Sephora

Stores & Services
Find a Sephora

Happening at Sephora

View all

Services

From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations

Free Classes

Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Post in Beauty Confidential
|

Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

I know you’ve tried a sample (or ten) of something and it was so magical it made you stop everything and buy a product cause it was love at first sample!  What was it and did the full sized version live up to your initial heart-melted impression? Or is it still on your shopping list to pick up at your earliest convenience?  

The first time I can recall this happening to me was when Sephora still carried Dermadoctor.  I had a sample of their KP Duty Body Scrub.  I used it just to push it through my stash and was absolutely blown away by how immediately soft and exfoliated my skin was!  Instant purchase!   It’s been six years and I have yet to find any body scrub that compares -and I’ve tried!

 

A more recent love-at-first-sample is the Dior Backstage Face and Body Primer!  It’s a slightly peach tinted,creamy gel consistency and is mega hydrating while blurring subtle imperfections on its own but making foundation apply so smoothly!!!  Plus it has a beautiful floral fragrance which may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s very pleasing to me. 🙂  

Dior BACKSTAGE Face & Body Primer 1.6 oz/ 50 mL 

DD1045C5-8116-4168-8E3F-956F889C7256.gif

3A43182D-7CF8-4635-A0A3-6C4D9C155F6A.jpeg

 

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

Well, I used the sample of Gucci L’obscur mascara right up (stalling at the thought of spending $50 on a mascara and finally had to cave and get a full sized tube.  it’s super black and more thickening than lengthening.  Here’s hoping I love the full sized as much as the mini!  Gucci L'Obscur Lengthening Mascara 1 Eve Black 

D009A711-0D6A-4BED-9508-2474B3E39253.jpeg

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface  Ooooooo can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@ather   The Gucci is sooo nice!!! It’s super black yet natural looking on and doesn’t harden the lashes.  

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface I hope the full version lives up to your expectations 😄

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@CynthieLu   It has been.  I noticed no difference between the sample and the full sized.  -well, except the stress I’m going to run out soon has been alleviated😆

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

I kept thinking about this and I came up with some fragrances that I definitely picked up right away after trying them. My go-to staple CLEAN RESERVE Reserve - Skin , just the perfect everyday scent. Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau de Parfum perfect for a date night and something about it just captivated me the first time I smelled it. Most recently Gentle Fluidity by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. I haven't picked it up in a bigger size because of the price but once the sample runs out, I might pick up a travel size. When I was younger and living in another country, I stalked the Duty Free for Gucci Flora by Gucci Eau de Parfum after smelling it in a magazine. It was my go to scent in high school and college. Probably the only perfume I've ever used up and repurchased.

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@makeitup305  Oh gosh I remember when magazines were the only real way I ever tested perfumes out.  Ha, i used to be confused when I’d purchase the perfumes cause I was in love with the perfume/glossy paper mixture and not just the perfume😅 

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface I lived out of the US growing up and US magazines were "fancy", so it was special when somebody had one and you got to smell the perfume. I remember lots of Estee Lauder and Lancome perfumes back then.

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@makeitup305  oh really?  Where’d you grow up?  Yes!!!  Lancôme, Tommy Hilfiger, Dior!  My grandma taught me to cut the perfume samples out and put them in my dresser ‘to make the under things smell nice’. 🥲. 

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface I'm from Costa Rica, so we had a lot of Latinamerican magazines similar to Cosmopolitan but not always the American versions. It's funny how small memories like that endure. I remember my aunts rubbing the perfume flaps on their wrists to try out the scents. 

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface I'm usually not lucky enough to get samples of products I'm especially interested in.  So, only two spring to mind.  ALTERNA Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging® Smoothing Anti-Frizz Blowout Butter (I got a DS, and it might be time to get the FS soon) and Paula's Choice essence, which is now discontinued.

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@greeneyedgirl107  Oooo yay!!! Glad you loved it!

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@ather I recently bought the FS!

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@greeneyedgirl107  Ouhhh, I haven’t seen this one!  

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface It's still going strong!

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

I think? my 1st ever Love at first sample in Sephora, was the DEREK LAM 10 CROSBY 2am Kiss 1.7 oz/ 50 mL I bought the Full size during a fragrance multiplier 😍. The smell didn't change and it was my staple for awhile.  It's still a quarter full now and stick with travel sprays now to limit waste.

 

 

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface it's usually fragrances that will get me at first sample,, two recent ones are #Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir 3.4 oz/ 100 mL Eau de Parfum Spray 

And Maison Marie Louis 4 perfume

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface great idea for a thread! I got a sample of the MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation and even though it's not my favorite, the shade is so close to my skintone that I decided to pick it up. It's nothing to write home about, imo, but it's a great go to when I'm in a rush and need something that will do the job and stay on well.

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@makeitup305  Finding a foundation that’s an exact match is sooo rare!   I know what you mean, my exact matches don’t have to perform perfectly cause if they misbehave they don’t tend to be obvious as a shade that’s simply close.  
I wish a brand would come out that custom mixed shades for customers on the spot.  That would be such a game changer.  

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface exactly. I much prefer it with a glowy base underneath. I think Lancome had a custom foundation builder in some stores but I'm not sure  if they still do. I never heard much about it though,  the formula must not have been great. I wonder if it's hard to do with a standard "base" since I might have heard that darker shades require more tweaking? Idk. I think it would be amazing to be able to go into Sephora and get a custom shade there and then.

Re: Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

@heartsmyface, what a fab thread. It’s been great reading about the products that left a lasting and loving first impression on everyone! 😍 Many of my tried-and-true products made their way into my collection after I sampled it. Here’s my most recent love at first sample:

Sample 2 Full Size - Lancôme.jpeg

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear All Over Full Coverage Concealer 

 

I typically have a more expansive selection of foundations on hand, even at my most streamlined. When it comes to concealer though, I've kept them to just a small few. I made room for this one. It holds up very well, doesn't feel tight or dry after a long day of wear, and looks nice on the skin. 💖

 

1 Reply
Conversation Stats
Photos16
  • 3A43182D-7CF8-4635-A0A3-6C4D9C155F6A.jpeg
  • DD1045C5-8116-4168-8E3F-956F889C7256.gif
  • Sample 2 Full Size - Lancôme.jpeg
  • Photo from US Lookfantastic site
  • D009A711-0D6A-4BED-9508-2474B3E39253.jpeg
  • Benefit Concealer.jpg
  • Screenshot_20220826-133617_Chrome.jpg
  • Saint Jane SPF.jpg
  • 560dce3d-8ba7-5b69-8453-7a5e70aced25.jpeg.jpg
  • Nest Orange oil.JPG
  • Tula Purifying Cleanser.jpg
  • 6F93EA1E-A8A8-4E9A-89C7-2735A274B6E4.jpeg
  • 392CFCD8-6F1A-4625-BD5C-BDE4B3A32262.jpeg
  • .2023 Dior Le Serum.jpg
  • 94A206FE-3A0C-42BF-A2CE-2786FD977BD2.jpeg
testing