Fragrances -BeneFit Cosmetics - Something About Sophia
sally2002 7/24/2009 4:51:00 PM
This is my favorite of the three new perfumes, and I'm looking forward to buying it as soon as my budget allows. At $36, it's not too expensive. It reminds me of a more upscale version of the vanilla Stila fragrance. The staying power is pretty good, and it just smelled pretty, mellow, and sweet vanilla on me. Good for everyday use and definitely not overpowering. I do wish the bottle were nicer, though.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Powder -Jane - Be Pure Mineral Makeup
sally2002 6/15/2009 3:54:00 PM
FINALLY! I've always loved the concept of mineral makeup, but have never been able to find one that worked on me. They either had no coverage at all, or looked cakey and fake, or sank into my pores, or had the horrible bismouth oxychloride sheen. After reading in Allure that someone with my oily skin should get a dimethecone free mineral makeup, I bought the Jane one. And thought it had no coverage at all after using it with the included sponge. But then, based on reviews on MUA, I took off the sponge and just used the package like a regular sifter with my BE kabuki brush. And WOW! I have a fabulous, medium-coverage, makes my skin look glowy and even foundation that I can even use while traveling! I have never received so many compliments on my skin. I'm a warm PPP and the Fair is a perfect match for my summer skin - just a little bit of color so I don't look washed out. I use a liquid concealer first and then the Jane, and it looks totally natural but still made-up enough for my office environment. I love this foundation and can't believe that it's only $6! Plus, it really has great lasting power. I use blotting papers twice during the day and a swipe over my t-zone at lunch with a bit of powder on a to-go brush, and it lasts from 5 am until 9 pm. Great stuff, and an HG for me!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Oxy - Oxy 10 Balance Maximum Strength Acne Wash
sally2002 5/10/2009 11:14:00 PM
I bought this because it was the ONLY other 10% bp cleanser and CVS was out of the C&C Cream Cleanser that I usually use. To my surprise, this one has none of the drawbacks of the C&C - no stinging, no irritation, and no irritating scent. Unfortunately, it also doesn't work as well to control my acne. It works ok - better than just a regular cleanser. But not as good as the super strength C&C. Also, I don't like the runny texture - I prefer the cream to leave on for a minute as a mask, to let the 10% bp do it's job. So back to the C&C for me, but for others who don't need something quite as strong, this is still a good option.
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Blush -Clinique - Blushwear Cream Stick
sally2002 4/22/2009 6:40:00 PM
I got this in "rosy blush" in a GWP and it was supposed to be the pink option. I'm a neutral/warm PPP, but this is a great warm-toned neutral on me. Not pink at all - it's really much more of a peach. I like the consistency - it's very easy to blend and it lasts all day long (over my EL double wear). Looks very natural. I wear it with some copper lip gloss and it's a great naturally pretty look. I might buy it when I've used it up, but $18.50 is a lot for a blush and the GWP is going to last me a very long time.
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Cleansers -Clean & Clear - Continuous Control Acne Cleaner
sally2002 4/10/2009 2:59:00 PM
This cleanser has been a godsend. After a REALLY stressful year in which I'm going through a divorce and trying to finish up my dissertation, my skin is a wreck. I have constant, horrible, painful breakouts that none of my normal, gentle cleansers with acne treatments could really do anything about. Then, I read in Allure that this cleanser was really good for stress-based acne, by leaving it on for a minute and then rinsing, and folllowing with a salycilic acid gel for spots. Yes, it really works. I still have some breakouts, but much, much fewer and more controlled when they do happen and they are much smaller and go away quicker. My skin is finally healing. But, the downside is that this stuff is STRONG. I can't open my eyes when it's on or even use my eye gel anymore because this is irritating. The menthol smell is definitely there. And the benzoyl peroxide has bleached my black eyebrows and harline a bit, so now there's some brown and I have to use an eyebrow gel. Also, one tube only lasts me about 2 weeks with using morning and night, but it's pretty cheap and it works, so oh well. But when I stopped using it, my skin got much worse again, and now it's back to healing once I started up again. So in this time of great stress and great need, this is my must-have cleanser. When my life calms down and so does my skin, I look forward to putting it aside, but for now, it's just what I need.
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Moisturizers -Neutrogena - Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
sally2002 3/26/2009 1:33:00 PM
After using this for a week, I have to say that I love this stuff! It sinks in really nicely and doesn't irritate my skin at all. It hasn't caused any new break-outs and seems to be calming the old ones. It's worked great under my make-up and has no scent at all. This is a fantastic moisturizer for the summer!
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Mascara -Jane - Max Lash 2
sally2002 3/22/2009 2:25:00 PM
I tried the waterproof version based on Paula Begoun adding it to last year's best product list, and I'm so glad I did. What a find! A $6 mascara that really holds up well and looks great - holds a curl nicely and volumizes and lengthens my sparse, short lashes. Love it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Liquid -Clinique - Even Better Makeup SPF 15
sally2002 3/22/2009 2:23:00 PM
I love this foundation! I have very splotchy, acne-prone combo/oily skin, and I'm a warm PPP. Turns out that shade #14 (Creamwhip) is a perfect match for me. Sometimes Clinique does that - goes back and adds new shades on to the end of the numbers that are actually lighter than the #1 shade. Shade #14 is labeled as VF-G, which means "very fair - golden" - that's me! The coverage is very smooth and even - gets rid of all of my redness completely. But this foundation still looks like natural skin somehow and isn't cakey at all. My husband keeps looking at me and commenting about how fantastic I look. I still need a concealer over my old acne-scars and dark circles, but I really like this foundation! And the packaging will be great for travelling, since it's not a glass bottle and will slip easily into my quart-sized bag :).
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Color -L'Oreal - Natural Match in 3W Brown Black
sally2002 3/22/2009 2:18:00 PM
I have dark brown hair that I dye black, but it was looking a bit flat lately and I wanted to try and warm it up a bit. I tried this 3W thinking it would be a really good compromise. I really liked the L'Oreal dye - didn't smell bad, worked well, rinsed out easily. The only problem was that this was definitely a light golden BROWN dye, not black at all. So what ended up happening was that it made my brown roots even more brown and warmed up the black a little bit. But my roots were WORSE than before and even more noticeable. So if you have naturally black hair and want to warm it up, this would work great. But if you have brown roots, this isn't going to work for you. I'm going back to Clairol's Natural Soft Black, which starts out golden but definitely turns black and it takes care of my roots.
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Moisturizers -Clinique - Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
sally2002 8/28/2008
I've been using the MSE for years and love it, but with my current money crunch, I thought I'd try out this moisturizing gel instead to see if I could use a cheaper product. It actually worked! No, it's not quite as moisturizing, but in the summertime, I really don't need that much moisture for my combo, acne-prone skin. It hasn't caused new breakouts. Plus, when I had a sunburn, it didn't sting at all and actually soothed my face and prevented peeling. This is a new HG for me! I'm not sure if it will work in the winter (I might have to use the MSE then), but for the summer, it's perfect!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Foundations -Rimmel - Lasting Finish Mineral Foundation
sally2002 8/6/2008 7:26:00 PM
This didn't work at all for me - no coverage and didn't do a thing for my skin. The color match seemed decent, but that's about it. Thumbs down for me!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Bath and Body Works - Heel of Approval
sally2002 8/6/2008 7:16:00 PM
This stuff is the absolute best! I bought it last summer and I'm still using the same jar. It healed up my dry cracked heels in about a week and I use it now just whenever they start to feel dry again (maybe once or twice a week). I'm still on the same jar and it's just fantastic. I can't recommend this product highly enough.
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Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Sensuous
sally2002 7/23/2008 2:25:00 PM
I find this to be a warm, sexy fragrance and my husband really loves it. It's not too overpowering either. Unfortunately, it's also not very long-lasting and it's pretty expensive. So I'll get some and save it for days when I really want to snuggle.
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Misc Beauty Tools -Sonia Kashuk - Eyelash Curler
sally2002 7/21/2008 2:19:00 PM
This is for the folding, white travel one. At first, I didn't like this curler. But after using it a few times, I finally got the hang of it, and all of a sudden I had an AMAZING curl that lasted all day long. So now I love it and I have to give it a 5, especially since I do travel and it will be so easy to throw in my bag for trips.
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Scrubs -Clean & Clear - Soft In-Shower Facial STEAM [DISCONTINUED]
sally2002 7/17/2008 5:52:00 PM
I LOVE this scrub - it's so easy to use, so fast, and so effective! I just put it on my face, wash my body off, and then come back and scrub and rinse my face. The scent is pleasant enough and my sensitive skin doesn't mind the tingle at all (I've had very bad reactions before). Also, since I'm in the shower, it's very easy to rinse. My forehead is now completely smooth and my face has cleared up noticeably. This stuff is great and I'm so glad I tried it! UPDATE: This started to break me out, so I have to knock it down a notch. I think I overused it, so I'm taking a break and will use it occasionally from now on.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No