Treatments (Eye) -DERMAdoctor - Wrinkle Revenge Eye
misschristie 12/25/2011 4:12:00 PM
I'm a skincare fanatic with serious skin sensitivities (perioral dermatitis). With that said, this eye cream is a-ok. It's surely hydrating and non-irritating. Other super hydrating creams have the tendency to cause milia or periorbital dermatitis just under my eye. Wonderfully, this cream does not! HOWEVER, I like my anti-aging products to really give me anti-aging results. So when given the choice, I'd much rather use my Ole Henrikson Truth Is In The Eyes or my Caudalie Vinoperfect Cell Renewal Night Cream. What these products offer that DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Eye Balm does not is a wonderful tightening effect. I rub my eyes constantly in my sleep due to dryness, making the hood over my eyes, especially on one eye, loose and crepey. When using the Caudalie and Ole Herikson products mentioned, the hood is more taut and plump. While all these eye creams are great for sensitive skin, DERMAdoctor's fails to visibly deliver the anti-aging effect it claims to offer.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -Revlon - Colorsilk
misschristie 11/29/2011 11:05:00 PM
This is a review for the Revlon Colorsilk in Soft Black 11. My natural hair is dark chocolate brown with natural highlights of gold and red (photos in my profile show my natural hair color). THE PRODUCT: Dirt cheap. Got two boxes for a fiver. The smell isn't bad at all. The conditioner included smells like roses! I had a coloring brush, mixing tub, disposable plastic cape and clips lying around--found this essential for application as there was no way I'd cover every strand in my loooooong waist-length mane of medium thickness with the squirt bottle that's included! FYI: I've never had my hair colored in a salon nor have I used any other at-home dye. So I can't personally compare how well this covers, how long this lasts, and how glossy this looks to a professional dye job. IMMEDIATE RESULTS: My hair is down to my waist and with two boxes I was able to cover everything. After immediately washing it out, it was super dark, shockingly dark! Way darker than what is shown on the front and back of the back. It looked like a dark, deep black. Luckily that looked great on me! I got three random compliments from complete strangers (2 girls and one guy makeup artist) saying that I looked gorgeous, as they just kept staring in my eyes. So random, yet nice. The results are glossy. My hair does not look dried out. RESULTS AFTER A WEEK OR TWO: Within 7-10 days, a lot of excess color had washed out and my hair had lightened considerably. But it's actually still darker than what is shown on the front and back of the box!! Which I luckily do love. <3 Just be aware of this, if you don't want to go so dark. MY COLORING: Pale olive (MUFE 125, NC25) with hazel eyes. This brownish black is GREEN-BASED. So it complements and almost neutralizes the greenish tint in my skin, making me look more neutral and making the green in my eyes pop like crazy!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Lavera - Lavera Neutral Face Fluid
misschristie 11/27/2011 10:18:00 PM
UPDATE: Product was re-formulated in 2012. It now comes in a pump bottle. After using the re-formulation for 6 months, I've decided it doesn't work for me. The previous version was perfect for my skin. It did not cause inflammation or plugs. But it wasn't as moisturizing as I would have liked it to be. The re-formulation, however, is more moisturizing than the original. Which would be great. But it's not because it's giving me seriously clogged pores all over my face. (The one upside is that the re-formulation does not cause perioral dematitis flareups. It's pretty gentle.) But I will have to stop using this because I cannot deal with the constant breakouts any longer. It's a terrible shame that a really strong product was altered. ----- ORIGINAL REVIEW: I cannot believe I have not reviewed this product until today, as it's been my saving grace for about a year now. I've had perioral dermatitis for years and it hit rock bottom in Dec 2010. So in the following year, I decided to finally listen to my GP and eliminate all the harmful skincare products I'd been using and I bought up a bunch of organic skincare items. On my worst bouts of POD, Lavera Neutral Facial Fluid paired with Lavera Neutral Cleansing Gel are the only two things that will not aggravate my skin. I've tried a slew of other organic moisturizers (including A'kin 24 Hour Moisture, Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel, John Masters Rose Serum, Caudalie Cell Renewal Night Cream, Caudalie Premiere Cru). And while many of them really help calm my skin down, all of these in my most sensitive phases will cause a very, very slight flareup after 2-3 days of use. Lavera Neutral Fluid, however, can be used day in, day out without making my skin flare up. It's so expensive for such a small amount that I wish my skin didn't really need this. That said, my skin cannot at the moment live without this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Unlisted Brand - A'kin - Hand Nail & Cuticle Creme
misschristie 11/2/2011 5:02:00 PM
My skin is bone dry. I'm the kind of girl who constantly needs to apply cuticle oil to my fingertips to keep my skin from peeling, splitting, and bleeding around my nails. It's truly an insanity. This is one hand lotion that actually allows me to skip the constant application of cuticle oil. The product, amazing! The price, unfortunately, not so much.
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Tools -Unlisted Brand - Glass - aka crystal - nail file
misschristie 6/25/2011 9:02:00 PM
I got a generic drugstore brand crystal nail file in the UK. Brand is QVS I believe. It cost around 10 pounds. Always shied away from this because I thought it was an unnecessary expense. I'm reformed--it's a must! I used to get snags eventually after cutting my nails. Now I don't. Also if you have problems with peeling and nail breakage--using a crystal nail file will solve your problems.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - A'kin - Rosehip Oil
misschristie 6/25/2011 8:45:00 PM
Great intensely moisturizing oil that's organic. I have extremely sensitive skin (POD, super dry skin and breakouts with the wrong kind of products). Most oily products make me skin very, very angry. This does not! Love the hydrating boost that it gives my skin. Must be honest thought: when my skin is acting up this only makes it worse. I've heard some people found this to be very calming for conditions like POD. I don't get that effect. I've also heard that this is really good for combating aging, wrinkled skin. To add a balanced viewpoint, I'm not sure I see such a difference from using my generic bottle of Sweet Almond Oil. For now, though, I'll trust the claims of the positive effects of the natural acids and vitamins that this contains, and I'll continue using both. When my skin's doing great, this really gives me a healthy, moisturizing boost. Best results are when I apply at night after cleansing--three little drops, one for each of my driest areas (outer-lower corners of my eyes and my forehead/glabella).
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Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - A'kin - Unscented 24 Hour Pure Moisture
misschristie 6/25/2011 8:31:00 PM
I'm the fence about this one. I have extremely sensitive skin: I've had perioral dermatitis on-and-off for the past four years, my skin is deathly dry all over, but I'm prone to break outs and clogging when I use the wrong product. Right now my HG moisturizer is from the Lavera neutral line--it helps calm my POD, it moisturizes, and it does not clog. But I wanted something to give my dry skin a little boost: a plumped, healthy, hydrated look. So I got a sample of this A'kin moisturizer. I was initially wowed! It did what Lavera's neutral facial fluid did, but it made my skin look more hydrated, plumper and dewier. Love love loved it! So I bought the tub. Using it at least once a day (either night or day) however I've run into problems. I got periorbital dermatitis around my eyes, I was getting plugs/blackheads on my checks, and I got some millia around my eyes which wouldn't dissipate so had to get them extracted. Also when I worked out, though my skin look soooo amazing with this on, I could feel that the sweat couldn't get through the occlusive barrier. Very weird feeling after using lighter, breathable moisturizers all my life. There's jojoba oil in this. It acts as an occlusive, and for people with pore clogging problems (or even overproduction of skin cell problem like seborrheic dermatitis, or a perioral dermatitis like mine which behaves like an overproduction of skin cells and sebum), this will not work. Sadly I think the very thing that my skin reacts negatively to--the jojoba oil--is the ingredient responsible for the extra hydrated look. If you don't have these types of skin problems, this organic extra-hydrating moisturizer will give you dreamy, youthful skin. Will keep trying it out to see if my skin will ever make peace with this.
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Concealers -Revlon - Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer (New) [DISCONTINUED]
misschristie 6/24/2011 7:08:00 PM
Picked this up because I wanted to try out a drugstore concealer. Heard the MUA rave and decided to give it a go. Wow, couldn't have been worse. It was super pigmented. Which you think would be great, but it just would not blend. When I got coverage, it looked like paint or lipgloss slapped under my eye. The consistency was too sticky, tacky, gloppy. With less product, my purplish undereye coloring would still stand out, AND the concealer color would still pop. No matter what I did, it looked like bad concealer under my eye. I look 100% better au naturel than with this concealer on. Bizarre!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Essie - Sensitivity Basecoat
misschristie 6/21/2011 6:15:00 PM
Love this basecoat! I used to use NailTek Foundation and had trouble with peeling, breakage, and nail softness. Prior to having my nails under polish 24/7, I had extremely strong nails. It was only after starting to polish my nails all the time that I started getting problems. Thankfully, those problems are no more with this basecoat. I've been using Essie Sensitivity Basecoat for about 3 weeks, and even without giving my nails some rest from being under suffocating polish and without rehydration sessions with nail oils, I'm not getting any peeling or breakage. My nails have gotten long--at this point with NailTek a few nails would have already snapped off. But with Essie Sensitivity I'm still going strong! Also no chips!! With this basecoat, I can go one full week with a perfect mani. Could go longer, I'm sure--but that's as long as I can go before I start getting bored. :D
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Essie - Super Duper Topcoat
misschristie 6/21/2011 6:05:00 PM
I started out with Poshe two years ago. Loved it for its super-quick drying powers and its glossy shine. But I was getting chips.I've been into Essie for the past year, so I thought I'd try their basecoat and topcoat. With Essie's Super Duper Topcoat, the great thing is I'm not getting chips! The major downsides are, however, this does not dry and it's not shiny at all!! 24-hours after application, I'm still getting dents, creases, and even fingerprints on my mani. Fingerprints, MUA. How is that even possible?! Nail polish on its own dries faster than this. This is worthless.
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Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hurraw Balm
misschristie 6/21/2011 5:47:00 PM
I love Hurraw! No, correction, I can't live without Hurraw! I have perioral dermatitis, and for years I didn't listen to my GP who advised that I either reduce or completely stop using products on my face. Once my perioral dermatitis started getting seriously out of control (painful red peeling skin with bumps and major sensitivity), I decided to listen. I first started with my lip balm. Unfortunately my lips crack and peel if I go 30 minutes without applying lip balm--thanks to using rubbish Chapstick religiously since my teens! So I needed an organic alternative: something without petroleum products, parabens and artificial fragrances. Thus began my organic lip balm journey which has already lasted about a year to date! I tried Lush. Loved it, and my perioral dermatitis chilled out, but didn't go away. I discovered that the pot of Lush lip stuff I got had parabens. So from an organic site I bought Hurraw!, Burt's Bees, Badger Lip Balm, Balm Balm, and Bi Mat Cay. Discovered that Bi Mat Cay balms include a petroleum product, so I stopped using that. Then I found Balm Balm a little too slippery and not really moisturizing for my dry-like-deserts lips. (Though their rose scent is heavenly!) Badger Balm and Burt's Bees were amazing for me. My face calmed down, however, the most with Hurraw! The product is the right kind of texture (super smooth, no lumps) and viscosity (not slippery and not sticky, just in between... a little more oily and silkier than Badger Balm or Burt's Bees though). The packaging is super cute. Love the flavors! In my experience, the texture is the same for all. Here are the 10 I've tried: **Coconut** Smells just like the coconut in sunblocks. **Lime** Smells like lime candy. A little more sweet than I was expecting. Not at all tart. Still loveable. **Chai Spice** Amazing. Just like real chai tea that I make for myself with all the real spices. Not at all like a Starbuck's creamy sweet chai latte. It's just spices. Yum! **Almond** Not nutty, as I expected it to be. It's more like marzipan or frangipane. Sweet, almondy and creamy. **Root Beer** Exactly like a root beer float. Spiced and sweet. **Mint** This is a plain jane mint. Fresh and nice. **Coffee Bean** Smells like a the air that wafts out of cafes--warm, sweet, and coffee-tinged. **Chocolate** Smells like Coffee Bean only with a deeper hint of sweetness. Maybe more like a cafe that's just served a bunch of mochas and chocolate cupcakes. **Licorice** This is straight anise through and through. Sooo perfect! **Green Tea** Very interesting. Being a matcha addict, I thought this would be like the woody-, seaweed-type smell of matcha. But it's not; it's almost like a mix of Play-Doh and matcha mochi. Really weird and totally unexpected.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Lavera - Neutral Cleansing Gel
misschristie 6/21/2011 5:06:00 PM
UPDATE: This product was reformulated in 2012. After 6 months of use, I've decided I cannot use this product any longer. The re-formulation is NOTHING like the original. The original was light, it did not foam, and it did not leave any residue. The re-formulation has a lot of greasy oils, it foams, and it leaves a moisturizing residue. The greasiness lends itself to the effective clearing away of eye makeup--an improvement on the original. However, the greasiness also means that it's giving me seriously clogged pores all over my face. I was hoping that my skin would adjust. But after going through two bottles, I'm going to call it quits. I just can't stand the constant breakouts anymore. (Though, the one upside is that it hasn't caused perioral dermatitis flareups for me.) --- ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've been using this cleanser for about 6 months now. It's the only thing that will help calm my perioral dermatitis so that's practically gone on good days. I squirt only the smallest pea size amount and work that into my wet skin. It doesn't foam, but surprisingly a tiny amount goes really far. It thoroughly cleanses my face. I get the perfect balance of absolutely no residue without the intense drying effects. (My skin does not do well at all with creamy/moisturizing residues that many sensitive skin cleansing products leave behind. I'll break out into a serious perioral dermatitis rash.) I do still have some eye makeup left behind with this cleanser, but I just clean that afterwards with some sweet almond oil. (If I use too much chemical-filled eye makeup removers, I start getting perioral dermatitis under my eyes. So simple and organic it is for my face.) After using the Neutral cleanser, I use Lavera's Neutral fluid. The major downside of this Lavera range is the steep pricing. But from having suffered with on-again-off-again perioral dermatitis for 4 years and having done the antibiotic thing only to have it come back 6 months later, I found that going organic all over (skincare and bodycare, not makeup) and eating the costs has been the only thing that has helped me maintain this problem. I've run through the whole gamut of organic products (Lush, A'Kin, Green People, Sanctuary, Organic Bloom, Manuka, Jurlique, Suki, Madera) as well as the sensitive skin products (Eucerin, Cetaphil, Aveeno), and I'm finally soooo happy to have discovered the mildest, simplest formula that helps totally calm my perioral dermatitis. When I run out and try out other products, the rash just comes back slowly and gradually until it's back in full force like my pre-organic days. It's terrible. But thank goodness for this skin-saving range. Never discontinue this range, Lavera, please!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Carmex - Cherry Tube
misschristie 8/8/2009 3:11:00 AM
I have the Carmex Strawberry which comes in a tube. Bluntly put, it's disgusting. I've used the regular Carmex in the pots before, but this is nothing like that. This features an uber-fake strawberry scent mixed with the traditional Carmex flavor! It's terrible. The product on my lips feels like crappy oozy Vaseline that keeps running off my lips and coating my mouth, teeth and tongue with the most wretched combination of synthetic strawberry and medicinal menthol. It's like having a gut-wrenching oily coating in my mouth and stinky strawberry up my nose. *Not tasty at all.* Putting the final nail in the coffin, it actually makes my lips drier. Not at all like the traditional potted Carmex. So it's back to basics for me!
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Mascara -L'Oreal - Voluminous mascara
misschristie 6/15/2009 2:02:00 AM
I had a very similar experience with the reviewer below. I've been using Maybelline Volum' Express for 3 years now. I love it! It delivers a perfectly smooth volumizing application from the first swipe. But recently decided to switch it up with L'Oreal Voluminous--just because L'Oreal was the first makeup aisle I hit.
In the first couple of swipes, I immediately notice it's too wet, making makes my eyelashes stubby. Then in the next couple of swipes, it becomes too clumpy, especially clumpy on the tips. It really it wasn't bothering me too much, UNTIL my husband mentioned that my eyelashes were clumpy! :-/ So off I go, back to the tried and true.
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Eye Shadow -Revlon - Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eye Shadow
misschristie 6/6/2009 3:14:00 PM
Bought this in Plumberry/Prune. Was so into the beautiful nude colors that I didn't even notice the "cream to shadow" aspect until I came home. :( It creases like mad and fades so quickly, thereby making it extremely difficult to blend. Temporary solution: just blot into onto your eyelid with your finger. It'll last for a minute or two, until your own eyelids blink stuff away.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No