Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Soapwalla- Deodorant Cream
harmonyjensen 9/5/2012 3:43:00 PM
I absolutely adored this product when I first received it. I feel like I've tried every natural deodorant known to man and I've never found one that really worked. I'll attempt to list other deos I've tried... Tom's- various scents and formulas. These are the worst. I will stink in a couple of hours even if I'm sitting on my butt all day. I smell better with nothing on. LaVanila- This was okay. I tried the Vanilla Lavender and it made my pits kinda stinky. The Vanilla Grapefruit was better. Various crystals Arm & Hammer Naturals- This stuff actually works...because it has Triclosan. Eww. Weleda- Citrus and Rose. Both are a no. The Body Shop- Burned the skin right off of my armpits in a day. I smelled nice though! Desert Essence- Never dries and works about as well as Tom's, which doesn't work at all. So, imagine my surprise when this stuff controlled my wetness and made my pits smell slightly herbally with no trace of BO whatsoever. I was ecstatic! Fast forward about two weeks and it was my TOTM and this stuff stopped controlling my wetness and I sweat like a teenager again. I also developed a really weird smell. Not quite BO, but more like a cat urine smell? It's really weird and gross. I thought it was just my hormones due to my period and waited it out. It got better, but not that much better. It smells fine at first and then turns really sharp smelling. I don't know what happened. It worked so well at first. Now it's on par with any other deo I've tried, except I think I'd rather smell like BO than cat pee. I'm off to try the LaVanila again, as it's the only one that worked decently. I bought the Pure Vanilla scent to see if its any better. The search continues.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -La Roche Posay - Toleriane Soothing Protective Light Facial Fluid
harmonyjensen 3/5/2012 9:36:00 PM
I was really excited to try this product. I have dry, yet acne prone skin. I'm currently on Retin A, but I'm still getting many clogged pores on my cheeks and temples. This seemed promising for my dehydrated skin that breaks out easily from most moisturizers, since it's designed for intolerant skin. Sadly, this broke me out almost immediately. I used it for 3 days and enjoyed the light gel texture. It seems to sink in well and left a matte finish. My face would get extremely oily by mid-day, which I did not like. My makeup didn't go over it well and caked up in unattractive patches on my face. The bumps started by the second day and on the third day I developed a very huge and painful cyst on my temple. I haven't had inflamed acne since the 4th week of my Retin A use. I'm over 4 months into my treatment now. This cyst I have is literally the size of a dime on my temple and hurts!!! This product was the only new thing I had changed. I also have about 7 or 8 new clogged pores on my cheeks. I had also bought the LRP purifying cream cleanser, which I didn't even try due to my experience with the Toleriane Fluide. I'm promptly returning both products. I gave this a 2 because of the light feel, matte texture, and hygienic pump. A lot of people seem to love this product, but sadly my skin pretty much hates it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lips -Vincent Longo - Lip Cheek Gel Stain in My Sunshine
harmonyjensen 2/29/2012 7:28:00 PM
Would I buy this again? Yes, Yes, Yes...Yes! I love this lip stain so much. It's definitely my HG lip color. My Sunshine was the first color I bought and it's PERFECT! It's a warmer red that just looks beautiful with my skin tone. The doe foot applicator is super easy to use and applies like a dream. This never dries out my lips or look like I painted my mouth with a marker (I'm looking at you, Cover Girl). It's not watery either, like Benetint or The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain. Those wear off on me and look like I have pink liner around my lips later in the day. I just love this with all of my heart. I've yet to branch out to other colors, as I love My Sunshine so much, but I think I may have to try some more. They are pricey, but I literally use this everyday, so it's worth it to me! I highly recommend this! I am sad that Sephora no longer carries the Vincent Longo line. I now buy mine from the Beauty 360 site on CVS.com. I always find a coupon code too!
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Mascara -Physicians Formula - Organic Wear 100% Natural Lash Boosting Mascara
harmonyjensen 2/28/2012 10:07:00 PM
This mascara is just "meh" for me. It reminds me of Lash Blast, but without all of the harsh ingredients. Lash Blast and Lash Blast Fusion give a bit more drama and glossy finish. This mascara is more matte, but still very dark black. I don't have as much lash fallout with this mascara, which I do like. My main complaint with this mascara is it seems to never dry. My lashes are very sticky, even at the end of the day. I seem to get fuzz in my eyelashes a lot. I know that's kinda weird, but it's winter and I tend to wear a lot of sweaters and I'm constantly finding fuzz stuck my lashes! haha! It also doesn't hold curl well. I will continue to use this as my daily mascara and switch back to Lash Blast for when I'm feeling fancy :P I'll update if my lashes suddenly start to grow. I've been using this for about a month and haven't noticed any change in length or thickness. The lack of lash fallout is the only thing I've noticed. I may try the other volumizing mascara from Physician's Formula to see if it's less sticky. I do like the idea of a healthier mascara for daily use!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Brow Powder
harmonyjensen 1/29/2012 8:52:00 PM
I'm a HUGE fan of LM foundation and blush! I wear it everyday and it has helped my skin so much. I decided to try their Blondie Brow Powder as I tend to break out from brow waxes and pencils. It never fails, I get a nice blackhead type zit in each brow after about a week of use with any pencil type product. Brow gel tends to work okay, but I have pretty fair brows and it never gave me the definition that I wanted. I figured that if my skin loves LM foundations so much, then the brow powder wouldn't break me out either. I was right! I love this brow powder and it's super easy to apply. I use an angled eyeliner brush to define my brows and they look full and natural. I found this particular shade to be a perfect match, not too warm or ashy. It's a nice neutral taupe. I'm to the point where almost all of my makeup is LM. If Annie makes a mascara, I'll be set!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Maybelline - Master Shape
harmonyjensen 1/9/2012 2:34:00 PM
I've been using this brow pencil for the last week and I love it! It's definitely more of a brow wax than pencil. It glides on easily and has quite a bit of pigment. I love the spoolie on the end, which was my only complaint with the Define-A-Brow pencil. I hated that comb and would have to use a seperate spoolie to blend and groom my brows. I have blonde hair, but bought the soft brown shade as the blonde shade looked a little too warm/gold toned. This shades matches my brows really well. I commonly have breakouts from brow pencils (I am very acne/clog prone), but I haven't had any issues from this pencil. I freaked out about the sharpening issue. I tried to twist every part on the thing! haha! I called Maybelline and the rep told me that you sharpen it with a pencil sharpener?? I asked "you sharpen the plastic?". She said it was just a finish and that it sharpens just fine with a pencil sharpener. I haven't tried this yet, but we'll see if it works! EDIT: Sharpening this thing is absolutely ridiculous. It does not work well at all and I'm pretty sure it dulled the blade on my sharpener. It chipped the plastic off and didn't sharpen to a point. This design is stupid. They should redesign it to twist up if they want people to continue buying it. Also, it ended up breaking me out. I had a zit in each eyebrow! :(
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Cleansers -Cerave - Foaming Facial Cleanser
harmonyjensen 12/28/2011 10:59:00 AM
I've finally finished an entire bottle of CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, so I feel like I can give an accurate review now. I absolutely love it! Before, I used the Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash and it was great, but I started Retin-A 2 months ago and the Purpose dried my face out almost immediately. I purchased this because it was also unscented and was supposed to not be as stripping. It doesn't have sulfates. This removed my makeup completely. Even the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. I use it morning and night and it helps with the severe drying effects of my medication. It foams up nicely and rinses exceptionally clean. It's more pricey than other cleansers, but the bottle is huge and lasted a long time. It's nice and simple. I will always use this product.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Pacifica - Avalon Juniper
harmonyjensen 12/28/2011 10:54:00 AM
I purchases samples of this perfume and Tibetan Mountain Temple to see which one I would like more. I love them both! Avalon Juniper is described as a wintery fragrance, but to me it would be perfect for spring/summer. I purchased a sample of the spray version. On me this smells of fresh pine and grapefruit. More grapefruit than pine though. The initally blast almost smells like marijuana. haha! But the drydown is beautiful grapefruit, not too sweet, and anchored with a lovely pine which gives it a fresh herbacious scent. It's super sunny, fresh and easy to wear. This morning I purchased the solid of Tibetan Mountain Temple and plan to wear it through the winter months. I also purchased the full size spray of Avalon Juniper from Pacifica's site. I will wear this in spring through summer. I just love it! The Avalon Juniper had more sillage than the TMT and lasted all evening. I even got a quick whiff when I jumped into the shower this morning. I definitely recommend both of these fragrances! They are interesting and reasonably priced. Love!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Pacifica - Tibetan Mountain Temple Perfume
harmonyjensen 12/28/2011 10:47:00 AM
I purchased samples of this fragrance, along with the Avalon Juniper to see which one I like the best. I love them both! I will write a review of the Avalon Juniper also. This fragrance is so warm and wintery and not too sweet at all. I have the spray version as a sample. Immediately this smells like spiced orange tea with clove and is so yummy. It reminds me of the holidays when my mother makes spiced cider with orange peel. This part doesn't last long and I was afraid it was going to be too sugary, but the scent soon settles into a lovely incense fragrance. It smells like the best incense! The drydown is is smooth and not cloying, sweet, or too dry. It's still going strong several hours after I put it on. Tibetan Mountain Temple doesn't have much sillage, but I'm okay with that. I just catch a nice whiff when I move around. This fragrance isn't super strong headshop incense, but more fresh. If incense can be fresh, Pacifica has figured it out! I purchased the solid perfume from Pacifica today and will wear this throughout the winter season. It's perfect.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Unlisted Brand - Lucy Minerals Foundation
harmonyjensen 12/14/2011 12:51:00 PM
This products had a definite learing curve, but I'm happy to say that I love Lucy! I heard about this mineral makeup from watching YouTube videos on how to apply my previous foundation, Bare Escentuals Matte Foundation. I always found the BE to look dry, cakey, and patchy. It make my face look dull and dirty. I ordered Lucy's Oil Control Foundation with Calcium Carbonate (OCC) in Cream. I like that their shade selections include cool, neutral, olive, and yellow based foundations. The Cream is a pale, yellow based foundation. It's a pretty good match for me since it's winter and I'm super pale. The day I received the foundation, the site was running holiday specials and I bought the kit that came with one foundation, a finishing powder, blush, and your choice of two liner, eyeshadows, or brow powder. This time I purchased the foundation in Creamy Bisque, which is the same tone as Cream, but darker. This will be perfect for summer. I also got the OCC Finishing Powder. When I first started using this, it frustrated me because it would look so cakey and shiny within the first 15 minutes of applying. It would settle in the corners of my nose and look patchy. I changed my moisturizer from Solvere to Jojoba Oil and holy cow did that make a difference!! Now the foundation melts into my skin and looks flawless. I can use this as concealer too and it completely covers my moderate acne scars on my cheeks. I'm on Retin-A right now and my skin is pretty dry and this does highlight the flakes on my chin, but after 30 minutes or so, the flakes go away. This definitely needs to warm up on your skin to look its best. After much trial and error, I've figured out how to apply this on my skin. Here's how I do my foundation: 1. I pat two drops of Jojoba Oil on my damp face and let that soak in for a few minutes. 2. I use the EcoTools Bronzer Brush to lightly dust on the finishing powder. I find this step to be important because it acts as a primer and controls oil so much better. 3. I then tap out the foundation into a little cup. I literally use one tap. You need much less of this foundation than other MMU. I swirl my Sigma Flat Top Kabuki into the foundation and buff it onto my cheeks first, since that's where I need the most coverage. I then use the last bit in my cup to buff the foundation onto my nose, chin, and forehead. 4. I conceal with the EcoTools concealer brush. I just pick up a little of the minerals and pat it onto my acne scars. This does work to cover larger pimples too, but be careful not to use to much because it will look cakey later. 5. After I've concealed, I let it sit for a few minutes while I define my brows, curl my eyelashes, etc. Then I dust on a little more finishing powder over my face and I'm good to go! I definitely recommend this foundation. The color selection is great and the samples are large and cheap. They also run amazing specials on kits. It's worth a try! UPDATE: My face has been flaking pretty bad recently because I increased my application of Retin A and it's winter where I live. Even my hands are flakey! I've found that when I buff the Lucy into my skin with my kabuki, it makes the flakes look 10x worse and they don't go away after the foundation warms. I bought some of the flocked powder puffs from Walmart, which are velvety on one side and a sponge on the other. They come in a three pack and fit perfectly into the Lucy lids. I used the velvet side this morning to gently pat the foundation into my face. This worked really well and didn't upset my flakes at all! I just tip the jar over once with the puff over the sifter and it was the perfect amount. Just an FYI if you're dry or don't like to use brushes. The puffs were $1.47 for 3.
17 out of 17 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -EltaMD - UV Physical SPF 41
harmonyjensen 11/17/2011 11:36:00 AM
So far I love this product. It's the only sunscreen I've ever used that doesn't make me oily. In fact, this keeps my face mostly matte for the entire day. This is unheard of for me, even with non-sunscreen moisturizers, or a bare face for that matter. This actually controls oil. I recently started Retin-A and wanted something more than my spf 15 makeup for sun protection. This fits the bill. It's unscented, oil-free, and all physical UV blockers. Plus, it's tinted! I have an NC 20-25 complexion and this melts perfectly into my skin. I just conceal my acne scars a bit and lightly dust finishing powder on my t-zone. Voila! I'm hopeful that Retin-A will work for me and lighten my scars and prevent additional acne. If so, I seriously think that I could only wear this product on my face. The tint does a fairly good job at covering mild redness. I wish the company would list the ingredients in the order of their concentration in the product instead of alphabetical order. I have an issue with high levels of dimethicone in products and will eventually get clogged pores if dimethicone is one of the first 3 or so ingredients. This product does contain dimethicone, but I have no idea in what amount. So far, I haven't had any clogging issues. I do agree with other reviewers that this product is a bit drying. Since I'm in the flaking stage of my Retin-A, I have to use aloe vera gel under this moisturizer or it really magnifys the flakes. I purchased my tube for around 26 bucks on dermstore.com. The tube is pretty big though and you don't need a lot, so it should last a while! Overall a great product!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Perfection Volumizing Mascara
harmonyjensen 10/17/2011 11:47:00 AM
This is my new HG mascara. I was using Lash Blast before purchasing Lash Perfection and thought it was really good. Prior to Lash Blast, I used higher end mascaras (Diorshow, Clinique, YSL, Smashbox, etc.) This is better than all of them. It's like Cover Girl fixed the only issues I had with Lash Blast and now they make my perfect mascara. The wand on this is easy to use, unlike LB, which is too bulky. The mascara is a nice inky black. I buy the Very Black shade and it's darker than the same shade in LB. The wand also doesn't have the blunt edge that LB has, so it's less messy. The wand is tapered and it's easy to get the corner lashes. I never make a mess with this mascara. This lengthens, thickens, and curls beautifully. It's cheap! It's everything I could ask for!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -Suave - Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray
harmonyjensen 10/4/2011 12:53:00 PM
Dry shampoos are tricky for me. I can never find one that actually makes my hair feel clean. It might look clean, but my hair always feels greasy, and weighed down when I use them. The best dry shampoo I've used is Batiste. Baby powder is okay too. It makes my hair at least feel a little clean. I've tried Ojon, Oscar Blandi, Tresemme, and TiGi Rockaholic. All of these products made my hair look clean, but feel so nasty. My hair would be staticy and weighed down. I had high hopes for the Suave as a lot of people compared it to Batiste and it's so much cheaper. The Suave actually made my hair more greasy. I used it in the morning and within 2 hours, my hair looked like 3rd day hair. It was really seperated and dirty looking. So, based on this, I would have to rate this as the least effective dry shampoo I've ever used. The reason I gave this product a rating of 3 is because it's an amazing texturizer on clean hair. I was at a friend's home last weekend, getting ready to go out, and I had just curled my hair all over. She was out of hairspray, but had the Suave dry shampoo. I sprayed the product on my roots and then lifted sections to spray underneath in random areas. I then rubbed the product in with my fingertips and my hair looked amazing!! It was full of body and had an awesome bed-headed messiness to it.It held the curl too. I'm glad I didn't throw this product out, because I will definitely use it as a texturizer. I don't think I'd buy it again because I can get the same result with hairspray, but it was not a complete waste of money!
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Fragrances -Tom Ford - White Patchouli
harmonyjensen 9/27/2011 5:26:00 PM
I bought this without trying it first. Big mistake. It's always a good idea to try perfume before you buy as everyone's skin will react differently with scents. I've had success with buying perfume online as long as I like the various notes and I love patchouli, so I really thought this would be a winner. I was wrong. This smells nothing like patchouli on my skin. The initial blast smelled promising..a citrusy scent with just a hint of the white flowers starting to develop. Within 10 minutes this turned into a cheap hairspray scent mixed with an overwhelming powdery note. Yuck. It reminded me of the Avon Imari powder that my grandmother used to wear. The scent is very sharp on my skin. No warmth at all and very chemical smelling. I don't even detect any sandalwood or incense described in the basenotes. Luckily the silage on White Patchouli is quite light and the scent faded by mid-day. I read quite a few reviews on this fragrance before purchasing and noticed that others got the powdery note and some described it as a mature or "old lady" scent. This was very true for me. I wish I was among the others who experienced the actual patchouli in this fragrance. I gave the highest rating on packaging as I think the bottle is so chic! So sad..the search continues for my new fall/winter fragrance. I'm glad Sephora has such an awesome return policy!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Toners -Mario Badescu - Glycolic Acid Toner
harmonyjensen 9/7/2011 9:43:00 PM
I really think this stuff has saved my face. I had a terrible breakout back in June and it just wouldn't stop. I have problems with picking my pimples and pretty much destroyed my skin. I have several areas of hyperpigmentation along with tiny clogged pores everywhere. I tried the Avon Anew Clinical Retexturizing Peel and it broke me out even more, but with red, angry, under the skin pimples, which then caused more hyperpigmentation..even on the ones I didn't mess with. So, basically when I started using the product I had clogged pores that looked sort of like millia, red angry zits, and post acne marks all over my face. I've used this product for a month and I literally have two tiny clogged pores left on my face. That's it. I've only had two under the skin pimples and they went away on their own in 2-3 days. My hyperpigmentation is probably reduced by half. I will never be without this product. The ingredient list makes me happy because it only has 4 things in it..water, aloe gel, grapefruit, and glycolic acid. This stuff can be a bit drying to skin, but nothing too bad. I just notice that I really need a moisturizer after using it. I only use it at night instead of twice daily due to the drying effect, also it leaves a bit of a shiny finish on my skin. None of these side effects are bad enough for me to stop using it. The MB website says this has 2% glycolic acid. I've read that Paula Begoun gave this product a low rating because she says that the glycolic acid percentage is too low to do anything for your skin. I don't agree with this at all. I don't know if the grapefruit adds to the exfoliating properties, but this stuff really exfoliates the skin. I notice when I use this toner, it makes my skin red for a few minutes and then the redness subsides and actual reduces the overall redness of my skin. I really believe that if I continue to use this, my acne marks with go away completely and much faster than if I didn't use anything at all. I has definitely stopped my skin from producing more acne. Amazing.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No