Treatments (Eye) -Olay - Professional Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex
penh 10/20/2010 1:28:00 PM
I have to admit that my eye area is in good shape for being age 49. Apart from my congenital dark circles, which can't be helped even when I'm well-rested, I only have a slight bit of crepiness under my eyes in the inner corner and, knock on wood, no crow's feet. I attribute this to my consistent use of Jafra's Optimeyes and other more inexpensive eye treatments since the age of 35, plus I always wear sunglasses when outdoors, unless it's very cloudy. But, I did begin to notice that my various approaches to eye treatment were not holding up so well until I found Olay's Professional Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex. I am starting to see smoothness, hydration, and suppleness again that I had feared would never return. I think it's pricey, but so far it works, probably as well or better than even more expensive eye treatments. I will update if I change my mind. Try it. BTW, it will probably have the most effect on women who are past age 35. I always have to chuckle when women below the age of 30 give a lousy review to popular face and eye treatments. There's a reason that you don't see a change in your skin: your skin didn't need intensive moisturizing or firming because it's still youthful. It's like trying to paste youth on top of youth--it just cancels out. Wait till you're past age 35 or if you have prematurely aged your skin in some fashion.
27 out of 29 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Cover Girl - Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara
penh 2/16/2010 8:09:00 PM
I was pleasantly surprised with this very inexpensive mascara. Like others have said, it doesn't hold a curl, but then again with my lashes, nothing holds a curl. But it does create thickness, separation, and decent length. Give it a shot. Here in the Greater New Orleans area, I only paid 3.96 plus tax at Wal-Mart. Can't beat that!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Black Out Mascara
penh 12/26/2008 12:08:00 AM
I had used the original Diorshow and thought it was pretty good but not spectacular. Diorshow Blackout is, as the SA told me, 15 times darker than the original. And it is. And it's truly amazing with my somewhat straight, not very long or thick lashes. It's been 10 hours since I applied it and my lashes have still held the curl and they're both longer and thicker. All I did was use my Shiseido lash curler before and made sure that the lashes were separated prior to the mascara application. I always like to reserve judgment until I see how the tube performs two-three weeks later. But I am seeing the makings of an HG for me if it's still good about a month from now. I'll post a followup. BTW, for those of you who have said that it comes out and glops on your lashes, that's about 90% of mascara these days. Just always remember to look at the wand and if you see too much on the brush, just wipe off the excess on some sort of lint-free or low-lint cloth. I do that all of the time and rarely have problems with too much on the wand for application. I only gave this one 4 lippies because I wish it was more reasonably priced, but if you can afford it ($24 plus tax down here in the New Orleans area) then go for it. :D
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Mascara -Elizabeth Arden - Double Density Maximum Volume Mascara
penh 12/7/2008 10:43:00 PM
I was very pleasantly surprised with this mascara. I got nice curl, separation, volume and length. No flaking and gorgeous black color. Relatively easy to remove. Slightly less expensive than most department store mascaras at $16. What's not to like? Seriously, give it a try. I think most of you will be glad you did. I was, thanks to the recs of my fellow MUAers. I'll update if things change, but, here's hoping they don't, because this one feels like my HG of mascaras.
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Mascara -Max Factor - Lash Perfection Volume Couture [DISCONTINUED]
penh 11/21/2008 11:52:00 AM
In my Slidell Lousyanna Wal-Mart this was priced at 4.53 before taxes. I was very pleased with the results for the price. I got volume and definition and, surprisingly, not an excessive amount of product upon pulling the wand out from the tube. Here's a tip for everyone who moans about globs of mascara, whether when using Volume Couture or any other mascara: Just have a lint-free pad or paper towel handy to wipe off the excess before you apply it to your lashes. That has helped me out many times.
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Moisturizers -Earth Science - Almond-Aloe Moisturizer
penh 11/21/2008 11:44:00 AM
Nice, light daily moisturizer with at least minimal SPF protection. Will it banish your lines and wrinkles for mature skin (age 40 and up)? No. But if you're looking for a nice light moisturizer, this is wonderful, for the price (below 10 bucks).
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Cleansers -Earth Science - A-D-E Creamy Cleanser
penh 11/21/2008 11:39:00 AM
Cleans well but doesn't strip; packaged nicely with a pump dispenser; reasonably priced. What's not to like? Try it--you'll probably like no matter your age. :o)
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Lash Blast Waterproof
penh 11/11/2008 2:10:00 PM
To be fair, I bought the waterproof version of Lash Blast by accident. It did make my lashes dark, curled, somewhat longer and volumized, but it was HELL to remove. I have three kinds of eye makeup remover: a creamy lotion kind, a soapy/oily one, and an oily one. The soapy/oily one which usually works the best for tough makeup was no match for it. The lotion kind was no match either. It took great globs of the oily remover with a constant but gentle sawing motion across my lashes with my fingers to get this stuff off, and, I only had about 1 and a half coats on--definitely not two full coats. So, if you have better technique with removing waterproof mascaras than I do, and you want a waterproof that stays put, by all means choose this one.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Volume Exact [DISCONTINUED]
penh 11/25/2007 7:02:00 PM
I am very pleasantly surprised to report that an inexpensive, $6.99 plus sales tax, mascara has impressed me more than the all of the expensive department store brands I've been using for so long now. Believe me when I say I have been hitting the expensive brands hard: Diorshow, Fresh, YSL, Lancome, Prescriptives, etc. The only color left on the Wal-Mart Cover Girl rack was Volume Exact in Black-Brown so I went for it since it's close enough to black and I used to prefer brown a few years back. It defined separated volumized and gave me moderate length and amazingly natural curl without my Shiseido lash curler. I'm going to get it in black soon and compare and I think I might try the Lash Exact next. If you're looking for major length, this might not be the product for you, but even with my relatively sparse short lashes I don't need my mascara to lengthen my lashes up to my eyebrows--so this works quite well for me. Could it be that I found my HG and it's soooo inexpensive? Let's hope...
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Cleansers -Desert Essence - Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi
penh 8/1/2007 4:20:00 PM
I think if you have acne prone skin and are looking for something to work on the acne without drying you out too badly, this might work. But only if you have acne prone skin! I have irritated my skin horribly with this stuff. I have dry, itchy skin with itchy red bumps toward my jawline. It's got to be this stuff! I will not use it again on my 40-something, clear skin. Another reviewer mentioned how it had castile soap, which is detergent, in it. That's how my skin feels right now, like I scrubbed it down with Dawn. I have been using it sporadically for about 10 days now and I think I won't ever use it again. Just my two cents!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -MAC - Zoom lash
penh 7/30/2007 12:05:00 PM
I said yes that I would buy this mascara again but honestly it's more like "maybe." My problem is that the wand sucks and the product is always too thick on the wand, making it necessary for me to do a thorough wipedown before putting it on. Now, it does give a wonderful deep black glossiness but the wand ruins it for me. I did come up with an interesting alternative, though. My Fresh Vital Base mascara was drying up but I always liked the wand, so I decided to try the Zoom Lash formula with the Fresh Vital Base wand. It worked quite well! More definition and curl than just using the wand MAC provides with the Zoom Lash formula. If you have any old tubes of Fresh Vital Base lying around, try using their wand with some other mascara formula. BTW, I recommend Fresh Vital Base, however, it does flake way too soon after you start using it. Too bad, because Vital Base was my HG for about two months!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -Christian Dior - Diorshow Mascara
penh 7/4/2007 12:37:00 AM
I guess I finally found my HG of mascara, for now anyway. I wish the brush was a bit smaller but it gives my somewhat sparse, somewhat straight lashes the oomph I need. Hate the price, though and I wish that the black color was a bit more glossy.
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Blush -Clinique - Touch Blush - Petal Cream
penh 2/3/2007 10:00:00 PM
I personally loved this blush. I found the color to be a good match for my skin tone and I really like it. I think that application can be a little tricky but then again I am used to using powder blush for years and years and it's been a while since I used a cream blush so it might be my lack of experience with it. I wish that you received more for $16.50, though. I normally use Clinique Soft-Pressed Powder Blusher in Rhubarb and I highly recommend that. Because the jar that Petal Cream comes in is so tiny I only gave it a two for packaging quality. But I would buy it again so that says something...
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Mascara -Fresh - Vital Base
penh 2/3/2007 9:48:00 PM
I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with this mascara. I don't seek out mascara that creates dramatic eyes such as Diorshow does, for instance. But, at the same time I'm looking for a mascara that looks one step beyond natural, that offers a little more than Clinique Naturally Glossy mascara can give, for example. BTW, I endorse Clinique Naturally Glossy if you want a very low-key natural looking mascara. I was so pleased with my Fresh Vital Base when I used it for the first time today that I very carefully cleaned it off and before placing it back in it's cute lace-patterned box I actually gave it a goofy little kiss. That's the kind of goofy adolescent thing I would have done as a teenager except that now I'm 45!!! But I loved it that much! I realize today was only the first application but if it continues to give me the same color, separation, lengthening, curling and slight thickening that I received today upon application then I will have to officially hail it as my HG of mascara. Stay tuned. I'll let you know how it goes as the tube ages. In the meantime, I am going to email Fresh and beg them to continue making it. If you try it and like as much as I did, please let Fresh know that they're making a great product and should continue!!!
UPDATE May 31, 2007
I suspect that there is too much inconsistency with the tubes of Vital Base. However, maybe I'm not a fair judge of this because I don't wear mascara very often. I still stick by my 5-lippie assessment for the first time that I wore it. However, when I applied it again several weeks later I noticed a touch of flaking and when I applied it again several weeks after that I had flaking again. I don't understand why because I kept the tube nicely sealed. I think the formula dries out too fast so I am changing my review to 3 lippies. However, it might just be an inconsistency from tube-to-tube. I've heard other MUAers say this about other brands of mascara. Sigh. I thought I had finally found my HG of mascara.
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Fragrances -Crown Perfumery - Alpine Lily
penh 12/22/2006 4:06:00 PM
I am commenting on a sample of Alpine Lily that I received when I purchased other decants of fragrances from an eBay seller. I think it's a great 'fume for wearing in the office because it's clean and pleasant and not heavy. Interestingly, it's a floral, but it morphs to other clean and almost citrus smells on me that I find very appealing even though I generally don't care much for florals and citrus fragrances. I will probably buy a decant in the future. I like it for the most part. Good for all seasons.
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