Shampoo -Organix - Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo
asortafairytale 12/29/2011 2:45:00 PM
ugh! I thought I would try this since I love the Moroccan Oil line dupe by One 'n Only (at sallys/ulta), and this line by Organix was cheaper and easier to find (at target). Big mistake. This smelled just fine, and everything my senses told me led me to think it would be great to buy.. but when I tried it... it seemed awfully drying. and the conditioner didnt detangle at all, and my hair was really unmanageable when I was blow drying it too. Almost sticky with build up. yuck. I didnt use it again. I returned to my One 'n Only brand and am much happier now. Just because it says "Argan Oil" on it, doesnt mean its good!
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Conditioner -Unlisted Brand - One 'n Only - Argan Oil Restorative Mask
asortafairytale 12/29/2011 2:32:00 PM
I use the shampoo and conditioner and love them, so I thought I would try this. Its equally as fantastic. After I shampoo and condition (I use this in the shower) I leave this on for 5 minutes or so, and my hair is so silky and soft afterwards. Before using the One 'n Only argan products, my hair was so damaged from coloring it so often, and now it looks so healthy. I think its helped prevent split ends too, because I havent had a trim in months, and I dont see any. I dont use this too often, because the regular conditioner does a great job, but every now and then when my hair needs a boost, this is great. Its less messy and smells better than Ojon's restoring treatment, and this didn't weigh my hair down at all, unlike Ojon.
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Shampoo -Unlisted Brand - One 'n Only - Argan Oil Moisture Repair Shampoo
asortafairytale 10/9/2011 9:17:00 PM
Fantastic. I got this at Ulta with the conditioner after trying a small packet from Sally's. My hair was pretty dry/damaged from too much hair dye, that it was unmanageable and too coarse feeling, and the ends were dry and crunchy. Ive been using the shampoo/conditioner every day for over a week now and my hair is back to normal, feels silky and looks healthy again! I am very impressed. I paid $12 per bottle, but had a $5 off coupon from Ulta. Smells great, sudsing is low, but still gets my hair clean. No buildup or residue so far. I havent tried the hair mask or oil though. I hear this is a good dupe of Moroccan Oil products. The packaging is pretty cheap, but the product is very nice. Definitely will keep using this.
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Moisturizers -Estee Lauder - Daywear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Lotion
asortafairytale 6/17/2011 11:59:00 PM
This is the best moisturizer for me right now. I have tried the daywear in the jar but always found it too heavy, or slippery feeling, like my makeup would slide off, and dont like it being in a jar. but this stuff is fantastic. its light, very moisturizing, sinks in, and *doesnt break me out*! my makeup goes on great over top. good sun protection, and a great level of antioxidants. Im 30 and need as much prevention as I can get. my skin feels so comfortable. its $40-something, but worth it, and I love love love the pump. smells like cucumber melon.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Estee Lauder - Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator
asortafairytale 6/12/2011 9:58:00 AM
Only been using this 6 days. Cant tell if its done anything yet. If I dont see any difference by the time I finish the bottle, I wont buy it again because its expensive ($58 for one ounce). I have a lot of post-acne red spots I want to get rid of, and they have been there a while, and so I have low expectations for this to do anything, since nothing has helped dramatically with those. This serum is lighter than the regular Idealist, and has quite a bit of shimmer in it. It hasnt caused me breakouts (that I know of yet). They probably brought this to the market because of the "success" of the clinique even better clinical. that serum did clog my pores, so I never used it long enough to see a difference. I dont like that they bottles are now plastic instead of glass, and they made the bottle opaque. I'll update once I finish the bottle.********update 6/21/11************ been using this for two weeks now and I DO see a difference. my acne scars have faded enough that I need no concealer now, just foundation. Also, has not broken me out which is a miracle. I'm impressed and would buy it again.******update 7/16/11******** still using this every morning, and still hasnt broken me out. still doing an OK job at fading acne spots but its slow going.
9 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Makeup Artist's Choice (MUAC) - TCA Peel
asortafairytale 5/24/2011 9:36:00 PM
I bought the 8% TCA peel. I'm a scaredy cat and didnt want any down time either, so I went with the lowest. I used to have really bad acne in my mid-20s (I'm 29 now), and have a lot of pigment and boxcar-type scars that I seriously want to get rid of. I did a patch test several weeks ago on my lower cheek near my ear, and did 2 layers, 5 minutes each, neutralized with the stuff from MUAC, and it didnt burn at all, just a slight tingle like any glycolic peel would. For the patch test, my skin was tight there after 2 or 3 days, and I only got mild peeling about 6 days later... nothing that moisturizer wouldnt fix. but the peeling didnt last more than a couple days. This time around, I put the TCA on my cheeks and spots on my chin, none on my forehead since I have no acne scars there... 2 layers, both 5 minutes... same reaction - mild tingle, not much redness, though the skin feels a little tight. I followed with the MUAC neutralizer, then cleansed again, and used Kinerase cream. I will update later with the results. I realize I might have to do several of these peels a few weeks apart to see significant results for acne scarring, but thats something I'm willing to do, especially since theres no down time from a mild peel like this. Also, I bought the 0.5oz bottle of TCA, and barely made a dent! probably good for 10 or 15 peels!
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - ANSR
asortafairytale 5/21/2011 12:37:00 AM
I've been using this 2x a day for 8 days already. I took a pic of my skin on day one, and another today, and will continue to take one every week for comparison. I'm almost 30 and I have been dealing with acne for about 10 years, and it got really bad about 5 years ago. I have fair skin and lots of pigmentation scars, and get acne easily especially on my cheeks. Anyway - based on the pictures I took, my skin has cleared about 25%, not just # of acne, but the redness and inflammation has reduced by that amount as well. I've been using Bliss's No Zit Sherlock cleanser, and Kinerase cream, but was using that before starting the Ansr device. I like that the Ansr is small, has red and blue in one device, and is much cheaper than the other light therapy devices out there. I found it for $100 on amazon. I dont mind taking the 10 minutes each morning and night to use it either. I haven't had any bad reactions at all. I did have an area on my cheek where I had some underground acne, a few in one spot, and that did come to a head but it has healed very quickly, much more quickly than normal. Anyway, I am happy with it so far. it charges quickly and stays charged for a long time, several days worth. I'm hoping to see improvement in the next several weeks, I'll update this. *******update 6/11/11******** Been using this just over 4 weeks. The results have been great, although seem to have plateaued. This has definitely helped to stop and heal acne, and does a great job at fading very new acne red spots. but the old acne spot, dont seem to have budged too much, though maybe a slight amount. I also found that I get much better results when I use it for 20 minutes, AM and PM. That a big time chunk, and sometimes I only use it once a day. still give it a 5, because it really does work. Had no adverse reactions either, no dry skin etc. I will continue to use it, although probably only in the morning since the results are no longer increasing.
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Treatments -Bliss Labs - No 'Zit' Sherlock Complete Acne System
asortafairytale 5/7/2011 7:53:00 PM
I am really happy with this so far, as for how it works. I bought the starter kit at sephora for $32, which is actually a much better deal, ounce-per-ounce, than buying all three products separately. Its a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer, and they all contain salicylic acid. the cleanser is a pearly-colored gel, and smells a little like eucalyptus. foams well, rinses off very well, doesnt leave my skin tight or dry! the serum is a thin clear gel, sometimes runs out of the tube too quickly. the moisturizer also smells like eucalyptus, and is nice and light. The moisturizer does ball up though. I solved this by using another moisturizer on top (Kinerase cream), and that works really well for my foundation. Been using it about a week and my skin is actually a bit clearer! I get acne on my cheeks mostly, and have a lot of red scarring spots there too. the serum is supposed to lighten them, and I think its already worked a little. my skin does look less red. also, my skin is not dry at all, it feels very comfortable. I have used proactiv and murad kits in the past.. and proactiv would work but would dry my skin, and stop working after a while... murad completely did NOT work and made my skin a mess after a week. but this kit from Bliss is gentle and it works. its actually reasonably priced! especially for a bliss product. I will update in a few weeks... *******update 5/26/11*********** I stopped using the serum and moisturizer, and now only use the cleanser. but I used up two of the kits before realizing I was only interested in the cleanser. the moisturizer balled up too much and I dont think the serum made enough difference to keep on using it. the cleanser however is awesome. I use it with kinerase cream, and the ANSR light therapy device and my skin is the clearest its been in years! the full size cleanser is 4.2oz and costs $22, which isnt terrible, considering its Bliss, and you only need a small amount.
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Cleansers -DDF - Blemish Foaming Cleanser
asortafairytale 5/7/2011 7:42:00 PM
didnt do anything to help clear my skin. the foam is so fluffy, it doesnt feel like its doing anything, just sort of disappears on your skin. and its expensive ($32). clinique has a cleanser like this (acne solutions line) and works much better and is cheaper. wont buy this again! I did like that it was not drying or irritating. too light to remove makeup.
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Treatments -DDF - REVOLVE 400X Micro-Polishing System
asortafairytale 3/23/2011 8:23:00 PM
I read on one of the reviews on the sephora site that you can buy the DDF refill heads for this with the microderm crystals but use the Olay ProX handheld unit, which is 1/3 the price... I probably should have done that... anyway - this is great. the brush for cleansing is so-so, I'd rather use a clarisonic. its a little wimpy. but the foam head for the crystals is really good. its really gentle but makes your skin really smooth. I heard from my esthetician that microderm is the key to helping keep my skin clear, so I thought I'd buy this instead of going there so often. So far my skin feels great, but I will update on how my skin reacts! so far - too expensive, but good results.
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Lotions/ Creams -La Mer - The Body Creme
asortafairytale 1/22/2011 5:21:00 PM
I like this. I bought the tube (not the jar) when it first came out a couple years ago. And then when I stopped by La Mer in the mall, I was lucky to get a few samples of it too. It moisturizes well. It feels great, smells great. its a little greasy at the start but soaks in quickly. but I get better results for my dry winter skin with aveeno lotion, which is literally 20x cheaper. so it is a waste of money. They dont even put any of their "miracle broth" in it, which they should. Hey, if it worked better than aveeno, I'd be willing to buy it again. If I had money to burn, yeah I'd probably buy it again, but not now.
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Treatments -La Mer - the concentrate
asortafairytale 1/16/2011 10:20:00 PM
cant believe I bought this, because it was so expensive, but with the glowing reviews and with my skin, I wanted to try it. my skin has been through a lot, particularly with acne, and I have many acne scars (red spots). I really dont have pitted or texture scars though. But my skin gets irritated very easily, breaks out easily. since I started using all La Mer, my breakouts have stopped (!!) but the red spots remain. I started using the concentrate last week. the bottle was much bigger than I expected. its 1.7oz. it has a dipper in it, not a dropper. I wish it was a pump. the serum is thick, silicone based. it smells like dirt (earthy) and lavender. feels very smooth going on, and calms my skin. My red spots already appear lighter, but maybe that is because my skin is much calmer and not irritated. I have no broken out from this, and I think I would have by now. I use it 2x a day and follow with the Creme. Only a few drops of this is needed, so it should last a very long time, probably 6 months or more. I will update on how well it works in the coming weeks and months. If it works well, I will repurchase, otherwise not. I dont mind paying a lot if something works!
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Treatments (Eye) -La Mer - Eye Concentrate
asortafairytale 1/16/2011 10:10:00 PM
I got a 0.1 oz deluxe sample jar of this when ordering from la mer's website, so I didnt get the silver tipped thing with it. I do love the texture and consistency. And it smells like cucumbers. It hydrated well. but something in it makes my eyes and nose water, without fail. Everything else Ive ever used from La Mer has been gentle on my eyes, though. I would love to use up the rest of the pot and see if it makes a difference in my dark circles, but I dont think I can tolerate whatever is in it. too bad!
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Moisturizers -La Mer - Creme de la mer moisturizer
asortafairytale 1/2/2011 11:38:00 AM
there will always be nay-sayers, but this creme really is spectacular. for one, I'm amazed that my super acne prone skin never ever breaks out with this. in fact, it seems to heal so much faster when I use this, and post-acne red spots seem to fade faster. I thought the miracle broth stuff is a load of crap, but I cant dispute how well it heals. whatever ail my skin has - flaky, chapped, red, blotchy, irritated, whatever... this has solved it. I have purchased about 3 or 4 jars of this over the past couple years. it lasts, you only need a small pea sized amount. the price keeps going up and up every year it seems, though. yes its so expensive ($250 for 2oz jar) but that jar will last you 6 months, maybe 12.. and it doesnt seem to lose its effectiveness. So, I've spent the better half of my 20's wasting money on every single skin care line out there, wasted thousands of dollars over the years on gadgets, creams, serums, masks, treatments, facials... some good, most really awful that fried my skin... and I've finally zoned in on what works, and this is it. I did try using nivea creme instead, since the basic ingredients are the same, and its somewhat similar in texture, but nivea gives me acne, and this doesnt. Ive compared the two a few times, and I get the same result. maybe there is something to that miracle broth after all.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Nivea - Nivea Creme
asortafairytale 12/28/2010 8:40:00 PM
I use this on my face, and in the winter, its fabulous. its very much like creme de la mer. Im acne prone, and it hasnt broken me out, which is quite amazing. beforehand, I take my makeup off with ponds makeup removing cloths, then wash with the new noxzema scrub, and then top with nivea creme. my face is smooth and soft, not a flake or pimple. amazing. I warm the creme between my fingers before putting it on.*****update***** this actually did cause me some acne. So I switched back to using creme de la mer, and no more acne, but the same soft and moisturized skin. weird - since they have somewhat similar ingredients. But thats enough to make me not want to use this on my face anymore. I'll keep this in my purse for my hands though. its still amazing, still rate it as a 5.
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