Juicy Couture-- Viva la Juicy Noir

Like I said before, I am one of those few people who like perfume samples in their birchbox. This month I got a tiny spray sample of the new Juicy fragrance. This is a take on the original Viva la Juicy, with berry and gourmand base and sandalwood and honeysuckle accents. 

I do not own, nor have tried Viva la Juicy, but own the original Juicy Couture fragrance. Compared to the original, this scent is for a much younger crowd, and seems to be catering to the early 20s party girl. It is a very fruity scent and the berry notes really hold up. It has hints of a super sweet bakery item in there too. 

With a name like noir, I expected this scent to be heavier on the sandalwood and feel a lot less light and sugary. Sweet scents are definitely not my favorite when it comes to perfume  (I'm not into smelling like a cookie) and I'm not super thrilled by fruity scents either. Surprisingly I don't hate this scent, it's just not one I will purchase.

Overall the best part of this fragrance is the bottle. I love the shape of Juicy's bottles and the faux diamonds on the top of the cap. This one is even better than the original because it features a giant pink bow tied around the neck of the bottle. Although I don't want to smell like it, I would love to look at Noirs bottle on my dresser every day! 

This perfume is available in a few sizes, the largest (3.4 oz) is $90. 

Color club-- Top Shelf

My birchbox arrived today! Must have been some 11/12/13 magic because I'm pretty sure it was the box I was eyeing the most on the forums. 

It included this mini bottle of "Top Shelf" by Color Club. I am generally unimpressed by color club as a whole. It's not a bad polish brand but I never feel wowed by it, and it for sure isn't worth the $8 it goes for in the birchbox shop. (You can get it a Rue 21 for $4) 

This color is like a few that I have in my collection already. (Good thing I can never have too many) It's almost a rose gold, and hovers toward the coppery side of gold. It reminds me a lot of Essie's Copper Penny.  I like that it is gold without being glittery. Most golds in my collection are super glittery or too yellow, which I am not that into. 

The formula on this one is good. I needed 2 coats and it dried really fast. It is a bit streaky, which doesn't bother me at all. The streaky-ness actually makes it more interesting to me, and reminds me of a gold version of hook and line from the Hunger Games collection by China Glaze. Copper Penny (mentioned earlier) also has this streaky effect.

Ignore my awful nails and cuticles... Also ignore the fact that this picture doesn't really capture anything about the polishes "texture". It's pretty much what you see in the bottle, maybe with a slightly heavier  silver tone when on the nail. 

Overall, I like this sample a ton, but would never buy a Color Club polish unless it was on sale or part of a set of some sort. This color is one I will wear and one that I like, however it doesn't feel very exciting to me and that is slightly disappointing.   

Jurlique-- Herbal Recovery Night Cream

This sample came to me in a pick two pack from birchbox. The good thing about normal birchbox, which i just learned is something that I take for granted, is the little postcard that tells you about the item. In a normal birchbox I would have gotten a card telling me the value of this cream. If I would have realized that this was a sample of a $51 night cream I would have definitely used this sample far less liberally. 

The smell is the first thing about this product that stands out to me. It has a strong floral scent that is at the same time light and airy. The fragrance is heavy on the rose and is similar to Dr. Smiths rosebud salve (one of my favorites). The smell even lingers as you are falling asleep and in my mind works as a sort of relaxing aromatherapy. 

This cream boasts the benefits of 3 specific natural ingredients. It includes moth bean extract which is a natural alternative to retinol and is loaded with vitamin A to help with anti aging and refining texture, African birch extract to promote firmness, and Kakadu plum extract to even skin tone. I am a little skeptical of the benefits of natural ingredients in cosmetics, mostly they seem to be used as buzzwords trying to cater to a trend. I did a little research on these extracts and they seem to be used widely in the Pacific islands. Kakadu plum is indigenous to Australia, which is where jurlique is based. These details help me feel that these ingredients are used in a legitimate way in this product. 

I used this cream overnight, as intended and did feel like my skin was more radiant and softer the next day. Instantly upon application my face felt extremely smooth. There was no oiliness or strange residue left on my face from using this product and although I have sensitive skin I did not experience any abnormal redness or irritation. 

Overall this product seems to do exactly what it is supposed to. I really liked the effects given when used for a week, and can imagine that results would be great if used over a longer time period. The smell is amazing and they probably should make a perfume with this scent if they haven't already. 

If you would like to try this cream for yourself, www.jurlique.com offers 2 free samples with every purchase from their website. 

Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser

Size: 1 oz.

My skin is the definition of combination. My forehead and the sides of my face get dry, while my nose, chin and cheeks are oil slicks by mid day. It's because of this, that I am constantly on the lookout for products to help balance my skin.

Enter the Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser. I received this sample when I purchased my Clarisonic Mia a while back. The bottle describes it as "A warming gel cleanser that deeply cleans and detoxifies." It also claims to "refine skin texture, brighten skin clarity and minimize the look of pores over time."

As someone who suffers from the occasional breakout, I have tried loads and loads of facial cleansers. The one thing I have learned is that only time can tell how well they actually work. That is why I will be using this sample consistently until it is gone so that I can get a better picture of its effectiveness. 

My first impression of this product is a good one. Any type of cleanser that is warming always makes my skin feel more refreshed and is a nice treat as the weather get colder. The smell is hard to describe. It isn't exactly pleasant, but it doesn't drive me away from the product at all. The cleanser itself is black. While this may scare some people, I thought it was new and exciting. Although the gel didn't lather up all that good, I still felt as though it cleansed my skin and left it tingling. 

Overall after two uses I do feel like this is a product I would buy in the future even though I do not know if it will live up to the claims on the bottle. The full size sells for $28 for a 5oz. bottle. This would last a long time so I feel like the price is pretty fair considering the brand. 

Klorane-- Desert Date Shampoo

According to the brands website, this shampoo is formulated to repair dry and damaged hair. It is parrabin and silicone free (which may be useful for you but means very little to me). 

I got to try the shampoo sample only, however it is recommended that shampoo is followed by the desert date dep conditioning mask. 

Smell: I am not entirely sure what this product is aiming to smell like, but I can safely say that it isn't dates, and they are just used in the formula for their moisturizing benefits. This shampoo has a very fresh scent. It reminds me of something found in a hotel bathroom that is aiming to be as gender neutral as possible. I liked the scent and wish that it would have stuck around in my hair for more than the duration of my shower. The scent also might remind me of edge brand shaving cream (in a good way). 

Effectiveness: This shampoo was ok. I liked it and would use it again, but it's main benefit as a moisturizing shampoo was not convincing. My hair did not feel dry, but it did not feel quenched either. I like that it did not make my hair fluffy or frizzy. I am interested in trying the combination of this shampoo and it's conditioning mask partner. 

Overall: 6.7 oz of this shampoo costs $13. Still on the fence over if I would purchase this product. I can say that if a gift/sample set was offered with the conditioning mask, I would purchase it so I could try the whole line of desert date as intended. 

Dr Jart-- Ceramidin cream

I recently finished off my sample tube of Dr. Jarts Ceramidin cream. The tubes reverse side sums up its benefits: a time release formula that keeps skin well hydrated and vibrant, and restoring skins natural strength and function. 

This sample tube probably lasted a week or so, with 1-2 uses each day ( I am awful at morning and night routines). I am not sure that I got to see all the effects promised through use in such a short period of time, however as a moisturizer this cream worked very well. 

Perhaps there has been some loss in translation since this is a Korean product but I am not sure of the second promise the cream boasts. My skin did not necessarily feel stronger, although I'm not certain how facial skin strength could be measured. On the same note, what is my skins natural function other than to protect my insides...

During the use of this product I did feel hydrated and my complexion seemed more vibrant. I have sensitive skin that is prone to redness and allergic reactions and this product did not bother me. My skin is also on the drier side (especially since the heat has been turned on in the house ) and this cream did solve that. 

The smell of this cream is pleasing. It was somewhat citrus-y but nothing over powering or offensive. The consistency was good and it absorbed into my skin very well without making it feel weighed down or sticky.  It lives up to the description of "lightweight" given by sephora. 

Overall: I did not purchase this item. If I found it on sale... A really good sale, I would be all over it. 1.6 oz of this stuff will cost you $48. If you have a substantial moisturizer budget this is worth a try for sure. If not, hopefully you can snag a sample from somewhere because it is a good product that is worth a try! 

Juliette has a gun-- Vengeance Extreme

I received this fragrance in a birchbox probably 6-8 months ago. I am normally underwhelmed by fragrance samples. I'm not one of those people who gets super angry when they receive one, I normally am just kind of whatever about them. Could take em' or leave em'. 

This fragrance is the one that made me thankful that birchbox sends fragrance samples. 

Juliette has a gun is a swanky perfume company whose fragrances seem to be artistic statements and complex stories rolled into luxury fragrances. 

Smell: this scent is not for everyone but it sure is for me. It has a heavy rose scent initially and then balances out with a deep musky patchouli. Defiantly for those who are fans of smelling slightly like a woman nearing age 85, or those who love 1920's nostalgia. 

This scent lingers all day long, however I like it strong so I find myself reapplying midday for a stronger aroma. 

Price: This gal is pricey. It comes in a less potent version ( Lady Vengeance), which I have not experienced, that runs about $90. The extreme version that I sampled ( and eventually splurged on) is $135 in the birchbox shop. Prices on amazon and eBay were not much less due to this being a product from overseas. The company does offer perfume samplers for about 10 euro that they will refund you upon purchase of a full size. Sometimes you can snag these on eBay to avoid international shipping charges but the tiny sample bottles sell for between $5 and $10. 

Overall: Worth the splurge. I don't think I have ever been as in love with a fragrance. This is a company that I would have never tried or even known about without birchbox. Also I would have never guessed that I would spend such an absurd amount on 100ml of fragrance. 

To learn more visit: www.juliettehasagun.com

Welcome and hello!

My sister and I have always wanted to start a blog. Many topics have been appealing, but none make as much sense as a sample review blog.
We have a lot of samples, and want to use them, not hoard them. We needed a way to decide if we like them, and also a way to archive our reviews of them. Hopefully with a permanent place to look at our reviews we will feel ok about using the full samples and clearing up some space in our sample stashes.