Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Galderma - Epiduo (aka Tactuo in Canada)
ariellelh7 9/1/2012 6:19:00 PM
I have been using this for 25 days and I want to write a review of my progress so far. Got a prescription for this as my acne was popping up in new places (outer part of cheeks) and was not responding to products that normally work. Ever since I tried a clarisonic in February I truly think my skin has gotten worse and worse. That's when the new pimples started and by summer I realized it would not get better. So my derm said epiduo would be a good option and I wouldn't need to use a benzoyl peroxide cleanser/oral meds with this because it was pretty strong on it's own. Initial dryness and redness was awful. Painful and unsightly, I almost gave up when I got terrible breakouts as well. As the second week ended I realized that even though I was still purging the overall tone of my skin was great and I was not suffering any of the little clogged pores that never seemed to go away. I am still getting some of the bigger bumps but they go away faster now. Dryness is now under control. I was on differin four years ago and I know it takes almost 3 months of consistent use with these prescription topicals before desired results are seen. I know the first couple weeks are truly awful for most people but stick with it. Epiduo actually changes the pore wall to normalize it so that makes me want to stay with it. Also gentle cleansers and moisturizers are a must no harsh products with epiduo. Also my acne was moderate before not severe
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cerave - Foaming Facial Cleanser
ariellelh7 9/1/2012 5:56:00 PM
I read so many great things about cerave and this cleanser in particular so I had to try it. While it takes off makeup better than anything I have ever tried yet it is so drying that I can no longer use it on my face. When I apply foundation with my hands I use this cleanser as a hand wash after to get the makeup off so it's not a total waste. But wow I have combo skin and after I washed my face with this my skin was so tight and squeaky it actually hurt. Might work if your skin is oily all over
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Toners -Thayers - Rose Petal Alcohol Free Witch Hazel
ariellelh7 7/1/2012 5:17:00 PM
I use it for two days and noticed many red irritated bumps all over my face. It made my clogged pores worse and I was red like I have never seen. With all the ingredients I couldn't tell if it was the fragrance or the witch hazel or even the glycol. All I know is I looked in the mirror and wanted to cry at how many bump and rashes I had. Idk what skin type this works for but def not my reactive sensitive skin.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Dr. Hauschka - Cleansing Cream
ariellelh7 6/26/2012 5:37:00 PM
HG product for me. I very rarely find products I feel so strongly about. I have been using this for two full weeks now after buying the daily face care kit and I'm sad the sample has almost run out because I can't buy full size for a couple weeks. This is such a unique exfoliating product because it's not the typical scrub, in fact you are not supposed to scrub at all. The idea behind this product is that your do the press and roll method because you not only can harm the skin with harsh scrubs but you can take off skin/skin cells that are not ready to come off. That is why this product requires patience, and is not the kind of immediate gratification product we all seem to be so used to these days. My forehead is the most clogged part of my face so I think in another week it will get much better but even after two weeks my cheeks are so nice. Whenever I looked in the mirror in natural sunlight I could see how clogged the pores were on my cheeks but this product has honestly made them clear like I have never seen. I did get a huge pimple on one cheek a few days after using this but I firmly believe it was one of the more severe clogged pores being detoxified. I have never been able to look close into the mirror and see flat pores on my cheeks until now. That reason alone makes this product HG for me. Again, it is not a typical exfoliator people, you need to be patient! My skin tone is now incredibly even and like, glowy almost I think because the pores are really being detoxified the proper way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Dr. Hauschka - Normalizing Day Oil
ariellelh7 6/25/2012 7:49:00 PM
I really wanted to love this as I believe oil does help regulate oil production but the only part of my face that is truly oily is a small section of my forehead. I still went with the s/a's recommendation to use this all over my face and after 2 days I developed welt-like pimples on my nose and cheek. So incredibly painful. I stopped using this and cut back on the cleansing cream and toner and my skin looks way better. I have clogged pore problems but def not acne so I really don't get why the s/a urged me to use the oily skin kit. I also did some research and it appears that sensitive skin like mine sometimes reacts to essential oils in natural products not to mention this line is loaded with alcohol. Meh wish it couldve worked
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Skincare - Face -Dr. Hauschka - Daily Face Care Kit for Oily/Impure Skin
ariellelh7 6/21/2012 12:38:00 PM
Okay so I've only been using this for a few days, and I will update in a month but I am so impressed with this line already. I'd like to review individual products after a month as well but for now I'll talk about this line as one powerhouse skin savior. Originally I had wanted to normal kit but the awesome whole foods beauty s/a recommended this kit because of the fact that while my skin has been sensitized and reactive this would really balance out my totally imbalanced skin. I should note I do not have acne but terribly clogged pores all over my face, I can't look closely in the mirror it usually results in skin picking :x. I absolutely love this line now and the whole philosophy is really awesome in my option. I used to think it was rather lofty but after reading through the catalogue I just became so impressed by their approach to skin care. Other skin care brands I have used in the past 4 years of product obsession have not even come close in their knowledge of the skin as an actual organ with rhythms and whatnot. I think the line is so great because it wants to let the skin function on its own, like not just coating it in heavy creams or drying the crap out of it but really working with it for a long lasting improvement. I have tried so many brands and so many products and I have never encountered a line I am willing to try for a full 28 day skin cycle. My skin just feels healthy for once. I will say though everyone who wants to use this line should go on the interwebs and search for videos on how to apply these products and such because you need to do it the way it is recommended, like no scrubbing or tugging. Again whole foods is great because the s/a's tend to be really knowledgable and can tell you how it should be done. Final thoughts: these products are awesome esp. because there's nothing that your skin doesn't need. I love lines that don't tell you to use a million freaking things on your face. Will update on the end results!
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Moisturizers -Cerave - Facial Moisturizing Lotion - PM
ariellelh7 4/29/2012 11:09:00 PM
Love this moisturizer so much. I've only been using it for a little bit but already my skin is looking so much more even, healthy and calm. I have a tendency to pop pimples, scratch at my skin, and generally use harsh products or things that are no appropriate for my skin which is combo/dehydrated and reactive. I picked this up after seeing it mentioned on morning news shows and in magazines, maybe because I buy into hype easily but also because the ingredients looked totally different than what I normally see in drugstore products. I know niacinamide is good for the skin as well as hyaluronic acid because it keeps skin moisturized for hours. What really caught my attention though when I did more research about the product was that this product claimed to restore the skin's barrier, which is honestly my biggest concern. So far my skin is seriously looking healthier every day which says a lot because it normally looks sallow and my skin picking makes my spots look irritated and red. The redness has calmed down and I can definitely feel my skin becoming thicker (it has been thinned out terribly by harsh products). I wore it in the day once but it felt a tad too heavy, so I will stick to neutrogena oil free sensitive skin moisturizer for now and keep using cerave at night. What's great about this product is I can do like three pumps and massage it into the skin for a minute and it absorbs nicely. I just wish the packaging was a little different, it's a little boring for such a nice product.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cetaphil - Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar
ariellelh7 4/29/2012 5:00:00 PM
I have only been using this for about a week so I didn't give it 5 stars..yet. I will update my review in about another week since that's how long it takes for my skin to react to a cleanser. I needed this cleanser after having countless bad experiences with milky cleansers. I had been using a gel cleanser by yonka which dried me out horribly, but the milky cleanser along with another high end coconut milk cleanser broke me out despite the fact it was gentle. The milky ones would probably be better suited for dry skin, but mine is dehydrated and I know the two need different types of treatment. ANYWAY I had a hard time coping with the fact that my skin just does not like or react well to all natural products, because even though they are organic and good for the earth, my skin still had adverse reactions to the ingredients or fragrances. Sad face. I liked the cetaphil gentle cleanser back in the day but decided I wanted to try something even more basic, so I decided to give this bar non-soap cleanser a try. So far I like it a lot because I can use it on my body and face, and it does not make my skin itchy like some bars (ahem Dove soap). I can't believe a bar cleanser could be so gentle and non-irritating, because even the cetaphil gentle cleanser a times could leave me red. I still can't be sure if cetaphil is just a marketing ploy by skin companies and derms but it seems galderma, manufacturer of differin, kind of knows what it is doing. For people who are put off by the ingredients, Kiehls is no different despite their claim to be using ingredients from natural origin. Point is, give it a try if you have reactive, somewhat irritated or blemished skin like me, it will not make anything worse and may even improve the situation.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Misc Beauty Tools -Clarisonic - Mia
ariellelh7 3/18/2012 1:44:00 AM
Ok so as much as I love this gadget the price and results just don't add up. After using the clarisonic for three weeks my skin is much more even, glowy, and scars have lightened a bit. However, I still get some small clogged pores and I still get flakes ugh. This has def helped with blackheads though. I'm selling it to a friend for less than half the price because she wants one and a cheap washcloth is more suited to my budget and skin type. Another reason I can't justify keeping the Mia is that if I use it everyday my skin gets dry and irritated with little bumps. So keeping this for use a couple times a week just doesn't seem worth it. For someone with thicker skin this could be used everyday I'm thinking. I'll be sad if the even skin tone goes away but $120 for even skin tone just kills me. At least the clarisonic cleaned my pores for three weeks and hopefully makes my skin easier to maintain. If you've got the money to spend or a gift card why not splurge it'll make skin look healthier but for budget pals it's not worth cutting back on some good dinners for cleaner skin EDIT 4/29/12 I forgot to update this review but I just wanted to say thanks clarisonic for giving me three GIANT bumps under my skin cuz you are a bacteria spreader. my facialist told me other horror stories about the clarisonic and i just would not recommend
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Honey
ariellelh7 2/29/2012 7:32:00 PM
I don't want to jinx anything, but wow. I am only on day 3 of using honey as a mask but it''s pretty amazing. Let me start by saying I have used it for an hour each night the past three nights and the first two nights I accidentally used the cheapie kind that doesn't seem to have many benefits. It definitely helped a little but after just one use of an organic raw honey mask I realize why it's better to pay a little more for quality. I have dermatillomania and went on a picking spree the other night, probably causing acne instead of getting rid of it. Anyway I picked and ended up with unsightly scabs and rather than pay a lot for another new freakin skin care product I ran out and bought some plain honey. The next day I could tell the scabs were much cleaner and the irritation had gone down. I am sort of doing a skin care detox so I have ditched all products whatsoever (moisturizer, cleanser, sunscreen, everything) in order to simplify my skin routine. My very reactive skin seems to be liking this detox but my picking/scratching fest the other night really did a number on my face. Well I am happy to report (crosses fingers) that I just rinsed off the more expensive organic honey and my skin tone is incredible. I dabbed the really bad spots on my face with honey and put small bandages over them since they are still pretty sore. But the rest of my face looks so clean, feels really comfortable, has a beautiful even tone and is not red. It's truly amazing what honey can do. I am planning on using this every for the next four days and then gradually lessening my use to twice a week. I am hoping that by Friday my scabs will be significantly smaller. So far it seems that honey is doing a fantastic job of keeping them clean though
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Clarins - Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Shea Butter for Dry or Sensitive Skin
ariellelh7 1/7/2012 8:09:00 PM
Have been using a couple weeks and this stuff rules. Every cleanser even cetaphil dries me out but this doesn't and it feels lovely. Decent price too. My breakouts have actually reduced so much too probably because my skin is being hydrated and not irritated. Don't leave it on too long though, ten seconds or less or it could potentially start to dry you out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Cerave - Moisturizing Lotion
ariellelh7 12/16/2011 11:33:00 PM
Love love this moisturizer. After having spent hundreds of dollars on expensive products and supposed miracle creams from Neiman Marcus and space.nk I grew tired of nothing working and clogging my pores. I've tried all natural lines to fancy French lines and everything cost too much and did nothing for my skin. I have very sensitive skin (several facialists told me) that is problem prone aka acne and blackhead prone. I decided to try this because I'd rather try a product recommended by a derm than a saleswoman. I chose this over cetaphil because I've been reading how great cerave is and cetaphil gets mixed reviews mostly. Anyway I was surprised the lotion has hyaluronic acid because that's an ingredient that actually raises the moisture levels within the skin so it was cool to know a drugstore product could contain such a beneficial ingredient. I love that it's a lotion because it sinks right it and even in winter my skin can't handle heavy creams they irritate my skin and burn slightly. This has been amazing so far not causing clogged pores not irritating any sensitivities I just think it's great esp for the price! So glad I'm done splurging on things that don't live up to their false promises. I highly suggest giving this a try.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No