Sachet city: August 2018

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These sachet posts aren't easy to do: they take a while to photograph, then there's editing all the photographs and then there's testing all the products.

While I'm usually testing a bunch of different products at any one time, with these posts I tend to test each sachet one-by-one so it can take a whole month from start to finish, at which time I need to remember what every product did. Something of a test!

Anyhoo. We're here now. Let's have a look.


Dermalogica Conditioning Body Wash

This is described as an 'aromatherapeutic foaming body wash' and 'a rich, skin-conditioning botanical cleanser for the entire body.' It apparently contains no artificial fragrance or colour.

While I agree with that description, I've seen that the full size costs $66 AUD so I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole. Yes it foams up and cleanses nicely and yes it smells good, but even if I were rolling in money (which I most certainly am not), I would never spend this much on body care - I just don't think it's necessary.

Plus as usual Dermalogica makes these body-care samples the same size as its facial care ones (so only 2ml), which certainly isn't enough to make a decision on how something performs.

Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream

I've used this before and I'm just as annoyed this time around that, again, the sample only contains a measly 2ml of product. That's a ridiculously small amount for a body cream and I could only apply it to my arms - not enough for a proper trial - so the small sachet size doesn't make sense to me. I wish they'd stop doing that.

What I can say, however, is that this wasn't very rich and although it was ok for my dry skin, I've seen that the full size costs a whopping $70 AUD so I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole either - far too expensive for a body cream, in my opinion! And one that's ho-hum to boot. Plus it smelled strongly of ginger, so if you're not ok with that, then steer clear.


Marc Jacobs Shameless Foundation

I did a swatch and first impressions post of this product: see here if you're interested. I didn't hate it but it was very sticky so it reminded me of paint, and while I could get it to look good, I had to work at it because it didn't diffuse as well as my other base products and was prone to streaking.

While it looked ok on the skin, it wasn't my most natural-looking base and it had a lot more coverage than I was expecting - so much so that I had to dab at it on occasion to remove some of that coverage because it looked too makeup-y. It did however last well so it's not all bad, and I was able to make it look natural enough.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Eye Cream

Developed with plastic surgeons, this clinically shown anti-ageing, moisturising eye cream claims to visibly smooth lines and brighten while reducing the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

I did enjoy this product but I've seen it priced for close to $100 AUD so it'd want to be excellent for that price and I'm not sure it was.

It's a white cream that's nicely thick and rich without being too heavy, and while I found that it hydrated my dry eyes well, that's all it did and I didn't notice any immediate plumping effect or any reduction in puffiness or dark circles. Still, it absorbed well and I can see why a lot of people enjoy it.


Christophe Robin Volumising Conditioner

This claims to detangle, restore bounce, and create natural volume and lift for fine coloured hair. The hair should be left feeling voluminous and hydrated, without the feeling of weight.

I only got one use from this sample, and I have to say, it left my hair incredibly knotty. Yes my hair is frizzy and wavy so it often gets knotty, but it's not usually in such a bad state after I've conditioned it.

It also took some work to wash out and I'm not sure I managed to wash it all out because my hair felt a little coated after use and it looked rather dull too. Plus this product retails for $54 AUD so it's a pass for me.

Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Overnight Serum

An overnight miracle routine, inspired by Japanese geisha. This serum helps you take advantage of the full eight hours of rest, when your body repairs itself the most. It should nourish, condition and tame frizz.

I think this is a lovely product but it does absolutely nothing for my frizz so let's remove that claim from the list. What it does do, however, is nourish and condition my hair while detangling it a little. It also doesn't weigh my hair down but it does add some shine, and I would be recommending it except that the full-size costs $58 AUD. Unless you want to spend that much on your haircare, I suggest you look elsewhere! It's good, but not that good.


Alpha-H Micro Cleanse Super Scrub with Glycolic Acid and Peppermint

As you may know, I'm a huge fan of Alpha-H products but this one's never grabbed me. Do note, though, that I think they've reformulated it because the grains are a lot finer than they used to be so I think they can validly call it 'micro cleanse' now, whereas before I didn't think they could.

I also find facial products containing peppermint to be a bit irritating on my skin, and while I think that this reformulated version isn't as bad as it used to be, it's still not great and I don't like how it feels on my skin (it's cooling towards irritating).

On top of that I've used much better exfoliants, so this one's a pass for me.


Pelactiv Vita C+ Intensive Eye Complex

This is described as a superior eye gel formulation that provides an intense three-step repair system to firm, lighten and smooth the skin surrounding the delicate eye area.

There was a decent amount in the sample so I was able to use this twice daily for over a week. While it was a nice eye cream that did have a slight brightening effect, I'm not sure it was good enough for me to want to buy the full size.

Still, you can find the full-size for around $50 AUD so it's not the most expensive eye cream on the market, and it applied and absorbed well so that's a plus. It was also nourishing enough for my dry eye area and overall I think it was a good product.

Pelactiv Vita C+ Dream Cream

This is apparently an advanced, rich night moisuriser that powerfully repairs skin while you sleep. It should dramatically reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles using a powerful combination of active ingredients.

This was nice but I preferred the eye cream. I also didn't get as many applications from it (because it was for the face and the samples were the same size), which meant that it was harder to see what it was doing over time.

Yes it was hydrating but no I didn't notice any of the effects mentioned in the claims, although I'd probably need to use it longer to see results. Problem is, it retails for around $80 AUD - and I'm not going to spend that much on something just to find out whether or not it works.

In sum

This wasn't a great round of samples but I did enjoy the Pelactive eye cream and I also thought the Shu Uemera hair serum was lovely.

Still, I wouldn't buy either of them so I can close the book on this group of sachets without adding any more items to my wishlist. To be honest, that's a good thing ; )

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x


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