CD/Books/Movies -Unlisted Brand - Going Gray, Looking Great! - The Modern Woman's Guide to Unfading Glory by Diana Lewis Jewell
wildviolet 12/28/2010 3:12:00 AM
This is a lovely book. Wonderful tips on makeup and how to make your gray hair look great. I haven't had the courage to go gray--waiting until I go totally white but everytime I flip through this book I want to have the beautiful gray hair that is featured in the book. I really like the makeup tips with the brand names. I actually went out and bought one of the looks and was very happy with it (even though my hair is black). I highly recommend this book to everyone because most of us end up with gray hair at some point and this book is empowering. It is the only "beauty book" that I have saved over the years. I am not sure if it is still in print.
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Powder -Physicians Formula - Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation
wildviolet 12/28/2010 3:03:00 AM
I absolutely love this foundation. I actually bought it to wear around the house as a sunscreen (I wasn't planning on wearing it in public) because I didn't think the color would look good on me (natural beige). It actually looks scary light in the compact but when I put it on it has the nicest finish and perfect color. I never wear foundation but I have been wearing this product over my sunscreen and am so pleased with how it evens my skintone and it even covers my dark circles. It has great coverage in my opinion and it isn't drying or caking. I plan to buy another as a "back up". I have fair skin, black hair and this gives me the nicest little touch of color so I don't look like Elvira :-)
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Hair Color -Clairol - Texture and Tones Hair Color
wildviolet 12/2/2010 11:42:00 PM
I recommend this product for people who have VERY hard to cover grays. I use Dark Brown and it is the only "dark brown" shade that works for me and doesn't turn red or orange. My gray hair is very hard to cover so for years I have dyed it Black (Blackest Black from L'Oreal Natural Match). I loved my black hair color but I wanted to try something new so I tried a ton of brown shades from all sorts of brands but wasn't happy with any of them. It is hard to grow out black hair and find a dark brown color that transitions well if you are growing it out. I read about this brand in Consumer Reports of all places. It received the highest ratings among the testers. I have been coloring my hair this shade for about 5 months and it does look good while I am growing out the Blackest Black color of my old shade. I will continue to use the Dark Brown color because it is a very flattering shade with my fair skin.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair Styling Tools -Conair - Mini Straightener
wildviolet 1/12/2010 12:31:00 AM
Edit: I wish I could delete this review. There are so many better hair straighteners than this cheap thing. However I am leaving my original review here for posterity. I bought this on a whim because I am so frustrated with my wavy cowlicked bangs which I have never been able to control. I don't normally use a flattening iron and I was planning on buying a curling iron. Instead I bought this and tried it out when I got home and it has revolutionized the way I wear my bangs. They actually look reasonably cool-- my bangs actually fall the way I want them too and actually stay in place. After years of cursing my bangs it seems too easy that just one little styling tool would make such a difference. So if someone else out there is looking to control their stubborn bangs--give this a try! It seems to be smoothing/controlling mine very well.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Concealers -Jane Iredale - Circle Delete
wildviolet 1/12/2010 12:22:00 AM
Edit (12-1-10) Still my Holy Grail concealer (Just repurchased) This is the only concealer that I will use for my undereye circles and around my nose area where it gets a little red. I am excited about this product because it blends so well, moisturizes and doesn't accentuate little flakies, lines or anything else I don't want to draw attention to. In all honesty, this concealer is different from all others I have tried (and I seriously think I have tried them all). It has this wonderful consistency and just glides on--I hardly have to blend. I use Circle/Delete 2. I have very fair cool toned skin and I use the darker color in the pot. I haven't found the light color to work for me--it is just way too light. I don't use foundation but every morning I use the Circle/Delete and it seems to make my face a little more lumenescent. I have been using this product for over 6 months and it works just as well in summer and winter. Also the concealer holds up really well during the day and is non-drying. I really feel it makes me look fresher and more well rested. I love the way it cancels out the redness/blueness that I want to erase. Highly recommend this product if you can find a color match to your complexion!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Sunsilk - Hydra TLC 24-7 Creme
wildviolet 1/7/2010 1:43:00 AM
Edit: (12-1-10)Still Holy Grail--Love this product--I don't know what is so magical about the formula but it works. This product is phenomenally good! I use it as a leave-in conditioner. I have actually used this product for years, but for the last year or two I moved on to other brands which didn't seem to do a very good job. But then I recently went back to this creme and realized why I liked it so much to begin with! My hair is fine and slightly wavy and long. Note: my hair is super frizzy and porous. I use a generous dollop on wet hair and let dry naturally. This product makes my hair appear soft and silky (even though it's not!). I recently discovered the other day that I can also apply the product to dry hair and it smoothes it down like nobody's business. I am really passionate about this product because it works so well for me. I can't seem to find Sunsilk 24/7 creme in stores (I see the shampoo and conditioner all the time--but not the creme). I am ordering it online and it is super cheep ($5 a tube more or less). Highly, Highly recommend!
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Cleansers -Jason Natural Cosmetics - jason super-c cleanser with Ester-c Perfect Solutions
wildviolet 1/7/2010 1:33:00 AM
Edit: 12-1-10 (Love this product but just found Perfect Dupe at Trader Joe's -- the Spa Facial Cleanser for half the price--seriously) I really like this product. I have repurchased it many times. My skin is notoriously finicky with cleansers but this one is gentle and doesn't leave my skin dry. It gives me a clean feel but not sqeeky clean. I used to use Jan Marini's Cesta cleansing gel which is nice but I wanted to try something different and so I stumbled upon this. Jason Super-C is a very mild liquid cleanser with a light orange scent. I use it to remove my Fancl cleansing oil (which really just rinses off but psychologically I still need to feel that I have removed all the "oil"). I use this cleanser morning and night. My skin care routine involves nightly application of Retin-A and other acids and this cleanser seems to work just fine with my routine. I am also prone to breakouts but this one doesn't make me break out or irritate my skin. I recommend giving this a try.
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Cleansers -Fancl - Mild Cleansing Oil
wildviolet 1/7/2010 1:20:00 AM
Edit: 12-1-10 I am still using this product and will absolutely die if it is discontinued...It is just that awesome for removing makeup and sunscreen. I love this product and hope to never be without it. I have been using Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil for over 2 years. I believe that this product keeps my skin clear and healthy. Before I started using Fancl, I was having all kinds of skin issues with sunscreen (breakouts, irritation and dryness). However, Fancl cleansing "oil" completely removes my sunscreen and I think this is has been the key to making my sunscreen regime work. I was afraid at first to use a cleansing oil because I thought it would make me break out. I haven't done a major ingredient analysis but it is my impression that this isn't a true oil (as in olive, mineral or vegetable oil). It does feel like an oil when I first apply it to my dry skin but then when I add water to it, it becomes water soluble and all of the sunscreen and makeup is removed by rinsing. Truly a fantastic product! Love it! Will continue to repurchase again and again.
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Retin A
wildviolet 1/7/2010 1:09:00 AM
I have been using Retin-A for exactly one year. I was starting to get fine lines, crepey skin probably due to health and lifestyle factors. I started out by using Renova religiously everynight under my eyes and then I slowly started using it on the rest of my face as my skin grew more tolerant. Currently I am alternating between 0.05% and 0.1% on my entire face nightly. After a year of nightly application of Retin-A to my face and under my eyes, I can see a positive difference. My skin is much smoother and the fine lines are gone. I should stress that my results are not dramatic but subtle. I like how this product has worked for my eyes most of all. From my experience, not a lot of people use retin a under the eye area where the skin is so thin but it has worked for me. Initially, my under-eye area looked really bad for at least 2 months (more wrinkled, dry and crepey) but I stuck with it-- it paid off!! One of my major goals with this product is to increase the thickness of my thinning skin. So this year I am moving on to my neck which is really starting to show my age. I have just starting using Renova on my neck nightly or as tolerated. Hopefully I will have good results to report back a year from now. Edit: 12-1-10 Reporting back after a year- My eye area looks very good which is surprising given my lifestyle (lol) and my age. I use the 0.1% every night on my whole face. When I smile I have tons of dynamic wrinkles- it is just the way I was born --I have a huge smile and smile with my eyes. so I think it is a testiment to the Retin-A that I don't have a single permanent wrinkle (when I am not smiling). So I will continue to use it religiously because I like the results--I am a huge believer in Retin-A.
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No