2007 rolling beauty product thread for girlies and girly-men

I am almost out of eye cream and am looking for a recommendation. I'm looking for one to use at night, for moisturizing/wrinkle-prevention purposes.

clinique's repairwear eye cream works really well for me.

i haven't actually used toner/astringent in many months... i kind of forgot about it!

Surmounter, thanks for the eye cream recommendation. I will check it out!

i'm a big fan of the st. ives scrub but not like hte one everyone thinks of - it's this weird one that's like really smooth and it only has small beads in it

i use it every day - it's soothing but it exfoliates just a touch.

My favorite exfoliant for face is Jafra's Malibu Miracle Mask. The name is stupid, but I've used it since I was in high school and still love it.

Current beauty product obsessions: body butters from The Body Shop and MAC lipstick.

x-post: I can't get too creative with facial products as the skin is very sensitve; had a bad experience with witch oil n 7th grade.

So yes!
xpost - I tried that Neutrogena one, Mary, and guess what, no difference AT ALL :(

i've been using the strivectin eye stuff for the past 3 months, and it's been great. it's a bit pricey ($54, i think?) but very concentrated and about double the amount of the usual small jar. it's going to last at least another six months.

Is there any astringent out there that is uber-sensitive and won't make you break out?

just skip it if you're having so much trouble. i've never read anything that says astringent is a necessity. it can be useful for certain issues, but in your case it sounds like it does more harm than good. the kiehl's calendula stuff is lush, though.

Scrub: a little baking soda mixed with cleanser, also 1x or 2x/week. Zia's Fresh Cleansing Gel is excellent for my (normal, getting-old) skin. Sometimes I just use a washcloth and feel like that's enough exfoliation.

I only wear sunblock in the summer. My skin doesn't like it much, and I cannot believe that UV light exposure is an issue in the winter in the Upper Midwest.

I got some sort of scrub from Kohl's as a free sample, and really liked it, but I dunno if I want to spend $25 on a new bottle.

i use cetaphil daily facial cleanser for normal to oily skin in the evenings. it is clear, not too lotion-y like the regular cetaphil. i find it is good for makeup removal (though i recommend an eye makeup remover first) and not too harsh. then i use a night moisturizer. in the morning after i've been all moisturized for some time is when i use an exfoliating cleanser - i used to use loreal pure zone one because it was v. minty and would help wake me up but they didn't have it when i was at duane reade so i got a neutrogena visibily even foaming cleanser which is a bit less exfoliating but seems nice so far. i worry it might be a tad too creamy, but i guess that's not so bad in the winter. i think i feel exfoliating is better in morning because you're not worrying about getting makeup off AND exfoliating. also, then you feel fresh for the day! i don't know if there's any dermatological merit to this reasoning, though. anyway, i guess i've been lucky with skin lately - i get occasional blemishes, usually pre or post period, but for the most part i'm finally at a point where my skin manages to stay reasonably clear most of the time.

Are there actually any creams that really do visibly reduce that kind of redness on the skin, and aren't some kind of snake oil? I've seen a few that claimed it, and now I can't recall what brand it was (or wether it really works).

I haven't found anything that reduces redness, except by covering it up. If you can find a makeup that is (believe it or not) green to go under your foundation, that neutralizes the red. Mary Kay used to make a green-shaded product for this purpose, but that has been discontinued. I have yet to try this, but there are also yellow tone neutralizers out there that might work.

As for the bumps, that is the purpose of my exfoliating.

yup, i've been on the lookout for ricky's-style places out here. that store is a godsend.

i actually did find the terax yesterday! i stumbled upon a small beauty-supply shop downtown that i never knew existed, and they were selling it for $17! i win.

does the buffy take regular use to see results? i've only used it once, but it may take a while for me since i have Very Special dry skin.

i'm using lush ocean salt for my face lately and though i love the smell, i'm not sure that it's the best exfoliant for my face. i'd been using baking soda/cetaphil before, but NOTHING gets my face completely unflaky. grrr dry skin. i might try their japanese girl soap for that since it seems like it would be more moisturizing as it exfoliates anyway.

lush dream cream is the best body cream ever.

does anyone do makeupalley.com swaps? i just got a lush flying fox shower gel sample, and i'm waiting on some alba botanica stuff and a mac lipstick. it's great fun.

i am not a fan of lush...it all seems way too expensive for what it is. plus their packaging is sometimes really flimsy, and the scents are too strong for me. as far as botanical/"natural" stuff goes, i really like alba. pretty much everything i've tried of theirs is very good. it's not too heavy (they make a nice oil-free moisturizer), and the scents are pretty subtle/restrained.

the latter - fake tanning
xpost to mands
she says that she's tried many fake tanners and this is the best
she wears a lot of makeup and tight clothes, but is nice

"She wears a lot of high heels and eyeliner, but is nice. For a mouthbreather."

basically at work i alternatively feel like a tomboy slob or like a low-key rockstar
xpost
loll

^^ my tombstone??

i am tomboy slob at work all the way. i never wear makeup and all my shoes are very clunky.

in a way i want to care but in another way i cannot
i do my work but i'm not a very good 'work person'
somehow i felt that lipstick might help this but no dice - i have enough multitasking to do, when i am going to put lipstick on? and for who? hi i am wearing a wool skirt and a t-shirt with a dragon on it

OMG my boss would plotz.

I have a Tshirt that says "SCIENCE FUCKING FICTION" and I want so much to wear it to work.

i dress pretty much the bare minimum of businessiness required by my office. no jeans or tshirts...i have like 3 of the same black skirts and wear them with different tights everyday and so far nobody has noticed.

i used to get made fun of at an old job for not getting manicures, but nobody cares here.

Yah, my boss thinks I shd get manicures too but she's resigned now to my very unsettled, make-do, little kid life. My lack of credit cards, manicures, Kleenex (isn't this what toilet paper is for?), central heat, planned vacations, and so on. They've even started to find me kind of funny, I think...? After five years....

i only wear the super bright t-shirts on fridays

oh i look like shit almost everyday. i wear converse pretty much 3 days out of the working week... shitty sloppy flats from old navy the other two. and i wear jeans everyday and usually some ratty tshirt. I LOVE MY JOB FOR ITS CASUAL, SLOBBY ATMOSPHERE!

^^^ One good thing about working at a university is the complete lack of dress code. One of the admins here wore a shirt the other day that said, "Therapy may work but beer is quicker". She's a little odd. I usually try to look kind of smart but wear trouser style jeans nearly every day and sneakers at least 3x per week. I'm job hunting and am terrified of getting a job somewhere where they make me wear proper work clothes! I'll have to get a whole new work wardrobe that I totally can't afford.

i wore doc marten boots to work today. i always have clunky shoes on for my flat asian feet.

I feel like foundation makes people's pores look really big. or maybe they are wearing foundation because they have big pores?

not all of us are blessed with your porcelain complexion, yerac!

my new favorite cheap thing: glycerin. you can get a bottle for $3 at the drugstore, and it works amazingly well. i occasionally mix it into my moisturizers for a hydration boost, and i apply a tiny amount straight if i get chapping around my lips/nose. it works with incredible speed.

she's volatile

i think foundation makes my pores look bigger because it clogs my pores even more? it is a vicious cycle. i guess you really have to wear powder to disguise them completely.

haha, tracer!

she's my baby

i have asked various estheticians & dermatologists and as far as i can tell there is no way to actually make your pores smaller ;_;

That is true! We're stuck with our sinkholes, my dears.

great. and they just get bigger as you get older, don't they. i'm terrified of ending up with my mom's

I know, but probably someone will love you anyway, so it's okay.

I guess a deep enough peel might affect yr pores to some degree? That seems a little...violent, though.

my verging on middle-aged friend told me that when i'm old enough, she'll refer me to the person who does her microdermabrasion. i look forward to it.

One good thing about working at a university is the complete lack of dress code.

My place of business, being tech-oriented, shares this lack of dress code. But I am a manager and dress accordingly. This is not because I have to but I feel it reinforces the respect and authority I need to do my job. Also, I enjoy dressing up for work.

I usually wear nothing higher than a 2 1/2 inch heel because I walk a lot. But on those days when I go to three or four, damn do I feel like a tough bitch.

I also get manicures but am thinking of getting acrylics again. On me, they just look better for a longer period of time.

People with big pores: spackle.

Also, don't dismiss the tan towel! They make tan super easy and the ones I've used have been surprisingly un-orange.

ps. glad to be of service mascara-wise, Mandee :)

I like the sound of that spackle. I don't know if anyone besides myself notices my pores but they vex me daily.

What is the tan towel?

speaking of spackle, i'm going to give mac's prep + prime spf 50 a try next time i'm at the makeup counter. if it even vaguely lives up to its promises, then it's a good deal.

i know it is wrong but i kind of can't wait to have microdermabrasion/lasers/special light rays on my face just to see what it does

xpost
i'm gonna give the tan towel a chance this wkend

i have pretty big pores
and have since i was about 20.
oh well!

i hope laser stuff become affordable someday. preferably by the time i get old.

it totally will! baby boomers demand it

I like when I give myself a st helen's masque and the oil in my pores make the mask darker green all around my nose.

I think I have been having more issues with foundation lately because I am on the subway earlier in the morning now, and pressed up against these girls with a full face of makeup on.

i bought like the porsche of hairdryers
well, it's italian, so maybe it's the maserati of hairdryers
it didn't cost $30 and it didn't cost $60 but it didn't cost $200. somewhere in btwn. which i know is still ridiculous. but it's practically guaranteed to last forever.
watch me cut my hair short within next few months.

it's like this
http://www.vintagecarsource.com/maserati-frontlarge.jpg
but not a car

are you in the UK ned? get her perfect night by bella belissima (perfume)... ITS SO NICE but not available in the US so I am sad

-- homosexual II, Tuesday, 12 February 2008 18:54 (5 days ago) Link

I am the UK Ned. Thank you so muchly for this. It is the bees knees. A lovely range all round in fact.

If you're in New York you can get it in Henri Bendel apparently.

lauren, let me know what you think of the prep+prime 50, i thought about getting some last summer but everywhere i went was sold out.

madchen, another satisfied mascara customer! i bought some at the boots in heathrow and holy cow does that stuff work! i should do before and after photos, it's seriously that dramatic. the only thing to be careful of is that if you layer it too much, it clumps. i'm used to doing a few layers because my normal mascara is natural and glossy (clinique), so one doesn't do much.

i didn't end up getting the prep+prime, as i didn't like the way it felt when i tried a bit on. i got a very nice eye shadow, though: patina, a subtle yet shimmery golden bronze. i think this is as close to a neutral as i'll ever get.

OK I'm sure there's another thread somewhere but I forgot what it's called hence this revive . . .

Just wanted to say that Milani's "Luminous" blush is almost an EXACT dupe of Nars Orgasm so for any Orgasm fans out there (TZA iirc) you might want to try it. I can't yet vouch for it's staying power which is one of Orgasm's best qualities but $4 vs. $40 is sort of hard to argue with.

Good to know! I still have tons of orgasm left. I have to use blush v lightly. I think the thread is 'I feel pretty... NOT!' Or something.

lol of course that was the name of it.

Yeah my orgasm lasted nearly a year (ha ha) and there's still some left but I'd heard about the Milani stuff and picked it up yesterday and my god it's uncanny how close a match it is.

Oh! I was thinking about this thread because, as is my terrible wasteful habit, I am a sucker for shiny new drug store make-up technology and I wanted to tell someone that I had purchased Covergirl Outlast Lipstain and: 1) it is like a marker that you use to color in your lips; 2) the color of the tube is only sort of vaguely representative but not really of the color of the product; 3) you are totally lost if you don't scrub at your lips with some toilet paper first to get any loose skin off; and 4) it's not that great.

Also, beauty tubes mascara is kind of totally horrifying. (NB I never wear mascara except on the specialist of special occasions so it might have just been the shock of going from regular eye lashes to OMG GIANT BLACK CRAZY SPIDER EYELASHES.)

Yeah, that lipstain shit sucked. :-(

I tried to match the color to my favorite lip gloss (Benefit - Next Question Please) and ended up getting basically BRIGHT RED (by accident because the tube is misleading), which is not great on me to begin with, but is made even more hideous by dried lip skin and wobbly application and inability to blot/tone down. And then it's lip stain so I just had to act like I did it on purpose for an entire day. "Oh, well, I had clown college auditions last night so, yeah."

Yeah I was really disappointed with it. I don't actually where lipstick/gloss that often anymore so I have two or three that I love and I'm sticking with those.

Have you ladies used the outlast lipstick? is it the same as the stain? I *LOVE* my CoverGirl Outlast Lipstick (but I've been using it for 3+ years and know to scrub my lips on my towel before application..) It's the kind with the clear gloss for on top?

oh - and I use a Q-tip to even out any bumpy lines that might happen during application, if you want to use any more of it rather than throw it out :)