Feedback Wanted: TeamBIC’s 2023 Holiday Gratis Thread

[TeamBIC]

It’s the holiday season, BIC! ⛄❄️ This year, we gave select members a chance to unbox 10 days of Community Faves as a token of our appreciation for their participation in the Beauty Insider Community. Community Favorites are some of the most talked-about products among members, and we thought we would celebrate these tried-and-true holy grails by gifting them to some of you! 🎁

This thread is a place for those who are receiving these goodies from us to share their gratis – though this won’t be your traditional unboxing. 😉 Without giving too much away, we are highlighting 10 days’ worth of Community Faves, meaning that you’ll have 10 Sephora products to unveil across 10 days … should you choose to refrain from opening them all at once (no judgement either way 😄).

Though our recipients’ packages may take varying time to get delivered, they should all arrive before mid-December. 💙 While you’re free to begin unboxing your gratis as you wish when you receive it, we are challenging you to post photos and share your thoughts on each of the products according to the schedule below so we can all experience the unboxing magic together (starting with the gift labeled “Day 1”)! You can absolutely post product photos and reactions earlier if you like – we might just suggest hiding them behind a spoiler tab to keep the surprise alive for fellow recipients who are still on their unboxing journey. 🙏

• Day 1: Monday, 12/11
• Day 2: Tuesday, 12/12
• Day 3: Wednesday, 12/13
• Day 4: Thursday, 12/14
• Day 5: Friday, 12/15
• Day 6: Saturday, 12/16
• Day 7: Sunday, 12/17
• Day 8: Monday, 12/18
• Day 9: Tuesday, 12/19
• Day 10: Wednesday, 12/20

Happy holidays - we can’t wait to see your photos and hear your reactions to the products you receive! ✨ Hit the “Reply” button and don’t forget to use the “#” symbol to tag any Community Favorites you mention.

[sister13]

Thanks so much! I’ve been honestly so thrilled with the Dyson Limited Edition Airwrap Multi Styler in Ceramic Pop # #@greeneyedgirl107 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@sister13 you have beautiful hair to begin with!

[sister13]

Thank you sweetheart! @greeneyedgirl107 

[CynthieLu]

Looking lovely as always @sister13 😊❤️

Wow, PMG's glosses and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Virtue look so good on you! 

[sister13]

Thanks so much! Not my normal color,l, but I loved how it turned out!! A welcome surprise! @CynthieLu 

[CynthieLu]

The blush really suits you @sister13 💕

[danielledanielle]

@sister13, gorgeous!

[sister13]

Thanks my friend! 🩷🩷🩷 @danielledanielle 

[Westcoasty]

All right, today's round of reviews! (Better late than never, right?!)

Last night I used the Youth To The People Superfood Hydrating Gentle Antioxidant Refillable Cleanser to remove my makeup and generally clean my skin. It worked well, although I used far too much and had to spend more time than I expect is typical getting it all rinsed off my skin. It has a delicious green scent to it, too. Anyhow, no panda eyes this morning, so I'm calling that a win!

I found the cleanser slightly drying (not as bad as many I've tried, mind you), but I reapplied The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Hydrating Face Serum, and at bedtime I noticed that my skin felt softer and better than usual. Maybe the serum just needed a little longer to work its magic. I used it again this morning, and my skin felt comfortable today, not pulled like yesterday morning. So I'm calling that a win as well.

I had another go at the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Virtue, putting one dab on my index finger, rubbing my fingers together, and very gently patting it onto my cheeks. That worked a lot better, and the colour lasted all day, which I think is a first for me! I'm still doubtful about the colour, but will use the dot and sponge technique @CynthieLu so kindly provided (again) and see how it goes, as well as trying my sample of her pink blush.

I tried the PAT McGRATH LABS LUST: Lip Gloss Bronze Divinity as a topper over NARS Afterglow Lip Balm - Laguna Collection Laguna which worked beautifully for colours. I found that both wore off quickly, however. I'll try with an actual lipstick tomorrow. 

That's it for me for the night! May you all sleep well, dreaming of gratis boxes to come. 😍

[CynthieLu]

I read you felt your skin felt pulled after the first time you used you Inkey HA? 

Ooh maybe you've already heard this @Westcoasty, I apologize if this is old news. Hyularonic Acids pull water into the skin from the air, bit of the air is dry *say extra like in the winter* they can make our skin feel dry and tight. If you want you can try patting water onto your face and than just gently pat until your skin is just damp. Than apply the Hyularonic acid, followed by your other serums and moisturizers. It's might work better for you. 

[Westcoasty]

@CynthieLu  Thank you, that's a great tip! I did find that after three consecutive uses, my skin is back to feeling normal and comfortable, but for sure I'll remember to put it on right after my morning shower or evening facial cleanse. I guess even without leaving my skin damp, it still did the job just fine. It just took a little longer. 😊

[Titian06]

@Westcoasty - When I dry my face, I leave it a little damp then immediately apply The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Hydrating Face Serum followed by the rest of my skincare.  This has been working very nicely.

[Westcoasty]

@Titian06   Thank you for the tip! @CynthieLu mentioned it as well. I know I've seen that recommendation before, but I totally forgot. I need more sleep! LOL. And to have this Snow. Go. Away. 🌨❄️

Anyhow, I'll be sure to do that tonight, after washing off my lovely new gratis products with another gratis product. 😁

[CynthieLu]

That's a total win @Westcoasty 🥳

[Westcoasty]

Okay, next round of reviews. I was going to try one product a day, but realized that wasn't the best way to do it. Like, best way to test out a cleanser for removing makeup is to wear makeup, right?! LOL

I began by trying the Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Hair Mask 8 oz/ 237 mL . Okay, I love the HECK out of this! I prefer it to the Amika mask, truthfully. It has a light scent to it (scent? odour? smelled sort of like dried coriander plus mystery something, but faintly), went on well, washed out well with some careful rinsing after the recommended amount of time, and my hair felt oh so soft. But the real kicker, that gets it that five stars out of five, was the fact that I could run my brush through it with NO snarls. No tugging, no grabbing my hair and yanking the brush through to get rid of stubborn knots, no ouches. My dry hair looks great too. While I think my HG leave-in conditioner wins for "dry hair smoothness", this Briogeo mask is massively ahead on ease of detangling. MASSIVELY. 

My facial skin has become uncomfortably dry with this [expurgated] arctic outflow weather we've been having, so it seemed like a good day to try out The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Hydrating Face Serum. It felt comfortable going on, it sank into my skin well, and eased the discomfort of the dryness. However, this is only a partial review, because my skin became uncomfortable again a little later. Clearly I need to add a moisturizer to this to give it a fair trial. But so far so good.  

Next up was the PAT McGRATH LABS LUST: Lip Gloss Bronze Divinity. I found that the colour on my lips looked paler than it did in the tube, but the shimmer was absolutely beautiful. Again, this is only a partial review, because I think it needs a darker colour underneath to really do it justice. I also found it a little bit sticky, but nothing I can't live with. I'll try it again, likely tomorrow.

Then came the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Virtue. I really wanted to love this, and it looked like it would be a good colour on my skin. But ACK - the people who said it's heavily pigmented weren't kidding! I used a small dab on each apple of my cheeks and blended it out with my fingertips, and I looked like I had applied brick dust to my cheekbones. I had to take it off again. Too much! So again, I'm calling this a partial review, because clearly I need to try it again, and use a different amount and technique. I'm not sure the colour will suit me, even so...but it deserves another chance. 

Lastly, I used the Hourglass Hourglass Unlocked Defining and Lengthening Tubing Mascara Ultra Black. Others have said that it didn't smudge. I was nearly praying that they were right, because smudgy mascara has been my curse for years. I've tried not wearing it on my lower lashes to avoid that, but I do prefer the more balanced look of mascara top and bottom. So how did it work?

Well, it's hours later, and there's still NO SMUDGES!! In fact, at one point I forgot I was wearing mascara and rubbed my itchy eye. The mascara crumbled off in soft little grains, but there was still no smudging of any kind. I did find that I had to keep coating and coating my lashes to get the length that I wanted when applying it, and other mascaras have done better in that regard for me. But in the end, my lashes looked good, and the lack of smudging makes me willing to sacrifice a bit of length and thickness. And the applicator left my lashes nicely separated and clump-free, so I'd call this one a solid win!

I'll try one of my gratis cleansers tonight, and use the INKEY serum with a moisturizer. More tomorrow!

[Loretta55]

I find that Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Hair Mask is very drying on my thick wavy hair @Westcoasty. The bottom layer of my hair gets very tangled. It takes me at least 15-20 minutes to detangle my hair and it is a painful process. My hair prefers Briogeo Superfoods™ Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Hair Mask 8.0 oz/ 240 mL .

[Titian06]

I love the Briogeo Superfoods™ Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Hair Mask 8.0 oz/ 240 mL , @Loretta55 !  Funny how we have completely different hair types, but this mask works so well for both of us.

[Westcoasty]

@Loretta55   That's amusing, in a way - I have the Briogeo Superfoods™ Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Hair Mask 8.0 oz/ 240 mL myself, but the results weren't anything miraculous. It was okay, mind you, it just didn't blow my socks off. And I have to rinse it out really carefully. Sounds like you and I had opposite results with the masks! 

[Titian06]

Love your reviews, @Westcoasty ! 💖💖💖  Reading about your tangly hair, I like to use amika amika x HairToStay The Wizard Detangling Hair Primer 5 oz / 150 ml on my fine, thin, wavy, curly hair.  If you live near a Sephora, maybe you can get a sample to try.

With regard to the Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Virtue , @CynthieLu posted somewhere in this thread how she applies the blush (with pics).  Maybe she can accommodate with an encore? 😘

[Westcoasty]

@Titian06  Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy them.

TBH, Amika products don't usually work very well for me. They're not bad, they're just not optimal. But if I ever make it to a Sephora store in person again, I'll see if they'll give me a sample of the Amika detangler. 😊

I remember @CynthieLu posted about how she did it, but when I was rushing to get ready to start my work day, I didn't want to go back and look! I'll go through the thread now and see if I can find it. This morning I tried putting a dab on one index finger, tapping my fingers together to spread out the product, and then gently patting my cheeks. That worked pretty well, and I left it on, but I think the colour is just plain wrong for me. Too dark. I do have a sample of one of her lighter shades in a pink tone, so I'll have to give that a try before I do my final review. 

[CynthieLu]

@Westcoasty @Titian06 

I use Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush Virtue by dabbing the back of my hand lightly and using that supply to ever so carefully apply tiny dots to my cheeks. Blending it out with a beauty blender or sponge worked really well for me

I need so little of this product to get a gorgeous flush.

You can also put foundation or a skin tint over top if you go to far for an underpainted look. ( Applying blush under foundation for a different kind of flushed look)

Let me see if I can find the photos I had taken

then blended out with a sponge 🧽 😉💖

I hope that's helpful @Westcoasty 💜