New Years Resolutions: Have we made progress?

No. Well kind of. Ish. Progress has been made but I can’t claim a complete success rate. Let’s evaluate.

I haven’t handed in my final bit of course work. I’m not going to make any excuses (although I have been pretty darn ill...) I just seem to be struggling for motivation at the moment. For those who don’t know I’m doing an at home study course in HR. I have 4 very small bits of work left to complete. 2 are almost done and I’ve completed the final work shop. I need to get my arse in gear! D- I think.

The January detox went well in that the Christmas chub seems to have disappeared. It wasn’t completely alcohol free but it was pretty close (and I dare you to not want a glass of wine when stuck in Birmingham for a workshop after the longest train journey ever!).  C+ for shifting the pounds even if I didn’t stick to it completely.

I haven’t bought a single item of cosmetics or skincare this month so my no buy is going well. Full marks for this one A+. If I can keep it up I will be very pleased. Another couple of marathon writing/ scheduling sessions and I will have reviewed everything I have.

And finally I vowed to read 50 books this year. I have finished 3 but still haven’t reviewed 2 of them on my other blog. I plan on getting round to it on Friday. I had aimed for 4-5 this month but 3 it’s better than nothing and given how crazy work/ coursework has been It’s a satisfactory effort. B-.

So come on, ‘fess up. How have you been doing with your resolutions? 

The January Clear Out

Otherwise known as what a shocking waste... I went through my stash and pulled out some products that have been hanging around far too long. As in they were stinking, I haven’t used them in an age and they were all long overdue a date with the bin. I hate to throw out things that aren’t even anywhere close to being finished. I’m hoping this serves as a lesson, if you don’t think you can use it before it goes bad then you don’t need to buy it. Thankfully I haven’t lost too much money here as I will explain but still... what a waste!

The bottle of Seche Vite is still half full but it’s too gloopy to actually use any more. I know this is a common problem with Seche Vite but although I love the super quick dry time I hated the tip shrinkage and peeling polish that went along with it. As such I will not fork out for the thinner and won’t be buying it again.

The Collection 2000 brown liquid liner was thankfully a gift with purchase. It was fine I just didn’t use it enough.

The MUA Glitter liners were only £1 each and were good fun. I bought them knowing they wouldn’t be an everyday (or even every week item) but when you add them all together I can’t help thinking that’s £5 I could have spent on 1 item I would have used more...

17 Emerald Coast liquid liner, again gift with purchase. Hardly used.

W7 Velvet Lip Colour, another gift with purchase. The lid never closed properly, I hated the colour and the formula. I don’t know why I didn’t chuck this when I got it!

ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner in black. As you can see it has gone the way of it’s more colourful version and dried up to the point of falling out of the pot. I used about half of it up though and at £3.50 I suppose that’s not too bad...

And Finally Benefit Moon Beam liquid highlighter. Don’t get too excited, I only paid £4 for this in a blog sale and it was over half way empty before the formula turned bad. This makes me feel an awful lot better than I would have felt if I had paid full price for it! I loved it but I won’t repurchase because a.) I know I’ll never used up a full one before it dies and b.) There are too many other products out there I want to try.

Well if this doesn’t illustrate why I’m on a no buy I don’t know what will! Are you saintly about finishing products before they up and die on you? Or are you struggling to beat the best before dates like I am x

Sample Sunday – Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermofoliant

Before you jump the gun and assume that this is going to be yet another rant about how spending £40.50 for 75ml of skin care is beyond my budget erm... your right. It is. A little. Except it’s not as ridiculous as I’d first anticipated. You see exfoliating is a skin care step I can’t live without as I am prone to congested pores. Having somewhat sensitive skin I can only do it once a week so it takes me forever to get through a product (I’ve been using the same Clinique sample for the last 2 months so a full sized product wouldn’t probably take over 6 months to finish). Stretching that £40.50 out over the weeks and months suddenly doesn’t seem quite so ridiculous.

Enough budgeting, what about the actual product? Well I like it. I like it a lot! This is a self heating exfoliator. Again it’s thick and disturbingly yellow much like the Dermalogica mask/ masque I tried a few weeks ago. It has a light, clean, clinical sort of scent. The exfoliating grains are small but extremely densely packed and just scrubby enough to really get stuck in there without actually damaging my skin. Apparently the ‘thermal technology’ is intended to facilitate the deeper penetration (ooh er) of the age fighting ingredients into the skin. Whatever, it feels nice especially on frosty winter evenings. There is none of the actual burning sensation that I remember from the self heating ‘sauna’ masks I used as a teenager, it just feels warm and toasty.

Post use my skin feels softer and smoother. There is a definite difference in my skin after I use this and I find myself slowly inching towards temptation. I think I will need to reassess once I have used up all of my current exfoliator (including this 15ml sample which will last a good long while yet). So the jury is still out on whether I would purchase the full sized product but I will give it credit where credit is due. It’s not often I’m actually even tempted to fork out this kind of cash on skin care. Touché Dermalogica, touché. 

Beauty Blog Link Love!

 Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed thinks size does matter and tests out her theory with Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara - check out her results and see if you agree!

 My Funny Valentine is proud to present...A vain person's guide to water sports: how to waterproof your makeup and deal with chlorine.

 Nail bling strikes again! Musicalhouses shows you her silver and blue nail art with pearls and hearts!

 At Lipstick Musings, Shannon embarks on her first-ever fragrance review with the all-natural artistry of Aftelier Perfume's Cepes and Tuberose.

 With the BB cream craze in full swing, Rae takes a moment at theNotice to review (and swatch) the much-hyped Marcelle BB Cream. Find out it if this new wonder-product is all it's talked up to be!

 New year calls for new product launches! Miss Beauty Nerd tests out Maybelline's newest - their SuperStay Lip Colors and EyeStudio Color Tattoos.

 Beauty In The Mirror has been reviewing the very popular OCC Lip Tars. Pop over for some great pictures and advice.

 Kajal Couture shares her tips on preventing eyeshadow fallout.

 Prime Beauty is dreaming of spring with the Nordstrom Exclusive Dior Garden Party Milly Garden Clutch.

 Looking for some double duty beauty products? Check out Krasey Beauty's recs!

 Kimberly at Kimmie Karma Love shows her New Years Eve makeup and the day after pictures!

 Phyrra presents a variety of lovely lipsticks and pigmented lipglosses from Morgana Cryptoria.

 Tracy at Beauty Reflections has a new PRECIOUS called Guerlain Cruel Gardenia Meteorites.
--- Join Anita in celebrating reaching 400 followers and win yourself a gorgeous Accessorize Eyeshadow Palette!

I’m not sure what to call these any more...

They used to be EOTD (eye of the day) but I’ve decided to start showing what I wore on my lips as well. No full faced shots because I just don’t have the kind of face that photographs well. I never mastered the My Space pose I’m afraid and I wouldn’t want to give you all nightmares. Maybe I’ll just start calling them ‘Friday Face’ as I tend to post them on Fridays despite almost never actually creating the look on the Friday on which they are posted... Thoughts? Enough with the rambling. I saw Queen of Blending MUA on Youtube do a look which I think was inspired by something to do with Twilight. I have never seen or read anything to do with Twilight but I liked the look so I have taken inspiration from it.

On the eyes I used:

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper as primer.

Stila Stingray eyeliner to map out the cut crease and on the waterline.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in milk as a sticky base on the lid.

Sleek Sunset palette (the black, the orange on the inner half of the lid, the metallic reddish shade on the outer half).

MAC Kid to blend out the black.

MAC Blanc Type as a brow highlight.

Sleek Molton Metal in Gold Leaf round the inner corner.

On my Lips:

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Summer Angel.

Revlon Coral Reef Super Lustrous Lip Gloss.

I also used Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzer and Estee Lauder Peach Nuance blush on my cheeks.

And do you know what I did that day with this crap tonne of makeup on? I went to the tip. Living the dream people, living the dream. 

January Empties

I seem to go through beauty products faster than anyone else I know. I swear I don’t use more than the necessary amount... Anyway January has been a good month as I am throwing/ finishing/ giving away a load of stuff without having bought anything to replace it. Everything is looking a lot tidier (and the bank balance is a little happier too).

First up my tube of Rapidlash died right at the very start of the month. Since I stopped using it my lashes have started looking a little worse for wear but although I love the product and would love another tube it’s not a priority right now.

Rimmel Summer Angel lipstick. Look at that sad looking beaten up tube! Aw... It is finally dead. I used this pretty much like a shimmery lip balm. I have similar things though so don’t need to repurchase. I suppose if I do decide to turn this no buy into a project ten pan then at least it’s 1 down!

The Dermalogica Age Smart lip treatment was lovely but so overpriced. I won’t be buying the full size.

I cheated and poured out what was left of my MAC Fix +. I’d had it too long and find it to be utterly useless. At least it’s another empty for Back to MAC!

Cheapy Asda nail polish remover. Cost pennies, worked fine. Nothing to write home about.

Botanics Noureshing Face Cleanser. My first foray into the world of cream cleansers. It was fine but didn’t remove every trace of makeup. I’m trying other things.

Dove Summer Glow body lotion. It’s a nice gradual tanner and has helped perk up my pasty skin on many a winter evening out. I have another bottle to use up then I think I will try something else.

Lancôme Eau Micellaire Douce (express cleansing water) sample. I’m not a huge fan of this and I have another sample to use up of it. Meh.

Clinique Take the Day Off eye makeup remover sample. Works well but no better than my beloved Botanics eye makeup remover which is far cheaper.

Simple Kind To Eyes Soothing Eye Balm. It’s a cheap, perfectly functional eye cream that never bothered my sensitive skin. This was actually my second tube! I’m using something a little richer on my wintery skin just now though.

Clinique 7 Day Scrub sample. I prefer the No7 exfoliator as it has finer but more densely packed granules.

And finally a whole host is little hand cream/ body lotion minis (that I used as hand cream) from either gift with purchases or hotel bathrooms. My hands have been horrendous recently and there is nothing I loathe more than dry skin on my hands. It makes me gag.

How has January gone for you? Are you having a good clear out or have you been hitting the sales and restocking? x

Benefit Hoola (AKA the Perfect Contour)

I got this flimsy little sample in a Christmas ‘Tan about Town’ set but don’t be fooled, there is a good 3g of product hidden in there and you need so little that if will last me a good long while. Ordinarily this comes in the typical cardboard packaging with 8g of product.

What we have here is a bronzer, it’s matte, finally milled. Nothing unusual about that. What makes it a little different is the distinctly cool tone to it. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but most shadows are dark and grey. That is essentially what we are trying to recreate when we contour, the shadows that would naturally occur on our faces if we were blessed with the bone structure of Kate Moss. If you use bronzer to warm up your skin and fake a convincing tan this isn’t the bronzer for you.

So the colour is right for my purposes but what about the powder? Well as I have said the powder is soft and finely milled. You run the risk with shades as dark as this of ending up with two dark go faster stripes down your cheeks. Thankfully this blends out very well. You only need the smallest bit and a good dense brush to smooth out the edges. It is a good quality product and has never gone patchy on me. It lacks the sugary sweet smell that some of the blushes from Benefit have and personally I don’t miss it! x

Revlon Facets of Fuchsia

There is a very good chance that I might be the last person on Earth to own this nail polish. It has been touted for several months as a dupe for a Deborah Lipmann polish and at £6.49 it’s a fair bit more affordable (as well as being easier for most people to get a hold of). The polish is an inky black jelly base packed with larger hexagonal fuchsia glitter and smaller sparkles as well. It takes 3 coats to become opaque but the effect of the jelly base means you can see the different sized glitters through the layers.

Again please excuse the lack of actual nail watches. My hands are still looking rough as a badgers arse. The formula is easy to apply and doesn’t take much fiddling to get the glitter easily dispersed. Once on it wears well lasting 3 days on me which is virtually a lifetime by my standards.

The downside? This is a complete bitch to remove. The glitter is practically welded to your nail. Do not try and remove it if you’re in a hurry! X

*Bought by me*

Sleek Palette Overview

Crissylex asked if I could do a post naming all of the Sleek palettes ever released and so I have! Along with a quick video showing you them all because... I don’t know I thought it might be helpful? I should mention there is one palette which I do not own which is the primer palette. This is a permanent item and I’ve just never felt the need to buy it as I have a few cream bases already. Maybe after my no buy I will pick it up!

Currently Available on Sleek Website:

Me, Myself & Eye (PPQ Palette)

Oh So Special

Bad Girl

Storm

Sunset

Acid

Au Naturel

Original

Primer (12 cream shadows)

Not Currently Available:

Jewels

Sparkle

Chaos

Curacao

Bohemian

Good Girl

Graphite

Monaco

Paraguaya

Safari

Curious

Circus

Sample Sunday – Lancôme Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate

I thought this might be a difficult review to write as yet again this is a skin care sample aimed at skin several years older than my own. And yet over the last few weeks I have genuinely enjoyed this product. Ok I may not be the target audience and I don’t particularly want to look 10 years younger but this has become a very welcome part of my skincare regime. The sample pictured is from my Selfridges advent calendar but I also received a sample from Anita of Pleasureflush. Between the two I’ve managed to get several weeks worth of product.

The cloudy serum is designed to leave skin ‘radiant, even-toned and more refined’. You need the smallest amount imaginable and I typically smooth it on in the evening, leaving it around 30 minutes before following it up with my moisturiser. During the warmer months I have combination skin, normal in most areas with my legendary oil slick nose messing up the works. During the winter most of my face becomes drier with flaky patches appearing (the oil slick nose remains undefeated though). This year? Thus far no flakies! My skin has remained ‘normal’.

I can’t comment on any anti ageing properties although I have read good reviews elsewhere. For me the fact that my skin has remained hydrated through the cold and the central heating (something which no moisturiser has achieved on its own) is good enough for me! I couldn’t justify the £77 during the summer as I don’t think my skin would have much need for it then but next winter? Well I think I might just be tempted. Or I will try the L'Oreal version to compare given how much cheaper it is...  Given the tiny amount needed per application I can see you getting an awful lot of use out of a 50ml bottle x

Real Techniques Brushes

A quick review of some Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brushes that I bought x
The Buffing Brush.

 The Contour Brush.

 The Pointed Foundation Brush (actually pretty darn excellent with cream highlighter now that I've thought of it!)

 The Detailer.

Pinks and Purples EOTD (with added lip swatch)

I’m lucky enough to have fairly neutral skin so I can usually get away with either warm or cool toned shades yet for some reason I often gravitate towards strong warm colours. I don’t know why, I just do. So I decided I need to pull out some cooler shades. This was a lazy Saturday so minimal makeup was used. Well, minimal for me...

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper as a base/ primer, MUA shade 18 on lid and lower lashline, Stila Batura in the crease, NYX Highlight on the brow bone and a medium purple shade from a No7 trio I can’t remember the name of to blend out the edges. Oh and a little bit of my Rituals Pink Cheek and Eye Glow on the inner corner.

I also used Stila Sting Ray liner on my waterline and Chanel Sublime De Chanel mascara. On my Cheeks I wore NYX Angel and the Rituals Cheek and Eye Glow as a highlight.

On my lips I tried a combination I haven’t actually used before. The NYX lipliner in Dolly Pink with Lancôme Colour Fever in shade 308 over the top. The lipliner makes the lipstick appear much brighter than it does on its own as well as extending the wear. I actually really love the combination! 

Ilah Brows

Recently Ilah Brows had a competition on Twitter recently in which they asked people to send them brow related horror stories, the best story won a brow kit. I had to take part you see I had a bit of a traumatic experience once... the day before my wedding actually. I went to get my brows sorted in preparation for the big day and the aesthetician was... clumsy. She spilled hot melted wax onto my eye which, thankfully, was shut thus sealing it shut. Mercifully it wasn’t too hot but there were a couple of minutes of panic with my eye sealed shut and me picturing myself having to wear an eye patch in my wedding photo’s!! Long story short my eye was fine and I’ve won a brow kit so it all worked out well in the end ;-)

I received a Semi Permanent Mineral Brow Powder in the shade Disco Diva, a set of stencils and a synthetic (well it feels synthetic to me but I couldn’t say for definite) angled brow brush.

You get 3.97g of powder which is a huge amount. I anticipate this would last you quite literally years. The powder has a sweet scent to it, it’s quite strong actually but pleasant. The shade Disco Diva is a cool toned, ashy deep brown. It’s a pleasant change to my more red toned Benefit Browzings now that the red dye is fading from my hair. It isn’t hugely pigmented which in a brow powder I see as a good thing. Over done brows is not a look I personally go for. Now is it semi permanent? I’m not entirely sure what they mean by that. I know on me it stays put for the entire day with no transfers or fading but it washes off easily enough. The only thing I’m not hugely keen on in the packaging. It’s functional enough but it feels a touch cheap/ flimsy.

The brush feels well made and the bristles are soft but firm. I happen to have relatively thick brows so it’s a good size for me. It has washed well and hasn’t shed. I’ve used it once or twice for liner and although it gives a slightly thicker line it works well for that too.

I will confess I haven’t gotten to grips with the stencils. I suppose I have quite an obvious brow shape so I don’t need much guidance, they might be more useful to someone with little to no brows. I also don’t have much in the way of an arch so the shapes aren’t really right for me. I’d be interested to hear if anyone out there has had much success with these types of stencils but they aren’t something I will be using.

You can buy these at Ilah Shop  The Stencils are £7.50 for a pack of 3, the brush is £10 and the powder is £10. Over all not a bad price considering how much product you get but personally I’d skip the stencils x

Freak

I love the Illamasqua ethos. The whole idea of bringing out your alter ego, celebrating being different, weird even. I love the imagery and the reminder that makeup doesn’t always have to wearable. It is above all things supposed to be fun!  I was incredibly excited when they announced the release of their fragrance to the point where I stalked the counter waiting for the first tester bottle to arrive. True to their ethos Freak is no saccharine sweet run of the mill fragrance. They do a better job of describing the ‘notes’ than me so this is taken from their website:

“TOP NOTES

BLACK DAVANA, OPIUM FLOWER AND
BELLADONNA BEWITCH THE SENSES INTO
UNCONTROLLABLE LUST AND PASSION

HEART NOTES

POISON HEMLOCK, DATURA AND
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT BLOSSOM,
CARESS AND KISS

BASE NOTES

Aromas of frankincense, oud and myrrh, addictively mesmerises and captures the senses.

AND CAPTURES THE SENSES

The bottle is heavy purple glass and the lopsided chopped off corner is a suitably mad take on a traditional bottle. I adore the little snail that scales the side but I am a little worried that the little plastic critter might be a bit flimsy and get knocked off one day. Now I will be honest. The first time I sniffed this I sprayed it on a test card and was not impressed. On the card it smelled powdery and flat. Meh. I was so surprised by this that I went in again the next week deliberately not wearing perfume so I could try it on my own skin.

Suddenly it became a totally different perfume. It is all at once floral, powdery, a touch sweet yet masculine. It is marketed as a unisex fragrance and it certainly isn’t a girly scent (although my husband doesn’t fancy trying it out himself, it’s not his cup of tea). Call me mad, many have, but there is a vague hint of the sort of aqua scent you get in many mens fragrances. It’s very faint but it is there. And I like it.

It wears for around 4- 5 hours on me before I notice it fading (around average, perfume doesn’t seem to last long on me at all). The longer it sits on the skin the darker and spicier it becomes. This probably isn’t the scent for the quintessential girly girl but if you like your fragrance a little darker and more exotic this is a winner. I just suggest to make sure you try it on your own skin before buying! x

Ten for 10

Recently my shopping seems to have drifted away from my high street roots towards the pricier end of the spectrum. The reason is simple. I am buying less makeup (goodness knows I have enough) so I feel justified in splurging on one or two items instead of 20 cheap ones. This doesn’t mean that I have stopped being a bargain fiend though and I have plenty of cheap and cheerful items that I adore. Here are my ten current favourite makeup items for under £10.

Sleek I-Divine Eyeshadow palettes. How could these not get a mention?! I have every single one ever released and use them often. They cater for neutrals and brights and the formulas are generally up there with the more expensive shadows I own. At £6.49 for 12 shadows it’s fantastic value for money.

17 Shine Control pressed powder. If like me you struggle with oily bits a pressed powder can be your best friend. Some just aren’t equipped to deal with oily skin though. This manages to help control oil without caking up on my skin. Yes it can kick up a lot of dust but it costs just £3.99 so I will forgive it that.

Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzer AKA the Chocolate bronzer. It smells good, looks good and it generally fabulous. It’s a fabulous matte contour shade that is very forgiving on my pale skin. The only problem it is tends to ‘frost’ and develop a hard layer on top. I just scrape it off every few months. It’s a pain but I still love it, oh and it’s just £6.99.

Barry M Dazzle Dusts. These little pots of loveliness come in so many shades and textures. The pigmentation is insane and they allow you to create a vibrancy that you often can’t quite get from pressed shadows. The down side is they need a sticky base but who cares, they are only £4.50!

My eyebrows like to model themselves on a nearby hedge row. They grow in all directions and need frequent weed whacking. Thankfully the ELF Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara has no problem pinning them down into shape. And it’s only £1.50.

Yes it’s another Sleek item. They win this one for innovation as much as performance. Until recently the OCC Lip Tars and MAC Lip Mixes were the only products like this but both are expensive and difficult to get a hold of. Enter the Sleek Pout Paints. Pigmented, long lasting and infinitely mixable for £4.99 and you only need to pop down to your local high street to get them.

Mascara. Not anyone in particular, I just don’t like paying more than £10 for something that will only last me a few months. I’ve had fabulous results with some super cheap ones. Generally if I’m reviewing an expensive mascara on here it’s a mini sample one.

Topshop Cream blushes. Specifically Neon Rose, I had Pinch too but sold it as the colour didn’t really suit me. These have a lovely texture, it’s a bit drier and sets so they last and last on me. And this colour is so unique. It looks terrifying in the pan but is one of those colours that always looks great on. It’s £6.

The Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer is quite simply the best under eye concealer I own. It’s pigmented, lasts, is forgiving on under eye skin. It’s just generally fabulous apart from the very limited shade range (get it sorted Collection 2000!). This was £4.19!  

Technically not a makeup item but a tool. The £3.50 ELF Studio Powder brush is still one of my favourite ways to apply liquid foundation.

Let me know what your favourite barginous products are in the comments! x

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Crimson

Natural Collection is an incredibly cheap high street brand sold in Boots that I often over look when shopping. I’m not sure why, I’ve heard good things about several of their products but I suppose I just associate it with a younger demographic. The packaging is plain and functional which I don’t dislike, it just doesn’t normally draw me in. Way back when in the mists of time when I was making my first forays into the world of red lipstick I picked up this little beauty. If memory serves me it was less than £2 (I can’t find it on the Boots website but I have seen them in stores recently so I’m assuming they aren’t discontinued). It was a cheap way of finding out if I could actually wear red!

The packaging is rather cheap white plastic but it isn’t as flimsy as I had anticipated. Touch wood I’ve had no problems with it at all thus far. The lipstick itself is a lovely light orange based red, it's wearable and less intense than most of the other red's I own. It has a glossy finish but no shimmer (my favourite kind of finish). There is the faintest of cheap lipstick plastic scents but you really have to get up close and personal with the tube to notice it.

Once on the formula has just enough slip to be comfortable and non drying although it certainly isn’t a moisturising formula despite the name. It lasts about 3 hours on me which doesn’t sound much but it’s actually not too bad for me. So yes, I like it. For the price I actually like it a lot. This proved to be something of a gateway drug, paving the way for more expensive and exotic red lips, and yet I still come back to this. It’s a hidden gem in my collection that I sometimes forget about but I’m always thrilled when I rediscover it! X

*Bought by me*

Sample Sunday – Chanel Sublime De Chanel

AKA The mascara I can’t afford to love (but do). I almost hoped I’d hate this. That it would reaffirm my belief that high street mascaras are the way to go and that high end ones aren’t worth the money. Except I love it. It’s amazing. *sigh*.

The wand is a densely packed rubber affair, not too big for my ickle piggy eyes but not small and fiddly either. And the mascara itself is the perfect mid way point between being too dry or too wet. It adds length, volume and is a lovely deep black. It doesn’t flake, clump or smudge. *again, sigh*

Without Mascara:

 With Mascara:

The one negative is that it isn’t brilliant at holding a curl but I will forgive it that. Or will I? This is a £22.50 mascara. I don’t begrudge paying that month for a foundation or powder product but for some reason I balk at spending that much on a product I usually use up within 3 months. For that reason I will thoroughly enjoy the sample while it lasts and then sadly say good bye.