i am 100% the target audience for makeup samples.
as if i don’t buy enough makeup, retailers continue to tempt me with all of the tiny foil packets. i try to offload most of these when they come my way (welcome to my home! please take products), but i hang on to the ones that i actually think will make a difference in my routine.
over the past few months, the following droplets of skincare and makeup have led to full-size purchases, now living happily on my vanity:
the first is this kiehl’s toner. it came in a packette just like this one and it was love at first swipe of the cotton pad. it’s gentle and soothing – perfect for dry or sensitive skin. i got maybe two uses out of the original sample and i was hooked immediately. i love that a little goes a long way and i use it nightly for a quick follow up to my micellar water or as a morning refresh, pre-moisturizer.
second is the liquid blush of the moment. i squeezed the life out of this smudge of a sample, but thankfully you need about a pin drop to cover each cheek. i have since bought the full size and trashed all of my powder blushes, as i’m fully convinced that a more flattering flush will never ever be found.
i fell hard for the sound of this next one, an eye gel from lancome. illuminating? anti-fatigue? cooling? done done done. the sample arrived in one of my recent ulta.com packages (well played, ULTA!) and actually lasted me for the better part of a week as i applied AM and PM. it feels so-o good going on and instantly tightens and brightens. it’s a sheer gel with a pearly finish, unlike anything else that i have tried and perfectly combats my peskiest eye woes. (ahem, aging.)
the fourth sample situation came to me in the form of dior and the scrub was by far the hero of the group. i have long been obsessed with creme de rose (which i suspect is the base for the scrubby bits in this formula) and since this is 1) a stick and 2) actually tints your lips after you apply it and work it into your lips, it all but beats my other scrub hands down.
that’s $120 that the beauty industry suckered out of me! but, i hate returning products when they don’t work, so sampling them up front is a much more efficient way to bring something into my routine and use it up, rather than buy myself another errand by taking a risk, no?
