Tag Archives: Dr. Brandt
Empties – November 2014 through January 2015
Garbage time!
Having never used a brow gel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But uh… it’s really just gel.. for your brows. Revolutionary. I don’t have unruly brows (hell, I barely have brows at all) so this was essentially pointless on me. I used up the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel and it was perfectly adequate, but I doubt I’m the best test subject for this kind of product.
Purchase? Nah.
This was super disappointing. Make Up For Ever‘s Aqua Liner in 13 Black was super shiny which caused it to collect eyeshadow from the rest of my lid. It picked up pigment from the eyeshadow on my lid. It was beyond infuriating and drove me absolutely mental. Never again will I buy a shiny liquid liner. Ugh.
Repurchase? GOD NO
MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips – a must have for me. I finish one of these every 3-6 months because I wear it whenever I wear lipstick. It holds my lip product in place and prevents bleeding outside my lip line that not even lip liner can stop. Must have!
Repurchase? Already have two more open! One at work and one at home.
Real Techniques‘ Miracle Complexion Sponge is my preferred way to apply foundation. I can barely stand to use brushes now because this thing is so amazing. I’d actually been using this one since March of last year and was worried that perhaps it had gone mouldy in the middle (since I’d heard some people complain that had that happen with their Beauty Blenders) despite regular washings. So I cut it open one day and low and behold, it’s perfectly fine. So if you clean your sponges regularly enough, I wouldn’t worry too much about it going rotten on the inside, even if you’ve been using it for about 9 months.
Repurchase? Already have! I picked one up at IMATS 2014.
I’ve had MAC‘s Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink for quite a while before I finally used it up. It was a bit goopy and never really stayed on my lips that long. I didn’t find it actually moisturized all that much since it wore off so fast.
Repurchase? Nah. Pass.
essence Get Big! Lashes (pr sample) – Great product, but I never really fell in love with it for whatever reason. The curve of the brush made it easy to apply to my lashes and it definitely made them quite black.
Purchase? Nah.
Benefit They’re Real – I love this mascara! It makes my lashes look enormous since the volume it builds is incredible. HOWEVER, this stuff dries up way too fast. For a thirty dollar mascara I’m pretty pissed off that it’s near un-useable after a month and a half. BUT for that month and a half, my lashes looked amazing.
Repurchase? On the fence.
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite (sample size) – This one surprised me. I was expecting an old style bristle brush, but it was actually a rubberized wand with really nicely spaced out bristles. It applied mascara evenly and separated my lashes perfectly.
Purchase? Maybe. I’m put off by the price of high end mascaras, but I really did love this one.
Urban Decay Perversion (sample size) – Another amazing one! Not as separating as some mascaras, but the volume on this was one was especially nice. This one small sample size actually lasted me a really long time (longer than the Benefit one!)
Purchase? Same as the Estee Lauder one. Nice to use, but damn that price is really a put off.
Revlon Colorstay Top Coat was… a top coat. Man, I don’t notice any difference with top coats really. Like what’s the difference between a top coat and a clear nail polish? I sure as hell don’t notice one!
Repurchase? Nope.
A well loved eye makeup remover, but not my favourite as I prefer oil-based removers.
Repurchase? Nah, gone back to my favourite Marcelle one.
This was interesting. I’m not a big fan of primers, so I’m mostly trying to finish up what small samples I have to get them out of my collection. However, Dr. Brandt‘s Pores No More primer was a lot of fun to use. It smells like tea tree oil (and was therefore quite refreshing on my skin) and smoothed on my face like butter. It’s tinted slightly darker than my own skin colour (roughly MAC NW20), so it helped darken up some of my lighter foundations. I have no need for a primer, but this was fun to try out nonetheless.
Purchase? Nah.
Olay Bead Me Up! Exfoliating Cleanser – Totally sucked in by the awesome packaging on these. The scrub is nice, but not especially abrasive. Smelled nice, worked just fine.
Olay Shine, Shine, Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser – Yeah, I’m not convinced this reduced any shine on my face at all. I did love the product though – it was a cool grey colour and smelled really fresh.
Repurchase? Maybe (to both). I don’t have sensitive skin so I like trying out new products all the time, but I’m sure I’ll eventually repurchase these.
Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash – I *love* the smell of this. To me it smells intoxicatingly like almonds and cherries (not the cough medicine kind of cherry smell). It’s also gentle on the skin, especially during the winter months when my skin can feel dry and itchy.
Repurchase? This is probably my tenth bottle of this stuff, and I already have another one in the linen closet ready for use!
All of the Fortune Cookie Soap items are not going to be repurchased by me as they are primarily seasonal scents. Mini reviews below.
Personal Space Air Freshener in Flying Monkeys – This was no good at all. It would scent a room for about 10 seconds, then totally dissipated and it definitely didn’t take any bad smells with it.
Lip Scrub in Blow Me! – Delicious! Tasted like bazooka gum with a bit of Fun Dip. Did its job and was fun to use.
Deep Conditioner in Christmas Bonus – This was WONDERFUL. The pepperminty, white chocolate scent was amazing and it made my hair feel fantastic.
Whipped Cream in Wicked, Good – Lovely, but a bit too much of the rich pumpkin scent. The scent would’ve worked better as a candle.
Whipped Soap in Fried Pussycat – Smelled nice and was fun to use. Not sure it’s a cost effective way to make or use soap though.
Hair Oil in Hair Flip – I used this on the ends of my hair and while I didn’t notice a change in the quality of my ends, it sure did make my hair smell nice.
This was my “leave at work” moisturizer. I’ve bought Vaseline‘s Cocoa Radiant moisturizer many times over the years. It can be a bit greasy, but it’s because it’s so thick. Heavily moisturizing and smells great.
Repurchase? Definitely.
You really can’t go wrong with The Body Shop‘s shower gels. This one in Frosted Cranberry smells like a fruity alcoholic drink. It was a small size (it was in my Christmas stocking), but it gave me about 5-10 uses out of it.
Finally! /throws out the garbage
Ipsy – August 2014 Glam Bag
Everyone’s already talked about how the bag of the month looks like a deflated beach ball… So now that I’ve stolen everyone elses’ much smarter observation than my own, let’s move on to the contents of the actual bag!
The theme was back to school, but as with all Ipsy bags, the theme never really seems to make any sense. I mean it’s all makeup at the end of the day… we wear this stuff year ’round!
The big hitting product this month was Urban Decay‘s brand new Perversion mascara. People were absolutely freaking out over the size of this sample on the Ipsy threads, but when I go back and compare it to previous deluxe size samples of mascara I’ve received through Ipsy before, it’s near identical in volume. Most deluxe size samples are between 0.1 and 0.2 fluid ounces (this one is 0.1 fluid ounce). There is nothing wrong with this sample – heck you can even tell they stuffed the tube because the darn thing makes a squelching sound every time I open it. If anything, I think UD just really knew how to package this sucker.
ANYWAY. On to the actual mascara. Plain and simple: I love it. It has a natural, “normal” brush and it coats my lashes wonderfully. It’s smooth, thick and wetter than most mascara formulas, which is something I like in particular. This one is a winner, and I may very well buy the full size when I finish this one.
I had amazing results with Dr. Brandt‘s microdermabrasion scrub, but unfortunately a primer just isn’t necessary for me. It smells heavily of tea tree oil, which is really nice (if you like the scent, of course!). It has a silicone feel on the skin, which I quite like, but I couldn’t tell you if this does what it’s supposed to do because I never notice a difference with my foundation whether I use primer or not.
This is a black liner that does absolutely nothing. There’s nothing remotely enticing about this product. Lord & Berry say it’s a kohl kajal, but the damn thing is so stiff that it’s hard to get colour pay off (as you can see in my eye shot above). It was difficult to even get that much on my lid. I tried tightlining with it and I swear it smudged off within 30 seconds. I’ve no use for this liner at all.
This one wigs me out. Absolute‘s You’re The Balm in Grape looks, feels and smells like a very cheap product. It’s a relatively clear, gelatinous balm with multicoloured sparkles mixed in. Normally the glitter would fill me with glee, but since it goes on the lips rather gritty, I really just feel like I’m wearing a Wet n Wild sparkly balm from the 90s. I’ve only tried it once and was too disgusted to try it again. It’s sitting in a corner on my makeup desk, waiting for the moment that I gather the courage to try it again…
These Coastal Scents blushes aren’t too bad actually. The pans are really tiny and I made the mistake of accidentally cracking the product on one of them while trying to get it out of the plastic packaging. It can be a bit difficult to get your blush brush into these products though since the pans are so bloody small. The colours, however, go on my cheeks rather nicely and have lasted throughout and entire work day, so that’s a huge bonus for a relatively inexpensive products.
Ipsy August 2014 Breakdown (all prices in USD)
- Urban Decay Perversion mascara (0.1 fl oz @ $5.50, full size is $22 for 0.4 oz)
- Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer (0.25 fl oz @ $11.25, full size is $45 for 1 fl oz)
- Absolute You’re the Balm Lip Balm in Grape ($2.99, full size)
- Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo (2.5g @ $2, full size is $7.95 for 10g)
- Lord & Berry Black SILK Kajal Kohl-Liner (0.6g @ $7.50, full size is $15 for… double the size? – just a guess, I can’t find sizing info anywhere)
BAG VALUE = $29.24
My Thoughts
Kalyn basically summed up my thoughts in her own post on this month’s Ipsy bag, but in essence… aside from the mascara, this bag bored me. After such an amazing last month, this bag was just an absolute downer. It was so offputting that I’m considering whether or not want to stay subscribed to Ipsy. I think I’m at this point where I’m realizing that some of this is really just unnecessary products that I use, but never really fall in love with. I’ll see how next month goes and then make a solid decision.
Empties – May through July 2014
Garbage time!
My empties bag has clearly since better days. Poor guy.
As per usual, makeup items first.
It’s a mascara graveyard here today. I had so many bite-sized mascara samples to use up and they got completely mauled throughout the last few months.
Anyway, back to the actual product. Benefit’s They’re Real is amazing. I’ve never given in to high end mascara hype because I don’t WANT to love the product. I really do not want to develop a habit of enjoying $30 mascara at all! However… My mom even thought I was wearing false lashes when I had this on. Having used this sample size, I have to say that there’s a high chance I’ll actually end up dishing out the money on this one in the future (once I run through all my deluxe mascara samples!).
Purchase? More than likely.
I used to love this mascara, but this time round the block L’Oreal‘s Voluminous Carbon Black mascara just didn’t cut it for me. I’ll leave it for a while and then revisit it in a year or so. Maybe.
Repurchase? Eventually.
A surprising favourite out of the bunch. MUFE’s Smoky Lash Extravagant builds up quite well and doesn’t clump. It dried up after a month or two though. I didn’t love it more than the Benefit one though.
Purchase? Unlikely.
No. Just no. Useless and dry.
Purchase? Hah. NO.
Love this. I’m one of the unfortunate people that NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base doesn’t actually work on its own to prevent creasing, but it does work in conjunction with Urban Decay‘s primer potion to kill all creasing so I love it for that reason. Word to the wise though, even when the wand pulls out nothing from the tube, cut that baby open and get out the remainder. There is MONTHS more product in there even after it feels empty.
Repurchase: Definitely.
Absolute favourite. Revlon’s Creme Brulee lip butter is my favourite nude lip. This is my second tube of the stuff and it’s one of the easiest lip shades to wear on my complexion.
Repurchase? More than likely.
*The* eyebrow shade for blondes. MAC‘s Omega has the right kind of grey tint to the powder that makes my eyebrows not look overly ridiculously blonde (not that I have much in the way of eyebrows to begin with). I loved this eyeshadow, but I’m currently plugging through my Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade to try something new because this eyeshadow lasted me longer than a year even with daily use!
Repurchase? Maybe eventually, but for now I’m having fun exploring other options.
Second… third maybe? tube of MAC’s Prep + Prime for lips. Fantastic for preventing lipsticks from bleeding outside my lipline.
Repurchase? Already have!
I didn’t notice Murad’s mattifier working especially well, but then I also noticed the expiry date was roughly four months prior to when I used it. Whoops. It also smelled like glue. Ew.
Purchase? No thanks.
Ohhhh yes. Barry M‘s Diamond Glitter nail polish had a lovely home on my toenails for about six months this past year. The bottle is dead empty now which is a shame since you can’t buy Barry M in Canada!
Repurchase? If I find myself in the UK again, I will *definitely* pick this one up!
I swear Quo is the only brand of nail polish remover I can ever find at the drugstore. I default to this because it’s there, it’s functional and it’s relatively cheap.
Repurchase? Yes, because I don’t know of anything better out there!
No shocker here. Neutrogena‘s makeup removing wipes are the only ones I use now. Definite preference to the hydrating ones.
Repurchase? For sho.
I’ve used several bottles of Neutrogena‘s makeup remover now and have another one cracked open. It doesn’t work as well on waterproof makeup as my Marcelle stuff did so I think I’ll be reverting back to the Marcelle one.
Repurchase? I have an open bottle, but aside from that I think I’m going to try something else out next time.
The foil packets of the lot.
MOR Hand Cream in Kale and Watercress smelled nice, but it’s a hand cream… Nothing amazing here.
Purchase? Pass.
Urban Decay‘s Anti-Aging Primer Potion is basically the same as the Original really. I didn’t notice it really having any anti-aging properties (I basically think that anything that claims that is utter hogwash really) so meh.
Purchase? I’ll just stick to the Original one I normally use.
FCS‘s whipped cream body butter is an awesome formula, however, their Captain’s Berried Booty scent was totally nauseating to me. It’s fruitloops and cardboard, basically.
Repurchase? Not in this scent!
Another FCS whipped cream. I liked their Tick Tock scent quite a bit. I have no idea how the scent relates to the Hunger Games, but anyway… it basically smells like clean laundry to me. Very detergent-y, but it doesn’t bother me.
Repurchase? I liked it, but not enough to repurchase it. There are other things I like more.
Sample size of Tree Hut‘s Coconut Lime Shea Body Butter. This was okay, but not amazing. The smell wasn’t really my cup of tea either.
Purchase? Nope.
This stuff isn’t fancy, or pretty, but oh man does it ever work. Dermal Therapy products are a godsend for anyone with incredibly dry skin. I get pretty scratchy elbows and ankles and this works miracles on them.
Repurchase? Definitely.
And this ganked up nasty jar is Dermal Therapy‘s Heel Care. The best thing EVER for heel cracks. This can repair the Grand-freaking-Canyon of heel cracks and make your heels look baby-butt smooth in the span of a week. I’m not kidding because I’ve seen it happen on me. (You’re welcome for that visual.)
Repurchase? Forever and a day.
Burt’s Bees Almond & Milk Hand Cream smells nice, but it’s super thick and super greasy.
Repurchase? Nah.
One of my usual cleansers. I like how this one has a cool tingle on the skin. I do find your skin gets used to that tingly feeling though, so I tend to swap out my cleansers pretty frequently.
Repurchase? Definitely.
Snagged this from a friend who didn’t want to finish it up. Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser is good but the scent is a little bizarre to me. This may be completely offputting to some, but it smelled faintly like cigarettes. Or like the afterburn of a cigarette. It truly wasn’t as gross as I’m making it sound, but there was that scent to it that was really hard to place.
Purchase? Maybe, if on sale.
FCS‘ first skincare item. I liked it at first, but the scent started to bother me over time. Nicely abrasive though.
Repurchase? Nah.
Another product I swiped from that same friend as before. Philosophy‘s Exfoliati
Purchase? Nope.
Dr. Brandt‘s Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant was AMAZING. It completely cured me of a milium spot I had on my lower left eyelid. This stuff packs a hefty price tag, but I fortunately received this sample size in an Ipsy bag. If I had milia again in the future though, I would absolutely pick this up even at the full price.
Repurchase? If necessary due to skin problems, then absolutely yes!
A staple daily moisturizer for me. The packaging’s all messed up though. I normally get the Radiant one, but this one says Clear Complexion in English… but Radiant in French! What the hell? They’re normally two different types!
Repurchase? Definitely. I’m almost done another bottle in the bathroom already.
I wouldn’t normally post hair stuff, but this came in an Ipsy bag so I thought I’d mention it. This is nothing more than a hair conditioner. I don’t feel it did anything extra special to my hair, even when I left it on for a good ten minutes in the shower.
Repurchase? Nope.
PHEW! That’s a lot of garbage to get through. Looking at some of these products, I kind of wish I’d saved them for Kalyn’s Sample Killah month. Darn!
How I Got Rid of Milia
This post may get a bit graphic with some of the pictures, you’ve been warned.
Every now and then I get what I think is milia. (From wikipedia: “A milium (plural milia), also called a milk spot or an oil seed, is a keratin-filled cyst that can appear just under the epidermis..[snip]”.)
I hate these little bastards, and they always show up in really inconvenient spots around my eyelids. I’ve never been officially diagnosed and most of the causes of milia are stuff that I don’t even use (like heavy eyecreams, etc.)!
I usually dig the milia out myself in sheer frustration (yep, with a needle or tweezers). I’m not really afraid of facial scarring, so if I get the opportunity to poke and prod at something on my face that’s bothering me, I usually do it. However, this one little milium has been stuck on my lower eyelid for about two years now and no matter how much I stab at it, it just won’t go away!
The milium isn’t super obvious unless you’re looking for it, but I find myself really ticked off (and slightly repulsed) by the little bump and I’m ALWAYS poking at it all day with my fingers.
Eesh. Isn’t that a beauty? This was after I’d taken my makeup off for the day.
So after years of poking at this sucker, I’d only made it get bigger and it was looking more and more grotesque by the day. In last month’s Ipsy bag, I received a sample size of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant and decided, as a last ditch effort, to try this out on my eyelid.
Of course, with the milium being so stinking close to my eyeball, I had to be exceptionally careful with this stuff. For a week straight, once a day I put a small amount on the end of a cotton bud and rubbed it back and forth over the offending spot. Once I was done rubbing, I rinsed it off and left it alone. It dried out the spot quite a bit and I really didn’t notice a change throughout that week.
After the week was up, I stopped using the exfoliant out of frustration and booked myself in for a dermatologist appointment to get it lanced out of my face in three weeks time (something that I was really, really nervous about). However, over the next few days, weird stuff started to happen. The milium got slightly smaller and then started to almost crystallize. The very top surface of my skin got very hard right above the bump, almost as if I had a piece of dry skin stuck there.
Then suddenly, today at work, I was rubbing my eye (and once again poking at the milk spot) when all of a sudden I felt it pop out of my skin.
Weirdest. Feeling. Ever.
I also couldn’t believe it! FINALLY! This stupid little irritating milium was out of my face! I ran to the bathroom at work just to double check, and sure enough, there was no longer any bump under my skin! All that was left was a small little exit hole (see picture below) where the little ball of whatever-the-heck-it-was used to be.
I am unbelievably happy. This thing has been bothering me for years! I was so pleased that the exfoliant seems to have done its job and that my skin was now back to lying flush against my eyelid.
So if you’ve got milia, I would seriously recommend trying this exfoliant. Be careful if you’re using this close to your eyes, but it’s so soooo worth it!
So Dr. Brandt has changed their products around a lot since this post went up (it’s now 2017), but give these scrubs a try by their brand: