Liquid -Maybelline - Dream Liquid Mousse
hairfitness 4/16/2011 9:43:00 PM
I bought this based on reviews here despite the fact that Maybelline foundations have never worked for me. I gave it a "3" overall because it did not work for me but might for someone else. It had a nice feel to it, light, and didn't need a ton of it to cover. Smooths over nice. It did feel a bit tacky after an hour on but not as much as say Neutrogena healthy skin. The packaging I gave a "5" because for a cheap brand, they actually used a pump and it works well! My main issue with this is that it gave me a vicious allergic reaction. But my skin is super sensitive and dry. I usually use Everyday minerals but was looking for something a bit more moisturizing. I literally wanted to scratch my skin off, even hours after removing it. My skin was red, patchy, and irritated after removal. Did not work for me. I don't know which ingredient did it but it was bad. Could not get past first use. I'm glad it only cost me $7 at the drugstore. It had a nice finish upon application though so I'd say if you have non sensitive skin, it might just be worth trying. If you have skin like mine, I'd skip it. Guess it's back to MMU's for me.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - One n' Only - Argan Oil Treatment
hairfitness 9/26/2010 9:19:00 PM
I have thin, fine, but curly thirsty hair. It's also creeping towards elbow length. I've tried and own many different hair serums including but not limited to Biosilk, Proclaim, Victoria Secret, Venetian Blends, Marrakesh, Giovanni, and the list goes on; and I have to say that this one is by far my favorite. I've also tried coconut oil, and many homemade concoctions using glycerin and flower waters. I love the buttery silky consistency of the liquid. It's not goopy, waxy, or sticky. It's not greasy either. I actually have put quite a bit into my hair with no greasiness which is a rarity. I use it on dry or wet hair though I can get away with adding more to dry hair. I think because my hair can soak more up when it's not already wet. As for scent, I am very sensitive to scent and can get a migraine from strong perfume. I've returned many products for this reason. But this oil, really doesn't have much of a scent. There's a faint earthy vanilla type scent but not sweet or sickening. I can barely detect it. This makes my wild hair very easy to detangle, very shiny, and makes my curls nice and smooth all day. I haven't used this to straighten yet but I imagine it would be great. I plan on trying the rest of this line too. I wonder if they'll come out with a shine spray? That would be nice. I'm going to try this on my skin too and see how it goes. I'll update when I do.
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Primer/ Corrector -L'Oreal - Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base
hairfitness 5/27/2010 10:56:00 AM
I've tried 3 other primers and this is my favorite so far. Easy to find, not too expensive, affordable considering what it is. I don't think the jar is micro size, (though it should fit nicely in a purse) . Though I am not trying to spackle my face with it. I just dab a spot of it on each section of my face and then smooth it out. I take my time. And if I need more, say around the nose, eyes, or on a blemish, I apply it sparingly. Feels nice and light on, not greasy, no breakouts yet and every primer I've used has broken me out or made my face feel like it was suffocating or greasy. Not this one. I use this with EveryDay Minerals and believe I've finally found my HG routine. Looks very natural too, doesn't add color to the face which I like A lot! No scent, no itching, no burning, no redness. I've even worn this alone with just a little concealer and it actually worked!!!!! A little scooper might be more sanitary but I always wash my hands before I apply it, since I'll be touching my face anyway. I wouldn't mind if it was a tad cheaper but I don't mind paying around $11 for it. It's worth it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -L'Oreal - Bare Naturale Powdered Mineral Foundation
hairfitness 5/27/2010 10:49:00 AM
I gave this product a 3 because it does have good coverage and is nicer than many of the liquid foundations out there. But.... it made my skin itch, possibly because I found it drying. It's strange because it felt dry on my skin but if I touched it, it felt tacky, and it did feel surprisingly heavy for MMU. The packaging is useless, the brush is okay, a bit scratchy but you can't use the lid to swirl the brush into so you have to put in another pot. So this is not good for travel or in your purse. I also noticed that the shade darkens on your skin after an hour or so. I bought buff beige and I'm more of a sandy beige at the moment, the buff darkened to a sandy tone. I also noticed that in natural light, you can see the makeup on, it is not natural looking-any more than any other foundation and actually accentuated my pores. My skin is fairely decent for being 35 and I felt this did not accentuate the positive at all. I did not try any of the other ones in this line. I think this would be good in a pinch or if you're out of your regular makeup but I much prefer the EveryDay Minerals. It lasts forever and it's easy to find the right shade. I will say that I adore the L'oreal secret #1 primer though. I started using that with the EDM and it makes it last all day, where I used to have major fade away previously.
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Tinted Moisturizer -Cover Girl - CG Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer Fair to Light
hairfitness 3/9/2010 1:25:00 PM
This stuff is awesome. Especially since using Biore products, my skin is nice and smooth so this goes on so nicely. It melts right in and doesn't slide off. Makes my skin nice and smooth to the touch. I use the CG smoothers concealers-illuminator(for under eyes and neutralizer for any redness) . I top it off with the "clean" pressed powder. I tried the CG smoothers compact powder and it's a little chalky for me. I feel confident with this on, it looks like mineral makeup, but without the dryness and doesn't disappear in an hour. I like how I can reapply powder if necessary. When I did that with MMU's, it look fake and didn't really cover. I really like the TM, it gives me a nice fresh natural look.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Biore - Deep Pore toner
hairfitness 3/9/2010 12:33:00 PM
I recently bought this because I'm tired of breakouts and noticing an increase in blackheads lately. I'm mid 30's and don't get lots of breakouts but enough that I have to take a lot of time to cover them everyday. I think the increase in problems lately is due to trying all these so called natural products. (Burts Bees excluded-I like their stuff) but I needed something that could really clean things up. So I thought I'd try Biore. I noticed on the packaging that they claim it is 68% better than proactive (if you use the 3 items they suggest-this one being one of them) so I bought it. I love it! I like the fresh cucumber like scent. It doesn't burn, or leave my skin tight, or sticky. And no residue of any sort. When I use it, my skin is clean but not too clean. I use this after the pore scrub. I just bought the lotion today-the one with the spf of 15. It was on clearance for half price, and I don't know if it's being discontinued or packaging change or what. But I'll post about the results of that after I've used it for a bit. Currently, I've been using cetaphil body lotion (a pea size) with no problems. And my breakouts are almost gone. The texture of my skin is soft now, doesn't look irritated and red or itchy. Blackheads are fading too! I want to get some of those pore strips soon. I thought I'd loosen things up a bit first before spending the money on them. They're a little pricey to waste them. I have very sensitive skin, very picky skin, and I've had no problems with this. It also doesn't irritate my eyes which is A-mazing. Usually after using facial products, my eyes look all irritated, but not after these.
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Shampoo -Aubrey Organics - Blue Camomile Shampoo
hairfitness 1/6/2010 8:18:00 AM
I like Aubrey Products very much (with the exception of the deoderants) . This product, though it says hydrating, I found it to be more clarifying than anything. So in that respect, it was a disappointment. I love the matching conditioner. I found the best way to use this, although this is an expensive product, is to condition my lengths first, scalp only wash with this shampoo, rinse, and then condition the whole thing. My hair just soaks it up. It looks healthy, shiny, and full of body. I would suggest this product to fine haired ladies. I have fine hair but I also have curly hair so I need a bit more moisture. I think much depends on your type and certainly your water. We have very hard water here. Anyhow, for moisture I suggest the rosa mosqueta shampoo. Not sure if there is a matching conditioner or not for that. But I did like the blue camo conditioner very much. It would probably be great for conditioner only gals, and the shampoo as a clarifier every so often. I won't repurchase because it's not what I need. But I will stick with AO. I love them!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Aubrey Organics - J.A.Y. Desert Herb Shampoo
hairfitness 12/28/2009 3:37:00 PM
Maybe I'm in the minority here but I really liked this shampoo. I was looking for an alternative to the honeysuckle rose because I got tired of the smell and thought this was even more moisturizing than the HSR was. I like the scent, it's very clean and fresh scented. And I used this with the Camomile conditioner and my results were wonderful. Smooth, and shiny. JAY is pricey but you have to realize the quality of this shampoo. This isn't like so many others that claim to be good for you and yet only have say 70% organics in them. So what's the other 30%? No thank you. AO is worth every penny and the only thing that doesn't make me break out in welts from an allergic reaction and doesn't give me dandruff. I think your results depend on your hair type because I noticed some that did not like this, like the GPB which I absolutely hated. That made my hair like straw. FYI, usually the healthfood store has samples of these so before you spend your hard earned dollars, ask first if they have samples. I still use the JAY but I've since trying the Blue Camomile conditioner, I just bought the matching shampoo. Which if it's as good as the conditioner, will be my HG!
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Deodorants -Aubrey Organics - E Plus High C Natural Roll-On Deodorant
hairfitness 12/28/2009 3:24:00 PM
Well, this is my first day using this so I will have to come back to update. But I felt compelled to post already. I really like the scent which is the first thing most people notice when they try a new deo. I didn't like AO's other deoderant at all. It smelled like Calamine lotion to the 50th power! And could've been used to repell bugs and most people. Gave me a headache. But this (High C) smells like a mild baby shampoo to me. I really like it. Fresh and clean and doesn't stink after awhile. Even store deoderants stink after they combine with sweat/heat. This is also smooth and creamy on the skin. Everything irritates my skin, even home made deoderants and EO's I've tried. I like that this isn't overpowering with lavendar either. I like lavendar but many people don't like it and I don't want to repel everyone. I like that it's a roll-on too which seems to dry clear and doesn't flake off. It is winter time now so I don't know summer heat effectiveness yet. But I will come back to update. I've literally tried them all, and this is the first one that seems to actually work, smell good, and doesn't make me want to scratch my skin off. Update: Well, it only took a couple days to find out that this product does not work, at least not for me. But I also don't sweat much. This stuff not only did not work, but stunk after a few hours of light to no activity. I tried this over a holiday weekend where I pretty much didn't have to do anything. I couldn't imagine how bad it would be if I was active or it were a hot day. I had high hopes for this since I really like AO products but this was bad. I will not repurchase, ever.
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Crème -Cover Girl - Aqua Smooth Make-Up in Creamy Natural (# 720)
hairfitness 12/23/2009 8:58:00 PM
First, I have to say that I've come full circle-everything from cheapest drugstore makeup to MMU's and everything in between. I even tried Estee Lauder once and I ended up allergic to it. I also have combo/dry and super sensitive skin, recently diagnosed with rosacea, spots associated with rosacea, and ocular rosacea. So what I pick and use is extremely important otherwise I risk a major reaction. I read such great reviews for this and have used the concealer stick for years, I just had to try it. I saw this at Walgreens with a $1 off coupon taped to the box. This wonderful product only cost me $9, a steal by today's prices. Because the coupon was attached, I went with this creamy natural shade, rather than buff which I generally use. I took it home and used it right away. First, the color was a spot on spot match! Lucky for me I chose this one. For reference, I am a light olive with green and neutral tones. It feels so nice on. I've had it on all day and it doesn't feel sticky or tacky. I've used the other CG cream to powder foundations and did not like them, like I do this one. It looks so nice on, covers well, but doesn't look fake. And no wierd orange or pink tones. My husband worked an extended shift today, was beat tired, and still noticed. He kept saying how nice I looked. And then he said it again, like an hour later. I'm sold! It also does not burn my sensitive eyes, doesn't make me itch, and doesn't cause itchy welts on my neck. I'm super sensitive to fragrances too, and did not notice any scent. I'm going to have to get one for my purse too. I didnt' expect to like this as much and figured it would go into my purse as a backup for touchups. But I like it so much it's going to be my everyday product. I like the sponge that it comes with. It's super soft on my sensitive skin. And it can be washed or replaced. The replacements are easy to find and they're cheap for a whole pack of them. It keeps your fingers out of the pot too so it's certainly more sanitary in that respect. I don't have any complaints about the packaging, other than that it is a bit large for the purse but it works so good, who cares. I'll update in a few weeks about breakouts etc.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Cover Girl - CG Smoothers Concealer
hairfitness 12/23/2009 2:33:00 PM
I've been using this for years and I can't believe I never reviewed this. I have used this through many liquid foundations, MMU's, TM's and even a "no foundation" phase. This stuff is awesome. It's the only concealer that I can use under my eyes. It's smooth, doesn't drag my skin. I can use either my finger to dab, the actual stick, or even a brush should I choose to apply it this way. My only complaint is that once you get half way down the stick (where it meets the tube) you cannot get the last bit out without digging it out. I have like 3 of these around the house for if I run out. I considered digging them all out and putting the leftovers in a tin or pot or something. But the price is right so it's not too big a deal. For reference, I use the "neutralizer" shade which covers my rosacea and spots wonderfully. Then I use CG smoothers foundation. Love this stuff!
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Foundations -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear Liquid Foundation
hairfitness 12/23/2009 2:06:00 PM
First, I'm giving this 3 lippies due to the fact that PF attempted to make a relatively good for your skin product with recyclable materials. I used this for a week to make sure it did not improve over time. But this only looks good for the first few minutes after applying. I have combination/dry skin, leaning towards very dry at times. But this balled up around my hair and jaw line. And I used a sponge to apply this very lightly because I don't like heavy layers of makeup. This also does have an orange tint to it as it warms on your face. I thought I could make it work because I am a light olive complexion but it was very noticeable and left a line of demarcation. To be fair, I accidentally bought the creamy beige instead of the creamy natural (which shouldn't be that different from each other) and threw the box away like a dummy, so I could not exchange it. But even with that said, I do not like the texture or finish of this product regardless of the color. It also got sticky and heavy feeling the longer it was on and I found it to be irritating. I've used non organic products that did not irritate my skin. Maybe the lack of bad for your ingredients makes it unstable so it changes when exposed to the elements. I also did not like the smell. Smelled like rubber or plastic but it does fade after about 10 minutes. I also went to 5 different stores looking for this and could only find it at CVS. I hate that store and they're way too expensive. This foundation was $15 and the eyeshadows were $9 a piece so I decided not to try them since I like my CG eyeshadows. This was a dud. Too bad. Packaging was okay, no complaints. But I won't repurchase. I went back to CG smoothers foundation and concealer. Right price, works well, easy to find. Works for me.
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Loose Powders -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear Translucent Matte Finishing Veil Powder
hairfitness 12/17/2009 2:40:00 PM
I've said this about some of their other products but I'll repeat incase someone doesn't read all the reviews for this line. I did not like this at first. And it ended up in my basket of cosmetic rejects until recently. I was diagnosed with rosacea and ocular rosacea. And my MMU's were just not cutting it. So I switched back to this line and I'm happy I did. No complaints and I believe this line to be better than any of the MMU's I've tried. I use the tinted moisturizer and then this to finish. I use this one at home and the pressed in my purse for touch ups. I put this into an empty MMU pot and apply with a soft retractable sable brush I have. It's soft and really sets the TM. I'm going to try the foundation next. But if I don't like it, I'll have the TM and this powder. Great stuff!
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Pressed Powders -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear Natural Origin Pressed Powder, Translucent ...
hairfitness 12/17/2009 2:35:00 PM
I really like this now. I didn't initially when I bought it over a year ago. I threw it in my basket of makeup rejects and recently pulled it out. The thing with this, is that you have to apply it with a very light "hand". I don't use the brush it comes with. I have a soft makeup pad that I use very lightly on the T-zone. It's also very pigmented so you don't need to dig into the pot and apply like cover girl or some of the other ones. I've even used this on my finger tip to apply to small blemishes as a touch up. It works like a foundation. I actually use this over the tinted moisturizer as a foundation/finishing powder. I like this a lot. The package is a bit large for my purse but probably won't crack and break all in my purse like the other ones I've had either. I use the finishing veil at home (in my own container with a different brush) and this pressed in my purse for touch ups. It's great. Update: I think this is a great powder if used with their TM, but with other foundations, no. I did not like their new foundation so I went back to CG smoothers foundation and powders. They have a lot more staying power.
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Mascara -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara
hairfitness 12/17/2009 2:26:00 PM
I gave this a "3" only because I love the organic line but this product should really get a "2". I wanted to like this so much but it was awful. It made my eyes burn. It was also gloppy and runny. Reading some of the "good" reviews makes me curious to try it again but I threw mine out, which shows how badly I hated it. I won't repurchase this unless it is either reformulated or comes as a free gift in a kit. Ironically, the only mascara that works for me is the old stand by-pink and green tube by Maybelline. The original, not the water proof is the only OTC that doesn't contain gluten which is a known irritant in mascara. I'm unsure as to what is in the PF version. Maybe it's just the scent that is irritating to my eyes but it's bad. To be fair, I do have rosacea and ocular rosacea but the rest of the organic line with the lavendar scent does not bother me. Only this product. Which makes me think it's something else in it. If they reformulate it, I'd be happy to try it again though because I love the rest of this line.
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