WTF, I Saved Beauty Samples For Travels That Don't Exist
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It’s not a new revelation that I am a collector of things. Things brim with potential. Things encapsulate the what-ifs in life. They shroud you in a sense of safety, and sometimes, they’re just plain pretty.
Most of the time, these things lay forgotten and scattered on common surfaces that WTF Hubby want cleared. He likes the absence of things. I really don’t understand this, but I will compromise for the sake of his sanity.
I’ve started by clearing out the many beauty samples I’ve accumulated for the one sole and stupid purpose of travel. The pandemic world successfully cancelled Japan and New Orleans for me in one fell swoop, causing a dramatic rise in the number of beauty samples I’ve collected to use on travels that no longer exist.
Grumble, grumble…
The thought came to me one day that I should just carpe diem the crap out of these samples. I mean, using them is a way to get rid of them right?
Dior Capture Youth Intense Rescue Age Delay Revitalizing Oil Serum
If you recoil at the thought of putting oil or scented products on your face, you might want to skip this pale green, oil serum.
This serum has a heavy consistency, and the texture is reminiscent of Super Goop’s Unseen Sunscreen ($45 CAD, Sephora.com). The smell reminded me of Superstore’s No Name green shampoo (was it aloe?): wonderfully, chemically smelling in synthetic florals.
At least it dries down to a matte finish…
Pass on this one.
2. Dior Rouge Ultra Care and Ultra Care Liquid Lipsticks
Credits: The Happy Sloths, $48 CAD each at Sephora.com
A tube of lipstick functions as two things: a sleek and sexy object on your vanity and a statement when you fix your lips after a steak dinner.
The silver band on the full-sized lippies is there to channel Dior Diorama purse vibes (Love the bag!), but the elegance that Dior is trying to recapture in its lippie packaging is not completely there.
Luckily, lipstick samples are void of packaging expectations, making them easier to judge based on their actual formula. My Dior sample came in four shades:
675 Fleur Bleue (liquid lipstick)
675 Fleur Bleue (liquid lipstick) - Fleur Bleue is a beautifully natural, pinkish-nude colour, with blue undertones that make teeth look whiter. The Dior liquid lipsticks are lightweight and glides onto the lips.
989 Violet (lipstick) - This rich, burgundy-purple shade makes me feel like I’m either Faith Lehane from Buffy or that I run an underground club for vampires, and I love it. The formula glides on without a hiccup and can be built up or sheered out.
If you’re wearing a mask over this lipstick, it will definitely smudge and transfer.
999 Bloom/ Ultra Dior (lipstick) - Bloom, also known as Ultra Dior, is a warm tone, tomato red. This shade felt tacky and thick on my lips.
786 Rosewood (liquid lipstick)
786 Rosewood (liquid lipstick) - Rosewood is a matte, natural, pinkish-brown shade that is universally flattering on anyone! It feels like velvet on the lips.
While the formula of these Dior lipsticks are very moisturizing, I’m turned off by the powerful, floral Play-Doh scent.
Let’s graduate from this grade-school smell.
3. Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Mask
Bb’s Hairdresser Invisible Oil Mask is light and airy, truly living up to its namesake of being an invisible oil!
Unlike other hair masks that take forever to rinse off and leave a scary, slippery film in the tub, the Bb hair mask washes off clean. Hair is left feeling soft and hydrated. It's hair sorcery!
I’m sad that they only gave me 15mL of this mask to try...
4. SK-II Genotypics Aura Essence
SK-II is the crème de la crème of J-beauty. Coming in at a whopping $326 a bottle, it makes one wonder how magical this serum can possibly be.
The verdict with skincare samples is tricky. Most often than not, you need to use the product for at least a month for results to show.
My initial reaction to SK-II Genoptics Aura Essence is that it's a pretty essence. It's milky and lightweight, which is a consistency I tend to gravitate towards when it comes to skin products. The scent is not offensive, and the essence gives you an understated, pearlescent glow.
If glow is what you covet, but you're uncomfortable shelling out a crazy amount of cash, my go-to glowy products are Chanel Le Blanc Rosy Light Drop ($68 CAD for 30mL at Chanel.com) and Son and Park Beauty Filter Cream Glow ($32 USD for 40g at Sokoglam.com)
5. Ouai Haircare Texturizing Hair Spray
My morning hair routine involves running a brush through my hair. Of course, the flyaways run rampant and I'm always shocked when I see how my hair situation has evolved at work.
It's not good.
One morning, I threw a mini bottle of Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray into my workbag, hoping for a quick fix.
What I got was a neat spritz of hair perfume, that was actually quite pleasant. Turns out this lightweight spray is awesome for creating volume and not so much for taming flyaways.
My hair continued to look off-kilter for the rest of the day, just better smelling and more voluminious.
6. Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser (Kale, Green Tea, Spinach)
Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant gel-texture cleanser is green juice for the skin.
I use it as a second cleanser as part of my double cleanse. It's gentle and doesn't leave my skin stripped of moisture, which I really like!
The glass bottle is aesthetically pleasing. It also makes me paranoid that I'll drop it in the shower and end up with glass shattering every which way.
7. Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara
I don't use mascara often, but when I do, I get smudges that make me look like I worship at the temple of emo music.
I gave Hourglass' Caution Extreme Lash Mascara a try because it has a drier formula than other mascaras I've used in the past. One swipe gives an even coat that instantly lengthened my non-existent lashes. The result?
Defined, yet natural-looking lashes.
Two swipes was a mistake. My lashes started to clump, flake, and look spidery. You have to work fast with this mascara.
I used the Youth To The People cleanser to wash this mascara off, but what I really needed was eye-makeup remover. I don't understand how it managed to smudge under my eyes, but not come off when I wanted it off!
8. LANEIGE Cica Sleeping Mask
I am a big fan of LANEIGE's sleeping masks! My skincare fridge is never without a jar of this stuff.
I was excited to get the newest addition to the sleeping mask family. I opened the LANEIGE Cica Sleeping Mask sample and was greeted by a product that looked more like a cream moisturizer. It was shockingly different, compared to the line's traditional gel masks.
The Cica mask is rich without being too heavy and absorbs easily into the skin. It's now my go-to sleeping mask when I'm too tired to go through my multi-step skincare routine.
Consider it the lazy girl's best friend.
9. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream
What makes Charlotte's Magic Cream so magical?
The cream itself is thick, rich, and emollient on the skin. It does take awhile to fully absorb into the skin.
I didn't notice a dramatic difference in the texture or plumpness of my skin, but this is a great cream for those really cold, winter days when your skin needs an extra boost of moisture or layer of protection.
10. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r 101 Primer and Foundation
I started off by applying my usual skincare lineup before I applied the FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer to half of my face to see if I can tell the difference, after applying the FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation.
The side that had the primer was easier to blend with my BeautyBlender ($26 CAD, Sephora.com), but the foundation still needed some elbow grease to blend and even out. The formula is a bit tricky to work with. It dries to a chalky finish, which makes it unforgiving on drier or flaky skin.
If you're looking for a more natural-finish foundation, this one will not be for you.
11. MAC Lipstick
Every girl knows that the fastest pick me up is a classic red lipstick!
MAC gave me three reds to try: Ruby Woo, MAC Red, and Cockney. I love that MAC lippies smell like vanilla and have beautiful formulas.
You just have to find the right shade for you.
I tried the MAC Lustre Lipstick in Cockney first. It glided on and gave a shiny, sheer finish. I ended up swiping on two coats, because I didn't like how it looked more sheered out.
Cockney is a warm tone red with subtle gold flecks. This shade will definitely bleed so be warned. It's not very long lasting.
12. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear with SPF 15
I loved the Lancome foundation samples so much, I ended up buying a full-sized Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation with SPF 15.
The effect of this foundation is a glowy, soft, and natural-looking finish that doesn't settle into fine lines. It really looks like your second skin!
After a full day at work, my face doesn't look greasy either. That's because it's formulated to last and is transfer-resistant. I'm a fan of not having to touch up throughout the day!
At the end of this decluttering experiment, I only wanted to buy one full-sized product: Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Mask (hello, lush and shiny wedding hair!)
Other than that, I was happy to use up or throw out the rest of my beauty samples. I still have more samples hiding in our bathroom, so don’t be surprised if this post ends up with a sequel.
How is your beauty sample situation looking, WTF Bride Fam? Were you saving them up for your travels too? Did you end up getting any full-sized products after trying out your samples?
Are any of them good enough for your Wedding Beauty roster?
I would love to hear from you!
