Sunscreen -Paula's Choice - Skin Recovery Daily Moisturizing Lotion SPF 15 & Antioxidants
SkinCareAficionado 2/11/2013 11:18:00 AM
3.85% titanium dioxide and 3% zinc oxide is not enough to even give a bare minimum of protection against UVA rays, certainly not even SPF 15, I have no idea how the product has this rating. Total waste of time if you are using it as a form of daily sun protection, you'd need about 15-20% of zinc for it to do what it claims. Paula may have knowledge of most other skin care ingredients but clearly sun protection is one of the major exceptions.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Burt's Bees - Burts Bees Lip Shimmers
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 10:47:00 AM
You can't fault these. They give great colour, the colour they give is vibrant and uplifting, it lasts. Not too many large or childish 'sparkles' just a subtle gleam - they don't leave the lips dewy just vibrant, if you want dewy use their new ones. These also last more than the new tinted balms they have (the new ones come in a cute cardboard black tube, they are brilliant too but the colour doesn't last as long as they are waxy). These have just the right amount of moisture but if you want more you could apply another Burts Bees Balm underneath. Great all natural ingredients, cheap, packaging twists up well, large selection of colours for everyday.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Revlon - ColorStay Makeup
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 10:37:00 AM
Used this on and off for 8 years and always seem to go back to it. This is practically the same (ingredients), slightly better than Estee Lauder Double Wear and a lot damn cheaper! Goes on smooth, but you have to blend quickly as it sets fast and solid. Comes in combo/oily version or dry, great selection of colours although I have to go to larger stores to get the palest. Doesn't look cakey like DW, doesn't settle into pores, you may get some greasiness and oxidisation at the end of the day but I find this is resolved by a little coloured face powder. Can give skin a pinky or reflective look in photographs like most foundation, but not too bad. Covers spots with minimum effort, stays put, even in rain, doesn't transfer. Good price! Three disadvantages : hard to remove, I would recommend using ANY oil then your cleanser. It can accentuate dry patches, but this is in the combo.oily version, just use some moisturiser targeted on those areas. The glass bottle: foundation runs out easily meaning wastage but I think you can fit a pump on it. One more thing I sometimes find some small spots underneath my forehead after using this, then other times I don't (think Victoria Beckhams forehead in those horrible photographs) I think is from this foundation but then sometimes when I stop using it for months I still have them so I'm not sure. Overall A great product.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Goody - Spin Pin
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 10:09:00 AM
Goody Spin pins will change the way you bun your hair! I have SUPER long hair and these hold it all day, you can add an extra normal hair pin on either side too if you like but you won't really need it. You can use these with your hair doughnuts too, they slip in perfectly. No more struggling with 30 million hair pins poking out, you just have to push these in at the right angle and tightness (after a few goes you will have the hand of it, don't worry!) Invisible in the hair (unless say you had sever hair loss). As I said my hair is super long but it is fine, I don't know how this will hold up in thick, curly hair if anything I should imagine even better as the pins will have more texture to cling to and even better on average length hair. I think those with lots of layers will have hair falling out as they would with any other hair pin (will have to use spray and a few more pins instead) but these will still reduce the number of pins needed. You could paint them if you didn't have brown hair. Initially expensive for 2 hair grips but they Last forever too (never break) never get caught due to rubberised tips. Buy them. NOW.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clearasil - StayClear Skin Perfecting Wash
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 10:01:00 AM
Have used this cleanser for 8 years, need I really say anymore? It drastically reduces the occurrence of acne (I have moderate acne with handful of cysts) I know my acne would be a lot worse if it weren't for this. Contains salicyclic acid, The exfoliating beads are synthetic and round so they do not scratch and are gentle enough to get into the pores - I notice a surge of blackheads when I don't use it. Some will say using a cleanser which sits on your skin for 2 seconds will do nothing and it's the leave on treatments which do - I beg to differ and can certainly say it DOES have an effect. You can use the sensitive version if you are using other treatments which lead to flaky skin. I perhaps would be careful using this if you have sensitive skin everyday simply because of the exfoliating beads, but you could use it every few days instead. Creamy formula, in a Hygienic pump bottle. Not a long list of ingredients, just a good cleanser for acneaic skin. ***Size seems to have decreased and price gone up lately however with their recent re-branding but the formula is the same.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Aloe Vera soothing rich night cream
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 9:29:00 AM
The moisturizers in the aloe range are all pretty much the same and all have Aloe Vera as the very first ingredient, but this is the richest due to Caprylic Triglycerides, Oil Palm, Squalane and Shea Butter which appear on the ingredients list at higher percentages or as new additions. I would say this is also a little greasy and gloopy but this will probably be beneficial to dry or extremely sensitive skin as it will leave a comfy coating overnight. A good basic moisturiser for stressed skin. I bought this as I was having severe eczema appear on my chin at the time of the month, I tried many things also pure Aloe Vera and even that didn't help to prevent the eczema as much as this -amazing for reddened skin! I use proper eczema cream when it is really bad but this helps to prevent it, it may feel slightly tacky when you first put it on but gets a lot better as it sinks in, it's a white lotion which is pleasant to apply,don't need much. More abou the product** Fragrance and colour free, main ingredient is Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera comes from Guatemala. The aloe leaves are hand-harvested, hand-washed and hand-filleted within 1 hour. Package: comes in a thick pot which some may find unhygienic. Price: you can buy in 15ml (£5) or 50ml, not cheap not outrageous. Great overall range.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion
SkinCareAficionado 8/6/2012 9:14:00 AM
This product is brilliant but you have to stick with it. After using this a few times I started to notice my skin looked more clarified, new spots were toned down a little, some angry spots didn't get as large. My skin texture was improved and smoothed. Over the coming weeks there was a reduction in spots : and I have moderate acne, with a handful of cystic spots especially around the TOTM. Over around 2-3 months red pigmentation has faded, and I have a lot because I am pale. This really is a fabulous product. There are two disadvantages however, like the other reviewer also had, I got a slight rash which would disappear within a few hours after applying and some mild stinging on reddened patches of skin. Another thing, this seems to have a drastic peeling effect I would liken it to 5-10% benzoyl peroxide I have used, you will notice eraser-shaving-like-bits on your skin which can be a pain if you are not using a thick cleanser which clings to them and then apply your makeup. It will be uneven. You have to be careful with the peeling and alternate every few nights if it gets too much, then increase again. Other information on the product** Moisturising Glycerin in the third ingredient and Tamanu Oil is the fifth under various other emulsifiers etc. Tamanu oil is recommended for scars but can be smelly in it's pure form so this is a great substitute in my opinion. It also Tea-tree oil half way down the ingredients list and Lemon scented tea tree oil, beneficial for spots, . Perfume free, it is a fresh and light green lotion/serum that sinks in very quickly. Package: Comes in an airtight green pump bottle. Price: I think it is reasonable, you get 30ml, but you don't need to use a lot and I'm guessing the air tight packaging eliminates the need for a lot of preservatives.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -The Body Shop - Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15
SkinCareAficionado 8/5/2012 5:10:00 PM
My experience: I bought this as I was having severe eczema appear on my chin at the time of the month, I tried many things also pure Aloe Vera and even that didn't help to prevent the eczema as much as this -amazing for reddened skin! I use proper eczema cream when it is really bad but this helps to prevent it. This moisturiser feels a little gloopy to put on, it may feel slightly tacky when you first put it on but gets a lot better as it sinks in, it's a white lotion which is pleasant to apply,don't need much. Won't do any mattifying of oily skin but isn't awfully greasy either, doesn't cause spots, it is great as a general moisturiser especially for irritated or sensitive skin (either naturally or from hormones or harsh treatments). Foundation goes on rather smooth after applying as it effectively moisturises most flaky areas. The sun protection part** One lipstick off for this, I think they have used a 'throwaway' form of sun protection which is common is everyday moisturisers. It uses chemical sunscreen Octinoxate, Octrocrylene (which stabilises) Avobenzone, SPF 15. This to me is not that reliable protection against UVA rays everyday - although others may be fine with it - and Bodyshop does not specify the important percentages of each in this, so I have personally stopped using this and will switch to the night cream on stressed areas of my skin as I don't like the fact it contains octinoxate (there are studies about how it actually releases free radicals aging the skin rather than protecting) and the Avobezone is only stabilised by Octocrylene rather than another filter/stabiliser like Tinosorb. I use a separate sunscreen to ensure proper protection everyday. Other info on the product: Comes in A squeezy pale green tube, lasts 6 months from being opened. Fragrance and colour free, main ingredient is Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera comes from Guatemala. The aloe leaves are hand-harvested, hand-washed and hand-filleted within 12 hours to preserve the freshness of the gel. Also contains moisturising Glycerin (2nd ingredient) sesame, shea butter, bisobolol, oat. (See website for full ingredients). Great overall range.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Badger - SPF 30
SkinCareAficionado 8/5/2012 4:32:00 PM
This is a review for the Badger SPF 30 Unscented Sunscreen, although all of their sunscreen products are virtually the same. About the product: (see their website also) This sunscreen is labeled as PA+++ (Asian rating) UVA 4/5 (European Rating) SPF 30. It uses Non-nano (but micronized) Uncoated Zinc Oxide at 18.75% as the sun screen and should retain this after 40 minutes of sweat or swimming. Not tested on animals, certified by the natural products association and recycled packaging. The other ingredients are organic: Olive Oil, Beeswax, (the same as their balms which means it is gloopy and heavy - shouldn't they have have selected a base of ingredients which would be lighter?) Jojoba Oil, Cocoa butter (may be pore clogging) Shea butter, Tocopherol and Seabuckthorn (great antioxidants). Price: It cost £12 for a 87ml tube quite expensive even to other mineral sunscreens. It comes in a soft, squeezy tube with Badger's typical lovely artwork, you will have to spend a lot of time kneeding before each use otherwise you will get rough Shea butter particles and separated Olive Oil. It is quite white and shiny (as expected due to the zinc) although a nuisance you can rub in to make it disappear a certain amount but this may be reassuring for those who want to see their protection from the zinc and slippyness helps it to be water resistant, although I didn't try it in the sun I bought it for everyday use so I don't know how well it would work for hot sunshine preventing sunburn. I stopped using it as makeup will slip off after using it (although I didn't experience any balling up) you will look greasy, and fluff or dirt will stick into the areas where you have applied it unfortunately - I can't use it near wool let alone near sand. TERRIBLE for acne. I have never got spots on my neck after using this for 2 days I notice painful small bumps and milia appearing not only my face but on my spot free neck, this took 2 months (too long!) to go and never came back. In summary** I wouldn't recommend this, they should have used a different combination of ingredients instead of basically making a balm with zinc in it, who wants to apply a balm anywhere except their lips and cuticles? Nice philosophy and attempt but terrible execution.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - LMS Spotlight
SkinCareAficionado 8/5/2012 3:58:00 PM
About LMS (Love My Skin): (You can read through the information leaflet in the package or browse their website to see more on how red light therapy works). LMS describes their products as a range of luxury skincare which uses red light therapy to heal pimples and acne, the lights DO NOT prevent acne - you need blue light to kill P Acnes basteria, it instead helps it on it's way. There are no side effects or pain. The light is at a specific wavelength and proven power level, and works to increase cell turnover and promote a faster healing time for spots by forcing out the Nitric Oxide produced and increasing anti oxidants (red light may also be suitable for aging mature skins but LMS doesn't claim this for their product). You can buy LMS spotlight 3, 8 or 24 these are numbered by the number of lights they have (24 covers largest area in a single go) others are in lipstick case format. They are glossy block and chrome and clear covering over the red light, easy to transport operate on a couple of batteries which last a few months. You can clean with an alcohol wipe. Come in a glossy black box. Price: LMS 24 - £69.99, LMS 8 - £49.99, LMS 3- £29.99. How to use: You hold the light over the area for 1 minute, search for LMS on youtube and you will see a reviewer using it. It has a countdown beep sounding every 2-3 seconds, and a final beep, switches off after the 1 minute ready for you to move to another area and press the button to start again. It will do a faster beep (and you will notice a decrease in the lights brightness as the batteries are going) although I bought a slightly faulty one which permanently beeps fast every half second. You must use it on the same areas 3 times a day with a gap of at least one hour in between to have an effect, preferably on clean skin so the light can fully penetrate. My experience with LMS** I have moderate acne with closed comedones, blackheads on the nose, regular spots (pustules) and a handful of cystic spots especially when hormonal and red pigmentation from past spots. I have the 24 as I could cover large areas quicker, This light works brilliantly - when you have the right kind of spot. What I mean is it doesn't work on cystic acne (presumably because it is embedded too far into the skin) it doesn't work on spots which are just forming and only have a small red bump, it only really works on spots which are ripe and mature (usually pustules) and once you have used it on them 3 times the next day you will notice a dramatic decrease in size (usually half!) compared to if you didn't do it. I don't notice immediate results, only after sleeping, but others with smaller spots might. Once the spot has started to decrease (almost 3/4 gone) I notice the LMS spotlight stops being effective and you have to let it heal on its own. The light only seems to work on spots in their peak period, and it doesn't work on other imperfections (although they don't really claim it should). Also it can be extremely tedious having to use it for one minute when you will most likely have spots on different areas on the face, three times a day - difficult if you are busy or working as you may only have the evening to do this (I wouldn't do it in a public toilet due to the beeping sound which you cant turn off) and then you would have to factor in the 1 hour gap between 3 sittings. you could end up spending many minutes of your day just doing this which can be annoying when you could instead use a medicated cream which takes 2 seconds to wipe on. In summary this DOES work however it usually is only effective on ripe spots at reducing their size and healing time and can be surprisingly time consuming.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Avene - Triacneal
SkinCareAficionado 8/5/2012 2:20:00 PM
I have no idea why this product has so many good reviews, I'm wondering if the people who have reviewed this have a handful of spots which don't pop up regularly. My skin: I have moderate acne, I have closed comedones on the forehead, blackheads on the nose/surrounding cheek area. Hormones especially bring out spots, most are pustules but I get a handful of cystic ones which can last for 6 weeks or longer. Red pigmentation from past spots. ONTO THE REVIEW: After using this for a month I noticed NO EFFECT on red pigmentation from old acne, NO effect on the closed comedones, NO effect on the blackheads, NO effect on current spots and certainly no prevention of new imperfection or acne. I didn't even get the initial breakout that others did, the only effect I had was a small amount of dryed, peeling skin on the end of my nose. This product (so far) has done nothing. I tried using only a pea sized amount as recommended, I tried using even more, no effect whatsoever. I have decided I'm going to wait another 2 months and will write again if there is a dramatic change, seriously unimpressed and not happy that I spent this much on a product that did nothing. Other information about the product** I bought this product as it states it helps to eliminate 'severe imperfections'. It should eliminate comedones (whiteheads/blackheads) and 'severe imperfections' brings to mind larger, more persistent spots (both pustules and nodular/cystic). Avene claims that after 2 months scars are reduced, imperfections vanished and skin regulated using 'Effectiose' funded by Pierre Fabre research laboratories to target irritation. 0.1% Retinaldehyde to regulate keritinisation (and forming of spots). Glycolic acid (10% may be lower - must wear SPF) to have a peeling effect to decongest the skin. Ingredients: You can see the ingredients on their website - Glycolic acid appears behind water, cetyl alcohol, cyclomethicone, polysorbate 60, retinaldehyde is last on the list. It also contains alcohol denat (presumably so it is 'non-greasy') and perfume (smells medicinal) plus Avene Thermal water, and is a easily spread, amber coloured ointment texture. Packaging: Comes in a shiny white tube with a small nozzle, standard Avene branding and in a box with an information leaflet and ingredients on the side. Price: Very expensive. You get 30ml - not even a tube of toothpaste size, probably the size of an eye cream. £23 in the U.K. EDIT************** haven't bothered using it anymore, biggest waste of money EVER.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No