Recently the lovely people over at qpcuk sent me a way too generous amount of skincare samples* to try and test, and I'm definitely impressed with the variety of products I received. Today I'll be letting you all know exactly what I think of the samples I've tried and let you know a little bit more about the ones I haven't had a chance to try yet!

I love little nifty products like gel eye patches and pore strips; items that are quick and easy, but also a beauty staple for practically everyone. Therefore, I was super excited about these really cute prettysmooth items, particularly the cucumber extract and collagen gel eye patches, that are designed to soothe puffy, tired eyes and leave your eyes feeling hydrated and ready to take on the world again - great for people who definitely don't get enough sleep (much like myself). They were cooling, and did indeed leave my under eye bags feeling a lot softer and less noticeable. I stayed up really late last night panic writing and scheduling posts to keep active during my staycation with my family, so I'll do pretty much anything at this point to not look like a dead person walking.




After trying out the gel patches, I thought I might as well try out the tea tree nose pore strips I also received. When I was younger I loved nothing more than using pore strips, but since I've gotten older they've started to gross me out a little bit, but the demand for these babies has definitely grown and grown over the last few years. Tea tree is a naturally antibacterial ingredient so it's perfect for those of you who really want to detox your skin, and these pore strips both remove blackheads and unclog pores too. I woke up this morning with that weird grimy film that forms across your skin sometimes as you sleep, so I cleansed, toned and then applied one of the pore strips. They definitely weren't as gross as I remembered but they were a little painful to yank off, and I haven't noticed too much of a difference in my pores, so I think I'll save these as a once in a while type of product! I want to also say that the instructions on each product couldn't be more straightforward or helpful, so if you're a first time user of either product don't worry!



I haven't had a chance to try the other set of gel eye patches yet, but I'm certainly intrigued by these argon oil treatments, as my only experience with argon oil has been through hair treatments and shampoos. Argon oil is supposed to hydrate the skin and it's known for it's softening and anti-ageing qualities, not that I need to worry about that just yet, I'm 20 but look like I'm 15. I think I'll keep these patches for when I'm particularly unhappy with myself and need something to at least make me feel as though I'm looking after myself!

I was also sent out three different Revuele beauty and care products to try out too, but these products are slightly less up my street. The first item that stands out is the black facial peel off mask. Now I've heard a lot about these peel off masks, and I'm sure many of you have tried them yourselves, but there's just something about them that really puts me off trying them. I will have a go eventually but my other issue is that many of them just aren't suitable for my skin type! This mask contains activated carbon , which is a really absorbent and deeply cleansing ingredient so products containing any carbon based ingredient are much better suited to those with oily skin, much unlike myself who has developed quite dry, thirsty skin. It mattifies, reduces blackheads and the appearance of acne, so I might wait until my next big break out to bite the bullet and try this mask for myself.



I did manage to try out the Micellar water that's suited towards all skin types, as it's both hypoallergenic and fragrance free! I've never used a micellar water before, and I wore pretty heavy duty make-up yesterday, so I wanted to see if this water was as good at removing makeup as most micellar waters claim to be. Almost instantly I noticed it start to buff away my foundation and the rest of my base makeup, but when it came to my eye makeup I'm pretty sure I got more of the product in my eye than anything else. It stung a bit, and this morning both my face and eyes feel a little tired and dry so I'm not sure my first experience with micellar water was exactly a rousing success. 

The final, and by far most generous product I received was the Hydralift anti-wrinkle treatment body lotion that claims to hydrate and aid in improving the elasticity of the skin. Again, I want to reiterate, I'm 20 years old, I'm not worried about wrinkles nor do I need to be worried about them yet at my time of life. What I am interested in are the claims of providing firmness and elasticity, so I might give this a try on my wobbly lumps and bumps and see if I can notice any difference! If I find it doesn't work for me, I might pass this product on to my nan, she'd get a real kick out of something like this!

I hope you've enjoyed taking a little peek into this PR parcel, and again a huge big thank you to QPC for being so generous with their samples. I'm looking forward to trying everything I haven't yet explored. 

As mentioned, I'm going on staycation with my family this week so I won't be actively posting until next Saturday, but I have got a couple of posts scheduled and will be doing my best to reply to messages, tweets etc until I get back!

Until then, 
Rachel


*Although I received these PR samples for free, all of the above opinions are totally my own and I've not been asked to say anything specifically by the company I received these samples from. All words and opinions are my own.