Sample Sunday: Sephora VIB Event

I got a card in the mail about a Sephora VIB event that gave me 15% off purchases for a week and also a free cosmetic bag and some free goodies. While I was hoping to get the Urban Decay Electric Palette but they were out of stock, so I just got some things I needed.

 The bag is a cute wristlet that I'll probably use when I travel. There were 6 samples that came with it: Buxom Full On Lip Cream in Mudslide, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Dark Brown, Sephora 10HR Wear Perfection Foundation in Sand, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Murad Age Reform Perfecting Night Cream, and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.

 

I've reviewed the Smashbox primer and the FAB cream before, the others are all new to me.

I'm a little bummed that there wasn't a choice of colors for the foundation, since I'm super fair and it will be pretty pointless to test the sample except for texture. The texture is silky and has medium coverage. The Buxom lip cream had a silky texture and a tingly sensation, much like their other lip products. The color is sheer and neutral, but very pretty. I'll be trying the Murad cream overnight and I'll update in the morning.

Sample Sunday: Smashbox Primer Try It Kit

This week I tried to get the Smashbox Try It Kit during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty, but it was sold out when I got there so I picked up this kit instead. Slightly smaller, but still a good deal. This box had the Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Photo Finish Lid Primer, and Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer. The foundation primer worked really well, but initially felt a little greasy. That feeling went away quickly and the look was definitely matte. The lid primer worked well, but no better than any other I've tried. I really liked the under eye primer though. I always have dark circles and so I always use concealer. This really helped my concealer stay put. I would consider getting these in full size in the future, but I highly recommend trying this kit out since it's a great value at only $14. Find it at Ulta or online here.

 

Sample Sunday: Dolce & Gabbana Intense, Julep One Step Polish Remover Pad and L'Occitane en Provence Concentre de Lait

For this week's Sample Sunday I chose Dolce & Gabbana Intense for my fragrance choice. It's starts out with warm floral notes and soon turns deep and almost amber and woody. The top notes are listed as Neroli and Green Mandarin and the base notes as Sandalwood and Guimauve (I'll be honest I have no idea what Guimauve is.) The sandalwood makes this such a warm scent that is seductive and great for warming up cooler days and nights.

My nails look awful this week. I've been so crazy busy I haven't taken off the sad remnants of my last manicure. I needed to get them cleaned up quick so they wouldn't look so terrible, so I grabbed my Julep One-Step Polish Remover Pad sample. These work ridiculously well, so much more so than I expected. I had all my polish off in less than a minute, which is better than when I use cotton balls and nail polish remover. I would definitely get these to keep in my purse or for when I travel.

 Since it refuses to be Spring in New England, my skin is a little dry from the weather so I decided to try my sample of L'Occitane en Provence Concentre de Lait (Milk Concentre.) This is the first product I've tried from L'Occitane and I really like it. It has a light almond smell and a really light texture, but it's very hydrating, a little goes a long way.

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

Sample Sunday: Escada, Juice Beauty, First Aid Beauty

This Sample Sunday I wanted to avoid trying any new makeup because I just had a chemical peel and so my skin is a little dry and starting to flake. Today's three samples were Especially Escada fragrance, Juice Beauty organic Oil Free Moisturizer and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.

The Especially Escada perfume is lightly musky and floral, but subtle and not as long lasting as I would have hoped. The official notes are Pear, Rose, Ambrette Seeds, Ylang Ylang, and Musk. It is a pretty fragrance and as I mentioned, not strong, so it's good if you like a subtle fragrance. It wouldn't be my first pick.




The Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer was lightweight and smells slightly fruity. My face felt moisturized without a heavy thick feeling or any residue. As someone who has combination skin I like to have moisture without feeling greasy. I really like this product and I think it will be great in the warmer (and more humid) weather.

When I first picked up the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Sample I thought it was a moisturizer for the face, but it's for the body. I really needed this one today, my hands and feet were both really dry and this really did the trick. It is a little thick and I liked it on my feet more than my hands. It didn't absorb as much as I wanted and my hands felt a little greasy for a while. I think this would be good to put on right before bed so that it has plenty of time to absorb and work. I also think it would be better for the body than the hands. I really like that it is allergy tested, fragrance free, dermatologist recommended and good for eczema and sensitive skin. My boyfriend has horrible eczema head to toe and I think this would be great for him. I do like this product for me too though and it's something I'd probably use again.


Have you tried any of these?

Sample Sunday: Fresh, Stila and Bite

Here in New England it seems like Spring is desperately fighting to come through. So my first sample today was chosen to try to bring a little bright freshness and ward away winter. I chose the fragrance Sugar Lemon by Fresh since citrus always reminds me of warmer days. I'll be completely honest with you, the initial impression I got was lemon scented cleaner, not quite lemon pledge, but in that neighborhood. But I gave the fragrance a little time to open up and it turned into a lightly sweet lemon scent, reminiscent of a lemon tree on a warm day, not like lemonade. It's a very light fragrance and smells very clean and is great if you just want a hint of fragrance.

Next up I chose Stila CC Cream in the shade Light (since they don't make Casper.) I've had a hard time with some of the double letter products, i.e. BB, CC, and DD creams since often they are too dark for me, even though most people complain they don't come in dark enough shades. It's hard being this white sometimes. Initially I was surprised because it comes out of the tube a slightly grey shade and I thought it was going to be pasty looking and unnatural, but as soon as I swiped it with my finger the color transformed.  It has a really lightweight texture and feels like nothing is on. It did help to even out my skin, but wasn't able to give me as much coverage as I was hoping for on the under eye area and some small blemishes. I did try to apply a little more since it is a buildable coverage and that a helped a little, but I would still use a small amount of concealer on those areas. Overall though a good CC cream that matched my skin very well (shocking really) and would be great for days when I don’t want to be bare faced, but am feeling too lazy for full makeup.

Not a huge difference on camera, but I noticed some improvement in person.

Last but not least on today's lineup is Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Musk. The only thing I did to prepare my lips was a lip scrub. This lipstick has a really beautiful texture. It is very creamy and feels hydrating on the lips which is often difficult in a lipstick. The coverage is opaque and even. This color was very close to my natural lip color however, but I actually really like that. It looked in the tube like it might be a little darker as you'll see in the photos. I really like this color for day to day.