Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Retin A
liziano 9/23/2011 9:24:00 AM
I was prescribed the 0.025% gel by the doctor when I asked him for Roacctane for my ridiculously oily skin (before I changed birth control my skin would literally almost drip after just a couple of hours, it was horrendous). My mum has the same problem and the oil has done permanent damage to her skin, thickening the skin around the pores and giving her skin a really bumpy appearance. So I was worried about having the same outcome. The doctor refused to give me Roaccutane but said to try this gel because it would apparently stop the oil damaging my pores. After 6 months of everynight use my skin has been absolutely transformed. I never even really realised how rough and dull my skin used to look before. Not only has it stopped further damage, the constant microdermabrasion effect has smoothed out my skin incredibly. All my pores are now bright and clean and although they're still visible, they look a lot better without grey grime in them. I put this on everynight before bed and after a witch hazel facial wash. When I get up, I use Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser. When I rub the cream into my skin, I get rolls of dead skin coming off, it actually looks a bit grim but then I exfoliate it all away with a muslin cloth and beautiful fresh skin is revealed every morning. For something to make my skin shed a whole layer every day is pretty impressive. I have reasonably severe pitted scarring from acne in my early teens and over 6 months this has been smoothed out significantly. I'm hoping that the scarring will continue to improve with prolonged use of the retin-a. My skin tone is also really even now, looking more like it used to after a light layer of foundation. I am 25 and was starting to notice nose-to-mouth lines and lines on my forehead. These have now virtually disappeared and my skin looks the same as it did when I was a teenager - wrinkles wise. I have had the normal side-effects of peeling, but since I've been using the Liz Earle in conjuction, all the flakes are removed in the morning. It seems to be a perfect combination, the Liz Earle also is not drying and the exfoliation doesn't seem to exacerbate the oiliness in the same way other exfoliators have in the past. I have noticed my skin is slightly pinker on my face now than my neck and I attribute this to the retin-a but it's really not something anyone else can notice and with a bit of MAC studio fix powder (really great for oily skin like mine) it's fine. I don't ofter bother with moisturiser because my skin doesn't take it in at all and it makes the oiliness worse, but I think anyone with halfway normal skin would have to whilst using the retin-a as it is drying. Just don't use it at the same time.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Liz Earle - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish
liziano 9/21/2011 5:24:00 AM
Absolutely LOVE this product... Liz Earle, where have you been all my life?! Together with retin-a and a new birth control pill, my skin has been transformed from oily, rough, dull and generally disgusting. After using this my skin has never actually looked cleaner, all my pores are clear and my skin looks much brighter and smoother. Lovely to get an exfoliator that doesn't dry my skin out (which later leads to massive oil production as my skin compesates). Leaves my skin beautifully soft and clear and I usually don't even need to use moisturiser afterward.
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Highlighters -Yves Saint Laurent - Touche Eclat No 1
liziano 2/25/2011 5:26:00 AM
This is a good concealer, but I'm not sure its worth all the hype. I was finding it difficult to apply and finding that it looked rather dry and sunk into lines after a few hours, making me look older than 24! I went back to the YSL counter and the MA told me to apply eye cream first then blend in the touche eclat before it sunk in. This does make it easier to apply and it doesn't go into the lines under my eyes. However, it doesn't completely disguise the shadows under my eyes.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Brows -Boots - no7 Beautiful Brows Pencil
liziano 2/25/2011 5:20:00 AM
I haven't tried any other brow products so i don't know how this one compares but I love it! It goes on easily as long as it is sharp and never smudges. If I make a tiny mistake I just rub it gently and it seems to just fade away. I use this pencil then apply a coat of Collection 2000 clear mascara over the top which keeps my brows clean and defined all day long. I also love the little comb that comes on the other end. I will definitely keep buying this, but I don't see it running out soon, I've been using it for 6 months every day and have only sharpened it 2-3 times.
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Eyeliner -Urban Decay - 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Baked
liziano 2/25/2011 5:11:00 AM
I love this colour :) it's a lovely warm bronzey gold that looks great on my cool grey/green eyes. I apply it on the top and bottom lid and also on the waterline and it is pretty yet subtle, especially when the light catches.
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Eye Shadow -Inglot - Freedom System Palette
liziano 2/23/2011 5:50:00 AM
These are the first moderately expensive eyeshadows that I bought after getting into makeup properly and I so far haven't found any as good, even more expensive brands. The SA at Inglot told me that eyeshadows are really what the brand is known for and it's easy to see why. All the eyeshadows are really pigmented and blend beautifully. They also stay on well, even without a primer. I used to think that these were quite expensive (£15 for 5 shadows) but after realising how much people spend in MAC for something similar, I've realised what a bargain it is. A makeup artist told me a trick when testing eyeshadows: wipe a fingertip just once across the shadow, then swipe it on the back of your hand once, this will give a good indication of the pigmentation and true colour. When trying this in MAC, some colours were not well pigmented at all compared to Inglot and seemed to require much more product. I often use a thin brush to use these eyeshadows as soft liners (dry) or liquid (I mix with one drop of Ilamasqua Sealing Gel) and either give a lovely result, especially when you blend two colours together . At the moment I have 2 palettes of 5, one palette of bright and one of dark shades. The dark shadows go very well as crease colours or definers whilst the bright colours are great for making a statement on a night out.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Inglot - Eyeliner Gel
liziano 2/23/2011 5:38:00 AM
This eyeliner is awful! The consistency is so thick and nasty that it is impossible to get a nice clean line. It is also ridiculously difficult to remove, even with strong makeup remover. Also, I didn't have this product very long before huge cracks appeared in it. I'm going to try mixing in some oil-based makeup remover to see if it improves, but I don't think I should really have to modify something I spent that much money on. Don't buy it, it's a total waste of money!
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Mascara -BeneFit Cosmetics - BADgal Plum
liziano 2/23/2011 5:21:00 AM
I love this mascara! Although the colour in the tube looks very purple, it looks natural when it goes on and gives a subtle hint of colour that really makes my green eyes stand out. I like the formula too, it's possible to build this mascara for a dramatic look without it going clumpy, or just apply once for a defined, natural look. I generally like natural looking mascaras anyway as a I have long tangly eyelashes which are hard to seperate so this mascara probably wouldn't suit someone who always goes for the dramatic look. I find this mascara much easier to apply than most that I've tried. For example, MAC's Haute & Naughty gives a lovely look, but I find it difficult to get right and not make a mess. I also seem to have a lot of trouble not getting mascara on my upper lid most of the time, so a mascara like BadGal which isn't so wet is much better for me. I've read some reviews that complain about the big brush, I don't mind it so much, but it is hard to get the lashes at the outer corner. Only con so far is that it does tend to flake a bit onto my cheek. I will definitely buy this mascara again because of the beautifully subtle colour.
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Concealers -BeneFit Cosmetics - Lemon Aid
liziano 2/23/2011 5:11:00 AM
This is a nice product for getting rid of redness on my eyelids and making me look wide awake, the consistency is creamy and easy to apply. It looks natural when its on and blends well. It doesn't work as a primer as it tends to crease quite badly, it does that even with UDDP underneath. I have to blend it out again every few hours. I got this as a christmas present, but I don't think I would buy it myself unless they changed the formula so that it didn't crease and could be used as a primer. Also I have noticed now that it has got a bit cold and windy the Lemon Aid makes the skin on my eyelids very dry and it doesn't look good at all. the product isn't really intended for the under eye area, it would look unnatural on my C3 skin and also be hard to apply without pulling too much.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No