Time for the June Samples & Empties Post. Quick thoughts about each starting above left to right.
Tata Harper Fortifying Body Lotion: Love this body lotion. I actually loved it for my neck more than my body. Still had all the same lovely Tata Harper ingredients as the face lotions. It was reasonably well priced to use as a neck lotion, maybe not for body. I think it's been discontinued as I don't see it on their site anymore. Shame as I would have continued to use it as a light neck lotion.
Zelens Z Pure Cleansing Liquid Balm: I love this cleansing oil balm. I talked about it some here. I need to do a single focus on it in the future. Make sure you shake it every time you use it or you'll end up with more oil at the end versus the oil balm. I have a second in my closet to pull out soon.
OSEA Anti-Aging Body Balm: I wanted to love this. I love most things OSEA Malibu. It was just a touch too heavy on the oil for me. Perfect for those with dry skin, or who love a really heavy body oil. Review here.
Zelens Z Luminous Brightening Serum: I loved this light serum. It did brighten my skin. It's Zelens and full of the best ingredients. Review here. I would buy again.
Renee Rouleau Advanced Resurfacing Serum: I liked this retinol serum. Slow to start but gave me the best glow to my skin after. Feels like a cheaper alternative to my beloved Zelens Youth Concentrate. Review here.
Omorovicza Intensive Hydralifting Cream: Finally finished this cream. It took forever to finish it felt like it lasted forever. I love it's light yet hydrating formula. It works on my wrinkles well. Hero product. Review here.
Phyto Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask: I've gone through multiple tubs of this. It's a nice light hair mask. Smells like citrus. More of a conditioner than really a mask. I would use again.
eos Shave Cream Vanilla Bliss: Staple hero product. Cheap. Review here.
Deciem Hylamide SubQ Eyes: This was nice. A light hydrating eye serum. Has a retinol alternative. I wish it was in a pump. Review here.
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum: This clear serum smells like oranges. It uses fruit extract versus traditional forms of Vitamin C in most Vitamin C serums. It's affordable. Not the most effective for brightening. I like Clinique Fresh Pressed Serum better.
KAT BURKI PH+ Enzyme Essence: This is a nice thin gel style essence. It's Kat Burki so it's good. I have a full size to go through so more to come on this one day.
Sk-Ii Facial Treatment Essence: I really wanted to love this. It smelled like yeasty feet. I had a hard time using it. Too bad.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: This is nice. A light hydrating serum. I used maybe 2-3 small bottles. It gives a subtle glow.
La Mer The Perfecting Treatment: I love this. It's a hydrating gel kind of primer. Slight silicone feel. Good for a light slightly slippery style primer. It won't blur pores or mattify, it's good for adding a hydrating layer for smoothing. It's not heavy feeling.
J.One Jelly Pack: I wanted to really like this. Seemed interesting. It's a thick clear gel that's very hydrating and it feels a touch tacky in texture. This is best to pat into the skin versus rub. It does grip makeup very well. Firming as well. It's nice for summer as it's not greasy or heavy. Depends on what you're looking for in a primer. This won't blur or mattify. It does add moisture and grip makeup well.
Clinique Moisture Surge Intense: I love Clinique Moisture Surge in general. I like to layer it. The intense version is almost a bit too much for me. I like the original better.
Hurraw! Papaya Pineapple Lip Balm: I like this new flavor/scent. Very much like pineapple. I like Hurraw! balms. They're natural, cheap.
La Mer The Reparative Skintint Medium: I liked this. It's a light coverage tinted moisturizer. It's La Mer. It was never greasy or heavy. Medium was not my shade. It seemed OK at first but I think I need to try Light Medium.
Sisley Paris Ecological Compound: This is a nice milky emulsion. Hydrating serum. It's a small sample, so hard to tell how well it works in the long term. I love the concept against pollution and it's Sisley I would consider buying a big one some day.
KAT BURKI Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream: Love this. I have a big jar already. It was love at first use. Hydrating without feeling heavy. It has this lovely light cream texture. The scent is Kat Burki-very cucumber and natural. The scent of her products is always intoxicating.
Rouge Bunny Rouge Tinted Moisturizer Quercus: This was surprising to me. Much higher coverage for a tinted moisturizer than I thought. More like a medium coverage dewy foundation than a tinted moisturizer.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye: This is a gel eye cream. It wasn't very hydrating. I had to layer more over it. My eyes always felt just not as happy while using this. Odd but would not buy a big one.
Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream: This was a light hydrating eye cream. Good for day use.
Sisley Paris Hydra-Global Intense Anti-Aging Hydration: This was a nice gel cream. The sample lasted forever. I would buy a big one.
Estee Lauder Advanced Time Zone Eye Creme: This was an OK medium hydrating eye cream. Pretty basic.
Sisley Paris Double Tenseur: Small sample so I didn't get to play too much with it. It's a light gel texture that actually does hydrate lightly and tighten the skin for a period of time. It does fade after a few hours. There's something about it. I want to get a big one.
Armani Eyes to Kill Classic Mascara Black: This is my favorite mascara. Hero product. Voluminous without being too much. I have bought this time and time again.
THREE Balancing Lotion: I like this slippery moisturizing toner. I would buy a big one. THREE is a Japanese natural skincare brand. It's just hard to get here in the US.
Tata Harper Elixir Vitae: This is a thicker creamy style serum. It has a pretty strong herbal essential oil scent. The sample was too small to see long term effects. It's quite pricey and the scent is too much for me.
Alpha-H Essential Hydration Cream: This was a nice medium weight cream. Not too heavy, not too light. It was OK, I like some other things better.
Clinique Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer: This was OK. Kind of a silicone textured light cream. It blurs for sure, feels like a hydrating primer. It's a bit too heavy for me, heavy in the silicone feel. Not as bad as some silicone primers or creams.
La Mer The Treatment Lotion: This is a nice hydrating toner.
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: See above.
Perricone Md Re: firm: This has a fun odd texture. Like a jelly that's hydrating. It did make my skin feel firmer. It was lightweight, hydrating without being heavy or greasy. I would buy a big one.
Huxley Cream; Fresh & More: This is a nice texture. Light gel cream. Love the cactus idea. Scent is a bit overpowering. Review here.
Huxley Essence; Grab Water: I like the light gel lotion texture. Love the cactus idea. Scent is a bit too strong. Review here.
Fresh Creme Ancienne: I like this. It's very similar to La Mer's Soft Cream. It's got a hydrating light feel. A bit overpriced.
Dry Bar Sake Bomb Shampoo & Conditioner: This is OK. It didn't leave an impression on me one way or the other. Wasn't bad, but didn't blow me away.
Shiseido Facial Cotton: Staple. Hero Product. Cheap enough. Well worth the extra money, doesn't shred like cheap cotton squares.
R+Co Gemstone Color Shampoo & Conditioner: This was nice. Hydrating. The scent is a bit much for me.
Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Eye Patches: These were OK. The gel patches are affordable. I would get a big tub.
Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract: This was OK. Sadly it has alcohol in it. So I wouldn't buy a big one.
Nars Liquid Blush Orgasm: When I first tested this I was in love. Super pigmented. It was like the NARS Orgasm I always wanted-shimmer free. Then I realized it had shimmer. Not just shimmer but micro glitter. Next.
Shiseido Future Solution Lx Total Radiance Foundation O20: This was OK. A medium coverage foundation with a satin finish. The shade O20 was too light for me.
Sisley Paris Phyto-Teint Eclat Fluid Foundation 2 Soft Beige: I like Sisleya Le Teint much better. This is a heavier coverage and more drying. This shade was a bit too light for me as well.