Samples Galore and Why I'm Having a No-Buy-July

Here's something a little different from me - a two-part rambling beauty post!

Firstly, samples.

I haven't actively been seeking out samples but in the last couple of weeks, I amassed all the samples in the two photos with very minimal effort on my behalf!

CVS has upped their beauty game of late and in addition to the standard drugstore lines they already carry they have added a KBeauty section, got their act together with their French pharmacy offerings as well as stocking a few new decidedly upmarket ranges (Glamglow! Clarins! Dermalogica!). Visit on the right day and they have samples available, my local branch has a friendly lady advisor who thrust a whole load of Vichy samples at me (see all those serum sachets - enough for a week!) one day and on other days I picked up samples from La Roche Posay and Apothecare Essentials.

I've made a few beauty orders recently, only one of which was for myself I hasten to add...
Two orders from Space NK (sale items for myself and Windle and Moodie hair products for Mr C&C) netted me a handful of sample sachets and a mini Rahua Shampoo. I always love samples from Space NK and I'm particularly keen to finally try out some body care from Oribe. The sachets of Cote D'Azur Body Wash and Lotion are plump sachets stuffed with product and I can't wait to rip them open and fill my bathroom with the scent of Oribe!

I ordered Mr C&C some Bumble and Bumble from Sephora so I got my standard three samples - not the ones I picked however. Sephora rarely seems to send the samples you select and more often than not send those annoying blister packs of foundation/concealer/lipstick - which are the only samples I actually dislike and never use. However to soften the blow one of their weekly specials was a  'Beachy Waves' sample set with five sachets of shampoo and conditioner, and three styling products, one of which is my favourite Bumble and Bumble Don't Blow It Fine (H)air Styler.

MrC&C, aka The Kiehl's Addict, needed some of their facial products so I took advantage of a Father's Day promo they had offering deluxe samples and a dop kit. I kindly picked out manly samples which I gave to him but did pick up one of their Creme de Corps Soothing Oil to Foam Body Cleanser which I'm hanging on to as it sounds like something I will enjoy!

Part Two - No Buy July!

I've been fortunate to stumble upon so many irresistible beauty bargains lately that my stash of full-sized products is pretty impressive and that of samples even more so! One of the joys/perils of the beauty industry is that it is ever evolving and there's always something new to tempt us. Having said that after my skin had a bout of sensitivity I've been sticking to a fairly streamlined routine and for the moment I have been enjoying using a steady rotation of pretty basic products that I have in stock, and so has my skin!

 I'm doing a No-Buy-July as there is nothing that I actually need (things I want - that's another story) and I want to reduce my stash (so that in the future I can add to it again!)  I'm also a little gun shy of experimenting with new stuff until my skin has settled down again.  August is my Birthday month so I know I will be buying myself a few birthday treats. And, before we know it, it will (scarily) be September and the whole merry-go-round of GWP'S and launches will start again. I always, always, do the bulk of my beauty shopping in February/March and again in September to take advantage of gift bags from Space NK, Barneys New York and Cult Beauty. 

I love a challenge (as long as it's not too daunting a one) and I'm actually looking forward to this No-Buy month! I'm away on a short holiday at the beginning of the month so I will feel less guilty about eating every meal out and buying cocktails. I'm also planning on giving my wardrobe a bit of an update with the money I would usually allot to beauty products. 

It's an interesting project for me to tackle and while I know I'm not going to ever stop buying beauty products I'm considering doing a No- Buy a few times a year in the future. Let's see how I get on, wish me luck!

How to stop time.

Tom Hazard appears to be a normal forty-one year old but he has been born with a rare condition where he ages slowly. Tom has actually been alive for centuries and has met many of the great characters of history - he was a friend of Shakespeare, sailed to the South Pacific with Captain Cook, and entertained stars of the silver screen with his barroom piano playing. 

Tom and people with his condition hide their longevity from the world and are protected by the secretive Albatross Society, membership of which requires a total change of identity every seven years and absolutely no falling in love. 

How to Stop Time has had outstanding reviews and I was so eager to read it that I bought it as an ebook. Unfortunately, this tale of fantasy failed to woo me. 

The book was easy to read and although I'm not a fan of this fantasy type genre of storytelling in general, I was expecting to enjoy this one. It wasn't badly written and the story certainly held great promise but I found it to be dull and very slow going. The story and its characters failed to resonate with me and ultimately I wasn't bothered by the outcome of the tale.  

I'm hesitant to give this a 'Not Recommended' because 99% of readers seem to think that this book is amazing so maybe it's just me but reading this following a couple of excellent books left me feeling let down and extremely unsatisfied.

The Flight Attendant.

Flight attendant Cassie is on a layover in Dubai when she wakes up and discovers herself in a strange hotel room lying next to a dead man. He has been gruesomely murdered while Cassie was passed out at his side after a night of heavy drinking. Cassie flees the murder scene desperate to rejoin her flight crew and return home to New York. 

But Cassie is plagued by questions. Who was her one night stand really? Is it possible that Cassie killed him? Or was the murderer somebody else and Cassie herself is now being watched and targeted?

I picked up The Flight Attendant after having seen lots of good reviews and I was expecting it to be a thrilling psychological murder mystery. However as the story progresses it turned into a more complex tale involving Russian conglomerates, spies and the smuggling of chemical weapon information. I have to admit that this sort of storyline isn't my type of thing at all so I didn't love reading this one. 

The writing was fine, and I did actually enjoy the early part of the story, but the plot was very slow to get going and I found a lot of it to be quite repetitive.

Cassie is soon revealed to be more of a hopeless drunk than a fun party girl, and although I was on her side, I didn't find her character to be likeable or endearing. There were plenty of other characters in the story but I felt that they weren't very well developed and I didn't get a good feeling for them or feel any connection with them 

All in all I thought that the flight attendant was a dull read. It was slowly paced and the storyline wasn't my kind of thing at all. I started this book with high expectations but it failed to live up to them so unfortunately I won't be rushing to read more by this author anytime soon.   

A Major Beauty Declutter!

I have been watching a number of decluttering videos on youtube lately. I find them along with empties videos to be interesting as well as relaxing. They also inspired me to have my own beauty clearout, I hate throwing away unused items (of any sort) but there is absolutely no point in hanging onto products that I don't like, need or won't use and make up that is the wrong colour or an unflattering shade for me. There are also a few things that I have had in my collection that although I have loved using them in the past have been overlooked and are well past their prime.

Altogether I managed to get rid of eighty-four products. Forty-two of these were old and went in the trash, seventeen had been lightly used and I passed them on to other people. I managed to donate twenty-five products that were either brand new or were acceptable for donations.

Let's take a look at the categories of products I decluttered.

Lip Products.

The majority of products that I decluttered were lip colours. There were some that were old and which I hadn't used for some time as I had other similar colours or newer formulas that I preferred. I donated unused glosses, lipsticks and liners/pencils that were lightly used and could be sharpened. Most of the lip products I got rid of were from GWP's and most of these were decluttered because I didn't like/suit the colour.

Eye Shadows and Liners.

I donated lightly used, sharpenable liners and also any barely used powder colours. Again these mostly came as part of a GWP. I threw out a Too Faced Natural Eye palette because I had used all of the colours in it that I liked (it was kind of old, as well!) and a very old ByTerry Ombre Blackstar (remember those?) which I bought when I first started reading beauty blogs and never really used. I also threw some eyeliner pencils away which were old and dried out.

Cheek/Face Colours.

There were a couple of unused powder blushes that I had with GWP's that I donated. The rest of the face products were old ones that were the wrong tone and I threw them away.

Skincare.

I always manage to repurpose skincare! Creams that I don't like I use on my body and cleansers I use as handwashes etc etc. There were only three things that I threw away - a very very old tube of Beauty Flash Balm which is a product I don't have a place for in my routine anymore, and a moisturising eye stick that I found uncomfortable to apply. I also had a few nose blackhead strips that I find far too harsh to use so I passed these on to people who enjoy them.

Tooth Products.

I had quite a few tooth whitening strips which I passed onto other people along with some sachets of tooth powder.

Haircare.

I'm not sure why I have held onto a can of hairspray with a broken nozzle for so long but I finally threw it out! I donated some hairstyling products that I got from beauty boxes that I knew  I wouldn't use along with products that were for curly hair. 

Miscellaneous.

I donated a few odd items including an unopened nail varnish, some nail wraps, a few vials of perfume, and some sachets of body oil.

Overall.

I'm so pleased with my clear out! I actually enjoy having things organised and streamlined, it is a very satisfying feeling.

It's difficult to know what to do with excess/old anything but I always try to donate whatever I can. Unfortunately, shelters will often only accept unused unopened products so call ahead to find out what your local one will accept. 

If you have products that you can't donate locally please do check out these following sites who may take some of your excess products and pass them along to others who are in need.

If you are in the U.S. please check out projectbeautyshare.org where you can donate lightly used products. 

If you are in the U.K. then take a look at the organisation Beauty Banks (their details are on Instagram @the_beauty_banks) or take a look at Caroline Hirons' blog carolinehirons.com where you will find details of her Give and Make Up charity initiative. 

This is How it Ends.

Photographer Molly is an older hardcore activist/anarchist and Ella, a student protester and blogger who wants to help change the world is her young protege. 

When Ella finds the body of a man, Molly fears them both being implicated in his death and together they conceal the body. But as time passes Molly finds herself questioning what really happened on that night before her arrival on the scene. As the truth is slowly revealed Molly finds that her trust and friendships have been compromised... 

This is How it Ends is a dark crime novel set in inner city London, against a backdrop of gentrification. Events play out in the soon to be demolished tower block where Molly and a dwindling handful of hangers on remain. The setting is superbly drawn and adds much to the ambiance of the tale not to mention the unease that the characters find themselves in. Each chapter is told in turns  from either Molly or Ella's point of view and both are strong female characters. Molly is likeable, Ella less so. 

It's a very well crafted novel with a good plot and Ella's story cleverly reverses through time so that her story gradually reveals the truth at the heart of the story. The ending of the book is both shocking and superb. 

The story isn't fast paced but it has a lot of depth and touches on many subjects relevant to the story such as class, poverty, the changing face of inner cities and the abuses of power found across the board of the establishment. It is a very English book in terms of language and situation which may be off putting for non English readers but I thoroughly enjoyed this expertly constructed, if far from upbeat, tale.

Recommended. 

Friend Request.

When Louise receives a FaceBook friend request from Maria Weston she is shocked and unnerved. Maria was a sometimes friend from school who disappeared on the night of the school leaving party in 1989, and although her body has never been found she has long been presumed to be dead. 

Now there's an upcoming school reunion and in the days leading up to it, Louise tries to uncover the truth about the request. On the night of the reunion something even more shocking than the strange friend request occurs, something that leaves Louise frightened, confused and searching for even more answers.

 Laura Marshall's Friend Request is a well written and brilliantly plotted debut novel. It's an extremely clever story that is recounted in chapters that alternate between the present day and Louise's school days. There are also short chapters dotted here and there voiced by an anonymous character which add a menacing touch to the book. Much of the flashback 1989 material is set in the period leading up to and the night of the leaving party which nicely mirrors the present day reunion.

Louise is a sympathetic character and the twisted ending to the story was simply mind-blowing to me. (It also went a long way towards helping to explain a lot of Louise's anxieties.)

Friend Request is a dark twisting tale, full of menace and suspense. It was a clever, accomplished book that I loved.

Highly Recommended.

Empties: May 2018.

Oh my, May has flown by! However, I did manage a big beauty declutter and I also used up a record amount of products - two sheet masks, thirteen full sized products, forty two sachets and nineteen samples.

Skincare.

I only emptied four full-sized skincare items. Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is one of my favourite cleansers, I love using it as a morning cleanse. I like the texture, it's a fabulous consistency for facial massage, it rinses away easily, and it smells like rose Turkish Delight!

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Serum is a basic hydrating serum packed with Hyaluronic Acid. It has a fresh fragrance, is light in texture and isn't at all tacky. I've used many bottles of this over the years and the only thing that I don't like about it is that I go through a bottle pretty quickly!

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Nip+Fab Post Glycolic Fix Moisturiser! I bought it on sale in CVS for $5.00 or something crazy like that. It wasn't greasy and it worked well under makeup. It contains SPF30 but was comfortable to wear, left no white cast and didn't feel at all sunscreen like. It did smell quite strongly of grapefruit which was a little odd but other than that it was a perfect daytime cream.

I used Thayers' Witch Hazel (with rose petals) as a traditional toner. It wasn't astringent - the witch hazel is way down the ingredient list and it contains aloe and glycerine. This was perfectly fine but there are other toners and spritzes that I prefer so I probably wouldn't get this again in a rush even though there was nothing at all wrong with it.

I'm not a fan of sheet masks but I have a few from various GWP's that I am trying to use up and in May I used two of them.

  111Skin Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask didn't do anything for my skin. It was a good fit and the packet contained a lot of extra serum but the serum contained a lot of alcohol so I feel that the serum evaporated rather than absorbed. 

Verso Deep Hydration Mask came in two parts, one for the top of my face and one for the bottom. This mask was thick with serum which did seem to absorb. My face looked plumper after using this. I'm not converted but it was possibly the best sheet mask I have used to date.

 I also used a couple of Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads. I wiped these over my face at night and did wake up with a little more natural looking colour in my face that lasted a few days. I wouldn't buy these but they were a fun sample to try out and they were effective.

I used twelve skincare samples.

VenEffect Pore Minimising Cleanser is a melon scented runny gel. It didn't foam but it did make a light froth. I used this as a morning cleanse and it was okay but I found it a little drying.

Evan Healy Rose Cleansing Milk was a nice creamy cleanser that melted away makeup and left my skin feeling comforted. It has a very earthy rose scent that wasn't my favourite, it smelled a little paint like, but I would happily use this again as the formula was so nice.

I'm not a big fan of Micellar Water these days, it feels very odd removing a day's make up with it, but this one from Simple was very effective. I used it purely as an eye makeup remover and was astonished at how well it removed even heavy waterproof mascaras. Honestly, it worked better than quite a lot of specific eye makeup removers and I will definitely get this when I next need to buy an eye make up remover.

It has been a long time since I have used Eve Lom Rescue Mask but I enjoyed using this deep cleansing mask again. I was most impressed that it pulled all the gunk out of what would have become a pimple and prevented it from erupting (sorry to be so graphic!). The Organic Pharmacy Collagen Boost Mask was disappointing. It smelled amazing, very citrusy, but it didn't seem to do anything, it felt tacky, sat on top of my skin and when it dried it felt tight. I didn't enjoy this one.

I was very impressed by Dr Dennis Gross Dew It All Eye Gel. This creamy gel was non-irritating and did a wonderful job of hydrating and smoothing my eye area, I liked this so much that it has made it onto my shopping list!

Sunday Riley Good Genes is my favourite night time serum. It's so good and I have featured it so often I don't need to say anything else about it other than 'Try it!'.

Biossance 100% Squalene Oil was a basic face oil. It wasn't anything special for me and it was a little oilier than I like (I prefer a dryer feeling oil).

I used three samples of moisturizer. La Mer Creme de la Mer left my skin feeling very soft, it was better than I expected but it should be good considering its high price. Caudalie Premiere Cru Cream is another nighttime time hydrator that I like. Weleda Skin Food is an extremely rich thick greasy cream. I used it at night as a top layer to seal in my other products but it's a bit too thick and greasy for my tastes.

Finally, Murad Invisiblur SPF30 is a clear lightweight - almost no weight - sunscreen. I'm super fussy about sunscreens but I thought this one was good.     

Haircare.

I have gathered quite a few sachets of haircare lately so I brought back 'Month of Foil'* for hair products only during May. I used up twenty shampoo sachets and twenty conditioner sachets. Brands ranged from drugstore cheapies through high-end luxury ranges. I didn't actively dislike any of the sachets that I used but my favourite duos were the ones from Oribe, Ouai, and R+Co. (Full list of sachets used as follows: Garnier Fructis Moisture Lock S&Cx1, Garnier Whole Blends Oat Delicacy S&Cx1, Love Beauty & Planet Argan Oil and Lavender S&Cx3,  Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla S&Cx2, Nexxus Keraphix S&Cx2, L'oreal Advanced Haircare Ultimate Straight Shampoo x1, Klorane Strengthening&Revitalizing S&Cx1, Klorane Blond Highlights Conditioner x1, Sachajuan Ocean Mist Volumising Shampoo x2, Gloss Moderne Clean Luxury S&Cx1, R+Co Gemstone S&Cx1, OUAI Repair S&C x3, Oribe Beautiful Color S&Cx1, Oribe Gold Lust S&Cx2.)

As well as the sachets I used two haircare samples. Aveda Invati Conditioner was a thickening conditioner that left my hair feeling very soft. It also had a patchouli/myrrh like fragrance which I loved. 

Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Cream is maybe my favourite leave-in conditioning product. It's another fantastic smelling product with its signature Oribe fragrance. I apply it to damp hair and it detangles it a dream leaving it soft to the touch and frizz free all day long.

I also finished full sized bottles of L'Oreal Elvive Volume Filler Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner. I liked these, they smelled fruity and they did make my hair feel as if it had more body and was thicker. I

 used up a handbag sized R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo which is one of my favourite dry shampoos to use as a texturising spray and it perfumes my hair nicely with its amazing fig fragrance.

Bodycare.

I used up two creamy shower gels this month and I have to admit that they were okay but I wasn't wild about either of them as I prefer shower gels that produce a thick frothy lather rather than a light cream. Zoella Soak Opera felt and smelled like a cheap bath product to me, it's fruity floral fragrance had a harsh chemical edge to it - I was very unimpressed by it. 

Le Petit Marseillais Orange Blossom Shower Cream was slightly better, it had a creamy orange scent rather than the Neroli type fragrance I was expecting and I had issues with the packaging. This bottle was huge and quite unwieldy. I wouldn't get either of these body washes again I'm afraid.

I've included two face washes in my bodycare pile this month as I repurposed them as handwashes. Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Nourishing Cleanser was far from nourishing for me. It was very foamy and made my face feel tight, it also had a strong berry scent that I found a little sickly A sample of Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser was also too foamy and drying.

Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion is perhaps my favourite drugstore body lotion. It is light yet hydrating and has a fresh clean fragrance. It absorbs well and is a very good lotion to use in warmer weather as it is not only lightweight in feel but also highly moisturising.

I used up two hand creams this month. Rodial Stem Cell Hand Cream has a wonderful rose fragrance, feels lightweight, is non-greasy, absorbs well and does a good job of soothing sore hands.

  Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is gentler than it sounds but is something that I turn to when my hands need a little extra TLC. I like its clean menthol type fragrance and it's another cream that soothes without greasiness.

Makeup and Perfume.

I finished two full-sized makeup items, both of which are firm favourites of mine.

As I have combination skin I need to use a Primer. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer contains SPF15 and as well as preparing my skin nicely for makeup, it stays in place much longer than if I apply it to a bare face. I can't feel this on my skin and it doesn't cause breakouts or make other products roll and pill.

Chantecaille Brilliant Lip Gloss in the shade 'Modern' is my most used lip product. I love the formula of these glosses and the colour is perfect for me either by itself or over the top of a nude lipstick. It's expensive as glosses go but I like that it has an actual brush rather than a foam doe foot applicator and a tube of this lasts a long time.

I used three perfume samples up. Chanel Gabrielle is a sophisticated white floral, it is very Chanel-y if you know what I mean.

Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil is a green citrus scent, it's not a type of fragrance that I would pick for myself but it's a classy, classic summery cologne type fragrance.

LaCoste L.12.12. Sparkling is a youthful fragrance that smells quite apple like - it's almost a bit shampoo-like - not my kind of thing at all but it is inoffensive enough. 

* 'Month of Foil' is when I concentrate on using up all of my sample sachets. I use sample sachets exclusively until I have run out of a certain category. I amass a lot of samples over a year and try to do a 'Month of Foil' once a year to keep my stash in check and use up older products.

Then She Was Gone.

It has been ten years since fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack disappeared. Her Mother, Laurel has had her world shattered and her life turned upside down. Now Laurel has met a charming man, Floyd, who soon becomes her boyfriend. Oddly Floyd's youngest daughter, Poppy, looks uncannily like Ellie. 

As her relationship with Floyd becomes more intense Laurel finds herself drawn to Poppy and she becomes more and more unsure about how she feels about Floyd.

Okay, a disclaimer: I love Lisa Jewell, I've not read a book by this author that I haven't loved and Then She Was Gone was no exception.

It's not a thriller as such but is a compelling and intriguing story that I found to be unputdownable.  The writing is great, the story flows and the characters are all highly believable. The main idea driving the plot is a little extreme but it's not totally unrealistic. 

I've nothing bad to say about this book, it is a little dark, it is a little emotional but mostly it's just a brilliant read that I enjoyed immensely.

Highly recommended.