Crème -Dr. Hauschka - Translucent Make-up
chanap 4/30/2013 2:45:00 PM
LOVE this! From looking at the reviews, this one's all over the place in the ratings, kind of a love/hate thing, and I think it's because it's so different. First, there's the scent -- which I love -- but you should smell it first and make sure you do, too! Next, when you try it on, you'll see it's called translucent for a reason. It's not like any foundation I've ever tried (quite a few over the years!) It doesn't look like you're wearing makeup, it just looks like your skin has a smooth, Magic Hour glow. (Not shiny, and not dewy, and Definitely not cakey/powdery or sparkly but a healthy -- yes, translucent -- glow.) What's not to like? Well, it doesn't cover a lot unless you mix it with something -- and then you can get the best of both, which is what my daughter does. (She mixes with a little light concealer, mostly because we got 01 (fair) which is my color but too dark for her.) At first, with my older skin, I didn't like it because of the lack of much coverage. But then after seeing how perfect and glowy she looked (ok, she's 16 but even her skin doesn't usually have that perfect glow!) I tried again! We both sometimes use it with the (watery) bronzer, to shade and sculpt. I used it with concealer. It looks good. Why use it at all? It makes your skin look better. Unlike normal foundation, which hides but does NOT look like skin, this does, but better. The color isn't flat but has depth, and looks good in different lighting. Need more reasons? I figure you wear foundation possibly all day every day, and if you don't use primer and such, it may be the closest stuff to your skin, so it has the best chance of enhancing or ruining your skin. The Hauschka ingredients are from a natural care skin company and are actually good for your skin. (It does have some alcohol in this, which some people don't like but I'm ok with -- it does evaporate.) Why am I going on so long? Because I feel like this makeup is misunderstood, which means there are probably a lot of women out there who might benefit if they want a different, glowy, real, non-makeupy look (and/or are willing to experiment with mixing.) I almost missed out on using this, and at my age, it's nice to put my best face forward:)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Christian Dior - rouge dior nude 618 twill
chanap 4/25/2013 10:16:00 PM
You can find an almost exact dupe in revlon colorstay 626 Canyon (very slightly warmer but a LOT cheaper and longer lasting.) This is an ok lipstick. Lasts as long as most, nice color, slightly grainy texture. The packaging is really pretty but not worth the price -- around $30.
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Eyeliner -Hard Candy - Stroke of Gorgeous liner- All
chanap 4/25/2013 11:36:00 AM
Love this! It is great for the eyeliner-impaired:) I could never use anything except soft, smudgy crayon liners because that was the look i was going to get no matter how I tried -- smudgy. This is like using a felt pen, so you use the same skills and can get the finest lines -- all the way into the corner if you want. It is buildable so a heavier line is doable but that isn't the look I go for, so can't say if it is the best for that. Little black dress is a good color and I'll probably go back and try the others, something almost unimaginable with previous liners. Just thought -- wow -- I may actually learn how to do cat-eyes using this! Happy, happy. One other thing -- you can actually get this in the lashline without clumps or smudges. Amazing. Yet, it doesn't have that felt pen flat look but instead looks like... wait for it... eyeliner!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Ouidad - Climate Control Gel
chanap 4/23/2013 5:10:00 PM
What kind of hair you have and your climate will make ALL the difference in what works for you so don't expect to find your hg necessarily in the top picks. This works GREAT for my fine, soft, curly and wavy wild hair. At home, it keeps the shine and the softness while giving me more control and stopping frizz. (But in Santa Monica, near the beach, it just makes my hair crunchy when I use it in my usual way.) For me, this is a light control product, which is what I like. Something else great about it is that I can use so little that I still have my original sample bottle MONTHS later:) Because of this, I can't rate it as expensive -- and I Will be buying when I run out because it looks so natural, feels so soft, yet gets rid of the dreaded frizz.
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Lipstick -Cover Girl - Outlast in Canyon
chanap 4/23/2013 4:50:00 PM
Outlast in Canyon is #626, which is what I'm reviewing. Apparently they changed the formulation in...2007? Anyway, it's 2013 and I love this color but the packaging doesn't look anything like that blue package pictured above. Hmm. It gets a 3 on EWG which isn't bad -- as long as you don't use the clear stuff over it. (The clear gloss gets a 5 from EWG, and is nothing special. You can sub any gloss.) This color is almost an exact dupe of Dior's Rouge Dior in Nude (618)! Which I found out accidentally after buying the latter during a makeover and finding I already had that color in outlast at home. So what I do is wear the Dior, which is long lasting and moisturizing, over the outlast on day for that very slightly more lipsticky look with getting the color to last all day. Outlast is plenty good by itself, and I'd have skipped the dior if I'd realized. As at least one other reviewer said, Canyon is a good nude for redheads (i'm auburn/red-brown) with character but soft enough for day.
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Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Elemental Herbs Sunscreen Sport tinted Spf 22
chanap 4/14/2013 3:18:00 PM
VERY safe! EWG (environmental working group -- a group that judges safety of products, including makeup) gives this a 1, which is safest. They can also tell you how much UVA and UVB protection, etc. This one has excellent UVA, good UVB, and excellent stability which means it doesn't break down on your sun-exposed skin. Nice consistency and coverage. Didn't break me out. Only giving it a 4 because the one tint color they have so far is good for fair, cool complexions. It's a little pink and plasticy looking on me, so I just add in some foundation to make it my color.
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Concealers -Christian Dior - Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen-002 Candlelight
chanap 3/28/2013 10:31:00 PM
For those who think their pen ran out early -- it probably just needs to be shaken and the knob twisted a few more times. The mechanism isn't well-made. If you don't get the twisting and shaking just right, either nothing comes out or you get a blob of stuff. So annoying!! Yet, the product is very good for dark areas, and as a subtle highlighter. I love it best as a liner for my upper lip, -- after foundation and before lipstick/gloss -- to give some sparkle and make my lips look fuller. The color for #2 is just right for my fair skin, and is irridescent and translucent without being too shiny. The pen itself is so annoying to get product out of, however, that I already bought a Laura Mercier highlighting pen when I thought this one was running out and will try that next instead.
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Lotions/ Creams -Alba Botanica - Un-petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly
chanap 3/28/2013 10:18:00 PM
Got to give this a 5 -- so much like petroleum jelly in consistency yet it's not a petroleum bi-product -- instead it has healthy ingredients! Good to know about this, especially if you use anything in sensitive areas. Ever look at the ingredients in KY jelly, for instance?
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
chanap 3/26/2013 1:59:00 AM
MUA, you suggested it and now I'm hooked! I started by using a tiny bit on the dry ends of my hair, got brave enough to try it on my face and found out I'm one of the lucky ones it doesn't break out, though other things do (I tested by putting it on only one half of my face daily for a week), and now I'm eating the stuff! Love it for night before pre-shampoo hair masque, and I swear it even has made my wrinkles less obvious (yup, other people could see the difference and I used it on the more wrinkly half of my face around my eye). Love it, and will keep experimenting:)
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Unlisted Brand - Apple Cider Vinegar
chanap 3/26/2013 1:43:00 AM
Ok, I am another one of those people ACV works for. I use just any generic ACV -- no special brand. No clue why some things work for some people and not for others but I suspect this works for people who either have oily hair or use hair products that need clarifying out. My hair is curly and dry on the ends but I have an oily scalp. Makes my hair so shiny and soft! I was afraid to try it at first but figured that at worst I'd just have to go back and use more conditioner if it made my hair dry. (Baking soda made my hair so dry and awful it was almost scary but conditioning worked.) Anyway, remember ymmv (your mileage may vary:)) but it's a great, cheap choice if you are one of those whose hair likes it!
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Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Kabana - Green Screen
chanap 3/16/2013 6:18:00 PM
Looking at old reviews, I can tell you that more tints are available now, and it has a higher SPF! It got tested and is 32 now, not 22 spf. Besides "clear," there is Neutral (which is warm and goldenish), Nude (which looks pinkish -- I don't have this one), Bronze, and Peach. I bought the peach and the neutral. The latter looks great on both me and my very fair teen daughter. Because the tints are so transparent, the peach looks good, too. (I'm fair-medium and we are both neutral to warm.) We both can wear it instead of foundation, moisturizer, etc. It has a wonderful consistency and gives my skin a beautiful, slightly golden glow! How to use? DON'T moisturize before. (if you insist on moisturizing, you're going to have to use lots of powder after.) This stuff has great ingredients, so I think of it more as a treatment/tinted moisturizer. It got a 1 on EWG, meaning it is the VERY SAFEST for your skin. It looks so good on that my daughter keeps borrowing it, so I'm going to have to get her her own tube. You can get it at kabanskincare.com Con: Arrgh, it may be breaking me out! I love the colors, the safety, the texture and foundation-like coverage so much that even though it's breaking me out, I have to give it 4 stars -- to reflect the 5 it could be for you, if you aren't acne-prone. EDIT: Love the colors, love the texture but won't buy again because something in it -- the vegetable wax? -- breaks me out:(
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Hair Color -Unlisted Brand - Surya Henna Cream
chanap 3/12/2013 2:07:00 PM
The best I've been able to find for a natural haircolor so far. No PPD, loads of shine, softness, good natural shades, and more outrageous reds, if you want that. I've used regular haircolor both before and after this, and unlike true henna, it was fine (ymmv). Downside: 1. bleeds for several shampoos, gets on towels (mine washed out), 2. not sure if there are any gold or ashy tones. (Tried several reds, and the light and dark browns and all ran warm as they faded). Based on reviews here, you might try chocolate or the mixing the blondes in for other tones. 3. It coats and doesn't lighten.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Everyday Minerals - Foundation Original Glo Formula
chanap 3/12/2013 12:52:00 PM
Arrgh! As a healthy, natural product, I really wanted this to work! And I keep trying it, as if something is going to change. Does anyone know a mineral makeup that truly works for the over 50 crowd? This and Youngblood both make my skin look dry (normally normal/oily!) and Yow -- wrinkly!! Doesn't matter if I prime and moisturize first, or even after, the powder seems to suck it up. So for now I'm using Cotz sunscreen as a foundation, which has a bit too much coverage for me, or Dr. Hauschka, which is more of a faint tint that disappears -- but at least doesn't cake, flake or help me discover wrinkles I didn't know I had! EDIT: I've got to bring this up a lippie because it works better now and I see why people like it. Three of the many things I've learned on MUA is that application matters, to know your skin, and to keep experimenting once you've already bought a product to see if you can make it work! So. What works for my older, apparently much dryer (I didn't know how much it had changed), skin is to apply an oil to my skin (I use coconut because it doesn't break me out like it does some people) before using this product. Then I apply with my fingertip, and only to the places I need it, blending into the rest. It works!! It hasn't been on my face very long and still may settle but on application it looks very good -- like the descriptions other people have for mineral makeup, glowy and soft! Lessons learned: figure out what isn't working, and fix it, rather than blowing through lots of product and wasting all that cash. (If my skin had been too oily for this, or anything else, I'd have applied a drying product as primer first.) Thank you MUA'ers for all the knowledge!!
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Mascara -Christian Dior - DiorShow BlackOut Waterproof
chanap 3/12/2013 12:43:00 PM
Beautiful color, almost blue-black. Dramatic look but a hard to rate mascara because you have to use it over another mascara on the tips (or save for nightime) due to the thickness, but more importantly -- like others, I bought this especially because it was supposed to be waterproof. And it isn't. Not on me, anyway. I use eyelid primer, and/or Clarins eyelash fix over it to stop the smearing. FYI: The non-waterproof seems to get better overall reviews (haven't tried it yet.) The depth of color and thickness for special occasions mean I will buy it again unless I find something comparable but cheaper or more waterproof.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - lemon honey coconut oil
chanap 3/12/2013 12:32:00 PM
Thank you mu-ers! My mask/treatment is first lemon to exfoliate, cleanse and add C, then mix honey in right over it for humectant and anti-bacterial properties, then aloe vera and lastly coconut oil over that while the mask is still moist, to keep in moisture, and make the honey unsticky enough for me to sleep in. I've tried this on one side of my face while leaving the other side plain and it doesn't break me out. It clears and brightens my skin, at least temporarily reduces wrinkles (coconut oil), reduces pimpling, softens, and seems to balance oil. I've been doing this for weeks and it's still my HG skin care product. The idea to add the lemon and honey before the oil I got from MUA. So much better than all the samples of skin moisturizer and treatment I've gotten from Sephora! Anyone else notice that all the highest rated skin treatments seem to be natural kitchen products? Thank you all!
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