sampling

Do you have an entire drawer filled with product samples?  As you can see in the photo above, I certainly do.  But this month I finished up my usual moisturizer and, partly out of laziness, partly out of a half-assed desire to save some money, and partly because the thought of taking the samples with me when we move across the seas is appalling, I've been steadily going through them and using them up.   To my surprise, some of them are actually pretty stellar products and I might go out and buy a full-sized version once my supply of samples dwindles.  Guess that's why it's successful marketing.

Some winners so far...

The Korres Body Butter sample is probably the one that made me happiest.  The texture is super rich and thick but it absorbs really nicely and feels ridiculously luxurious.  The most surprising thing though was the scent.  My sample was the guava, not something I would ever choose on my own (I'm not a very tropical girl, and I kind of hate all fruity-scented things) but it is so delicious I had to make a conscious effort to keep my nose off my skin all day.  Definitely going to splurge on a tube of this when my Dove body butter runs out.

I have two sample tubes of the Nars Illuminator in Orgasm and since I only use the tiniest dab at a time, I think this will probably last forever and I won't ever need to repurchase.  It's not for lack of love though, and you can bet if I do get through these mini tubes I will run out and get myself a full-sized one immediately.  Which would then surely last until I'm 85.  If you haven't tried this I highly recommend it; it adds just a touch of shimmer and healthy color, not as much as a blush would, but enough to make you look alive if you are a shade of pale that tends towards cadaverous like I am.

This is the sample I'm most conflicted about.  Giorgio Armani's new Maestro Fusion Makeup.  If you're at all a makeup junkie I'm sure you've heard of it.  If not, basically Armani has come up with some magical new formula that is revolutionizing foundation.  And I don't mean revolutionizing in a marketing gimmick kind of way, I mean this really is like nothing you've ever felt before.  It feels like a liquid that instantly turns into nothing on your skin (which is the effect of the dry oils, if I understand correctly).  Its light coverage is the most realistic I've ever seen - it really just looks like you've been gently photoshopped.  In real life.  It is crazy. 

So why am I so conflicted?  Well, according to Paula, who I trust implicitly on all matters of skin care, alcohol is way up an the top of the ingredients list.  That is bad.  That is also probably why it evaporates and melds so amazingly into your skin.  For now, I'm using the sample, my skin has no complaints whatsoever, and I absolutely love the way it looks and feels.  But when I run out, I'm not sure what I'll do.  I suppose I should be mature and responsible and think about the long term health of my skin, right?  Have you tried this stuff?

And what about all your samples, are they gathering dust in a drawer?  Do you use them all up?  Squirrel them away in case of a major disaster?  Or just toss them?