoist Moisturizing Shampoo
SinCity 8/17/2011 12:46:00 AM
I bought this along with fastfood leave-in conditioner. Frankly I'm not sure whether this product is any better or worse than other moisturizing shampoos; it doesn't leave my hair feeling particularly moisturized, but it seems to work well with the conditioner so I'm giving it a 4. I am not a fan of the smell, I find it a bit sickly, but it dissipates quickly.
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Conditioner -A/G - fastfood
SinCity 8/17/2011 12:31:00 AM
I would buy this product again, but I won't need to, because I got a liter bottle from Ulta for less than the price of the 6oz. And at 1 to 2 pumps per hair wash I'll be using it until I'm 80. Fortunately it's working for me. I have never, ever liked the idea of leave-in conditioners and if I've used them in the past I have blocked the awful experience from my memory. But I wanted the option of wearing my wavy/curly hair wavy/curly again over the summer and saw this product and re:coil recommended to enhance curl and tame frizz. And I have to say that the combination did do a nice job, and the leave-in did not make my hair a greasy mess (I also use the xtramoist shampoo). However, this really knocked it out of the ballpark when I straightened my hair after using the shampoo/conditioner followed by the "It's a 10" leave-in product. After washing I work fastfood into my hair, comb through, and let it marinate for a while if possible. Then I put a few pumps of "It's a 10" in my hands, work into my hair and comb through. Blow dry and hit it with the flat iron. At first my hair seems almost a little heavy (though not greasy) but very shiny and as the day goes on it perks up a bit and has a lot of body to it, by the second day my hair is sleeker, still gorgeous, and not heavy, frizzy or greasy). I really couldn't tell you which product is doing what, but I was using "It's a 10" with my regular shampoo and conditioner and though it left my hair shiny, I did not get this body, bounce or smoothness (no frizz whatsoever) until I started using fastfood.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -Bobbi Brown - Bronzing Powder
SinCity 7/24/2011 2:03:00 AM
Hands down the best bronzer I've ever tried. Golden light is the perfect shade for my PPP skin. Looked a little dark in the pan, but goes on nicely with a light hand and can be built up as desired. This is a matte bronzer - perfect for those of us who are not big fans of shimmer, but it still gives a nice glow.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Latisse Lash Growth Drops
SinCity 3/22/2011 8:14:00 PM
I'm not going to weigh in on the issue of Latisse vs. generic. I have been using Latisse for almost a year, and I am delighted with the results, the lashes are definitely longer and slightly more voluminous. I do have a bit of darkening along the upper lash line but as I wear eye makeup on most days it does not bother me. I have not detected any change to the color of my iris. The brushes that come with this product are awful - I just put a drop in a contact lense case and dip a straight-edged eyeliner brush into it and a bottle will last months. Oddly, I do not really need to curl my eyelashes anymore, as they seem be growing in that way.
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Mascara -Lancome - Hypnose
SinCity 3/22/2011 8:01:00 PM
My favorite mascara was Diorshow...until I started using Latisse. For some reason Diorshow has become a spikey mess on my now almost-false-looking eyelashes (I'm not complaining), so I found myself in the unusual position of looking for a less intense mascara that still volumized. Hypnose coats the lashes nicely and is still somewhat dramatic, though I suppose the real plug here is actually for Latisse ;-)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Philosophy - Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer
SinCity 3/22/2011 7:21:00 PM
I started using this when I converted to the Miracle Worker retinol pads. Initially I did not like the feel of it on my skin. As others say, it feels silky going on, but I questioned whether there was enough moisture for my dry-ish skin. It seemed to sit on the surface. After a few days I noticed my skin seemed more hydrated and soft throughout the day. I'm not convinced that this is anything more than a decent moisturizer, but I am pretty happy with it's performance combined with the retinol pads, and I typically don't buy into the whole "system" approach to skincare. Hence my high rating for this product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Philosophy - Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads
SinCity 3/22/2011 7:03:00 PM
I switched to this product based on a recommendation from a friend. I have used other retinol products, including Green Cream, with some success, but in recent times my skin had become very dry and I was having trouble combating the drying effect of the retinoids. I really did not have high expectations for this product, but after 8 weeks of nightly use along with the anti-aging moisturizer (am and pm) my skin looks clear and refined, and my wrinkles seem to be improved. I don't have much discoloration so I can't speak to whether it is really effective for that purpose. It was at least four weeks before I started to feel confident about my results. Unlike other retinoids, this product did not cause my skin to purge or flake (there may have been a pimple or two early on) so I really wondered if it was doing anything. But I like the results I see now, and I have not changed anything else in my routine. I do find it problematic that Philosophy does not reveal how much retinol is in the product. They seem to focus on their much touted delivery method "HPR." I just ordered the full-size Miracle Worker kit, which is a great value, and I am going to add the anti-aging concentrate to my nightly regime.
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Concealers -Bobbi Brown - Corrector
SinCity 10/30/2009 7:53:00 PM
I am PPP and have been using the Porcelain Bisque corrector (the lightest shade) for about two years now. This product can take "concealing" your undereye circles to the next level. I pat this under my eyes, careful not to apply too much. On its own it does have some power as a concealer but has a whitish cast to it. The idea is to apply BB concealer over the corrector, but for some reason that I can't remember I didn't like the BB concealer. Instead I pat my HG concealer, Lancome Effacernes, over it. This has given me the best results for covering my under eye circles in recent years. Of course, there could be something better that I haven't tried, but this seems to do the job.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Primer/ Corrector -Giorgio Armani - Fluid Master Primer
SinCity 8/7/2009 11:36:00 PM
I've always maintained that if a foundation is really that good you shouldn't need to use a primer. Having said that, if I am going to use a primer it is this one. A little goes a long way - a 0.1 fl oz sample lasted about 2 weeks, applied every day. I have used both Armani LSF and Armani LSF UV with it and in both cases I could get away with one pump of foundation instead of two, when applied over the primer. I especially like this under LSF UV, which is a tiny bit drying on my skin without the primer. Unlike other primers, this doesn't make me break out, even after weeks of daily use. I'm taking one lippie off for the price, $55 for a 1 oz tube.
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