Makeup Brushes -GloMinerals - Ultra brush
suiw 4/25/2008 5:09:00 PM
The reviewer below me hit it on the head. This brush is ultra soft. Perfect for applying my base and powder. I couldn't ask for more. It's not too long, nor too short. I was a faithful BE user and used their brushes and kabuki brush for applying makeup. When I converted to gloMinerals, I purchased this brush with my pressed base and perfecting powder. It couldn't be any better! The flat head is just perfect for application, and I enjoy putting on my makeup because the bristles are wonderfully plush and soft, and doesn't disturb makeup or irritate the skin like some other scratchy brushes that claim to be soft but really aren't. Sure, it might be expensive. But high quality brushes are worth all the money for getting the right makeup application. This is no exception.
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Toners -Unlisted Brand - Vivant - Mandelic Acid Toner 3%
suiw 4/24/2008 9:14:00 PM
It's been hard for me to find any reviews on Vivant's skincare line, so I'm starting my own. Mandelic acid is becoming the new breakthrough in skincare, especially for acne sufferers like me. Mandelic is an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) that dissolves the intercellular “glue” that binds dead skin cells to the surface. It also has antibacterial properties that will unclog pores while at the same time stimulate the production of collagen and elastin to revel a smooth, clear even-toned complexion. I love this toner. It's evened out my complexion. It's not harsh like witch hazel toners or Vivant's other clarifying toners. It's also helped to alleviate breakouts. My skin doesn't tolerate BHAs well, but I still needed an AHA to exfoliate. I tolerate glycolic acids fairly well, but they have a tendency to sting. With this toner, it's very mild and effective with treating my skin problems. I will continue to user this because I see that my skin as very positive results with it. After I acclimate to this, I'll probably ramp up to the 9% solution later.
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Pressed Powders -GloMinerals - Perfecting Powder
suiw 4/24/2008 9:06:00 PM
I'm a converted gloMinerals girl. Was a faithful BE user for YEARS, and I don't know why I didn't convert to gloMinerals sooner. I purchased the Perfecting Powder as a complement to the Pressed Base foundation. This is truly a wonderful pressed powder, in that it's completely translucent. It will not change the color of your foundation. It absorbs shine and oil and gives a very nice soft, matte finish. I use it to touch up throughout the day, and it doesn't cake on my face. It's also great for my skin. I love, love, love gloMinerals makeup! Use this pressed powder with the ultra brush - you can't go wrong.
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Fragrances -Philosophy - Pure Grace
suiw 4/24/2008 9:01:00 PM
Pure Grace is my most favorite scent out of the Philosophy line. The scent is fabulous! I love indulging myself with Pure Grace. It makes me feel so clean and fresh. The downside is that the spray fragrance doesn't last, so to keep the scent on me all day, I layer with the shower gel and then applying the lotion after, then spritz with the pure grace fragrance after. I'm not a fan of the other Philosophy scents. Amazing Grace did nothing for me, but Philosophy got it right, finally with the Pure Grace line! Not obtrusive at all - this scent smells just wonderfully CLEAN and FRESH! I received a compliment on my first day of using it. Someone mentioned that I smelled so good. You won't be disappointed by this one. I'm smelling my arm as I'm writing this. Also, spray it on all of your clothes. They will smell like freshly cleaned linen. I heard Philosophy finally listened to its customer base and created a longer lasting eau de parfum for this. I'm going out to buy it.
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Lotions/ Creams -Philosophy - Pure Grace Perfumed Body Lotion
suiw 4/24/2008 8:58:00 PM
Pure Grace is my most favorite scent out of the Philosophy line. This lotion is marvelous on your skin, and the scent...fabulous! I love indulging myself with Pure Grace. It makes me feel so clean and fresh. I layer by using the shower gel and then applying this lotion right out of the shower, and then spritzing with the pure grace perfume after. This lotion hydrates, soothes and softens my skin. Philosophy got it right, finally! Not obtrusive at all - this scent smells just wonderfully CLEAN! I received a compliment on my first day of using it. Someone mentioned that I smelled so good. You won't be disappointed by this one. The scent will last all day! I'm smelling my arm as I'm writing this. LOL.
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Moisturizers -Vaseline - Petroleum Jelly
suiw 4/24/2008 8:54:00 PM
Vaseline has been around for ages, yet it's still the most unexpected beauty product, if one wants to call it that. It's awesome. I use it every day before I go to bed. I put a light coat on my lips and I wake up with the softest kissable lips ever. I also like layering it over my hand moisturizer to seal all the lotion in and when I woke up my hands are so incredibly soft. I also tried the trick a previous reviewer mentioned and use a very light layer on my eyelids. OMG - my eye shadow looks UH-MAZING! I can't believe the "pop" of my eyeshadow and especially the lasting color. I usually have greasy eyelids so by mid-day my eye makeup is nonexistent. Using Vaseline on my eyes have kept the staying power true with my eye shadows. Love Vaseline! You can't go wrong. It's super cheap.
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Loose Powders -Bare Escentuals - Mineral Veil
suiw 4/24/2008 8:47:00 PM
This used to be my favorite, until I found a pressed mineral base that is better and their perfecting powder, the counterpart to BE's mineral veil, does a much better job at giving a nice, flawless, matte finish. I've converted over to GloMinerals instead after being a loyal BE customer for over 7 years. Their makeup line is much much better, especially for acne sufferers.
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Cleansers -Oxy - Oxy 10 Balance Maximum Strength Acne Wash
suiw 4/24/2008 8:44:00 PM
This one surprisingly didn't cut it for me. I prefer the 10% chill factor instead. Although i tolerate benzoyl peroxide pretty well, this was a little too much for me. It didn't help my acne, just irritated it more. I switched to a 3% wash from another brand that works wonders 10xs better.
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Moisturizers -Desert Essence - Jojoba Oil - 100% pure
suiw 4/24/2008 8:41:00 PM
This is literally the jack of all trades of beauty essentials every woman must have in their arsenal. It's a wonderful makeup remover, especially eye makeup. It softens and moisturizes skin, it calms irritated skin and redness, it helps to heal blemishes, it moisturizes and tames hair frizzies. It cleans the scalp. You can mix drops in your moisturizer, your shampoo or conditioner, your blemish medicines. I don't know what else to say. I use it daily and I can't speak enough accolades about it. Plus it's very inexpensive and a little goes a long way, so one bottle can last you for literally a couple months depending on how you use it.
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Polishes -OPI - NYPD Beet
suiw 4/24/2008 8:33:00 PM
I'm so disappointed OPI has discontinued this color. I went all over buying up whatever supply I could before it disappears forever. This is such a nice color. I love using this color for my pedicures, alternating between this and 'don't wine yukon do it.' Just a perfect dark shade with a hint of sparkle and red.
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Conditioner -Beauty Without Cruelty - Rosemary Mint Tea Tree
suiw 4/24/2008 1:33:00 PM
You can see my review on the BWC Daily Benefits shampoo. I bought this conditioner to pair with the Daily Benefits shampoo, and it's been a wonderful conditioner. BWC shampoos and conditioners do not contain irritating ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) that can irritate and exacerbate acne. This conditioner is light, has a very pleasant scent, and conditions my hair very nicely. My hair doesn't feel weighed down. I don't use it every day because BWC products just gives me a healthy head of hair. With this conditioner, my hair feels so nice and soft. I love it!
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Shampoo -Beauty Without Cruelty - Daily Benefits
suiw 4/24/2008 1:29:00 PM
The main reason I wanted to try this shampoo was because I was looking for a shampoo that did not contain any irritating ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). I have acne-prone skin, and products with SLS have shown to irritate and exacerbate acne. So I've been revamping my toiletries and getting rid of products that irritate the skin. This shampoo made a difference not only in my hair, but in my skin as well. My face has improved greatly, has not broken out and is healing. As for the shampoo itself, it lathers up very nicely in the shower. I love the pleasant scent, and it's literally transformed my hair. My hair feels nice and light, isnt weighed down, and has just a nice, clean, shiny look and feel to it. I have natural body and bounce to my hair now, and also less greasiness by the end of the day unlike other shampoos. I love that it's pH balanced because it's "normalized" my hair. And my scalp is clean. I love that it's vegetarian, and I'm not putting any harmful chemicals onto my scalp that soaks into my skin. I also noticed much less hair loss in and out of the shower. It's as if this shampoo has strengthened and improved my hair due to no harmful chemicals in it. I love, love, love it! This is now my daily shampoo, and dare I say, my holy grail of shampoos? Im so glad I found BWC. I have no need to use other hyped brands anymore. I threw out my expensive salon shampoos and conditioners and replaced with BWC shampoo and conditioner.
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Mascara -Cover Girl - Marathon Waterproof Mascara [DISCONTINUED]
suiw 4/24/2008 1:21:00 PM
I'm rating this mascara solely on it's "waterproof" factor. If you want and need a waterproof mascara, look no further. This is the most waterproof of waterproof mascaras I've ever used. It will NOT, does NOT, refuses to come off in any situation. At the beach, playing sports, working out, crying, you name it. Good luck trying to get it off - but that's why it's called Marathon Waterproof mascara. Because it goes and goes and goes, and you will have to jackhammer it off of your lashes to get it off. The trick is using baby oil or jojoba oil, or a very well formulated eye makeup remover. I use Lancome bi-facil. It works - it truly works.
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Mascara -Rimmel - Extra Super Lash mascara
suiw 4/24/2008 1:16:00 PM
I wasted my money on this mascara. Didn't do a thing for my lashes. No wow factor, no extra super long lashes. Nothing. I've had better results from other brands. Also it smudges much more easily than other brands I've tried. It also didn't separate my lashes well. In fact, it gave me clumps and I had to separate my lashes manually. The layering sucked, and overall I wouldn't buy it again. It's going in the trash. I don't know what all the hype is about this one. It's okay for a basic mascara, but not the HG of mascaras or uber-super lash mascara like it's hyped to be.
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Gels/Soaps -Oxy - Bar Soap - Extreme Alpine
suiw 4/24/2008 1:11:00 PM
I bought this bar soap for myself at first because I needed it with a skin regimen I was using (but am no longer on). I stopped using it for my face because my skin doesn't tolerate salicylic acid much. However, this review is moreso for my husband, who now uses this bar soap in the shower and loves it! His skin tolerates salicylic and responds quite well to it rather than me. I have to say that it's rather improved the look of his skin. He doesn't break out as much now when he uses it, and it seems to be keeping the breakouts at bay, and healing existing pimples. It also has a nice lather - although when I used it, I felt like it left a noticeable film on my face and I had to use a separate face wash to get it off. Maybe that's just me. Anyway, the price is higher than I would expect from a bar soap. I paid about $8.50 - $9.00 for it at my local Long's Drugs. But the bar lasts for a couple weeks from daily use and if it works, then the price isn't a major factor in my book. The packaging is also very masculine. But it works for my husband. So, from my husband's point of view - two thumbs up for this one.
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