Sunday 13 July 2014

The Sunday Sample files



As I was trying to get a little more organised with my stash of samples I decided to allocate a good sized box for them. However, I ended it up filling two boxes (one slightly smaller than the other) and a small basket. The worrying thing is that I am sure I have a few more samples stashed in different draws and after bringing a few more samples from the LNLO show, my stash is out of control.

I have had a pretty steady beauty routine going for quiet some time, and my skin has been pretty happy. I am not really testing anything at the moment that would require me to keep track of what I am using, so now is the perfect time to mess things up by using lots of different products! I am kidding of course, I will still be careful, but something needs to be done about this ever growing mountain of samples.

So I have decided to pick five samples from the stash at the beginning of the week. Do my best to finish them off (some are bigger than others) by Sunday and report my results. At the end I will enter the names in a file to help me keep track of what I liked and disliked, in order not to keep testing the same products over and over again (yep it has happened before). I will be also using a traffic lights system to distinguish between things: red for a definite no, yellow for the maybes, green for future purchases.

This week's picks are:



Ren eye gel. I am always a little on the fence when it comes to Ren because of their ingredients, however my eye area is super sensitive and only very few products seem to work. Gel formula for eye care is what works best for me in general, this particular one has been surprisingly good so far.  I am not 100% sure that I will repurchase, definitely maybe.

W3ll People Universalist #3. I have epically failed to use this up. It has a little sheen to it making it illuminating, and the colour tends towards plum. When blended on my skin it looks almost like a reddish bronzer.



 It seems to be ok if I put it on with the lightest touch, but honestly not my colour. I have Universalist in #6 & #8 and love them, #3 will not be joining my collection, a resounding no.

Tata Harper resurfacing mask. I have had a few of these samples and I really like this mask, I was really close to purchasing it on the field trip tour. Someday I will, a reassuring yes. It has a gel like consistency and has a light pink colour. My skin always feels fresher and brighter after I use it.

Pure thoughts mint & avocado foot balm. I love the packaging and this balm smells just like peppermint. The consistency reminds me of a salve.



 It is an overall pleasant product and I was thinking of putting it in the maybe category. The truth is I do have a foot cream that I am obsessed with, so I doubt I will ever purchase this balm, so it has to be a hesitant no.

Kahina serum. I adore Kahina argan oil and was excited to give this a go. The smell is lightly floral and very pleasant, consistency is also light and it left my skin nicely hydrated yet not oily...for the first 3 times. After that my skin was becoming itchy as soon as I used it. Now I do try to be careful with expiry dates and so on, but I couldn't recall how long I had this sample for. So there is a small chance that I am reacting to it because it is old, regardless, for now it is a no and it has been used up on my elbows.

The tally so far:



I feel like I only just scratched the tip of the iceberg, but I suppose it is a start. Tomorrow I will be choosing five new samples, and starting this process all over again.

Hopefully by the end I will have a clearer idea of what I have tried and what is actually worth purchasing.


8 comments:

  1. Great idea - I also have a lot of sample sachets and pots, and a fairly established skincare regime. I really like the idea of giving yourself a weekly task list and summing it up with the traffic light files. Look forward to seeing next weeks post :) x

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    1. Yay glad you like it! I love samples, but I think it is high time to start using them. I am really looking forward to de cluttering to be perfectly honest :) xx

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  2. Great post! I've been trying to work through some samples lately too. It's amazing how they pile up!

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    1. It's crazy, one day I'm trying to save a few for travel, and the next I am overrun with samples. No idea when it happened, can't even remember what I actually have either...

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  3. I'm desperately trying to get through my samples too but when you find products you love you just want to use them ones all the time haha!

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    1. So true, but it is at a point that something needs to be done about it ;)

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  4. I love doing this especially when I find a sample I absolutely love x

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    1. It is amazing when you do, at the moment I will be happy to just sort out the good from not so good ;) xx

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