The big declutter 2016: samples update!

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Earlier in the month, I posted an intro on these products - samples that were too big for my sachet city posts and (generally) too small for full reviews. (See that post here.)

As part of my 2016 declutter series, I wanted to get through these items so I've spent the last three weeks testing them all and I'm ready to give you my thoughts.

Some of the products are big enough to warrant full reviews (I'll post those later), but for now I'll do a quick round-up of mini reviews in case anyone's interested in seeing how I went with any particular product.


Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream and Hydrating Face Cream

I didn't mind either of these but I wasn't wowed by them - a good thing, since they ain't cheap!

The eye cream is the better product: it's nicely rich and hydrating so it's great for my dry eye area, but it's not as good as other thick eye creams I've tried and it's not one I would buy. I'm still getting through the generous sample so I'll likely write a full review of the product once I've finished it, since it will easily last me a month.

The face cream really didn't float my boat: while it feels rich and hydrating when first applied, my dry skin didn't love it and I'm not convinced it was absorbing well enough and delivering moisture where I need it most.

Both items are a pass for me, but I'm glad I've had a chance to test them.


Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-ageing Antioxidant Infusion Essence

I was expecting to love this because I've had some good luck with Elizabeth Arden skincare lately and I do love me a good essence.

Unfortunately I didn't notice any benefits over the three weeks that I applied it (once a day, in the evenings), and sometimes it stung my skin a little - quite possibly because I'm so dry at the moment that my skin is less resilient and more easily irritated than usual.

Another pass for me, which I'm ok with because this product ain't cheap either!

Klarity Lasertox Miracle White CC Lotion SPF 30 PA++

This one I really didn't like. It contains diamond powder apparently, which I totally believe because I can see the powder bits sitting in my pores after application so it leaves little white dots on my face.

I also find it quite drying and it has a tacky finish, and while I think it has a 'soft focus' effect that slightly blurs imperfections - so it might be a great product for those without texture issues or dry skin - it's just not for me. At least it contains plenty of sunscreen.


Klorane Shampoo with Quinine and B Vitamins

I really, really didn't like this one. It's an odd shampoo that's really liquid (and not thicker like a gel) and something about it reminds me of hard liquor.

It also smells like men's cologne, which wouldn't bother me if I liked the product, but the smell is quite pungent so it's something to be aware of.

Also, I needed three washes with this to get my hair clean, so I don't think it performs well either. Blurgh.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold with Glycolic Acid

If you read this blog you'll know I've used this for years and love it: it's an HG product of mine and one I'll probably always have in my stores. 

I wanted to use it here, however, because I was keen to test it against the Pixi Glow Tonic that I've recently reviewed. While the Pixi product isn't bad, this Alpha-H one is light-years better and does a lot more for my skin with less applications and less product per application. Can't recommend this one enough.


Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Solution Micellaire 

Well I don't like the regular Bioderma micellar water, and I don't like this one any better. I know I'm in the minority here, but this just doesn't work for my skin for some reason and I've used micellar products that remove makeup better than this does.

Sometimes cult products that are HG items for many just don't work for some people, and this is the case for me here. Hoh well! Cheaper micellar products exist so perhaps I should just be happy that those work for me where this one doesn't : )

Malin+Goetz Clarifying Clay Mask

This one was a bit of a surprise because I wasn't expecting it to contain exfoliating particles until it came to applying it to my face.

I'm still testing this and comparing it to other clay masks and exfoliants, but my first impressions are that I do really like it and think it works beautifully. It's for oily skin but it works for my dry skin too, although I wouldn't want to use it too often.

I'm looking forward to testing this some more but after a few applications I do think it's worth sampling at least, so it's one to consider if you're after a double-duty product that acts as both a clay mask and a decent granular exfoliant.


The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

I didn't love the oil product from this range and I don't like this serum either. It doesn't hydrate my skin at all and I found that I needed to apply moisturiser immediately after application (unlike other serums, which I normally leave to work for a few minutes before adding anything over the top).

It's also a bit sticky and I couldn't see any benefits to using it, and it lasted three weeks so I'd expect to see something good happening by now if it was going to. This one's a pass for me but it may work better for you if you don't have dry skin.

L'Occitane Immortelle Divine Youth Oil

Oh, this product is just gorgeous. It reminds me of a Sunday Riley oil I've sampled (from memory the Flora one, designed for dry skin) because it smells very similar and has a similar effect. It just melts like butter into the skin and feels so good for you that you just know it's doing good things.

Problem is, the product is even more expensive than Sunday Riley's oils! So if I were going to splurge on a face oil (which let's face it, is something I'm liable to do ; ) ), it wouldn't be this one.

Still, a gorgeous product.

In sum

That's it! Some good and bad things in this bunch, and the L'Occitane and Malin+Goetz products are my favourites (aside from the Alpha-H Liquid Gold, which I already use and love).

Otherwise nothing in this lot grabbed me, so I can happily cross them off the list and declutter the empties from my collection. Woot woot!

Do let me know if you've tried any of these products, and what you think of them if so : )


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