Use Your Foil Samples Challenge 2018

[angel7594]

* 11-27-18, last update for the year! *

Hi everyone, We are almost to the last month of our challenge, time flew by fast! For December, sonnydee, scott1201, and eshoe have an idea for a sub challenge called “Deluxe December” Use up as many deluxe samples as you wish! As always, post your progress weekly, or end of the month- whenever you want- including foil samples too. Thanks to all contributors, (anyone can participate at any time). ❤️

[itsfi]

Used 20 foils this month; largely because I decanted products I regularly use and took those with me for most of my work trips this month. I started the BITE Beauty papaya lippie, the Whamisa toner, and all the fragrances in September; it’s taken me quite a while to finish.

October foils!!

Spoiler

LOVE

Algenist Genius Liquid Collagen – one drop is all I need to give my face a healthy, luminous glow while adding some hydration it as well.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask – one of my favorite overnight masks.

LIKE

Keranique Volumizing Keratin Conditioner and Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo – I was surprised that I liked both these. I was, of course, drawn into the deep hydration claims, but it’s uncommon for a shampoo and conditioner from the same line to both work well for me. These two were creamy, applied easily onto my hair, and smelled great. I didn’t need too much of either product and there was ample product in these foils – enough for 2 uses each.

Dolce Gabbana Dolce – Looking at the notes on paper, I was not prepared to like this, but there’s something about this fresh, feminine floral scent that I really like. It doesn’t last as long as I’d like but it’s a lovely scent, to wear alone, to layer with other fragrances, or, to spritz in the room for a nice, clean, uplifting scent of a fresh floral bouquet. 

Ole Henriksen Power Bright Intensive Vitamin C Facial System – this is a great peel set; wonderful for an at-home peel but also great when on a long trip or vacation. I can get about 3 uses out of one packet and my skin is always so soft and glowy after using this peel and that effect lasts well into the next day.

MAYBE

Fresh Rose Face Mask – this is a nice mask – cooling, refreshing and hydrating. It’s pricey and I’m not sure I think it’s such a nice mask that I’d purchase it at full price.  That said, it’s not really necessary to purchase a full size – Sephora and Fresh do an excellent job of making foils and DS of this mask available as part of a gwp or through the Rewards Bazaar that I think it’s very possible to go without ever purchasing a full size of this mask.

Viktor & Rolf BonBon –  The design of the mini and full size bottles are very cute.  On me, this perfume has a warm, very sweet scent, which surprised me – I was initially a little hesitant because of the orange blossom and jasmine notes – I thought it might be too heady and too flowery for me, but that’s not the case, thought it ca be a little too sweet than I care for on occasion. I usually layer this with a fragrance with a more fresh or citrus scent to it, to cut down the sweetness. I’ve also paired this with scents that I’m not fond of and I think the warmth and sweetness from this scent helps in those cases.

Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Rich Essence Toner - I used this toner as part of the 7-skin method after seeing a YT video where it was so used. It has an herbal and floral scent to it and has a thicker consistency than most toners or essences.  There’s a little tackiness that is left behind when using this but that disappears once you layer another product, whether a serum, another layer of essence or a moisturizer over this one.                

BITE Agave Sugar Lip Scrub – this is a nice lip scrub. I’d say the texture is a cross between the Sephora Collection Honey Lip Scrub and the Lip Scrub by Sara Happ. It glides on smoothly and conditions the lips. I categorize it as a ‘maybe’ only because I have a few lip scrubs in rotation already and many others waiting to be used; this one didn’t necessarily wow me to the point where I’d forego one of my current lip scrubs and that’s why it’s a maybe and not a like.

CremorLab Essence Toner – I’ve used another sample of this essence toner before and my assessment remains the same. This seems like it would be a good product to use in the summer months or on really oily skin. I’m not sure this alone would be enough to infuse the moisture my skin needs in the cooler months; that said, I just now wonder whether this essence toner might pair well with the Whamisa toner for the 7-skin method this winter season. Hmmmm….

Heimish All Clean Balm – this balm reminds me a little of my favorite Clinique Take The Day Off Balm. Texture-wise, it’s softer than the Clinique balm and it leaves a little film on my skin, which I’m actually fine with since I follow up this balm with a second cleanser. These little pods really come in handy when traveling.

Radical Skincare Peptide Infused Antioxidant Serum – the consistency of this serum feels more like a lotion. It’s lightweight, creamy and applies smoothly onto the skin. It contains a host of ingredients known for their anti-aging benefits, so the science seems to be there; it’s impossible to tell though with a foil sample. A full size will run you almost $200. I’m not opposed to shelling out a lot of pennies for good skincare and I think this could be a really good serum for some, but for me, it’s a ‘maybe’ – not because it’s not good, but just because I have other serums I prefer to use at the moment.

BITE Beauty Multistick (Papaya) – these Multisticks are marketed as a lip, eye and cheek color in one.  Papaya is what I’d describe as a medium rosy-pink and medium rosy pinks do not look good on me as an eye color, so when I was using this sample, I mainly used it on my lips and on a couple of occasions, used it as a blush. This definitely applied better with fingers, at least for me it did. The formula is not bad, a teensy bit drying so I like to apply a balm underneath it or over it. While this is a nice color and even though I don’t have any lip product in this shade range, I wouldn’t purchase a full size, primarily because I don’t see myself reaching for it very often and also because I have at least 3 more unopened samples of this shade.

Redken All Soft Conditioner and Redken All Soft Shampoo (not sure where my foil of the corresponding shampoo went; I think I may have accidently threw it away) – this duo worked pretty well, and my hair felt soft and silky after. It contains argan oil which has in the past been a little too heavy for my hair so I made sure to not apply too much when I used these two products.

MEH

Radical Skincare Anti-Aging Restorative Moisture – this is not bad but I think it is better geared towards those with normal to oily skin. It’s not enough moisture for my dehydrated-combo skin that is beginning to veer toward dehydrated and dry, and there are a lot of other moisturizers out there that infuse that moisture into my skin, and at a better price point..

TonyMoly Floria Brightening Foam Cleanser – this cleanser was just okay; it seemed to do what its name suggests – brighten and cleanse.  It wasn’t horrible but nothing about it stood out for me, except for the somewhat strong synthetic floral scent which I did not care for at all.

NO

Phlur Hanami – noooo.  I wanted to like this scent, the description of it sounds like something I’d gravitate towards, but it’s just not for me. This was one of the perfumes I first reached for in September and it’s taken me this long to finish it because I’ve been trying to find other fragrances to mix with it.  There’s an artificial scent to this fragrance that lingers and that I did not expect or enjoy.  It fades a bit when blended with another fragrance or with a lotion or hand cream, but not enough.

Moschino Gold Fresh Couture – this is definitely a ‘no’ for me. It’s too musky, heady and sweet for me.  I used it once on its own and have tried combining it with the Hanami scent but that somehow made both fragrance worse off than if worn alone. I’ve decided to just toss this one.

[eshoe]

Those bite samples last so long, with three you may never need to buy a FS, @itsfi😉

[itsfi]

I’m pretty sure I won’t need to purchase a FS for a veeerry long time @eshoe! 😂

[eshoe]

Makes me realize DS sizes are totally worth it, @itsfi.btw my daughter loves your avatar;)

[eshoe]

@angel7594 I loved the September challenge and am interested in an end of the year let’s go all out -type challenge. Do it Deluxe in December, similar to what like @scott1201 suggested? Get rid of the DS samples as well as foils before the New Year so we can start afresh? I need motivation to use my samples (and discover new 💖’s)!

[itsfi]

@eshoe, I like it!! 🙂  I've whittled down most of my foils to mainly those products I have a full size of and I like the idea of clearing out my DS as well. 

[angel7594]

That is a great idea @eshoe!! I have a lot of deluxe samples to use up. This will be the motivation I need lol. I will add your December challenge to the main post in a few weeks. Thank you for sharing. ❤️

[eshoe]

Awesome, @angel7594! @scott1201 and @sonnydee both suggested a DS December, I’m just chiming in! Excited to get to work on some samples😊

[Lazybeautybeast]

OH... that sounds like fun! I'm in! 

[scott1201]

I’ve got lots of travel this Nov/Dec - perfect timing! I’m in, @eshoe 🤗

[christyrc]

October Harvest: had to split the crops, er, I mean samples into more categories. LOVE: Loved the OLEHENRIKSEN Cold Plunge Pore Mask 3 oz/ 90 mL I didn’t notice at first but it has AHAs in addition to being tingly refreshing and zapping the bad stuff from my pores. A very exciting mask. Loved the Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment 1.7 oz / 50 ml LIKES: Tarte Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Goals. Subtle reddish, brownish, pinkish color, not too bold, which I appreciate. Would flatter a wide variety of skin tones and colors IMO. Liked the ALTERNA Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging® Replenishing Moisture Conditioner 16.5 oz/ 488 mL a lot more this time around.This time it locked in moisture without leaving my hair looking limp. I Like the IGK RICH KID Coconut Oil Air-Dry Styling Cream 5 oz/ 148 mL I'm finding i can only get one good day of a hairdo out of it, so not purchasing. Like the Sephora Mud Mask, but I've used better. I'm always curious why it has little chunks of dry stuff in it? I thought the first time I had a bad batch, but this was a sealed up packet. MEHs: I was so surprised to MEH the Algenist GENIUS Liquid Collagen Lip Treatment 0.34 oz/ 10 mL  I used 2 samples of it this week and it was slightly sticky. Moreover, it left my lips super dry after the stickiness wore off. It was tingly and refreshing while it was active on my lips (maybe that's how it plumps?) but no plumping noted after the tingling wore off. I would not buy this if it was $8, let alone $80. The Prescriptives All You Need spf15 was a nice sunscreen. But for the love of Pete, what good is spf 15??? Come back when you have at least spf 30, Prescriptives.The Lancôme Advanced Génifique Radiance Boosting Face Serum 1.69 oz/ 50 mL did *nothing* for me. No improvements noted. Just a plain ole serum as far as I could tell, with my moisturizer doing the heavy lifting. The Hawaiian Tropic lotion left me feeling sick of coconut scent. Too. much.  NOPEs: Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Retinoid Night Oil 1.18 oz/ 35 mL  My skin just cannot deal with oils. I tried it and was reminded that I cannot use oils without creating acne. Probably not Sunday Riley's fault, that's just how I'm built. The little unlabeled sample was Farmacy Green Clean, which I've said before didn't agree with my eyes. Lastly, Tarte Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Exposed and Bounce were no-go's. My lips were just too dry after using. I think I may not be able to do the very hip matte lip look. But, again, that's just me. 

   

[CorgiMommy]

Slow week for using samples. I did receive 11 new ones and used 12 so I am still running a deficit. new YTD totals are 596 used 421 received. Lots of repeats again but I would like to try the Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Moisturizer again.

[CorgiMommy]

A lot of repeats again in the 20 samples/foils used this week. YTD totals are now at 584 used and 410 received; I did receive 9 sampleslast week. nothing new to report on as everything as been sampled before but the Eminence Skin Care samples. those were given yo me at my faciallast week. Nice products the Monoi Age Corrective Cleanser smells yummy. One note, Fresh Soy Cleanser is repeated a lot. Wish there were samples of other cleansers.

[christyrc]

My Fall Foil Harvest continues! I’ll start with the LOVES: the tiny unmarked sample is KORRES - Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream CleanserIpurchased based on the sample. Love the extra creaminess as the weather changes. LIVING PROOF - Perfect Hair Day Conditioner , also purchased based on good sampleage. Good every day Conditioner for my fine hair. The lippie is KVD Beauty Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick Noble  Lovecraft. Long wearing and the color is great with my cool undertones. Will probably purchase if I ever run out of lippie samples (so like, 2021?). As always, love Beautyblender liquid blendercleanser® 5 oz/ 150 mL and finally ran out of those samples today and I purchased the liquid. The LIKES were good but no plan to purchase. NOPES: the Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm 3.4 oz/ 100 mL was too sting-ey on my sensitive eyes. No problem on sensitive skin though, if that info helps anyone. The CAUDALIE - Premier Cru Eye Cream      was a colossal waste of time. Did not do anything helpful to my eye area. Zero claims substantiated.  

[eshoe]

Well it’s always a good thing when the $$$ products don’t agree with you, @christyrc😂 that Korres Yogurt Cleanser is sooooo good!

[Lazybeautybeast]

I made quite a big dent in my samples this week. The Mask Challenge was sample drive last week so I decided to use as many foils as I could. 19 down! 

[angel7594]

I have updated the main posting. ❤️

Here are my samples from September and the first week of October. I am slowly using things up lol.

[christyrc]

I had a bumper crop harvest of samples! My favorite parts of the harvest: Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One AHA Lactic Acid Treatment 1.7 oz / 50 ml This was my first time trying it and I think I have to buy it. My skin texture is better than ever, although I don’t think it did anything for my spots. Loved the STELLA MCCARTNEY - Stella perfume. Already purchased it. Loved the KVD Beauty Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick Sanctuary . There were, like, 40 applications in that tiny sample. Took me three months to finish it. Will purchase. I’ve tried the TATCHA - The Deep Cleanse before but this time I was SOLD. It’s going into the beloved cleansers rotation. I always love Beautyblender blendercleanser® solid Lavender and will purchase when the samples run out. Love the Malin and Goetz lotion, wish @sephora sold it. LIKES included a LAURA MERCIER - Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in Rose Gold. I think I might love it in another color. Long wearing, no slippage. Oh! And I was surprised that I liked the NARS - Bronzing Powder in Laguna: it was not too dark for me and not too orange. Yay! On the downside: Hated Prescriptives All You Need eye treatment. It stung my skin and eyes.

[CorgiMommy]

Another week and another 12 samples used up. I did receive 6 so the newYTD totals are 564 used 401 received. Some repeats but two new favorites from this week. I really liked the Living proof Blowout Finishing Spray;. added volume to my flat thin hair and helped keep my hair in place without being sticky. My new favorite toner is Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner. It helped soften my fine lines plus it brighten my dull skin tone. Bye until next week.

[christyrc]

@CorgiMommy Strong work keeping the “used” number bigger than the “received.” I’m impressed. BTW what did you think of the Ouai anti-frizz wipes?

[CorgiMommy]

The jury is still out. I will have to try it again as I am unsure I saw any results