Beauty Mini's | When do you use yours?

Clearly I have had little to worry about lately as my stash of minis and testers from magazines and the like have been growing and I'm undecided what to do with them. Due to a few trips away over the past couple of months I've turned to this collection but often I don't want to take a foundation or perfume sample that I've not experienced before in case I don't like it.

The same goes for the testers of skincare etc, do I really want to head away for a weekend and use a cleanser that could break me out or have an adverse reaction? Then there's the issue of how long will that sample last, do I need to take a moisturiser packet for each day or will one cover the two nights? As you can see this is in the spirit of #firstworldproblems.

As such I've decided to combine both, if you saw my Brighton Empties I instagrammed here I was adequately covered and took testers along with me but for other products, certainly foundation is better tested during a working day and I always prefer to wear a perfume and see how it settles on me, lasts throughout the day and the like.

For this post I'll be talking about a few products I've tried lately so think of this as a review and empties post all in one.

Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Invisible Skin Fusion Foundation link
Luckily being neither too pale nor too dark I can often get away with trying a lot of foundation samples that I come across in magazines. They also make it easier to see straight away what shade I would be whether going one up or down.

This is a long line of brands coming out with 'second skin' foundation and claims to leave your complexion as 'radiant as silk'. The shade was perhaps a little dark for me but it did give good coverage although clung to one or two dry patches and I found it oxidising throughout the day. Whilst a nice foundation it's not one I was eager to purchase in full size but did happily get a couple of wears out of this sachet.

Clinque Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation and Concealer link
I was pleased to find a sachet of this new foundation release from Clinque and enjoyed using it. Despite being lightweight it again felt too heavy on my skin and also clung to the dry patches by end of a working day. Coverage was good and it did work well enough to cover any slight blemishes I had.

Benefit Big Easy link
One of Benefits new releases last Summer I was able to pick up a few sample tubes during my Sephora shopping trips. I had ups and downs with the formula which you'll read about in this post but making an effort to 'use what I have' and knowing this wasn't top of my love list I thought I'd give it a go on weekends when I was only popping out to the supermarket and the like. This isn't a product I have a desire to purchase in full size as I find the coverage too light for even me as someone who doesn't like anything too heavy.

Sublime De Chanel Infinite Length and Curl Mascara link
I wasn't wowed by this mascara on using it which is a surprise as when I was using I thought it was the Volume version which I had previously used and loved in mini size and have my eye on for next months Duty Free purchasing. I suspected it could be due to it's age and maybe thats why I was unimpressed but on preparing this post I realise it's because it was a completely different mascara all together! Did it lengthen lashes, certainly but was there much of a curl or anything to make me go wow? No.

Next up we get to the perfume samples which I won't go into too much detail about as standard beauty blogger statement 'I can't describe fragrances'. Those I've tried this month have been; Guerlain La Petite Robe Eau Fraiche* which I loved. It's a light fragrance perfect for Summer and something I would've expected to turn my nose up too. I am thinking of buying this for my Summer scent this year.

Lacoste Touch of Pink* was something I liked but not overwhelmed at. As a scent it felt too fruity for me to wear as a fragrance and something more suited to the younger audience. Thierry Mugler Angel has long been a favourite of friends and something I'd never tried myself. I liked this more than I expected as for every friend who loves it there's someone else who hates it. I'm on the fence whether this is something I'd like to purchase for myself.

Final two are the so named Jimmy Choo* and Liz Earles Botanical Essence No.1. Sorry Liz but I did not like Botanical Essence it was just too garden like for me. Jimmy Choo I was a bit blah about it. At each whiff I'd get a different type of scent, none of which I liked.

So I'm using up my beauty testers, what do you do with yours?

*PR Samples

Beauty Empties | February 2015

As I embark 2015 with the goal to use what I own rather than adding more I hope to see lot's featuring in my monthly Empties posts. Here's the latest look at my beauty trash.

Cafe de Bain Indulgent Bath Creme, Coconut Macaron link

Whilst having a walk round Waitrose the Cafe de Bain Bath Creme caught my eye and I decided to treat myself as a lover of coconut (and macarons for that matter). Unfortunately I found this bath creme a little blah. I didn't find the scent was strong enough and whilst lovely in the bottle it didn't translate to bath and as a final note the packaging was a nightmare to get out the bottle. Back to Radox it is. 

The Body Shop Vanilla Bliss Shower Cream link

I feel like this shower cream last ever FOREVER. I received it for Christmas a couple of years ago. Used it through Winter and then put aside until the last one and finally it's time for us to part ways. This was a wonderfully scented and thick product that made washing and leg shaving a dream. 

Molton Brown Hand Wash, Rose Granite link

Another product that went on forever and I feared would never run empty - the Mary Poppins bag of the beauty world if you will. So long did it last it's also changed names to Pomegranate & Ginger. I've mentioned before that Molton Brown doesn't really excite me these days and I can't say this hand wash did anything to reignite my love but it is a worthy addition to any sink. 

The Breath Company Toothpaste* link

Toothpaste isn't the sexiest of products but it can certainly make a difference to sexy scenarios - who wants to have nasty breath. That aside I really liked this toothpaste (read my review here) and found it preferable to the extreme mint taste of other products. I would've immediately repurchased but for having a tube of Colgate to hand and am now kicking myself as it was on offer in Boots a week or two back and no longer is as I head to needing to replace. Either way my preference is for this toothpaste. I find it less offensive in the mornings - particularly when I have a hangover and there is the danger of gag reflex from teeth brushing after a night on the tiles.

Impulse Body Spray, Vanilla Kisses* link 

A vanilla theme is forming with my recent empties as the 90s revived Vanilla Kisses made it's way into my empties pile. I sometimes feel a little old to be using Impulse but I do enjoy having a can sitting in my bedside table for a spray as I climb into bed. As a fan of vanilla this is a favourite. 

TokyoMilk Dark Tainted Love Perfume link

My review of this spontaneous purchase can be read here. I enjoyed using in it's initial stages but for some reason I decided that I wanted to get this bottle finished and using repeatedly I did become bored with it. Nonetheless it was nice to try a new fragrance but I did miss my Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. 

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Razor Blade Refills link

I first received the the Gillette Razor and reviewed in this post and so taken with it that it appeared in my 2014 favourites post. I love the additional shave bars that accompany the blades and it saves slathering too much shower gel on when shaving. 

Vichy Idealia Life Serum and Eyes* link link

The Vichy Idealia range is one I've spoke about often and appears frequently in favourites posts. I love the Idealia range and it would have been promptly repurchased and back in my regime were it not for my testing other products.  

Paco Rabanne, Lady Million* link | Givenchy, Very Irresistible* link / Jimmy Choo, Jimmy Choo* link

Each of these perfumes were from The Fragrance Shops' Discovery Box and taken away to Edinburgh recently when I was battling hand luggage liquid restrictions. Lady Million is an old favourite that I knew would not let me down. Givenchy Very Irresistible is one I've had samples of in the past and do enjoy and the only one to not make much of an impression was Jimmy Choo's same named scent. I always err on the edge of caution with sample sizes and was able to be somewhat over zealous with spraying as I couldn't managed with just two but with them available why not treat myself to more. 

Biosculpture Gel Remover* link

Finally we have the Biosculpture Gel Remover, simply an acetone formula used to remove your Biosculpture Gel Manicure talked about in this post. Little to say other than it did its job at removing the nails as instructed.

What has made it's way into your rubbish pile this month?

*PR Sample

Don't forget to enter my US  drugstore beauty giveaway here