Moisturizers -Vichy - Aqualia Thermal Rich
kinonyc 4/5/2013 12:25:00 AM
I was looking for a substitute for the Aqualia balm, which is theoretically being reformulated. It is lovely! A mild, almost nonexistent camomile-ish smell, and a soft creamy texture, like the long -gone Orlane sensitive skin night cream.
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Moisturizers -Vichy - Aqualia Thermal UV hydrating treatment SPF15/PPD18
kinonyc 3/26/2013 1:20:00 AM
I've been using the Aqualia balm for years and love it. So when I was in the market for a UV day cream, I decided to try this. It's lovely -- sort of a lighter-weight version of the balm, with SPF. It spreads and absorbs very smoothly, and makeup applies beautifully over it. One pump pretty much covers my face and my throat, Very happy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Vichy - aqualia thermal eye hydrogel
kinonyc 3/26/2013 1:14:00 AM
I used this for quite a while and I'm a huge fan if the Aqualia line in general, but I'm not sure it does much. I don't think it really makes a difference although it feels very pleasant going on. But I'm not sure mi a massive believer in eye creams anyway!
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Lip Gloss -Laura Mercier - Sparkling
kinonyc 3/2/2013 1:05:00 PM
I got this in one of the 500 VIB benefit packages from Sephora. It seems the perfect foil for the Black Karat mineral shadow and liner that were also included in the package. On me it's kind of a neutral shimmer, more peachy and mod than gold. I think it's slightly warm, which isn't usually my thing, and also seems in contrast to the greenish tint of the Black Karat, but somehow it all works together. I also wear it when I want a neutral lip look, although sometimes it's a bit too bland for that.
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Eye Shadow -Bobbi Brown - Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Bone
kinonyc 9/3/2012 9:54:00 PM
I have several of these cream shadows and I think they're great. But I've always stayed away from this one, fearing it'd be too white and pasty, like Navajo, even though i love the powder version. Well the good news is, this is even better! With nothing else but mascara, It gives me a very glam and finished but natural look that brightens my eyes and highlights my lashes. I am sold.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Primer -Lancome - Aquatique Shadow Base
kinonyc 9/3/2012 9:51:00 PM
My stapke for years has been Alexandra de markoff disguise for eyes, the ne plus ultra of shadow bases. It lasts for about fuve years, and now I'm out--and for some reason it is massively back-ordered! So I've been trying out just about everything else I can think of. I want something that evens out the color on my lids, brightens my eyes, that i can wear on its own if necessary, that lets me apply shadow and blend smoothly, without depositing it in glued-down splotches, like UDPP. So I've tried Borghese (made my eyes red), Lorac (shadow application too unueven), Laura Mercier (too hard and stiff and laborious to apply, too uneven), and Edward Bess (really nice on its own, but patchy application). The Lancôme is easy to apply, makes my lids look even and bright, lets me apply e/s really smoothly, and best yet, keeps the e/s in place all day. It also seems to be the perfect base for my new favorite, BB candle light cream shadow. I'm still going to get my old staple if it ever comes back on the market, but in the meantime I'll be using this. 9/21/12: so far I'm really happy. It makes my shadow really stick, but it is also bendable. You just have to pat it on. What more could you want? I am adding a star.
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Eye Primer -LORAC - Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
kinonyc 8/20/2012 6:13:00 PM
I am searching for a replacement for Alexandra deMarkoff Disguise for Eyes, the ne plus ultra of eyeshadow bases. After searching I tried this out in a Sephora today and was impressed enough that I bought it. To my disappointment, when I got it home and tried it myself, I discovered it went on really nicely, but then had the same problem I have with Urban Decay's primer: it is so tacky that you can't swipe color on smoothly. You can pack it on, but you can't swipe it, and once a glob of it gets on your eyelid, there it stays, in one big lump. It's not like I need to glue the shadow to my eyelids to get it to stick. I just need an evening base that holds and brightens the shadow. So bummer, back to Sephora it goes. And the hunt continues . . . . .
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - Triderma-Eczema Power Ointment
kinonyc 6/11/2012 10:36:00 AM
After suffering two years of miserable eczema on my hands, and using a total of 4 different cortisone-antibiotic combos prescribed by two different dermatologists, and two other over-the-counter anti-eczema cures, this cream finally did it. The big horrible plaques on my fingers have died down substantially. I do have to keep using it to maintain equilibrium, but it really works. At least for me.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Triderma-Scar Reliever
kinonyc 6/11/2012 10:33:00 AM
For me this stuff has been a miracle worker--though not for the problem I expected it to solve. I bought it for a thin surgical scar on my neck, which looks quite good even though I wish it were completely invisible. Although it has made this scar a little more comfortable, and I think it has reduced the slight swelling and pinkness, it has not rendered is completely invisible. So far. But I have also been using it on another scar on my face, a small red mark. (Dermatologists keep telling me it's an "age spot," but they also say that about the freckles I've had since I was about 2 years old. I think it's actually caused by another dermatologist, who attempted to cauterize a small broken blood vessel--twice, and unsuccessfully both times.) In the past I've tried porcelana, on the advice of another dermatologist, and Mederma, on my own advice. Nothing. But now I am partway through one tube and this has completely diminished the mark. It's really amazing stuff. It's very sticky, so it's not really something you'd want under clothes. But it's fine at night, and I have also used it during the daytime--it doesn't show. My only dislike is the packaging. If you store it upright, the best way to make sure you get every drop in there, it tends to leak out the bottom of the tube. Otherwise, I am totally sold.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -BeneFit Cosmetics - Bella Bamba
kinonyc 6/10/2012 4:02:00 PM
Well, count me as one of those who likes it. I got it as a 100 point gift from Sephora and I'm surprised by how much I like it. It turns out to be midway between my two blush staples, Nars Orgasm and Nars Outlaw (now d/c but it's a kind of raspberry-toned blush and I wear in winter). On my fairly pale skin it looks like a reddish-pinkish flush. You do have to use it with a light hand but it's nothing that a fiber optic brush wouldn't take care of and I'm actually doing pretty well with my regular blush brush anyway. I don't particularly notice glitter and I definitely don't see fallout.
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Styling Products -Ouidad - Styling Mist Setting and Holding Spray
kinonyc 6/10/2012 3:20:00 PM
My hair recently changed from being fine, curly and frizzy to being fine, wavy and sometimes frizzy. During this transition I switched from No Frizz to Ouidad, and have found I like it a lot, but it has taken a while to figure out what products to use, because it has continued changing. I keep going to Stephora and getting recommendations and returning things. I finally decided to try what the Ouidad website recommends, and I am finding it's working really well--quite to my amazement. It suggested Moisture Lock leave-in conditioner (I've finally realized I do need some sort of leave-in), followed by Playcurl Mousse and this Styling Spray, and the combo seems to be working really nicely. Instead of straightening my hair, which gels suddenly seem to do these days, the mousse encouraged it to curl, and the spray is holding it nicely in place without drying it out. It now has a nice Marcel wave-y look. I am very pleased. Will repost if my feelings change. The scent doesn't really bother me. 9/3/12: I just revised down from a 5 because I think this is the culprit that's been making my hair feel tangled and stiff and sticky. The other day in frustration I tried real brush out spray and wow, what a difference. I can't use real hairspray every day, but it was enough to convince me that thus was the wrong direction.
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Styling Products -Ouidad - PlayCurl Volumizing Mousse
kinonyc 6/10/2012 3:19:00 PM
My hair recently changed from being fine, curly and frizzy to being fine, wavy and sometimes frizzy. During this transition I switched from No Frizz to Ouidad, and have found I like it a lot, but it has taken a while to figure out what products to use, because it has continued changing. I keep going to Stephora and getting recommendations and returning things. I finally decided to try what the Ouidad website recommends, and I am finding it's working really well--quite to my amazement. It suggested Moisture Lock leave-in conditioner (I've finally realized I do need some sort of leave-in), followed by Playcurl Mousse and the Finishing Spray, and the combo seems to be working really nicely. Instead of straightening my hair, which gels suddenly seem to do these days, this mousse encouraged it to curl up right away. tt now has a nice Marcel wave-y look. I am very pleased. (The only problem is going to be finding a foaming pump for travel, since Ouidad doesn't make travel size.) Will repost if my feelings change.
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Styling Products -Ouidad - Clear Control Pomade
kinonyc 6/10/2012 3:13:00 PM
I love this stuff. I have fine, dry, wavy-curly hair, and lots of it. I have tried not to use it, because you have to be really careful not to use too much, but I keep coming back to it because it gives my hair a really glassy shine, as if I had somebody else's hair instead of mine!
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Lip Gloss -Smashbox - Lip Enhancing Gloss in Tease
kinonyc 6/10/2012 2:08:00 PM
This color is great. It was staring at me in a Sephora store and I knew I had to try it. It's a lovely shade of raspberry, seems to last pretty well (and I'm someone who can't keep gloss or lipstick on to save my life) and leaves a nice stain behind. It seems more the texture of a Chanel Glossimer (my favorite) rather than a sticky gloss with a vinyl shine that your hair gets stuck in (my most hated) and I am very happy with it. I got one with a doefoot applicator (I didn't buy on Sephora but on Amazon) so I can't speak for the brush applicator, though.
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Concealers -NARS - Concealer Stick
kinonyc 6/10/2012 2:04:00 PM
Oh, I love this stuff. With Nars Sheer Glow I need no concealer, but I need it just a little with Nars Tinted Moisturizer. I have a red mark that stands out just a bit with that, IMO, especially as the rest of my skin is relatively flawless . . . . . This just eliminates the mark completely. It hardly needs to be blended, it doesn't need powder, and it looks really natural. It also works on bare skin. I am totally sold on Nars foundations. Who knew? (I was matched in the Nars store here with Vanilla; I also use Mont Blanc in Sheer Glow and Finland in tinted moisturizer.)
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