Tag Archives: not my favorite

Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders Kit

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With an order from Sephora, I chose this sample kit: Ole Henriksen : 3 Little Wonders. I’m not very familiar with Ole Henriksen and was excited to get to try three of their products at once – especially the Invigorating Night Gel.

How I Used It:
On the first night, I noticed that the Invigorating Night Gel (ING) felt mildly tingly – it might be too strong to use nightly, as suggested, if it feels this tingly every night. When I put the Sheer Transformation (ST) on top, it melted in nicely but felt Continue reading →

Avalon Organics CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Gel

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I love Avalon’s other cleanser, so I thought I’d have an easy go of it with this one but I really didn’t care for it.

Here’s how I use it:
– Like any other cleanser. Wet face, 1/2 pump, massage thoroughly into skin, rinse. Easy.

The upsides:
– It’s affordable. (less than $15 on their website or at your local health food store or apothecary)
– It’s gentle. (Chamomile is listed in the ingredients – that’s soothing for most skin)
– It comes in a pump and measured doses help maintain the veracity of the above two points.

The not-so-upsides:
– The scent is not my favorite. It’s not disagreeable, but I don’t Continue reading →

Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Scrub

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I’ve always been attracted to Alba’s products because they have some fun ingredients/themes. Their Hawaiian line was definitely intriguing to me because I love the scent of tropical flowers and fruits. It’s important to exfoliate regularly so I thought I’d try their Pineapple Enzyme Facial Scrub. My skin can be sensitive to scrubs and peels so I prefer to try gentle, enzyme based exfoliants. Now, don’t get me wrong, enzymes can be quite intense on the skin but I figured that this product was on the grocery store shelf so I’d probably be okay in terms of the strength.

Here’s how I use it:
– Once or twice a week, I’ll wash my face and then apply this as a
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Pangea Organics Egyptian Basil & Mint Body Wash

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This post is moot because the product has been discontinued. Maybe I’m not the only one who didn’t care for the scent… My friend Eliza loves Pangea Organics products and she gave me their Egyptian Basil & Mint Body Wash to try out. I happily obliged.

Here’s how I use it:
– In the shower, I wrench the flip top lid off, just barely containing my desire to use my teeth (dentists strongly advise against such use of the teeth) and just barely getting it open after pushing really hard with both hands (maybe it’s just my bottle but it’s really annoying!), squeeze out about a dime sized amount and lather up.

The upsides:
– A little goes a long way!
– It has a pleasantly interesting scent that doesn’t linger (that’s a plus for me as I prefer to smell like my perfume).
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Pevonia Combination Skin Cleanser

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In my quest to find natural products that are effective, I started researching Pevonia products by attending a seminar that they hosted. At the end of the session, I ordered some products to try for myself since this was my first time learning about them. The cleanser I ordered was their Combination Skin Cleanser.

Here’s how I use it:
Technique 1: 13 pumps (yes, I counted every time. yes, I tested more pumps and less pumps and found this to be just the right amount for me) massaged onto DRY skin for at least a minute and then rinsed with water.
– I found this to be the best way to get soft, smooth skin that felt clean.

Technique 2: 13 pumps massaged onto WET skin for less than a minute.
– I did this when I was tired or lazy (or both). I definitely didn’t feel as clean as with Technique 1 but it did the job.
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Origins Fringe Benefits Mascara

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I’ve been loving the Origins counter lately. The reps are all super helpful without being overbearing. I asked about samples and the man who helped me gave me a whole bunch and asked if I wanted to try their Fringe Benefits mascara.
“Heck yes!” I said, “it’s the perfect size for my purse!”

Here’s how I use it:
– Feel rushed and leave without putting your makeup on at home.
– While waiting for your BART train to arrive, apply mascara.
– Do not drop (like I did, after the last time I used it. There is no # of seconds rule when it comes to eye products and the floor of public transportation.)
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Zia Men DualAction Face Lotion

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Last month I told you about this product and mentioned that we got it along with the DualAction Face Lotion.
I said I was going to continue the test of this cleanser by switching his lotion to see if that helps, and sure enough, he’s no longer breaking out now that he’s stopped using this product. Makes me a little sad because I like a few other Zia products.

Here’s how he used it:
– With his face still wet from washing, he’d apply just a smidgen all over his face.

The upsides:
– It’s ingredients are relatively natural.
– It smells good – essential oils of sandalwood and ylang ylang, and a few others make a lovely scent that’s gender neutral.
– It’s very light – when applied, it soaks in quickly and well.

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Humphreys Non-Drying Cleansing Gel

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I like to spend time in the product section at Rainbow Grocery just looking at the options. I’ve noticed Humphreys Non-Drying Cleansing Gel a few times and finally decided to try it. They make a witch hazel toner which I haven’t tried but I like witch hazel toner so I figured I’d give it a shot.

Here’s how I use it:
– 1/2 a pump lathered up a bit and massaged into the skin in the shower.

The upsides:
– I like the bottle – it’s blue (tho plastic, which I try to avoid buying new), it’s got a pump (which I love because then you can regulate your dosage), there’s a picture of a lady by a stream on the front. Not very valid upsides, I realize, but that’s why I chose to actually *buy* this cleanser in the first place (when I was trying to decide between several similarly formulated, similarly priced cleansers).

The not-so-upsides:
– The scent really bothers me and I’m not sure why except that it reminds me of a laundromat from my childhood.
– It doesn’t work well enough for me in terms of getting my skin clean. I thought that since it was a gel made for sensitive skin, rather than a cream, it would foam up and get my skin

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Origins Underwear for Lids Primer

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Having recently re-discovered Origins products, I came across their eyeshadow primer called Underwear for Lids – The smoothing lid primer (not to be confused with Underwear for Lids – Delicate color for eyes)

Here’s how I used it:
– I walked into Macys with no makeup on and went to the Origins counter.
– There was no customer service rep there (10am on a weekday) so I found the Underwear for Lids and spent a bit of time trying to figure out which was the color and which was the primer.
– I found the primer, wiped it down well with a tissue (the same technique would have been used by the customer service rep, had s/he been there) and applied it to my lower lids.
– The first layer was a little thin so I added more to get the coverage I wanted – it was fun to use the lipstick-like stick

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Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk

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In trying to fill out my reviews of Juice Beauty products (because I love their concept, their organic-ness & that they are made locally), I will embark on testing one of their cleansers.
I was recently given some samples of their Cleansing Milk and I tried it out once but don’t love it enough to try again.

Here’s how I use it:
– Get face wet, but not too wet.
– Apply one pump all over face & rinse.
– Repeat.

The upsides:
JUICE!
– I love that the base for all of Juice Beauty’s products is juice.

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