December Is All About Samples - Week One

Yay it's December and with Christmas quickly approaching I've decided to address my overflowing samples and mini products drawers... yes drawer not one but two and to my horror two secret shoeboxes hidden under my bed.. Mr H doesn't need to know about those. 

Anyway in an attempt to shrink my collection of mini treats I've vowed not to buy any beauty products unless it's a totally life threatening necessity and to use up my samples instead. To be totally frank though I could quite possibly get by til the middle of next year with the amount of stuff I have stockpiled away.

I also thought it could be fun to keep you all updated on what I've used and what I thought of them. So without any further procastation here's last weeks empties...

Beauty Protector Duo (Shampoo & Conditioner)

I received this duo in one of my Birchbox beautyboxes (you can read that post here). The shampoo smells quite floral and sweet like marshmallow, which I wasn't overly sure I liked but thankfully this didn't linger long after washing out. Consistency wise it's a thick pearly coloured semi cream style shampoo which foamed up much more than I was expecting it to but it still felt like more of a chore than usual to make sure all my hair was cover and scrubbed before rinsing clean. The conditioner is definately my favourite of the two as it is less floral and more sugery smelling than the shampoo, it's also has a thicker cream consistency to it making it easier to apply as well as instantly making my hair feel smoother and silkier, it also rinsed out quickly which is great in my book as a busy mum I don't get too long to myself for a shower in peace, or any peace for that matter..

Unfortatunately after blow drying I wasn't overly impressed, yes my hair looked shiny and smooth but it still felt slightly dirty eventhough it didn't look it. Thinking maybe I hadn't rinsed it fully, at the next shampoo I rinsed for a few minutes longer after shampooing and conditioning but still it dried with the same feeling which it's fair to say I really don't feel comfortable with so Im pretty pleased to have used these samples up in just two uses. 

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil (3ml)

Funnily I recieved this in the same Birchbox as the Beauty Protect Duo and I remember my first thoughts on this were I hated it, it smelled far to strong but I grab this the other morning after a really crappy nights sleep and I really needed something to grab me and give me a good shake and this oil really did the trick, I came out the shower feeling more human and less dead mummy. I can't wait to but the full sized version now. 

REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream (10ml)

This day cream was part of a trio magazine freebie (you can see the original post here), and claims to train skin to be less sensitive and to help calm and sooth it. I've actually been using this every morning for the past two weeks with a little brightening fluid mixed in to make it last longer and my skin seems calmer and less spotty than it usually gets in winter, so this is definately going on the maybe purchase list for the new year. 

Aveda Smoothing Body Polish (40ml)

I recieved this body polish in a Facebook beauty group swap a few months ago. It has ground walnuts incorporated into it to aid exfoliation and skin purifying which does leave it looking a slightly unappealing brown colour. It does however smells really refreshing and herbal which makes up for the actual look of the polish. I managed to get 3 really decent uses out of it over the week and it left my skin smelling great but it really didn't leave my skin feeling any smoother than usual, which is a shame as I really liked how it smelled.


Well that's last weeks done and dusted, wonder what goodies I can use up this week...