Cleansers -Avene - Cleanance soapless gel cleanser for oily skin 
loveydove 10/11/2012 12:44:00 AM
I received a sample of this soap-free cleanser when I bought another Avene product and I'm sure glad I did. It's great for sensitive skin and it's targeted for people with oily, acne-prone skin (that's me). I switch it up with my AcneFree Sensitive line cleanser. The Cleanance cleanser smells wonderful but it is expensive. I think my drug store charges $25/bottle. As with any cleanser, don't scrub your face because it can become irritated and strip your skin. Also, a very little goes a long, long way. Think about the size of a pea, that's how much cleanser you need to wash your face. Not kidding!
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Skincare - Face -AcneFree - Sensitive Skin 24 Hour Acne Clearing System
loveydove 10/11/2012 12:31:00 AM
I'm a middle-aged women who has had acne her entire life (it's genetic in my family). I also have sensitive skin. Throughout my life, I have tried many medications, cleansers, toners, lotions, etc, and no product has ever worked on my acne...until now! I found this product by accident at Walmart USA and thought, why not. Note: Not all Walmarts carry the Sensitive line. I used the 3-step system religiously for 3 weeks and at 3 weeks my skin started to clear!!! For those of you that have had acne your entire life also you will understand how incredible this was to find something that finally worked. BTW, AcneFree is the competitor of Proactiv. I tried Proactiv but it didn't work for me. The AcneFree Sensitive line is not available in Canada so whenever I'm in the USA I go to Target and stock up ($17-18). The cleanser is gentle and smells pleasant (don't be tempted to scrub your face). If I scrub my face gets flaky and dried out. The toner is also gentle and smells nice. The repair lotion is gentle also but I avoid the neck area as my neck is super sensitive. I should mention that I only use the toner once a day (I just don't think it's necessary to use it more than that). I will say that if you use this product on and off it's not going to work for you. You have to clean your face 2x/day and put the repair lotion on 2x/day! It's kind of like taking regular medication - if you skip days the meds aren't going to work. This year during summer vacation I decided to see what would happen if I only washed my face 1x/day and only put the repair lotion on 1x/day and sure enough, my acne returned!! It's not rocket science people. I still get a couple of pimples just before my period arrives but I can live with that. BTW, my teenage son is now on the Sensitive line also and his acne started to clear after 2 weeks time. Try it, it's worth a shot!
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Mascara -Maybelline - Great Lash Mascara
loveydove 10/11/2012 12:08:00 AM
Quite possibly the world's worst mascara. I don't care how cheap it is - you get what you pay for in this case. The brush bristles are spaced too far apart to coat your eyelashes properly. I would only use this if I was in a pinch.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - The Merry Hempsters Vegan Hemp Lip Balm
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:57:00 PM
This is quite possibly the best lip balm I've ever tried!! And I have tried many, many brands. Your lips will love you. The balm glides on smoothly and is not oily or waxy. I'm reviewing the vegan lip balm but I'm not vegan. There is a non-vegan version of the same balm. It appears the non-vegan version uses Beeswax where the vegan version uses Candelilla wax. I love the Orange flavor the best. I bought mine at a local natural foods market but check out The Merry Hempsters website for where to purchase.
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Styling Products -A/G - Recoil Curl Activator
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:47:00 PM
Hallelujah! I have finally found a styling product for my wavy-curly hair. No more gels, foams, mousses, sprays, etc! It only took me 25 years to find the right product. A/G's Recoil Curl Activator was recommended to me by my co-worker who also happens to be a stylist. She also has naturally curly hair and she gave me a couple of suggestions for styling products (for curly hair) and one of them was Recoil. What a great product! The product is creme-like. I use about a nickle-sized amount (sometimes a bit more as I have long hair) but not much more than that. If you use too much your curls become a bit crunchy. If you use the right amount your curls are soft. You have to play with the amount a bit. I will say that once you start touching your hair throughout the day the product starts to release your curls. So, don't touch your hair! Also, in Canada this product is about $20 and you can purchase in select salons. The tube lasts a long time. If you have curly hair, I highly recommend it.
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Self Tanners -Jergens - Natural Glow Express Body Moisturizer, Medium Skin Tones
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:37:00 PM
This product is awful. I've tried a few self-tanners and this one, is by far the worst. I didn't like the scent and I hardly received any coloration whatsoever (even after repeated applications). See my other review for a great self-tanner...Neutrogena's Build-a-Tan. Love that one.
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Self Tanners -Jergens - natural glow express medim/tan
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:36:00 PM
This product is awful. I've tried a few self-tanners and this one, is by far the worst. I didn't like the scent and I hardly received any coloration whatsoever (even after repeated applications). See my other review for a great self-tanner...Neutrogena's Build-a-Tan. Love that one.
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Self Tanners -Neutrogena - Build A Tan
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:32:00 PM
For an inexpensive self-tanner, Neutrogena's Build-a-Tan is pretty good. Canada has discontinued Build-a-Tan for some reason (boo hoo). I'm not fond of the scent but it's not offensive compared to some other brands. Like with all self-tanners, I'd really recommend that you make sure you spread the lotion on evenly because you do get streaks if you don't. I tend to reapply every 2-3 days to maintain the colour.
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Lipstick -MAC - Odyssey
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:24:00 PM
Hello, one the best lipstick shades ever! I am a person who does NOT like a sparkly lipstick but I am in love with this one. I love plum shades and this shade is so pretty (not too dark nor too light). MAC describes it as "Spiked-up Plum Frost". I hope they never discontinue it. Even though I find MAC lipsticks kind of pricey I don't mind splurging every once in a while. BTW, the colour swatch that is on the MAC website is quite close to the actual colour.
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Sunscreen -Coppertone - Continuous Spray SPF 30
loveydove 10/10/2012 9:04:00 PM
Ok, I'm going to be a big complainer. I absolutely LOATHE all of the Coppertone sprays. They are oily, sticky, expensive, there isn't a lot of product in container, and finally the hole gets plugged or spills product everywhere. Can you tell I hate sprays?Q! I will never buy a spray again. I forgot to mention that if you rub the spray in by hand - the stickiness will not come off for hours no matter how many times you wash your hands. Throughout my life I have tried many, many sunscreens but I always go back to the original all-purpose Coppertone (SPF 30). It smells great and is effective.
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Styling Products -Aveda - Phomollient
loveydove 10/10/2012 8:46:00 PM
When I was young and single and I could afford salon hair products I was a frequent buyer of this styling product. I love the scent of Aveda products and the Phomollient smells wonderful! This product is very lightweight and I will mention that it doesn't have a lot of "hold" (it doesn't claim to anyways). I have wavy-curly, shoulder-length hair and I like the fact that I can put something in my hair that's not sticky like gel. This product doesn't claim to hold curls but it did hold my curls for a few hours anyways. I find that once you start touching your hair, throughout the day, the product stops working. The key is not to touch your hair. Anyways, I can no longer afford to buy salon products but I still recommend this product.
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Conditioner -Goldwell - Goldwell Kerasilk Ultra Rich Care Treatment
loveydove 10/10/2012 8:35:00 PM
When I was young and single and I could afford salon hair products I always bought Goldwell products. I love the scent of this conditioner. I cannot believe how soft my hair was after conditioning it with this treatment. No product has ever done that before! I always used it in conjunction with the shampoo. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford to buy salon products but I highly recommend this product if you want soft hair.
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Shampoo -Goldwell - Kerasilk
loveydove 10/10/2012 8:27:00 PM
When I was young and single and I could afford salon hair products I always bought Goldwell products. I love the scent of the shampoo and it cleaned my hair nicely without stripping. I always used in conjunction with the conditioner. Unfortunately, I can no longer afford to buy salon products but I still recommend this product.
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Lipstick -Rimmel - Moisture Renew Lipstick
loveydove 10/10/2012 8:21:00 PM
The more Rimmel products I try out the more I want to buy. Rimmel makes great affordable products that in my, opinion, are decent quality. My favourite lipstick in the whole world is Moisture Renew Electric Plum #300. I don't wear a lot of bold colours as I prefer a more natural look and this shade is perfect for someone who wants some substantial colour but doesn't want to look like they're wearing gobs of lipstick. After all, when your middle-aged you cannot pull off wearing heavy lipstick anymore. Sorry, but it's the truth. This lipstick reminds me of a gloss in a way but it's not sticky in the least and it glides on easily as it is a lipstick. Some lipsticks make my lips chapped but this one doesn't chap them at all. I will mention that you have to reapply after an hour or so but I'm okay with that. Love shade Electric Plum #300. Try it!
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous in Carbon Black
loveydove 10/10/2012 8:14:00 PM
L'Oreal discontinued my favourite mascara (in Canada) so now I'm using Voluminous which is pretty close to my old mascara. I like the brush - it applies to lashes well and it doesn't go on clumpy at all. But I will mention that when you pull the brush out of the container the brush comes out a bit clumpy so you end up having to wipe off the excess mascara sometimes. I wouldn't say that this product's claim to make my lashes 5x times longer is true but what mascara can really do that! Overall, I'm happy with this product and will continue to use it until they discontinue it.
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