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Beauty products that actually work

I never use a hair drier (or any heat) on my hair, and I only wash it every 4-5 days and I know this makes it less frizzy so the curly girl method makes sense to me.
 
I like macadamia oil and Moroccan Oil. The Moroccan Oil curl defining cream works for me.

On the make up front, I recently bought a pot of Stila one step correct, which really does seem to even out my skin tone. I don't use proper foundation, just a light dusting of mac mineralise, so it's good to have a primer to smooth out blemishes without looking too heavy.
 
oh yeah, Moroccan Oil, or just plain Argan Oil, great for dry hair, applied just after you wash it. Argan oil is good for skin too. An old favourite of mine.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6826/10-Simple-Beauty-Uses-for-Organic-Argan-Oil.html

Cosmetic uses[edit source | editbeta]
Unroasted argan oil is traditionally used as a treatment for skin diseases and as a cosmetic oil for skin and hair:

"In cosmetics, argan oil is advocated as moisturizing oil, against juvenile acne and flaking of the skin as well as for nourishing the hair. This oil has also medicinal uses against rheumatism and the healing of burns ... Externally, argan oil is used ... for hair as brilliantine, to fortify and ... in the treatment of wrinkled or scaly dry skin".[13]

Argan oil has become increasingly popular for cosmetic use. The number of personal-care products on the US market with argan oil as an ingredient increased from just two in 2007 to over one hundred by 2011. It is sometimes mixed with pomegranate seed oil due to its antioxidizing benefits,[14][15] with vendors promoting this blend as an all-in-one serum both for skin and hair.[16] Argan oil is also sold without additives as a natural skincare and hair care product.[17]

The increasing popularity of argan oil has prompted the Moroccan government to plan for increased production, with their aim being to increase annual production from approximately 2,500 to 4,000 tonnes by 2020.[18]

It's also ethically & environmentally sound! For a change :)
 
I had one small bottle of argan oil but I didn't think it did much, except make my hair smell like orange peel. Maybe I need to give it another chance.
 
Chick Webb said:
I might well try this. I already instinctively didn't like shampoo, and never ever use a hair drier. I have a nearly full tube of Frizz Ease shampoo though, which is pricey, so I might use that first (or maybe keep it for greasy emergencies).
Click to expand...

That curly girl site looks great. I've suffered from frizzy hair all my life & have never found anything that maintains my curls
 
I also suffer terrible frizz and have tried many, many products. I've found that the aussie hair company miracle shine shampoo and miracle moist conditioner followed by trevor sorbie anti-frizz spray and lee stafford argon oil shine spray works pretty well.

It's quite costly but it's the only beauty related product I spend any money on so I think it's worth it.
 
Chick Webb said:
I had one small bottle of argan oil but I didn't think it did much, except make my hair smell like orange peel. Maybe I need to give it another chance.
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Make sure you leave it on for a while, maybe give it a gentle warming with the hairdryer while its on as well.
 
For curly hair stuff, I like Blended Beauty stuff... made for Afro hair, with an emphasis on natural hair, natural ingredients, no silicones etc. I actually use it for straightening (they do a cream called Straight Pearl that I use right before straightening, and a Straightening Glaze spray that I use while it's wet - there are a couple of other sprays they do that I use after washing my hair too, that are a bit thicker and more moisturising).

For reference, my hair is extremely coarse, no two strands sit together in harmony, it's frizzy, sort of curly sort of wavy, the strands don't come together to curl in unison but stick out in all sorts of ungodly directions, it's curlier at the ends, straighter at the roots, and very fluffy and poofy. I don't get on with Frizz Ease stuff, I hate the various serums and so on, but all the natural Afro hair care I've used from various companies seems pretty bloody great, whether straightening or keeping curly.

Now, onto the face: who here has used that Nivea Soft cream?
 
As for lip balms, I use Neutrogena Norwegian Formula. They do a hard stick but also a butter-type balm in a squeezy tube. I have both. The butter is amazing, I use it before bed every night. The stick is pretty good, very hard, feels more like a liquid sheen on my lips once it's melted on.

I also love Palmers cocoa butter lip balm. I've got the dark chocolate and peppermint one. I believe they also do a stick and a squeezy butter, but I've only been able to find the stick so far. It feels a lot more emollient than the Neutrogena stick, melts very easily. It'd be easy to get through a lot of it. Good job I have 2 sticks of it :D

I've used so many different lip balms over the years. Ones made with moisturisers always feel better, ones with barrier ingredients (vaseline, etc.) seem okay at first but invariably end up drying my lips out even more. There was some really nice cocoa butter ones in little tins I got from somewhere many moons ago. The brand was Mama Coco's - absolutely gorgeous. I'm going to see if I can find anywhere that still sells it online over here. I think I got it from America last time.

Oh, look! http://www.missgroovy.co.uk/mamacocoshawaiianlipbalms-p-1435.html
 
On to body care: years ago either tesco or sainsbury's did an amazing body scrub. Basically all it was was brown sugar and olive oil. It was amazing. Had to make sure you were careful getting in and out of the bath/shower afterwards though, because it did get slippy. I guess it'd be incredibly simple to make your own, but you'd want to make small-ish batches so the oil doesn't start to go rancid over time.

For creams, there are loads I really like. Palmers anything, really. Aveeno do a triple oat formula one that is really good. It's light, and yet very moisturising. I use it as a hand cream daily, actually. Nivea is nice and smells of my childhood (my mum always had that iconic blue tin of Nivea on her bedside table). Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion and also their Buttermilk body lotion (that last one is meant for babies and children) are wonderful. I prefer the Buttermilk one. It smells very, very soothing, and kind of like you expect babies to when they aren't being made of poo and vomit. I think it's changed its name since I last bought it, and is their Baby Bee Original Lotion, looking at reviews it seems they've changed the formulation too. Dammit.

For sunscreen I swear by Liz Earle's stuff. Everything else I've ever tried brings me out in spots or a rash on my face. I don't think she makes a face-specific one anymore, but I still have a tube of it from a few years ago that seems to work fine. I think the body one is meant to be okay all over, idk. You have to rub it in well, or you go all white, but it's great. It's a bit greasy for my liking, but I've never had a bad reaction to it, and that's saying something for me.
 
Lip balm and softening of heels has got to be anything made by Flexitol. It a hallelujah product.
 
Chick Webb said:
I had one small bottle of argan oil but I didn't think it did much, except make my hair smell like orange peel. Maybe I need to give it another chance.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's any good unless you have dry hair - and you only need a little bit. (I just put it on while my hair is wet and massage it in).

Moroccan oil is even better for hair, with the added and rather bizarre bonus, that it makes your hair dry faster! I have tons of really thick hair that takes ages to dry normally.
 
How could I forget Lush Brazened Honey face mask! It's the best face mask I have ever used and does seem to make my skin look brighter and less tired. It's a fresh one so goes in the fridge and use within 3-4 weeks and is about £6.

ETA I have it on now.
 
moonsi til said:
How could I forget Lush Brazened Honey face mask! It's the best face mask I have ever used and does seem to make my skin look brighter and less tired. It's a fresh one so goes in the fridge and use within 3-4 weeks and is about £6.

ETA I have it on now.
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I used that purple one that's meant to be good for sensitive skin a few times back in the day. I'm not certain I noticed any difference tbh. I think I'm discovering that less is more when it comes to trying to keep my red, stingy, sensitive cheeks under control.
 
I finally got to a Bare Minerals counter. I'm impressed with the overall coverage but still think I'd need concealer for my acne patches. Also, I don't think the shade she picked is great and I have a noticeable line around my jaw.

The other thing is my pores seem really noticeable, far more than usual.

Now this could all be down to crap application but if she can't polish this turd well, how will I manage? : D

I could order a lighter shade from qvc so I can return it but I'm really not sure.

And as she removed all my make-up, I have to spend the rest of the day with massive, slightly orange pores!!
 
My friend recommended this site full of hippy crunchy remedies to put on your skin/hair. Crunchy Betty.

I've got a brutal psoriasis outbreak and acne over my entire face so I'm willing to try anything at this stage. :mad:
 
Ms T said:
I'm a complete convert to primer and wear it all the time. At the moment I'm using Garnier Perfect Blur, under Clinique CC cream (which I love).
Click to expand...

Just bought some of this Perfect Blur stuff in teh hope of evening out sunspots, pores and mild crinkliness, but I honestly couldn't see any difference at all. Mind you I didn't smear much on (maybe a dab about the size of a pea, for the whole face?) and I don't layer anything over the top because I HATE foundation of any sort - it gets smeared on my clothes (because I'm one of those naturally mucky people) and clogs my already too-visible pores. Am I doing it rong? Does Perfect Blur only really work as a base for other stuff, or do I need to lather on more? Or is it just not for me?


(Oddly it did make my skin FEEL silky smooth tho. At least until a few days afterwards when I got a light sprinkling of whiteheads - which might have been caused by the PB, or by eating too much rubbish...)

any advice welcome
 
Yeah, I bought Perfect Blur on the basis of this thread and I don't find it makes much of a difference. I think these blurry products might be snake oil. Another one I have is Dr Feelgood by the otherwise unimpeachable Benefit, and it does nothing. NOTHING! :mad:
 
Chick Webb said:
Yeah, I bought Perfect Blur on the basis of this thread and I don't find it makes much of a difference. I think these blurry products might be snake oil. Another one I have is Dr Feelgood by the otherwise unimpeachable Benefit, and it does nothing. NOTHING! :mad:
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Yes, dr feelgood had me equally mystified.

I've given up on benefit altogether now. I was using their brow zings pallette, but my blinc brow mousse stays on all day.
 
Help. My hair has gone slightly wavy and a bit frizzy while pregnant, and has thinned around the crown, temples and parting. It's growing back but I have some long thick straight bits, some coarse wavy bits and sort of fluff growing back where it thinned. And my scalp itches (partly tiredness I'm sure).

Any ideas what I can try? Usual oil is no good as it needs to be put on clean wet hair, left for 15 mins and then washed out and there will be some vomit/poo related imperative that ruins the process! (Plus the oil was for straight, fine hair but lots of it- not sure what I have now...) Something quick/efficient
 
spanglechick said:
Yes, dr feelgood had me equally mystified.

I've given up on benefit altogether now. I was using their brow zings pallette, but my blinc brow mousse stays on all day.
Click to expand...
I don't know what either of those things is is, but one thing I will say for Perfect Blur (I've just put some on) is it tames my eyebrows, which are getting a bit wizardly these days.
 
Manter said:
Help. My hair has gone slightly wavy and a bit frizzy while pregnant, and has thinned around the crown, temples and parting. It's growing back but I have some long thick straight bits, some coarse wavy bits and sort of fluff growing back where it thinned. And my scalp itches (partly tiredness I'm sure).

Any ideas what I can try? Usual oil is no good as it needs to be put on clean wet hair, left for 15 mins and then washed out and there will be some vomit/poo related imperative that ruins the process! (Plus the oil was for straight, fine hair but lots of it- not sure what I have now...) Something quick/efficient
Click to expand...
You can leave a good hair oil in overnight (maybe buy a block of shea butter or similar if the one you have is not good). I will apply it to the ends and then plait it, sleep, wash off in the morning but you coul put it n a bun and cover it (maybe with a sock or summat) if you're worried about your pillow cases. Or put it on in the morning and leave it on all day if you're not going out. Having some sort of multivitamin or oil supplement might be a good idea.
 
moonsi til said:
How could I forget Lush Brazened Honey face mask! It's the best face mask I have ever used and does seem to make my skin look brighter and less tired. It's a fresh one so goes in the fridge and use within 3-4 weeks and is about £6.

ETA I have it on now.
Click to expand...
Have you ever tried real honey? Raw organic honey is great for your face. I know youre happy with what youre using but real honey is cheap and it might be better so worth trying I'd say. I've got into it lately, it's ace.
 
ShiftyBagLady said:
You can leave a good hair oil in overnight (maybe buy a block of shea butter or similar if the one you have is not good). I will apply it to the ends and then plait it, sleep, wash off in the morning but you coul put it n a bun and cover it (maybe with a sock or summat) if you're worried about your pillow cases. Or put it on in the morning and leave it on all day if you're not going out. Having some sort of multivitamin or oil supplement might be a good idea.
Click to expand...

Yer the Asian women I have spoken to about it leave it on overnight....Argan oil that is.

I need a line filler :eek:
 
zenie said:
Yer the Asian women I have spoken to about it leave it on overnight....Argan oil that is.

I need a line filler :eek:
Click to expand...
Or primer if it's make up sitting in little lines.

I hope anyway. I'm wanting a smashbox visit. :aging: :hmm:
 
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