Scrubs -Unlisted Brand - Sugar
gwynne23 10/17/2007 6:45:00 AM
I have to to add another rave for sugar as a scrub...because I even suprised *myself.* My skin seems to have a lot of trouble exfoliating itself....despite me using chemical exfoliants (differin gel at the moment) and trying my hand at various physical ones (my usual staple; a gentle washcloth with my cleanser.) For reference, I have extremely acne prone and clog prone skin; I have my routine down to an exact science because I've learned that varying from it even slightly is bad news. I decided to try sugar as an exfoliator for my face, neck, chest, and legs to help with my seemingly endless dry-skin build up (sorry if that's TMI!). It works fantastically; leaves your skin feeling SO smooth, rinses off beautifully, and allows your moisturizer/treatments sink in and really penetrate your skin. I've also used it on nights when I've detected a small red bump forming (which, most likely, will turn into a monster from hell by the next morning) only to wake up to it being completely if not almost gone :0) My complexion looks bright and even when I use this scrub, and it certainly speeds up the healing of red marks. Give it a shot - there's really nothing to lose and the reviews speak for themselves :)
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Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara 
gwynne23 4/14/2007 7:48:00 AM
I bought this after reading the raves here on MUA..unfortunately it didn't work for me. (would have been awesome if it did because its so cheap, but..) It flakes, clumps, and doesn't really extend/thicken/curl my lashes to any degree. I wore it on a run because I didn't have time to remove it and I resembled a panda bear by the end of it. No dice.
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Moisturizers -Avene - skin recovery cream (US name: cream for intolerant skin)
gwynne23 4/14/2007 7:43:00 AM
For reference...I'm sensitive, VERY clog/acne prone, and dry. This cream was first given to me after I did a series of microdermabrasions to normalize my skin. I'm happy with it because it doesn't clog me (a miracle), it keeps my skin hydrated enough that on nights I use it I don't have to wear moisturizer the next day, and it leaves my skin feeling soft. A possible downside to the cream is that it is very thick..probably not suited for daytime wear (which is fine with me). It does not contain silicones for those with sensitivities.
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Liquid -Maybelline - Pure Makeup [DISCONTINUED]
gwynne23 4/4/2007 12:04:00 PM
I'm usually a huge foundation snob; only buying HE brands and shelling out lots of money to do so. However; lately I've been trying to find out *WHAT* is clogging my pores (because I think I can claim the title of most-clog-prone-person-ever), which meant ditching a few of my HE foundations as I suspected they may be the culprits. I went foundation-free for a little while until my skin calmed down...and then I thought I would try this one out. It's silicone free (yah!!) and oil free (yah!!) and dirt cheap too..so why not? I love it. It doesn't clog me (a miracle I swear) even when I fell asleep with it on (oops.) I find though that it doesn't apply well if you try to do it with your fingers - it kind of just slips around. It works really well with a foundation brush..I kind of just dab a little onto my brush and then apply it to my face. It's also buildable...and the coverage is very natural/airbrushed looking. I really really like this product. Give it a shot - it's super cheap and worth a try right? :)
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Treatments -Avene - Diacneal Acne Treatment [DISCONTINUED]
gwynne23 12/3/2006 4:59:00 PM
I didn't want to review too early; so I thought I should wait a little while to see how my skin reacts. I have very sensitive, dry skin - and I'm VERY prone to breakouts and clogged pores. I picked up Diacneal in hopes of reducing breakouts, and for all of the anti-aging benefits it offers. *so...first week; it stung when I put it on, and if my skin was particularily dry, it would make me turn red...although the redness would be completely gone by the morning. I started peeling/flaking a bit...and I experienced some breakouts (more than usual) on my cheeks and forehead (the forehead is really unusual for me). The pimples never came to a head; they were just small and red..but I sucked it up and continued using the product *the second week I stopped getting the breakouts; and I became less sensitive to the diacneal (it stung less when I applied it). I used it every night except for a couple times where my skin felt overly dry...then I just skipped a night. If I had any little spots appear I would apply the Diacneal, then put 2% salicylic acid on them. We had a cold front last week, which means for me my skin dries out a TON....I decided to experiment and apply the diacneal, then apply moisturizer an hour later. I know that this reduces the effectiveness; but my skin when dry ends up red/yucky, and I can't apply makeup. My results have still be wonderful even when applying the moisturizer afterwards, and my skin is never dry. *third week; I'm still using it every night with a combination of my moisturizer. It's working beautifully; fading darker acne marks very quickly. If I can see a small red spot struggling to surface, after applying diacneal, the next morning the spot is very small, and goes away quickly. So far, I really like the product, and I would encourage people to try, despite the fact that it really does not work for some! * I will continue to review it as time goes on...but in the first month, so far so good. **OK EDIT: AFTER 2 MONTHS: this product unfortunately did not keep up the good results :( I suspect the cones in it made my skin eventually break out severely. Usually i break out earlier from cones; but I think that the strength of Diacneal kept the clogging at bay for a little longer than usual. sucks :(
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Self Tanners -Estee Lauder - Go Bronze for Body
gwynne23 11/8/2006 2:47:00 AM
I adore this product for a natural, even looking tan that is easy to correct when you make mistakes. I have acne prone skin and I use this on my body and face with no problems. It goes on tinted so you can easily tell where it is; the only downside is that it's a little runny (although I think they've recently changed the formula to make it less runny) and, as with most self-tanners, it smells terrible.
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Treatments -Biotherm - Acnopur Emergency Anti-Spot
gwynne23 11/8/2006 2:45:00 AM
I first bought this product and was very disappointed; it did *nothing* for my pimples..infact it may have made them worse. I switched to a BP spot treatment, and when that didn't go well, I tried my hand again with this one; oddly enough it was *awesome*. My skin really prefers it to the BP, and it does a great job of reducing pimples overnight.
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Crème -Vincent Longo - Water Canvas
gwynne23 11/8/2006 2:39:00 AM
I really wanted to like this product...unfortunately my skin didn't. I have fairly dry, acne prone skin, and I found that the makeup felt more like it was 'sitting' on my face, as opposed to blending in for a natural look. It's buildable coverage; but I found that if I tried to build it, it just ended up sort of 'clumping' on my face, as weird as that sounds. Luckily Sephora gave me a full refund and I picked up another foundation.
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