Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Dickinson's Witch Hazel
stevie50001 11/27/2004 11:44:00 AM
I used to use this years ago like when i was 13, now 8 years later ive come back to it and love it so all over again! I use Superdrugs 0.99p vrs (and im not sure if the UK witchhazel distillate differs from the US one since the tannin levels can vary i believe etc) Anyways this ones great!! I was a little sceptical about using it again cause it likely contains alcohol but i can use it all over after cleansing at it reduces any facial rednes including under my eyes which is quite amazing really, and i dont get any reaction to say there is alcohol in there.. maybe its the anti-inflammatory action? but im not complaining cos ive got thin skin so blood circulation is quite pronounced esp under my eyes where the skin is very thin but i also suffer with allergies so it doesnt help, also have redness due to seborrheic dermatitis. However if i soak a cotton-wool ball in it and press it lightly over my eyes the redness just goes (tho it comes back somewhat in the day, unfort it not a miracle cure). I've been reading a little about it, and its used widely for bruising and haemorroids etc and it has blood vessel toning properties apparently so i guess thats how it works. My face looks so much calmer anyway when i use this so i love it, its also the only astringent i can use for my seb derm without irritation!! it may even have some antioxidant properties due to the tannins but i dont know how these vary in distillations.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Free & Clear Liquid Cleanser
stevie50001 11/27/2004 11:17:00 AM
Yay! i now have a hg cleanser (ive always wanted one!). I love this cleanser! it is ever so slightly foaming but using this makes avene cleanance seem harsh in comparison. This is soo totally gentle and none stripping and its also totally cheap and comes in a great squirty bottle. Another thing is this is a US product but ive found a UK supplier (drivensnow.co.uk) so i dont even have to import it! It is free of all irritants and contains only the bare essentials of a cleanser - no fragrance no dyes no essential oils etc, so its perfect for my sensitive skin. It gives the perfect about of cleanliness i require for my combo sensitive skin yet it doesnt dry me out at all. This is so far the best cleanser ive ever used and i dont think im going to stray from it unless something drastic changes in my routine. purified water, glycerin, disodium lauroamphodiacetate, sodium lauroyl ethylenediaminetriacetate, sodium myristoyl sarcosinate, isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate, sodium chloride, dimethicone copolyol, potassium sorbate, citric acid I would like the know the ph of this tho if anyone knows, but i think it may be ph balanced.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Vanicream spf 15
stevie50001 11/27/2004 11:05:00 AM
Ugh, i dont really know why i bought this esp since i have epicuren. I guess i thought if it performed similar it would be much cheaper. However its way to thick and white looking. It contains 8% z-cote zinc and 3% micronized tit02. I thought the relative low % would give little white cast however this comes in an water in oil emulsion with water somewhere at the end of the list so it goes on thick and mask like. It is however matt, and i cant really say how it performs outside cos i washed it off straight away!! but the ingreds are good for a highly sensitive person. And i guess it may be good if you wear foundation or something over the top to disguise the white cast... but for me its way too noticable. I guess if it want chem free i'll have to stick with epicuren. This may be good for children however who dont care about the toothpaste on your face look. active ingredients: zinc oxide (Z-Cote HP1), titanium dioxide (T-Cote 031). Cetyl dimethicone copolyol, cyclomethicone, dimethiconal, dimethicone, dl-alpha tocopherol (vitamin E), glycerin, hydrogenated castor oil, magnesium chloride, PEG-30 dipolyhydroxystearate, polyethylene, purified water, tridecyl neopentanoate
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Bioderma - Sensibio H2O (aka Crealine H20 Solution micellaire)
stevie50001 11/22/2004 12:42:00 PM
This is very gentle somewhat none sensitising cleansing 'water'. It is like a water in its consistency (and it is mostly composed of water too) however it also mixed with oil like substances and emulsifiers which i suppose provide the cleansing ability of this at removing oil soluble debris such as makeup sunsreen dirt etc. I am not so familiar with the cleansing method of using cotton wool, yet this is required here as they solution is so fluid it must be used in conjunction with the afformentioned. Here in however lies the problem whereby for one user this may be very gentle yet for the heavy of hand user not so. I think i fall somewhere in the middle myself as i am aware of the pressure i am applying yet am somewhat reluctant to apply less pressure as i feel unconfident of its cleansing ability in doing so. That said it does do a good job at cleansing dirt etc away and not disturbing the lipid layer/ph of the skin. However I am quite prone to clogged pores through having seborrheic dermatitis so i think i somewhat need a delipidising cleanser to some extent to prevent sebum buildup, which may be lacking here. I have not used it extensively for this reason however i continue to love it for cleansing of the eye area to which it is very gentle, and now and again for refreshing throughout the day or sunscreen etc removal if i dont want to fully 'cleanse' i.e with a wash. A downside however is its availability or rather inavailability in that it is not avail in the UK and i must order it from france, it is cheap enough however its fluid texture and cotton pad reliance mean it depletes fairly quickly say as would a toner or bha treatment on cotton padding so shipping costs add up. It does however remain an excellent option for general purpose cleansing of oilyish skin or full cleansing of dry skin to which it will be perfect. Particularly for those with highly sensitive skin or those undergoing retinoid therapy. Aqua, caprylic/capric glycerides, polysorbate 40, disodium edta, cucumis staivus, polysorbate 60, phenoxyethanol, ctrimonium bromide, dextrose, maltodextrin, potassium thiocyanate, lactoferrin, lisosyme, lactoperoxydase, glucose oxidase.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Bioderma - Biolait THP spf30/ppd20
stevie50001 11/22/2004 12:22:00 PM
This is a very nice completely stable and fairly pleasant to use s/s. Unlike spot it does not ball up and leaves absolutely no whitecast. However it is slightly shinier than spot, tho fear not as i am confident this can probably be attenuated with a powder (if you wear it, and i dont). This is also fragrance free like all the bioderma sunscreens so it fairly good for sensitive skins that can tolerate chem sunscreens. The ppd20 of this formulation and its ease of wear make it an ideal formulation for everyday use. It is suprising very economical aswell coming in a 100ml tube unlike 40ml spot which retail at roughly the same price. I can definately see myself sporting this in the summer, however now its mid winter my skin seems abnormally sensitive to chem s/s filters and i notice my face flushed/irritated when outside. A look i dont see as pronounced say if im wearing epicuren which leads me to believe its the chem filters. This may be of course exasperated by climatic conditions such as the severe cold/wind here in gloomy old England (i like our weather really!) I can perhaps see myself coming back to this in the summer where i suppose the shine may contribute more of a problem tho on my somewhat oily skin due to seborrhea (of which im currently trying out saw palmetto extract orally to see if it helps with hypersebum secretion) Ingredients; aqua, dicapryl carbonate, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, cyclomethicone, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, dimethicone, ethylhexyl triazone, polysorbate 60, sorbitan stearate, dimethiconol behenate, trimethylsiloxysilicate, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, decyl glucoside, tocopheryl acetate, steareth-20, xanthan gum, disodium edta, peg-4 dilaurate, peg-4 laurate, propylene glycol, peg-4, citric acid, idopropynyl butylcarbamate, methylparaben, ethylparaben, putylparaben, propylparaben. I think i may put this aside for now and stick to epicuren through the winter or vanicream spf15 which is on its way since dusk comes very early here and the quality of daytime sunlight is mediocre at best so i am confident with less protection also since im mostly indoors anyway.
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Treatments -Avene - Diroseal
stevie50001 11/20/2004 1:53:00 PM
This is avene's retinaldehyde product geard towards rosacea. Since retinaldehyde is both antibacterial and epidermal thicking combined with its excellent tolerability it would seem an excellent active in the treatment of rosacea. This however also contains other actives which may help repair or rather strengthen blood vessel walls. This is the same base save for new active ingred addition as the ystheal cream, yet this is also green tinted, so it has the same feel about it (see ystheal review). Since i dont have rosacea rather minor rosacea and sensitivity with minor reddening i have high hopes for this product. I also feel this would make an excellent under eye treatment to combat dark shadows of which i am trying it out on tho it is too soon to say. Likely it will take several weeks to notice any difference, and i am torn between using this and the ystheal cream which has the pre-tocopherol lacking in the diroseal. If used in the day of note is the green tints lack of coverage is major redness is an issue. Avene Diroseal cream-30ml - designed to improve the appearance of spider veins, and for sensitive, easily flushed, and/or rosacea-prone skin. Contains green pigments to camuflage spider veins. water, caprylic/capric triglyceride, Avene thermal spring water, mineral oil, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, squalane, propylene glycol, glycol montanate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, BHT, butylparaben, carbomer, D&C RED No 33 (CI17200), dextran sulfate, disodium EDTA, FD&C blue No 1 (CI 42090), hesperidin methyl chalcone (0,2%), phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, retinaldehyde (0,05%), trietanolamine
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Treatments -Avene - Diacneal Acne Treatment [DISCONTINUED]
stevie50001 11/20/2004 1:33:00 PM
This is Avene's retinaldehyde product specifically targeted towards acne. It contains twice the amount of retinaldehyde of that of ystheal/diroseal - 0.1%. It also contains 6% glycolic acid. This formulation is lighter than ystheal cream yet it contains alcohol too and an undetectable to me fragrance. I found this to tingle upon app which is due to the glycolic acid. I intended to use this as an all over treatment since it has more retinaldehyde however i fear for my very reactive skin the combo of alcohol and glycolic acid would be too much in the long run. I used this for a couple of nights and started to get slight sensitivity. For the general user tho this may be perfect. Since the 0.05% RAL is comparable in performance to 0.025% RA is it fair to assume this comparable to 0.05% RA, and with the combo of glycolic acid would be an excellent depigmenting product also. I was going to reserve this for use on my nose area only as i firmly believe it would diminish blackhead yet due to my SD i obtained some follicular irritation which can cause an SD flareup. Avene Diacneal cream- 30ml - designed for oily/problematic skin aqua, cetyl alcohol, cyclomethicone, polysorbate-60, glycolic acid – 6%, avene aqua, alcohol, sodium hydroxide, BHT, dimethiconol, parfum, polymethyl methacrylate, potassium sorbate, RED 33 (CI 17200), retinaldehyde – 0,1%
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Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Eau Thermale Avene- Ystheal+ Cream
stevie50001 11/20/2004 1:04:00 PM
I've got to praise Avene on this one. Not only does it work great but it does not contain that icky avene fragrance (its frag free - finally they get some sense!). Firstly the ingredients are; Avene Ystheal - cream for dry skin - 30ml pump-dispenser Aqua, caprylic/capric triglyceride, Avene aqua, paraffinum liquidum, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, squalane, propylène glycol, glycol montanate, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, BHT, butylparaben, carbomer, disodium EDTA, phénoxyéthanol, propylparaben, CI 17200, rétinaldehyde (0.05%), tocopheryl glucoside, triethanolamine. ( Vegetable oils - 20%, pH neutral) Of note is the retinaldehyde contained in this product which is where the benefits of it use dervive from. Retinaldehyde is the precursor to retinoic acid and at 0.05% conc has the same comedolytic affect and epidermal thicking of that of retinoic acid 0.025%. Retinaldehyde is also much better tolerated than RA and even retinol, and has antibacterial properties too. As a previous user of green cream (which i found to induce reddening) i much prefere this. This cream itself is slightly tinted yellow/cream for some unknown reason since it neither evens skintone and is meant for night use! Marketed as an anti-ageing cream it also has excellent anti acne properties too of that comparable to RA in its weakest px form. Whilst i am not a full acne sufferer i do suffer with clogged pores which this has helped alot with, i now only have slight pores on my nose. My skin is also more smooth and plump from using this and it has even managed to normalise the area on my nasobilial folds where the skin structure was scared looking due to persistant SD flareups which i used to suffer bad with and actually changed the texture of my skin in places :( This cream is somewhat thick yet is easy to spread and does soak in easily, and with frequent use the improved skin texture enchances its absorbtion i find. I do wish it was slightly less emoliant tho as i dont need it, and it may hinder pore refinement to some degree. Of note also is the vit e content as pre-tocopherol which is reportably more several times more effective than reg vit e so it offers some decent antioxidant protection too which is otherwise lacking in my simple routine. Along with it performance of particular note is the lack of any irritation, no peeling, redness etc. Also retinaldehyde does not induce photosensitivity. Also of note is that the emulsion vrs of this may be slightly lighter yet it has polyacryamide which this does not and which one wants to avoid like the plague. I am currently experimenting with the diacneal formulation and diroseal formulation too at the moment yet i think i prefere this most.
13 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -Avene - Cleanance soapless gel cleanser for oily skin
stevie50001 11/16/2004 12:52:00 PM
I generally dont use foaming cleansers as they are usually too drying on me. However now and again if my skin is oily or feeling conjested i like to use one, enter avene Cleanance. I dont find this irritating despite the fragrance which i will come back to. It doesnt leave me feeling tight or like i need a moisturiser afterwards, and it doesnt leave me red. The only bad thing about it is the 'fragrance', as a reviewer says below it smells a little like a cheap mens showergel/cologne etc. I really dont get Avene, i mean the entire line is based on the special 'healing' properties of the avene spring water and how it sooths sensitive skins etc... so why oh why must they add these fragrances to nearly all thier products?! I mean its not as tho it just gets in there, there must be a step in the production process where they sit down and say 'hhmmm so what about fragrancing it? so they must have tried lots of different ones. They must also either make this or purchase it from someone so it is costing them to put it in... so why? i just dont get it. If you are going to fragrance something it should smell nice, and this just doesnt. It may be more hypoallergenic than other fragrances but who cares? why didnt they just leave it out rather than put it in even if it doesnt smell nice? Same with a lot of thier products. I'd love to sit them all down and say 'whats with the fragrance'? :( I cant even be bothered emailing them cos they are not going to change all their products and they'll probably say smell is a personal preference and some people like it, but it just goes agaisnt the philosophy of skincare for reactive skins to include fragrance - and a bad one at that.
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Sunscreen -Epicuren Discovery - Zinc Block SPF 20
stevie50001 11/6/2004 11:25:00 AM
Firstly i thank Aaaron for swapping this with me, or i fear i would never have tried it. This is the epitome of the pefect physical s/s. It leave no white cast or trace upon the skin that would even hint at it being a zinc based s/s. One would not know they where using a phys s/s if they where not told as it goes on just like a moisturiser and leaves no trace behind. The formulation is also excellent in that it contains lots of antioxidants. I do not at all find this clogging and would rec it to almost anyone, esp sensitives who cannot tolerate most s/s's. This is my prefect indoor s/s or s/s for when im mostly indoors. However I cant quite bring myself to fully trust this if i was out in the sun all day. There's no reason not to really besides lower ppd than most euro ones, but because it seems like nothing going on i feel like im wearing nothing so its physcological really :( but i prefere chemical s/s with higher ppd when im out all day. One day id like to see a s/s like this one but with tinosorb also, there is one is Aus but nowhere else that has zinc0 and tin m. That would be the perfect s/s to me if it combined this exact formula but had the addition of tinosorb. However this is still an excellent s/s for most. It is however fairly expensive for me if i have to import it over to the UK but you get 75ml which better than 50ml for most s/s.
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Sunscreen -SUN Laboratories - Sunwards Face Cream SPF 20
stevie50001 11/6/2004 11:02:00 AM
I would give this a 5 if it was cheaper and also if it had tinosorb S instead of M, or didnt have avobenzone together with octinoxate so there was no question about its stability. It is a very nice finish indeed, in fact the best i've tried yet. It is totally matte (update - not soo matte :( ) but not a drying matte, like it feels your wearing nothing. It does not leave a white cast but my skin looks more calm wearing it, it seems to calm the slight redness i have now and again. It has avobenzone which sometimes irritates me but in this it doesnt, which may be due to the lipids in the formula which avobenzone has more affinity with than lipids in the skin which can cause irritation? Anyways i find this very soothing to use. Since its stability is an issue it is best to reapply it if your outdoors all day or its very sunny. The major downside of this however is the price and the amount you get. £14.99 for 50ml is very expensive for s/s in fact the most expensive ive ever bought. If it was entirely stable i wouldnt mind but if your reapplying it then it will not last very long, and at the present i no longer have cash to splurge :( This is my comparison s/s for wearability/elegance to which all future s/s's i use will be compared to. I am presently looking for something cheaper that feels the same on, which i may never find. Epicuren is a good sub tho in terms of finish.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Dr. Hauschka - Lip Balm - stick
stevie50001 11/6/2004 10:46:00 AM
I like this alot, its really moisturising and i love the smell that it gives off as it melts into your lips, sort of a sweet carroty kind of smell. It is really good on my very dry cracked lips, it actually soaks in a moisturises unlike say vasaline which can sometimes just sit there and not do anything. I do sometimes use vasaline over this tho to seal it in if my lips are very very dry, which they tend to be : (
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Cleansers -Dr. Hauschka - Cleansing Cream
stevie50001 11/6/2004 10:42:00 AM
Does anyone else secretly love the strange smell of this? it smells like something id be drinking on a night out, alcoholy with sweet/musky undertones which at first i hated then strangely began to like. As for a cleanser i cant say im that convinced tho. It left my skin looking flushed which i dont like. I didnt really use it for very long so i've hardly used any of my tube which is very small for the amount you pay for it. I couldnt see this lasting very long if i was to love it.
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Masks -Boots - Botanics conditioning clay mask
stevie50001 11/6/2004 10:37:00 AM
I love this mask! its very water tho and need a good shaking before use or you'll dispense dirty looking water into your hand. That said it is a pleasure to use. It dries after about 10 mins but never gives that dried tight feeling, probably due to its glycerin content etc. I find this very good at stripping excess suface oils from pores which gives the my skin a dull tan look. This mask totally brightens my skin and is a must before i go out somewhere special. I have extremely sensitive skin and this does not irritate or strip in the slightest, in fact i dont feel the need to apply anything after using this mask, unlike other masks where you need to slather on moisturiser, this one leave you skin smooth soft and subtle and clean looking. Also very cheap and lasts a while. I try to use it weekly or whenever i need it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Boots - Soltan
stevie50001 11/6/2004 10:31:00 AM
Stings, and smells almost plasticy/floral. Would never use on body ever again. Also it is shiney looking. Thankgod i only purchased the one day sachet pack for like £2 ish. It does offer good protection tho if you dont mind the smell and sheen etc.
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