Project Sample Use Up 008

**This post was meant to go live September 14th but once again Blogger's scheduling option has not worked and has published this a month early. I haven't finished all these samples in a space of a day which it looks like from my last post, I always write them ahead of time. Since it's already gone live I might as well keep it up.

RMK Rose Cleansing Balm - I really enjoyed trying out this cleansing balm and I'm so glad it was included in a Birchbox. Even before finishing this little tub, I ordered the full size using some Birchbox points so I managed to get it a bit cheaper. It's not cheap, £29 for 100g, but it's definitely worth it. It has a really nice rose scent as you'd expect. It's a solid balm in the tub but once it hits your hands and face it turns into an oil and just feels amazing on the skin. It then emulsifies when it touches water so is easy to remove with or without a muslin cloth. I've only tried a handful of cleansing balms but so far this one is my favourite. I have just ordered a tiny jar of Emma Hardie so we'll see how long the RMK balm stays in 1st place.

Liz Earle Sensitive Shave Cream - I really liked using this shaving cream. It isn't as good as Blue Beards Revenge but it's in 2nd place. It lathers nicely, doesn't irritate my sensitive skin and helps to reduce razor burn. I particularly like using it under my arms as it's quite moisturising. I have a couple of other shaving creams to use before I think of buying another one but I will probably buy a full size tube of this at some point.

Lush Ambrosia Shaving Cream - I wasn't a fan of this shaving cream and am glad I only had a little sample tub. It doesn't have much of a scent which I was surprised about seeing as it's from Lush. It was like applying a moisturiser to wet skin which I didn't really like and I found it clogged up my razor. I wouldn't buy the full size.

Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash* - I've used this shower gel before and loved it so I was glad to see another tube in the Advent calendar. It feels so luxurious and nice to use and lathers well. It's not often I'll spend anywhere near £12 on a shower gel but if I fancied a treat sometime I'd buy the full size. I also seem to be breaking the lids of all the products I have, so annoying!

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - The only other eye shadow primer I've used is the Urban Decay and while I do really like it, after a couple of repurchases I wanted to try something new. I decided to go with the Too Faced Shadow Insurance and in the same order I bought the natural eye palette. This little sachet of SI came with the palette and although a bit useless as you could only get one use out of it, I was at least able to try it out before opening the full size. It pretty much feels and works exactly the same as Urban Decay and so far I'm glad I bought it. With the full size though the oil seems to separate if I don't shake it up before use which I was disappointed with.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Noir - I absolutely love the scent of this and have since gone out and bought a rollerball version of it along with Viva La Juicy.

Liz Earle Super Skin Concentrate - I think this was the first facial oil I ever tried and I've gone through a couple of vials since. Not only is this great for the skin, the herbal scent is really relaxing and it makes for a wonderful cuticle oil. I still have another vial to use and I do want to buy the full size at some point.

Caudalie Divine Legs - I never would have tried this or even thought about trying it as I'm very pale and extremely scared of anything fake tan related. I got this little sample tube with an Escentual order and actually enjoyed using it. It's an instant tan that you apply and can pretty much put clothes on straight away as it dries so quickly. It also has the nice divine oil scent which helps to mask the tan smell. It's not at all waterproof though which is probably why I wouldn't buy the full size bottle. If the product didn't start to run when you get a bit of water on yourself then it would have been perfect for night outs and parties. It also didn't make me look orange despite being so pale and it applied nicely.

ESPA Dual-Action Shavemud - I really liked this shaving cream and I could tell it had some mud in it as it left my legs feeling nice and soft. This was also a nice one to use under the arms as my skin is particularly sensitive there. I'm not 100% sure if I'd buy the full size as the Bluebeards Shaving Cream is cheaper but it was nice to try the sample.

Clinique High Impact Mascara - Out of the four mascaras from the set I bought around Christmas, this has to be my favourite and the only one I'd buy a full size of. It has a pretty standard brush which is the perfect size for my eyes unlike Benefit Bad Gal. I was surprised I liked this one so much as I usually prefer plastic wand mascaras. This creates full lashes with length, volume and definition while still looking natural.

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