Random samples: first impressions

Here's my 2 cents of product samples I've used in the past few months.

Caudalie eye and lip cream - This cream feels so nice and light weight, and does a great job at moisturizing. I've only used it for a week and noticed very slight difference in my dark eye circles. However, I'm not sure if I am willing to splurge $49 on it...

Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska - I wanted to love this because I've heard so much rave about it, however I can't. Within 3 hours of using this TM I start getting oily on my T-zone and cheeks. This has not happened with my theBalm TM... I like the higher SPF, but I find that it made my skin look more dull despite the oil pool later on.

Dior Hydra Life BB creme - This BB cream broke me out :( I really wanted to like this product, because I wanted to get it when I was in the US, but the results were disappointing. I'm just so glad I got to try a sample of it before purchasing the full size (a whooping $56USD!)

Phyto Phytopolleine Universal Elixir Scalp stimulant - I got this in one of my monthly subscriptions and I really love it. I have troubled skin and my scalp was not spared (please excuse me) but my scalp flakes like crazy! After my first use of this I was extremely happy that it worked so well. I will be purchasing purchased the full size of this product. It has a very strong but not unpleasant smell of eucalyptus and work quite well to maintain a healthy scalp.

Suisse Programme Gigawhite Fresh UV Shield Moisturizer SPF15 - I had a 2ml sample that lasted me 3 applications. This product smells awesome and has a little bit of SPF which I like, however I was surprised to find that it wasn't quite moisturizing enough for me... Certain areas on my face dried up throughout the day. At a whooping 83$ on Sasa, I will not be purchasing~

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF55 - This is a nice sunscreen with high SPF and covers both UVA and UVB. It dries non-sticky and smells okay for a sunscreen. I would so purchase this product if I wasn't already overstocked with them :) This is something to keep in mind next summer as it is both waterproof and sweatproof (tested from all the swimming and tubing down while on vacation.)

Apologies for not having any pictures for this post as they are mostly samples, perhaps I should take a pictures of samples before I try them out next time :)

Smashbox Haul + FOTD

The past Sunday we made it to Lisa's Cosmetic 2011 Christmas Warehouse Sale at around 2pm. The first surprise was the long lineup~ Second was the fact that all these women tried to bring their kids and crying babies inside the warehouse even though the flyer states that "No strollers or children under 12" were allowed... anyways, here's some pictures~ Enjoy!

the 1.5 hour lineup at Lisa's Cosmetic Warehouse sale

The haul: I got a few hair products by Schwarzkopf (all hair masks + hair gum), a brush (2.99), and a hair conditioner by Joico ($7.99). The rest are makeup from Smashbox and a blush by Canadian brand Marcelle :)

Haul: L'Oreal and Lancome warehouse sale 2011

Biggest haul (yet)

This was my big splurge of the year and surprisingly it was not just on makeup! I've picked up quite a few sunscreens since we have plans to go camping / white water rafting and other outdoor activities this summer. At a very decent price of $3.38 each for the face sunscreen I just had to get a few to share. :D

Another sunscreen I will be trying out is the one from Biotherm on the bottom left corner. The set is sold for $39 regular but I got it for $21.50 at this sale and it includes a body wash and a body lotion.

I also stocked up on La Roche Posays' Toleriane Dermo face cleanser @ $13.50, regular is $28. One for my bf and one as gift. :)