Love At First Sample!!! 🥰

[heartsmyface]

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 

 

 

[Samtian]

@itsfi I haven't tried any of that yet. 

[PrettyPaint]

Thank you for the tag @itsfi, as I hadn't noticed this thread before. What a cool idea, @heartsmyface 

This isn't a super exciting one, but probably the use of mascara primer in general. I hadn't necessarily gone out of my way to purchase it before, but after sampling (I always get so many of the mini Lancome Cils Booster samples), I really think it makes my mascara look so much better. My lashes are fairly wimpy, and it just provides so much more volume. I often don't have to purchase it because I get so many samples, but I sometimes buy the L'Oreal Voluminous version instead because it's more affordable. 

Lancôme Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Primer .18 oz / 5.5 ml 

[itsfi]

Ahhh, yes! I am also a member of the wimpy lashes club @PrettyPaint. I’m reminded by your post that lash primer is such a great tool. Need to remember to use it more often. Like daily. 😂 

Yes, yes, this is such a great thread! I try to come back to it regularly but that doesn’t always go the way I want. It’s fun and helpful to hear what samples have hooked them into purchasing a full size. ♥️

[cianni]

Thanks for the tag @itsfi ! I definitely have fallen in love with something off a sample. A few notable products come to mind:

• KILIAN Paris Angels Share Eau De Parfum - I hoarded free samples for long enough before I decided it was time to commit to buying. I dipped my toe in at first with a travel size, but I now have a FS and a refillable travel size as well 🙊
• MAC Cosmetics Fix+ Alcohol-Free Multitasking Setting Spray 
• Touch in Sol No Pore-blem Primer - an oldie but something I still like to keep in my collection when I see it 
• Dermalogica Mini Precleanse Cleansing Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL - this was a foil sample win from years ago but I still keep coming back
• caliray Freedreaming Blurring Lightweight Skin Tint - this was a newer discovery in a foil and I needed to have it asap!!

[happyskincare]

Im glad you found the caliray Freedreaming Blurring Lightweight Skin Tint its a personal favorite for summer @cianni❤️ i find it externally underrated😅❤️

[itsfi]

I 💯 support your having Angels Share in every size @cianni - it’s such a gorgeous scent! ♥️ Oh, the Touch in Sol is a blast from the last; I really like that primer. Your post is nudging me to pull it out and set it on the counter for use another day.

[itsfi]

Sol de Janeiro has a beautiful range of scents. My gateway to the brand was the original Cheirosa 62 scent of the Brazilian Play Moisturizing Cream-Gel, but as more scents were introduced, it's been the fresh floral scent of the Cheirosa 68, Beija Flor that I keep going back for. I have all the products in this fragrance line and the cream, in particular, is definitely one that fall in the love-at-first-sample camp. I have picked up the Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor™ Jet Set as gifts (for others and myself, ha!) and may do so again in the next couple of weeks.

Sol de Janeiro Mini Beija Flor™ Collagen-Boosting Elasti-Cream with Bio-Retinol and Squalane 2.5 oz/... Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor™ Collagen-Boosting Elasti-Cream with Bio-Retinol and Squalane 8.1 oz / 240... Sol de Janeiro Biggie Biggie Beija Flor™ Elasti-Cream 16.9 oz / 500 mL  

Wondering if there are others for whom a current favorite or well-loved product was the result of it being a love-at-first-sample product? This inquiring mind (and I'm sure others here as well) wants to know. 

Spoiler

Tagging a few folks @jaaayp @caitbird @ather @Buootiful @CookieGirl1 @CynthieLu @danielledanielle @faeriegirl @Guessgal @lmaster @melissapurple22 @Mellmars1185 @missjeanie @Missnur @niki172 @Samtian @Saradestin @sister13 @SportyGirly125 @Sunnysmom @cianni @peculiarzmakeup @Cissy63 @heartsmyface @PrettyPaint There's apparently a 25 tag limit, so I'll be back another time. lol

[caitbird]

Thanks for the tag @itsfi ! Love this idea for a thread! There have definitely been quite a few products that I have t

fallen in love with after trying a sample (or the mini size in some cases). One was Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Originalwhich I tried a sample of when I was just starting my makeup journey, which was my first time trying an eyeshadow primer. Here I am a couple of years later, still using it every time I wear eyeshadow! More recently, I tried a deluxe sample of ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr Secure the Blur Makeup Magnet Primer 1.18 oz/ 35 mL and really liked it, so much that I ordered a full size as soon as I finished the sample. It's been my go-to primer for humid days all summer! And of course, I am slightly obsessed with hoarding and trying perfume samples, so there have been a number of fragrances I've fallen for after trying a sample vial and subsequently purchased a larger size. Some of my favorite "love at first sniff" perfumes have been NEST New York Wild Poppy Eau de Parfum 1.7oz/50mL , Parfums de Marly Delina, and a recent love, Zoologist Hummingbird. 

I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting! I love samples (and minis too), it is a great way to try new things and potentially discover a new love without committing to a full size.

[itsfi]

@caitbird, wondering about the ONE/Size primer - does it feel drying on the skin? My skin is normal-to-dry and I'm wondering how it would work on my skin year round, particularly with the upcoming cooler weather.

[caitbird]

@itsfi  (so sorry for the late reply!) I haven't noticed it being drying at all - I have combo skin that isn't particularly sensitive, but tends to get dehydrated in the winter. That being said, I haven't yet tried this primer during wintertime, when my skin is at its driest; so far I've only used it this summer. So, I can't say with 100% certainty how it will perform on my skin when it is drier.

[itsfi]

@caitbird, those are some fantastic love-at-first-sample products. Oooh, I just set aside a sample pack of the UD eyeshadow primer to put to use in next week's Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 

I was very happy to see @heartsmyface put this thread up - it says something about a product if someone picks up a full size after trying out a sample. 

[caitbird]

@itsfi  I agree, "love at first sample" is a great endorsement of the product and it is so interesting to see and hear about everyone's loves!

That reminds me, I need to look through my makeup samples to come up with a capsule for next week! I don't have that many makeup samples (I have soooooo many more skincare foils and samples omg), but should have some that I can work in. I think I have a sample of a couple of Gucci lipsticks that I haven't tried yet - that was a substitution for whatever sample I chose, so it was a nice surprise!

[itsfi]

Oh, I love Gucci lipsticks @caitbird. When they first made their way to Sephora, I would make it a tradition to purchase a Gucci lipstick during the sales. How fun to have samples of gucci lipsticks. Can't wait to see the looks you create with it.

[Mellmars1185]

Beautiful photo, @itsfi ! Ohh I had a mini sample of this but gave it away. Now I am regretting that lol. Next time I am in store I will smell it to see what I am missing. 

I have two hair samples that have turned into loves:

Oribe Hair Alchemy Heatless Hair Styling Balm 5 oz / 150 ml (inspired by @CynthieLu )

Kérastase Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment for Dry Hair 3.04 oz / 90 ml 

(Inspired by you)

I recently tried a sample of HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica 11 ... and I really liked the formula.

[itsfi]

We're twinsies with the Haus Labs concealer @Mellmars1185. Right now, that concealer is one of my favorites. I need to put my Natasha Denona concealer to use but have a few too many open concealers at the moment. I'm wavering over whether to just destash some that are just okay or that I know what compete with the Haus Labs concealer. 

Ohhh, both those hair products are fantastic!!! 😍 I've been enjoying the hair mask and the shampoo and conditioner from that Oribe line as well. I may have picked up *a few* foils of those Oribe items - er, just planning for my next trip?!! 😆

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Oooh you love the Haus labs? I just recently tried it and it was literally love at first sample! It sounds like you will be ready for your trip with sample! They make for easy packing ☺️

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, the Haus concealer has probably been my most often reached for concealer this year. 👍🏼 I’ve been trying to rotate through a few but the Haus is the one that gets used most often. I’ve also been enjoying the Dior backstage concealer recently.

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi That says a lot! What shade of each concealer do you use? I was thinking of getting 11 light neutral in Haus Labs.

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, I have HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica 11 ... and DIOR Backstage Concealer 2N 

Here's a pic of both concealers, in comparison with each other and to show how they look next to Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation 4 which is one of my GOAT 🐐 foundations. In the Haus Labs foundation, I wear shade 110.

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Thank you so much for sharing these! I use Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation 3.5  sounds like it might be a close match ! I was also looking at HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica 10 ... 

[itsfi]

@Mellmars1185, here’s what Armani LSF 3.5 and Haus Labs concealer 10 (and a few other shades within the concealer range).