Since I’ve been documenting my empties I thought I
might as well do the same with all the samples I’ve accumulated through being
subscribed to so many beauty boxes.
That way in the future I can refer back to these posts
if I’m thinking of buying new products to see the pros and cons of these little
and sometimes big samples and whether they are worth the cash.
Pureology Pure Volume Blow-dry Amplifier
This is by far one of the worst hair products that
I’ve ever used. It’s a clear gel that you are to apply to your hair, roots
especially, when damp and then blow-dry for extraordinary volume. The first
sign that this was not going to be fun was the mere seconds you have to apply
it to your hair before it dries to industrial strength superglue. Then the next
challenge is getting your round brush through those gluey locks to perfect a
blow-dry. What you are left with is stringy straw like hair that sounds like
someone is eating potato chips when you touch it. I applied most through my
roots but mistakenly applied some throughout the ends to see how it would work.
I looked like a scarecrow and ended up having to rewash the ends of my hair in
the bathroom sink 20 minutes before I had to leave for work. Cruelty Free.
Indio Multi-V Serum
I LOVED this. If it weren’t for the crazy expensive
price tag for a tiny bottle (say goodbye to $139) I would use this on my face
twenty times a day. It's a clear serum with tiny little beads that look like
hundreds and thousands throughout it. First you rub the serum into your skin
until you are left with the beads all over your face which you then press
against your skin until they pop. The Multi V Serum is meant to address skin
concerns like congestion, redness and help prompt cellular activity in the skin
for rejuvenation. Normally with these types of buzzwords tossed around skincare
I think it's all a load of bull. But for the next three days when I woke up in the
morning after applying it the night before I looked like a glowy new person.
The redness on my face from acne was significantly less, my skin felt calm and
relaxed instead of angry. It was like a brand new face in a bottle. It was
extremely soothing and didn't feel heavy on my face at all. The smell isn't
that great but it is completely worth it. The Multi V Serum is chockers full of
vitamins A and F, Biotin, plus multiple anti inflammatory, anti-oxidants and
anti-bacterial ingredients which makes it the perfect serum for acne prone skin.
Trust me, the results you’ll see in the morning are astounding. Australian Made
and Cruelty Free.
Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser
It was quite a few months before I actually tried this
product for two reasons. Firstly I’m not a fan of jar packaging for hygiene
and ingredient quality reasons. Secondly the cleanser looked really harsh and
course, something that I shy away from now I'm more of a fan of chemical
instead of physical exfoliators. The smell of this is beautiful and lemon
fresh. You apply this to wet hands and rub between your fingers to create a
custom exfoliation. The more water you add to the scrub the more it foams up
and the less scrubby it becomes. I'm not going to lie, my skin absolutely LOVED
this. I added quite a bit of water to it so it was 98% foam cleanser and 2%
scrub and applied all over my face, neck and chest. It left my skin feeling
completely cleansed, fresh and without any sign of makeup or dry skin. After
drying my face it felt soft and supple instead of tight and sore like some
foaming cleansers can cause. I'm really curious to try some of their other
products now. Cruelty Free.
StriVectin-EV Serum
This serum felt beautiful on the skin when applied and
is meant to help the skin tone appear brighter and diminish dark spots by 8
weeks of use. It smelt really beautiful and luxourious but I was a bit worried
reading the ingredient list after a bit of online digging. Orange oil is an
inflammatory to the skin and along with ingredients that can actually cause skin discolouration; I don't think it is
worth it in the long run. In the short run though it did leave my skin feeling
ridiculously soft and helped calm redness a little bit. This brand does
actually test on animals, so it is going to be a no from me. TESTS ON ANIMALS.
Nuxe Creme Nirvanesque
Holey moely. I want to add this to my list of products
that I would love to dive into and swim around in. While this is targeted for
fine lines I think it would be a wonderful cream for anyone. I can’t really
comment on if it did anything for wrinkles because that isn’t a skin concern
for me but I can comment on how amazing this made my skin feel. The scent is
amazing and so day spa like and when applied it absorbs so quickly which would
make it great under makeup. Nuxe does not test on animals themselves but they
do sell in China, which is essentially the same thing. This is really
disappointing because I wont be able to re purchase this wonderful face cream.
Full sized this is sold in jar packaging which is another negative. NUXE, I’m
speaking on behalf of everyone when I say stop selling in China, return to your
cruelty free roots and package this in a pump and this would be a holy grail
face cream for everyone in the world. TESTS ON ANIMALS.
Garnier Moisture Match for Normal Skin
This was a basic moisturiser that kept skin hydrated
but really isn’t anything special. I really wasn’t wowed by it and that’s all I
can say. I had seen these products by Garnier advertised throughout countless
magazines and wasn’t really that tempted to try it in the beginning, so at
least it lived up to its expectations for me. TESTS ON ANIMALS.
John Plunkett Glyco Peel
I REALLY wanted to love this. Before using the 25%
glycolic overnight peel I did a lot of research online and read amazing reviews
of how it had changed peoples skin and how they saw immediate results. This is
used on rotation by applying every night without washing off for seven days
then giving the skin a break for seven days and repeating. When I first applied
I felt a slight sting and tingle around my nose which according to the reviews
was normal. I then applied my moisturiser over the top and went to bed, eager
to see luminous skin in the morning. But nothing. Okay. I thought it might take
a while to work. I applied the second night and in the morning noticed nothing
but a small pimple on my chin. I decided to give it one more go and really wish
I hadn’t. When I woke up the third morning I had incredibly sore pimples all
over my chin and jaw and one GIANT pimple that felt like it had its own heart
beat right above my chin. Considering the past few months I’ve had really great
skin without a single pimple. Personally I don’t believe in “purging” when it
comes to skin products and treatments. If you’re breaking out from using new
products it isn’t purging, it’s your skin having a bad reaction to certain
ingredients and you should stop using it right away. My dermatologist told me
this one-day when I was having microdermabrasion done when I was at the peak of
my bad skin problems. Ever since that day I stuck with products that hydrated
and soothed my skin without breakouts and binned anything that gave a reaction
and have had pretty great skin ever since. Until this product, so I threw it
out. Don’t buy into the whole purging hoo-hah and listen to what your skin is
telling you. Cruelty Free and Australian Owned.
