Sample Sunday

This week I thought I would bring back Sample Sunday as I have been making a conscious effort to use up some of the samples of products that I have and use up the sample sized tubs, tubes and bottles of other products that have come on various trips away with me.

This is my progress:

Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara which is from a Glossybox and I had two samples of it - I actually really like this mascara, though I didn't love it. The sample itself is just 1.5g and lasted for about a week, so not really enough to gage a formed opinion, but I did like the brush and you can see more detail about it HERE when the first sample appeared.

Soap & Glory Scrub Of Your Life  - One of my favourite products from Soap and Glory, I love the fact I can have travel sizes of this and take it with me when I go away. It is apparently the Ultimate soapy, super-smoothing body buffer.  I love the scent and how effective yet gentle this is on my skin.  It retails for around £3 for this travel size and it does last a long time.

Next up there are two Montagne Jeunesse Facemasks.  I am a huge lover of facemasks and love trying them out and these particular masks are just complete bargains.

The first is Chocolate Mud Pie which is an indulgent skin softening mask and it combines Cocoa and shea butter.  This mask smells good enough to eat, it is like someone pushing your face into a lovely chocolate cake and you leave it on for 15-20 minutes, it dries, you rinse it off using warm water and it leaves you with lovely soft to the touch skin, for 99p this is a total bargain and I got it from Asda.

The second is Manuka Honey Peel Off.  Now I love love love facemasks which you peel off, I know I have probably mentioned it before, but there is something so satisfying about waiting for a mask to dry on your skin and then getting to peel it off, yummy.  Anyway, this mask is described as being a famous natural cleanser and it contains Manuka Honey and Jasmin and as with the other mask, cleanse your face, apply, leave for 15-20 minutes and then peel it off.  Another fab mask for 99p

Next comes three Jenoris sachets which I got back in July from the London Blogger Meet and there are two hair masks and a shampoo within this collection.

The Keratin Shampoo, which is sodium chloride free, contains Omega 3,6 and for a healthy scalp and shiny hair.  It includes Keratin for long-term protection, moisturises the hair whilst restoring its natural gloss and vitality.  I actually quite liked this sample, it smells quite nice in that it has the clean smell and it didn't irritate my scalp and my hair was lovely and soft after using.

The Pistachio Hair Mask is described as being ideal for treating split ends, dry, coloured or lightened hair and as with the Keratin Shampoo it contains Omega 3,6 and 9.  With this mask you apply to your hair after washing and leave on for just 3-5 minutes before rinishing it off but if your hair is in a bit of a state, you can leave it for up to 12 minutes for a more intensive treatment.  I am not too sure this mask did anything for my hair in all honesty, it smells lovely and is easy to use but my hair didn't feel any different after using.

The Keratin Hair Mask is again sodium chloride free and is enriched with Omega 3,6 and 9 as well as Pistachio and borage oils as well as keratin to moisturise and give long term protection to your hair.  After using it claims to leave your hair with perfect softness, shine and glamour.  I preferred this hair mask to the pistachio one but again, I didn't really feel too many benefits of using the mask, it would make a much better conditioner in my opinion.

Apivita express beauty with Apricot - this is a gentle exfoliating gel with apricot and I got the sachet from the London Blogger Meet.  This was my first introduction to Aprivita and I loved this gel.  It smells divine, as though someone has just squeezed the life out of some apricots and put them into this sachet.  It is a gentle but effective exfoliator and it leaves your skin feeling super soft after using.  This is a brand I want to explore further.

Elemis Fresh Skin Skin Glow - Put simply, I am a big big fan of this product and I did a whole review of it which you can find HERE and it is a product I would buy again.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm - This product has quite a few mentions on my blog and has its own review which you can read HERE.  Before I got it in a Glossybox I had heard so many people compare it to Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream which I dislike, I fully expected to dislike this product as well... WRONG... I love it and am sad it has run out, though I fully intend to purchase a full size version.  it has been an absolute lifesaver in this cold weather, I smother my lips in it before bed and it also makes a great base before applying lipstick.

So those are my empty samples for this month and I think I have done quite well in using them up and remembering to keep them for this post.  Have you ever tried any of these products, are you a fan of any of them?

My March Empties!

I see so many fellow bloggers doing posts like these and I really enjoy reading them, so I thought I would do one too.  Throughout the whole of March, I have made a conscious effort to use it those bottles and tubs of potions that are just about to run out and here they are:

In this photograph there are some of the face products that I have used up and they are:

The Sanctuary Spa Active Reversal Thermal Transformation Mask which I got in my January Glossybox.  I have to be honest, I didn't like this mask at all, I didn't like how much faffing about there was to using it, the feel of it on my skin or the feel of my skin after using it.

Montagne Jeunesse Paw Paw Peel off Mask which claimed to be a 'Phenomenal Pore Blaster' and I reviewed it HERE it is fair to say I wasn't impressed with this product either.

Simple Facial Wipes which again I reviewed HERE and I love these wipes,l they are brilliant for wiping away all the dirt and grime of the day, along with make-up and wouldn't hesitate to purchase them again.

Simple Facial Moisturising Cream which I have also reviewed and you can find it HERE and again I really liked this product, I love how soft and smooth my skin felt after using it and I had no adverse reactions to it either.

Next are products from the bathroom and again all have been used up in March.

Radox Nourish Bath  - I bought this because it was on offer for £1 in Asda and I had assumed I was running low on bath products, not only for me but also for him indoors.  This is the Nurturing range with Ginger and Shea butter, not two ingrdeients I would put together but it smells alright and I wouldn't purchase it again as it wasn't my favourite fragrance, but for £1 it is alright.

Essential Waitrose Sea Salt and Kelp - I bought this because it was on offer again £1.29, as you might have gathered, I am the worlds greatest impulse shoppers!  A friend of mine swears by this stuff and claims it is the best foam bath she has ever used.  Well to be fair to the bath foam, it does create a lot of bubbles and it does smell quite nice and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Palmolive Bergamot and Verbena Hand Soap - I bought this for two reasons.  Firstly I liked the design of the bottle and it was on offer in Asda for £1 and I needed some more soap for the bathroom and secondly I have used a bath foam in the past with both Bergamot and Verbena as the main ingredients and loved the sharp citrusy scent.  I was really disappointed by this soap, there is a slight citrus smell, but it wasnt as sharp as I was hoping for and I wouldn't buy it again.

Lush Veganese - A slight cheat as there was only enough left for one last use but I did use it in March.  i like this conditioner as a treat, it is seaweed and lemon infused and is really light as a conditioner.  As I have greasy roots, I don't use a conditioner on my roots very often as it makes my hair worse, however, this leaves my hair soft and shiney.  It costs £4.15 for 100g bottle, £8.15 for 250g and £13.15 for 500g bottle. I will definitely purchase this again.

             

Here we have:

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - Hmm well this was a sachet and am glad I didnt have to pay for it because I hated everything about it. The smell, the texture, the effect it had on my hair, basically it wasn't for me and I have since tried Morrocanoil which I adore.

Spa Magik Salt brushing - Love this product range and this sachet came from a Glossybox and I have since bought another one because they are so good.  It is 100% natural, has no Parabens and costs around £1.78 per sachet to buy and it leaves your skin looking and feeling amazing.  There is a review for this coming soon.

Garnier Body 7 day replenishing Lotion - this was given to me by a work colleague who couldnt stand the smell. It is a Mango oil fragrance for dry skin and I found the scent to be quite subtle.  However, this products is just not for me, it doesnt do enough for my dry skin patches and it isn't something I would now purchase for myself.

Maybelline Colossal Mascara - I actually quite liked this mascara until I got towards the end of the tube when it became clumpy and unwearable which annoyed me.  As a mascara I liked the brush, it made applying the mascara really easy and whilst I never truly believe it would give me 'up to 7 times more gorgeous volume' you could see some improvement.  However, having now discovered They're Real by Benefit, this really does pale into insignificance   Costs around £7

My final list of empties - and I am shocked as to how much I have managed to use up are:

Radox Coconut Kiss shower gel which I wrote about HERE and HERE and I love the smell of this shower gel, the texture is lovely and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth after using.  A product I would definitely purchase again and it is still on offer for £1 in Asda.

Palmolive Ayurituel Joyous Shower Gel - again I wrote about this HERE and of the three in this range, Joyous is without doubt my favourite.  I like the scent of this alot and it leaves a really lovely lingering smell in your bathroom and on your skin for a few hours after using. Again, I have since purchased this one again.

Dove Natural Touch Deodorant Spray - Picked it for £1 which makes it another bargain yet again.  Doesn't leave white stains on clothing, smells really lovely and keeps me feeling fresh all day long.  I would definitely purchase this again.

The Final product is Nspa mango body scrub which I bought from Asda on a 3 for 2 offer and I really like this scrub, it smells wonderfully fruity and has a matching bath foam, it does exfoliate really well without scratching your skin and the mango smell is really lovely.  A definite item to be repurchased. 

Do you use any of these products? Do you like/hate any of them?