HAUL | Sephora 2016 VIB Sale

November is my favorite month because not only do we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. (food! family! FOOD!), it's my birthday month! It's so dangerous because there's so many great sales to tempt me. I pretty much picked up items that I've had my eye on for ages and a gift for my sister. So let's get into the items. :)

I tried a sample of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream in my Samples Weekly Edit #2, and while it was too rich for summer, it's perfect for this drier fall season. The First Aid Beauty Winter Skin Savers ($38usd) contains one Ultra Repair Cream, One Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration in Vanilla Citron, and two Ultra Repair Lip Therapies, one in colorless and the other in Rosy Red. These are going to be a gift for my sister since she's been complaining about dry skin so I'll have to ask her whether or not it was a good one! Since I too also suffer from dry skin in the colder months, I bought a 2 oz tube of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration ($12usd). They come in various sizes but this one is a good size for me because I only need it for winter so I think this size would see me through the colder weather.

Lisa Eldridge always has the prettiest nails and I was mesmerized by a jade color she was wearing in one of her videos. I didn't want to get that one so I was looking for a dupe and came across the Formula X Nail Color in Supersonic ($10.50 usd). It's very similar in tone to my jade bracelet, so bonus points for that. I haven't tried it on my nails yet but will do so at some point in the future. Unfortunately, it seems as if this brand is being phased out of Sephora so check your local stores to see if they have this color. If you're interested in this color, OPI Jade is the New Black was my inspiration (not cruelty-free though).

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DE-STASHING PROJECT | Samples Weekly Edit #2

If y'all were wondering what happened to last week's installment, I deeply apologize. I'm not the best when it comes to consistency but I had a bad reaction to an insect bite over the weekend. I talk about it detail in my Just Peachy Summer Makeup post so head on over there for the full scoop and a tutorial! Now, let's move onto the samples I used these past two weeks.

HAIR & BODY

L'Oreal EverSleek Sulfate Free Shampoo. Conditioner and Humidity Defying Leave-in Creme -- I like the idea of sulfate-free shampoos but if you have oily hair like me or use lots of hair products, you're going to go through a bottle of this in weeks. It did clean my hair but like always, the mop got oily and flat by the end of the night. I much prefer the Volumizing line by L'Oreal. 

Bottom Line: It's a pass...

Living Proof Prime Style Extender -- I like the smell of this, a peppery citrus scent. However, I didn't notice much extending of my style. Maybe it's because I don't blow dry my hair after applying this, letting my hair air dry instead. But my hair is notoriously hard to style. It's sleek and straight so clips and bands slide out in minutes and curls drop by the end of the hour. I prefer to let my hair dry in a bun, which is the only way for the curl to stay for longer than two hours. This didn't help add shape or curl like the L'Oreal Volume Filler Densifying Creme. The Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Treatment is much better at adding volume and holding a curl.

Bottom Line: It's a pass. 

Le Couvent Des Minimes Gardener's Hand Healer -- I've been gardening more and constantly washing my hands and digging holes does a number to my already dry hands. This is a lightweight watery lotion. The smell is quite medicinal and herbal. It's not a scent I enjoy but it did help my hands without being greasy.

Bottom Line: Not going to purchase...

Ahava Dead Sea Osmosis Body Concentrate  -- Serum for your body is what this claims to be. It targets dull body skin, toning and evening skin texture. I haven't much luck with Ahava products in the past but this piqued my interest. Not sure if this works on stretch marks or hyperpigmentation marks (from old insect bites) but that's where I applied it. Since this is just a sample, I didn't see any difference. Skipping lotion after a shower pretty much guarantees my skin will look like the Sahara Desert but this is moisturizing enough for me to skip lotion altogether.

Bottom Line: For $45usd, I'm not going to be shelling out for something like this. Good concept though!

Matrix Biolage Blue Agave Blow-in Control Shape Memory Cream -- 

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