Moisturizers -Clarins - Multi Active Night Cream
frucht_tasche 2/12/2013 3:38:00 AM
This is a perfectly decent moisturizer for people with normal to slightly dry skin. It does not do anything dramatic, but it moisturizes well and my face looks clear and healthy in the morning. It has a very pleasant texture and does not leave any greasy residue. It may sound boring, but after a few years of experimenting with so many different brands and products, I came to cherish Clarins products. In fact I disliked Clarins when my skin was in bad condition because -- I believe -- their products are aimed not so much to solve any skin problem as to maintain already good skin without major issues. I have slightly sensitive skin that reacts badly to some active ingredients and with some of Clarins products, especially the multi active line and double serum, my skin looks rested and clear, and most of all, well taken care of. This cream is not cheap, but for whatever reason, my face looks just better with this than with more basic moisturizers (I do want to know why -- theoretically it does not make much sense). If you do not expect a dramatic improvement and are looking for a nice moisturizer, you will be happy with this product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Laura Mercier - Foundation Powder
frucht_tasche 11/11/2011 4:11:00 AM
I never thought that I would be able to use powder foundation on my dry-ish skin, but this LM product works for me. It provides a very clear, polished look, and does not cake or settle into fine lines. I cannot really explain why, but this foundation makes my skin look natural yet polished at the same time. The color No 2 is perfect for my NC 20-25 skin. It lasts literally all day without touch up. It is slightly matt/drying just after application, but after a few hours looks and feels good. A potential HG!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Shu Uemura - Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation
frucht_tasche 5/26/2011 7:45:00 AM
I have mixed feelings toward this foundation. Pros: 1) the shade 764 matches my NC 25 skin perfectly 2) somehow this foundation makes me look awake and polished. I guess that it is the exact color match. 3) it lasts all day long without touch up. Cons: unfortunately this foundation is too drying for my dry-ish skin. I cannot use this every day since it dries out my skin even though I use rich moisturizers/sunscreen.
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Moisturizers -Clarins - Multi-Active Day Cream *new formula*
frucht_tasche 5/26/2011 7:35:00 AM
I have been quite disappointed with a few clarins products (gentle range, anti-aging day cream for mature skin in peach colored jar, peeling, body lotion), but I like this day cream. For me it is a nice, fuss-free day cream for my dry-ish skin in warmer days. This cream provides a just right amount of moisture (in winter I think I would need a heavier moisturizer, though), does not irritate my skin, and does not break me out. I am sure whether it does a lot for anti-aging, but my skin looks and feels clear and comfortable with this. Although they market this cream as suitable for all skin types, I guess that it would be best for normal to dry skin types. For combination skin, it can be too heavy. I am quite happy and perhaps would repurchase.
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Crème -Laura Mercier - Crème Smooth Foundation
frucht_tasche 5/26/2011 7:23:00 AM
A great foundation for dry skin. I received a generous sample of this foundation and am positively surprised. It feels very comfortable on my dry skin, covers well, and gives a dewy, polished finish. It is highly pigmented and very moisturizing, so a small amount is enough. Initially I thought that it might be too heavy (judging from its creamy, dense texture), but if I apply carefully, it provides quite natural finish. What I love most in this foundation is that it does not sit on skin, emphasizing pores (I experienced this with some cream foundations), but somehow melts in skin. I use this when my skin feels particularly dry, when my liquid foundations (BB skin, shu face architect, YSL perfect touch) cannot cut it. I think this fdt is only for people with rather mature, dry skin. On combination skins, it may be too emollient.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -L'Occitane - Almond Apple Cleansing Oil
frucht_tasche 4/27/2011 9:48:00 AM
I picked up this product after my origins cleansing oil ran out. A huge mistake... even though this oil smells nice and feels nice on my dry skin, it makes me break out! After a week of use, little blemishes and a cystic acne appeared (my skin is not breakout prone, and I didn't change anything in my skincare regime except this oil). I will definitely go back to Origins cleansing oil (the best one I tried).
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Liquid -Guerlain - Parure Aqua Fluid Foundation SPF 20
frucht_tasche 4/27/2011 9:40:00 AM
After hearing many good things about this foundation, I am SO disappointed. At first it seemed to be nice: the fdt applies smoothly, provides medium coverage, and felt emollient enough for my dry-ish skin. But a few hours after application, the problem started. 1) It oxidized horribly, turning my face orange (and I usually do not have oxidization problem with foundations) 2) It felt moisturizing at first, but after a few hours, the moisture seemed to evaporate, leaving powdery-oily residue on skin. I felt very uncomfortable and looked extremely bad 3) it also emphasized pores and fine lines. I gave it many chances, but the result was the same. Since I had such high expectations, I was very disappointed. In fact, at least for me even Maybelline dream mousse performed better than this one... For a medium coverage foundation, I will just stick to YSL perfect touch or By Terry plumping foundation (both apply smoothly, do not dry out my skin, no oxidization).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powders -SKII - Finishing Powder
frucht_tasche 2/15/2011 5:42:00 AM
Very average loose powder with a high price tag. It controls oil, but as the previous reviewer mentioned, the finish is rather flat and too matt. For this price, I would go for Chantecaille loose powder or By Terry pressed powder instead.
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Moisturizers -La Mer - Creme de la mer moisturizer
frucht_tasche 12/3/2010 5:16:00 AM
After many hesitations, I finally bought this cream without trying (samples are very rare here in Europe). & The result is: I am disappointed. For me, this is a mineral oil-petrolatum based moisturizer but not more. My skin has been dry and sensitive these days due to stress and long flights, and this cream didn't help much, which surprised me, because it is designed for sensitized, dry skin. After a week, my skin feels softer on the surface but feels dry underneath. Flakes are still there. No miracle. I can see that CDLM may work for some people. I guess that people with thin, fragile skin may like this cream because its protective benefits. My husband has this skintype, and he is happily using up the jar (I will update whether anything dramatic happens after long term use). My skin is not so thin, and I feel that CDLM sits on the skin instead of actually moisturizing skin, even though I apply carefully according to the instruction. In general, I didn't have good luck with mineral oil based creams, i.e., some sisley, avene products. Instead, my skin reacts well to silicone based creams with humectants or creams with natural oils/shea butter. All in all, I think this cream is designed for specific skintypes, so if you have skin like mine, you may try before purchasing. ***********UPDATE Jan 10*************** I initially gave two lippies, but now I must change my review. I persistently used La Mer for now almost 2 months because it was expensive and I didn't have any other moisturizer on hand, and now I see why some people love this. It still didn't moisturize very well. It didn't dry out my skin, but sometimes my skin felt a bit tight and showed a bit flakes. But this cream does make skintone look much better. My skin looks now so even even without makeup, and my pores look a lot smaller. What I also love is: it does not make my face oilier throughout the day (which happens to me with very rich creams). I didn't experience any breakout from this, either. I guess that the only way to see whether CDLM works is to try this for a while. I was so disappointed at first, but now I am quite happy with the result. The price is exhorbitant, but on the other hand, you would not need a lot.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Weleda - Wild Rose Night Cream
frucht_tasche 10/1/2010 7:33:00 AM
I purchased this moisturizer after reading reviews here, and I am very impressed. I had some problems with my old moisturizer (Kiehl's Ultra facial cream), which made my skin dry and dull with reddish patches. Since I switched to this night cream, my face looks so much clearer and radiant. I also love the texture: since this cream does not contain silicone, it applies more like a balm. It looks rich, but if I massage in, it completely sinks in and leaves skin so soft without being greasy. Smells nice, too. If you have normal-dry skin and don't have problems with natural ingredients, I think it's worth trying.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Kiehls - Ultra Facial Cream
frucht_tasche 8/4/2010 9:29:00 AM
A basic, reliable moisurizer with good price (esp. the large jar). It moisturizes my normal-dry skin sufficienty, absorbs well and is not irritating. Works great under makeup, too. Update September 2010: I initially gave 4 lippies, but after months of use I feel that this moisturizer actually doesn't do anything. It feels ok when applied, but it does not improve skin in any way. After washing the face in the evening, my skin feels dry and looks tired. The skin became gradually dehydrated and the pores look larger, too. Maybe it's the ingredients: I was so shocked to see the extremely simple ingredient list on the jar. I will go back to my origins moisturizers or look for something else.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Shu Uemura - Drawing Pencil
frucht_tasche 7/5/2010 9:23:00 AM
The best longlasting eyeliner ever! Before using this, I used BB and Mac gel liners, which are good but not as good (sometimes smudged, not as longlasting). This pencil applies very easily, the textual is very soft and creamy, yet longlasting. It never smudges even in hot and humid weather. My only gripe is that I use it up quite fast, but it's not that bad. I will definitely repurchase.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Origins - Clean Energy Cleansing Oil
frucht_tasche 5/6/2010 8:42:00 AM
I love this cleaning oil. It removes makeup very well, does not irritate my skin (even eye area) and rinses clean without leaving a film. I also like that it is not mineral oil based. Reasonably priced, too. I will definitely repurchase. FYI: Other cleansing oils I used: In the past I used Shu Uemura green tea cleansing oil: irritation, drying, caused the worst breakout I experienced Kanebo: expensive and does not rinse off well, so I had to use a foam cleanser together, and this combination dried out my skin Babor cleansing oil + phytoactive: very good and gentle but expensive because I had to buy two products DHC cleansing oil: I liked it, but I find the texture of Origins oil lighter and easier to rinse off.
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Liquid -Bobbi Brown - Skin Foundation SPF 15
frucht_tasche 3/11/2010 3:32:00 AM
I tried almost all BB foundations, and until now this is my favorite. Pros: The shade (warm sand for my NC 25-30 skin) is spot on: light golden shade that makes me look healthy without being orange. The texture is very light. Applied carefully (I use fingertips or brush) the overall effect is very natural. Cons: Like other BB foundations, this fdt works well only on good skin: neither dry nor oily, flake-free, little/no blemishes. The coverage is very light, and if I try to layer, it looks heavy and flat. It looks great when my skin is in decent condition but if not it emphasizes pores and flakes. It is not longlasting (wipes off sometimes) and tends to oxidize a bit. It is also a bit drying for my normal-dry skin. I gave 4 lippies because of the natural look and the beautiful shade, but I am not sure whether I'll repurchase due to these reasons. If you're looking for a light fdt like BB skin but want something more longlasting/less complicated, you might check out Shu face architect liquid foundation. Overall similar effect but easier to apply/longlasting/mattifying/not as runny.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -Bobbi Brown - apricot powder blush
frucht_tasche 12/21/2009 8:25:00 AM
Love this blush. The shade looks vivid pink-peach in the pan but, when applied, it gives natural and pretty glow on my fair-medium NC 25 skin. I love how it lasts all day long, does not look powdery, and most importantly makes me look healthy. Amazing quality, too. If I have to choose only one blush to keep, it is highly likely that I'll keep this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No