#365 Days of Samples: Week 4

Time to talk about the samples I used up this week and chose 7 new ones from my overflowing stash. Let's start with what I finished up this week:

The Kate Somerville ExfoliKate is a tried and true favorite of mine (full review here). I've been using it for over 5 years now, and it's definitely a mask that I feel does deliver on it's claims of exfoliating my oily/congested skin. Good stuff that I will continue to repurchase.

I gave the men's fragrance Artisan Black by John Varvatos an honest try (3 uses), but I just could not get on board with it. It's a citrus blend with top notes of tangerine, Meyer lemon, Italian red orange, and Givaudan's calpysone (an ozonic and melon like smell). There are lots of other middle and base notes, but something in the mix goes stale on me.

I know the Hourglass Mineral Veil primer is a favorite of many, but I'm rather ho-hum about it. I've had multiple samples over the years and rarely find myself reaching for them. It does not extend the wear of my foundation and sometimes it seems to make my skin even more oily. Plus, it's super pricey at $54 for a full sized bottle.

The Guerlain Lingerie de Peau in Clair 02N was really nice! It was easy to apply with my fingers and gave my skin a nice finish. Coverage is light to medium but buildable. It does start breaking down on my oily skin after 6-7 hours, so it's not what I would call long wearing. At $62, it's more expensive than I want to pay for a foundation, but I did enjoy using the sample.

This luxury cream ($195) features some impressive ingredients (green tea polysaccharides, pine mushroom, and a patented fusion of 12 Asian botanicals known as Future Response Complex).  The sample wasn't enough to form a solid impression and the hefty price means it's not something I would seriously consider anyhow. One Amore Pacific product I have splurged on and thoroughly enjoy is their Treatment Enzyme Peel ($60).

I did enjoy using the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel. My skin does well with regular, gentle exfoliation, and I've tried a variety of AHA/BHA products over the years. This one is pricey at $88 for a 30 day supply, and I think there are comparable products out there at much more reasonable prices, so I would not purchase. I'll definitely use any samples that come my way, however.

An exfoliate I would consider purchasing is the CosRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid ($21). With a 4% BHA solution of Betaine salicylate plus white willow bark and vitamin B5, this simple formula has a great reputation for effectively clearing skin of gunk. I only got a few uses from the sample, so I'm happy to see Ulta is now carrying CosRX products and I do see this ending up in a future shopping cart.

The last sample I finished this week was the DHC Resveratrol Lotion, which is actually a hydrating toner. It's being discontinued by DHC so is currently half off of it's $61 regular price. Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes, and the toner also contains moisturizing cereal extracts. I used the entire packet in one sitting, utilizing the "7 Skin Method for Glowing Skin" that I just learned about this weekend after watching Gothamista on YouTube. If you are into skincare (especially Korean skincare routines), you need to watch her videos.

Now it's time to see what I randomly selected for week 4's samples! I will list the above as the first 7 samples, and then include samples from previous weeks that are still being used.

1. Peter Thomas Roth 24-Karat Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches
2. Eve Lom Moisturizing Mask
3. Obliphica Seaberry Hair Serum
4. Shisheido White Lucent Total Brightening Serum
5. Urban Decay Minor Sin Eye Primer
6. GlamGlow Powermud Dual Cleanse Treatment
7. Lancome Nude Miracle Liquid-to-Powder Makeup
8. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment
9. Too Faced Primed & Poreless face primer
10. Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil
11. Guerlain Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil