Scrubs -St. Ives - Apricot Scrub
Sjez 5/18/2013 7:48:00 PM
I like this stuff a lot. It's great for getting all the dead skin off my nose and makes my face feel super smooth. I know people think it is too harsh for skin, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of this being damaging over the long term if used correctly. I used this in the shower, once or twice a week, gently rubbing all over my face (but avoiding the eye area), with great results, and the 6 oz tube lasted me for over two years of inconsistent to regular use. It also smells nice and leaves my dry skin feeling moisturized. I bought Aveeno's daily scrub after cashing this tube and the beads are so small and smooth that I feel they don't do anything. I am going back to this after I've finished my tube of Aveeno. It's a great, classic product.
Some of the reviews mentioned it has cancer causing ingredients in it. Not sure what those are but it does get a 5 on the skin deep database ("moderate" ingredient concerns), although the first 10 ingredients are mostly natural and pretty non-toxic. Not sure why it needs to contain sodium laureth sulfate, though, so one lippie off for that.
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Moisturizers -Garnier - Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream
Sjez 5/3/2013 10:04:00 PM
This humectant gel isn't the best product for my dry skin, but addresses tightness in my face after I wash it so it is somewhat moisturizing. I think I would like it better if I had oily or combination skin - especially during the summer months - because it smells good, feels light on the skin, and is cooling and refreshing. However, it contains a ton of alcohol, which is antithetical to it's purpose as a moisturizer, and it stings like mad if you get even a tiny bit in your eye, so it's definitely not all purpose and, ideally, should be used in conjunction with an eye cream. I have dry skin, and I'm more of a one-stop-shop kinda gal so I will definitely not be repurchasing.
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Sunscreen -Cetaphil - UVA/UVB Defense Facial Moisturizer SPF 50
Sjez 4/29/2013 11:58:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample of this so I popped it in my travel bag for a weekend trip. It was moisturizing and seemed to work well, but it's pretty greasy and I noticed a few small white heads developing over the weekend. I think this probably would have broke me out with constant use. Mostly, I wouldn't purchase it again because it contains so many chemical sunscreens and I'm trying to stick to zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Right now, I love my Eucerin Everyday Protection SPF 30.
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Cleansers -Bare Escentuals - RareMinerals Purifying Facial Cleanser with ActiveSoil Complex
Sjez 4/29/2013 11:52:00 PM
I got a deluxe sample so I popped it in my travel bag for my next trip.I found it left my eyes looking dull and, while it removed makeup, it took quite a bit of work to get off mascara and eyeliner in the waterline. It was also pretty drying to my already dry skin. I won't be purchasing.
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Sunscreen -Peter Thomas Roth - Instant Mineral SPF 45 (Sephora exclusive)
Sjez 4/13/2013 5:13:00 PM
Great idea in concept, terrible in execution. I'm not sure if this stuff even works because I gave up on it pretty quickly. This is because every time I opened it I released a cloud of product into the air. It looks pretty natural on skin, but I'm not even sure I am dispensing any product onto my skin half the time. Despite this, it seems to be pretty popular and my local Sephora is always running low on it. I do not get it. I'd rather just cart around a small compact with SPF and a retractable kabuki.
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Powder -Neutrogena - Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation SPF 20
Sjez 4/12/2013 12:34:00 AM
I apply this every morning to my T-zone over bare skin or liquid foundation/bb cream. Can't speak to it as a foundation, but as a setting/finishing powder it works great. It is invisible on the skin and does away with shine.
One lippie off because the compact broke.
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Treatments -Neutrogena - Rapid Wrinkle Repair night moisturizer
Sjez 4/7/2013 6:14:00 PM
I don't know how anyone tolerates this stuff. It's fine on my skin, but when I use this I always wake up in the middle of the night with tearing up because a little has gotten in my eyes somehow. I thought I'd try a retinol containing product as a preventative, mid-20s skincare measure sort of thing, but no thanks. I think i'll stick keeping my skin moisturized and wearing sunscreen. In fact, I swear this made the one fine line I have on my forehead even worse. The only good thing I have to say about it is the packaging, which is great for a photo-sensitive product.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
Sjez 3/30/2013 6:26:00 PM
I like my lashes to look long and thick, with curl, without looking spidery. I discovered this on accident at a friends house and THIS STUFF IS GREAT. I am now on my second tube. Somehow, Maybelline has created a buildable mascara that doesn't clump or flake and keeps your lashes feeling super soft while also holding curl all day. Rivals many a HE mascara. Is it Benefit? Too Faced? Lancome. No, It's Maybelline, and I found it for $9 at Walgreens.
As with all mascara, this takes about a week to "get good" (otherwise the formulation is too wet), but once it's there, it lasts a looong time.
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Brows -Anastasia Of Beverly Hills - Anastasia Brow Gel
Sjez 3/30/2013 6:18:00 PM
I just bought a full-size version of this after cashing my deluxe sample. After lots of experimentation and several iterations, I can finally stop looking. Using Anastasia's brow gel in conjunction with MUFE eyebrow corrector has done what no other DS or HE product has been able to do thus far: fill in my thin, sparse, patchy brows, hold their shape, and keep it going all. day. long. LOVE IT.
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Conditioner -Neutrogena - Triple Moisture daily deep conditioner
Sjez 3/27/2013 9:40:00 PM
This works well. In fact, I like this better than the Triple Recovery Hair Mask, which left my hair feeling moisturized but also made it burn more easily when I blow dried it! This stuff is more....normal, but like the hair mask, it still smells like Pepto-Bismol! Also,Point off for non-recyclable packaging.
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Shampoo -L'Oreal - EverCreme Nourishing Shampoo
Sjez 3/27/2013 9:15:00 PM
This stuff is not as good as the rest of the line. L'oreal EverPure is a great line of sulfate free shampoos with great scents, but L'oreal EverCreme leaves my hair feeling weighed down and product-y, as though I couldn't rinse it all out properly. I will continue buying L'oreal EverPure shampoos, but I'm staying away from these "nourishing" shampoos. L'oreal dropped the ball in their attempt to create a sulfate-free shampoo that worked AND was also moisturizing. Perhaps it will work for someone whose hair is much drier than mine. Points off for the packaging. The tubes get all wrinkly once you start using the product and they aren't recyclable.
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Styling Products -SAMY - Fat Hair "0" Calories Thickening Creme
Sjez 3/27/2013 8:52:00 PM
This stuff does not work in my long, fine hair. I've tried it a couple different ways and it just makes my hair get dirtier faster. If there is any added volume, the effect is short-lived. I also took a point off because the tube is structured so that a lot of product will be stuck to the sides of it and wasted. Not very resourceful for a vegan brand. I should probably stick to mousse and stay away from balms, gels, and cremes considering my hair type, but this is the second Fat Hair product I've tried and so far I have not been impressed. You can't slap a name like "FAT HAIR" on your product and then not deliver, I mean....come on.
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Conditioner -Organix - Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner
Sjez 3/27/2013 8:40:00 PM
This stuff is terrible. I'm not that hard to please when it comes to conditioners, but this didn't seem to do a thing. That slickness I'm used to feeling in my hair as I wash out the product wasn't there, and my hair was difficult to comb through after I showered. The only good think about it was the smell, which is sort of a coconuty, butterscotch vanilla-type smell. This product has a lot of fragrance, and it lingers. I let my boyfriend finish the bottle and his head smelled pretty yummy for the next few weeks.
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Moisturizers -Cetaphil - Moisturizing Cream
Sjez 3/25/2013 11:12:00 PM
I bought this based on a product review I saw on Jezebel.com. I love this stuff.
Pros: It works well, absorbs quickly, and keeps my skin moisturized for much longer than most drugstore lotions. It's pretty cheap for the amount you get, especially since it feels comparable to fancier non-drugstore body butters. It also has a strange non-scent which dissipates quickly upon application, but which I happen to like.
Cons:I'm taking off a point because it has a bunch of preservatives, alcohol, and a very synthetic ingredients list in general (although it does randomly contain sweet almond oil among all those chemicals). Also, my generally clear skin tends to start breaking out a little after a few days of using this on my face.
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Lip Treatments -Fresh - Sugar Rose Lip Treatment SPF 15
Sjez 1/23/2013 11:24:00 PM
Like everyone else and their mom I got this, along with Sugar, as a birthday gift from Sephora. After cashing both tubes, I can see why people like it so much. It's like Fresh took everything about applying a tinted lip balm, and was like, "how can we make every step in this process more awesome, nay, the awesomest?" If only they weren't so prohibitively expensive....
Pros: Smells amaazing, moisturizes well. Feels good on the lips. The tube is super luxurious looking. The color looks natural and makes my lips look youthful and plump.
Cons: It can get a little melty if you take it south of the mason-dixon line in the summer. And, don't twist up too far because it will break and you will lose a $6 chunk of product. (breakage probably isn't as much of a issue with the full-sized version). Alas, the staying power could be a lot better. For color I much prefer the Clinique Almost Lipsticks, Revlon Lip Butters or Just Bitten Kissable balm stains. Also, they're expensive, but that didn't stop me for gifting a few friends the mini trio set that was available over the holidays.
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