Beauty Empties: Tube Edition

1. Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream
Already on my second full sized tube on this cream! It's a miracle worker on eczema. Full review here.

2. Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Hand Cream
Received this deluxe sample as a present while waiting in line for a Mindy Kaling meet and greet at the Bliss Spa in New York.

3. Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer
This tube has lasted me FOREVER. A little really goes a long way. Even though its title says creaseless, it actually creases a lot for me. I mainly only use this to cover the bags under my eyes and some acne scars.

4. Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions
I've gone through I think around three tubes of this! Full post here.

5. L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
So glad to be finished with this hand cream, to be honest. I hated the smell. So happy I discovered the rose heart and vanilla bouquet scents which have the same texture and consistency but better scent.

6. bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer
This was the first primer I've ever tried. It gives my face a super smooth base for the rest of my makeup. The only downside is that it's a little greasy and I have oily skin. Overall, it's still one of my favorite primers that I've used so far.

Fresh Blue Box Adventures

Last month, my friend Arlina and I went to the Fresh Blue Box event in Flatiron. It was so much fun! We got to sample some sugar lip treatments and take silly pictures in the photo booth. When we left the event, we received a deluxe sample of their best selling soy face cleanser, which I've done a post on in the past. We also received a card that we could exchange for a special gift in the store.

This led us on our beauty store adventure. We first stopped by an Origins because it was on our way to the Fresh store. I received two cute sample containers of the Night-a-Mins renewal cream and the Plantscription serum. Then, we quickly visited the L'occitane that was next door and got a range of samples from their various lines. Then, we went to the Sephora where I picked up a Glam Glow YouthMud sample and Jurlique skin balancing face oil. Finally, we went to the Fresh store near Union Square to pick up our gift. We got to choose from a variety of deluxe samples and I chose the sugar lip treatment as a back-up for when I run out of the one I use now. We also got a sample for their new rose mask. All in all, super successful day. Beauty samples are my favorite things ever!

My Travel Makeup Bag

For spring break, my friends and I went to New Orleans. Since we traveled there by flight, I had to pack all of my travel sizes. Deluxe sample sizes and minis are my favorite things ever. I wish cosmetic companies would let us buy products in these sizes.

1. Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist
This mist is the perfect skin refresher after a long day of travel in the airport. I also use it after applying my powder foundation to set my makeup and give my skin a more dewy complexion.

2. BareMinerals PrimeTime Foundation Primer
This is one of my favorite primers that I've tried. It evens my skin complexion and makes applying my bb cream and concealer super easy.

3.  Ole Henrikson Truth Serum
Obsessed with this serum, especially in this deluxe sample size that I got as a Sephora 100 Point Perk. I wrote a full post about this product here.

4. Make Up For Ever Lipstick
I love this lipstick so much that I actually plan on doing a full post on it soon. Received it in Sephora's birthday present last year. This mini version is the perfect size for my lips.

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy
Got this adorable rollerball at the Marc Jacobs Daisy pop up event in SoHo last year. It's great for travel because it's tiny enough to fit easily in my makeup bag and not spill all over the place.

6. L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
My hands get really dry whenever I use the hand soap from public bathrooms so I like to keep this on hand to keep my skin moisturized. Full post here.

7. Benefit Watt's Up
Just recently made a full post about this product here. I've gotten really into highlights lately. It's such a great and subtle way to make your skin glow.

8. Tarte BB Cream
Full post here. Even on days when I don't wear makeup, I still like to wear BB cream for the SPF protection. It's super quick to apply and evens the skin tone.

L'occitane Roses et Reines Hand Cream

L'occitane Roses et Reines Hand Cream

I love travel sized products and deluxe samples so I went into the L'occitane store in West Village to see if they had any mini hand creams for sale. The manager was so helpful and found this mini roses et reines hand cream in a drawer. 

The formula of this hand cream is lighter and less thick than the shea butter hand creams L'occitane has. It's a different formula but still non greasy and super moisturizing, which I love.

According to the website, L'occitane uses extracts of roses from Grasse, Bulgaria, Morocco and Turkey for the rose scent. However, I found this hand cream scent to be a little too strong. Personally, I prefer the rose heart shea butter hand cream that I reviewed right before this.

L'occitane Vanilla Bouquet and Rose Heart Shea Butter Hand Cream Set

L'occitane Vanilla Bouquet Shea Butter Hand Cream | L'occitane Rose Heart Shea Butter Hand Cream

I recently picked up this cute mini hand cream set from L'occitane for free at the store in Meatpacking with a deal they were having at the time. I'm so glad I did because these are my two new favorite hand creams!! Perfect size to just throw in my purse.

I previously reviewed the Shea Butter Hand Cream before on this blog and complained about how I loved the texture but absolutely hated the smell. These two hand creams have the same texture that I love but they smell AMAZING. I usually hate the scent of vanilla but this scent is called vanilla bouquet and has some delicate floral notes. I also like this rose heart scent better than the roses et reines scent that L'occitane also has, which I will be reviewing soon as well. 

I loved these two hand creams so much that I actually went to the store in West Village and bought five more tins to stock up for the future. They might be sold out of these tins but L'occitane is still selling full sized hand creams on its website. I highly recommend.

L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

I have the biggest love hate relationship with this hand cream. I received this cute little sample in my Sephora order when they had a promotion for a nail sample kit. Also included in the sample kit were various nail polish removers, cuticle oil and cuticle remover, which for the most part, I also liked.

I love everything about this product besides the smell. The formula is amazing. It's super moisturizing without being greasy, which is amazing. I just can't get over the smell. It smells like a mix of baby powder and old perfume. I absolutely hate it every time I use it. I would definitely repurchase this as my go to hand cream to throw in my purse but I HATE THE SMELL SO MUCH. I'm going to try the other scents they have and pray I like them more than this one. If not, Aesop hand lotion it is.

Beauty Empties: Sample Edition

1. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
I somehow had two samples of this so I used it twice in a row. It was super lightweight to the point where I was applying Cetaphil AND this moisturizing gel because my skin still felt dry. I have combination skin so parts of my skin require more moisture and this wasn't enough.

2. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Vitamin C Collagen Booster
This was my first time using a serum. In the past, I always wrote serums off because I never really thought there was a need for them but after reading a blog post, I learned that they're actually one of the most important products in skincare. I love the smell of this and liked the product enough to use 100 of my Sephora Beauty Insider points to get the deluxe sample of this.

3. Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Vitamin C Youth Activating Oil
Like the serum, this was my first time using face oil and I loved it! It has a really citrusy smell and I felt that it actually did improve the quality of my skin. I always thought that oils would make me break out but they make my skin smoother and softer.

4. L'occitane Immortelle Divine Cream
I'm only 19 so eye creams don't really do much for me. I've used a bunch of eye cream samples but they're so expensive and I feel like there's never any noticeable difference.

5. Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Lightly Whipped Body Butter
I absolutely loved the texture of this and how soft it made my skin. The formula is lightweight and "whipped" and not greasy. The only downside was that I wasn't a huge fan of the smell. The smell is a big enough turn off that even though I loved the product, I wouldn't buy it again.

6. Shiseido Future Solution LX Eye and Lip Contour Regenerating Cream
Like with the L'occitane eye cream, I really don't think these do much. If anything, it made my lips more moisturized but other than that, no difference.

7. Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Cream
I've heard so many good things about Dr. Jart+ so I was really excited to try this sample. This BB cream is amazing! It actually perfectly matches my skin color and goes on super smoothly and evenly. The only downside is that the full product is $39.00 and that's what's keeping me from buying it as of right now.

Overall, none of the samples were super outstanding but I definitely liked the two Ole Henriksen products best and the Dr. Jart+ BB cream. The Soap and Glory body butter would have been amazing but I just can't get over the smell.