It's time for another Sample Rundown! I've got plenty of skin stuff here...and unfortunately, plenty of disappointments. While some of these products just didn't suit my tastes, I honestly think that a good half of them are just crap. Let's get on to the mini-reviews!
Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector -- While my skin is 95% dry, my nose is incredibly oily. This means that products that look good on the dryer parts of my face are almost always going to melt in to nothingness on my nose. I was therefore inspired to test this cult classic primer on my nose, as I heard it was one of the most mattifying things on the market. Can I just say...wow, what a crock! First of all, you get hardly any product in the sample product: I was barely able to get 3 uses out of it, using this JUST on my nose. I also got zero oil control out of it; instead, it made my foundation pool in to my pores. And I don't even have big pores! A total fail for me.
NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia -- I received several samples of this product, plus a fabulous full bottle, from very kind people. The good news: it was a great match for my neck. The bad news: this formulation didn't work great on my skin. It melted off of my nose, and it looked a bit dry and cakey on the rest of my face. I had to do a LOT of doctoring to get this product to work on my face for more than a couple of others. I'm always upset when something people kindly gave me doesn't work for me, and I'm doubly upset that this was such a great shade for me, but otherwise unusable. :(
Armani Luminesscence CC Cream in #1 -- I labeled this post with "product: BB cream" because I refuse to make a new tag for CC creams. I'm sure you all still love me. ANYWAY! I'm on the fence about this product. On the one hand, it gave me light, slightly glowy coverage, was a good N10-15ish shade, and sat comfortably on my skin. It also photographs nicely, despite the SPF35. On the other hand, it seemed to lack staying power on most parts of my face. I found that this product transferred very easily if I didn't powder or spray it down. In the end, it's a nice CC cream, but it's not worth the huge price tag.
Urban Decay Perversion mascara -- Talk about a divisive mascara! I know some people really adore this, and I can see way. It gives some length and absolutely crazy volume. It's also one of the blackest mascaras I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it's waaaaaay too wet and messy for me. Every time I applied it, my lashline and lids were a total mess, and I had to do major clean-up. Also, if I didn't let it sit for 5 minutes before I touched my lashes, they'd clump together and get spidery. I just don't have the patience for this product.
Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Eye Cream -- In all fairness, I don't think most eye creams are worth it. Next to nothing will actually get rid of undereye circles, caffeine will only reduce puffiness for a brief period of time, and I get plenty of moisture from my face cream. That said, I enjoy the indulgence from time to time; I've been nursing a sample of the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream for almost 2 years now. This particular cream just didn't impress me. It had a slightly tacky feel on my eyelids, it smelt strongly, and it made my eyes water. On the bright side, I got a week's worth of usage out of this sample packet. Very generous!
Paula's Choice Resist Weekly Resurfacing Treatment (10% AHA) -- I've been using this chemical exfoliant once a week for almost 3 months now, and I'm pretty much in love with it. It's made my skin smoother, more glowing, and less red. First, let's get the bad out of the way: it smells awful, and it feels incredibly sticky and gross on my skin. I rinse it off after about 15 minutes, then apply my moisturizer, in part because my skin is sensitive and I don't like to leave an active on it for too long. But even if my hide was tougher than leather, I'd remove this AHA, because I just hate hate hate the way it feels. So grippy! So sticky! It also makes my skin look a bit worse (see above image) for a few hours, which is why I would never use it before a big event. My skin feels incredibly soft to the touch, however, after just an hour, and I wake up looking fantastic. Some people use this more than once a week, but honestly, "every Friday night" has worked just fine for me!
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