#365 Days of Samples: Week 17

Time for the 17th week of my #365 Days of Samples series (inspired by Elle S on YouTube), where I'm trying to make a dent in my overflowing box of samples. I finished 7 samples this week, including one deluxe sample and a full sized item that I've been working on quite a while! Some of these products are great and two are duds, so let's investigate.

The Farmhouse Fresh Agave Nector Body Oil ($18) and Sweet Cream Body Lotion ($28) are tried and true favorites, and I enjoyed using both together. I like to use body oils on shower damp skin, followed by a body cream to seal everything in, and these are two I would definitely use again.

Collection Rouge No. 1 by M. Micallef (~$74-$242, depending on site) was launched in 2013 and is categorized as a fruity floral, with notes of peach, tangerine ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, white musk, vanilla and benzoin. While it smells nice at first spray, on dry down it goes both sharp and stale on me. Could be my body chemistry, but this is not for me so I will not be finishing the vial.

The Obliphica Seaberry Hair Serum ($38) for fine to medium hair goes way back to week 4 of this series, which was in March. I had a surplus of hair samples to get through before this one, which took a good 2 months to finish. Per the web site, here are the claims for the serum:

• System MOISTURIZES to help PROTECT chemically damaged hair FROM BREAKAGE during brushing, styling, grooming process by up to 94%
• System SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES DETANGLING, MANAGEABILITY, and EASE of COMBING WET HAIR by up to 84% or 6x
• System CONDITIONS HAIR to look and feel HEALTHIER, SOFTER, SLEEKER, SMOOTHER, and REJUVENATED
• System REDUCES STATIC FLYAWAY by up to 71% in low humidity
• System REDUCES FRIZZ and IMPROVES STYLE RETENTION (AFTER STRAIGHTENING) up to 28% AFTER 8 HOURS in 70% relative humidity (high humidity)
• System REDUCES VOLUME, WITHOUT HEAT, by up to 48%
• System IMPROVES SHINE up to 3x

My main impression was that it did not weigh my hair down at all and did help with detangling. I wash my hair every other day and used about a dime size for my short hair. I also used the amount in the picture above on dry hair and it did not make my hair clump together or look/feel oily.  A con for me was I didn't really care for the fragrance, but it's not a deal breaker.  The price is, however, as I can't see spending $38 for a serum that is primarily silicones (Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hippophea Rhamonoides (Sea Buckthorn) Oil, Fragrance).

The Flawless Skin Fluid by Doctor D. Schwab ($38) is a lightweight natural ingredient based facial moisturizer. I had never heard of it before receiving it in a FabFitFun subscription box, and I've got to say I'm impressed! It has a slight shimmer that helps illuminate the skin and I thought it did a good job of hydrating my oily skin. It wears well under makeup and played nice with my other skincare products, which is something I really appreciate. 

Ingredients of note include shea butter, royal jelly, sweet almond oil, sodium hyaluronate, niacin, grape fruit cell extract, hops extract, sage extract, and rosehip fruit extract (to name just a few). I would considering purchasing this, although I did think the tube was a deluxe sized sample at 1 ounce, but no, that's the full size. I used it primarily in the mornings and it lasted two months.

This shampoo by the Japanese brand DHC is designed to solve oily hair issues at the scalp level utilizing ingredients such as algae extract and licorice while collagen, olive oil and eucalyptus moisturize and condition hair. It says it is safe for color treated hair, but it does containe sodium laurel sulfate as the 2nd ingredients, so.....I did like it and thought it did a good job of removing product buildup while leaving hair soft and shiny. It's a bit pricey at $17 a bottle (although it's a hefty 17.5 oz bottle) so I won't be purchasing, but I would gladly use any other samples that come my way.

The second item that I was not enamored with was the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation.  I wore it twice and used 3 of the colors (light neutral, light medium sand, and medium honey for contour), but it was too heavy for my liking. It's billed as full coverage so that's no fault of it's own, but I'm more of a BB/CC cream wearer.

Now, let's see the next batch of samples I randomly selected for week 17 of #365 Days of Samples! I'll list the new items first, followed by those I'm still working on.

1. Deva Curl Buildup Buster Gentle Deep Cleansing Serum (deluxe sample)
2. Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Cream (deluxe sample)
3. Tarte 911 Under Eye Rescue Patches (1 pair)
4. Deva Curl Waves Ahead Low-Poo Delight (deluxe sample)
5. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (foil)
6. It Cosmetics Confidence in a Compact with SPF 50+ (deluxe sample)
7. It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream (foil)
8. Bio Lifting Cream + Aromacologie by Chantecaille (deluxe sample)
9. Nectarine Rose Moisturizing Body Lotion by Ulta 
10. Ulta Beauty Mattifying Balm (deluxe sample)
11. Estee Edit Pink Peony Overnight Water Pack (deluxe sample)
12. Ouidad Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel (foil)
13. Sunshine Oil by Milk Makeup (deluxe sample)