Treatments -Aphogee - Treatment
lexigal 12/25/2011 2:04:00 PM
This product is an absolute HG miracle for damaged hair. I use this every 6 weeks, followed by a moisturizing conditioner and it has saved my hair. If you highlight, bleach or relax your hair you MUST use this. Beats Nexxus Emergencee by a landslide, tho that product is good as well. The only con is it smells a but and is a PITA to use. But worth it. Oh, so worth it.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Desert Essence - Jojoba Oil - 100% pure
lexigal 12/25/2011 1:51:00 PM
Jojoba oil...you made me sad. :( I have very oily skin - large pores, and have only now at the age of 33 (almost 34) been able to get my skin to the point where I rarely break out. After 21 years of skin issues I've tried every Rx product along with every drugstore product ever marketed and finally gotten my skin to the point where it looks very good - or at least as good as my skin will ever get. The best acne cure is not found on a shelf...Eliminate sugar and simple carbs, drink plenty of water and get adequate rest; screw around with supplements like Zinc, B vitamins, etc. What works for one person won't work for all, but acne is absolutely linked to diet and lifestyle. Try to make your body more alkaline; it's good for preventing acne as well as health and disease prevention in general. Start off every day with two cups of warm water with the juice of a lemon in it, your skin will improve. (I know lemons are acidic but have an alkalizing effect on the body.) To those of you in your late teens/early 20's who are still struggling, please know that many of us feel your pain and about the only consolation I have to give you is that you WILL look amazing for your age and from 30-60 when your drier skinned counterparts are wrinkly and crepey, you will for the first time feel appreciative of your grease! My oily skinned buds and I have zero wrinkles and easily pass for being a decade younger. Just hang in there, sisters. Just hang on. Being the masochist that I am, I recently decided that I wanted to change skin and haircare products as it dawned on me the inconsistency between eating "clean" and then slathering my face and hair in chemical-laden products. So, over a period of months I switched to simpler products and my skin was still good. While it was not "glowing" as it had been with the chemical AHA/retinol arsenol it also wasn't breaking out so I was satisfied enough. Enter Jojoba oil. I read glowing reviews here and elsewhere and finally had the courage to pull out the jojoba oil that had been on my shelf for a year. Derms and the skincare world at large were wrong about many skin-related issues, so I reasoned it made sense that just as a low-fat diet can be unhealthy, an oil-free skin regime to prevent pimples may be more bunk. I washed and applied a few tiny drops and rubbed in well. Skin felt great and the miracle of all miracles happened: I WAS NO LONGER OILY! No matter what I have used on my face in the past, around noon my forehead was shiny...until now! I went all day without a hint of shine on my face. Well, after about 1-2 weeks of this non-oily perfection, I began to break out in tiny zits all over my forehead, around my mouth and the jawline. Even little buggers on my cheeks which never, ever happens. My skin hasn't looked like this since pregnancy or since I was a teen. Now, is this a purging? After all my AHA and retinol use I just don't think so. I'm in the camp of gals who when I break out like this it isn't a phase but a reaction. And...I'm super sad that jojoba oil didn't work for me. My skin just loves the damn chemicals.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -Dove - Damage Therapy Conditioner Intensive Repair
lexigal 11/20/2011 7:58:00 PM
This, along with the matching shampoo, is nothing short of AMAZING. I have never thought to use Dove hair products since sampling one of the shampoo/conditioner duos years back which left my hair a filmy, coated, yet dry disaster. (Not sure which Dove products those were...) I tried this after stumbling onto the glorious MUA reviews and I'm in utter disbelief that this stuff is so cheap and leaves my hair (fine, long and highlighted, but lots of it) looking 100% healthy, shiny, bouncy and gorgeous. I ran back to the drug store to buy some for my teenage daughters (who both have virgin hair) to try out. One has long, heavy hair that's course and insanely thick with a lot of wave while daughter #2 has an average amount of straight, fine, shoulder length hair prone to oiliness... Somehow, this stuff left their very different hair textures looking AMAZING as well. Did I mention this stuff is AMAZING? LOL. With so much hair in our house and kids who go through products like water I am thrilled this stuff is so inexpensive and works so beautifully. L-O-V-E the ladies at MUA for turning me onto this, as I would never have purchased it otherwise. SCORE. Edit: this stuff is rated poorly on the EWG database. Lots of yucky chemicals. :( Will not rebuy. Bummer.
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Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Angel
lexigal 11/20/2011 7:44:00 PM
I absolutely adore Angel, but I use it sparingly, applying a small amount. It takes a minute to settle down but then I get the warmest most sensuous and delicious blend of honey, caramel with a slightly powdery/slightly earthy scent. It's just absolutely romantic and sexy. On some people this apparently smells horrendous - like any fragrance it varies based on body chemistry.
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Hair Color -Clairol - Radiance Colorgloss translucent deposit only color
lexigal 8/8/2011 9:25:00 PM
My hair is naturally a dull, light mousy brown that I usually highlight blond, except that it has just gotten so "yellow," overly processed and crunchy lately...I've come to just hate it. So, when my hair has gotten this way in the past I used Wella demi-perm in a light neutral brown or dark blond and have gotten good results. I was too lazy to drive to Sally's so on an impulse (damn those haircoloring impulses!) I bought Clairol Natural Instincts at the drugstore which I've used on and off for years. BIG MISTAKE, as they appear to have reformulated it and the new "creme" version just ravaged my hair. It was a decent color but just fried my hair worse than it was before. (Should've checked MUA first. Ugh.) So, back to MUA I came and read the reviews for this. I bought it in 6N (Dark Natural Brown). I was pretty freaked out that my damaged, porous hair would cause this to pull too dark (again, per the reviews) so I only left in in for 7-8 minutes. Oh, and for some reason I applied this to my dry hair when you are supposed to apply it to damp, towel dried hair. Perhaps this is why it didn't take the color as darkly? Hmmm. The result is that my hair is a beautiful, light brown/dark blond and is actually SHINY! Seriously, this stuff is pretty amazing and makes my hair look about 80% healthier. I am going to use this again in a month and mix it with the clear gloss...oh, and will probably apply it as directed while I'm at it!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Wella - Color Charm Demi-Permanent Hair Color
lexigal 12/23/2009 10:08:00 PM
Thank you again, MUA ladies for steering me in the direction of this hair coloring product. I have been highlighting my long, light/med. brown hair myself for years and love it. However, after a few months I start too get overly blond and need to go a bit darker or my skin color looks horrid. I have been using Natural instincts (Light to Medium Brown shades) to foil in some lowlights, and my hair looks great for about 3-4 weeks before the lowlights tend to fade to a brassy, horrid color. So, I have been on the hunt for a longer lasting, better quality dye that resists fading to brass. Alas, I have found it. Recently I foiled in some lowlights using a neutral light brown Wella shade that comes out darker (of course, it's a demi-perm!) and my hair has never looked so gorgeous and healthy. It's SHINY like it has never been with any other product! Ah, I should also mention that I used a packet of Unred and mixed it into the dye prior to application. I think this addition definitely helped to counteract brass. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you Wella.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Alpha Hydrox - 10% Enhanced Cream
lexigal 7/31/2009 11:50:00 PM
Love this stuff, and I was skeptical because when i tried the 12% product a couple years back my skin was very unhappy. I use this in combination with alpha hydrox's retinol product and spot-light treatment and the texture of my skin has been completely transformed: pores are minimized, hyperpigmented areas on my face have faded, my skin is barely, if ever, breaking out and the few little lines I had I don't even notice any more! In the AM I wash with Zapzyt's BHA cleanser (i reviewed the whole kit) and then follow up with AH spot light on my pigmented areas, followed by the AH 10% enhanced cream over my whole face/neck, sunscreen and then my foundation. PM routine is the same cleanser, spot-light and then AH retinol at night. Every few days I skip a day to give my skin a rest. My skin is tough, but this still did tingle a bit after I first applied it. There was a very brief little purging period - a few small pimples which healed quickly enough. I hadn't anticipated this since I had been using both a retinol/AHA combo product by RoC, but no harm done. Anyway, for the price this line of products is simply amazing. My skin looks like it did when I used the Obagi Nu-derm system, only with less irritation and way less cash out of my wallet!!!
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Liquid -Prescriptives - All Skins Mineral Makeup 16 Hour Wear / SPF 10
lexigal 7/31/2009 11:30:00 PM
After having completely given up in my search for a mineral make-up, I stumbled across reviews for this liquid mineral stuff and ran out to buy it. I have oily skin, large pores - the whole beautiful package, LOL - so I tend to shy away from liquid, heavy foundations. On the other hand, the powdered mineral brands all tend to look awful, are messy, and accentuated my pores. Particularly those brands like BE that have the luminous look - which brings me to *this* foundation: Love it! My skin has never looked so perfect, luminous but not shiny, and natural. It has the slightest glow but it in no way serves to accentuate my pores. The staying power is fantastic and this is always a big issue for my oily complexion. A little goes a long way, similar to the camo. cream, so it's a great value, IMO. This is HG for me!! A higher SPF would have been nice, but I use an SPF 70 sunscreen underneath since I use both retinol and AHA lotions. So, even if this had a slightly higher protection, I'd still likely use an additional sunscreen anyway.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Full 'N Soft Mascara
lexigal 5/18/2009 2:22:00 PM
This is a SOLID mascara. Nothing fancy, the packaging is plain and a little outdated, but the product is really good! My lashes are straight and short to average in length. I normally have issues with mascaras being too heavy and causing clumps or weighing my lashes down making them fall straight. I bought this mascara on MUA recs and was skeptical that it wouldn't perform, compared to the newer crop of mascaras on the market. BUT, this somehow outperformed ALL the mascaras I have tried over the past couple years. It leaves my lashes looking natural, but thicker, longer, and SOFT, just like the name implies! It also holds a curl reasonably well.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -Revlon - ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick
lexigal 4/6/2009 9:56:00 PM
After trying every single long-wearing lip product on the market (Clinique's, MAC's, Jane's, Max Factor, Revlon's original colorstay, Avon's version, and L'oreal's Infallible to name a few), I think I have finally found one I love! This is a totally different feeling product than the other ones, less thick and more flexible than MF Outlast and less drying than the 2 step colorstay, but the best part is the amazing staying-power this stuff has! The packaging is nice, and you get a pretty accurate view of the shade through the glass test tube container. The shade names are silly, and don't necessarily correspond with their given color. But that's not a big deal, just go with the visual and the color will be what you imagine. I'm really loving this stuff. It's been 7 hours since I applied it and it looks perfect. It's a little pricey at > 10 bucks, but I got a BOGO coupon at Rite-Aid, so it was a great deal.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Givenchy - Very Irresistible
lexigal 12/13/2008 8:56:00 PM
Received a sample of this and just tried it out today. I am normally not a fan of florals or roses, more specifically, but this fragrance is warm and sweet with a hint of vanilla. I LOVE vanilla fragrances but as I am getting older I find the straight-up vanilla fragrances are lacking in sophistication. My husband who NEVER compliments me on my fragrances LOVES this stuff. He just called me from the mall with our kids asking what the name of this perfume was. He is a sweetie, but has never bought me perfume before. Can't wait to get my full bottle.
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Skincare - Face -Zapzyt - Acne Pack 3 Step System
lexigal 10/9/2008 12:58:00 PM
This system is really fantastic. Bought it based on MUA reviews after running out of Proactiv. I had used the Zapzyt gel as a part of the acne.org regime and had great luck with it, so thought why not give this a shot. The cleanser is VERY mild, not drying and leaves my skin soft and clean. Love that it is free of dyes and perfumes. The daytime gel is "ok". It works well, but I find my makeup balls up a little on top of it, so I use it only in the event that I have a breakout. I alternate the BP nighttime product with Retin-A or RoC. I have not noticed ANY irritation whatsoever, and find that the BP gets rid of almost all breakouts literally overnight. I cannot believe how well this system works at keeping my skin clear, and for such a cheap price.
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Concealers -Maybelline - Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector [DISCONTINUED]
lexigal 5/20/2008 10:44:00 PM
So far I am liking this stuff. For the past two years I have been using Lancome Maquicomplet in Camee which has been the best shade match I've found and has a pretty decent coverage.Before that I loved Prescriptives Camouflage creme and loved it, though it was a bit thick. I've tried most drugstore brands and never liked anything. Tried Clinique, Mac, Origins, BM, EM and Jane Iredale Mineral make-ups but never found one that covered and lasted. Lately though, my skintione has gotten paler and the camee was looking too peachy. Lancome doesn't make a lighter shade that matches my skintone, so I have been reading reviews on here and decided to try. I got it in light/medium which is nice since I am somewhere in the middle. So far, this seems to cover nicely and is a nice light yellow color which works well on my under eye darkness and my redness around the nose. Does pretty well on covering blemishes as well...but need to really see about that. Wil update. The highlighter is fine...way better than Touche Eclat which does NOTHING for me. The packaging is "meh" (better than the maquicomplet for sure), but it's still fairly cheap stuff so I can't complain too much.
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Concealers -Lancome - Maquicomplet (Complete Coverage Concealer)
lexigal 5/10/2008 12:42:00 AM
This is the best concealer I have found thus far, though it is pricey as others have mentioned. I use this in Camee under my eyes, and to cover blemishes as needed. Usually it's tough to find one concealer that works on both pimples and undereye darkness, but this stuff is just great on both counts. It blends in so nicely that I just use it where needed and can forgo foundation completely. Doesn't seem to break me out at all either. I'm totally fickle when it comes to make-up, and this is the only concealer I have ever repurchased. Good stuff.
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Powder -Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals ALL
lexigal 5/5/2008 5:07:00 PM
Yuck. Can't believe I never reviewed this stuff before! This was th every first mineral make-up I ever tried and I loved the idea of "pure" makeup that would not clog my breakout-prone skin. Well, I soooo wanted to love it, but the luminescent quality of BE made my already large pores look about five times as big, and amplified every bump on my face. Not to mention the fact that it's a huge mess, and not easily portable for touch-ups. I think BE is good for someone with young skin that is pretty close to perfect, small pores, etc... and just needs a little evening out in tone. For the rest of the girls with blemishes, fine lines, large pores...avoid this stuff like the plague!
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