Hi all..

well... i recently made the brilliant decision to not order my Skinceuticals
sunblock because of the house move.  Once we got moved and I got sick from 6
days in a row of UV exposure, I decided I best order some.  But then decided
that everyone raves about Total Block so.. what the heck.  It's only a bit
more expensive (by volume) than Skinceuticals.

so...  get the stuff.  First day i use it my face blotches out horribly and
my eyes watered until i could get it off my face later in the day.  Failed
experiment.  A bit pricey one at that.  Immediately upon washing that stuff
off, i got on-line and ordered my Skinceuticals Physical Defense 30SPF.

When I received the package - it included a small sample of this:

http://www.skinstore.com/store/product.asp?catID=0&prodID=2571

now... usually anything with that # of ingredients in it would be a risk.
But my face was still blotched, red, sore, and I had two lovely shiny
patches of "the rash" under each eye.  What the heck, it claims to help heal
skin that's been damaged.  That night I put a little of this on just one
side.  if I was going to make things worse, why make the whole thing
worse,right?  okay, so I'd be unbalanced (lookout - here comes Andy with a
smart*** remark!)

well... i'd have to say immediately it felt better but of course that could
have been any reason.  In the a.m. - WOW!  in the areas I'd applied this
stuff the rash and redness were almost entirely gone.  Not so for the
untreated areas (though they were better as I treated them to a coating of
DHC Olive Leaf Milk)

A little goes a long way so even though this stuff isn't cheap, i'd
recommend that if you have something you'd like to purchase from
SkinStore.com you mention the Atopalm sample.  I have used it several times
since just to make sure it didn't end up irritating my skin after multiple
uses and as yet it has not.  Been about a week or more so I feel pretty
secure that it won't bother me.  Everyone is different of course, that's why
I recommend asking about the sample.  I am impressed.

Above I mentioned DHC Olive Leaf Milk.  I was warned against DHC and they do
have products that I would never recommend to anyone not only because of
their inflated prices but because they were harsh on my skin.  Buuut... i
tried the Extra Moisturizing Night creme, the Olive Leaf Milk (a very light,
daytime moisturizer) and their Deep Cleansing Oil.

One would think "Deep Cleansing" would be harsh.  It is not.  Frankly, it's
become almost a therapeutic meditative thing for me every evening.  It too
goes a long way as do the moisturizers described above.  I've had the
jars/bottles of these now for at least 2 months - maybe longer can't
remember exactly when I bought them.

What I love about all of these products is there is no perfume, no funky
"herbal" scent.  Just clean smelling products that are gentle on my very
sensitive skin.  And none of them have caused me any breakouts or rashes or
anything resembling the sort of irritation i've experienced from the miriad
products i've tried that were cheaper but definitely not worth the money!

I wouldn't bother with their soaps - ridiculously expensive and they
stripped my skin.  most of the fancy-schmancy stuff (the Acerola, Vit. C,
etc.) irritated my skin.

Last but not least - my search for a shampoo to replace the one I hoarded
several years ago (and am down to the last few mls of) has finally ended.
EarthEssentials (formerly EarthScience) makes a Fragrance-free shampoo with
an amazingly small list of ingredients and has been remarkable for my skin.
skin?  Well, usually shampoos and conditioners irritate my back, shoulders
and neck.  That has gone away.  This stuff is not pricey at all and in fact
I'm hoping to talk hubby into changing over to it so we can have just one
shampoo in the shower (mine is relegated to the floor because his takes up
the space in the shampoo niche.)  one can get a gallon of the stuff for $38
bucks.