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Post in Beauty Confidential
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The Gratis Thread ๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

A place to say thank you, provide reviews and first impressions, or follow up on gratis received after more use!

 

Many of us have been very lucky to receive gratis (thanks Sephora!), and Iโ€™ve been finding that while itโ€™s easy to initially post about receiving it and initial reviews, itโ€™s not as easy to follow up! 

 

I thought maybe we could have a dedicated thread to follow-ups and reviews with products weโ€™ve received after weโ€™ve been using them for a while, especially because itโ€™s sometimes hard to find the original thank you and first impressions threads.

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@trishavt  ...and Fall, Winter, and Spring. I slather it on all year round ๐Ÿ˜‚

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

I will gladly read your non-recent review @WinglessOne. Good, bad, and ugly, I want to hear it. Thanks for remembering all you did and sharing it!

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Thanks @ShortErica! Good thing I still had that photo from October, or Iโ€™d have forgotten which items were originally in the bag. ๐Ÿ˜‚ 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@WinglessOne sometimes I have to hunt on BIC to find and redownload a picture from the past. Glad you found yours!

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@WinglessOne  Nice gratis! The Sephora Cleansing Wipes are honestly so good. I have tried many non-Sephora ones and I keep coming back to them. I like almost all of them. My faves are coconut, watermelon, rose, yuzu (but only once a week or less because it can irritate my skin), and cucumber. 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Thanks @PinkEvergreen ! The yuzu ones irritate my skin so much, I canโ€™t use them at all. But I do also like the cucumber wipes a lot! I use the watermelon wipes just once in a while: they donโ€™t tick my skin off as much as the yuzu ones, but they cause irritation if I use them frequently. 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Ok, I have some thoughts on the gratis box I received on May 23:

 

Drybar Detox Clear Invisible Dry Shampoo-I loved this, it cleaned my roots and gave them volume. The smell is heavenly, some sort of vanilla-y scent. I will buy for sure when I use up the can ๐Ÿ˜„

 

Shiseido Waso Hydrating Gel Beauty Sleeping Mask-it stays tacky for a bit, then dries down. I wake up with a moisturized face and the texture is gel, so is perfect for the summer when its hot with the lightweight texture.

 

Lilah B Lovingly Lip Tinted Lip Oil in b elegant-its a nice nude color and goes on smoothly, smells good. Didn't stay on my dry lips long though. Texture was more of a liquid lip and is not much of an lip oil. I will keep using because its still lovely ๐Ÿ™‚

 

Kiehl's Since 1851 Calendula Serum Infused Water Cream-its goes on cold and is refreshing and the smell is nice. Texture reminded me of Belif's Aqua Bomb gel cream. Tried it a few times but came to the conclusion that it doesn't moisturize my dry skin enough and would be better suited for oily/combination type skin.

 

Ouai After Sun Body Smoother-will have to give review later because it's been winter in Northern Nevada and the warm weather hasn't showed up yet! So, I gotta be outside for awhile then test it lol

 

IGK Antisocial Overnight Bond Building Dry Hair Mask-tried it once so far, it has a strong smell. Didn't clean my roots as well as the Drybar, so I will need to test it out a few more times then make a final review ๐Ÿ™‚

 

So, once again thank you @TeamBIC for this wonderful opportunity to use these products and report back. I really appreciated getting the box of goodies and for feeling valued in this community. Thank you!!!!!!

 

 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@twilightnicky That IGK product isnโ€™t a dry shampoo, that may be why you are finding itโ€™s not cleaning your roots as well. Itโ€™s basically a spray in hair treatment. 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Whoops! I will re-try it keeping that in mind lol. Thanks!

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Hmm, I'm intrigued by the Kiehl's for summer usage since I tend towards oily, @twilightnicky. Thanks for the reviews!

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Youโ€™re welcome! Try to get a sample of it, I believe thereโ€™s a deluxe sample with purchase available right now. Hope it works out for you ๐Ÿ˜€

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Great to hear your reviews, @twilightnicky! I completely agree with your thoughts on the SHISEIDO - WASO: Hydrating Gel Beauty Sleeping Mask. It's gently cooling - not to the point that it wakes me up before I have to bed, but nice and refreshing on warmer nights. I know I'm going to love it even more in the middle of summer! 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Yes, maybe keep it in the fridge?

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Ooh, @GeorginaBT, a cooling sleeping mask sounds SO refreshing and perfect for summer.  I've been so into sleeping masks lately :).

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@twilightnicky So many great items! Enjoy ๐Ÿ™‚

 

Best,
Rebecca

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Catching up with a few reviews from some recent gratis:

 

First, is actually a not-that-recent gratis that I just finished. The Tata Harper Resurfacing & Brightening AHA + BHA Serum with Vitamin C 1 oz/30 mL

This was a perfectly lovely serum that was nicely scented and cosmetically elegant. It gave me no troubles with regards to the active ingredients. BUT it also didn't really do anything? I finished the entire bottle and just didn't notice any sort of difference in the overall appearance of my skin that I could attribute to this product. If you're new to chemical exfoliators, this is very gentle so maybe you'd get better results. But personally, there is no way I could justify the price for just "ok" results. 

 

Next up, the more recent Bumble and bumble Surf Styling Leave In 5 oz/ 150 mL

This is lovely but I think it's really meant for people with curlier hair than mine. I have very thick, coarse hair that has a slight natural wave but isn't really anything close to really being wavy or curly. If you're hair has a bit more curl, I think this might work out better. 

 

And the Verb Ghost Hair Maskโ„ข 6.3 oz/ 180 g

At first, I wasn't terribly wowed but this, but I've been consistently using it every other wash and I'm liking it a lot more now. I really enjoy the scent and it does leave my hair soft and more manageable the day of the wash. My only con would be that the effect isn't terribly long lasting, unlike some other masks that I've used. But overall- it's a great deep conditioner that easily rinses out and doesn't weigh down my hair. 

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

@quspork  Thanks for the update on the Ghost Oil hair mask. Maybe Iโ€™ll stick with my current fave, Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair!โ„ข Deep Conditioning Hair Mask 8 oz/ 237 mL

thanks for these reviews @quspork ๐Ÿ‘

thanks for these reviews @quspork ๐Ÿ‘

Re: Gratis Check-Ins๐Ÿ›๐ŸŽ‰

Love this thread, @cianni. An update on some of my favorite gratis:

gratis.jpg

Spoiler

 

that highlighter is so beautiful @eshoe

that highlighter is so beautiful @eshoe

Re: that highlighter is so beautiful @eshoe

Itโ€™s gonna last awhile too, @lmaster, love that!

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