Trying out ALL of my Samples- Take 6

Here we go again, its been a while since we took the samples for a little whirl. Ive done a lot of online shopping lately (mostly Christmas) and have ended up with a lot of samples I need to take for a spin. Here is the short list of what made it through the try out samples adventure. The sampling in this post had begun in October, so some of these samples were tried out a while ago now. This is my last of the samples testing for 2020 but don’t worry there will be more next year.

KIEHLS: Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner (Alcohol Free)

Kiehls products I have always heard good things about and have wanted to try out so this sample was perfect for me. This toner was the one I have seen and it looks like it has chunks of seaweed in the bottle (weird). I did like the idea that it was alcohol free and hopefully would cleanse my face without drying it out. I have had loads of trouble with finding a toner that didn’t dry my skin out I feel like its impossible to find.

I tried this out before bed so if my skin went nuts the shock in the mirror will be a great way to wake me up. So I put this toner on a cotton ball and applied it after cleaning my face. Not really overwhelmed by any scent in the toner. It went on fine didn’t feel any stinging sensation, in fact it actually just felt like I was putting water on my face which I thought was weird I kept checking the cotton ball to see if there actually was something on the ball. Now the morning was the real test to see if the toner did anything…..it did! Looking in the mirror in the morning my skin looked so clear and it didn’t feel dried out. I have been on the lookout for a new toner after I realised the one I have been using for the last six months or so was really only used because I liked the smell and not the results. I think I found a replacement toner.

NARS: Climax Extreme Mascara

Nars is a brand that I always seem to love. I feel its a bit fancy for me but I do like a lot of their products. Their foundations and concealers I can never fault they are the super special occasion makeup. This mascara I’ve had my eye on for a while now and I promised myself I’d buy as a treat once we were out of lockdown and I could go into store. The mascara creates volume coats each lash. This made me a little sad when using the mascara I found that it was really thick and lumpy and no matter how many times I tried to scrape the mascara on the side of the tube so it wouldn’t be as much product to put on my lashes it still was chunky. It honestly felt like a mascara I had purchased in the past from a pyramid scheme brand (not saying which one).

I really wanted to love this, I alway love Nars products but like I said this was way to thick and it really didn’t do any justice for my lashes. It made them look horrible and one coat made it look like I was wearing a cheap product on my lashes that I had kept applying. This was not a win for me.

HOURGLASS: Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel

This I was shocked with, they sent me a sample in a shade perfect for me. Usually when I get a sample the colour is way off; either too light or too dark. Usually I use pens/ pencils to add volume or fill in my brows and occasionally use a gel brush product if I want to go that little extra – or I can be bothered. So with this I did have an open mind because maybe it could replace me penciling in my brows. For a small sample I felt that the brush was still a little big. I know the brush is made to give a more natural look but I found it made the product distribute uneven and it just looked messy not natural at all. I also found that the product itself was a bit chunky and sat on my brows and brushing it seems to move it around and not blend it into the hairs like a lot of other products. I really wanted to like this product because I had seen so many reviews on how much of a game changer it was but to be honest this was pretty disappointing.

JUICE BEAUTY: Blemish Clearing Cleanser

This brand I don’t know why but seeing the packaging reminded me of a cheap brand I used as a teenager (I think it was sold to my mum from a friend apart of a pyramid scheme beauty products party) that just irritated the feck out of my skin so a part of me did panic. But I did work up the courage to try this sample. This was one big ass sample. I remember I first thought it was sent to me by mistake but I guess it was a DELUXE sample. Now I tired this morning and night for about a week. I did find it a bit drying and made my face feel a little stiff as if I was sunburnt but I tried it again just using the cleanser at night and using my usual cleanser in the morning and I found it was a lot better to use and made my skin so amazing. This at night gave me such clear skin. I think using it day and night must have been a bit of overkill for my skin but only using it once worked out perfectly. The cleanser is a brownish gel that actually didn’t have a bad smell to it, I could kind of pick up some citrus. Yes I smell beauty products.

I was extremely happy with the results from this cleanser it’s become apart of my regular beauty routine. I use it every night just before bed. I will say I fee so fresh from using this, I never go to sleep with patchy red skin- like a lot of blemish cleansers do to my skin. This is honestly the clearest my skin has been in a while.

JO MALONE: Cypress & Grapevine Cologne Intense

Yep we have a cologne to try out too. Ok so not much information was included on the card just that it was: TOP: Cypress , HEART: Grapevine and BASE: Moss swell as it being very woody. At first spritz it was very masculine and straight away I thought they sent me a bloody males stink! But after a big search I found it was a “UNISEX” smell. Honestly not for me, but for the husband 100%. You can for sure smell the wood notes in the cologne with a hint of sweetness and well as a fresh touch. I was a bit bummed because I sprayed this on my arm and the bloody thing stayed on my arm the whole night the scent did not leave! So bad for me but a positive that the scent stayed on your skin for ages even with a tiny little spritz.

So I will wrap it up for 2020’s samples, honestly there was a lot more but I figured I might save those for next year. These samples posts have proven that samples can encourage purchasing something that you would never even think of buying but have discovered how amazing it is. It can also show that a lot of products have just been hyped up for nothing and just have been flat out shit. The next samples post is in the works now and will be posted some time in January.

IM OUT!!!!