Cleansers -Clinique - Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
tillybean 5/6/2006 9:48:00 PM
I'm about to buy my second jar of this. I've had huge problems with cleansers in the past, to the extent that for several years I used nothing but J&J baby lotion to wash my face with. I needed something oil-based to get off very water-proof sunscreen. I tried pure oils (safflower, olive, jojoba), which all seemed to clog my pores. This doesn't. I've got through my first jar in a couple of months, which makes it a bit pricey, but I think I've been using too much. The texture is gorgeous and it's very tempting to slather it on. I agree that it's best to use it dry, when a tiny bit goes a long way. As I usually use it in the bath when I'm damp, if not wet, I tend to use too much. Even using too much this hasn't irritated my skin at all. It gets off my SS and mascara really well. I follow it with cetaphil cleanser, but think you probably don't need anything else. I just like my cetaphil too. I love the big mauve pot and will put my nasty-looking Stridex BHA pads in the Clinique pot when it's empty, in case of visitors to my bathroom.
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Blush -NARS - Orgasm Blush
tillybean 4/23/2006 11:32:00 PM
Well, I'm sitting here looking totally gorgeous, thanks to Orgasm blush, Laguna bronzer and Orgasm lipgloss. I can't remember what prompted me to buy this other than browsing reviews. It's a complete revelation to me, particularly the blush. If you've read Bridget Jones Diary you might remember the bit where her mum drags her off to get her colours done, and says, "Well, no wonder you feel miserable wearing all those slurries and dingy browns." That's what I've been doing! All those Cliniquy type browns, berries , purply nudes. When I first started "borrowing" my mum's MU when I was about 12 it was all lovely peachy pinks which really suited me, but when I started buying my own stuff I insisted on buying "Chestnut" and stuff like that. Now 30 years later - peachy pinks make me look beautiful! Ha! Why have I been ignoring them??? Anyway, in 40 years time this will be a very unfashionable colour amongst younger people because all us 40ish people now will still be insisting on wearing it! I can't compare this colour to anything similar in another brand because I haven't tried it before. It's a beautiful, very subtle version of the things my mum used to wear. A lovely peachy pink. It doesn't look at all orgasmic to me. It looks like the kind of glow I might get from skipping around the hills bringing the sheep in for milking. Or whatever. Not shagging anyway. Highly recommended, especially for those stuck in their slurries and browns.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Reviva - Reviva Dark Circle Under Eye Serum
tillybean 4/20/2006 8:02:00 PM
I bought this 2 months ago - used it a few times and noticed it did a good job of depuffing. Didn't think it did much else, so didn't use it regularly, just as an occasional de-puffer. I read someone on the skincare board saying they didn't see results with this until they'd used it regularly for a month, so thought I'd try it regularly, as I already know it's not irritating. After a week of using it 2x a day, I think I'm seeing some results with it - nothing dramatic, but I just look nicer, less tired, puffy, saggy. This may be my retinoid kicking in, because generally my skin is looking fantastic suddenly. It may be using face self-tanner because I know whenever I have a little bit of colour my eyes look better. Or maybe this serum is helping. I don't know, but I'm pleased with the results so far. It has ingredients which might logically help, it's not irritating, it works under my sunscreen, and it's pretty cheap for the huge amount you get. Yesterday morning someone at work told me I was looking "very refreshed" - after I'd had only an hour's sleep and had been working flat out most of the night. I don't believe in miracle eye products, but think this might be a cheap but helpful one. Will update when I've used it for a month.
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Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Anthelios Dermo-Pediatrics spray SPF40 PPD18 [DISCONTINUED]
tillybean 3/30/2006 6:10:00 PM
After trying several (many) SS's in the last few months, this is my favourite, and I'm going to stop looking. Does that make it HG? Well, yes, I think so, until I read that a better one has appeared, which is as nice as this but doesn't ball up. I'll have been using this everyday for 2 weeks tomorrow. Pro's: Light weight, not sticky, not greasy, dries very matte on me, don't need mattifyer or MU on top to hide it but MU goes on nicely when it's dried, high ppd, comes in a reasonably priced 125ml bottle, good sprayer thing. No white cast, which is my major SS problem despite being pale. It's a very slightly creamy colour. Works well even when I'm really tired, which is when even SS's that I really like usually fail me and make me look dreadful. Very easy to apply the recommended 1/4 teaspoon or even more, and easy to reapply. On your neck it dries quickly and doen't stain clothes. Cons: Balls up. Or rather is temperamental and balls up sometimes. I haven't found a fail-proof answer to this, but have found things that help: 1)Light weight moisturizer underneath. A tiny bit of cetaphil works for me, Eucerin doesn't. 2)Slap on the measured amount really quickly, lightly spread it around, but stop as soon as it starts feeling sticky, and don't try to rub it in. It still looks white at this stage. 3)Leave it completely alone for at least 20 minutes. It actually works best when I put it on before going to work, I think because those are days when I really do leave it alone, and maybe it dries quicker during the walk to work. If I'm peering at it in the mirror to see what it's doing I just can't resist the temptation to touch it. When I get to work I look in a mirror before I talk to anyone to check it hasn't made little balls. Sometimes it has, but they're easily brushed off. I also like Dermo-peds lait 50, which mattifies really well with a little powder, but this is much lighter and I think more natural looking. It's perfect for spring days, but I think I'll be able to use it year round, maybe switching to the lait for really high exposure days. I'll definitely buy this again, and highly recommend at least trying it. Edit: 4/23/06 I've now been using this for a month and I really do love it. No balling up anymore. I stopped using Active C, switched to CE Ferulic, and now I don't need moisturizer underneath and it doesn't ball up at all. Definitely HG for me. I sometimes reapply when I'm looking a bit bedraggled because it actually makes me look better!!! Matte, slightly dewey, a little glowy. I wish you would all go out and buy this so LRP aren't tempted to discontinue, reformulate or muck about with it in any way. C
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Sunscreen -Ducray - PhotoScreen 60 Crème
tillybean 3/30/2006 5:17:00 PM
I'm reviewing the new version. I wanted to find a lovely, high PPD, avobenzone-free SS, that I could happily slap MU on top of without worrying about mucking up the SS. This was my last hope. This is probably the least cosmetically acceptable SS I've tried. I say that because it's the only one my DH has actually fallen about laughing over, when he saw my face 30 minutes after I'd put it on. I say probably, because he's never seen me wearing Avene emulsion, which is also dreadful on me. This Ducray and the Avene emulsion are similar in that both are very thick and heavy. They differ in that whereas the Avene is like cold-cream, thick and greasy, this is like zinc oxide cream, thick, pastey and difficult to spread. I looked like a clown with this on, and after an hour I couldn't stand it anymore. It felt and looked really awful. Rubbing it in is very difficult, and I wouldn't want to inflict such rough treatment on my skin on a daily basis. I have found SS's that I like and am happy to wear daily. They all contain avobenzone. I've decided that this is probably a very minor issue, and I'm not going to worry about it one little bit. I am just amazed by how differently SS's work on different skin, so of course you might well find you love this one. In case it helps you to decide, the high ppd SS's that work for me are LRP dermo-peds 40 spray and 50 lait, and Vichy ultra-fluid.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Shiseido - Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 PA+++ [DISCONTINUED]
tillybean 3/18/2006 5:34:00 PM
I really, really like this sunscreen. Lovely smell, chic bottle, gorgeous texture, easy to put on, great makeup base, no avobenzone to destabilise. Unfortunately for me, this sunscreen just doesn't like me. I only managed to use it 3 times, and despite adding more and more moisturizer and even EVOO, by the 3rd day my skin was dry, dry, dry and getting red, crusty and painful. My skin type is combination, slight oily, sensitive. So, to my great disappointment this is not for me. If you can get it to work for you it would be lovely though.
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Sunscreen -Neutrogena - Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55
tillybean 2/27/2006 5:33:00 PM
Having read the reviews for this I thought it didn't sound very good, but then knowing what doesn't work for one person might well be perfect for someone else, when I came across it in my local supermarket I decided to try it because it's cheap, and good protection for a US SS. I've given 1 lippy because there wasn't the option to give none. On my skin this is completely unusable. I think my kin type is probably combination or oily/sensitive. It is impossible for me to get a 1/4 teaspoon of this on my face. Yes, it balls up. Or rather, it makes slimey white lumps, which smear around my face when I try to get them off. It got in my hair and looked like dandruff. My whole face looked like it had dandruff. It didn't work on my body either. When I put it on my chest I was rubbing lumps off all day. I doubt I'll try this again, never mind buy it. Update: 3/14/06 Changed from 1 lippie to 3. Well, I did try this again. My latest acquisition was Shiseido 55 lotion. After 2 days of using it I've gone from greasy, shiney oilslick face, or white glowing neon lollipop face, or chalky sticky marshmallow face, (depending on which SS) to dry, dry, dry parched desert, with bright red cheeks and flakes! Never had flakes before. So, after not needing any moisturizer for several months I've just slapped on EVOO followed by Eucerin Q10. I thought I would see how this did under different conditons. Guess what? No balling up whatsoever! Will up-date when I've used it more.
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Sunscreen -Avene - Avene Eau Thermale Emulsion Protection Extreme SPF 60
tillybean 2/11/2006 3:26:00 PM
Isn't odd how differently products work on different people's skin? I had high hopes of this after reading the reviews, but it just does not work for me at all. It's extremely thick and creamy. When I first tried it I thought maybe I'd put too much on, so tried again with a measured 1/2 teaspoon for face and neck. In fact I hadn't put enough on the first time. Putting this on is like slathering on cold cream for me. It just sits there looking bright white and greasy. It a long time to settle into looking less like a face mask. After 2 hours I was still wiping off white smears, and I cannot hide the extreme white cast with MU. I may try using it under my eyes as it's so thick it probably won't migrate. Otherwise, I wouldn't dream of stepping outside my front door with this on as I look completely ridiculous.
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Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Hydraphase XL SPF 15 UVA 12
tillybean 2/9/2006 8:57:00 PM
Wow! This is fantastic. I've only used this product once, this morning, and apologise for writing a review with so little experience to go on. After my one day's experience with Hydrophase XL I just had to write and tell you that I think this is fantastic. I've been using Hydrophase UV 30 (Canadian) for about 3 weeks, and wrote a review for it. Essentially, while it's by far the most easily wearable good PPD sunscreen I've tried, I wasn't really enjoying wearing it, what with the shine, stickiness, and white cast even on my very pale skin. I put on a 1/4 teaspoon of the XL rather reluctantly this morning, expecting it to be very similar, but it's much, much better on my skin. After 5 minutes I really couldn't tell I had it on. In fact I half wondered if they'd forgotten to put the SS ingredients in my bottle. No shine, no stickiness, no white cast whatsoever. I put some MU on top, and it went on very nicely, but I really didn't feel I needed to wear MU with this. No problems developed during the day, except a little eye stinging after 4 hours. So after one use this is it, my HG winter sunscreen. My only gripe would be the price, and the fact that I'm not sure if this is being discontinued, since LRP has bought out light/rich versions, which come in an even tinier bottle, 40ml compared to 50ml for this. I was hoping I would really like something that came in a huge bottle and was really cheap, but unfortunately this is far and away my favourite SS, of the one's I've tried, which are Avene 40 spray, Avene emulsion 50, Avene tinted cream 50, Boots Soltan sensitive 50/*****, Hydrophase UV 30, LRP dermo-peds 60, and Vichy Ultra Fluid. I'm going to use something more protective in the summer, but if you're struggling to find a good winter SS I really recommend giving this a try. Will update when I've used it more than once! Update: 3/3/06 This is still my favourite. This is the SS that comes closest to not needing anything at all over the top. It is the only one I've tried that I can slap on and not worry that I'm looking absurd. However, Cetaphil comes very close, and is much cheaper. LRP dermo-peds 50/28 is much more protective, and doesn't take too much effort to look reasonable. The days are getting longer and I'm thinking of moving to more protective SS on a daily basis. I'm buying again but still need to experiment more to see if this will be winter HG, given cost.
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Cleansers -Neutrogena - Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish Cleanser
tillybean 2/4/2006 1:52:00 PM
I started using this last summer and really liked it for quite a while, I can't remember exactly how long, but long enough to get through more than one bottle. Seemed to be an excellent effective cleanser, which reduced the frequency of appearance of my occasional spots, without drying out my skin. Suddenly I developed a really itchy, spotty rash on my neck and chin. I stopped using this and everything else I thought could possibly have caused it. After hydrocortisone and a month long skin product rest I used this again and got the same rash back after just one use. I don't know what it is in this that I don't get on with, but I'm now using Neutrogena foaming face wash and sometimes the pore refining face wash without problems so far. I was very surprised to have developed a problem with this so long into using it, but it's definitely not for me, and I've thrown away what I had left.
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Treatments -Avene - Ystheal+ emulsion
tillybean 2/1/2006 9:30:00 PM
I haven't used retinol derivatives previously, other than trying Neutrogena Advanced Solutions for a few months. I didn't like it much as it felt greasy, but when I switched to something else I noticed that when I looked closely in the mirror to put my new anti-wrinkle serum on my wrinkles, I couldn't find them! Still, maybe I imagined this. I'd never believed OTC retinoids were potent enough to do any good, but started thinking maybe they had improved my skin at least a bit, looked into it more at MUA, and tried Ystheal. So, I wasn't expecting any immediate dramatic improvement in my skin. I'm 43 and thinking about wrinkles not acne, although I do still get occasional spots. I wasn't expecting anything dramatic, more thinking about the long term. I bought Ystheal emulsion when I was in the UK, not having thought about the polyacrylamide issue. I used Ystheal emulsion for 1 month. It felt so light and nice I didn't go as slowly as people recommend here. I used it every night, in small amounts, without any signs of irritation at all. I don't think there's been any change in my expression type lines, but I do think my skin texture looks great and my under-eye is looking better. I'm perfectly happy to look my age, but with nice skin, which is what I think I'm getting with this. Still, this is very early days for a retinoid. I bought some Ystheal cream, but still haven't tried it. I was going to get the gel but decided to try Diacneal as it's cheaper. I've used this for 4 days now without problems. I've developed irritation type problems over a month into using a product before, so I still wouldn't be surprised if it became irritating, but so far so good. In terms of texture I really don't feel a lot of difference between Ystheal emulsion and Diacneal. Diacneal leaves a slightly yellow tinge to my skin though.
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Moisturizers -Olay - Total Effects Moisturizing UV Formula
tillybean 2/1/2006 8:38:00 PM
I love this. I used it since it came out, and before the SPF version arrived I wrote to Olay asking for it. I stopped using it in June last year, for reasons not to do with skin care, and have really missed it. It never, in all the time I used it, did anything bad to me, and I have great affection for it. So, I've been reading MUA after having problems with my skin trying to find substitutes for TE, and I've gone over to retinaldehydes, vit c, high PPD SS's. But still, I think I'm going to buy some more TE for emergency use. There's just no substitute for me. And you know the SS may be laughable, but I think it has done my skin some good over the years - at least I put it on everyday, and enjoyed putting it on, and I think my skin probably is better now than it would have been without it. I'm getting nostalgic now! Good things abouy TE: 1) not greasy, 2) not shiny, 3) doesn't cause spots, 4) feels lovely, 5) doesn't smell, 6) fairly cheap and easily available. Bad things: 1) can't tell when it's about to run out, (luckily can always get some more, no matter where you are you can find somewhere that sells it), 2) not much ppd
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Highlighters -Yves Saint Laurent - Touche Eclat No 1
tillybean 2/1/2006 7:53:00 PM
I really love this stuff. I first tried it a few weeks ago. I was in Nordstroms walking past the YSL counter and the assistant shouted out to me, "Hey you, you need to try this, you've got puffy eyes!" Very embarrassing. I've tried various concealers before and hate the way they usually draw attention to what you're trying to hide, for me my under-eye bags, puffs, dark circles, wrinkles, you name it. Anyway, she grabbed me, and started putting this stuff under my eyes, and I was rubbing it off as fast as she was putting it on and didn't notice much difference. Then she started putting it on the "furrows round the mouth." Bloody hell, I didn't know I had furrows round my mouth! Anyway, I glanced in the mirror and thought, actually, she was right, I did look better without furrows round my mouth. I ended up buying some, and although I would still like to see her sent to prison for bullying customers, I think I might send her a Christmas card to thank her for dramatically improving the look of my face. I use this very sparingly, because I don't want to draw attention to my defects, but I find this is a wonderful, not obvious way, of giving a bit of oomph to bits of my face that look like they need some oomph. I can tell this is definitely an HG for me, because I'm thinking of stock-piling some just in case it's discontinued. Luckily, it's extremely unlikely that YSL would discontinue Touche Eclat.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Vichy - Capital Soleil Ultra-Fluid Sun Protection Fast Drying Formula SPF 60
tillybean 2/1/2006 7:19:00 PM
I was surprised that I didn't like this. My impression before trying it was that it would be a bit expensive, but "cosmetically elegant". I was amazed at what a titchy little bottle 40mls actually is. With no pump dispenser or anything you really see how little you get for your money. I accidentally threw away the little cardboard thing in the cap, and my bottle now leaks out a few precious mls when I use it, and I can't carry it around with me, although it's perfect handbag size. I have to keep it upright at all times to prevent it will escaping. To be fair I've only put this on 2 times in 2 days and each time I've washed it off pretty quickly, so I've no idea how good a sunscreen this really is. Also, I've not tried putting powder on top of it. I bought this thinking it might be my ideal summer SS for days when I could manage without MU, but wasn't on the beach all day. I got this idea fixed in my head about ingredients in most make-up degrading avobenzone, which this contains. I think this might be fine with a little powder on top. Anyway, without anything on top these are the reasons I didn't like it, after using a full 1/4 teaspoon. 1) Extremely runny. It's a good job it's quick drying or it would all just drip off your face. 2) Not really all that quick drying. 3) Looks greasy still after 2 hours even though it doesn't feel greasy. Good points are: doesn't sting eyes, feels light weight, nice smell, no spots/irritation, although limited exposure still. I'm a serious sunscreen novice and will update when I've used this more. My impression so far is that, for me, this doesn't work well enough to justify the price , particularly as I've got 800ml of SS from my last trip to the UK to use up, which cost me about the same as 2 tiny bottles of this, ( ignoring airfare) Update: I didn't give this a fair try, so am updating after 2 more uses. I wore it yesterday when a stray ray of sunshine appeared, and we went out for a walk. It felt really nice on my face, very light and forgettable. I didn't look in a mirror for about 3 hours, and at that point it looked really good, slightly dewy, not greasy, in fact better than I would have looked with nothing on. My eyes started stinging a little after about 5 hours. I tried it to wear to work today, and it made my eyes sting like crazy. I rinsed my eyes after a couple of hours, but had to wash my whole face by lunchtime as it still seemed to be getting in my eyes somehow. So, I do think this has a great texture, and it would be very cosmetically elegant if it weren't for the tears pouring down my face. This is not going to be my everyday sunscreen, but might well be worth a try, particularly if you're not planning to put it anywhere near your eyes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -La Roche Posay - Hydraphase UV SPF 30
tillybean 2/1/2006 5:37:00 PM
Compared to moisturizer with a few spf's - horrible. Compared to the 3 serious, good ppd sunscreens that I've tried - excellent. I bought this because I wanted a sunscreen with a reasonable PPD, to use on days when I don't have much sun exposure,( ie which would not make me feel completely ludicrous/ look and smell like I'm just off surfing), on days when I walk to work in the dark, walk home in the dark, and spend all day in a room with no windows. I also wanted something without avobenzone because of the question of incompatability with ingredients in make-up. If I'd written my review immediately after trying this for the first time I would have given it 5 lippies for sure. I really liked the feel of it as I put it on, which is more like a lovely moisturizer than a sunscreen It seemed to sink in really quickly and I didn't find it too greasy or shiny and I didn't notice a white cast. It does smell, but nothing over-powering. I put it round my eyes and it didn't sting. I've been using Hydrophase 30 for 10 days now, and don't like it as much as I did initially. I've found myself becoming more and more reluctant to put it on. Having seen what it looks like in different lights and when my skin's behaving differently because of tiredness, I don't like the appearance of it as much as I did at first, I feel like it's obvious I've got sunscreen on, and my mineral make-up isn't working very well. I seem to look both greasy and dusty at the same time, and my foundation colour's gone wrong, I think because this definitely does have a white cast on my pale skin. It doesn't generally migrate into my eyes, but stings like mad if it does get in. I'm sure that the main problem I'm having with this is that I'm using a full 1/4 teaspoon, which is a hell of a lot. If I were using this as a moisturizer I would probably only use 1 pump, but I'm using 4 full pumps. I've decided that compared to my beloved Olay Total Effects spf 15, Hydrophase UV is horrible. On the other hand if I used the same amount of the Olay I would probably hate that too. Compared to the 3 high ppd SS's I've tried, this is wonderful. Also, I've had no spots or skin irritations. I've only recently embarked on this SS HG quest. I may well change my mind about the need to avoid avobenzone with MMU or I may change my make-up if I can't get my BE to work right anyuway. I do think that years of using unstable, inadequate SPF's have actually done my skin some good, so maybe I'll just compromise by using a bit less of this. I've ordered more Hydrophase UV, but I'm still going to try other sunscreens. I'm especially wanting to try the Hydrophase XL Light. In case anyone's interested, the sunscreens I'm comparing this to are Avene 40 spray (yuk, yuk, yuk), Boot's Sotan Sensitive 50/5 star, (yuk, yuk) and Vichy Ultra Fluid (yuk, although this might be nice with MU on top).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No