Feel Unique Beauty Kit

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There's something extremely appealing about tiny beauty things. Whether it's a miniature lipstick or travel-sized pot of moisturiser, I've almost always preferred the small version of a product.
With my appreciation for little beauty bits in mind, the Beauty Kit service from Feel Unique was always going to give me a bit of a thrill.

Launched a few months ago, the Beauty Kit works like this:
You choose 5 items you'd like to try from a selection of around 150 skincare, haircare, bath and body, fragrance and makeup products. Your choices arrive presented in a rather sturdy zip up bag, that I imagine will be handy for travel once that becomes a thing again. The price of the build-your-own-kit is £12.95 plus a £3.95 delivery fee that you can redeem on a future purchase. A good deal, especially if you tend to shop at Feel Unique anyway.
There's a good mix of brands, the majority being high-end/luxury, with products served up in varying sizes and formats like tubes, pots, pods and bottles, with some in sachets.
I've found some brilliant sample sizes on here so far (the products on offer are constantly changing) including the Medik8 Hydr8 B5 serum in an 8ml bottle (£40 for 30ml) and Philip B. Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo (15ml) that retails for a wild £155 for 355ml.
My kit arrived a few days ago and I picked a mixture of bits I've been meaning to try and products I didn't know existed until I started browsing the samples.

In my kit:

Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 Shampoo 80ml

I’ve never owned a Kerastase shampoo or conditioner before and have only experienced the brand at salons before. Knowing that the Nutritive range is popular and that my hair has been feeling a little dry and lacklustre, I figured this was the perfect way to try it at home. A beautiful, salon-smelling shampoo that leaves my hair feeling clean and healthy, with a nice sheen. I’ve been using this without following up with a conditioner.

Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser 20ml

I first tried the body lotion from Korres’ Greek Yoghurt line over a decade ago back in Australia and remember that I loved the smell. This cleanser brought all sorts of memories hurtling back to me when I used it the other day. It literally smells like a bowl of Greek yoghurt with honey and cinnamon. To me, anyway. I would definitely buy the full size of this – it’s more ‘frothy’ than foaming and doesn’t dry out my skin and rinses away beautifully. This one contains both prebiotics and probiotics to help maintain balance.

Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Hydrating Mask with Apricot & Swiss Glacier Water 15ml

I’m a huge fan of the iconic Drink Up Overnight Mask so was keen to give this 10 minute hydrating mask a go. It feels soothing and leaves skin suitably hydrated and soft, I’m just not overly excited by the Apricot scent – by no means a deal breaker but I think I’ll stick to the original.

Wishful Honey Balm Jelly Moisturiser 6.3g

The fact that the Honey Balm sample was a choice for the Beauty Kit is what really convinced me to press buy. I have wanted to try Wishful products for so long and the Honey Balm Moisturiser in particular sounded right up my street. This sample is presented in a ‘pod’ format with just over 6 grams of product inside, which might not sound a lot but I have had five or six doses out of it so far, with still about half left. Even though I absolutely love the thick, honey-like texture of the balm and it feels great on, I had no idea that it had a lavender scent to it, which I don’t love. This is what makes sampling programs like the Beauty Kit great – it’s an excellent opportunity to get a feel for products, get to know what they smell like and establish if you have any sort of reaction etc without forking out for the full size.

Dermalogica Hydra Masque Exfoliant 7ml

To me, Dermalogica is one of those reliable, no-frills sort of brands that just delivers. This mask/exfoliant in one is no exception – it’s a fantastic product! Applied to a cleansed, dry face, you massage the icy blue gel in until you feel the little exfoliating spheres disappear, leave the mask to ‘set’ for a few minutes then rinse away. I was left with smooth, bouncy skin that felt as if it’d just had a big drink of water. I would buy the full size of this.

You can create your own Beauty Kit by visiting Feel Unique or for something on a smaller scale, the Pick & Mix samples are back - you can choose up to five samples and just pay the (redeemable) £3.95 shipping fee.

Latest in Beauty

2011 has certainly been the year of the Beauty Box - Enticing packages of deluxe samples sent  to your door every month for around £10 - it's any beauty addict's dream come true. I've definitely been tempted by this revolutionary concept and of course I've already succumbed to the allure of Boudoir Prive and Feel Unique, but there's another similar box of goodies doing the rounds that's definitely worth a mention.

 Latest in Beauty is a 'try before you buy' beauty service offering members a monthly box for the teeny price of £1, so now beauty lovers who have been longing to get involved with the sample box phenomenon can do so for less than the price of a bus ticket!

Of course, because the cost of the box is so tiny, the samples are generally a lot smaller than those you find in the £10 boxes, though products such as perfume vials are the same size. If you order a Latest in Beauty box, expect sachets rather than bottles and tubes, but don't let that put you off, as you'll often receive 2 to 5 sachets of one product so you can get a real feel for it.

Latest in Beauty is unique to the other boxes because you actually choose your samples - one each from the categories of skincare, make-up and fragrances and hair and body. I think this is a nice touch because you can select a product you're actually interested in, and if there isn't anything that takes your fancy, you can just check back later and pick something suitable.

I picked my samples and ordered my box on Friday and it arrived today - talk about speedy service :)

Here's a peek at my samples this month:



The Samples

SKINCARE

4 x sachets of Lavera My Age Concentrated Lifting Serum

This serum was created to lift and plump the skin, fight signs of aging and make the skin appear more youthful. I haven't tried this one yet, but I'm a bit obsessed with serums at the moment so I won't be able to hold off for long :)

HAIR & BODY

1 x sachet Nicky Clarke Moisture shampoo, 1 x sachet Nicky Clarke Moisture Conditioner

I used the Nicky Clarke shampoo and conditioner last night and I'm happy to report that it's a really nice product. I have one major criteria when it comes to hair products - that they smell nice - and this range definitely fulfills it. Containing static eliminating wheat protein and ultra nourishing Moringa oil, these products left my hair feeling (and looking) rather nice indeed! Something worth mentioning is how incredibly soft my hair felt immediately after rinsing the conditioner out. It wasn't that slimey feeling you get with some conditioners - just an undeniable softness. I realise I might sound a bit like a Pantene advert right now, but it's true!

MAKEUP & FRAGRANCES

Keraskin Immuniste Youth Drops Elixir

This is my favourite sample from Latest in Beauty so far - an extremely cute little glass bottle of Keraskin Immuniste Youth Drops.

To be used on cleansed skin before your day or night moisturiser, this serum is an extremely concentrated skin plumping superstar.  For the makeup and frangrance category, I opted for the 'mystery sample' and this is what I got (though I'm not sure what it was doing in that category), so it was a really beautiful surprise.
I love!

The glass dropper contains 4ml of the serum

Latest in Beauty operates on a pay as you go basis, and you are only charged once you have ordered your sample box. Once you've signed up, you'll not only have the chance to order your samples for only £1, but you'll also have access to product reviews, competitions and specials and of course the option to purchase the full sizes of your samples if you so happen to fall in love with them :)

Check out Latest in Beauty, if you're a beauty junkie on a budget I promise you'll love it.


Hannah Rose xxx

Advanced Night Repair

Last month I was lucky enough to nab one of the coveted tickets to the How To Get Into Beauty event at Marie Claire's London HQ. In association with Estee Lauder, the event was essentially an intereractive seminar featuring Marie Claire's Beauty and Style Director Lisa Oxenham, Estee Lauder's Communications Manager Anna Rozelaar and Global Makeup Artist for Estee Lauder,  Alan Pan. The event was interesting, informative and above all, lots of fun as Lisa and Anna gave guests invaluable insider advice and Alan did a fantastic makeup masterclass using Estee Lauder products.

After being inspired beyond belief by these fabulous people, we were reminded of the goodie bags waiting patiently under our seats (as if we'd forgotten) and it took all my strength not to peek inside until I was out of the building, up the road and on the underground.

As well as the October issue of Marie Claire, we also received some fantastic deluxe samples of Estee Lauder skincare and makeup. All the samples were gorgeous, but the two I was chomping at the bit to try were the  Serum and Eye Cream from the Advance Night Repair range.

The samples were very cute - a 7ml bottle and 5ml jar and both still have quite a lot of product remaining after being used religiously for over a month :)

The Advanced Night repair Synchronized Recovery Complex serum is an award winning formula that claims to do all kinds of fantastic things to the skin but above all, endeavours to improve the appearance of the signs of aging. 

Containing all the vital ingredients of the serum, the Advance Night Repair Synchronized Eye Recovery Complex gets to work on the delicate skin in the eye area, tackling fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness, dark circles, dryness and uneven skintone. Phew...

I've been using these two since I received them at the event and I can honestly say that the texture of my skin has definitely improved. To apply the serum, I pour a small amount onto the back of my left hand, then apply it with the fingers on my right. The funny thing is, the back of my left hand has become a lot softer, I'm guessing as a result of having the serum on it every night. Surely that's a good sign!

The eye treatment has a very slight chemically smell that I found a bit scary at first, but it is a pleasure to apply thanks to the silky, gel like texture of the product.

I really like these products, and I think they were a great addition to the goodie bags at the Marie Claire event. I think I'll be asking for the full sized serum for Christmas (£54 for 50ml)

A great example of the fact that samples lead to sales :)

Now, with a face full of Estee Lauder potions, I'm off to bed to let them work  their magic ;)

Thanks for reading!

Hannah Rose xxx