Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle…at Any Age
by Rebecca Booth, MD, is a book which helps explain why women feel better, look better, and respond better to life around a certain time each month.
Dr. Booth calls these days, which are the days a woman is most fertile, The Venus Week, and gives examples of things to look for during The Venus week, as well as things that might supress the benefits of The Venus Week.
In addition to this, Dr. Booth discusses “The Beauty of Venus” and explains why hormonal changes cause women to have hair that is shinier, skin that is clear and glowing, and to have more confidence in themselves during a few days each month.
She also teaches us how to maximize that effect, and to work with our skin to minimize negative effects - for example during the Minerva phase, which is the term that Dr. Booth uses to refer to the week following ovulation dullness may occur due to a drop in elasticity in the skin - therefore during Minerva women should exfoliate their faces daily. During other weeks the face should only be exfoliated once a week.
The Venus Week was an interesting read, and although she didn’t mention beauty as much as I expected from a book that offered “The Venus Week Plan - A complete diet, lifestyle and beauty program that maximizes your Venus and improves your health,” the plan was useful, and I think I would see some improvements if I’ve followed it.
If you’ve read the Venus Week, or if you have any other thoughts about this matter, I’d love to hear what you think about it.
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Thursday, June 12th, 2008
I got a sample of John Frieda’s Weather Works Weather-Proofing Daily Shampoo, conditioner, and style sealant creme the other day.
Unfortunately, after using the shampoo and conditioner I noticed that I had a lot more tangles in the ends of my hair, so I won’t be using it again. I try to do everything I can to keep split ends away.
The Style sealant creme did seem to keep frizziness at bay when I used it - in fact the first day I used it (with Garnier Fructus Moisture Works Shampoo and Conditioner) a woman followed me around in CVS saying how beautiful my hair was, and telling her husband how beautiful it was :-).
The instructions for the style sealant say to apply a quarter size amount to towel dried hair, but even though I have long hair, my hair is easily weighed down so I just dabbed a little on my hands and wiped it through my hair, and it still worked.
If it keeps working I think I’ll end up buying this.
LOL, I didn’t need frizz control in Savannah, but I need it in Minnesota, what’s up with that?
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Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
How long does it take a bath bomb to stop fizzing?
If it’s a Spasecrets Cocoa Butter Bath Bomb over 13 minutes.
I used a Spasecrets bath bomb, $6, in the Tropical Twist scent last night, and I was surprised at how long it kept fizzing.
After a few minutes I decided I should time it, so I’d know how long it fizzed - and so I could tell you.
The bath bomb continued to fizz for 13 minutes after we started timing it (I kept asking Jeff what time it was, I don’t have a clock in the bathroom), but I did add the bomb after I turned the water off instead of putting it under running water like most people recommend.
Spasecrets bath bombs are made with “cocoa butter, coconut oil, goat’s milk and grape seed oil,” and I could definitely feel the moisturizing agents while I was soaking.
I had fun watching the bath bomb dissolve, and watching the multi-colored nonpareils, were located througout the bath bomb, instead of just being in the top layer, float up as the bomb dissolved.
The fragrance of the bath bomb was really strong, and it was noticeable as soon as I took the bath bomb out of it’s plastic wrapper, and spread throughout the upstairs while I was taking my bath.
Spasecrets Acai Oil Body Butter
The Acai Oil Body Butter in Fun in the Sun, $18 for 4 oz, is a moisturizing body butter, that didn’t leave me feeling greasy.
The scent is also strong, and it lingers.
I was surprised that even after washing my hands several times, and applying another kind of lotion I could still faintly smell the Fun in the Sun smell that lingered on my hands.
If you’ve tried Spasecrets I’d love to hear about your experience.
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Monday, June 9th, 2008
Megalash Mascara
I love Redpoint’s Megalash Mascara in Satin Black, $22.
The mascara applies easily, and doesn’t clump unless I get impatient and apply too much too fast.
This mascara is a dream after the Covergirl Lashblast Mascara I’ve been using.
I love not having to fix smears and declump my lashes when I’m getting ready in the morning.
I did notice longer thicker lashes with Redpoint’s mascara, although I can’t tell if it’s the 727 percent increase that was seen in the clinical tests mentioned on the Redpoint web site.
Even if it’s not, it’s enough to make my normally invisible lashes visible, and that’s good enough for me.
Airbrush Effects Blush Whip
I tried the Airbrush Effects Blush Whip, $28 in Vida, a rosy pink, and Glow, a peachy pink.
I was surprised at how similar these products looked when I swatched them and had them right next to each other, because I hadn’t realized how similar they were before, because they look so different on.
Both of the blushes apply easily and smoothly, and although they do fade a little throughout the day, the blush whips don’t fade to the point where it looks like I tried to put on a full face of makeup but I forgot my blush.
I don’t normally wear cream blushes, so I had I have to confess that I did add a little too much blush a time or too - a quick swipe of powder and the blush was toned down to a more appropriate level.
Although Blush Whip contains anti-aging treatments and has a “Ultra moisturizing formula” I didn’t have any trouble wearing it on my oily skin.
Redpoint Stayput Anti-Aging Eyeliner Pencil
Redpoint’s Stayput Eyeliner Pencil, $21 is smooth!
I don’t think I’ve ever used a pencil eyeliner that was as smooth as this one.
No pulling, no tugging, just a smooth line of eyeliner that lasts all day!
The liner is easily smudgeable with the built in smudger, but after it’s set it doesn’t come off.
I actually tried to smudge the liner on my arm after I took a few pictures of the swatches, and it didn’t move.
The Stayput eyeliner only comes in Conga, a “dark brown metallic” color.
Extreme Volume Lip Gloss
I tried the extreme volume lip gloss, $24, in Cherubic.
Although I didn’t notice a visible plumping effect, the lip gloss is a nice, non-sticky, shiny gloss, that looks great over a darker color of lipstick or liner.
Redpoint Packaging
The packaging for Repoint is elegant - Everything except for the lip gloss arrived in a black box with the name of the product, information about the product, an ingredient list, and how long the products should be good for, which is always nice to know.
Redpoint Swatches
And what you’ve all been waiting for, the Redpoint Swatches.
See why I was surprised at how similar Glow and Vida look.
The Conga Stayput Eyeliner can also be applied lighter, or smudged if you aren’t going for that dark look.
If you’ve tried Redpoint, or if you have any comments about the line or my experience with it, leave me a comment.
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Thursday, June 5th, 2008
I’ve got a Bellissima Trucco Mineral Review up at Sarah’s Surprises.
I was really impressed with these minerals - even though I was outside gardening a lot when I was wearing them.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Although nothing’s really changed since the CoverGirl Lashblast Waterproof Mascara - Day 2 review, I did take a vacation with my husband last week, and I got to try Covergirl Lashblast in a pool, sauna, and hot tub.
Although I didn’t remember that I was wearing the mascara until halfway through the sauna, when I did ask my husband if I had mascara running down my face, he said I didn’t.
I was actually pretty surprised.
I didn’t remember to check out the mascara before I showered, so I can’t tell you how it looked after all of that, but the fact that it wasn’t running down my face while I was in the pool and hot tub was pretty impressive to me.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been swimming and ended up with black streaks all under my face.
My About Face Cosmetics shadows held up pretty well too, although they did crease a little, but hey - they didn’t act up until I got in a swimming pool, so I’m not complaining.
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Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
I’ve been using Somme Institutes 5 step Skincare line since Friday and I’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the oiliness on my face.
It’s finally getting warmer here in Minnesota, and my skin’s been getting a lot oilier than usual.
I was about to go and try to find something else that would help decrease the oiliness, when I was asked to review Somme Institute’s Skincare line.
The line consists of a 5 step program, which includes the Nourishing Cleanser, $40, which is used in the morning and evening. The cleanser is nonfoaming, and slips easily over my skin.
Although I haven’t used many nonfoaming cleansers, I love that the Nourishing Cleanser doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry or tight after using it.
I skipped the rest of the skincare line for one day - morning and evening, and although my skin wasn’t as oily as it was before I started using Somme Institute’s Skincare, it was a little bit oilier than it was after I used the entire line.
Step Two in the program is Transport, $58, which are pads that “are infused with MDT5 and a synergistic blend of alpha hydroxy (AHA) and beta hydroxy (BHA) acids to exfoliate dead cells on the skin’s surface and unclog blocked pores”.
I do have sensitive skin at times, and I found out that I need to wait a little bit before I use the transport, or my skin will start to sting.
Step Three is Serum, $82, which “Boosts collagen production, reverse sun damage, promote healthy, acne-free skin.”
The serum is nice and easy to spread, and has the faintest hint of an orange smell.
Step Four is A-Bomb, $70, which restores “optimal function to skin cells and speeding cell renewal, A-Bomb aggressively repairs sun damage, eliminates fine lines and wrinkles, and targets problem areas on acne-prone skin.”
This cream is truly lightweight, and doesn’t leave my oily skin feeling like I’m adding moisture that I don’t need to my face.
Step 5 is Double Defense Day Moisture, $48. Since this step contains SPF 30+ sun protection, it is only used in the morning, unlike the rest of the products. Of course since you can reapply the Double Defense Day Moisture as needed if you’ll be out in the sun for a while.
“Double Defense goes steps beyond traditional sunscreens by combining free-radical scavengers and anti-inflammatory agents with the most sophisticated sun protection technology, including Phytosorb and Parsol 1789. Double Defense also creates an effective water-resistant barrier to lock in skin’s vital moisture.”
This felt like sunscreen going on - it applied easily, but I had to make sure that it was completely rubbed in. It also felt a little greasy, but that disappeared within minutes, and my skin still doesn’t feel anywhere near as oily as it did before I started using this line.
I love that the sun protection is included as a step in the skincare program.
I have to admit that I’m bad at remembering to put on sunscreen every day, but since I’ve started using this line, and my sunscreen is lined up with the rest of my skincare I haven’t forgotten it once.
Somme Institutes eye cream, aptly named Eye, $72, is not included in the five step program.
However it is to be used after the five step program.
The eye cream is “Infused with Controlled-Release Eye-Specific MDT5, EYE hydrates and brings back skin elasticity to eye contour, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles.”
It’s easy to apply, although it did take me a couple of tries to determine how much to press the pump bottle so that I wouldn’t get too much out.
I’ve only been using the Somme Institute Skincare Regimen for four days, so it’s hard to tell if there are any other improvements in my skin other than the dramatic decrease in oil production, but this skincare line is worth it to me for the oil control alone. The fact that it includes sunscreen, helps to reduce the signs of aging, has a pleasant orange scent, and applies easily are added bonuses.
Somme Institute Skincare comes in color cordinated boxes, which contain the number of each item’s step when you open up the lid. The boxes also contain information about the benefits of the product, usage instructions, and ingredient list, and any cautions about the product.
The containers themselves are sleek, white, and have minimal writing (the name of the product, usage instructions, and contact information) on them. They also have a large colored dot on the product, that corresponds to the color on the boxes and the step in the system.
I’d prefer it if the step number was written on the bottles themselves, so I wouldn’t have to refer to the boxes, or read the fine print on the bottles to make sure I’m using the products in the proper order, but that’s not a big deal.
Stay tuned, and I’ll give you a one month and a three month update on how I’m doing with the Somme Institute Skincare Regimen.
If you’d tried this line please leave me a comment and tell me how it worked for you.
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