Posts Tagged ‘SampleRoom’
Event: Blogapalooza 2014
Posted on: October 13, 2014
- In: Events
- 8 Comments
This year I got the chance to once again attend Blogapalooza. This year was bigger, with a lot of participating brands, and a mind boggling 700 participating bloggers and social media experts. Blogapalooza is a Business-to-Blogger event that aims to provide brands with direct access to bloggers and their readers. It happened last October 11 at the SMX Convention Center at SM Aura.
Read on to find out more about what went down at Blogapalooza 2014!
One of the recent releases by Sampleroom is a line of skincare samples from H2O+, a brand that focuses on marine materials as main ingredients in their line. This particular product, the Night Oasis Oxygenating Rejuvenator, is a night cream-gel dedicated to recharge dull skin and smoothens the appearance of fine lines. I was already sold on the idea of an overnight repair cream, as I really enjoyed my experience with the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack. I was expecting this to be a similar product, so I immediately got myself this sample. I posted about this previously in a haul.
The sample comes in a nice little blue tube with the H2O+ branding, with a gray cap. It seems a little heftier than usual sample tubes, so kudos to H2O+ for that! At the back you’ll see directions and other information about the company, but no ingredient list.
The product itself comes in a nice half-gel half-cream state. Not at all runny, but is translucent like a gel.
I’d need about five of this size blob to apply all over my face. It feels really nice when applied on, cool and refreshing. My face feels really moisturized by morning. On the first night that I applied it on, my face felt tight but cold. On the succeeding nights my skin has adjusted and did not have any bad reactions even after about a week of use. More importantly, I didn’t break out! I couldn’t yet comment on the fine lines aspect but I can see myself using this regularly during my night routine.
My 8ml sample costs 140 points at Sampleroom, and the full 50ml tube costs Php2660. This translates to the sample being at around Php425. H2O+ is cruelty-free.
Pros: feels great on application (cool and refreshing); available in most department stores; a little goes a long way; cruelty-free
Cons: a little expensive; full sized-product comes in a tub
Visit H2O+ at their social media accounts:
H2O+ Philippines
Facebook: facebook.com/h2oplusPhilippines
Instagram: @h2oplusph
Twitter: @h2oplusph
- In: FOTD | Reviews
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In one of my past Sampleroom purchases, I got the other variant of Colour Collection’s BB Cream. I reviewed the first one, Whitening, here. With great regret I did not purchase the Colour Collection exclusive elite box from BDJ, so I wasn’t able to try the second variant, Age Defying. Good thing that Sampleroom offered it (and still does!), for only 130 points, so I immediately grabbed one. This usually goes for Php699 for a 40-ml tube.
The packaging is very similar to the Whitening variant, except this one is a weird chocolate brown color. The size and layout is the same. It has the list of ingredients at the back.
The important thing to note is that the focus of this variant is more towards skin care (as opposed to just pure whitening). It claims to have 8 skin benefits derived from having CoQ10 and green tea extract. What is this CoQ10 wizardry? It’s short for coenzyme Q10, which apparently has something to do with wrinkles (well, it’s Age Defying!). Q10 supposedly reduces UV damage, stimulates collagen production, and repairs damaged skin [source]. Green tea extract on the other hand is a powerful anti-oxidant and has key anti-aging properties as well [source]. Suffice to say, this BB cream is choc-full of anti-aging stuff!
This is very hygenic too, as the tube comes with a spout. No contamination of the product because of this!
As far as I know this only comes in one shade. Here is how it looks like swatched on my arm. It’s pretty close to my skin tone, and that makes me pretty happy!
Here is how it looks like on my face. I applied a very generous amount all over the face, no primer underneath. I only applied Celeteque Tri Benefit Power Cream beforehand.
Bare (and frowny) face
With Colour Collection Age Defying BB Cream
I’ve been wearing this a lot especially on days where I am in such a hurry. It’s not very difficult to apply, and I usually just use my fingers to spread it all over the face. While I couldn’t really comment on the actual anti-aging factor, I love how this feels on my face. It’s very light and looks quite natural. The coverage is fair – it doesn’t cover really big pimples but it’s adequate for small ones or light blemishes. It definitely reduce the redness on my cheeks, and evens out my skin tone. Oh and it has SPF45 too! I really wish this would be more widely available in malls, instead of having to go through an agent.
Here’s the finished face, with makeup. I used the following products: BYS Brow & Eye Pencil for brows; Saizen Eye Shadow in Brown for eyeshadow and eyeliner; Nichido Final Powder in So Natural for finishing powder; Ever Bilena Shade Lipstick in Flaring Cranberry
I really go around with eyeglasses on, so here’s how my skin looks with them on.
And here’s my dorky smile, which is kind of a mix between Jennifer Lawrence and Mr. Bean.
Pros: reasonably priced; shade matches my skin tone; longwearing; sensitive skin friendly; has many anti-aging factors; has SPF45
Cons: available through dealers only
I have no information on Colour Collection’s animal testing policies. You can get full sized samples from Sampleroom here.
My latest Sampleroom haul consisted of the following items: Godiva LicoWhite™ Whitening Lotion with SPF 15 (8 sachets of 6ml each), VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Sport 70 (5 ml sample tube), and The Body Shop Moisture White™ Shisho BB SERUM INSIDE (5 sachets of 1.5ml each). I would like to share with you my impressions of these items so that you can decide whether to get them or not while there are still samples available.
1. Godiva LicoWhite™ Whitening Lotion with SPF 15
I am a huge lotion fan, and I didn’t hesitate to grab this when it became available at Sampleroom even if the main draw was the whitening. I didn’t really need the whitening aspect, but what intrigued me was that it was a lotion with SPF. While I could not vouch for the whitening, I can definitely say that I love the texture and scent of this lotion. It also did not irritate my sensitive skin. I can consider adding this to my stable of lotions once I run out. The sample costs 25 points, and the full sized 100ml bottle costs Php120 and is available in supermarkets and drugstores.
2. VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Sport 70
VMV has always struck me as the epitome of sensitive skin friendly, especially with that Hypoallergenics in the name. Therefore it was a no-brainer to grab this. It’s a sunscreen that comes in a novel tube that comes with its own spatula. I usually put this on my face when the day is unusually hot, but it can also be used for the body. Putting makeup on top of this is not an issue. A little goes a long way for this! The sample costs 50 points, and the full sized 185g/85g tube costs Php2080/Php1500 respectively and is available at VMV counters in malls. It sounds pretty pricey, but take note that the sample is only 5ml and it will take some time to finish!
3. The Body Shop Moisture White™ Shiso BB SERUM INSIDE
Lastly we have the BB cream sample from The Body Shop. TBS is noted for its mostly cruelty-free products, so I was quite excited to try this out. This Moisture White Shiso variant contains shiso, vitamin C and liquorice, and Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera, and targets hyperpigmentation, improves luminosity and evens skin tone. I like the fact that it has a lot of skincare factor in this face base. The only problem with this is that the shade is too light for my skin tone. There is a distinct white cast, and I definitely needed the help of a finishing powder to darken it back to skin tone. This sample costs 60 points, and the full sized 30ml tube is Php1395.
Bonus! I received a 15% off voucher for the Beauty & Minerals online store! Amazing! Thanks Sampleroom!
- In: Reviews | Swatches
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One of my recent acquisitions last July is this interesting product from Sample Room. It’s Colour Collection Vitamin E Lipstick in Kissmark, which is a matte pink shade. Colour Collection is apparently a product of Tupperware Brands Philippines. Yes, the same brand that provided us the ubiquitous plastic containers. I am also surprised to learn that this cosmetics line has already been in production for 20 years. Very interesting!
The lipstick comes in a nondescript black cardboard box. It has the brand, product name/type, and amount in gold embossed in the front, while the ingredient list and instructions for use are at the back and the shade name and mother company at the side.
The actual bullet is a simple plastic black tube, with the Colour Collection logo at the top and a thin silver band in the middle. More information including the shade name is at the bottom.
As we saw on the box and on the bullet, there are 4g of product. The color of the lipstick itself is already very matte as you can see here. Here is the swatch on my arm.
And here is the swatch on my lips. The texture is very waxy, and it does require the aid of a lip balm to help make the application smoother. As this is a matte lipstick, the lips should be properly exfoliated and smoothed out. Otherwise the lines and dry patches will be accentuated by the matte lipstick.
Here is the look I did using this lipstick (with and without eyeglasses). I kept the look very neutral to emphasize the lipstick. I used my favorite primer and bb cream, then just kept the eyebrows neat. I also used a pale pink on the eyelids and a pale peach blush. I used only one layer of lipstick here, but notice that it is really pigmented.
I like the fact that it’s a very wearable everyday color. It is school and office appropriate, but at the same time it can be built up to a louder color. It is not very longwearing though, only about 3-4 hours, and definitely will not survive eating and drinking.
I bought this lipstick from Sample Room for 85 points, but it is also available at Tupperware Brands branches for Php330.
Pros: attractive shade; affordable
Cons: tricky application; not very longwearing; limited availability
Were you able to get a Colour Collection lipstick from Sample Room? What shade did you get and how did it work for you?
April Haul Mega Post
Posted on: May 5, 2013
- In: Haul
- 7 Comments
As I bought a lot for the month of April, I decided to just do a huge post to show you my haul. First up is my haul from Sample Room.
I got the Zen Nutrients All is Well Oil (40 points) and the SoTrue Lavender Skin Repair Balm (10 points) from their Earth Day set.
The All is Well oil is very similar to White Flower. It soothes headaches, coughs, and dizziness through inhaling the soothing scent of eucalyptus, lemongrass, and peppermint. I’ve tried this out and it does the job for coughs. I’ll try this for headaches and dizziness once I get those. This is actually a full-sized product, which costs Php125.
The Lavender Skin Repair Balm is basically what its name suggests. It’s a moisturizer for lips, elbows, knees, and heels, supposedly, but I’m mostly using it to soothe itchiness and lighten dry patches. I love that it comes in a tube as it’s easy to carry in my purse. I’m not sure about the full sized product though, I think it comes in a tub. The full product costs Php350.
The next products come from my favorite drugstore, Watsons.
I am starting to love wet wipes, and I decided to try out the Watsons brand of anti-bacterial cleansing wipes. This is a 3-pack of 10 wipes each, for about Php99 I think.
I’m now a fan of Nouveau hair items, from my last Watsons haul. I purchased a set of scruchies this time, 4 pairs for Php99.
I’ve been wanting to get this Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser. There’s been lots of positive reviews and I am keen on trying this for myself. It’s only Php399 which is not bad for a primer. I scored the last one from the store!
Next is BYS Brow and Eye Pencil in Brown. I’ve seen reviews of this as well and I wanted a better brow pencil than the one I currently have. I had a choice of either this automatic pencil (Php350) versus the non-automatic one (Php250) which came with a brush. I decided that since I will be bringing this for travel, I didn’t want the hassle of bringing a sharpener as well.
My next haul is from Snoe, Landmark Trinoma branch. I’ve been wanting to try a lot of products from Snoe (due again to positive reviews online) but I kept myself to two products for now.
First is the new Awesome Poresome Beauty Bar, which is a facial cleanser that has calamansi, witch hazel, pineapple, and cucumber, all products that aim to reduce the pores. The SA mentioned that this is an upgrade of Snoe’s Calamansi bar. This is a huge bar, 140g, and costs Php199. I’m sure it will take me a long time to finish this. The scent is soothing too!
This is Snoe Rouge Deluxe in X19 Mauve Movement. This is also one of their newest shades. I actually have a long list of shades I want to try, but I decided to go for the one outside my comfort zone. This has a slightly purple tint to it, which is definitely something I haven’t used before. I love how pretty the tube is, quite unique among my (meager) collection of lippies. This costs Php399.
Lastly, I went on a splurge of Dazzle Dry lacquers as they are currently on a month-long Mother’s Day sale. The original cost of a bottle of lacquer is Php450, but it’s down to Php399! I thought that since I am so in love with the DD samples that I won, I might as well use this opportunity to get a good spread of colors. I’ll have a separate unboxing post, but let me show you a sneak peek:
I got four! Woo! I can’t wait to try these out. For your reference the shade names are: Sahara, Lavender Parade, Polar Jade, and White Lightning. Some of the shades are already sold out, so go right ahead to their online store and get your own before it runs out!
My first FOTD!
Posted on: March 23, 2013
- In: FOTD
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Let’s break our personal barriers! I’m going to break mine and post a FOTD today. I’m always nervous about posting my face around the internet, but we don’t learn anything if we don’t master our fears. So! Here’s my first ever Face of the Day.
Here are the products I used:
Face products (L-R): Elf Concealer Stick, Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration Facial Moisturizer, Etude House Precious Mineral Bright Fit BB Cream, Nichido Loose Powder, Ever Bilena Powder Blush in Baby Pink
Eye and lip products (Clockwise from left): Creation Eyeshadow from Saizen, Eye of Horus Natural Smokey Eye Pencil, Etude House Oh m’Eye Lash Mascara, Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Pink Flame, Venus and Mars Smooch Lip Detox
I’m not sure if you could see it, but check out the Nouveau clip I wore.
Let’s have an awkward nerdy smile to end this first FOTD post.
I had a hard time finding the right opportunity to try out the last product in my latest SampleRoom haul. The Venus and Mars Mineral Eyeshadow in HALO is such a pigmented eyeshadow that is definitely not for everyday office use.
HALO is a very bright emerald green shade with shimmers. The sample came in a small tub (same size tub as the V&M lip balm). A little goes a long way with this eyeshadow. The tub is a little unfortunate, though, because it’s easy to spill the product.
Here are the swatches on my arm:
As I said, it’s really very shimmery. Since it’s mineral eyeshadow, it also is very prone to fallouts, so one must be very careful when applying it. I tried it on my eyes.
I just used one swipe of the eyeshadow, and you can see how highly pigmented it is. You can also see some of the fallouts under my eye. I might purchase a full product (5g for Php145) if they have the correct shades I’m looking for.
Pros: very pigmented; a little goes a long way; paraben-free
Cons: prone to fall out; tub doesn’t contain product adequately
Haul: Sample Room
Posted on: January 28, 2013
- In: Haul | Unboxing
- 3 Comments
Sample Room recently released a whole slew of organic products. I immediately went and got myself a bunch of stuff. This is my third time ordering from Sample Room, but my first one getting multiple products. The first two times were Benefit Porefessional and Laneige Water Sleeping Pack.
Since I was able to fit three products into this shipment (SR allows a maximum of three items per order), I received this tall paper bag.
The single-item packages usually came in a paper bag half the size of this one. What’s inside? Take a look:
From left to right: Venus and Mars Smooch Lip Detox Lip Butter Balm with SPF15, Venus and Mars Mineral Eyeshadow in Halo, and Moringa O2 Malunggay Herbal Moisturizing Lotion
Here’s the Lip Balm. It comes in a tiny screwtop plastic tub (about the size of a peso coin). The balm smells kind of minty.
Here’s the Mineral Eyeshadow. The shade Halo is a bright emerald green with shimmers.
Finally here’s the Malunggay Lotion. It’s actually full sized, which is why the package was rather heavy. It came sealed in plastic, so I was not able to take an experimental sniff.
Reviews of each item will be posted once I have used them sufficiently to form an opinion.
Another product review! I’m on a roll! XD
I got this 20-ml sample from my new best friend, Sample Room. It comes in a nice little blue tub that is probably reusable (great place to store earrings maybe!) once all the product is consumed. The full size of 80-ml is a fair Php 1250, which means this nice little tub costs around Php300 (pardon me, I really like playing around with numbers). Sample Room is really generous!
Check it out:
It’s a very classy container, and very sturdy. I must have dropped this several times, and I still see no signs of damage. Inside the tub I was surprised to see a blue fluid.
This fluid is made of magic! It glides on smoothly on the skin, and settles into a very thin mask that you will not feel after a few minutes. A little goes a long way with this, so no need to slather on a thick layer. I felt a slight sensation of tugging after the mask has settled on my face, which I thought was the fluid starting its work on my face. As the name suggests, this should be used at night just before sleeping. Come morning, you’ll feel your facial skin soft and supple.
This product has a scent that is not unpleasant. It reminds me of a combination of powder and some herby balm. I think it actually aids in a more peaceful sleep, as I find myself sleeping better at night with this moisturizer on.
Would I buy this once my sample runs out? I think it is a definite yes.
Becoming Sleek 