Sample Summary #8

1) Clinique, Repairwear Uplifting Cream

Full size: £50 for 50ml

I love it when brands give you proper sized samples of their products that you can squeeze more than one and a half applications out of. Even more so when they’re tailored to my skin type. Hello, combination skin, that’s me! I have to admit that for a cream that’s aimed at combination skin, this was very thick and quite rich, though. And my usual tactic of using it as a night cream couldn’t be applied, as it’s a cream with SPF, so it would only be wasted on a night.

Apart from that it’s a lovely moisturiser which keeps my face nice and hydrated. The richness can be balanced out with the use of the right products, but it’s not something I’m raring to go out and buy.

2) La Sultane De Saba, Body Lotion With Argan Oil

Full size: £26.50 for 200ml

I knew I wouldn’t like this as soon as I saw it in my Birchbox and reality hasn’t been far off my expectations. The oriental scent of this body lotion is just not up my street at all. To top it off it comes out sticky and runny, though to be fair once I let the lotion absorb into my skin properly it made it wonderfully soft.

Nevertheless, I have no time for body lotions that make me dance about naked in the bathroom in the hopes that it will sink in sometime today. And try to squeeze out thick body lotion out of a tiny tub made of hard plastic while your hands are all greasy and oily. The sample went flying, bounced off every single wall leaving behind a sticky trail of destruction, before being thrown in the bin. So much for that.

3) RMK, Cleansing Balm

Full size: £29 for 100g

Can a beauty product ever be life changing? I believe this one can. Before this sample, I’d never tried a cleansing balm before, but boy am I smitten. The delicious rose scent sends me off into a heavenly dream land, the texture melts on my skin like silk and removes every last little scrap of dirt and make-up. I actually WANT to clean my skin, even after a late (/early) night out, which is something that’s never happened before.

Oh and my skin absolutely loves this. So much so that I can even skip the foundation most days. I’ve still got a few other cleansers on the go right now, but once they run out, this is a definite, DEFINITE repurchase.

4) Sanctuary, 30 Day Thermal Clay Mask

Full size: £27.50 for 75ml and 50ml respectively

The sachet size of this sample is fairly deceiving. I expected one or two applications out of these, but ended up with five. Not bad. The two-step process had me applying a serum all over my face first and then topping it off with the clay mask.

The mask heated up on my skin, which was a very pleasant sensation and came off easily and without any off the mess associated with clay masks. As for the dramatic skin transformation promised on the description card, I honestly have to say I didn’t see any of it. Yeah, my skin felt nice after it, but no better or worse than after just washing my face in the evenings. Maybe it would work better for other skin types, but for me it was something I’ll leave on the shelf.

5) Yu-Be, Moisturizing Skin Cream

Full size: £19.50 for 70g

Looks like we’re a bit Birchbox heavy with the sample reviews this time around, eh? I used this cream as a lip balm first, as I loved the instant hit of moisture that it gives, without leaving any sticky feeling, so that I could still apply lipstick over the top without sacrificing colour intensity. Turns out that it didn’t work that well in the long term, as after a week or so, it started giving my lips a scary white cast which made me look positively dead. I also found that my lips got sort of addicted to it and I had to slather it on more and more, or else they would dry out very fast.

Nevertheless, this cream really did come into its own when I caught a nasty cold and my entire nose went red, scaly and irritated. Heaven, I tell you, heaven! It soothed my chapped skin instantly without running or greasing my face up like some other creams do. There was no stinging or burning and it just felt like a god send. Would I repurchase? Maybe for the winter months, to calm skin that’s so dry it’s painful or when I tend to get the sniffles a lot more often. For the summer, however, I think I’ll just stick to regular moisturiser and lip balm.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Review

Apparently there are people who don't moisturise their skin every day, or so I've heard....
In all seriousness, though, if you can get away with it then good for you! Me, on the other hand - if I skipped just a day of slathering myself in lotion, my skin would soon resemble that of a dragon. It's fair to say I'm addicted to body butters. Take your runny lotions and milks and drown kittens in them for all I care (whoaaa, did I really just say that? Poor kittens), I need thick, gloopy butters for my skin.

For a long time Body Shop butters were the one and only for me, but in the past year or two I've come to realise that other brands bring out products that are just as good or perhaps even better and there's been a lot of body butter adultery going on (sorry, body shop!). This one I received in a gift set for Christmas and by the time this review's come around the tub was already long gone.

As you might guess from the fact that this is made for very dry skin, this stuff's tough. It's the thickest body butter that I've ever come across, which isn't greasy. I have no idea how that works, but somehow it does. Think hardened Philadelphia cheese instead of an actual knob of butter if you want to get an idea of the texture.
It does take an awful lot of elbow grease to get this stuff over your skin, but a little extra workout here and there doesn't hurt now that bikini season is getting a lot closer. It also takes a few minutes to sink in, so not one if you're in a big rush. We all know the pain of trying to get into skinny jeans right after you've buttered yourself up. It's hilarious for anyone who's watching, though.

If you're willing to see past these little blips, then you shall be rewarded with absolutely gorgeous skin. The type that has you stroking yourself all day long like some sort of creep. The type that makes people who accidentally brush past you turn around saying things like, "GOSH, your skin is so soooooft".
And the smell.... oh, dear me, the smell. I once read on a beauty blog that the scent reminds them of Miss Dior Cherie and I have to agree wholeheartedly. If you love it, you're sorted, as chances are it will layer beautifully with whatever perfume you put over it, but if it's not your type of scent, then stay away, as this will make your skin smell all day long. Even though I don't see why anybody wouldn't love the scent. Or body butters. Mmmmmmh, body butters....

At £10.50 for 300ml this one's a cult product for a reason.

NSpa Coconut Bath Fizzer

A grocery shop in Asda is never complete without:

1) A magazine or two or three
2) A stop at the cake and dessert stand
3) A little something from NSpa

I love the packaging of this little bath bomb, it looks like an oversized, giant bonbon!
Unlike bath bombs from the likes of Lush, you'd be ill advised to split this one into several portions. Just dunk it into hot water, watch it fizz away for a few seconds and get in on the fun!

I have to admit I was a tad disappointed with my bathing experience, however. There's no exciting colours, swirls or random mermaids appearing in your bath, but that's not a problem as such.
The scent is faintly coconutty, but disappears after about two or three minutes leaving you with... well, just hot water. Or maybe it's just me getting used to the smell extraordinarily quickly.

At £1.60 a pop I'm more than happy to give the other scents a go, though. Maybe Vanilla or Turkish Delight will fare a little better?

Birchbox April 2013

There seems to be a reoccurring theme that whenever I get a delivery, it ought to be either just as I'm about to head out for a run, or just as I'm stepping into the shower. So, naturally, this month's Birchbox arrived just as I was leaving the door and I was way too excited to just leave it, so off came my trainers and my jacket and my headphones and god knows what else.

This month's theme is "In Bloom" and considering the warm weather that's suddenly hit us yesterday and caused all the trees on my road to magically explode into pink fluffiness, it couldn't have been a better choice!

1) Gerda Spillman | Renaissance Age Serum

Full size: £69 / Sample value: £6.90

Whoops, looks like a had a little silly moment and took a picture of the back side of the sample. But don't worry, the front is fairly unspectacular, so you're not missing much. I'm feeling much less rebellious against anti ageing products these days, so even though it is minuscule, I'll happily give this serum sample a go. It smells absolutely divine, but unfortunately it's going to have to wait on the back-up shelf until I've used up my current serum. And at almost £70 for the full size it would have to be beyond amazing for me to purchase it after the sample runs out!

2) La Societe Parisienne De Savons | Savon Maya

Full size: £8.50 / Sample value: £8.50

This was the first item I spotted as I opened the drawstring bag and it got me beyond excited. Just look at how gorgeous the packaging is! Then I realised it was soap.

Now, nothing against soap, but I'm just not a person that tends to appreciate it. I use shower gel in the shower and hand wash to wash my hands. Soap is slippy, harsh on the skin and always leaves this mucky, slimy residue on the soap dish. Having said that the scent of this one is absolutely beautiful, so it would be a shame to just leave it laying around. Nevertheless, this is more of an item I'd gift to my nan instead of buying it for myself.

3) Mirenesse | Glossy Kiss

Full size: £17.50 / Sample value: £17.50

This was the other product that stood out to me right away as I opened my box this month. I've never heard of Mirenesse, but pencil lip products are having a big moment right now and I'm excited to give this one a go. It's a full sized product, so I'll be getting plenty of use out of it. The colour I got (14. Perfect Kiss) is also really, really pretty. A fire-engine red studded with a light gold shimmer, absolutely gorgeous! From a quick swatch I can see that application is soft and very glossy, so this seems to be a winner!

Random side note: I keep accidentally writing "Glossy Kill" instead of "Glossy Kiss". Just to show what's on my mind these days...

4) Weleda | Skin Food

Full size: £8.95 / Sample value: £1.19

Considering what an institution Weleda has become, especially concerning natural skincare, I'm almost ashamed to say that I've never tried any of their products. Skin Food seems to be one of those cult creams, which I've heard loads and loads about and finally I get my mitts on a sample to try it for myself!

I do, however, struggle a little with multi-purpose balms like this, as I never know what to actually use them for. Give me a choice of options and I'll sit there fretting and eventually go without anything. I'm thinking of trying this on my feet, as my heels are pretty much the only dry skin area I have at the moment.

5) Green & Spring | Relaxing Conditioner

Full size: £16 / Sample Value: £2.67

I love the design of this little bottle, it's so cute! In this box you'd randomly get either the shampoo or the conditioner and I have to admit that I'm a little peeved, as I much prefer using the same brand shampoo and conditioner together. But oh well...

The scent of this is a tad strong for my tastes - you can really, REALLY smell the lavender and the rosemary that have gone into the product, but I imagine it would leave a beautiful lingering scent on the hair after washing. This is another product that will certainly get used up.

Lifestyle Extra: Birchbox | Paname Paris Mirror

Full size: £7.50 / Sample value: £7.50

Oh, c'mon. You gotta be kidding me. This is literally one of the worst compact mirrors I have ever seen in my life. It weighs about a gram and doesn't even have a lid! If I put this in my handbag it would get ruined within seconds. I don't know who they're trying to fool with the supposed £7.50 price tag, but yeah, good luck selling a mirrored badge for that price. I absolutely hate it when beauty boxes make their own shoddy tools and try to sell them as luxury beauty samples. At least Birchbox had the decency to include this as an extra instead of one of the actual five samples. But I would have much rather received a single tea bag or something, rather than this rubbish. Rant over.

So, my second Birchbox has been full of ups and downs to be honest with you. The only real highlight is the lip crayon, though I will certainly use every single product and I really like the fact that they're all brands I haven't tried before. The inclusion of two full sized products is also a bonus.

The soap on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment, even though it was one of the two full sized products and the mirror... let's no longer talk about the mirror.

The total value of this box comes in at £44.26 for those of you who are interested.

Sunday Catch-Up #11

Enjoying the sunshine with ELLE and a glass of wine // Amazing ramen almost cured my cold // 2 new necklaces from Camden market // New handbag bought in the sale // This week's mags // First ever fast day // Lobster feast - this was probably the nicest meal I've ever had in my life // Back to blogging! // Funniest fortune cookies ever // Drinking cocktails out of a popcorn bucket

Oh my goodness, has it really been over a month since I last posted one of these? It's not even that life hasn't been eventful enough, it's just that I'm still pretty rubbish at taking pictures of all the things I get up to, as I tend to be too busy, well... getting up to things.

This last week's been a bit manic and stressful, but fun nonetheless - even if I did manage to catch a cold which pretty much knocked me out for all of Saturday. I've been out exploring, drinking and having heaps of fun, while at the same time planning a flat move, a big-ass surprise party and dealing with lots of other life's little issues.

After splashing out on an amazing meal at Burger & Lobster my jeans did start feeling a little tight, however, so I decided it's time to do something about my weight again. I bought a copy of the Fast Diet book and have to admit that intermittent fasting does sound very appealing to me. I tried it for a day this week, but I've been too stressed to properly pay attention to what I'm eating for the other days, so I wanna put a little bit more effort in next week.

Oh and the sun's been out today, would you believe it? Obviously I didn't move anywhere without the roof down on my car with the music blasting off into the streets. It feels amazing, absolutely amazing.

What have you been up to this week?