This is a series in which, in an attempt to work my way through my sample overload, I spend the weekend trying out samples, then inflict capsule reviews upon the internet.
It's been a long time since my last Sample Saturday review, and for that, I apologize. Naturally, the biggest reason is my indolence, and by that I mean TOTAL LAZINESS, but there's another reason, and here I put the blame squarely on the manufacturers.
It's the samples themselves. Have you ever noticed how unhelpful samples are? I mean, some of the stuff I get is worth a lot of money ... if any cosmetic product can actually be said to be worth what the manufacturers charge for it.
I mean, say you're the OohLaLa Skincare Company, and you want people to buy your new serum, which you're pricing at $1,000 an ounce. So you decide to package wee little samples of these magical skin-perfecting unicorn tears in adorable little bottles to be given to spoiled housewives at a Neiman Marcus beauty event. The bottles hold .1 ounce, which isn't very much, but if the serum were cocaine, it would have a street value of $100.
Wouldn't it make sense to enclose a leaflet or some instructions or something?
But they don't.
Which is how I managed to glue my face to my pillow. Twice.
In my defense, this was before you could google all your stupid questions and get non-judgmental help from total strangers on the internet.
I've mentioned before that I'm tiptoeing into the world of Korean skincare, and may I just say that there's a pretty steep learning curve? Because there is.
One of the biggest differences between Korean and western skincare is the relative emphasis on hydration. It's not that we want to dessicate our skin here in the west; it's just that in Korea, every step of your multi-step skincare regimen is designed to force more moisture into your skin. The ideal look in Korea is dewy to a degree that Westerners might find a little odd.
You're supposed to double-cleanse your face, using first an oil, and second a gentle product that won't strip your skin. They you layer on essences, serums, and ampoules. Then you add a Sleeping Mask. Here's what this AmorePacific sleeping mask contains in the way of ingredients.
As you can see, there are extracts, skin-loving ingredients, and scary sounding stuff--the usual K-beauty cornucopia. But definitely moisturizing, right?
And so, in order to sample my AmorePacific Sleeping Recovery Masque, I double cleansed, used an essence (Estee Lauder Micro Essence) then a serum (Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair) then this sleeping mask. Then I added a bit of eye cream and went to bed.
I tend to lie on my side with half of my face in the pillow. If I get a little restless, I switch it up. So I turn from one side to the other a few times every night. Which would be fine, except my pillow kept sticking to my face.
I decided maybe I was overdoing it. The second time I tried this stuff, I decided to just cleanse, use the same essence, skip the serum, use the sleeping mask, and apply the eye cream. Surely that wouldn't create a sticky tsunami of products. And yet it did. For a second night, my pillowcase stuck to my face.
I can't complain about the way my skin felt in the morning. Especially when I showered, because my skin felt great when the water hit the remnants of the mask and rinsed them off.
But really, some instructions would have been helpful. How many products is it safe to layer under this stuff? Can I put it on and go straight to bed, or should I wait a bit and let it get absorbed first? I have questions! And my tiny sample tube (.33 ounces worth, with a street value of $6.00) isn't answering them.
| AmorePacific Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Masque $60/3.38 oz. |
Skincare samples are like drugs
It's been a long time since my last Sample Saturday review, and for that, I apologize. Naturally, the biggest reason is my indolence, and by that I mean TOTAL LAZINESS, but there's another reason, and here I put the blame squarely on the manufacturers.
It's the samples themselves. Have you ever noticed how unhelpful samples are? I mean, some of the stuff I get is worth a lot of money ... if any cosmetic product can actually be said to be worth what the manufacturers charge for it.
I mean, say you're the OohLaLa Skincare Company, and you want people to buy your new serum, which you're pricing at $1,000 an ounce. So you decide to package wee little samples of these magical skin-perfecting unicorn tears in adorable little bottles to be given to spoiled housewives at a Neiman Marcus beauty event. The bottles hold .1 ounce, which isn't very much, but if the serum were cocaine, it would have a street value of $100.
Wouldn't it make sense to enclose a leaflet or some instructions or something?
But they don't.
Which is how I managed to glue my face to my pillow. Twice.
... or maybe Apple products
Way back in the olden days of butterfly clips and extreme low-rise jeans, I had a first-generation iPod, complete with an audible click wheel and a generous 5 gigs of storage. It was lovely and clean and was packaged in a white cardboard cube that evoked reverence for the sleekness of its design ... except there were no instructions, and I couldn't figure out how to turn the fucking thing off. So I'd let the battery run down. "That," I'd think to myself "takes care of that."
In my defense, this was before you could google all your stupid questions and get non-judgmental help from total strangers on the internet.
Back to the product in question
I've mentioned before that I'm tiptoeing into the world of Korean skincare, and may I just say that there's a pretty steep learning curve? Because there is.
One of the biggest differences between Korean and western skincare is the relative emphasis on hydration. It's not that we want to dessicate our skin here in the west; it's just that in Korea, every step of your multi-step skincare regimen is designed to force more moisture into your skin. The ideal look in Korea is dewy to a degree that Westerners might find a little odd.
You're supposed to double-cleanse your face, using first an oil, and second a gentle product that won't strip your skin. They you layer on essences, serums, and ampoules. Then you add a Sleeping Mask. Here's what this AmorePacific sleeping mask contains in the way of ingredients.
As you can see, there are extracts, skin-loving ingredients, and scary sounding stuff--the usual K-beauty cornucopia. But definitely moisturizing, right?
And so, in order to sample my AmorePacific Sleeping Recovery Masque, I double cleansed, used an essence (Estee Lauder Micro Essence) then a serum (Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair) then this sleeping mask. Then I added a bit of eye cream and went to bed.
I tend to lie on my side with half of my face in the pillow. If I get a little restless, I switch it up. So I turn from one side to the other a few times every night. Which would be fine, except my pillow kept sticking to my face.
I decided maybe I was overdoing it. The second time I tried this stuff, I decided to just cleanse, use the same essence, skip the serum, use the sleeping mask, and apply the eye cream. Surely that wouldn't create a sticky tsunami of products. And yet it did. For a second night, my pillowcase stuck to my face.
I can't complain about the way my skin felt in the morning. Especially when I showered, because my skin felt great when the water hit the remnants of the mask and rinsed them off.
But really, some instructions would have been helpful. How many products is it safe to layer under this stuff? Can I put it on and go straight to bed, or should I wait a bit and let it get absorbed first? I have questions! And my tiny sample tube (.33 ounces worth, with a street value of $6.00) isn't answering them.
