Review - MD Formulations VitaPlus hand & body creme

The Vit-A-Plus Hand and Body Creme reduces the appearance of age on the body. Quick-absorbing, long-lasting, moisture-rich formula contains Alpha Retinyl Complex, a special combination of AHAs, Vitamin A and antioxidants that work beneath the skin's surface to diminish the signs of skin aging.

MD Formulations vitaplus is a great little hand creme that comes in a cool orangish color. At first it goes on a bit greasy, but absorbs quickly and lasts through many a hand washing and even keeps my super dry elbows and knees looking nice and smooth at the end of the day. Nice smelling and quick absorbing.

Review- Chanel Rectifiance Intense Eye

Chanel Rectifiance Intense Eye

Retexturizing Line Correcting Eye Cream

This seductively rich, creamy formula has a secret: A unique Micro-Protein Complex targets three distinct types of lines and wrinkles and helps correct them in three dimensions.

$70 for .5 oz.

I really like this eye cream. I like my eye creams to be thicker than my face creams as my eye area tends to get dry. The first time I used it it has a tiny bit of sting with it, but that went away with continued use. I don't have many lines around my eyes, but I can tell the quality of an eye cream by how well my under-eye concealer stays in place. I had no problems with "flaking" while I was using this. My only complaint is that it doesn't contain an SPF, so I would only use it at night. I would recommend this for people with dry skin and mild wrinkles.

Review- Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream Review

Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream is Japan's #1 selling medicated, vitamin-enriched cream in Japan. It is a glycerin-based moisturizing cream with Vitamin E, B-2 and Camphor. It was tested at the summit of Mt. Everest by the first Japanese woman to ever summit Everest's difficult North Ridge. She taped a tube to a shoelace around her neck! Yu-be is safe and effective on all the dry skin areas of your body including your face and lips (works great on kids too). It contains no artificial colors or fragrances. It is recommended for rashes, eczema, dermatitis and other inflammation, cracking and itching in addition to just dry skin. Yu-be has been around for 50 years in Japan and is now available in the U.S. and around the world.

This is the most versatile cream I've ever used! I've been using it for weeks now on my lips, my hands (especially my cuticles), my face and my feet. It is super-moisturizing and has even taken care of the callouses on my feet. They now always look as if I've had a pedicure. The cream is highly concentrated so a little goes a long way. It has a pleasant camphor scent which disappears in a minute or two. Yu-be is great under lipstick as it absorbs completely and allows smooth application. I think it will be the perfect thing for wind-chapped skin. They are very careful to warn you that it has no SPF (I wish more companies did this). I'm very happy I found this product, I'll be using it from now on.

$24 for 4.25 oz. jar

Current specials: Buy a 4.25 oz. jar and get a 1.25 oz. tube free! Free shipping on $45. Not sure you're ready to buy? Order 3 small sample tubes for just $4.95 shipping! Trust me when I say a little of this cream goes a long way.

Cityslicker says:

I have to admit that I too like the camphor scent of the Yu-Be. In fact I love it. I used to use lip balms with camphor so when I got this and one of the uses was for the lips I jumped on that. This is very different from any balm I have used on my lips though. Lip balms carry the scent of camphor the entire time they are on; this has an initial scent that lingers for a moment and once it's absorbed it's completely gone so EVEN if you hate the scent of camphor it's dissipates into thin air in almost no time at all. This cream is a buttery yellow tone and reminds me of a cross between Vaseline & Aquaphor but not as heavy. It is still heavy but doesn't coat in the same way. It's a little lighter.

I have found that for me, since I am a paper pusher this is a great product for my cuticles and overall hand moisture. It's amazing how much paper dries me out. I have been using this on my hands, lips and feet. I love to sleep with socks on and slather a little extra on. I wake up with baby soft tootsies... I love that. Also when I use on my hands, I can wash and it's not completely gone, it does add a little barrier as long as I am not scrubbing my hands clean.Overall this is a small tube but I use less than a pea-sized amount for each area. This little tube will last and I am excited to have it in my arsenal for the approaching winter months when the heat turns on all the moisture in my home is GONE.

Great product and I hope they introduce some other products. Also for all you skiers out there I am positive this will be amazing for your faces, no more wind burns.

Tiniwini says:

This is a great cream! I have been using the Yu-be on my super dry and scaly elbows and the results have been nothing short of amazing. My elbows are no longer scaly and any red discoloration that was there has now faded. In addition to using the Yu-be on my elbows I have been using it on my brittle cuticles. I must say I have seen tremendous improvement and now sport more manicured looking nail beds. My five year old daughter sampled the product and is always telling me she has dry skin just so she has a reason to use the Yu-be cream.The Yu-be cream has an almost whipped consistency and the camphor odor does indeed vanish rather quickly. I agree with Cityslicker that the Yu-be product does seem to leave a protective barrier on your hands even after washing. My experience with this product has been fantastic and I would recommend it. One other great thing about the Yu-be cream is that it is safe to use on children. We live in a neighborhood where the kids play outside all the time so I am sure that I will be applying the Yu-be to some chapped cheeks this winter.

Review -Chanel Precision Rectifiance Intense Retexturizing Line Correcting Cream

• A light-textured day cream that helps regenerate skin for smoothness
• Remarkable formula works from within to reduce appearance of fine lines
• Micro-protein complex maintains skin firm & elastic
• Essence of Neroli from orange blossoms block enzyme that causes aging
• With sunscreen power to protect skin from photo-aging UV rays.
• Skin is revitalized & provides a vibrant, young, matte look

$78 for 1.7 oz. @ Chanel

This is a great thick luxurious cream that goes on velveting soft and absorbs quickly. Although I can't say it did anything exceptionally better than other creams with the same name, my skin was really very smooth and soft, and stayed that way much longer than with other creams, and it smells great. I would definitely recommend this cream for someone with really noticeable lines in their skin around their eyes and mouth especially if they have extremely dry skin that absorbs creams too quickly and dries out too much after exfoliating. I can see myself using this cream after a facial to calm any freak-outs my skin might have and to keep it super hydrated.

Hillary says:

Let me start by saying not only do I have naturally dry skin, I use a prescription retinol cream every other day. This cream was a almost a match for my often slightly flaky skin. Then again, it's meant as a moisturizer, not as a super charged end all be all (if you find that, let me know). For example I often have to put shea butter or YuBe cream on my dry patches. For my skin overall, it worked fine. I can't attest to the wrinkle fighting properties as I'm already using a cream for that. I would still recommend it with a retinol such as Retin-A or Tazorac as it held it's own against it. For those of you with vaguely dry skin and the first signs of lines, this would certainly do the trick. Plus it has very good SPF ingredients which will protect you from the full spectrum of the sun's rays (you would be surprised how many are insufficient). I would certainly consider buying this if I ever went off retinoids.

Review - Origins Modern Friction

Sand-blasting skin with coarse, chemical crystals? How painfully passé. Here’s age-erasing exfoliation without irritation. Skin-refining Rice Starch, cushioned in cream, shows real affinity for rapidly removing sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolorations. Lemon Oil kick starts the process of illumination. Another age-sweeping action: skin-menacing molecules are mopped up. All while Aloe keeps skin calm and comfy. There’s no ouch, extra steps or other complications. No redness or flaking follows. The before-and-afters are amazing. Signs of fine lines and size of pores appear to shrink in size. Skin looks perfectly polished, smooth and luminous. And the perk-me-up aromas of Bergamot and Peppermint help you look on the bright side.

I've used many abrasive scrubs on my face because I often get thick patches and rashes or blemishes that leave spots, and scrubs do the job. Some better than others. The great thing about origins is they use natural materials as the base for their product, and you can tell the difference. after using this product a few times, i noticed that the texture of my skin wasn't tortured (even immediately afterward) or red and irritated, but it actually felt very calm and soft. I wouldn't use this product quite as often as they recommend on their site (2-3 times per week) but i definitely think i could use it once a week to really remove any major exfoliation issues i have with my skin and it would do the job just great, and compared to other products with similar spectacular results, it's reasonably priced at $36 on their website.

Review: Crabtree and Evelyn La Source Conditioning Shampoo

Our original formula produces a rich fragrant lather with a refreshing blue water scent that has a hint of mint and lavender. (If you have recently stayed at a Hilton Hotel, you will remember it.)

I'm sure there's someone out there for whom this is great shampoo, but that person is not me. I have very straight, very fine, fairly oily hair, and this shampoo seemed to exacerbate those characteristics. After I washed it, it felt the way it does after a whole day of running around. Not dirty per se, but not clean either. As you can see from the description above, this is the shampoo provided in Hilton Hotels; I'd use it in a pinch if I was staying there, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it. It does smell lovely, though.

Amanda says: I am that someone that this is a great shampoo & conditioner for! In Fact, the shampoo was so gentle on my hair I think I could even wash with it every day and not have my hair turn into hay. I love the conditioner also, it's not too heavy, and it glides through my hair and rinsed out very clean. the shampoo has this very fine bubbling texture to it and it just seemed to rinse all the muck out without stripping my hair. I often use a ceramic iron / relaxers in my hair, so I fear damage, but my hair was super soft and manageable after using this. My roommate also tried it (he's a guy) and he loved it too, and said it worked well to keep his short, baby fine hair from being too greasy.

Review- Avon's Christian Lacroix ROUGE Eau de Parfum

Christian Lacroix, the premier French designer, is renowned the world over for dressing international celebrities in extravagant, brilliantly colorful fashion inspired by his passion for the theater, opera and life.

$32 @ Avon

I tend to stick to only a few fragrances and not wander too far off the scale of what I usually use, but I was intrigued by the packaging and the name. Christian Lacroix is a big fragrance name, and the deep red color is really beautiful, so I gave Rouge a try for two days. It's a really beautiful spicy sent that is a little more sexy than I would normally wear (especially to work!), but it's really delicious and citrusy and clean smelling, and very warm for this cold time of year here in New York City. I'll definitely be wearing it again, probably out at night. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a scent that's deeper than their usual and they'd like to experiment.

Hillary Says:

I wore this out the other day to a function and when I first put it on I was just luke-warm about it. Don't get me wrong- it's a really nice floral (but not too floral) with some warmer notes thrown in including chrype (whatever that is). After a while I smelled my wrist to see how it held up. I absolutely loved it! Much of the floral had given way to a warmer almost musky smell while remaining very feminine. I think what I would really like in Rouge is a body lotion. I'm sure there's one on it's way.

*If you are buying Avon, please use the link above rather than the generic link as it supports a woman in business (no additional fees & it still comes right to your door.)

Review- Lasting Performance Liquid Foundation: Max Factor

Lasting Performance Liquid Foundation stays put for as long as eight hours. This amazing foundation creates a natural finish that won′t streak, smudge or slip and it won′t transfer onto your clothes. The advanced formula is light and non-greasy so it won′t clog pores. What′s more, the fragrance-free formula is suitable for sensitive skin.

When I wear foundation, it slides off..It slips off... or it rubs off. By the end of the day, it seems no matter what I do i'm left with a teeny bit of foundation on my face, and not enough left to do ANYTHING for my skin. It's unfortunate, because with the right foundation, when I leave the house I feel and look like a million bucks. But if it doesn't last, what's the point in spending upwards of $15 on something that lasts less time than my paycheck? This is where Max Factor comes in. In my constant search for foundations that last, this has turned out to be one of the best ones, especially for the cost. Easy to find in your everyday drug store, it goes on light, doesn't clump or settle into lines or dry spots, and comes in such a variety of colors everyone should be able to find a shade that works with their skin (although i noticed the very dark shades are a bit too peachy maybe for some people...) I use this in combination with one of my mineral based powders and it lasts even longer. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Review- Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

Lip Shimmer in Guava
Pucker up for shimmery color.
How it Works:
A kiss of color and pearlized shine perk up our world famous 100% natural lip balm, while natural ingredients like vitamin E and coconut and sunflower oils moisturize and soothe your lips. Choose from 11 yummy, all natural shades: Champagne, Raisin, Merlot, Rhubarb, Watermelon, Nutmeg, Fig, Cocoa, Toffee, Guava and Papaya.

@ Burt's Bees $4

Review:


I love the Burt's Bees line. This lip shimmer is a great color, it's an icy shimmery pink that goes on smoothly.. It's lighter than a lipstick and even feels lighter than a lot of lip balms.. It stays on for a decent amount of time but I do find that when I eat, I do need to re-apply.. I really don't mind since it's a mere $4 I use it very generously.. The best feature is a lovely peppermint scent, it makes my lips feels cool, kind of like the infamous Peppermint Patty commercial.. This remains smooth feeling and doesn't dry out my lips at all. I also layer gloss over it.. This is a really diamond in the rough.. To think you can score a great lippie in the grocery store too.. I found this in the health food section.. The color will surely be appealing to many skin tones since it's so soft and sheer..

Review- CoverGirl LashExact Mascara

Get no clump, no glob, beautifully-defined lashes. The LashExact brush is a patented technology with bristles that are aligned and clean, so you get the Exact look you want. Also available in Waterproof. Available in Very Black, Black, Black Brown & Brown.

• No clumps on the brush means no clumps on your lashes


• Great definition and length


• Superb separation


• Opthalmologically-tested

LashExact is definitely one of the best (if not the best) mascaras I've used. The unique rubber bristles (which everyone is trying to copy) really do coat lash by lash, even the tiny ones in the corners. It's also relatively goof-proof; I've never had a problem with application or clumps. As a contact lens wearer, I like the fact that it makes my lashes look longer without the use of the tiny fibers that other mascaras use. I've tried all of the "hot" mascaras and some of them were great, but they've all been more expensive and no more impressive than LashExact.