Moisturizers -Trilogy - Age Proof Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 15
kimannj 4/6/2013 4:52:00 PM
Lots of people have commented on the thickness of this product making it unpleasant to use. I have combination oily skin and this has been a godsend over winter. I just rub it between my fingers to warm up before applying and I don't find it difficult to apply at all. Yes it does feel tacky for a while but my skin absorbs all of the oils in it quite quickly and I can apply my BB cream and powder over the top without any problems. My facialist says that this has protected my skin during the winter due to the oils in the product and creating a bit of barrier against all the harsh weather we've been having. Despite it's tacky feel this does disappear after an hour or so and it doesn't make my skin anymore oily than usual. I love that it's natural with a natural SPF too. Will definitely repurchase.
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Treatments (Eye) -Dermalogica - Multivitamin power firm for eye and liparea
kimannj 5/6/2012 9:49:00 AM
Like other reviewers, I just didn't 'get' this product. In my late 20's I am now starting to develop some fine lines around my under eye area and the skin there is in need of some hydration! I was sold this at a salon as something to help with fine lines, but after several weeks of use I haven't found it has done anything. It has quite a noticeable fragrance, which makes me hesitant in using this around my eyes, and is so obviously full of silicones as the product is so slippery! My eyes do not feel moisturised and I've been using this around my lips as well to use it up as I don't want to waste it when it cost me almost £35. There are much better products you could get for your money at this price range, this feels like a nothing product if that makes sense. I wouldn't bother!
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Treatments (Eye) -Origins - High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-enriched eye cream
kimannj 3/31/2012 7:44:00 AM
I had previously been sold the wrong eye product by an Origins SA (was wanting something hydrating and I was given something that actually can dry your skin out!) and so went back to try again and was sold this as something that will moisturise my eye area. After using this for 6-8 weeks I have not noticed any difference in the hydration around my eyes, I think this is a more oil based and nourishing product than something truly hydrating - however I had made this clear to the Origins SA when going to purchase and was recommended this (Strike 2! I had initially gone to them asking about Eye Doctor but was told it would be far too rich for me...). Anyway, I began reading the product reviews on here after having bought this (silly I know) and noticed comments about this irritating people's eyes. I often get irritated eyes that sting and water as I have very dry eyes as diagnosed by my optometrist. I then realised that this product was contributing to this as my eyes were always stinging when using this! I have also noted the comments that this is not dermatologist/opthalmologist tested which does concern me. So, I guess I have learned several lessons from this - read reviews BEFORE buying products and don't rely on SA recommendations alone, and Origins does not seem to be a good fit for me in terms of products and SA's knowledge of their range. And the examples above are not the first time I've had issues with being recommended products inappropriately by Origins SA's. Very disappointing.
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Eyes -Origins - A Perfect World for Eyes
kimannj 3/19/2012 6:23:00 PM
I was sold this by an Origins SA after going to the counter and requesting assistance to find something that was hydrating as I had started developing some dehydration lines around my eyes. I was told this was a moisturising product and so I happily bought it. This did absolutely nothing for me at all, no change in moisture, wrinkles and the gel texture seemed to just sit on top of the skin. After attending another Origins counter browsing some of their other products, I asked about this product and was told as it was technically a firming treatment it was in fact drying to the eye area. So no wonder I was never impressed! Promptly switched to another product and would not purchase this again.
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Moisturizers -Origins - A Perfect World SPF 25
kimannj 3/19/2012 6:18:00 PM
I haven't used this product, however almost bought it on the recommendation of an Origins SA who told me it was contained only a purely chemical sunblock. This is important to me as chemical sunscreens irritate my skin. Upon reading the ingredients on the packaging I saw that there were in fact chemical sunscreens in it, and returned promptly to the counter from where I had just bought it to exchange it. They tried to tell me I was wrong, however I was insistent and was able to have it exchanged. However be warned if this is something important for you when buying a moisturiser. As a side note, I would check reviews online prior to buying Origins products in future as I wasn't very impressed with the SA's obvious lack of knowledge of the products they were selling and this was not the first time I have been missold something by an Origins SA (was previously sold a 'moisturising eye cream' as I needed hydration and was in fact later told by another Origins counter that I'd been sold something that would actually dry the skin out around my eyes as it was a firming treatment, despite it saying moisturising on the packaging!)
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Moisturizers -Avene - skin recovery cream (US name: cream for intolerant skin)
kimannj 12/23/2011 2:41:00 PM
I selected yes to purchase this product again but I'm not sure - probably only in desperate circumstances. I bought this some time ago to use as a night cream, however found it too greasy and my skin was ok at the time so I didn't notice any difference. Recently with the cooler weather and increase in cold/wind and central heating indoors (probably also some over enthusiastic exfoliation) my skin has become quite sensitive and intolerant and it becomes red and sore very easily. I abandoned my usual routine and pared it down to the bare minimum with products for intolerant skin, and started using this cream at night to protect and repair my skin. It has helped quite a lot with consistent use over a week, however it has been making me break out in small, blind red bumps that do go away with attention (spot cream) but my skin hasn't broken out in this way or this frequently since I was a teenager 10 years ago. So perhaps this is an emergency product, and not for frequent use. Will try some more natural alternatives first.
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Masks -Avene - Soothing moisture mask
kimannj 11/22/2011 4:52:00 PM
This is one of my always-have-to-have-on-hand products. I have sensitive combination skin which is randomly reactive to various cosmetics. This is wonderful to calm my skin down when it does react, it helps it cool down and return to it's normal colour if it's gone bright red! It feels very cooling and soothing. It has lovely moisturising properties but I don't find this an issue with my sometimes oily skin. Feels lovely and is one of my hero products - a real beauty saviour!
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Cleansers -Clarisonic - Gentle Hydro Cleanser
kimannj 11/22/2011 4:50:00 PM
OUCH!!! My face is bright red, really hot and tingling from using this cleanser. I purchased the Clarisonic Mia recently which came with a small tube of this. I used this product with the Mia on the two occasions I've used it so far, and both times my skin came up red and hot (I tried it a second time to see if it would continue as my skin is randomly reactive at times). I tried the cleanser on it's own tonight to check whether it was actually the Clarisonic being too harsh on my skin, but no it's definitely this cleanser. Marketed for sensitive skin types, I am surprised by this reaction since it's meant to be developed by a doctor. I'd say be very careful and proceed with caution. If you have sensitive skin then avoid, despite the label!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Treatments -Avene - Diroseal
kimannj 11/18/2011 6:08:00 PM
I really wanted to like this - I have sensitive/combination skin that tends to get oily on the t-zone and I started to notice that I am getting a few small spider veins on the side of my nose and my face does flush red and hot occasionally in reaction to certain things. This didn't have any effect after several months of daily use, and I found it to be very heavy, greasy and non absorbent. It seemed to sit on top of my skin, and when I would wake up in the morning my skin was still very oily and sticky. I'm guessing this is due to the fact that it contains mineral oil and appears essentially like coloured Vaseline. I think it is quite expensive given the amount and the ineffectiveness of the product and the quality of ingredients. I'd look elsewhere!!!
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Cleansers -La Roche Posay - Physiological Cleansing Milk
kimannj 10/22/2011 6:15:00 PM
I am slightly reassured by the reviews of others who have had bad reactions to this product, i.e. it's not just me! I received a couple of samples of this product, I used the previous bottle up without any problems - product performance was unremarkable and nothing about it would encourage me to purchase it again, and I don't like the strong smell that is faintly reminiscent of bananas, which physically do make me sick. Anyway, I started using the second sample bottle for my evening cleanse tonight and within seconds of covering my face in this it became hot and as red as a tomato! I removed the product, and waited a while thinking perhaps I was using too-hot water to cleanse with but the redness didn't go away. My skin is SO hot, it feels almost as though it's burning. I now have the Avene Soothing Moisture Mask on to counteract this irritation and it is very slowly calming my skin down but given that my skin is so hot right now the mask has pretty much just melted away. I will be lying down in front of a fan and using a lot of Avene Eau Thermale spray for the next hour or so in the hope my skin calms down. This has been extremely unpleasant and I would not use this again! For something that is targeted towards sensitive skin, and being someone who doesn't really have very sensitive skin at all, I would be very concerned about the ingredients of this product given that others have had similar reactions!!!!!!!
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Sunscreen -Avene - Very High Protection Emulsion SPF50+ (2010 FORMULA)
kimannj 10/4/2011 4:21:00 PM
I remember searching Makeupalley for sunscreen recommendations for my combination skin a while ago, which led me to try Vichy Capital Soleil Micro fluid Mat spf 50. I was quite happy with that but it ran out this weekend during a heatwave and I was desperate for an easy replacement so I bought this. I forgot why I didn't choose to buy this the first time around...... Despite being stated that it's an emulsion and suitable for normal to combination skin with a matte finish and sebum regulating ingredients, I didn't find this at all. The product appears more of a cream, much thicker than an emulsion (Vichy's product is very liquid and easy to spread) and this does not finish matte on my skin even when it's clean and dry before applying. It remains sticky throughout the day and leaves a considerable white cast that makes me look like I'm ill! I do dust over this with mattifying powder but it does not last long. I find that the product is not what it promises, and therefore is considerably expensive for what it is when I can find another comparable product that performs much better (I couldn't get the Vichy as quickly as I needed as I have to order this online). HIghly recommend the Vichy to anyone with oily/combination skin - still can get a bit sticky but at least does finish fairly matte and is a much thinner consistency. And almost no white cast!
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Treatments -Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
kimannj 9/10/2011 12:56:00 PM
I received this as a gift and was really looking forward to using it - I don't have really dry skin, but have to wash my hands lot during the day in my work and find this leads my nails to become weak and peel and the skin around my fingernails to become dry and flaky which also causes hangnails. Nothing I seem to do helps with this - cuticle oil, hand and nail cream, emollient cream....I have used this regularly recently and tend to put it on at night as it's quite thick and greasy. I do wake up with softer skin surrounding my nails in the mornings but it still remains quite flaky. It hasn't made enough of a difference yet to warrant me buying it after this tin runs out. Hopefully that might change the longer I use it! But for now I wouldn't buy it again as I find hand creams much more convenient.
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Blush -Becca - Beach Tint in Watermelon
kimannj 9/10/2011 12:46:00 PM
This is quite nice, but I found it didn't have much staying power on my cheeks - I have combination oily skin and it disappears quickly. When applying it can be tricky as the colour is quite pigmented and takes very careful blending - if not careful you can end up looking like a clown. Use the tiniest bit at a time and blend, blend, blend. Use less to start with and build up the colour to avoid the above mentioned clown effect. Would probably be much better for drier skins.
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Eye Primer -Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion - Original (UDPP)
kimannj 9/10/2011 11:43:00 AM
Love this - I have combination/oily skin with oily eyelids. No eyeshadow holds on my eyelids for very long due to this, but with UDPP I don't have that problem at all! Fabulous - so happy I found this. If only I could find something as good for the rest of my face! Also, thanks for the handy tips about the packaging as I still have the old tube!
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Treatments (Eye) -Elizabeth Arden - Intervene Pause & Effect Moisture Eye Cream
kimannj 9/3/2011 6:05:00 AM
I received several samples of this product and have to say that I haven't been impressed overall. I have been using it for around 3 weeks now and have seen no changes to my fine lines and there is definitely no increase in moisture around the eyes (which is what I need). The cream is quite heavy but doesn't seem to be hydrating enough for me, and I haven't noticed any effect on my eyes so far. Just a point, I read a review where someone wrote that it stings their eyes and this must mean it's working - I'd suggest that you're either getting it too close to your eyes and it's irritating them, or the product is not for you full stop if it's causing that reaction and switch to something else! The whole 'no pain, no gain' philosophy shouldn't apply to your skincare - we need to be gentle with our skin...
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