Shopping my Samples #2

Its been a while since my last sample post which is slightly annoying. I have been enjoying having a rummage through my ever growing sample stash however getting enough products together to put in a post is proving to take slightly longer than anticipated! So here goes part 2!

I was actually highly anticipating the milk_shake conditioning whipped cream but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. Not one to dwell on negatives I shall just cut to the chase. A. the scent was overpoweringly sweet - think Worthers Originals on your bonce and B. the mousse like formulation felt too sticky and heavy for a leave in conditioner. I found a sample of a Clarins foundation in a magazine. Being the ever organised beauty blogger I am I stupidly threw away all traces of the packaging so this shall forever be known as simply Clarins foundation. This was a pretty good formulation, applied nicely and sat well on the skin without feeling cakey however the sample was a shade too dark for my NC20 skintone. I received the Montangne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off mask* just in time for valentines day. Its probably a slight cheat popping it into a samples post as effectively this is a full sized product. But I felt inclined to mention this none the less. I absolutely love the peel off masks and did this one Saturday morning much to the other half's horror. The result? a nice smooth complexion! Rituals has been high on my radar since I tried their shower gel some months ago, therefore Rituals Whipped Body Cream was a welcome edition to the bathtime regime! A mature scent which was not in any way sickly sweet - just up my street. I was pleasantly surprised to have won another tube of this through Lucy's giveaway. So cheers Lucy for that :). I had tried Dove's  Nourishing Oil Conditioners prior to receiving this sample and think they are the perfect budget conditioner so I was keen to try the one designed for coloured hair. Having been a frequent dyer (of my hair) since I was 16 my hair often needs a little extra TLC. Its got better since I have been dying it darker but it still lacks the moisture it had in my younger days. This is a great little pick me up to use in the shower. You only need to leave it on for 5 minutes. I use the time to shave my legs and all that jazz then rinse. If you can pick up a larger size of this then I highly recommend, I think they come in at less than  a fiver if my memory serves me rightly and really do do the biz. Finally I tried the Clynol Colour and Care Shampoo which I used with the former. I can't say there was anything spectacular about the shampoo compared to other regular shampoos. It smelt pretty nice but I found it lacked lather and left my hair feeling rather knotty. I can imagine this would be better for shorter haired ladies. 

So there you have it ladies, until next time. Now I must go and conquer another stash of samples from my ever-growing mass...

*PR Sample

SHOPPING MY SAMPLES #1

After making a promise to start using more samples (post here) I took the opportunity this week whilst the boyfriend was at work to indulge in a little pampering. So after a quick mooch in my samples stash I trotted off to the bathroom with these delights. I have tried to introduce the samples into everyday beauty shenanigans so first stop was the bubble bath! 

Anatomicals 'don't clean it woman, scrub it' is probably the longest name for a body scrub in the history of body scrubs but this gets a big thumbs up from me. A sweet smelling scrub, this is good enough to eat. The beads are fine and its packed full of them so you can really feel them doing the business plus this leaves your skin smelling rather yummy. Next up I reached for Alison Claire's Mango Body Butter. If you like smelling like a rather alcoholic Christmas pudding then this will be right up your street. Me and the boyf spent a long time  trying to come up with what this smelt like and this is the best I can come up with. Not my cup of tea, not very moisturising and after it had sunk in my skin didn't feel too different. Sorry Alison Claire but this just wasn't for me. I was rather relieved to find a small bottle of Monu micro Exfoliant in this months Glossy Box as my skin has been in dire need of a good exfoliation. This is not for the light hearted and I would only recommend using this once a week. It is very finely grained and if you don't mix with water can feel like rubbing sand over your face. I went hardcore and used on a dry face, adding water sporadically before rinsing with a steaming hot flannel and oh boy this did the biz! My skin felt smoother than it has ever and looked almost glowing! A winner all round! Finally I threw a wildcard into the bunch with Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate moisture for eyes. This wasn't too rich nor too light and after a quick pat under the eye and across the brow bone my skin literally drank it up and I was good to retire to my bed!