I have not done these in a long time, have I? It’s been a hectic month, but I finally feel like I’ve caught up with everything. In the past I have dedicated my Sample Saturday posts to just one specific brand, however, sometimes the companies send out only one sample, and I felt like making a post to discuss just one sample is a bit ridiculous. This time I decided to change things up a bit, so from now on I will be blindly grabbing a handful of samples from my sample stash (from assorted brands), and telling you all about them.
Note: Please, remember, that the companies are inconsistent in sending out free samples. Two people emailing the same company might get two very different CS replies.
This week I’m featuring the following products.
Caldrea Body Lotion Coconut Fig Leaf
I emailed Caldrea to request a few samples of laundry products, because I recently got their fabric softener on clearance at TJ Maxx just to try it, and fell in love with the way it made my clothes smell and feel. The next day I got a super nice email from their CS representative telling me that they don’t have any laundry samples available, but she will pass that info along to her superiors so maybe they’ll actually make some now. In the mean time, she asked me if I was interested in trying their hand soaps instead so I can have a better ides of the various fragrances they carry. I said “Sure!” and gave her my shipping info. About a week later I received a nice thick envelope filled with the liquid soap samples, and one of those samples was this body lotion. I figured I might as well give it a try, but honestly I didn’t really envision Caldrea as a skin care company, to me they have always been the makers of fancy household cleaning products. So, this lotion was the first thing I tried this week. It’s fairly light and on the runnier side, but that helps it spread more evenly on the skin. I also felt like it has a slight cooling effect, which I thought was very pleasant. My husband commented on its smell, he says I smell like a vacation, I suppose is a compliment? As for the moisturizing properties, I thought this lotion was quite nice. It’s not my favorite, but I can see that a lot of people would like the fragrance, the consistency and a lot of organic ingredients in the formula. Overall, it left a very good first impression.
You can request the samples by filling out this form.
Overall rating: 4/5
Purchase: Maybe
Elemental Herbology Cell Food Serum
I have a love-hate relationship with Elemental Herbology products, because I really like some of them and totally hate the others. This ultra-lightweight serum is one of the products I ended up loving. A lot. It’s a milky treatment that has an almost liquid consistency, it instantly absorbs into the skin leaving it matte and velvety to touch. Unlike many EH creams, this one doesn’t stink of medicinal herbs. This is supposed to provide a large dose of antioxidants and nutrients to gently detoxify and repair the skin. My face felt very pampered afterward!
You can request the samples by sending an email to [email protected]
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Yes
Elemental Herbology Moisture Milk
This moisturizer is very light indeed, and seems like it must have made my skin healthier, but I just couldn’t get over the overpowering strong fragrance. As some of you might already know, I’m sensitive to certain fragrances, and this sample induced quite a headache for me. I washed it off, but the scent lingers for a long time, so I just had to suffer through it until it was over.
You can request the samples by sending an email to [email protected]
Overall rating: 2/5
Purchase: No
Nature’s Gate Acai Moisturizing Lotion
At $10.99 for a 18 oz. pump bottle at a local drugstore, this natural body lotion is a healthier alternative to your regular Nivea which retails for $9.99 for 13.5 oz. Yep, I totally broke it down to calculate what’s a better value. Nivea, Vaseline and many other popular brands use oil-byproducts (petrolatum, mineral oil) as well as parabens and silicones. Well, Nature’s Gate doesn’t use any of that and their prices, as you can see, are very much affordable! I’m on a mission to slowly replace my current products that contain a bunch of chemicals with healthier versions of the same things, so I plan on slowly restocking with Nature’s Gate and Burt’s Bees products that are easily accessible at a regular store. Back to the lotion now 🙂 I thought the formula was pretty good, and although I’m not a huge fan of acai flavor or fragrance, it wasn’t in-your-face annoying at all. I don’t think I will buy this particular scent, instead I will probably go with the oatmeal one.
You can request the samples by filling out this form.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Yes
Supergoop! SPF 30+ City Sunscreen Serum
Hi, I’m Anastasia and I’m an SPFholic. I seriously love products with sunscreen and from what I’ve seen, Supergoop is a great brand! I heard a lot of good things about their new City Serum, so I emailed their CS to ask for a sample. To my pleasant surprise, this serum turned out to be very light, and feels like a nice moisturizer. It does have that typical sunscreen smell, which disappears in about 5 minutes. I also liked that it didn’t leave any streaks on my face, and didn’t seem to clog my pores, which is a typical problem with sunscreens for many people. So, if you are somebody who absolutely hates sunscreen, give this serum a try, you might be in for a surprise 🙂
You can request the samples by sending an email to [email protected]
Overall rating: 5/5
Purchase: Yes
I hope you enjoyed this small compilation! Check back next Saturday for the new post.
Disclosure: I received complimentary samples from companies per my own request and was never asked to write this review. Individual results or experiences may vary. You may obtain more detailed information from the companies’ websites. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
