Lotions/ Creams -L'Occitane - 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
ksedinge 3/24/2012 6:42:00 PM
This is my very favorite hand cream ever--I have not been without a tube for the past five years. It is very rich and seems to almost instantly repair the skin on my hands, giving them a smooth, soft look. I'm pretty hard on my hands--washing many times each day, riding my bike in wind and sun without gloves, living in the desert--and this is the best cream I've had for preventing dry, scaly hands. It doesn't sink in right away and is somewhat greasy, but I sort of like that, especially since it does work and doesn't just sit on top of the skin. I personally love the powdery scent, though I don't find that it lingers for more than 30 minutes or so. The packaging isn't my favorite, as the label always seems to come off, leaving a metal tube covered with sticky residue, but it's something I can deal with. Overall, one of my favorite indulgences!
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Gloss -Clinique - Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Black Honey
ksedinge 3/2/2011 5:52:00 PM
This is a fabulous balm. The black honey color really does seem to work well on just about everyone. I have the shear almost lipstick in black honey, but I like that the gloss is just a little bit more shear--it's lip color that I don't have to look in a mirror to apply. And, unlike most of the other superbalm colors, this color does seem to actually give a nice tint to lips. Beautiful color.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Alba Botanica - Max Dry Skin Formula w/ AHA & Antioxidents
ksedinge 3/2/2011 5:22:00 PM
I have been using this lotion for over five years and I still love it. I've tried others, but I always come back to this kind because it is so wonderfully moisturizing yet not greasy--it seems to really sink in instead of sitting in a layer on top of my skin. I live in a very dry climate and this lotion keeps me nice and soft. They recently changed the formula, which is noticeable in the consistency--it went from being pretty thick and creamy to being more watery, but as far as I can tell, the moisturizing ability is the same, so I'll keep buying it. I use several pumps every day to cover my whole body, plus extra mini pumps for hands throughout the day, and a big bottle of this lasts me 2-3 months.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Neutrogena - Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Moisture Night
ksedinge 3/2/2011 5:19:00 PM
I used this for two years and had good results for it. While it didn't totally clear up my (mild) acne, combining this with a weekly clay mask and Neutrogena's tone correcting spf 30 moisture did clear most of my blemishes up, and quickly. The real benefit for me was that when I started using Retin A cream, I had very minimal drying and peeling--I think using this moisturizer helped my skin acclimate to a low level retinoid enough that bumping up the intensity didn't disrupt my skin too much.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Essie - Lacquered Up
ksedinge 3/2/2011 5:15:00 PM
I love this color--like other reviewers stated, it is a lovely tomato red and it has a little orange in it instead of being a dark, vampy red. Very fun color. My only qualm is that it is very runny--every time I use this color, the polish runs all over my cuticles, making it a little difficult to use. I love Essie and haven't had this problem with any other colors. However, I love this color so I'll keep using it :).
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Neutrogena - Ageless Intensives Tone Correcting Moisture SPF 30
ksedinge 8/29/2010 4:31:00 PM
I can't say enough about this moisturizer; I'm on my fifth bottle of it and I LOVE it. I live in the desert and have slightly acne prone skin that is also prone to dryness, thanks to the dry climate. Most moisturizers don't really moisturize, are too greasy, don't have SPF, have SPF but it's too low or leaves white cast, break me out, etc. This one is perfect. It leaves me dewey, doesn't dry me out, moisturizes really well but isn't greasy, and has a pretty good SPF. I also do think that it helps even out my skin a bit. I also like the pump packaging so I'm not introducing bacteria to the bottle. It really is a fabulous product.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Cetaphil - Daily Facial Cleanser (Normal to Oily Skin)
ksedinge 8/29/2010 3:08:00 PM
I really really wanted to like this cleanser, so much so that I recently tried it for the second time, the first time having occurred in my late teens. I thought that perhaps the acne I had with this cleanser then was caused by hormones or other products I was using; nope. I've been using this twice a day for a month and am breaking out constantly. I hoped that it would start to lessen after a couple of weeks, but it's gotten worse--more blackheads, more whiteheads, and even a cystic pimple. My skin is slightly acne prone but responds very well to the right products and is usually clear, with maybe a few small pimples per month. I love the idea of this cleanser but I've confirmed that it doesn't clean pore-cloggers enough to help my skin stay clear. The positive is that this product is very gentle and doesn't strip my skin. I wouldn't say that this cleanser broke me out--my breakouts aren't severe enough to suspect that--but it just doesn't clean well enough.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Origins - NIght-A-Mins Cream
ksedinge 10/12/2009 5:16:00 PM
I recently went into Origins to buy some more of their Never Say Dry cream. Unfortunately, I found that they had discontinued this cream and the sales lady recommended Night a Mins. I had used this cream in the past but hadn't stuck with it--now I know why! I love a relatively heavy cream for night because my environment is so dry that I need the moisture. My number one problem with Night a Mins was that it didn't feel like it really sunk in. In spite of how thick it is, I still had dry patches and a tight feeling after washing that I had to remedy with some of my favorite herbal salve. My skin didn't feel any more moisturized the next morning, just greasier than normal. My second problem with this cream was that it made me break out--within the first week I had several new, deep blemishes that are out of character for my skin and that I hadn't had to deal with using Never Say Dry. As much as I've liked Origins in the past, this is not a cream that I'm going to buy again--I'm not even going to finish the rest of the mostly full jar. Too bad they discontinued Never Say Dry and not Night a Mins.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Origins - Checks and Balances
ksedinge 10/12/2009 5:09:00 PM
I've used this cleanser for five years. I've tried some other products but they've always broken me out. When I first started using Checks and Balances, I was 18, living in a place with moist air, and loved the effect of this cleanser on my skin--my skin was still a little oily and this sopped the oil right up and kept it in check for the whole day. At the time, it was a lifesaver. Over the past year, though, at 23 and living in a very arid environment, I find that it dries my skin out too much and has stopped keeping breakouts at bay; it doesn't keep me balanced anymore. Especially in the winter, after washing with this my face is dry and in need of immediate moisture. I also get dry patches in several spots. Overall, I think this can be a great cleanser for somebody who isn't overly prone to breakouts who has somewhat oily skin. For me, however, with normal-to-dry skin living in a dry environment, I think I need something gentler that won't strip my face's natural oils.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Clinique - Super City Block SPF 40
ksedinge 10/12/2009 5:04:00 PM
I've gone through about four tubes of this and although I've been drawn to other products, I keep coming back to Super City block. I live in the high desert (very dry, hot summers, cold winters, pounding sun year round) and daily sunscreen is a must. My skin is normal erring on the side of dry and I do get blemishes if I use the wrong product--this hasn't caused me to break out at all. I put it on damp skin and it soaks in well, leaving me with a luminous complexion. I don't wear any foundation so I loooove that this is tinted--it helps enormously to even out my skin tone without making me look "done". I also appreciate the high SPF (hard to find in a facial moisturizer) and that it contains the kind of sunblock that doesn't wear off through the day so I don't have to worry about reapplication. Overall, for me it's been a great product. I will continue to try other sunscreens (continually looking for something a bit more moisturizing that doesn't break me out), but this is one I can depend on and will return to.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No