Sachet city: samples used in November 2014

My sample collection was starting to pile up - as it somehow does so easily it seems - so it was time to get stuck into them and see if I could find any gems.

The sachets were accrued from a combo of subscription boxes, GWPs and presents from friends. Some of the items I've used before, but most I haven't.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse and Nuxe Creme Merveillance 

How I love the smell of these products. I've used these before (I'd say anyone who's been subscribed to Oz boxes for a while has too!) and especially love the dry oil. So much so that I bought the full size on special and will be opening it once the oil I'm using now has run out. I'll do a full review of the oil then, but for now I'll just say that it feels so wonderful on and I love that it doesn't leave a greasy, slick residue like many oils do. The cream is nice too, though it's hard to tell too much from a sample of this size and I think the dry oil is a better product.

Wei White Lotus Hydrating Face Treatment Pad

If you've read a few of my posts before, you may know that I'm not a huge fan of 'serial killer' masks (you know the ones I mean - the cloth ones). I don't like that I can't move my face when I'm wearing them, plus they seem to move around a lot and are generally a hassle to use. That wouldn't be such a problem if I'd actually found one that actually does anything. Prior to trialling this mask, I'd never found a stand-out. That's changed - I only had to leave the bugger on for 10 minutes (much better than the standard 20 to 30 mins!) and the difference in my skin was remarkable: plumped and hydrated. Even Mex noticed the change - plus the effects seemed to carry over until this morning. Love.

Sukin Skin Purifying Facial Mask 

I really like this mask - I've used a sample before. It goes on smoothly and feels lovely on. Plus it smells really good. As with most masks, I don't see a massive after-effect other than my skin feeling a bit nicer - but maybe I'd notice some difference over time if I had the full size. I do prefer this to many masks I've tried, and since it's not hugely expensive, I may well buy it in future.

ModelCo Facial Wipe

This was good because it was large and nicely textured on one side (smooth on the other), so there was some great exfoliating action going on when I used it. However it wasn't wet enough and I still prefer my Essenzza wipes (the Swisspers versions coming in at second place).

ModelCo Exfoliating Cream

This was ok. I might have liked it better because it does contain a nice lot of scrubby material; however I have two scrubs I use that I'm in love with from Eslor and Indio, so I'm hard to please in that department.

ModelCo Instant Miracle Booster 

This was probably the best product in the bunch. It definitely brightened my face and made it look fresher/younger, but I found that it didn't moisturise too well. I prefer similar products from Eslor, Clarins and Sukin for these purposes.

ModelCo Soothing Moisturiser 

This wasn't great (not for my skin). It wasn't heavy/moisturising enough and I needed to add a better moisturiser over the top to stop my skin feeling dry after use. Avoid.

St Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Anti-aging for Face and Bronzing Lotion for Face

I really love both of these, especially the anti-aging version. Once my spending ban is lifted, I'll be on the lookout to buy a full-size. It does the whole tanning thing and so much more - smells great, super-moisturising and plumping, attacks my fine lines wonderfully well (at least for the next few hours after use ; ) ). I urge you to trial it. I've done a full review of it here.

La Roche-Posay Effeclar Duo

I've tried this a couple of times and I'm not quite sure where I sit with it. I remember really liking my last sample of it, but this one didn't wow me on the first couple of uses. By the third, I liked it better. It's hard to tell much from such a small amount - you need a few more applications to properly trial a product like this. It's supposed to reduce severe imperfections and unclog pores in 30 days. There's only a few days' use in a 3ml sample, but I reckon the product could deliver. I've also read some rave reviews on it, so the jury's still out. Have you tried it? What did you think?

Uriage Surgras Liquide

I tried this on my face first but have since been using it as a body wash. It's far too gentle for me and doesn't feel like it cleans well. I think it would be great if you had sensitive skin - and while I do have skin that tends towards sensitivity, this cleanser didn't grab me at all. I'm happy I got a chance to try it though, I hadn't used anything from this brand before and I wanted to.

Kate Somerville Intense Exfoliating Treatment

Errmaahgawd, get your hands on a sample of this one if you can. It's bananas and does the job so unbelievably well - and I could tell that even from a 2ml sample. I want it. I don't even want to know how much it costs because I know it will depress me. Note the product smells exactly like fruit mince tarts and that smell is really overpowering, but the product is so great that I can live with it.

Living Proof Full Shampoo and Full Conditioner

OMG a litre of the shampoo or conditioner costs $79! Fortunately, it was rubbish - for my dry hair anyway.

This is why I need heavy duty products: two uses of this set - which was all I could get from it because the conditioner only lasted two applications on my long hair - and I wound up with dandruff (sorry for the overshare haha). Ach! Haven't had that for years!

This left my hair looking like fluffy frizzy rubbish. Back to my usual products, methinks ; )

Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Shampoo and Conditioner

I had high hopes for these because I've been using the brand's heat styling spray and loved it to bits. Unfortunately, the cream shampoo was too heavy and didn't feel like it cleaned well - even after three washes. I had to re-wash my hair with another shampoo to make sure it was clean. The conditioner fared a bit better but I needed to use a bit more hair oil after washing than I normally would if I were using another product. So no ticks from me unfortunately : (

Gaia Belly Butter

This was beyond rubbish. It didn't absorb. It didn't moisturise. 'Nuff said.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Marks

I'm pretty sure this is absolutely no different from the normal Palmer's Cocoa Butter, except that it's a couple of bucks more expensive. In any event, I love the bejesus out of this product (and the standard one) and have been going back for more of it for years. And it's cheap! Honestly, if you haven't tried this body cream, you must. It runs rings around more expensive brands in terms of effect and it smells amazeballs. Love.

In sum

That's it! The real find in there was the Kate Somerville product. Just made the mistake of looking it up - the 60ml full size costs $98 from MECCA. Oh my stars. I'm gonna pretend I never used it (!).

Glad to be through some samples! Hopefully I won't have too many piling up from sub boxes over the next couple of months ; )