Lip Treatments -Laura Mercier - lip silk
orchidally 2/21/2011 1:24:00 AM
This is the worst lip experience I have had, except when my sensitive lips reacted to my over-usage of cheap lip glosses when I was a teen. I bought this product for the first time last winter, and I recall it working rather good. I had gone into Sephora looking for a lip treatment that is fragrance free and very basic, and the sales associate recommended LM's Lip Silk. My lips were very happy with it at first, and I am not sure if it is the horrible weather, another lip product, or what, but I bought another tube of it this winter (used the last one up last Spring). After two days of using it morning and night, my lips have swollen up to the size of lips that have just had collagen injections! They are sore, and peely, and just gross. My lips are sensitive, but wow, they haven't reacted this harshly in a long time. Then I looked at the ingredients in the lip silk. It's all crap. I can't believe they charge that much for this product, I will definitely not repurchase, and I feel so ridiculous for not checking how unnatural it is in the first place. In fact, I've got the receipt so I will probably return it. I've switched back temporarily to the Caudalie lip conditioner that works okay, and am awaiting the arrival of some Pangea Organics lip balm that my lips can tolerate and my wallet can chill out about. I'm glad this works for some people, but if your lips aren't as sensitive as mine, you can find other much better products.
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Makeup Brushes -E.L.F. - Studio Contour Brush
orchidally 12/25/2010 5:17:00 PM
This is a great beginner contouring brush if you are a beginner in makeup and would like to practice on yourself or others while on a budget! I got my entire order for 55% off, so the brush was even cheaper. I love the way the studio line of brushes look. They are black, and sleek, and quite good at what they claim to do. This particular brush works alright at what it claims to do, but it takes a lot more effort to blend with it than it should take. While it is quite possible to get a great look using this brush, a good contouring brush will make blending a lot less tedious and effortless. The fact that it is so cheap makes it definitely worth the purchase, but if you have more money to invest in a contouring brush, I would skip this and purchase a better quality brush.
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Cleansers -Avalon Organics Botanicals - Lavender Cleansing Milk
orchidally 12/25/2010 5:05:00 PM
This product is formulated for dry and sensitive skin, and boy does it deliver! It is a creamy milky cleanser that smells of calming lavender (which helps to balance the skin's oils). It is relatively thick, soap-free, and moisture rich. There is not much of a lather, but this does not take away from the experience of using this product. It goes on so soft, and washes off very easily. It is in a bottle with a pump, and is perfect for this type of product. Usually 1-2 pumps is all you need. I took one star off, because this product claims to remove makeup well, but I don't feel it does that all too well (mainly eye makeup). If you use an eye makeup remover first, however, it is perfectly fine to remove foundation/blush/etc, and cleanse your skin so that it is perfectly soft and hydrated! Besides the eye makeup factor, I love this product and recommend it for anyone with dry or sensitive skin.
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Moisturizers -Avalon Organics Botanicals - Lavender Utimate Moisture Cream
orchidally 12/25/2010 4:56:00 PM
The first product I tried in this line of the Avalon Organic products was the Lavender Hydrating toner. I found it to be extremely hydrating, but my moisturizer at the time was not doing its job. The winter dries out my skin; it gets flaky, dry, itchy, and irritated during the winter, and without a good moisturizer my skin looks and feels horrible. Since I had such good luck with the hydrating toner, I decided to check out the Ultimate Moisture Cream. First of all, the scent: delightful if you enjoy lavender. It is very relaxing, not too intense, and disappears shortly after application. The cream itself is formulated without harsh ingredients, and it contains healthy oils that nourish and moisturize like none other. My skin is very dry, and so I am able to use it during the day and night, and it makes my skin so smooth. Under makeup I don't even notice it. It is very lightweight and not super thick, despite its ingredients. On their website I believe the price for this product is about $21, but I was able to purchase it at my local health food store for $18, which was a nice surprise. As for the packaging: it comes in a nice little tub, and it is filled right to the top. No complaints! I will definitely be sticking with this one! :)
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Pressed Powders -E.L.F. - Clarifying Pressed Powder
orchidally 12/6/2010 11:25:00 PM
The shade of this product that I purchased was light beige. I have yet to try it over my current foundation (Revlon Photoready), but I actually prefer this powder on its own over concealer. It gives me light to medium coverage, with a matte finish. I tend to prefer a more glowy, and dewy look, but I can see this as being a nice powder to set your makeup with. The powder actually contains 1% salicylic acid, so it continues to help fight blemishes throughout the day, which is an added bonus. I am not a fan of the compact, it is quite cheap, and the powder can really flake out unless you're careful. Also, the little pad applicator it comes with is way too intense for me, I just use a blending brush to apply it all over. I would say that for $1 it is a decent product to try out and see if it works for you. My skin is on the dryer side, however, so I find that if I don't apply adequate moisturizer to my skin it will get a lot more oily during the day with this powder. So if you have dry skin, I'd recommend just using it to set your makeup with.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -E.L.F. - All Over Cover Stick
orchidally 11/30/2010 8:54:00 PM
I actually just placed my second order with E.L.F, and it included an all over Cover stick in light beige. I don't have much experience with concealers and this is the first I have ever purchased, and WOW! Does it ever brighten up my face when I use it under my eyes in the morning. It is a nice, creamy consistency that smells of a sweet orange scent, and it lasts all day. The only cons I can think of are the scent and packaging. The scent, if you prefer your concealer to be more mild in its smell or fragrance free, but the smell does not linger during the day. Also, the quality of packaging, as it is quite cheap, but I don't think I can expect anymore for 1$. The product itself is great, and compact to carry around with you if you need it. For 1$, there is no way I am investing in any other concealer brands. E.L.F does it again!
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Liquid -Revlon - PhotoReady Makeup
orchidally 11/30/2010 8:19:00 PM
This is by far the best foundation I have ever used! I often don't like to wear foundations, because I dislike how they feel on my face. This foundation feels extremely light on my face, it stays on all day, and keeps my skin glowy and without excess shine. I find most foundations I have used leave me feeling oily after a few hours, but not Photoready :) The packaging is great, the pump dispenses the product in very small amounts, as you don't need very much of it. I hear a lot about how people dislike the sparkles in the formula, but I like having a dewy finish, and I often add some shimmer on top of that. This foundation also works great as a concealer, because of its coverage ability. I bought it for $18.99, here in Canada, and considering how I usually pay $12-15 for foundation I dislike, this product is definitely worth the price and I am sure I will be buying it again.
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Masks -Murad - Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask
orchidally 11/30/2010 7:49:00 PM
First of all, this product does not seem to exfoliate as it claims to do, but my skin definitely feels refreshed after cleaning it off. The product comes in 6 treatment packets, which I actually split into two uses, re-sealing the packet with special tape until I have used it all. The mask is this opaque-ish milky consistency that goes on clear. This is a plus because it is less messy when applying. Upon application, it feels very intense on the skin, but by no means unbearable. The intensity cools down after about 5 minutes and becomes this nice cooling sensation. It is quite easy to wash off, with warm water and sometimes I don't even need to use a cloth to wipe it off. I notice my skin is slightly smoother and brighter, although, it could be the other products I am using, and considering the price, I definitely know of better products that are cheaper. In conclusion, this is a fun mask that wakes up your skin, but the packaging could be better (a tube, for example), and the price makes it much less desirable.
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Toners -Avalon Organics Botanicals - Vitamin C Balancing Facial Toner
orchidally 11/30/2010 7:32:00 PM
I really wanted to like this product. First of all, it smells amazing! The citrus smell is just exploding out of the bottle. I am also a huge fan of their Hydrating Lavender Toner, but this toner did not agree with my skin for some reason. I would apply it after cleansing, and it left my face extremely sticky! Also, the way the top of the bottle is made, a lot of it comes out at once I find so I was using more than I needed to. I ended up giving it to my mom and she loves it!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -St. Ives - Apricot Scrub
orchidally 11/30/2010 7:27:00 PM
This product is a decent exfoliation treatment and cleanser for the price. I have used multiple tubes of these and find it works well as a back-up if I run out of my favourite products. It makes your skin smooth, and the salicylic acid definitely helps with breakouts, it also does not dry out my skin after using it. -2 because sugar-based exfoliators work better in my opinion, and I am not a huge fan of the smell.
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Toners -Murad - Clarifying Toner
orchidally 11/30/2010 5:45:00 PM
This product is so intense I feel like my face is going to be burnt off! It also made my skin extremely itchy (along with the Exfoliating Acne Gel), and sticky after I applied it. It smells horrible, and reminds me of the days when I knew nothing about skin care and would buy those cheap crappy alcohol-based toners from the drug store. NEVER AGAIN.
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Moisturizers -Alba Botanica - Hawaiian Aloe & Green Tea Oil Free Moisturizer
orchidally 11/30/2010 5:38:00 PM
I am 3/4 of the way through my first tub of this, and have been using it as a daily moisturizer for months. It is great during the day, goes on nice and light, and sinks into my skin almost instantly. For night, I combine this with some organic coconut oil for extra moisture. I love that it's made with vegetarian ingredients and there is no animal testing. It has helped with redness in my skin around my nose, and isn't oily so I am comfortable putting it on over blemishes. This product has made my skin super soft and reduced inflammation. Will totally pick it up again!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Murad - Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel
orchidally 11/30/2010 5:17:00 PM
WAY TOO STRONG. I bought the Murad clear skin kit at Sephora last week, and after only three days of using it day and night, my skin got extremely itchy, felt like there was some sort of film on my skin or tiny pimples growing under my skin, and caused some extreme redness on my cheeks, where I never get redness. I discontinued the acne gel and toner, only using the Clarifying Cleanser, Skin Perfection Lotion, and Acne Spot Treatment, and have since seen an improvement, but my skin is still itching two days after stopping the gel and toner. This product is way too intense for me. I can't wait for the ITCHING TO STOP!
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