Shampoo -Nexxus - Therappe Shampoo
zernelle 3/26/2013 10:13:00 AM
I really like this shampoo. I never thought I'd use a moisturizing shampoo on my fine, healthy hair. But I've started using dandruff shampoos about four days a week (alternating between Neutrogena T-Sal and Neutrogena Daily Control 2-in-1 Dandruff Shampoo Plus Conditioner), and they can be drying. Dr. Cynthia Bailey recommends shampooing with a non-medicated shampoo before using dandruff shampoo, so I started using Nexxus Therappe, and it works great. It's lightly moisturizing without having a bunch of oils to trigger the seborrheic dermatitis that I battle on my scalp. It lathers well, cleans effectively, rinses easily, and doesn't weigh down my hair. I buy a huge 44-ounce bottle (which lasts forever) at Costco for around $15, which means it doesn't cost much more than many drugstore brands. At first the banana note in the tropical fragrance really annoyed me (I hate bananas), but now I don't even notice it. The shampoo just smells generically fruity, which is fine by me, because now I can keep using this great shampoo.
Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-10, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Coumarin, Styrene/VP Copolymer, Panthenol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Sodium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Methylisothiazolinone, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Magnesium Citrate, Honey, Allantoin, Propylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Nettle Extract, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Polysorbate 60, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Wheat Flour Lipids, Avocado Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Soybean Sterols, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Ceramide 3, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Tocopheryl Acetate.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Unlisted Brand - Glycolix Elite Ultra Lite Facial Cream
zernelle 3/25/2013 7:46:00 PM
I've been searching for a good nighttime moisturizer for my combination, sensitive, highly clog-prone skin. I decided to give Glycolix Elite Ultra Lite Facial Cream because it was reasonably priced, had great reviews, and was recommended by Dr. Cynthia Bailey. It seems, however, that while Dr. Bailey gives a lot of good advice about skincare, she is not very knowledgeable about easily clogged skins. (This seems to be true about many skincare experts and skincare developers, thus the difficulty we clog-prone people have finding skincare products.) This moisturizer was quite nice--hydrating enough without being greasy. But alas, while it didn't really cause many pimples, it did slowly clog more and more of my pores. And I really hate how unsanitary jar packaging is. I might put up with it for a product that was really effective, but this moisturizer did not meet that criteria. My moisturizer search continues.
Ingredients: Aloe Vera, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Squalane, PPG-2 Myreth Propionate, Dimethicone, Superoxide Dismutase, Green Tea Extract, Phospholipids, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Coenzyme Q10, Beeswax, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments (Eye) -Unlisted Brand - Topix Replenix Eye Repair Cream
zernelle 3/24/2013 6:52:00 PM
I received a sample of this product with a recent purchase of my much-loved Replenix CF Serum. I generally don't bother with eye creams, so I was curious to try this, especially since Dr. Cynthia Bailey highly recommends it. I was surprised that it does actually seem to diminish my dark circles and crows feet, but alas, it is filled with potentially pore-clogging ingredients that caused a few breakouts just in the areas near where I used this product. If I'm going to spend big bucks on an eye treatment, I want something that won't cause breakouts.
Ingredients: Purified Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/Steareth-20, Methacrylate Copolymer, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Polymer, Propylene Glycol, Kelp Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Green Tea Polyphenols, Myristyl Myristate, Myristyl Laurate, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pinanediol, Camphanediol, Dipeptide-2, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Phytonadione (Vitamin K), Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, PEG-100 Stearate, Polysorbate-20, Phospholipids, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Myreistyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Ascorbic Acid, Arnica Montana Powder, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Steareth-20, PVP, Butylated PVP, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylene Brassylate, Phenoxyethanol, SOrbic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Topix Replenix Green Tea Serum CF
zernelle 3/23/2013 10:28:00 PM
I love this serum. I resisted buying it for a long time because of the price, but I finally gave in, and I'm so glad I did. I have sensitive, combination, clog-prone skin that is very prone to redness (I might have mild rosacea). This serum is amazing at reducing the redness, and it never irritates my skin or clogs my pores. It doesn't provide much moisture on its own, so I use it under my sunscreen during the day and my moisturizer at night. I ran out of my first bottle and didn't get a new one ordered for a couple weeks, and I saw a noticeable increase in the redness of my skin. I will definitely keep using this.
UPDATE: It is with great sadness that I update and downgrade this product. As I neared finishing my second bottle of this serum, I noticed some problems with my skin: new breakouts and clogging and, worst of all, redness and stinging when I applied my sunscreen in the morning. I use Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46, which I have used for about three years, so when I started to react to it, I starting thinking about the new products I had begun using. The Replenix serum was the most recent addition to my routine, so I did a test. For a week I applied the serum to only the left half of my face morning and night. At the end of the week, the left side had more breakouts and more clogged pores and was more easily irritated. Somehow green tea seems to be having the opposite of the expected reaction on my skin.
Ingredients: Purified Water, Caffeine UPS, 90% Polyphenol Isolate Of Camellia Sinenis Leaf, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bisabolol, Cucumber Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Chamomile) Extract, Triethanolamine, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Methyparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Tetra-sodium EDTA.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Sunscreen -Unlisted Brand - Topix - Replenix Ultra Sheer Physical Sunscreen Spray SPF 50
zernelle 3/18/2013 9:26:00 PM
I really wanted this sunscreen to work for me. Pure zinc sunscreen in a super lightweight liquidy base--what could be better for my super sensitive, combination skin? And at first it seemed perfect: matte, not whitening nor irritating. But alas, my skin hated it. Within a week, my skin became super dry, even though I used moisturizer underneath, and my skin broke out. I also really hate that the ingredients are listed in alphabetical order instead of by concentration, making it nearly impossible to be an ingredient detective to determine which ingredient(s) my skin hated so much. Since I waited too long to try it, I'm not able to return it, so I will use up on my body this summer (should be perfect for that).
Active ingredient: Zinc Oxide 12%. Other ingredients: Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Biotin, Green Tea Polyphenols, Cetyl PEG/PPG 10/1 Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Emblica Officinalis Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Isostearate, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Purified Water, Resveratrol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q-10).
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Dermstore - Lip Quench
zernelle 3/3/2013 5:31:00 PM
This product is part lip gloss, part lip balm. It's highly moisturizing, very lightly tinted, and a bit sticky. The stickiness keeps me from being a fan of this product. I love lip balms and hate lip glosses specifically because I abhor sticky lip products. I received this as a GWP, and I won't be purchasing it.
Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Petrolatum, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Beeswax, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Olive Oil, Soybean Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ceramide-3, Tribehenin, Propylparaben, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Fragrance, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Cleansers -DERMAdoctor - Born To Be Mild
zernelle 2/19/2013 7:01:00 PM
I love this cleanser! I have very sensitive skin that is prone to redness. I'm pretty sure that I get seborrheic dermatitis sometimes, and I may have a bit of rosacea, but I've never been diagnosed with either by a dermatologist.
Dr. Cynthia Bailey recommends a bar soap with pyrithione zinc for redness-prone skin, but I hate bar soaps and the one she sells has shea butter in it, which triggers my dermatitis. DermaDoctor Born to Be Mild is the only non-bar facial cleanser with pyrithione zinc that I have been able to find, so I decided to give it a try.
I think that the name Born to Be Mild can be misleading. The first few times I used it, my face stung, but within a week, the stinging stopped. Now it feels comforting, though you do need to be sure to keep it out of your eyes.
It is a creamy, foaming cleanser, and I use only a pea sized amount and then lather it between my hands with a bit of water before massaging it onto my face. I use it only in the morning, since I like to use my evening cleanser on my eyes, so this large tube could last as long as a year with as little as I use each day. The best thing is that my facial redness and sensitivity has significantly reduced since I started using this product.
Active Ingredient: Pyrithione Zinc (2%). Inactive Ingredients: Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Polyquaternium 7, C10 30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, PEG 12 Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Makeup Remover -Almay - Oil Free Makeup Eraser Sticks
zernelle 2/17/2013 3:11:00 PM
I really like these makeup removing sticks. They're super convenient to use and to travel with, they quickly and easily remove my stubborn eyeliner (MAC Technakohl), they don't leave a residue behind the way silicone-based makeup removers do, and they don't irritate my eyes. As far as I am concerned, they are perfect.
Ingredients: Water, poloxamer 184, butylene glycol, cucumber fruit extract, aloe leaf extract, green tea extract, disodium lauroamphodiacetate, sodium trideceth sulfate, hexylene glycol, citric acid, diazolidinyl urea, phenoxyethanol.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - Technakohl in Greyprint
zernelle 2/14/2013 11:22:00 AM
I can't believe I've circled back to using pencil eyeliner, but I love this product. Seeking something longer lasting and better for tightlining than the pencil liners I had been using, I started experimenting more than five years ago with gel and cake liners. But the gel liners always dried out too fast, and the cake liners inevitably smudged, though not badly.
I bought this liner on a whim at the Cosmetics Company Outlet (it had some sort of special edition packaging). I cannot believe how much I love it. It's soft enough to tightline my upper lashes and to smudge along my lower lashes. But then it sets to a budge-proof finish and lasts all day. And it's so much quicker than applying liner with a brush--and more travel friendly too.
The color is perfect for me too. I have very fair cool-toned skin and want my makeup to look very natural, so, this gray color is great for adding a bit of definition without being too obvious. I love liner so much that I plan to buy it in Earthline too for when I wear taupe/cool brown shadows.
Ingredients: cyclopentasiloxane, hydrogenated olive oil stearyl esters, polyethylene polybutene, silica silylate, candelilla wax, octyldodecanol, microcrystalline wax, theobroma grandiflorum seed butter, sodium hyaluronate, zinc gluconate, magnesium aspartate, tocopheryl nicotinate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, water, copper gluconate, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate. May contain: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, aluminum powder, bismuth oxychloride, black 2, blue 1 lake, carmine, chromium hydroxide green, chromium oxide greens, ferric ferrocyanide, manganese violet, ultramarines, yellow 5 lake.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Hair -Neutrogena - TGel Daily Control 2in1
zernelle 2/13/2013 5:05:00 PM
I really like this shampoo with zinc pyrithione to fight dandruff. I use it a couple times a week, in rotation with the Neutrogena T-Sal shampoo and the Free and Clear shampoo. This system keeps my dandruff at bay and fights the dermatitis I get in my ear. The shampoo lathers well, gets my hair clean, rinses easily, and isn't overly drying (a common problem with zinc pyrithione shampoos). I even use it as a body wash, and doing so has reduced breakouts on my body. Overall, I'm quite pleased with this product, and I've already repurchased it a few times.
Active Ingredient: Zinc Pyrithione (1%). Inactive Ingredients: Water, Amino Methyl Propanol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, Glycol Distearate, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, C12 13 Pareth 3, C12 13 Pareth 23, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein PG Propyl Silanetriol, BHT, Tocopheryl Acetate, Amodimethicone, Castor Isostearate Succinate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Acrylates Crosspolymer, Dichlorophenyl Imadazoldioxolan, Blue 1 Lake, Fragrance.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Olay - Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum - Fragrance Free
zernelle 2/10/2013 12:14:00 PM
I really liked this product at first. I picked it up while traveling when I had forgotten to pack my moisturizer. It moisturized my combination skin well without causing breakouts, or so I thought. But when I came back to the product after setting it aside for a few weeks, it suddenly caused my skin to break out. I'm using up the rest of the product on my arms and legs.
Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Glycerin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide 3, Tocopheryl Acetate, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Bis PEG/PPG 14/14 Dimethicone, PEG 10 Dimethicone, PEG 100 Stearate, PEG 10 Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Metabisulfite, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Benzyl Alcohol.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Styling Products -Brocato - Rootfix
zernelle 1/5/2013 8:33:00 AM
This is a very nice root-lifting mousse that has a small aerosol nozzle for focusing the product directly at the roots. It works well to provide lift and body without making hair overly stiff or weighing it down. But I wouldn't purchase it again, because the can cost me $18 at Ulta and was empty a month later. My budget simply can't afford it. I've loved other Brocato products, but they've lasted longer. I'll have to look for something cheaper but equally effective.
Ingredients: Water, Hydrofluorocarbon 152A, VP/VA Copolymer, Dimethyl Ether, Propylene Glycol, PVP, DMDM Hydantoin, Laureth-4, PPG-5 Ceteth-20, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Tetrasodium EDTA, PEG-20 Almond Glycerides, Benzophenone-4, Glycerin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Wheat Protein, Fragrance.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - M-61 Vitablast C
zernelle 11/24/2012 4:10:00 PM
I received a three-product sample set of M-61 skincare with a recent order of some makeup from the Bluemercury web site, and this is the only product in the set that my skin didn't hate. I was wary of trying it because I have not had luck with vitamin C products in the past on my sensitive skin (they irritated and made my skin turn orange). However, this vitamin C serum works well. It leaves my skin more hydrated, with fewer wrinkles, less redness and acne, and more glow. However, I won't repurchase because it is overpriced. Plus, I can't find a complete ingredients list for it anywhere, and even if I didn't think it was overpriced, I certainly wouldn't drop $92 on any product without knowing exactly what it contains. Neverthless, this product has rekindled my interest in vitamin C products for my face, and I'd like to try a cheaper one.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Treatments -Unlisted Brand - M-61 Hydraboost
zernelle 11/23/2012 9:44:00 PM
I really wish I knew what is in this product, but I can't find a complete ingredients list anywhere. I received a three-product sample set of M-61 skincare with a recent order of some makeup from the Bluemercury web site. And this product broke me out terribly! Without a complete ingredients list, I can't begin to do any detective work for potential culprits. But I will approach B5 serums with caution now.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Unlisted Brand - M-61 Fast Blast
zernelle 11/22/2012 1:21:00 PM
I received a three-product sample set of M-61 skincare with a recent order of some makeup from the Bluemercury web site. This was the first product I tested. Since I have sensitive skin and I couldn't find a complete ingredients list for the product anywhere, I tested it on my hand first. It stung the skin on my hands, so I chose not to apply it to my face. If you have sensitive skin, approach this product with caution.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No