Foil Challenge

[ather]

I know we all talked about this but I need it in writing to hold myself more accountable! I have picked out around 28 foils that I am hoping to get through by the end of Feb. that’s 1 foil a day unless I decide to stack more than one! Here’s what I’ve picked randomly! 

 

[ather]

@itsfi  Hmmm this is a great idea. Although Friday night I think I fell asleep during yoga  woke up in the middle of the night very confused about what happened. Still not sure. It was good tho! Sleeping on a plane is better if travelling with people. Maybe not if travelling alone!

Shower steamers sound like such a treat!! It’s nice to have something special! 

[itsfi]

@ather,  you must have been very tired. Yeah, I don't like to fall asleep when I'm traveling by myself; the Kindle comes in handy to keep me busy. 📚

[ather]

Here are my foils for September! 14 total. I’m doing good. But I tend to keep finding more hiding around my house!

 

 I enjoyed all but didn't find any loves. I was hoping more for the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Watch Ya Tone 5% Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum with Vitamin C even with multiple foils didn’t notice any difference in my skin. I have a bunch of the SR good genes but I need to ration it because it makes my skin sensitive! 

[itsfi]

We twinned it with our foil usage last month @ather! 😀 I've heard good things about the Fenty serum; do you think you needed more time with it? I laughed when I read your comment about finding more foils around your house - tell me about it! I now have two bins - one for the foils I plan to use / try, and another for the ones that will be donated. 

[ather]

@itsfi  I don’t know. 🤷🏼‍♀️ maybe I didn’t use it long enough to get a clear picture but I also didn’t feel wowed either. The Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum 0.5 oz / 15 ml is in my cart for the fall sale. After hearing your praise it’s been on my radar and when I saw it was finally at Sephora Canada I was so happy! 😀 

I love that you have 2 bins! So smart! I have bags. I have skincare, makeup, hair, masks and scents.  I need to get better at adding the hair ones. Scents are hard for me since my work is scent free. I don’t often go out so I don’t use them as much. The small samples last forever for me. I was giving them away to a friend who loves using scents but she’s declined the last few times. So now they have been sitting. I’ve also been more careful which foils I choose when possible and not choosing scents. But I need a better approach. Maybe another bag for samples I want to donate. 

[itsfi]

@ather, my hope is that with these 2 bins going is that it'll help me be more mindful of how many foils I actually have; in theory, the bin with the foils I'm keeping and working on using should have more in there (though not too much 😂) and that the donation bin either gets emptied with some frequency or stays on the small / minimal side as far as pieces go. Don't get me wrong, I love sampling things but I seem to accumulate so much and don't realize it as early as I should. 

Oh, do you mean the EADEM Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum with Niacinamide and Vitamin C 1 oz/ 30 mL? I really do love that stuff. I'm getting more into the brand as well. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Oooo good to know. I’ll have to check if that is on the Canadian site too. I just vitamin c and dark spot and got super excited!! 😆 ok just checked and I am very sad. It is not on the site. Maybe it will come soon! The resurfacing one s

is the only one on the site right now. 

[ather]

These are the foils from July/August. 

 

I’ve been adding more acids to my skincare and so far my skin is responding well. I only use like once or twice a week to be safe! 

I enjoyed all of these. And found a new love in the Benifit brow. 

[CorgiMommy]

@ather great use of your foils, I do love the Peel Pads

[ather]

@CorgiMommy  I know they are so good! 😊 

[itsfi]

Wow, those are some great products you sampled @ather! Ahhh, the DDG pads - they're marvelous. Ohhhh, does the Benefit brow beat out all other brow products for you?

[ather]

@itsfi  Thank you! I found a pack of the DDG and I finally decided to use them up! 

I think the Benefit is better. But I also wonder if it is the mini brush that made it work so well. I need to use up what I have before I buy one but it’s on my list! 

[itsfi]

Now I'm intrigued even more @ather - what brow products do you have in use and in the queue to be used?

[ather]

@itsfi  Right now I have REFY Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel with Lamination Effect 0.28 oz/ 8.5 mL  which I love and I have a back up. I also have MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade  which is good but the Benefit is better. I have the LAWLESS Hold Up Soft Set Creamy Eyebrow Wax  and a NYX one open. Too many right!!!! Also I find that samples don’t always preform like a full size. So I wonder if it will preform as well. 

[itsfi]

Ooouh, you have a back up of it, @ather? A sign of a well liked / loved product. I think 3 or 4 seems like a lot for the both of us when it comes to brow products. If you’re rotating through them though and they’re working for you, go for it. 

[ather]

@itsfi  I forgot the PATRICK TA Major Brow Lamination Gel 0.17 oz/ 5 mL  too. I think I need to get minis to try first! 

[itsfi]

August 2024 Foils - I know we have a full week left before August is officially behind us, but I'm going to post this month's foil early. In part because I don't foresee myself reaching for any foils next week and partly because it'll be a full week for me and I can see myself forgetting to post these in a timely fashion. So, I'm getting ahead of my forgetfulness. Hahaha! Without further adieu, 

Spoiler

🐐  Yes, once again we have a few Sephora Collection Caffeine Eye Masks (discontinued) in my foils roundup. What can I say? I love these beauties. These make my peepers (and in turn, my general visage) look alert, awake, fresh faced and refreshed! What's not to love about that?! 😍

👍  Pleasantly surprised that the mix of argan, marula, coconut and cupuacu oils in the Moist, Diane Extra Shine Shampoo and Moist, Diane Extra Shine Treatment was not heavy on my hair (the strands are fine, I have a lot of them, though less as I've gotten older). I was able to get about 2-1/2 uses from each packet. I reached for these foils when I was a couple of weeks from my then-next hair appointment, when my hair can be (as it was) a little worse for the wear a they say. This pairing helped to add some luster to my tresses, and was nourishing as well, which makes sense given the oils contained in these items. This Japanese brand is one that I've been interested in trying and this intro to the brand went well, better than I expected. I have a couple of shampoo and conditioners to make my way through first but this brand is on my list for my next shampoo and conditioner purchase. @CookieGirl1, I have a recollection you've used / are using some hair care from this brand; wondering your thoughts on the items you've used so far.

👍  Drybar Liquid Glass Smoothing Shampoo 8.5 oz/ 250 mL and Drybar Liquid Glass Smoothing Conditioner 8.5 oz/ 250 mL is another hair care pairing I was also pleasantly surprised by. Which is a good thing as I have somehow accumulated 3 or 4 other sample packets of this duo. Like the Moist, Diane set, this one also left my hair soft, shiny and smooth, without weighing it down or making my hair look greasy

Both of the fragrances were nice enough, but if I'm not sure a full size of either will be in the works.

🫤  KAYALI EDEN JUICY APPLE | 01 Eau De Parfum has a very sweet, fruity, floral sillage - I pick up apple, berries, some vanilla and a little musk. The longevity is alright, though it starts fading earlier than many perfumes. It's too sweet for me, even with the musk and vanilla tempering down the slightly candy-like notes, but I know it has quite the fan base. I prefer Ellis Brooklyn Apple Love, which has similar (but definitely not the same) notes but is less sugary-sweet.

This group of empty foils are from last week's Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge, and what a week it was! Not everything was a win (which is to be expected) but there were definitely some good products used; a few, in fact, that may very well become a staple in my collection, in which case, I will post those beauties to the Love At First Sample!!! 🥰 when I pick up a full size of the product.

Spoiler

🔬  Hourglass Veil™ Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation gies a very, very light coverage with a soft radiance. It has a tack to it that takes a bit of time to set; I find I need a powder to set it. This one is a like, but also one I'd like to try in a couple of different seasons to see how it performs on my skin then.

👍  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is a throwback for me - this worked very well as an eyeshadow primer. I'd happily use it again but the NARS pro primer and Valentino eyeshadow primer are still my go-to's in this category

🔬  Hermes Plein Air Natural Complexion balm SPF 30 has a cream / lotion consistency that gives a light-medium coverage (buildable to medium), natural finish. It is heavily fragranced - very heavily fragranced. I'm not sure about this one; even if I had a sample of the right or best shade match for me (I think I'm probably 20 in the peak of winter and then, maybe 40 at the height of summer, with a blend of those two at other times). I find this best applied with brush. It's the undertones in this balm that really will be key. 

👍  A little of the Valentino Very Valentino 24 Hour Long Wear Liquid Foundation goes a looooongg way in this true-medium coverage foundation; it sets down to skin-like finish. The shade LN 3 was just a bit light for me right now but I have a little more color at the moment. I have the shade LN 4 in the concealer and may pull that out to compare with the LN 3 - I have two more foil samples as well as a deluxe sample of the that shade. It is a pretty foundation but the "medium coverage" foundation category is the one that I already have more than I need / want in my my stash. I have a lot of skin tints as well but I'm more open to having more of those types of foundations. lol

🙊  MILK MAKEUP Jumbo Hydro Grip Primer 5.28 oz/ 150 mL has a lot of fans but it never seemed to work for me when I was on the oily side or the dry side. Now that my skin is more normal, I has pleased to have the opportunity to try it again. Not sure whether there are just other primers that perform better on my skin or what, but this wasn't one that I liked. It worked fine, but the tack to it (and the fact that it lingered even after I had applied my foundation) is not for me. 

👍  I have a full size of the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place 24-Hour Longwear Foundation - it's medium-to-full coverage, in my mind (though I can sheer it out, which I do almost every time I wear this foundation). Medium-to-full is not a coverage level I wear often, but this one doesn't feel heavy on my face, which is a plush. Slightly perfumed - there was a time when I would have considered this heavily fragranced, but that was before I tried the Hermes balm. I haven't been focusing on the beyond medium coverage foundations but this one is one I would consider including in an ultimate collection; that's a good thing since I do have a full size of it already.

👍  This is not the first time I've used LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Line Smoothing Gloss Rosy Outlook. I received a full size a few years ago as gratis - I liked it then and I like the foils now. This is one of those plumpers that has just the slightest tingle; it does not sting and that is why I like it so much. I feel like a throwdown of the lip plumping glosses in my collection will be in the works at some point.

👍  It was the first time I've tried the LAWLESS Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask Sweet Dreams. Like with the gloss, there's a slight tingle and while noticeable, it is a slight tingle. This is the Sweet Dreams version; it has a candy-like scent that was fine. I would be interested in trying this lip mask again, possibly a full size even, but in a different scent - the cherry vanilla scent @ather mentioned sounds like it would be excellent.

❤️  I'm a fan of Cle de Peau in general, and in particular, their foundations. Over the years, I've tried every foundation within its collection except the Cle de Peau Radiant Cream Foundation. I'm usually O20 or B20. (B is peachier undertone and O is more warm/yellow undertones). Coming out of the tube, it feels like it'll be a heavier coverage foundation but when blended / applied, it's a medium coverage, that you can sheer out or build up. It's a beautiful, lightly radiant coverage. Conceals and covers without making it look like I have on foundation, a slight blurring effect. I have a feeling my wallet will be very displeased with me at some point, as this CdP foundation looks like one I'll pick up eventually.

Foils Dashboard:

• Month-To-Date = 25 
• Year-To-Date = 95 

Emoji Key: 

🐐 = GOAT = Greatest Of All Time (have gone through at least two of the particular product and other comparable items)

😘 = Chef’s Kiss = Outstanding - think of this as GOAT status in the making 😉

❤️ = Love

👍🏼 = Like

🫤 = Okay; “It’s fine.”; “meh”

🔬 = Undecided = “Still looking into it”

🙊 = Not for me / my skin type

🙅🏻‍♀️ = ❌ = “No, non, nein, nyet, …”

[ather]

@itsfi  Wow! You’ve done amazing! The Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge  definitely helped out! And wow look at all those Caffeine masks! Are you running low? Or do you still have a big stash? 25 is an amazing number!!! Congrats 

[itsfi]

@ather, thank you! I feel like I'm all over the place with my foils the last few months. Much of that is due to finding more samples and receiving more samples to use. Going ot have to be strategic about which I keep and which I let go. I know that with skincare, I do better when I stick to a particular set of products, whatever they may be. Introducing a sample of a serum here and then a moisturizer there in the same week or even the next week, can be a recipe for disaster for me and my skin. 

I still have a large stash of the Sephora Collection eye masks. There are a few folks that send me a notice whenever they see them become available at Sephora at Kohl's so my stock never really dwindles. 😁 I feel like I'm good for a year still, at least.

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi I've used the Moist Diane Extra Damage Repair shampoo and conditioner and I actually really like the shampoo because it's lightly hydrating without weighing my hair down and the lather is glorious (it's on of the shampoos in my shower now) but the conditioner oddly dried my hair out.  Ironically I placed another Asian haircare order and in it is the Moist Diane Fresh & Hydrate shampoo, which I have not tried before.  That order should be in on Wednesday so I'll try to remember to tag you after I've given it a fair shot.

[itsfi]

July 2024 Foils - we did good this month, folks; very good. 😊 But that's all thanks to being on vacation and being motivated to take a "use 'em or lose 'em" approach with most of my foils (more on that below). 

A small batch of foils used up during the first leg of my vacation. Stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport before meeting up with the rest of our group at the airport the next morning. While I prefer direct flights, I am glad we broke up our trip this way this trip, even with the fire alarm fiasco in the middle of the night 😬 - not a drill, folks; not a drill.  

Spoiler

All of these are loves ❤️, with the since discontinued Sephora Collection Caffeine Eye Masks and the Tatcha The Indigo Cleansing Balm Moisturizing Makeup Remover 1.9 oz / 54 g being 🐐🐐❣️ Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Refillable Moisturizer is a beautiful moisturizer for my normal-to-dry skin most evenings and especially in the cooler months when my skin leans more dry. I suspect this had or could have had GOAT 🐐 status at one point years back, but the combination of my skin type changing slightly as I've gotten older and more moisturizers being released (or more I've become familiar with) keeps from being the "Greatest Of All Time". Still, it's an outstanding moisturizer 😘 and continues to have a place on my Top Shelf.

All the foils I used up once we arrived at our vacation destination - it rained at least once every day but one while there, but that's to be expected when you're in a tropical rainforest. 

Spoiler

All except the IGK Best Life Hair Oil are tried-and-true products, and, as I look at the photo, all are skincare products except for the IGK. Two of the Tatcha products I've commented on already ⬆️. As for the other beauties here:

😘  Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil Mini 0.8 oz/ 24 mL (not sure why the full size doesn't come up for tagging) is a well loved oil-based cleanser. I have a few of these types of cleansers that I reach for often so it's a challenge to decide which is a 🐐 product. 

😘  Likewise with the Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder - gentle exfoliation and cleansing; a fabulous cleanser in the mornings, or as a follow up to an oil-based cleanser in the evenings. The AmorePacific enzyme cleanser has been my 🐐 product in the enzyme powder cleanser category for years, but this has been putting up a good challenge and other beauty brands are coming up with good formulations of their own as well.

👍  While not a new product in my rotation, Tatcha The Rice Wash Skin-Softening Cleanser is newer to me than the other Tatcha product. It's been well liked so far, enough so that I have a mini and deluxe sample of it. I just need to put it to use more regularly, which I will aim to do as soon as I make my way through a couple of second cleansers I'm currently incorporating in my routine.

🐐  My intro to the LANEIGE Radian-C Cream with Vitamin C 1.0 oz/ 30 mL was a mini/deluxe sample version from South Korea. Then it showed up at Sephora and it's been in my skincare collection in some size since then. It's my go-to and 🐐 as far as vitamin C moisturizers go - in fact, this was the product that lead me to go for moisturizers containing vitamin C - before this one, I was set on keeping them separate - but results have a way of helping to change one's mind. 😉

👍  IGK Best Life Hair Oil is one of those products that would receive a higher rating from me if I didn't already have several well loved or GOAT items in this category. This did a lovely job of keeping my tresses soft and smooth.  

A variety of masks for use on vacation.

Spoiler

The Sephora Collection Caffeine Eye Masks (🐐) and the spa life Nourishing Finger Masks (👍) are both lovely, the latter working beautifully for some TLC to the fingernails and cuticles. I was gifted this mask from a dear friend 🤗, and it, along with the heel mask ⬇️ came in handy this trip.

👍  The VT Cica Collagen All-In-One 3-Step Mask (counting this as 3 foils?) performed wonderfully as a pre-makeup skincare treat, leaving my skin hydrated, supple and plump, with a bouncy dewiness that primed my skin for makeup and gave my complexion a soft radiance underneath. I'll include more details on this mask when I post my July masks to on the masking thread (probably in the next few days depending on my schedule) and will update this post with a link after it's been posted. 

Emoji Key:

Spoiler

🐐 = GOAT = Greatest Of All Time (have gone through at least two of the particular product (with one being a full size) and other comparable items)

😘 = Chef’s Kiss = Outstanding

❤️ = Love

👍🏼 = Like

🫤 = Okay; “It’s fine.”; “meh”

🔬 = Undecided = “Still looking into it”

🙊 = Not for me / my skin type

🙅🏻‍♀️ = ❌ = “No, non, nein, nyet, …”

Foils Dashboard:

• Month-To-Date = 22 foils (I used another Sephora Collection Caffeine Eye Mask the night before my flight back home but that was included in an empties photos)
• Year-To-Date = 70 foils

Use 'em or Lose 'em: 

I'll be working on a "use 'em or lose 'em" approach to foils from now until the end of September @ather - I've donated a handful of foils already to local shelters. I'll do the same with the foils that fall under the "lose 'em" camp. Basically, other than for a few exceptions, whatever foils currently in my stash that I don't use by the end of September will be donated. What are the exceptions? (1) Foils I have or will pick up this year; (2) foils of tried-and-true products that I regularly use for travel; and (3) foils that are part of a multi-day trial set that I know I will put to use before year end.