Sample Summary #10

I've had the pleasure to sample lots of pretty awesome products lately, which unfortunately also means that my beauty wish list has expanded by about thirty feet. Oh well. You ready for it?

1) L'Oreal EverRiche Shampoo

Full size: £5.99

I had a feeling that my hair might like this shampoo and I wasn't wrong at all. My hair was always pretty dry, but ever since it's been bleached it needs a lot of intensive care and moisture. A lot of shampoos won't make a difference in the state of my hair - it's something I remedy with conditioners, oils and intensive masques - but this one genuinely made my hair a lot smoother and more manageable without weighing it down at all. And it's only about £6 per bottle, while there's usually some sort of 3 for 2 deal on at Boots or Superdrug, so it's definitely going to be something I plan on purchasing soon!

2) Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation

Full size: £27.50

The shade of my sample above is 03 and I knew before even squeezing anything out of the tube, that it wouldn't match my colouring one bit - and I was right. It looked disasterously orange on me, so I waited till I had a day off to try this one on. And it's such a shame that the colour is so far off, as the texture of this foundation is absolutely lovely. It's very runny out of the tube, but dries to a perfect matte finish on the skin, lasts all day and feels lightweight throughout. Unfortunately I gave this one more go trying to match it to my skin with some lighter powder, but eventually had to give up and just bin the sample.

3) Kerastase Elixir Ultime Masque

Full size: £23.95

I was going to treat myself to a pot of this a while ago, but eventually decided to go for a more budget friendly alternative and spend my money on... erhm... can't remember. Seems like that might have been a bad decision, because this stuff is AMAZING. Seriously. Best hair masque I've ever used in my life. My hair was soft, swishy, smooth but still voluminous - I'm running out of adjectives to describe this stuff, but it's just awesome and I've decided I need it in my life.

4) Dermalogica Ultracalming Relief Masque

Full size: £39.10

Next stop on the rave train! Dermalogica have never let me down in all fairness and I've loved every single product I've ever tried. This sachet couldn't have come at a better time - I've been battling a nasty cold for what seems like forever now and the area around my nose and my mouth is red raw from excessive tissue use. This applied smoothly, didn't sting even on the sore areas and soothed and calmed my skin instantly. Admittedly, the price tag on this is very steep, so if I ever did purchase the full size, it would be more of a special occasion treat rather than an everyday skincare staple.

5) Kerastase Homme Capital Force Shampoo

Full size: £12.24

Not much I can say on this one, really. I'm not a man, so I gave this sample to my boyfriend and his comments were as enlightening as "Well, it washed my hair". Thanks. This is aimed at densifying hair with everyday use, so there isn't really much to observe after just one use. Other than that it got my boyfriend's hair clean.

6) Melvita Rose Body Milk

Full size: £16

After so much excitement to finally sample something from Melvita, this body milk was a bit of a let down. The smell was very pleasant - rosy, but not too strong or obvious. The texture, however, was a bit too runny and thin for me, providing my skin with almost no moisture. Then again, it's no secret that I'm no fan of runny body lotions or milks, so maybe if you prefer something lighter on the skin than a heavy duty body butter, then this is for you.

7) S5 Purity Serum

Full size: £44

I was a tad worried originally that this might be a little too harsh for my skin, as I don't really suffer from any breakouts, just a bit of oiliness around my T-Zone. Turns out that my fears were unfounded and this has seriously transformed my skin. I'm trialling quite a lot of new skincare at the moment, so it's a bit tricky to be able to put my finger at which product is doing exactly what, but I'm pretty sure this has helped immensely in getting my skin to the state it's at right now. Ever since I started using this serum I've not had a single blackhead and the oiliness on my T-Zone has gone down significantly - all without irritating the more delicate skin on my cheeks. 

Sample Summary #1

I like the idea of discussing samples I've been trying in a summary style post, as it's not really worth making a separate post for every sample, but there are quite a few good and even amazing products I've been able to try that I'd like to tell you about anyway! Now I just need to make sure I remember to take pictures of all my samples before I slather them all over me, so bear with me on that one...

Mir gefällt die Idee, Pröbchen die ich benutzt habe in einer Art Zusammenfassung zu besprechen, da sie es nicht wert sind, einzelne Posts zu bekommen. Jedoch habe ich ein paar gute und sogar umwerfende Produkte ausprobieren können, von denen ich euch gerne erzählen würde! Jetzt muss ich mich nur noch daran erinnern, Fotos von meinen Pröbchen zu schießen bevor ich sie überall hinschmiere, aber das kommt schon noch....

1) Diorshow New Look Mascara

Let's get straight to the point: I'm completely in love with this mascara. Unfortunately the sample size was so tiny that I managed to use it all up before I remembered to take some pictures of it on, so my apologies for not showing you what it looks like on.
The tiny wand gets into every corner without clumping and the formula is long-lasting and flake free. It's not overly volumising, but if you're a fan of length, separation and mascaras that make you look like you have a million lashes (which I am), then this is for you.
Unfortunately I currently have more important things to spend my money on than mascara (yes, I really just said that), so at £23.00 for a tube which I'll only have to replace in three months, I won't be buying the full size any time soon.

Kommen wir direkt zum Punkt: Ich bin verliebt in diese Mascara. Leider war die Probegröße so klein, dass ich alles aufgebraucht hatte ehe ich mich daran erinnerte, ein Foto zu schießen. Entschuldigt also bitte das fehlende Tragebild.
Das winzige Bürstchen kommt in jede Ecke ohne Klumpen zu bilden und die Formel ist langanhaltend und krümelt nicht. Sie schenkt nicht allzu viel Volumen, aber wenn ihr wie ich ein Fan seid von Länge, Separation und Wimperntuschen, die den Anschein geben, dass man Millionen von Wimpern hat, dann solltet ihr diese hier ausprobieren.
Leider gibt es momentan wichtigere Dinge, für die ich mein Geld ausgeben muss als Mascaras (ja, ich habe das wirklich gerade gesagt). Bei €31.95 für eine Tube, die ich nach drei Monaten wieder ersetzen muss, wird die große Größe wohl etwas warten müssen.


2) Lancôme Rénergie Éclat Multi Lift

Getting foundation or tinted skincare samples always disappoints me a bit, as it's pretty much guaranteed that they'll be too dark for me. In this case I received shade 02 - Doré and, surprise, surprise, it's too dark. Shade 01 - Sable would have probably matched me just fine.

Proben von Foundations oder getönter Hautpflege finde ich immer etwas enttäuschend, da es sozusagen garantiert ist, dass sie zu dunkel für mich sind. In diesem Fall habe ich Farbe 02-Doré erhalten und - was für eine Überraschung - sie ist zu dunkel. Farbe 01 - Sable wäre wahrscheinlich recht gut für mich gewesen.

Nevertheless, I was determined to try this out, so I wore this at home when no one was looking and made sure to only use a small amount, blend it out really well and also apply some on to my chest and neck. The result wasn't too bad, but not something I'd want to go out in.
The finish is kind of dewy and it might even have added a bit of shine to my skin, so if you prefer your face matte you'd definitely have to powder over it. It evens out skin tone a little bit but doesn't give anywhere near as much coverage as even a light foundation. As for the skincare benefits it did clog my pores unfortunately, though at least I didn't get any breakouts from it. Drier and more mature skin (which this is aimed at after all) would probably be able to handle the ingredients much better.
At £39 it certainly ain't cheap and as it doesn't suit my skin I won't be buying the full size.

Trotzdem wollte ich die Creme unbedingt ausprobieren, also habe ich sie zu Hause wenn niemand guckte getragen und trug nur eine kleine Menge auf, die ich gut verwischte und auch im Hals- und Dekolletébereich auftrug. Das Ergebnis war nicht schlecht, aber ich würde es trotzdem nicht gerne außer Haus tragen.
Das Finish ist frisch und etwas glänzend; wer also lieber ein mattes Gesicht hat, müsste unbedingt drüberpudern. Der Hautton wirkt ausgeglichener, doch die Deckkraft ist viel geringer als selbst bei einer leichten Foundation. Was die Hautpflege angeht, verstopfte die Creme leider meine Poren, doch zum Glück bekam ich von ihr zumindest keine Pickel. Anspruchsvollere, reifere Haut (für die dieses Produkt schließlich gemacht wurde) würde mit den Inhaltsstoffen wahrscheinflich viel besser auskommen.
€68,90 für eine ganze Tube ist schon ziemlich heftig und da sie nicht zu meiner Haut passt, werde ich sie mir mit Sicherheit nicht nachkaufen.


3) SK-II Skin Signature

Ahh, had to save the best till last. I got this in my March Glossybox and secretly hoped I'd hate it as soon as I saw the price tag. It's not often you'll hear me rave about a skincare product, as I'm one of those stuck-up annoying people who regulate their skin with lifestyle choices. You know, 2-3 litres of water a day, 8 hours of sleep every night, a healthy diet, lots of outdoor excercise.... Well, let me tell you that when I tested this cream my life was so stressful I didn't do any of that. It was no sleep, no water, just coffee and alcohol, no exercise, hardly any food, lots of stress and on top of that I couldn't be bothered with a skincare routine, so this was the ONLY thing I used.
Normally, I'd be looking like crap with a lifestyle like that - hell, most people would. And here I was, looking in the mirror, expecting to find a scene out of Night of the Living Dead and yet I kind of stared at my reflection realising that my skin looked... really good!! And I know for a fact that it was this, as it was the only product I used and normally I'd be looking dreadful.
Well, you may be relieved to hear that my lifestyle is back to normal and this is still doing absolute miracles for my skin, though there's not much left in my little pot of magic. If there's such a thing as a Beauty God then He'll make sure I never run out of this sample, but somehow that seems a bit doubtful.
I know, I know, it's a somewhat ridiculous suggestion, but this is so good I'm thinking it might actually be worth an investment, despite the staggering price tag of £127.

 Ahh, das beste zum Schluss. Ich habe diese Probe in meiner englischen Glossybox vom März erhalten und sobald ich sah, wie viel die Creme kostet, hoffte ich, dass ich sie hassen würde. Ich schwärme nicht oft von Hautpflegeprodukten, denn ich bin einer jener nervigen Menschen, die ihre Haut mit Lifestyleänderungen im Griff behalten. Ihr wisst schon, 2-3 Liter Wasser am Tag, 8 Stunden Schlaf jede Nacht, gesundes Essen, viel Bewegung an der frischen Luft.... Nun muss ich euch verraten, dass mein Leben zu dem Zeitpunkt, als ich die Creme ausprobiert habe so stressig war, dass ich gar nichts davon tat. Kein Schlaf, kein Wasser, nur Kaffee und Alkohol, kein Sport, kaum Essen, jede Menge Stress und als krönender Abschluss hatte ich keine Lust, mich um meine Haut zu kümmern, also war das das EINZIGE was ich benutzte.
Normalerweise würde ich mit so einem Lifestyle ziemlich beschissen aussehen - die meisten würden das. Da schaue ich plötzlich in den Spiegel und erwarte eine Szene aus Night of the Living Dead, doch stattdessen starre ich mein Spiegelbild an und merke dass meine Haut verdammt gut aussieht!! Und ich weiß garantiert, dass es an dieser Creme liegt, weil ich nichts anderes benutzt habe und normalerweise furchtbar aussehen würde.
Meine Gewohnheiten haben sich mittlerweile wieder normalisiert, doch die Creme bewirkt immer noch Wunder für meine Haut, auch wenn von meinem kleinen Tiegel voller Zauberkraft und Magie nicht mehr viel übrig ist. Wenn es so etwas wie einen Beautygott gibt, dann wird er dafür sorgen, dass mir diese Probe nie ausgeht, aber das scheint mir doch etwas zweifelhaft.
Ich weiß, ich weiß, es hört sich albern an, aber dieses Produkt ist so gut, dass ich glaube, es ist die Anschaffung wert, auch bei einem schwindelerregenden Preis von £127. 

Weekly Lust List #2

1) River Island Burgundy Coated Zip Super Skinny Jeans, £45.00

Oh my god, how amazing are these jeans?? I really don't care that much about flares or palazzo pants - I'll probably always be a skinny jeans girl at heart, especially with beauties like these around. The colour stands out in a sea of grey and black with the zips injecting a healthy dose of attitude. I can feel myself stand taller just by looking at these.

2) Models Own Beetlejuice nail polish collection, £5 for one or £20 for set

To be honest these don't look great in promotional pictures, but I first saw them on elleuk.com and then looked up some swatches and these look gorgeous on nails. I really wish they weren't called Beetlejuice, as I'm not a great fan of anything that crawls, but it's still a great alternative to this season's prevalent glitter polish trend.

3) Asos Disk Sequin Mesh Top, £35

Trust Asos for affordable dupes of the biggest catwalk hits. If you picked up any fashion magazine in the last two months you're bound to have stumbled across a stunning white double layered Stella McCartney dress which inspired this top. Cheryl Cole was snapped in it fresh off the catwalk, but to be quite honest I didn't think she was the right person to carry this off. This also comes in red, but I by far prefer the white one.

4) We Are Faux false eye lashes in Painted Lady, £15.50

After ruining two pairs of falsies for Halloween my total count of false eye lashes is now at 0. I've only recently heard of this brand and I really love this criss-crossed pair with a bronze glitter strip at the top. If I'm going to bother with false eye lashes I may as well make it worth my time and these add the necessary amount of sparkle to stand out, especially against blue eyes.

5) Lancome, All I Want This Christmas advent calendar, £80 (exclusive to Selfridges)

I swooned over this as soon as it was released last year and by the time my boyfriend couldn't hear about it anymore and decided to buy it for me it was already sold out. I love Christmas, I love waiting for Christmas and I love beauty, so what's not to like about this? (Apart from the horrendously high price, of course.) This year I'm uhmming and ahhhing over it again - not sure it's worth it considering I'm on holiday during the first week of December anyway and I'll probably need all my money while I'm away. It's still worth dropping loads of hints for this