Makeup
- HeathRene » See my profile
- Points: 62380
- Reviews: 285
Here are all my reviews:
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I bought this because I wanted to incorporate a retinol treatment into my nighttime skin regime. I have read in numerous places that retinol is one of the only ingredients that is actually PROVEN to help fight wrinkles, reverse sun damage and improve the appearance of pores. Perricone's treatment boasts the highest amount of retinol available without a prescription and without the sensitivity. Since this is a night treatment, you don't have to worry about sensitivity to the sun, although you should still wear sunscreen during the day anyway. I have been using this every night for the past four months and I have really been liking it. I use two pumps to cover my entire face, focusing on my problem areas (forehead, chin, nose and smile lines). This sinks right into my skin and makes it feel soft and moisturized. Most nights, I follow this up with my regular nighttime moisturizer, but for more oily skinned gals, just this would probably be enough. I have not experienced any sensitivity or peeling from using this treatment. At first, I wasn't confident this was doing much for my skin, except preventing future wrinkles and such. After a few months though, I do think that the overall appearance of my skin has improved. The lines on my forehead seem less pronounced and my blackheads (ick!) have decreased. I still have over half of my bottle left too, so I can vouch that this does last quite some time. I will finish my bottle completely, but I do plan on looking for a less expensive alternative when I am through with this. I do really love this, but it costs $98 for two ounces. Since this is the first retinol treatment I have tried, I think it is worth seeing if Dr. Perricone is worth the price, or if a cheaper version would work just as well. For ease of use and effectiveness, I think this rates a 9 or 10, but I am giving it an 8 based on the high price tag.
November 14, 2012
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I bit the bullet and forked over the $10 for these cotton pads. I have not been disappointed! These feel so luxurious and soft on your face and eyes, it's incredible. Using these makes makeup removal and toning a much more pleasurable experience. These are larger than your standard cotton round so one is enough to cover your whole face, or both your eyes if using for eye makeup removal. Having sensitive skin, these make me feel much better about dragging cotton all over my face if I have to. Another reviewer said these could be split, and while I'm sure it worked fine for them, the middle of these was too fluffy for splitting to be effective for me. I do think that you can get away with using slightly less product when using these as opposed to traditional cotton pads so that is a slight justification for the price. The difference of product usage isn't much though. I recently purchased a balm cleanser that you tissue off instead of using water for nights I spend away from home and these work so well with that cleanser. With other cotton pads, traces of fluff are often left behind, but these don't do that at all. It may seem silly to spend this much on such a basic product, and I think Shiseido is extorting us all a bit, but it is so hard to find good quality cotton pads that I do think these are worth the price. You can also consider that since these are large and don't fall apart, you will use less than you would with others. I plan to repurchase these once my current package runs out.
November 9, 2012
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My legs get extremely irritated super easily and I have a mild case of eczema. Normal body washes make my legs dry and really itchy. My dermatologist told me I should switch to a fragrance free body wash and this is what I picked up. It was actually really hard for me to find a fragrance-free body wash that actually was fragrance free! Reading the labels, many still had perfumes in them. This wash appeared to be even more gentle and natural than than most of the baby washes I looked at. Since using this fragrance free, sensitive skin, creamy body wash from Aveeno, most of the dry, irritated symptoms I had have ceased. A little of this goes a long way on my loofah and it lathers so well. I had to actually stop myself from using the amount I normally would with my previous body washes because too much lather and product was left after I washed my whole body and shaved my legs. This is a great option for shaving your legs as well. It can be applied the same way a shaving cream would. This is so rich and creamy. It has absolutely no scent at all so if you have allergies or sensitivities it is totally "safe". Because my legs are extremely dry, I usually follow this up with lotion when I get out of the shower, but even when I skip the lotion, my legs still feel nourished and are not itchy or irritated at all. I'd recommend this to anyone with dry, sensitive skin and/or eczema. Great product!
November 9, 2012
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I have tried a few samples of BB creams, but nothing really wowed me. Most were too dark for my fair skin. I tried a sample of the Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB cream and while it was too moisturizing for my combination skin, I was encouraged that the color matched my skin so nicely. I went out on a limb and purchased this full size "Premium" BB Cream after reading so many outstanding reviews on Sephora's website and I am so glad I did! This stuff is wonderful. It applies really easily with a little going a long way. This blends quickly and evenly into my skin...much easier than most regular foundations. For me, the amount of coverage is perfect. It evens everything out, making my skin look healthy and nourished. It is not full coverage, but I rarely go for such heavy coverage anyway. All I need in addition to this is some under eye concealer and maybe some spot correcting on any super noticeable blemish(es). I do use a light powder on top of this, just to reduce shine. Since my skin gets more dry in the winter months, I think this will be especially nice since it won't cake or cling to any dry patches on my face. This is really like a second skin. The high SPF is great too. What blows me away about this is its ability to nourish and moisturize my skin so effectively without making me look shiny, even hours after I apply it. Amazing! Since BB cream has blown up this year, so many new BB creams are hitting the market, but I think Dr. Jart is the real deal. If you are considering a true BB cream, I would definitely recommend starting with Dr. Jart.
November 8, 2012
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I am generally skeptical of Philosophy skincare products because I have not had much luck with others that I have tried. I got a sample of this two step microdelivery system and was eager to try it because I had read so many great reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised when I used this! Even though the two steps might seem cumbersome, this is so easy and quick to do. It's even fun! I applied the vitamin c crystals and then when I applied the activating gel on top, it instantly warmed on contact. It felt amazing. It didn't burn or tingle at all, just warmed and made you feel like the activator was actually activating something. The whole process took well under ten minutes and the "mask" that formed was even easy to wash off. I love that there are both chemical and (small) physical exfoliators in this duo because all your bases are covered. This has vitamin c and lactic acid in so you get a gentle exfoliating and brightening affect. When I washed this off, my face felt great. Not red, sensitive or overly dry at all. The next morning I thought my skin looked great. Keeping the two products separate helps ensure that the active ingredients in each stay effective. I look forward to buying the full size kit so I can reap the benefits of this beautiful product more often.
November 2, 2012
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I bought this to help with my congested, large pores after it was recommended to me by a Lancome lady. This was reasonably priced for a high end brand so I bought it and started using it about once a week. It works well enough. This is just a five minute mask so it is quick and convenient to use. My pores look and feel tighter after I use it, though the affect doesn't really last. Since buying this several months ago, I have just found other clay/mud masks that are more pleasant to use and work a bit better. This one has lots of chemicals in it which is a turn off. I prefer more naturally derived masks. This smells like Noxema to me. It is also really hard to remove. I have to do several rinses and go over my face with a wet wash cloth to get everything off. I will continue to use this until it is done, but I look forward to using more natural, pleasant pore refining face masks once this is gone.
October 30, 2012
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This was recommended to me by my older sister who is very skeptical of skincare and cosmetic claims. She vouched for this saying that she has noticed a difference in her skin since using this and that she even sees a (negative) change when she doesn't use this. I was looking for an anti-aging kind of serum that was safe to use in the morning and picked up a bottle of this. Compared to many other similar types of products I researched prior to buying, this was not as expensive as most. I have now been using this for over two months and I really like it. It has a high concentration of vitamin c which is meant to help prevent wrinkles and loss of elasticity as well as fade sun spots and hyper pigmentation. I mainly started using this to prevent future damage but I have actually noticed that a fairly prominent spot on my cheek that I had for months was fading and now, it's gone. Rejoice! This tells me that this is actually doing something to reverse signs of aging. Prevention is key and I don't really expect anti aging products to reverse damage so the fact that did, speaks volumes. This is really easy and even enjoyable to use. The pump is great at dispensing only the amount you want. I use two pumps to cover my entire face. It has a slight warming effect that feels really nice. It is nothing too intense and doesn't tingle at all. My skin drinks this up so nothing is left behind and I can follow up with my regular moisturizer and makeup. I use this everyday in the morning only. My bottle is still going strong after two months of solid use. I have about two thirds of the product left. I am not giving a full ten stars because I am curious to see how a product that has other antioxidants in addition to vitamin c will work for me. There are others on the market that contain vitamin a, c and e that I will look into after I finish my bottle of Kiehl's. That being said, I will continue to enjoy using my current bottle and if other products don't work at least as well, I will happily return to this.
October 26, 2012
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I got a deluxe sample of High Beam in the Benefit "Finding Mr. Bright" set (a great little set by the way if you are interested in these types of products from Benefit). I had wanted to try High Beam for some time, but was put off by the price. I really like this though! When my sample is finished I will seriously consider picking up the full size version. The brush applicator makes this a breeze to apply, even on the go. The color is a sort of champagne pink that blends into the skin beautifully. IT is different to other highlighters I have because the color isn't gold or silver, it's more flesh toned, making it that much more natural. When blended, this imparts a super subtle shimmer that catches the light so nicely. I apply this after my foundation to the high points of my cheekbones and it lifts and brightens my complexion. Like others have mentioned, a little of this goes a long way so even my sample should last me several months.
October 26, 2012
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This isn't my favorite primer, but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this was to use. I had tried the Smashbox primer and it really didn't work for me and since the consistency of this seemed similar, I was skeptical. Benefit's POREfessional has a lot less slip to it than the Smashbox though, making it easier to apply effectively. This doesn't do anything to brighten or even your complexion, but it smooths over your fine lines and fills in your pores, creating a nice, smooth base for your foundation. This is really where this primer stands out. It is great at combating patchy foundation and concealer application.
October 25, 2012
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I am not the type to wear many glittery, shimmery shades of nail polish, but I absolutely adore the Luxe Effects line from Essie. Having many creamy, opaque shades in my collection, these glittery top coats are wonderful for adding a little pizzaz to manicures. Because these are glitter suspended in clear nail polish they are so versatile. You can wear any of these on top of any polish in your collection. These are great for an accent nail, glittery french tips, faded sparkles at the top or bottom of your nails, or just all over. I love that these all contain various sizes of glitter in each bottle. It creates such a nice effect on the nails. I have these in the chunky silver, the pink and the less chunky gold. All get used fairly regularly and considering the amount of nail polish I have, that says something!
October 25, 2012
