Sample Test #1

Here we go - I'm using my own face as a guinea pig.

Test #1: Cover FX Camouflage Concealer in Light

First Impression:
*Scary orange color, even though it's second to lightest and the spectrum of offerings ranges from X-Light to X-Deep.
*Strange odor: Semi-herbal, semi-medicinal, overall weirdness.

Application:
*A little thick, but goes on smoothly and blends quickly and easily. No more orange (phew!).
*Covers like a dream - I'm instantly flawless.
*A little goes a long way - Just how I like it for $$$ purposes when looking at a new product. I used maybe a quarter of the sample and got all the major areas on my entire face.

Wear:
*Lovely matte finish.
*Didn't do my dry skin any favors - Flakiness showed through, but was squashed with a light moisturizer application over the top. To it's credit, make-up stayed put.
*A little heavy. I don't notice it moment-to-moment, but my face feels way different than normal to the touch (the company calls this "velvety". Hmm.).

Grade: B+
I'd buy it and use it, but not every day. Too heavy. Super fab special occasion coverage.

Image courtesy of Sephora.com

Full Size Info:
Buy it online through Sephora at $27 for 0.5 ounces. The sample is 0.05 ounces, so I'm pretty sure 1/2 an ounce would last for quite a while. Wide range of colors

Samples Are A Girl's Best Friend

Samples, how great are they?

A world of possibilities to find the next best thing in a palm-sized package. I have a stash of all kinds of goodies just waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for me to find the perfect moment to try them out and use them to their full potential. Maybe because they're free, or maybe just thinking I might need just exactly that size of that thing at some specific future moment, but I never actually use them.

This changes today!

I recently placed an online Sephora order, of which every one you get to choose three of their offered samples for that time period. I also (through RetailMeNot.com, posted about here) found a web code to get a slew of other free samples with my order in a tidy little travel case. Here's the stash:

So now my objective is to try each and every one, and give a little review here. Who knows, I may just find the next best thing.

Oh, the possibilities...

Gorgeous on the Go

Trolling Sephora.com one day, I found myself scoping the "Value Sets" section. As a rule, this section of the site offers fantastic little snack packs of all sorts of beauty brands, allowing you to test drive a multitude of colors and categories.

On this day, I found this gem I've come to love:

Image courtesy of Sephora.com

It's the Too Faced Glamour to Go 2 Pack, and my only disappointment is that I missed number one. Containing eight semi-sheer and shimmery eyeshadows on the top level and four glosses and a blush on the second slide-out tray, it's topped off by the mirror (underside of lid above shadows - not seen in photo), and the fact that it's all about the size of a 1/4 of a pack of cards. Magical! My faves in the pack: The yellow looking shadow in the bottom right corner is actually the perfect shade of glimmery gold that I find myself using nearly every day in some capacity, and the nude lip gloss in the top left corner of the bottom tray is almost obscenely perfect.

Downside: No applicators come with this guy. To me, not truly a problem as I'd rather use my own brushes or fingers anyway, but if you're used to the brands that come with their own you may be dismayed.

Priced at $19.50 it may seem spendy, but when considering a regular size Too Faced singular eyeshadow is around $16 a pop... Well, you can see the value.