Sample Rundown #5

Can you believe I'm still doing these freaking posts?! I guess the beauty world is good for that: slews and slews of samples, usually of stuff you'd never normally try, but it's there, so ehhhhhhh okay. I didn't have a ton of luck this round, unfortunately, but maybe some of these will appeal to you!

Kate Somerville RetASphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream -- I know retinol is supposed to be an incredible anti-aging ingredient, but if it is, this cream doesn't serve it well. While it's labeled as a night cream, it's not particularly moisturizing, and I woke up feeling dry and tight the next day. It also has an unpleasant sticky texture that stays around for a few hours. Because I didn't are for this as an all-over face cream, I tested it as an eye cream. To that end, it provided some moisture and softened my skin up a bit...but that's it. Either I need a bigger sample to get more realistic results, or this cream isn't worth the price tag.

Le Couvent de Minimes Baume d'Amour -- I used this body cream on my hands for about a week and was reasonably impressed. It's lightweight and feels very smooth (almost powdery) to the touch, but it provides decent moisture.  It's also fast-absorbing, so you're never left with sticky hands. The best thing about it? It smells like new shoes! You know, that weird rubbery smell? That's probably a turn-off for most people, but I kinda liked it. I have other hand creams I like better, so I won't purchase a full bottle of this, but it's a nice enough product.

Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather -- A small amount of this stuff goes a long way! Although the name suggests that this stuff will lather up, it actually goes on almost clear and feels like an oil. It helped me get a perfect shave on my legs, and the cream was so silky that I almost skipped lotion afterwards. Weirdly enough, it didn't work as well on my underarms (where the hair is coarser), which makes me wonder how it would work on a face. Maybe I'll get another sample and ask my heavy-bearded boyfriend to try it out.

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butters in Satyr and Plotter's Breakfast -- I've already reviewed the actual formula of the HoG PBs here; to summarize, this is my all-time favorite body butter. Fragrances tend to change when they're added to skincare, however, and I've noticed that that's especially true with Pumpkin Butters. In this formulation, Satyr is almost predominantly blood orange: tart, citrusy, and a bit sticky sweet. The Plotter's Breakfast Pumpkin Butter has stronger spice notes than the regular perfume oil; my mother actually said it smelt like "baking spices for a pie."

MAC False Lashes mascara -- I'm always delighted to get mascara samples because...well, mascara and brow pencil are the only eye makeup I wear on a regular basis. But I was especially excited for this one because, ahhhh, false lashes in a tube!...but not really. This is a decent mascara: it provides plenty of length, a bit of volume, and lots of separation. If you already have decent lashes, this will give you the look of extensions. Unfortunately, it doesn't give much "oomph," and it flakes and smears like CRAZY. Once, I put this stuff on at 6:30am and had raccoon eyes by 10:30. Perturbing.