[dmitchell15]

Product name/shade: Clean and clear Soft in shower facial steam
Review: Great product really makes you face glow and you definitely feel like you are in a spa. It it sits on your face for 1 minute while you shower and then you rub it in because it is also a scrub. When you get out your face feels so much smoother. This is a great pick me up product. However, make sure you follow the directions because it says on the package don't use more than 1-3x a week.

Price: $6.50

Will purchase again: YES!

Where to find it: Any drugstore should carry it. Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, Target, etc...

[madamestuff]

Product name/shade: Everday Minerals Foundation in 'Intensive' (this is a formula, not a colour).

Review: This was a truly, truly horrible foundation. My DF kicked off the day saying my skin looked 'funny' (Okay, I thought... this is just a different finish to my usual foundation). When we got into the car he commented my skin looked dry. By the time we were halfway to the office, he'd asked me twice why I was frowning (I wasn't) - I realised that the foundation was forming a bizaare klingon-esque ridge in the middle of my eyebrows from general facial movement. At lunchtime, he said my skin looked plasticy and wrinkly and proceeded to spend the rest of the day poking my forehead with an outstretched index finger to examine the plastic-ness of it. To make matters worse, it felt chalky on my skin (and I don't even remember the last time I had a foundation I could feel!), and was patchy by hometime.

Price: $5ish depending on the size of the container.

Will purchase again: Thankfully, I just got a sample... I wouldn't even buy it once!

Where to find it: www.everydayminerals.com

[dreamgirl]

Product name/shade: Seche Vite dry fast top coat

Review: Does make my two coats of polish dry superfast, but a day later my polish seemed to "bubble up" and just peel off in one big strip. I tried it 3x with different brands of polish each time with the same results. I was so hoping that this would work.

Price: $7.99

Will purchase again: No

Where to find it: got mine at CVS

[anneonimiss]

^ that happens to me with a lot of topcoats. How weird.

[ArmCandyLuvr]

Product name/shade: Murad Acne Complex Starter Kit

Review: This stuff is horrible. I bought it thinking it would help with my acne, but all it did was make my face feel shiny and filmy, and it smelled terrible! My face actually felt oiler after using it! The products in the kit all smell nasty, especially the spot treatment. It contains sulfur and it makes your face smell like burnt matches. I put it on at night, because I didn't want to walk around stinking in public. My acne didn't get any better either. What a waste of money!

Price: ~$35

Will purchase again: HELL NO!

Where to find it: Sephora, but I wouldn't waste my time if I were you!

[anneonimiss]

^ Thanks for the advice.

[claireZk]

Product name/shade: Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

Review: This stuff is supposed to be a miracle conditioner, able to transform even the crispiest hair into silk. My official stance on its effectiveness is: meh. My first issue with it is that I'm not sure I used it right... The directions say to rub the paste between your palms, work it through your hair, leaving it on for 10-20 mins before shampooing as usual. I don't have damaged hair so I left it on for 10 minutes, just hoping for softer hair.

My second issue with it is that it STINKS. Literally. If you've ever been to a hippie party, or are familiar with the term "dirty hippie," there you have it. It smells dirty, smoky and insense-y. I planned on leaving it on for an hour, but the smell was making me gag. After I shampooed my hair, it just felt normal. I blow dried the roots and went to bed. When I woke up my roots felt nice, but not like miraculously nice. I thought my ends were still wet, but they were just greasy

I checked the ingredients today and this stuff is pure hydrogenated palm nut oil; I think that might be the problem lol. I still have another sample, so maybe I'll try it again, using it more sparingly and making sure to blow dry my hair after I wash it

Price: $21-55 (Sephora has generous samples, that's how I was able to try it)

Will purchase again: I seriously doubt it

Where to find it: Ulta or Sephora

[born-to-shop]

Product Name/Shade: Frédéric Fekkai Luscious Curls Shampoo + Conditioner

Review: It is supposed to enhance your curls and defrizz them. I usally think shampoos and conditioner don't really hold what they promise but this stuff was really good! I really makes my hair curl more beautiful and when I let it air dry it has less frizz than with other shampoos. In addition, it leaves your hair very smooth and silky. I currently live at two different places (my bf's and mine) so I have two different shampoos and conditioners and I seriously feel the difference when I'm not using the Fekkai stuff! another thing I like about it, usually when washing my hair before bed the next day it's not nice anymore but with Fekkai it really stays "intact".

Price: ~$30

Will purchase again: I'll definetly going to buy the conditioner again! as much as I like the shampoo $30 is a bit much as I go trough it pretty fast. Hope it works also with conditioner only

Where to find: Sephora

[daphodill84]

Product Name/Shade: L'oreal Bare Naturale mineral foundation / concealer

Review: Supposedly a natural and mineral based concealer and foundation that gives you perfect coverage and a natural look. They are both powder based, and comes with a kabuki brush on top to apply with.

The first problem I had was that it's hard to get the foundation out of the packaging - I had to pour some into the cap and then use it from there. (I don't remember what they're called... but it's the type of bottle where there's a cap with all those little perforated holes in them, so that it only distributes a little makeup at a time and you can't put the brush directly into the foundation).

The concealer is great - does provide excellent coverage and looks very natural. Despite that the brush that comes with the foundation is very large, I thought it still ended up making my skin look a little bit streaky; plus, I couldn't really tell that big of a difference when I used it. It says just to apply a little bit, but I had to apply a lot to be able to get the kind of coverage I wanted, and then I still was dissatisfied with the amount of coverage on other areas.

It is very light though, and unscented and feels pretty good on the skin, if that's what you're looking for.

Price: $10-15

Will purchase again: No probably not...

Where to find: Drug stores

[Tracy]

Originally Posted by dreamgirl

Product name/shade: Seche Vite dry fast top coat

Review: Does make my two coats of polish dry superfast, but a day later my polish seemed to "bubble up" and just peel off in one big strip. I tried it 3x with different brands of polish each time with the same results. I was so hoping that this would work.

Price: $7.99

Will purchase again: No

Where to find it: got mine at CVS

have you tried starting w/ a really good stickey base coat?? that may help

[jc2239]

Originally Posted by MissTiss

I was sooooooooooo looking at this when I was at Sephora last week. Picking it up! Damn this beauty forum! LOL.

i hope you like it!

Originally Posted by claireZk

Product name/shade: Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

Review: This stuff is supposed to be a miracle conditioner, able to transform even the crispiest hair into silk. My official stance on its effectiveness is: meh. My first issue with it is that I'm not sure I used it right... The directions say to rub the paste between your palms, work it through your hair, leaving it on for 10-20 mins before shampooing as usual. I don't have damaged hair so I left it on for 10 minutes, just hoping for softer hair.

My second issue with it is that it STINKS. Literally. If you've ever been to a hippie party, or are familiar with the term "dirty hippie," there you have it. It smells dirty, smoky and insense-y. I planned on leaving it on for an hour, but the smell was making me gag. After I shampooed my hair, it just felt normal. I blow dried the roots and went to bed. When I woke up my roots felt nice, but not like miraculously nice. I thought my ends were still wet, but they were just greasy

I checked the ingredients today and this stuff is pure hydrogenated palm nut oil; I think that might be the problem lol. I still have another sample, so maybe I'll try it again, using it more sparingly and making sure to blow dry my hair after I wash it

Price: $21-55 (Sephora has generous samples, that's how I was able to try it)

Will purchase again: I seriously doubt it

Where to find it: Ulta or Sephora

i've tried one of their conditioners and had major issues with the smell as well-it literally made me gag. i can usually deal pretty well with stinky products, but this was just beyond my tolerance level. and then lucky me, when i washed my hair again the next day, my whole shower smelled of whatever it is this stuff smells like once again. i felt like the smell stayed in my hair for days .

[Tracy]

Originally Posted by daphodill84

Product Name/Shade: L'oreal Bare Naturale mineral foundation / concealer

Review: Supposedly a natural and mineral based concealer and foundation that gives you perfect coverage and a natural look. They are both powder based, and comes with a kabuki brush on top to apply with.

The first problem I had was that it's hard to get the foundation out of the packaging - I had to pour some into the cap and then use it from there. (I don't remember what they're called... but it's the type of bottle where there's a cap with all those little perforated holes in them, so that it only distributes a little makeup at a time and you can't put the brush directly into the foundation).

The concealer is great - does provide excellent coverage and looks very natural. Despite that the brush that comes with the foundation is very large, I thought it still ended up making my skin look a little bit streaky; plus, I couldn't really tell that big of a difference when I used it. It says just to apply a little bit, but I had to apply a lot to be able to get the kind of coverage I wanted, and then I still was dissatisfied with the amount of coverage on other areas.

It is very light though, and unscented and feels pretty good on the skin, if that's what you're looking for.

Price: $10-15

Will purchase again: No probably not...

Where to find: Drug stores

i use this everyday and have for over a year.
i usually gently shake the container before i twist the cover off, twist the cover off and take off the brush cover. then dip my brush into the powder, if there is too much powder in the sifter i just shimmy it back and forth to make some go back in the holes. and if i get too much on the brush i blow a little off.
and for the concealer and the foundation, it's buildable coverage, so you can start out light and go a little heavier where you need it.
i hope that helps alittle b/c i do think it's a great inexpensive alternative!!

[claireZk]

Originally Posted by jc2239

i've tried one of their conditioners and had major issues with the smell as well-it literally made me gag. i can usually deal pretty well with stinky products, but this was just beyond my tolerance level. and then lucky me, when i washed my hair again the next day, my whole shower smelled of whatever it is this stuff smells like once again. i felt like the smell stayed in my hair for days .

YES! I shampooed twice and conditioned after I used it AND blowdried, but I can still smell it. Pluse I made the mistake of sampling a scented body lotion that also has an "incense" note after my shower, so I smell absolutely disgusting today!

[claireZk]

As per Nola's request ...

Product name/shade: Tarte Peaches & Cream Foundation in Light

Review: The description says that this foundation will provide the mythical Peaches and Cream complexion. It's a cream to powder formula, hypoallergenic, oil free, loaded with good stuff like Vitamins A, C and E, and it's Spf 20. It comes in 4 shades: fair, light, medium and tan.

I already have a peach complexion, so I wasn't sure how this would work for me, but the color's great. Generally, the fewer shades a company makes the more neutral they will be and this is no exception. I think it would look good on most people. It's hard to tell if it really gives a peaches and cream complexion, but it does seem to brighten up my face. It makes me look fresh and healthy. The formula is a little dry for me, because it's oil free (nothing a little extra moisturizer won't fix). But the upside is that I don't need a powder with this-- I put it on and right away it instantly dries to a velvety soft texture.

My only gripe is that the package is tiny. IMO you don't get enough product for how pricey it is. Also it's limited edition, so I don't want to get too hooked on it.

Price: $35 (too much IMO)

Will purchase again: If they keep making it, I will buy it again

Where to find it: Sephora or Tartecosmetics.com

[Tracy]

^^thanks sweetie! limited edition?? oh no.