Review: Touch Theraphy Total Defense Deep Moisture Ampoule Mask

On a recent trip to Japantown in San Francisco, I stopped in at a beauty store. They had a whole section with just face masks. Now, I am of the age where face masks were mud, peel off, seaweed or some packet of cream that you applied and kept on for a 10 minutes. This type of mask is fairly new to me. As I've stated in other posts, I am just now paying attention to my skin since my early 30s. I've since tried about four different types. I was very excited to try the Touch Theraphy Total Defense Deep Moisture Ampoule Mask when I first saw it.

This item has argan oil and I've been trying everything that I see that is affordable that has argan oil. I just want to see if this is a good additive or just a trendy thing. Other sites have listed this item as having hyaluronic acid which I like to use anyway to enhance the moisturizing properties of whatever I use right afterwards.

The Rating: ★★★☆☆

I liked this mask because of the moisturizing. It has a stronger fragrance than I prefer. For many, this will not be a problem. For me, fragrance of any kind, even if it's pleasant to me, can be a problem.

The fluid was kind of soupy. I'm not sure of any other way to describe it. After I removed the mask, and tapped the rest of the product in, it appeared to take over an hour to absorb into the skin and felt tacky for way too long. I went out for the evening and it still felt a little tacky, hours later. I'm not entirely sure what that means. Was my skin not able to take the product?

Another issue with this product was that it contains parabens. I'm kind of ok with this, but who is to say that my itchy eyes was not due to that. Hard to know. For this reason, I am giving it 3 stars. I may try it again. I have another to use. If that trial goes well, I'll be sure to let you know.

If you've tried this product and had similar or different results, please comment below!

Update: I've tried this mask a second time, and with good results. The fragrance was not irritating the second time and I felt that the mask did a great job with moisturizing. No irritation the next day and I felt that the results were lasting. 

Review: Philosophy Time in a Bottle

I've been wanting to pay more attention to my skin for awhile. When I was pregnant with my son five years ago, I was very sensitive to scents, as most women are. They didn't necessarily make me nauseated. Some did, but some scents just gave me a headache or feel itchy and flared up my allergies. I used to be able to use any and all types of cosmetics and creams. All of a sudden, that ended. I was sensitive to fragrances, animal smells, and my moisturizer and hair spray!(Please notice below that I've bolded the ingredients from this product in bold if they are also on the Avoid These list.

I ended up not using any moisturizer on any part of
my body for five years. The only thing that worked was a humidifier. Anyone who has been pregnant knows that your body is working so hard and that dry skin becomes a problem during this time. This is also a time when a lot of women get a bloody nose while

sleeping. At this time, you tend to slather on any and all moisturizers. I had to do something to alleviate my cracking skin and the uncomfortable dryness.

So it's been five years, two kids and I haven't been washing my face in the morning and I haven't been using moisturizer. I know, weird. Even when I was 13 I used a moisturizer. It's the one thing I always did. Wash, tone, moisturize. But here I am. Looking at my skin through the eyes of a 41 year old woman and thinking, "Oh I really let myself go!" I needed some real help. Philosophy's Time in a Bottle is one of the first things I tried.

According to the product information:
Time in a Bottle daily age-defying serum helps defy the appearance of all major signs of aging with a breakthrough dna renewal complex and high-potency vitamin c8 activator. The packaging shows a side by side view of before and after results.
*clinical study, 120 women, ages 25-55, once daily use. measurement of aging not yet visible on the surface using cross-polarized light to reveal sub-surface signs of aging in the epidermal layer.

Features and Benefits:

• transforms your skin inside and out at any age by targeting the source of aging: your skin's dna
• helps skin appear radiant, poreless, even, wrinkle-free, smooth and firm
• fresh-pour system triggers the highest level of activity and potency by mixing the serum and activator prior to first use

My Usage and Rating: ★★★★☆

I did not have to mix the contents for this sample of product. If you purchased the full size, you would mix the two liquids and must use it within a certain amount of time. 

I applied this at night after my evening shower for several nights in a row, about 10 days. I saw visible results. I really liked the product because I saw a smoother texture, looked better rested and saw that other products were proving more effective as well. I can honestly say I look much younger.

This is exactly what I was looking for. One of the problems with this product is that it lists some ingredients that are on my MAY-POSSIBLY-CAUSE-IRRITATION list. See below for the ingredients list. (I have marked in bold the offensive items)  So overall I would give this a Rating of 4 stars for myself. If you are especially sensitive then this might not be for you. I did not have a real problem with it, but I have since found some other items that I like just as well. The other problem with this product is the price point. It's about $74. For me this is a deal breaker. For some of my friends, it isn't. For this mom of two on a budget, this wasn't something I could get used to.

Suggested Usage:

-Prior to first use, pour the entire vial of high-potency vitamin c8 activator into the serum, and fasten pump to the bottle. 
-Shake well for 20 seconds. The serum will turn light pink, indicating it is ready to begin transforming your skin. 
-Use morning and/or evening by applying to clean, dry skin. 
-Follow with moisturizer, if needed. 
-Use within three months after mixing for best results. 

Ingredients:

serum: aqua/water/eau, dimethicone, alcohol denat., bis-peg-18 methyl ether dimethylsilane, cyclopentasiloxane, peg-8, butylene glycol, polyethylene, glycerin, dimethiconol, methoxy peg-18, camellia sinensis leaf extract, coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract, pongamia pinnata seed extract, angelica archangelica root extract, citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) peel extract, punica granatum fruit extract, plankton extract, ptfe, bifida ferment lysate, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, squalane, ascorbyl palmitate, silica dimethyl silylate, tocopherol, polysorbate 60, lecithin, sclerotium gum, hydrolyzed soy flour, retinyl palmitate, propylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, micrococcus lysate, bacillus ferment, magnesium aluminum silicate, maltodextrin, trisodium edta, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, disodium edta, sodium phosphate, sodium hydroxide, potassium phosphate, potassium chloride, sorbic acid, adenosine, sodium benzoate, citric acid, parfum/fragrance, 1,2-hexanediol, silica, xanthan gum, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, sodium chloride, alcohol, acetic acid, phenoxyethanol, bht, mica, titanium dioxide (ci 77891).
activator: butylene glycol, 3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid, aqua/water/eau, fd & c red no. 4 (ci 14700), d & c red no. 33 (ci 17200).

Avoid These Skin Care Ingredients that can cause an Eczema flare up

Here is a list of ingredients to look out for if you have sensitive skin or eczema. You may only react to one or few of these items. Test out items within your comfort zone to figure it out. I'd add the generic "fragrance" to this list also.

• Acetone
• Alcohol
• Witch hazel
• Alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic acid)
• Benzoic acid
• Bronopol
• Cinnamic acid compounds
• Dowicil 200
• Formaldehyde
• Lactic acid
• Propylene glycol
• Quaternary ammonium compounds
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Sorbic acid
• Urea
• Vitamin C

Source:
Baumann, Leslie. "The Skin Type Solution." Bantam Books. 2006.

Review: Hair One Olive Oil Hair Cleanser Conditioner For Dry Hair

If you've read my previous hair product blogs, you'll know what I'm dealing with here. To read some previous posts on similar items, check out this post on Mystic Divine Argan & Monoi Oils Nourishing Mask.

My Process

I used these products, in this order, with a rinse between each application:

1. Shampoo - Finesse Clean + Simple
2. Beyond the Zone Shock Therapy Extreme Clean Clarifying Treatment
3. Hair One Olive Oil Hair Cleanser for Dry Hair
4. Ovation Cell Therapy
5. Free & Clear™ Conditioner

The RATING - ★★☆☆☆

I compared this to the Hair One Argan Oil product. This one was not as good at moisturizing. My curls were shiny, but did not seem as moisturized. My scalp was still itchy afterwards and flaked near the end of the week. The scent was okay and tolerable, but it still did not please me. The product did not impress me enough to try again. It would work fine for someone who had just moderately dry hair. But if you have extremely dry scalp, are prone to eczema, have dense African American hair like I do, this may not be enough for you. Applying avocado straight to the scalp before washing may be better.

If you had different results or want to share your experience, please post a comment below.

Ingredients:

Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, CID 157846, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

Review: Every Drop Beauty and Lip Spatulas

I was just going through my makeup and skin products, realizing that I have a lot of unused product. I found some very expensive moisturizer that was housed in a glass bottle. I really like the product, but was using the pump tube, to get the rest of the product out of the bottle. There are some suggestions online to get extra product out of tubes and plastic bottles, but it's difficult to remove this product out of a GLASS container.

There are a couple of options out there, but I wanted to try something fairly inexpensive first. Here are the options, I was looking at:

SEPHORA COLLECTION Bottom’s Up Beauty
ProBeauty Tools
Every Drop Beauty Spatula

I opted for the Every Drop Beauty and Lip Spatulas because they were at the Container Store and I was already there. But I believe you can get them at Walgreens, on Amazon, etc. for a comparable price. 


I found that using them together for the glass moisturizer bottle worked best. I needed the larger one to get the sides and the bottom of the bottle. I used the smaller one intended for lip gloss, for the area behind the neck of the bottle. the results are below. 

Bottle after product is removed. 

What you see in this pot(right) is only a portion of
what I got out of the bottle. I took this photo
2 weeks after I used the spatulas. So you are seeing
this after I used two weeks of product. 

I've since used this with three bottles of lotion and toothpaste and have extended my regular usage by additional two months. For plastic bottles, I can easily cut them open and scoop the remaining product into a jar or a wide mouth travel bottle. Once you cut open a plastic bottle, the remaining lotion or product tends to dry out, so you need to have a clean container on hand. Hope this helps!

For more useful reviews on hair products or other beauty products, please go to Chardonnay's Reviews!

Review: Mystic Divine Argan & Monoi Oils Nourishing Masque

Still in a quest to find a the holy grail of curly hair deep treatments, I tried a Mystic Divine Argan & Monoi Oils Nourishing Masque sample. I did not clarify this week, because I hadn't been using a lot of product.

For the last few weeks, I have been applying fresh avocado to my scalp, leaving it on for a half hour prior to washing. This is just some background, so that you know what I was starting with.

Hair Type:

3c, 4a curliness, SUPER dry hair with DRY SCALP, not colored, shoulder length, brown. Washed once a week, due to SUPER dry skin and hair. I used this product in conjunction with Finesse Clean + Simple Shampoo.

Product's Listed Benefits:

•     Eliminates Frizz
•     Restores Shine
•     Conditions and smooths dry damaged hair

Application Instructions:

Place a small amount of Mystic Divine Nourishing Oil Treatment in hand and smooth evenly through wet or dry hair.

The Rating: ★★★★☆

This product was way more than I expected. Having had an interesting experience with another Argan Oil product, I was not really looking forward to using it.  I am extremely sensitive to fragrances and my experience with Argan Oil was so far, less than pleasing. I was pleasantly surprised. This product had a pleasant LIGHT scent. Beyond that, it distributed easily through my dense curly hair. I separated my mass of hair into approximately six sections and applied the product to each. I could feel the hair become slippery. Sometimes items that tout themselves as detanglers, don't really appear to penetrate or moisturize while using them. This one was GRREAT! It is the next day, and I love the way my hair feels. 

I decided to wait until after one week to finish this review to see if the product held up to my usual routine. By day 6, I had extreme dandruff and itching, more than my usual. I was determined to give it a second try. This time I used my usual applications of products, not skipping any steps. I applied the masque directly to my scalp and waited 30 minutes, before washing it out. Then I used my regular shampoo, clarified with Shock Therapy, reapplied the Masque, my Ovations cell therapy (hair treatment only) to my temples, and rinsed. Then I applied my regular conditioner (Free & Clear). 

The next day, I straightened it. My hair was unusually manageable when brushing through with a Michel Mercier thick hair brush. The hair feels really good, conditioned and smooth. I am optimistic that I will have better conditioning results this time around. If your hair is less dry and you wash and condition more often than once a week, then this is for you. 

Ingredients:

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Dmdm Hydantoin, Tetrasodium Edta, Peg-4 Laurate, Citric Acid, Amodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth-7, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Trideceth-12, Laureth-9, Sodium Pca, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract, Yellow 6, Red 4, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal

Review: Beyond the Zone Shock Therapy Extreme Clean Clarifying Treatment

Because I don't use any product in my hair daily, I don't use a clarifying treatment regularly. As my hair is getting longer in some areas and breaking off in others, I'm giving in and am starting to use gel to keep the stray curly hairs around my hair line, controlled. Now I find that I should probably start clarifying again. I used to make my own, but my time is scarce now, so I'm trying some samples and testing them.

Hair Type:

3c, 4a curliness, SUPER dry hair with DRY SCALP, not colored, shoulder length, brown. Washed once a week, due to SUPER dry skin and hair.

I used this product in conjunction with the following products at different times:
Finesse Clean + Simple Shampoo
Ovation Cell Therapy Hair Treatment
Hair One Hair Cleanser and Conditioner with Argan Oil

 or Hair One Olive Oil Cleansing Conditioner for Dry Hair

Free & Clear™ Conditioner

Application Instructions:

Wet hair with warm water. Open packet and pour treatment evenly across wet palm. Rub hands together while adding one ounce of water to dissolve crystals and create a rich lather. Apply evenly throughout hair, scrunching ends and most affected discolored hair. Allow to remain on hair for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and follow with conditioner.
For maximum lather, shampoo prior to application. 

The Rating:  ★★★★☆

I really really like this product. I love that it's a powder and that you add water to activate it. Depending on how much hair you have, you can use as little or as much as you like. I have a lot of hair, but didn't find it necessary to use the whole packet. I felt the hair extremely clean after using it. I conditioned again after application. I dried and straightened my hair. I found that my hair felt smoother, took products applied and kept my styles well, during the week. No offensive smell. I will definitely continue to use it.

Ingredients:

Glucose, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Disodium Edta, Sodium Gluconate, Polyquaternium-10, Allantoin