Polishes -OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark
charls 4/26/2012 7:55:00 PM
I really want to love this nail polish, but I don't. It's not bad, but I don't find the formula as good as other OPI nail polishes I own. It's quite streaky and I feel like I need a ridge filler underneath and topcoat. (I think I've jumped on the sorbet jelly bandwagon which I love the finish of) Having said that, the colour is very nice. I was looking for something that was almost black but with more depth than flat black (which can look a bit cheap), and this definitely ticks that box.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -MD Formulations - Facial Creme
charls 4/23/2012 7:21:00 PM
How does this product only have 11 reviews????? It's my holy grail skin product!!!! I have been using the Facial Creme (now called Continuous Renewal Complex) for at least 7 years now and I've gone from having pimply, heavily combination skin as a 20 year old (where I wouldn't leave the house without a tonne of makeup to "patch" my blemishes), to having almost porcelain skin (could go completely without makeup). I was about ready to get a dermatologist to do whatever they could to my skin and fork out thousands of dollars, but my mum recommended me to see a cosmetic therapist and she recommended me MD Formulations when I was 19 or 20. I really don't know why their products are not more popular, because they work! This product has cleaned out my pores and shrunk them so tiny that I can't even see them on my nose anymore. No more blackheads, and it has helped incredibly with my skin congestion. I use this product every night without fail with a deep hydrating moisturizer and I can't live without it. If I'm spending any amount of time away from home, it comes with me. For me, it's worth every cent and I will continue to use it forever. For a time I did try converting to the Paula's Choice equivalent, but there is no comparison. MD Formulations is far superior, I don't know why but I don't get results using other brands. Packaging is just a small tub, never leaks. The creme is quite thick in consistency, not runny at all, but applies thinly to the skin. A little goes a long way. A 50ml tub lasts me quite a few months. If you're concerned with cleanliness, you can scoop a blob out with a Q-tip/cottonbud. This product is for dry to normal to combo-dry skin, for normal to combo-oily, there is a gel equivalent. I think it's the continuous renewal serum. I wear at least an SPF15 foundation everyday in Winter, and at least an SPF30 foundation everyday in Summer. Without sunscreen, sunburn is almost instant while using AHA and BHAs.
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Masks -MD Formulations - Vit A Plus Clearing Complex
charls 4/23/2012 7:03:00 PM
This product is relatively strong for first time users but as a seasoned user of MD formulations, I always have this product on hand in my bathroom. I feel a very light tingle but nothing more. I also follow up with a deep hydrating moisturize. On average I use it about once a fortnight as a treatment (only at night), a thin layer over my entire face avoiding the eyes. The penetration of this product is deep and the morning after my skin is noticeably smoother. I get mild adult breakouts when I'm sick or run down and it does help keep my skin in check. Note that I use a milder MD Formulations creme every other night. MD Formulations products are very expensive in Australia due to distribution rights so I buy all mine at (similar to) US prices online. A word of warning: the skin you're left with after using this product is baby soft and you must use a high SPF moisturiser/makeup following use as you will sunburn very easily (especially where I live in Australia).
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Polishes -OPI - Samoan Sand
charls 4/23/2012 6:51:00 PM
After getting over the mannikin hands the first time you wear it, this nail polish is fabulous. It looks wonderful. I was after a creamy nude, with very little sparkle, flat in colour but elegant, sophisticated and clean looking and this is definitely it. I used to wear OPI Dulce de Leche but I like Samoan Sand more. So much so that I wore it for my wedding.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Carmex - STRAWBERRY Click-Stick
charls 4/23/2012 6:46:00 PM
After using the blistex tub for a number of years, I was recommended carmex which I love infinitely more. Blistex tastes very chemically to me now that I've switched over. Anyway, I was after a handbag stick with SPF that I could wear under lipstick as my lips are often very dry and the click-stick is fabulous. It's 2-3 times longer lasting than the blistex stick I used to use and I am sure I will repurchase and repurchase.
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Blush -NARS - Deep Throat
charls 4/23/2012 6:40:00 PM
I always thought this blush would be the one, and it is. It's a lot sheerer than other Nars blushes which is perfect for me as I have very translucent skin and highly pigmented makeup that looks wonderful on my sister, makes me look like a drag queen during the day. It is buildable which is great, and as others have said, very subtle in shimmer and fabulous for everyday wear. The overall colour would suit many complexions.
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Lipstick -MAC - Freckletone lipstick
charls 11/19/2010 6:28:00 AM
Freckletone is amazing on me. I am a pale Asian (neutral undertones) with pigmented lips, but tan easily. I have been pursuing the nude-concealer lips look (eg Myth) but find this is far too much upkeep on my pigmented lips for everyday wear. Freckletone solves my problem. It is what I would describe as "natural" rather than "nude". It is peachy, not too sheer, much more moisturising than Myth, evens out my lips. I have only purchased Freckletone today but I can see it becoming my favourite everyday lipstick.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Self Tanners -Natio - Sun-Kissed Glow Gradual Tan Lotion
charls 11/14/2010 8:23:00 PM
I wasn't happy with Holiday Skin and was on the hunt for another gradual tanning moisturiser. I purchased this based from the good reviews here. I purchased for full price of AUD $13. After the first week I found the colour a bit too yellow on my Asian skin. I've applied every second day for the following two weeks and I'm now happy with the colour. It is very natural looking and not orange at all. As for the smell, I found it a bit chemically at first, but I was comparing this to Aveda which is my everyday facial moisturiser. Given the price, and product, the smell is quite pleasant. Consistency is great. Overall I'm very happy with this product and although I purchased this to tan my paste-y legs for the start of Summer, I like it so much I think I'll use it during Winter as well.
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Lipstick -MAC - Blankety
charls 6/13/2010 11:23:00 AM
I really like this lipstick and often grab it on a day-to-day basis. It is quite pink so I often wear it with cool coloured clothes and makeup. I have relatively pigmented lips and this lipstick comes out soft and light without being washed out. Is totally wearable on it's own without gloss or moisturizer.
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Lipstick -MAC - Satin Lipstick - Myth
charls 6/13/2010 11:12:00 AM
I found this lipstick very drying and even with a lip balm underneath and gloss on top, the overall colour ended up being uneven on my lips and really brings out imperfections. It tends to give me a fright everytime I check it in the bathroom. This lipstick is very high maintenance for me. EDIT: I have finally made this lipstick work for me. I have very pigmented lips (and of course I love the pale, naked look). I have paired Myth with Nymphette lipglass and this works really well for me. It didn't really work with other, lighter coloured lipglosses. It's still hard upkeep (needs complete reapplication after I've eaten anything), but it looks exactly how I want it to look so I put up with the extra effort.
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Lip Gloss -NARS - Orgasm
charls 12/4/2006 11:27:00 PM
For us girls in Australia, Mecca sells Nars lip glosses for $50 a pop. Because of this astronomical price I decided to buy mine off ebay from a girl who brought Nars stuff back from the states. I originally wanted Sweet Dreams but she didn't have it so I thought I'd give Orgasm a go. I was quite frankly expecting much more colour. I like the shimmer and the texture is fairly good. Not too sticky and not too dry. I also like the colour but it's just not pigmented enough to be worth $50, or even US$23. Maybe it's too close to the natural colour of my lips. Still somewhat of a disappointment.
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Lip Gloss -L'Oreal - L'Oreal Glam Shine in Princess
charls 11/16/2006 8:25:00 PM
I think this retails for AU$20 here but I got this free when I bought other L'Oreal products. I'm not huge on mauves/purples but the colour came out better on my lips than I thought it would. However, I'm not a fan of the silver sparkles. It gives a really nice sheen and sparkle to the lips from far away, but up close it's just pornstar. Looks ultra cheap on me. The other thing that I really hated about this was the smell. It reminds me of lipsmackers or bubblegum or something else really "kiddy". Although I think the packaging is pretty ugly, it doesn't leak at all which is great! In the end, I'm glad I didn't pay for this product.
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Lip Gloss -Guerlain - Meteorites Lipgloss (multicolored)
charls 11/16/2006 8:04:00 PM
My mum gave me two of these (the pink and the pale) and I found the colours fantastic, the smell nice and no tingling on my lips. I really like them both and found they have good staying power. I didn't give these five stars because now that I've had these for a long while, if you knock them around the gloss comes out of the seal between the wand and the bottle when you close it... I guess this happens with most of my lipglosses, but it's still annoying to have to clean before putting it in my handbag. From memory they are pretty expensive at AU$42 (maybe more now) so I would prefer to try some other lipglosses rather than repurchasing.
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Treatments -Paula's Choice - Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate
charls 11/3/2006 11:01:00 PM
I ordered the 1ml sample of this to try as a night time eye product. I've used it 3 or 4 times now and it's great. I really like the texture and how well it absorbs into my skin. Although it doesn't feel heavy, I've found it to still be quite moisturising. Just a tiny little bit goes a long, long way too so I will be ordering the full 30ml tube with my next order.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Aveda - Aveda Inner-Light Mineral Tinted Moisture SPF15
charls 11/3/2006 8:53:00 AM
I purchased shade 02 Beechwood. I was after a light coverage, just to even out my skin and I wanted an as natural, no makeup look as possible. The color is great, matches my skin tone very well. Initially I thought it was a little expensive at AUD$60 since MD Formulations has a tinted SPF moisturiser for a similar (cheaper) price for double the quantity, but I liked the old Aveda light foundations, so I thought I'd give it a go. I have combination skin with a little bit of acne and using this product with some concealer looks wonderful. My only concerns are that it applies a little sticky feeling and it leaves my forehead more oily than other products by the end of the day. I will probably try MD Formulations tinted moisturiser next due to the price difference but wouldn't be surprised if I do repurchase this in the future.
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