little white truths

Welcome to this month's sachet city post! I try to do one of these every month or so, just to make sure that my samples aren't piling up and crossing into overwhelming territory.

This month it's taken me almost three weeks to get through these samples, largely because I've wanted to focus on my full-sized products so I've only been using the above items occasionally, and also because we've just come out of hospital following the birth of my second child and I couldn't be bothered with samples when we were in there ; )

Anyhoo. Let's have a quick look.

Sunsense Sensitive Invisible SPF 50+

There's not much to say about this so I'll be brief. It's a sunscreen, it works (at least, I haven't been burned ; ) ) and I can't see much difference between this and plenty of other sunscreens on the market. One thing to note is that it does leave your face looking greasy after use, so it's not suitable for application over makeup. Otherwise there's nothing 'wrong' with it.

Asap Clearskin Body Gel

This contains active ingredients to help in the removal of dead skin cells on the body, and can treat things like acne, pigmentation and ingrown hairs.

Obviously the sample isn't large enough for me to see whether it does those things, and I don't have acne or ingrown hairs on my body at the moment so I wasn't the best test-subject for the product. I've seen from online reviews that it has a high rating, however, so it may be worth looking into if you need something like this for your body.

Chantecaille Bamboo & Hibiscus Exfoliating Cream

This is apparently a luxurious and gentle exfoliating cream to even out skintone and reveal a brighter complexion. I think it definitely does those things and while it is a nice product, it's not what I'm looking for.

What I'm after is a microdermabrasion-type product that's not too severe on the skin, and while this does provide a gentle exfoliation, it doesn't resurface as well as I would like. Plus it costs $124 for the full size, so it would want to be perfect for that price!

Darphin Age Defying Dermabrasion

Infused with anti-ageing botanicals, this formula is meant to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and even skintone for a radiant glow.

I much preferred this to the Chantecaille version because it's a little stronger but still feels less abrasive than eg the Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion cream I've tested in a previous samples post. Plus it's around $30 cheaper than the Chantecaille product so it feels more reasonable overall for what you get. I may still test a couple of other similar items to compare them to this, but at this point the Darphin product is winning the microdermabrasion race.

Narcisco Rodriguez For Her EDT

This isn't a terrible perfume but it's not great either. My biggest issue with the Narcisco Rodriguez fragrances I've tried so far is that the lasting power isn't great, as indeed it isn't for this product.

It's a fairly light, inoffensive scent that's a little too powdery/musky for my tastes, and it's not something I would buy because it's not interesting enough for me and I feel like I've smelled fragrances like this a hundred times before. Still, it's been good for the handbag and the sample is a decent size, so no complaints there.

Lancome Teint Miracle in 03 Beige Naturel

I used to be a Lancome girl before I became obsessed with beauty, but it's been a while since I've tried any of the brand's products (particularly makeup items). Happily I was pleasantly surprised by this and also the $57 pricetag, which is less than I'm used to seeing for high-end foundations.

I thought the colour would be too pale for me (samples tend to be in light to light/medium, and are usually at least a couple of shades too light for me), but this one wasn't and it's almost perfect. On top of that, the foundation sheers out beautifully so it's not too heavy for my personal preferences, and it gives a nice, radiant finish that's not too dewy. Indeed, I'm liking it so much that it's on the list of potentials - huzzah!

The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Mask

This is meant to leave the skin deeply cleansed, purified and detoxified, while making your pores appear unclogged and refined. I must say, I think it does those things and I really liked it!

Also, I reckon this is an excellent dupe for GlamGlow's YouthMud - plus at $39.95 it costs much less and I think this is the better product. You leave it on for five or ten minutes and then massage the scrubby matter over your face, and it does a great job of refining the skin so it looks healthier and feels smoother after use. This is on the list of potential purchases for me because it's been a while since I tried a mask that I like this much.

Dermologica Skin Smoothing Cream

I haven't had a lot of luck with Dermalogica products, but I really loved this one. It's a beautiful cream and it's wonderfully hydrating and plumping - plus it definitely has a smoothing effect so it's well-named.

The hydration lasts nicely through the day and overnight, so you get bang for your buck with this product. For this reason it makes a great base for makeup, and I apply less of my BB cream when I use this because my skin is so smooth. Another one for the list of potential purchases.

In sum

Well this turned out to be a pretty good round of samples and there are four items in here that I may end up buying: those from Darphin, The Body Shop, Lancome and Dermalogica. I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing!

Do let me know if you've sampled anything amazing recently - especially something that could be the microdermabrasion product I'm looking for : )

Speak soon x