Sample Sunday - Avon Solutions Ageless Results Night Cream PM

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the day cream in this pack as my Sample Sunday.  Today I'm going to review the Avon Solutions Ageless Results Night Cream PM.  I'm cheating a bit here, as I actually used it last week, then forgot to review it, but nevermind.

So what did I think of this?  Well it was quite a generous sachet, with enough for three applications.  That's not really enough to tell if something is going to break you out, but it's enough to give you a good feel for a product.  I first used this at night and thought it was a really nice cream - really moisturising, easily absorbed and not at all greasy.  In fact, I couldn't really tell the difference to the day cream I'd tried before.

I then used it the next day as a day cream, and it worked perfectly well.  My makeup was fine, I didn't feel like my moisturiser was too heavy and it held up well in the cold weather we've been having recently.

So, this is another winner for me.  I'm not sure if I'd buy this, especially as it's clearly suitable as a day cream, despite being marketed as a night cream and because I couldn't tell the difference between the day cream that goes with it.  However, I would certainly use it again if I had the chance.

There seem to be loads of Avon Solutions night creams on the Avon website, but I can't see the exact product on there.  Yet again, Avon change and discontinue products...

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - Avon Solutions Ageless Results Day Cream AM

Another moisturiser post for my Sample Sunday - I'm on a no-spend at the moment, so I'm using up my moisturiser samples to make my actual moisturisers last longer!  Today I'm testing out the am day cream sample for Avon Ageless Solutions Ageless Results.  I'll do the pm sample next week.

So what are my thoughts?  Well it's a decent sized sample, so I'll have a couple more applications after today.  It's a relatively rich cream, although it's light enough to use as a day cream under makeup.   It smells inoffensive, and I actually quite liked the cream.  I've only popped out for a bit today with this on, so I've not spent much time outside.  However, it seemed to be coping well in the cold weather, when my skin often goes haywire.  It feels moisturising and my skin doesn't feel at all tight as some anti-ageing moisturisers often make it feel.

I'm quite looking forward to trying the night cream as well - potentially a cream to purchase in the future.

I think this is the product on the Avon website, priced at £8 (on offer, usually £11).  Avon are always changing product names and discontinuing things - stop doing it Avon!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream

I've had a very busy weekend, driving to London and back for an 80th birthday!  Anyway, I remembered to take a sample with me to try out today - L'Oreal Dermo-Expertise Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream.  I've not really tried much from L'Oreal before, as I'm kind of put off by their psudo-scientific and cheesy adverts, but I can definitely do with a bit of help with minimising wrinkles, so I thought I'd give this a go.

I have to say that I don't really like it.  Although it's not a bad moisturiser and a I reckon I'll get a second application from it, it's not great in the cold weather.  I spent quite a bit of time outside today, as well as travelling and my skin is feeling tight and battered from the cold - I wish I'd worn a richer cream today.  The tightening of the skin is probably a good thing for the rejuvenating claims, and had I tried this on a warm and sunny day or a day when I was staying indoors, I probably would have really liked this.  However, in the cold and mist, I didn't get on with this at all. 

Ingredients

I'm planning to use a really rich night cream today as I think my skin needs it!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - L'Occitane Ultra Rich Face Cream With Shea Butter

I seem to be only sampling L'Occitane products for my Sample Sundays at the moment - this is the last one I have!

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Face Cream with Shea Butter basically does exactly what it says on the packet - it's a very rich face cream which I think would be lovely in colder weather.  There was only enough in the sachet for a single application, as opposed to last week's Sample Sunday when I had enought for two, so it's more product-intensive than other creams by L'Occitane.  Rich creams ofen break me out, so I'd like to try this for a bit longer before making a decision.  However, it doesn't feel too heavy on my face and although it was easily absorbed, and my face feels really moisturised.

Ingredients

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Face Cream is available from all the usual outlets at £29.50.  However, it's currently on offer at Debenhams for £26.55.

My sample stash has just been swelled by 3 sachets of Palmolive shower gel I picked up with a goodie bag at the races last week!  Despite all my efforts, my stash doesn't seem to be getting any smaller!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - L'Occitane Organic Olive Moisturising Face Lotion

Today's Sample Sunday is from L'Occitane.  It's their Organic Olive Moisturising Face Lotion.

I'm quite fussy about my facial moisturiser, particularly as the weather is getting colder.  However, this really seems to suit my skin so far.  It is quite light and easily absorbed, but at the same time feels moisturising.  My foundation went on lovely and smoothly over the top, and my skin is looking good today!  I've also spent a couple of hours pottering around in the garden and my skin still feels moisturised and comfortable (although I know it's not freezing conditions today).

The Organic Olive Moisturising Face Lotion does have a bit of an unusual scent.  I quite like it, but if you're not a fan of green olives, then stay away from this!  It's not over-powering, but just odd to smell green olives in a skin care product.  And the smell is specifically green olives - I can't detect black olives at all!

Although a sample is not really an indication of whether a product will break you out or not, I have a feeling that this wouldn't, as it feels nice and gentle.  So, this is one I'd consider buying in the future.

L'Occitane Organic Olive Moisturising Face Lotion costs £24 for 30ml and is available here.

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Foundation

Well, I was meaning to do a regular Sample Sunday post, but I've not done one for about 3 weeks now!  Anyway, there's no time like the present to start using up my samples, so today I'm reviewing Lingerie De Peau by Guerlain.  It's described as an "Invisible Skin-Fusion Foundation".

Ignoring the fact that it is clearly the wrong colour (orange) for me, and I couldn't make the colour work with my very fair skin, it is a very nice foundation.  It was easy to blend and apply, felt super-soft and silky on my skin and gave me a good coverage on my blemishes.  Had it been the right colour, it would've looked natural and dewy without being shiny.  A little went a long way as well - I reckon there were at least 3 applications from the sachet I had, although I threw the rest away, being the wrong colour and all.

I'm slightly cheating here, and this is a pre-prepared Sample Sunday from two weeks ago, so I'm pleased to say I can comment on the lasting power of the Lingerie De Peau.  It lasted all day and didn't budge at all or collect in the (minor) creases in my neck.  I was still orange by bed time!

In terms of quality and performance, based on one application, I can see this is a great foundation, with the potention to edge my current favourite Teint Miracle by Lancome.  However, at £35.50 at House of Fraser, this is £10 more expensive than Teint Miracle and I think very expensive.  I would want a reasonably sized sample in my actual skin colour to try before deciding to buy.  However, it has lept onto my wish-list -  just in time for my Christmas present list actually!

Have you tried this fancy foundation?  What did you think?

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - L'Occitane Rose 4 Reines - Lait de Roses Body Milk

I've not done a sample Sunday for absolutely ages, but my sample stash is completely full and groaning if I try to fit anymore in to my storage box, so it's time I started to use them up again.  First up is Rose 4 Reines Lait de Roses Body Milk from L'Occitane.

My first impression was a quite strong smell of roses and a thin, almost watery consistency to the product - well it is described as "Body Milk" after all.  I'm not a massive fan of a rose scent, so it didn't really do it for me in terms of fragrance, although it hasn't lingered on my skin all day.  However, it didn't smell at all artificial, so rose fans would probably love it.

As for the cream itself, I'm usually a bit indifferent about lighter body moisturisers - I usually find that they don't do much for me.  But I actually really liked this.  It went stretched quite far, with me being able to moisturise most of my legs, my arms and my chest from only half the sample and it feels really moisturising.  It's about 10 hours since I put it on, and my skin still feels soft and moisturised - much like I would expect from a heavier duty moisturiser like a body butter.

So, I wouldn't buy this given the smell doesn't appeal to me.  However, I'm impressed with the quality, so if I ever need a new body moisturiser (and there's a post coming up on just this subject), I'd consider exploring the L'Occitane range further.

Have you tried any L'Occitane body moisturisers and how have you found them?

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub

I know I've not been great at keeping up with my Sample Sunday Posts, but my sample stash is once again getting out of control.  I had a bit of a tidy up yesterday and all my samples don't fit into my sample box.  So I'm restarting this feature in the hope to get them under control and maybe find some hidden gems.

I've been getting my legs and underarms waxed this year, and have been loving the smoothness of it.  However, the worst thing about waxing, apart from the hairy weeks you have, are the ingrown hairs.  This has meant I've been devoting quite a lot of time to body scrubs, something that I'm usually too lazy to do.  I found this sample of Coconut Body Scrub from The Body Shop in my stash, and having been impressed with their Papya and Shea Butter scrubs, I thought I'd give it a go.

My first thoughts were that the smell of coconut was a bit strong for me.  Although I love the smell of Pina Coladas, I wasn't initially that impressed with the smell of the scrub.  However, writing this some time after using the scrub, the scent has lingered to a pleasant, tropical aroma and I actually really like it.  I suppose it depends if you like coconut or not.

As for the scrub, I looked at the first swatch dubiously, as the large black grains in the mix looked sparse and like they wouldn't get a good scrub on.  However, I was wrong about this.  The actual scrub itself has fine and densely packed scrub particles that gave just the right amount of scrubbiness.  In fact, I ended up loving this scrub. I used it on dry skin before I got into the shower and my skin feels so smooth and soft now.  I have to say that this is up there as one of the best scrubs I've ever used.  It makes your skin soft and best of all, there's no oily residue (although as I've blogged before, I was partially converted by the Body Shop's Shea Butter Scrub which did leave a residue).

I used up the whole sachet in one application, and there was only just enough to do my whole body.  However, I find with scrubs, you don't need repeated applications to see if they work or not.  They either do or they don't.  So, this works for me, and this is something that I would repurchase.  In fact, I liked it so much, that I will repurchase it next time I'm at the Body Shop.

Have you tried this yet?  What do you think of Body Shop scrubs?  I've been impressed with all the ones I've tried so far.

Sunday Sample - No 7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream

I've been collecting samples again, so I thought that I'd start up my Sunday Samples again.  Today, I picked out a little tube of No 7 Protect and Perfect Day Cream - there's probably enough in the tube to last me for a week, which helps stretch out my budget as well (which you may have noticed from my recent posts, I've been hammering recently).  I think I got this in a gift with purchase pack.

I've not used this cream before, but I have regularly used the 'wonder' serum from the same range.  Although I generally like the serum, I've not been wowed by the results, and I do find I get through a tube of it very quickly.  I used to use No 7 creams years ago, before this cream was on the market, but about 5 years they changed this formula and they stopped working for me, causing break outs and was horrible under makeup.  I switched to Olay and Nivea and stuck to these brands until I had my 'beauty ephiphany' a year ago!  So, given my past track record, I wasn't that keen on trying this, but I gave it a go.

Looking on the Boots website, they say:

"Smooth fine lines and help delay new ones with this protecting & revitalising daytime formula, your first defence against the early signs of ageing. Created to be used with our Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum to help deliver even better results than the serum alone.
The unique triple protective power of SPF15, 5 star UVA technology and our patent pending antioxidant complex gives your skin advanced protection from the ageing effects of the sun and the environment, while our skin firming pro-retinol complex containing Lipopeptides works to boost and maintain elasticity."


Makes lots of familiar claims doesn't it?

I used it on top of a serum that I find more moisturising than the No 7 one - I suppose I should've tried the matching serum to really test this out - maybe I will tomorrow.  The cream itself is fairly light and I didn't need much of it.  It smells just like the serum, which is slightly medicinal, but nothing offensive.  It absorbed well and hasn't irritated my skin so far.  My skin feels really good, well-moisturised and not at all tight, and my makeup went on well on top of it.

So, it's a so far, so good result for this moisturiser.  I'll give it a week to see if it makes my skin break out, but I have changed up quite a few of my skincare products recently, so if it does, I won't be pinning the blame solely on this! 

At £21, I find this quite expensive for a moisturiser, even with all the whizzy bits it claims to have, but it is currently available on a 3 for 2 offer.  My philosophy when it comes to skincare is to use a really good serum, and then I'm less bothered about my moisturiser, particularly in the summer - I do splash out in the winter on more nourishing moisturisers!  I'm quite happy to use a sub £5 moisturiser in the summer, and I'm not that bothered by SPF protection, as I always wear foundation with this in.  So although this No 7 moisturiser does have SPF 15, I'm not that impressed by this. 

So would I buy this?  Well, although I really like it so far, the answer is no, unless I see some brilliant anti-ageing results in the next week!  At £21, it's almost the same price as some of the more premium branded skincare, so I'd rather buy something from Origins or a similar brand than No 7.  It can't compete on value with lower-end brands such as Nivea and Olay that do a good job at a much cheaper price. 

What's more important to you - serum or moisturiser?

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - The Body Shop Papaya Body Scrub

When I was a teenager, I used to regularly buy body scrubs from The Body Shop, but they were slightly budget busting, so I stopped buying them when I hit my twenties, and haven't bought any since, although I'm sure I'd find them much more reasonable now.  I was lucky enough to get sample sachets of different body scrubs when I won Computer Girl's giveaway last year, and I decided to try out the Papaya scrub today.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful, fruity smell.  Whilst I wouldn't have chosen a fruity smell myself, it was very pleasant and not at all over-powering or artificial.  The scrub itself was very 'scrubby', which I personally really like.  There was enough in the packet to scrub my arms, legs and chest, so plenty in there for a full-body application. 

The packet says that it contains 'papaya seed oil to moisturise'.  I was slightly apprehensive about this, as I generally dislike scrubs which leave a residue, or oil behind.  I prefer to moisturise separately, and I just want a scrub to scrub!  But I didn't have to worry - my skin felt very soft afterwards, but there was no residue left on my skin, so this is definitely a product which needs an additional moisturiser - a good thing!

So this one gets a Bristol Beauty Blog thumbs up.  I'm pleased to note that there are a couple more samples of Body Shop body scrubs in my sample stash and I also received a full size Body Shop body scrub for Christmas, so I can get back into the habit of using them. 

Do you prefer 'scrubby' body scrubs, or the ones which moisturise as well?

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday - Chanel Hydramax + Active Serum

I received this sample in the summer from Chanel when I joined in the mad rush to purchase Paradoxal, but I'd not tried it out until this week.  I've been using it for a few days now, but it is Sunday, and it was a sample, so I think it qualifies for my Sample Sunday review.

According to the Boots website:

"An ultra-hydrating serum for dry or very dry skin goes to the source of skin's hydration needs. At the heart of the formula: CERATONIA PFA* powerfully stimulates hydration; a Hydrabarrier System™ locks it in, resulting in healthy-looking, smooth, supple skin. Enriched with Aquaperfyl™, a complex of moisture-boosting components, this silky serum sinks in on contact for immediate dry-skin relief."

 

 By the way, the Chanel website says pretty much the same thing.  

I thought that this would be an excellent winter serum, a little treat for me with the cold weather currently playing havoc with my skin.  However, so far, I've not been very impressed with this at all.  I generally find that posh serums can usually be used very sparingly.  That's not the case with this serum - I need about the same amount to thoroughly moisturise my face as I do with my usual No 7 Protect and Perfect serum.  I've nearly finished the 5ml tube having only used it about 4 times, whereas I got nearly a month's worth of application from the Murad serum sample I tried last year.

 

The Hydramax Active Serum is a slightly medicinal blue colour (and inoffensive chemically smell) and it also slightly stings my face when I apply it, although not as badly as the Murad serum did.  It sinks in pretty well, but it doesn't make my skin feel particularly well moisturised; infact, on the moisturising front, I'm disappointed with this serum.  It doesn't make much difference at all.  I'd rather be using a cheaper and better moisturiser rather than this expensive one which doesn't seem to do much at all.  My skin feels no better and there are no visible anti-aging benefits I've noticed.

If you clicked through to the Boots website, you'll have seen the price of a 50ml bottle.  Yes, it's a gobsmackingly expensive £70!!!  That's a huge price for a product which I think is distinctly average. 

So I'm sorry Chanel, but this gets a Bristol Beauty Blog thumbs down.  It's too expensive, doesn't go a long way, doesn't suit my skin and isn't very moisturising.

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday - J'adore Eau de Parfum

Hello Ladies.  Just a quick Sample Sunday post - today I tried J'adore perfume from Christian Dior.  I got this sample in a giveaway I won from Emma at Computergirl's Musing's (thanks again)!

I'd not tried this perfume before, so I was eager to test it out.  The blurb says it is the absolute femininity, with a sparkling, fruity, floral bouquet.  I tend to agree with the blurb - it's a fruity smell, and I tend to like that type of scent.  It wasn't as fresh smelling as some perfumes, and there is a sweetness that comes through as the scent develops during the day.  It's not too full-on a sweetness, and there are some more heady, musky notes that come through, which I really like.  I'm not really into sweet perfumes, so for me, this is a good balance.

I'm not sure about the absolute femininity claim.  I've been wearing it to clean out my car, help my boyfriend do some drilling, cook a roast, do the dishes and do my ironing.  Pretty hum-drum Sunday stuff really and I didn't feel particularly glamourous and feminine whilst doing all that!  Still, the smell has lasted well, without being too over-powering, and it's still easily detectable about 8 hours after applying it.

So this is a hit for me.  I would definitely consider buying it, or even better, getting it as a present.  It's a good thing that Christmas is coming up!

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - Glutton for Punishment

You may remember a few weeks ago I tried a Tresemme shampoo and conditioner and hated the shampoo in particular.  I then felt I had been a little unfair, as I had a mixed bag of comments - some people loved it and others hated it.  The reasons why I felt it was unfair, was because my hair was absolutely covered in products as I'd done my Burlesque hair the night before.  My hair was crisp with mousse, serum and super-strength hairspray.  My shampoo doesn't usually have to contend with this, so I was a bit harsh to judge the Tresemme one.

So when I was contemplating my Sample Sunday today, I spotted another sample of Tresemme shampoo (although a different one), and thought I would give it another go, in the interests of fairness.

This shampoo is designed specifically for blonds - I'm a die-hard brunette - but I didn't let that put me off.  I'm unlikely to emerge from the shower with golden locks from one sachet of shampoo am I.  The packaging says that it contains chamamile, not a scent I'm overly fond of.

So I used this Tresemme shampoo, and I still don't like it! It was better than the other Tresemme shampoo sample, but only marginally.  I found it difficult to foam, even though I used the entire sachet, I didn't like the smell - it smelt like chemically-enhanced chamamile - not nice.  At least the smell hasn't lingered.  This time, the shampoo didn't knot up my hair, which was a big improvement of the previous sample.  It rinsed out OK (considering it didn't really foam up), but my hair didn't feel in as good a condition as I would've liked, slightly dry and straw-like.  I used a deep conditioner to make my hair feel better.

I conclude that I don't like Tresemme shampoos, and I will be avoiding them in future.  They just don't work for me!

In a little update on my gushing praise for the Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream I trialled last week, I'm still liking it.  But, I've found that it doesn't work as a day cream at all!  I wore it on Monday and Tuesday, and although my skin felt great, my makeup slid off, even using primer on Tuesday.  I also felt my skin was starting to have a mini break-out.  I switched to using it as a night cream only, and my skin has calmed.  I still love it, but only as a night cream.

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday - More Vitamin E

Hello all.  Hope you're enjoying your Sundays.  I'm having a very lazy weekend, after not being very well during the week.  I had a bit of a nightmarish Friday where I went to London for a meeting which was cancelled, nearly started crying at London Bridge Station as I felt so poo, and then came straight back home to bed!  The annoying thing was, London Bridge is only a 10 minute train journey from my parent's house, and when you're ill, you sometimes just want your Mum to look after you.  But, my Dad has quite serious health issues, so we have to stay away when we're ill, so I couldn't even go and see them. I've not really done much since then other than try to catch up on sleep and relax, whilst doing bits and bobs around the house.

Anyway, today's Sample Sunday is Vitamin E Night Cream from The Body Shop.  If you remember my first post in the Sample Sunday series, I reviewed the Vitamin E Day Cream here, which I really disliked.  I felt it was not moisturing enough and it did nothing for my skin, even though it was summer at the time, when I can generally get away with less moisturiser.

However, I think completely the opposite about the Vitamin E Night Cream - I really like it.  I used it last night (it was 'technically' Sunday), and I've also used it this morning as a normal moisturiser.  It's a thicker consistency than the day cream, as you would expect, but it absorbs really well and doesn't sit on the skin like some moisturisers, or cause little 'bits' of the cream to flake off onto my face (this is really difficult to explain, but some heavier moisturisers do this on my face - weird).  My skin felt really soft after application and my make up has gone on fine on top of it, and it has lasted well so far.  It also felt very gentle, with no stinging.  It has a pleasant, and very light fragrance, that I struggle to describe, but smells nice!

I don't usually use a separate day or night cream, and as I do need more moisture as it gets colder, I'll be happy using this as a day cream as well as a night cream.  This is certainly a Sunday Sample I've enjoyed using so far, and will probably get a week's worth out of this little pot. If I continue to like it, and if I don't break out, I might even purchase it which would be a first for my Sample Sunday trials.

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday

Happy lazy Sunday ladies.  I'm enjoying a very lazy Sunday after staying up late to watch the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, and then watching the race on iPlayer this morning (no I wasn't mad enough to get up at 5.30, depsite being a massive F1 fan)!

So, my sample Sunday today is Adidas Hair & Body After Sport Shower Gel.  No, it doesn't seem very exciting does it?  I used it purely to try and extend the life of my dwindling collection of shower gels, as I'm trying to not buy any more until the end of November.  It wasn't, as if I'd done any sport this morning (ahem).  I'd watched some sport, so maybe that counts?

I used the shower gel on my body only, not my hair.  I think it's probably designed for a sporty man, or at least one who thinks they're sporty, and likes to only take one bottle into the shower.  Despite this, the fragrance was quite fresh and unisex - I hate using unisex products that smell 'manly'.  It had a bit of citrus zing, and I even detected a hint of lavender in the formula that was quite pleasant.

The shower gel lathered up well on my shower puff and seemed to do a good job of washing my body, as you'd expect really.  My skin doesn't feel to tight afterwards, although it certainly wan't moisturising. 

This shower gel is definitely in the 'clean and fresh' shower gel camp, which I quite like.  I categorise shower gels as either 'clean and fresh' or 'moisturising and gentle'. Both have their merits, but I always feel cleaner after a 'clean and fresh' one.  I've been using the Sanctuary cream body wash recently, and whilst it's a lovely formula, it firmly a 'moisturing and gentle' type product.  Does this make any sense?  Does anyone else categorise their shower gels like this?

Anyway, the sample was pretty generous, so I'll have another shower with it tomorrow.

All in all, a nice little product, and one I'd nick off my boyfriend if he bought it.  I wouldn't buy it myself though, it's definitely a shower gel catering for men, and there are better examples of 'clean and fresh' shower gels out there.

By the way, it hasn't escaped my notice that I have nearly reached 100 followers. That's pretty soon after I hit 50.  It's fantastic that so many people take the time to read my blog - thanks to every single one of you - you're all fabulous!  I will do a small little giveaway when I reach the magic 100.  I can't promise much, as I am skint as you like at the moment.  But I do appreciate it so much, so I'm sure I can rustle up a few goodies for you all!

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon everyone, and thanks for reading!   xx

Sample Sunday

Hello everyone.  Can you believe it's Sunday afternoon already?  This weekend has just whizzed by!  Anyway, it's that time of the week - Sample Sunday time!

I've got a two for one today - I tried Tresemme Colour Revitalise Shampoo and Conditioner.  If you've read my last post, you'll see I'm currently trying to a) use up products and b) save money on beauty products at the moment by doing my Beauty Diet.  Shampoo and conditioner is included in my diet, so I thought I'd give these samples a go to prolong my shampoo stock, and as I have just coloured my hair.

The blurb on the back of the package says that it will preserve the colour by up to 8x longer (longer than what I hear you ask).  The shampoo claims:

"Colour stays gorgeous for longer and hair is softer and more manageable".  

Remember this when you're reading my review. 

First of all, my hair was covered in products from the style I did yesterday.  It has mousse, serum and loads of extra-hold hair spray in it, for the complicated do that I attempted (and pretty much pulled off)!  So my hair needed a lot of cleaning, so it was probably unfair on the sample, as my hair is never normally like that.  However, due to a hair-care product malfunction, all the products I used were Tresemme, as I had to do a mad dash to Tescos just before creating my hair-style, and there wasn't much selection.  Therefore, Tresemme shampoo should be able to rinse out Tresemme products, right?

I thought that the sachet of shampoo was quite generous...until I started washing my hair.  I ended up using the whole thing to get my hair really clean.  And it was simply one of the worst shampoos I've ever used.  It has a slightly chemically smell, which I can live with, it foams up OK, but it rinses out poorly, and the state it left my hair in afterwards was truely awful!  I usually run a comb through my hair before putting on my conditioner, but my hair was completely knotted up after this shampoo.  I mean, REALLY knotted up.  My hair has never been in that state after shampooing, even if I've used the cheapest brand around.  I shudder to think at the damage it's done to my hair.

I was unsurprisingly nervous about using the conditioner after that.  However, it was OK.  The slight chemically smell was there, but it was relatively thick and moisturising, and has left my hair feeling alright.  Not brilliant, but not dreadful.  I certainly wouldn't buy it, but I'd use up another sample or nick it if I were staying at a friend's house if I had to without worrying.

So, as for the claims that it protects your colour, well I can't really comment on that after one application.  I was a bit alarmed to see that some of my hair dye came out when I was attempting to rinse out the shampoo.  This was the second wash after dying it.  I usually find that a bit of dye comes out during the first wash post-dye, but I've never experienced it during the second.

So all in all, I was totally unimpressed, and I would never use the shampoo again, although I could put up with the conditioner in emergencies.

I went to a fantastic, circus/burlesque evening yesterday, and it was one of the most amazing evenings I've been to for absolutely years.  I will do a post on what I wore and my hair and make-up for the night, and I might even include a photo of myself if I'm feeling brave enough!  However, this may take me a couple of days, as I have to sort out the photos and edit some of my friends out of them - it's not fair to post photos of them in corsets on the internet, even if they did look gorgeous!

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday

Evening all!  I almost forgot about my Sample Sunday project, but I remembered in the nick of time - so here it is: Nivea Visage Radiance Boosting Eye Cream.

This promises to brighten and refine and give your eye a natural-looking and even radiance.  It also contains UVA/UVB filters.

I must admit that I don't always use an eye cream.  I often don't use makeup remover, so I just wash my face and use a normal moisturiser.  However, if I do use makeup remover, I usually use the Temple Spa eye cream, as I have loads of it from all my Mum's cruises.  As I've been thinking more about aging, I've started to use it more often.

The sample size is quite generous, and I should get a good few uses from it, especially as little is needed.  It absorbed quite easily and didn't sting at all, something I find can happen with eye creams.  My eye area feels very soft and moisturised now, so it seems to be working!  I can't really tell if it looks more radiant or brightened and refined, especially after just one use, but I usually think that this is just blurb anyway.  So this is one I'd definitely pick up if I saw it on offer and needed and eye cream.

I know that I'm supposed to be trialling the Murad anti-aging serum and eye cream at the moment.  However, I used it a couple of times (and I'm loving it by the way), and realised I hadn't taken any 'before' pictures to show how it works.  So I've stopped using it for a few days so my skin can get back to its natural state and will start again shortly to give it a proper trial.  I'll let you know how I get on!

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday time!

Hello all!  I don't know about you, but I've had a manically busy week, so I've hardly been doing any posting or catching up with anyone elses blogs.  It's nice to have a lazy Sunday to catch up a bit on the internet.  All I need to do today is my ironing for the week and to paint my nails.  I've yet to decide which colours to go for, so I might be on twitter asking for you suggestions in a bit!

Anyway, it's Sample Sunday time!  Today I tried out Radiance Boosting Moisturiser by Nivea Visage.  It claims to hydrate the skin, whilst refining the complexion, to give a natural-looking, even radiance and it contains UVA/UVB filters. 

I really liked this moisturiser.  It was rich enough for my skin, but not too heavy, like a night cream would be.  I didn't notice any improvement in my complexion or 'radiance' but on one use, I wouldn't really expect to.  It's quite a few hours since I used the cream, but my skin still feels good and not at all tight.  I usually use a Nivea moisturiser as a day cream, so I like the brand anyway.  This is definitely a cream I'd use again and I would buy it.

Thanks for reading!  xx

Sample Sunday

I'm having a very lazy Sunday afternoon, having had a brilliant week off last week, but not looking forward about going back to work tomorrow.  I've spent the week visiting a National Trust country house, having a less than satisfactory pampering afternoon, going to Wales and visiting a castle and abbey, getting a Virgin HD box installed, going to London and visiting Selfridges, the Hendrix exhibition, mooching around record shops, going to the British Museum, and seeing my friend yesterday who I've not seen for a couple of years.  I've had so much fun, and the thought of work tomorrow isn't thrilling me!

Anyway, it's Sample Sunday time.  Today I'm trying this Radiance Boosting Daily Scrub from Nivea Visage.  My skin was in pretty bad condition this morning, as I had a few too many glasses of vino last night, and hadn't slept well.  I needed a good scrub to help my face recover.  So how did this one do?  Well it was OK.  It wasn't quite scrubby enough for my liking (regular readers will know that I like a good scrub), but it was did have a bit of a scrub and my skin did look a lot better afterwards than before.  I think it would be a good scrub for sensitive skin, as it didn't seem too harsh or drying. I don't think I'd buy it, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at it either!

The sample wasn't very generous.  I think there's enough for two applications in the packet, as I emptied it into a little pot and there's enough to use tomorrow as well.

Thanks for reading! xx

Sample Sunday - it continues!

It's that time of the week again, it's Sample Sunday time, where I attempt to reduce my stash of samples, sachets and mini-products!

Today, I decided to use a sample of Teint Miracle, the new foundation from Lancome, that was free in this month's Elle magazine.  According to the Lancome website blurb about Teint Miracle Foundation:

"Lancôme invents its 1st foundation that helps to recreate the aura of perfect looking skin. Instantly complexion appears flawless and luminous, as if lit-from-within."
 
I'd seen a couple of review about this foundation and as as I have terrible skin, I was looking forward to trying it.  You will get a couple of applications from the sachet, so I'll be able to use it again tomorrow.  So far today, I've been extremely impressed!  It glided onto my skin like a dream blended easily and provides great coverage, which is what I need.  It also has great staying power, as I got dripped on my face when I was cleaning the shower and then went out shopping in the drizzle - it still looks perfect (I did use a bit of Mineral Veil) to set it. 

The only problem is, the shade is all wrong for me.  The shade I got was 03 "Beige Diaphane" which is too dark for me, although I've managed to make it work with a bit of bronzer.  So, as I was popping to the shops today, I thought I'd stop at a Lancome counter and see if I could get a sample of a better colour.  So, I stopped at House of Fraser.  Somehow, the beauty section was dead - other than at Benefit and Bobbi Brown, there were no staff.  I stood around swatching a couple of shades for a few minutes, and still couldn't see any staff.  So I tried at Boots.  Again, there were no Lancome staff around anywhere, despite there being loads of customer in the beauty area.  So I trapsed off to Debenhams - it was deader than House of Fraser!  Apart from the MAC counter, not a single staff member in the whole beauty area and no customers either.  I stopped again at House of Fraser on my way back to the car, thinking that perhaps I had gone there during lunch break time - it was even deader than before. 

I really needed some advice on chosing a shade as I was torn between two shades '01 Beige Albatre' or '010 Beige Porcelaine' so I wanted to speak to a sales assistant and not purchase online.  So, Lancome, my wallet is relieved there was no one there to serve me, but I probably would have been persuaded to buy - your inattention to customers and lack of staff at all your counters in Bristol today lost you a sale. 

I also hauled today (accidentally) and my Beauty Diet is in tatters!  I'll do a haul post later so you can all slap me on the wrists!

Thanks for reading!  xx