little white truths

I'd initially thought I'd go for the golden shades in this product since I normally look best in yellow undertones, but these more neutral shades looked like a better colour match. Beige Deep is my summer colour but Beige Medium is my winter shade, and since I don't have a winter shade for my foundation, I'd be more likely to pick that one if I bought it.

I did really like this foundation: it's lightweight and looks like skin; it's easy to apply and blend; and it sits nicely on my face. I've seen mixed reviews of the product but it seemed to work well for my dry skin and it was one of those natural-looking bases that I can't get enough of. 

It has just the right amount of pigment - not so little that I need to use heaps and not so much that the coverage is too high for me - so it's on my list of potentials and I might pick it up when Sephora has one of its 20% off sales.

By Terry Liftessence Global Serum

Not only does this serum cost $228 for the full size (you've got to be kidding), but it's not even a good product. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say it's a bad one - or at least, it was on my skin. It's quite thick but in a powdery way and it felt almost drying on me, which isn't what my dry skin needs at all. It also absolutely reeks of roses, so if you don't like scented products, I would steer clear of this one. Not worth the price I reckon: my skin really didn't like it.

By Terry Liftessence Daily Cream

This is the cheapest of the three By Terry samples, clocking in at $194 AUD for 30ml, but I reckon it's still far too expensive for what it is. Yes it's a nice, hydrating cream but I've used better for a fraction of the price. Also, as with the serum, this reeks of roses. While the serum is worse, this is definitely over-fragranced and many people won't like that. 

By Terry Liftessence Eye Contour

Another overpriced product at $210 AUD for 15ml, but at least this one was ok. It's quite a rich, hydrating eye cream so it's definitely one that suits my dry skin. Having said this, I've used better creams that cost $25 AUD, so I wouldn't touch this one with a bargepole - even if I were made of money (which I most certainly am not!).

Sunday Riley Flora Face Oil

I wanted to sample this Sunday Riley oil first because it's meant to be good for dry skin. The smell is interesting - it almost reminds me of butter menthols - and it feels so beautiful against the skin. I can't quite describe it, but it seems to melt in and you can tell it's doing good things in terms of nourishment and hydration.

I do urge you to try this if you have dry skin because it feels so gorgeous and really delivers on the moisture front. Just ignore the $132 AUD pricetag (yikes!). Would I buy it? I'm not sure it does enough to justify the price, so this is a maybe for me.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

I've been desperate to try this so I was super glad when I finally got my hands on a sample. While using it, I put aside my Alpha-H Glycolic Acid products after my first use of this because I felt they were affecting my results (and, as the Mecca sales assistant said, you don't need both). 

By the third night in a row, my skin felt really dry, stripped and sensitive, so I had to apply something hydrating over it. It still felt dry and tight the next day, meaning my moisturiser stung when I applied it (I've no idea why). After that I went for applications on alternate evenings, using Flora (above) on the other nights, which is how most people seem to use it anyway because it is quite strong.

Have I noticed an improvement in my skin? No. And I've used it eight or nine times. Looks like it's back to Alpha-H - a good thing because it's cheaper and it's Australian!

Josie Maran Cosmetics 100% Pure Argan Oil Light

This is my third sachet of the product and I've finally reached a decision on it: it's not hydrating enough for me and I need something much heavier. It may well be great for oily skin, but it's not nourishing enough for my dry skin and it's not one I would buy.

Bobbi Brown CC Cream SPF 30+

This is also my third time around with this product and I can definitely say it's not for me. I really hated it the first time I used it because it dried so quickly and left patches all over my face, so I had to wash it off and reapply it. The second and third times it didn't dry quite as fast, but I still needed to move quickly so it didn't set before I'd applied it evenly.

I also discovered on the second and third applications that it sits in pores a little and the lasting power is really bad (you could barely see it after four hours' wear), so I would avoid this one.

In sum

Some good products in here that I'm glad I've tried. I was especially keen to try the Sunday Riley products so I'm glad I've crossed those off the list, and even more glad that I didn't completely fall in love with them given how much they cost!

The only potential purchase for me in this lot is the Marc Jacobs foundation, but I'll wait for specials with that one because I'm not going to pay full price for it.

I'll check back in soon with another samples post - I've been busy getting my hands on products from my 2016 wishlist and I'm looking forward to reporting back : )