David Jones Beauty Tribe: Free Samples!

Hi guys! This post is all about the David Jones Beauty Tribe, which if you're a beauty lover, I hope you've joined! I'm pretty sure all I did was opt-in for the David Jones 'Beauty' emails, and now I receive ongoing offers in my inbox, and for a sample-loving beauty addict, um, I won't say no.

From Monday 14 November to Sunday 4 December, David Jones held their Beauty Tribe Event across Australia. Now if you're lucky enough to reside in the popular states (lol, *cries*), you would have been able to book in for complimentary makeup services, Masterclasses and treatments at the Elizabeth Street and Bourke Street Mall stores. There were also a whole heap of purchase offers, but let's not get crazy. This is all about getting stuff for free and getting colour-matched for expensive foundations so you can try them before buying.

At the Adelaide Central Plaza David Jones, I was able to redeem five of the offers I'd highlighted on my printout, so keep reading to see what I got! Sidenote - it's always a good idea to print out your Beauty Tribe offer email, and even click the links and bring up as much information about each offer as you can, print it out and bring that in-store, because as well-informed as some DJ's staff members are, others will have NFI what you're on about.

Chanel
Offer: Receive a complimentary Dimension de Chanel prestige sample

It's a mascara! (Yes, I obviously didn't know what the product would be, given the ambiguous title). It's in the shade 10 Noir and the Sales Assistant told me I'd love it; it's beautiful and has moisturising properties.

Elizabeth Arden
Offer: Receive a complimentary sample of Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer and a sample of your perfect shade of foundation.

The Elizabeth Arden lady was amazing! We tried numerous creams on my hand (including the aforementioned primer) and spoke in length about my love for Prevage. She colour-matched me for the two foundations and we discussed the benefits of each. One was a better colour match but the other one was more suited to my skin. In the end she gave me two Flawless Start Primer sachets, a packet of 7 Ceramide Daily Youth Restoring Serum Capsules, 3 sachets of Prevage Anti-Aging Intensive Repair Daily Serum, a sample pot of Prevage Anti-Aging Foundation in 01 and a sample pot of Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup in Alabaster. She was so lovely and I loved talking beauty with her!

La Prairie
Offer: Receive a complimentary colour match and personalised skincare consultation with samples to suit your needs

Unfortunately they didn't have any foundation samples available but the lady took my details to call me when they came in. La Prairie don't pump product into the sample pots like on the other counters, their samples come in the sachets. We did discuss my skin though and she gave me two sample tubes of Skin Caviar Eye Lift Cream, which I've used before and happens to be my Holy Grail eye cream. It used to be $380, then went up to $400, and now it's $415 for 20ml so it's a tad on the pricey side. LOL.

Laura Mercier
Offer: Be fitted with your correct foundation shade and you will receive a complimentary sample pot.

Had a lovely chat with the Laura Mercier lady about Typo and Mecca Maxima (and the LM makeup) and she gave me a sample pot of Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory. She was totes chill and didn't really colour match me, more-so guessing what my shade would be. I also mentioned I'm usually the lightest shade!

Lancome
Offer: Receive a complimentary foundation colour match of Teint Idole Ultra Foundation and a 10 day trial.

The Lancome lady was so helpful with regard to skintones and skincare concerns and blended like a pro whilst colour matching along my jaw and chin. We tried out a few different shades and she ended up giving me a Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate sachet, a sample pot of Tient Idole Ultra Foundation in O10 Beige Porcelaine and a sample pot of the same foundation in 02 Lys Rose.

I ran out of time after this and had to run off to meet hubby for lunch! But I'm super-impressed with the service, knowledge and friendliness of the staff and am so grateful for all the samples I received. Can't wait to try everything!

You can register for Beauty Tribe emails down the bottom of this page.

You may be interested in Free Samples: You Beauty!

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Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with David Jones and don't gain anything by anyone joining. I just wanted to point out the Beauty Tribe to beauty lovers. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

How do you feel about free samples?

Skincare Routine Update!

I haven't done a Skincare Update post in quite a while, so what better time than the present? Experiencing an extended period of shitty breakouts a few months ago really made me re-assess my skincare routine (or lack thereof!). After switching up a few products and sticking to a morning and nightly skincare routine, my skin is clear and looking pretty healthy on the whole. I'm not going to lie, I am using a lot of different products right now (partly because I'm trying to use up my samples). Most of them are geared towards either clearing and preventing breakouts or anti-aging, as those are my two main concerns. Here's what I'm slapping on every day....

I use Lush Ultrabland Cleanser (see my review here) when I don't have any spots. It leaves my skin feeling plumped out and super-soft. The thick, oily texture means I have to remove it with a washcloth, but it's totally worth the extra effort. When my skin's playing up, I cleanse with Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser (Blemish-Prone Skin) which is an amazing gel that clears my breakouts up fast. I would highly recommend this cleanser if you have problem skin.

Again, I alternate between two products when it comes to Toner. My old favourite is TN Dickinson's WitchHazel which I love for the super-cheap price (around $6) and its ability to minimise my pores and clear my skin. I also use, albeit less frequently, The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Toner. Anyone else love the smell of tea tree, or is it just me? Confession time! When I can't be stuffed cleansing before bed, I actually use one of these toners to remove my makeup. Hey, it hasn't killed me yet!

I've pretty much switched from gritty to liquid exfoliants now. The two products I'm using are Alpha-H Liquid Gold and Paula's Choice Resist Daily Pore-Refining Treatment (with 2% BHA) both of which are pretty potent, so I only use them every two to three days. I like keeping my skin on its toes by using Liquid Gold before bed, then in a few days I'll use the Paula's Choice exfoliant, and so on and so forth. Although Liquid Gold isn't classified as an exfoliant (it's marketed more as an acid toner), that's the way I see it. It's actually a treatment containing Glycolic Acid and licorice that firms, revitalises and boosts radiance. The Glycolic extract does exfoliate, but I really appreciate the multitude of skin concerns Liquid Gold addresses. When a product reduces fine lines, tightens my skin, makes it glow, reduces pigmentation, smooths, clears and makes me look younger, I will keep using it.

So many eye creams (mainly samples)! I love trying lots of eye creams, even though I know my Holy Grail is La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift, a true miracle worker. I've not featured it here because I only use it for special occasions; I have a tiny amount left in a sample tube and the full version costs $380 for 20ml. I just can't bring myself to buy it yet. I've been using La Prairie Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex instead, which has a watery consistency and is still effective. I've also been enjoying Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging Eye Cream and Philosophy Renewed Hope In A Jar Eye, both of these do work well. FreezeFrame Revitaleyes (which I wrote about in Five Fabulous Faves) has also been improving my under-eye area, and once a week I use Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisture Cream (not pictured) under my eyes for an added moisture boost.

I am loving facial serums at the moment! I'm using a number of different products, basically just depending on how I'm feeling that day. And again, I'm working my way through the various samples I've accumulated. La Prairie is a favourite brand of mine (why do they have to be so expensive, though?!) and the La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster is great. Their products work so well. Since hubby bought me the Elizabeth Arden GWP a few months ago (blogged about here) I'm falling more in love with this brand. I'm really enjoying the Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti-Aging + Intensive Repair Daily Serum, with the Flawless Future Powered By Ceramide Caplet Serum a close runner-up.

Every morning I pop on Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Firm and Reflect Moisturizer half an hour before applying my makeup, as it needs that amount of time to properly absorb. I love the way this makes my skin look as it really does give my face a firmer appearance. Nightly, I use Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered By Ceramide Night Cream, another winner in my book. About twice per week I'll use Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rejuvenating Cream before bed instead, but not on a night where I've used Liquid Gold itself, as it might be a bit much for my skin. This cream is pretty sticky and I wouldn't even attempt to use it under makeup!

My go-to for any spots is Paula's Choice Clear Daily Skin Clearing Treatment, which I bought as part of the Clear Extra Strength Kit. This range is amazing and completely cleared up my persistent breakouts. I rarely need to use this anymore, but I like knowing I have it on hand, just in case. If you're interested in purchasing from Paula's Choice, you can use my link to get $15 off your first order, and I'll get $15 credited to my account!

I'm not really using Face Masks at the moment, because I don't love any of the ones I have. However I have found a few sample sachets and once-off masks in my stash (hello SK-II Facial Treatment Mask) so I might bring back Pamper Sunday!

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Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me, my husband or were free samples I got instore or with online orders. All opinions are my own. Using my Paula's Choice link means you get $15 off your first order and I get $15 credited to my account.

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A Spot of Shopping!

I had an appointment in the city yesterday, which basically meant one thing: shopping! I only had 1.5 hours free before my lunch date with hubby, then the return bus trip to pick up my son from school, but it's amazing what you can do in a limited amount of time if you rarely get into the city!

La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster free sample pack

First stop, the David Jones beauty counters. Specifically, the La Prairie section to ask if the Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster samples were in. YES THEY WERE! I think the lady remembered me, my email offer and my enthusiastic questions about the Skin Caviar range from last time (see Free Samples: You Beauty!). I was pleasantly surprised to find an Anti-Aging Eye and Lip Contour Cream in the sample packet, too! I can't wait to try these two out. I'm already in love with the eye cream samples she gave me last time although the price tag can eat a bag of dicks (Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream, $380 for 20ml).

I then went over and smelled the YSL Paris perfumes. Parisienne is one of my all-time favourite scents. I noticed a pink-coloured Paris (not Baby Doll, which I find sickly sweet) and the Sales Assistant said it was a Limited Edition release (Premieres Roses I later discovered thanks to the Google machine). She tried to sell it to me, but I took the sample she sprayed onto a pink ribbon instead!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation sample in Cool Bone

I then hit up Estee Lauder and enquired about the Double Wear foundation. I got colour-matched, and the Sales Assistant applied some along my jaw-line after removing some of my makeup. I internalised my psychological trauma and coped by asking 1637 questions about my undertones, because I'll be buggered if I can work out what they are! Apparently, I'm cool and neutral. Hey, you don't have to tell me I'm cool. lololol. She gave me a generous sample of Double Wear in Cool Bone to try out. Can't wait to see how it compares to my everyday foundation, Revlon Colorstay.

Various sparkly earrings from Lovisa

Hello Lovisa! When you enter a jewellery store, what do you make a beeline for? My eye goes straight to the earrings. And the '3 for $10' rack! I spent way too long perusing the shiny pieces, and finally decided upon six items, which would set me back only $20. Most of them had multiple earrings on them too, so I was pretty chuffed. 

Priceline haul: loving nude shades lately!

Priceline next, to redeem the '$10 off when you spend $50 or more in the Gawler Place store' email offer I had received. I'm completely shocked and amazed that I managed to resist getting the recent SkinCare Bag deal, like so shocked and amazed that I went ahead and spent $50 on this offer without a second thought. Hang on, aren't I supposed to be resisting these deals, because I don't need anything? Aah, stuff it. It only came to $40 after the offer anyway. Here's what I got:

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair Clair

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Honey Beige

Clean & Clear Advantage Fast Clearing Spot Gel

Essence Blush Up! in Heat Wave

Essence Long-Lasting Lipstick in Oh So Matt!

Essence I <3 Trends Nail Polish in I'm So Fluffy

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Free Samples, You Beauty!

Last week I was lucky enough to receive a press release from Lush inviting me to trial a couple of their face masks, and since they require refrigeration, I had to go in-store to pick them up. Now, I hardly ever venture into the city (there's only one Lush store in Adelaide and I have to take an hour-long bus ride to get there!) so I thought I'd make it worthwhile by redeeming all my saved up beauty sample email offers at the same time. I've found it's usually just the city department stores that redeem them, as I've tried at suburban ones, with only occasional success.

You may know that I'm on a never-ending quest to find my Holy Grail eye cream. This magical lotion will be a multi-tasking extraordinaire. It will improve my dark circles, puffiness and fine lines simultaneously and magnificently. I recently bought the Thalgo Exception Ultime Time Solution for Eyes and Lips (blogged in this SkinCare Shopping Spree post), and while it's good, it's not great. And it's nowhere near Holy Grail status. So I visited the beauty counters at David Jones and received fantastic, friendly and professional customer service (unlike this recent Bobbi Brown Customer Service Fail), gained a wealth of knowledge and came away with an array of beauty samples to suit my specific needs. My main aim is to try all these wonderful creams and hopefully discover a Holy Grail product that I fall in love with, because it just works that well. Trialling samples gives me the opportunity to discover if I like a product before forking out for the full size. Most of these products are quite expensive, so it's smart to try it first before buying! Yes, I scored a nice pile of freebies, but if I find something I can't live without, I'll go back and buy the full product. And then I'll cry, especially if it's the Chantecaille Stress Repair Concentrate, because that's $254 for 15mls.

I visited Lush in the Myer Centre first, to select my face masks for an upcoming blog post (look out for it in a couple of weeks!). The Sales Assistant was so friendly and helpful, trying out masks on my hands as we discussed my skincare concerns and what problems I wished to address. I didn't even ask for a sample, but she offered to include an Ultra Bland Cleanser sample for me, which is great because it's a cult product and I've never tried it before!

Next up, Mecca Cosmetica. This visit was to check out their eye creams, in particular the Perricone MD Cold Plasma Eye and the Blue Plasma Eye Orbital. When the Sales Assistant asked if I needed help, I told her I was looking for a multitasking eye cream that would first and foremost address fine lines, followed by dark circles and puffiness. She suggested the Chantecaille Stress Repair Concentrate and made up a little sample pot for me, which should last a week. All of these products have received great reviews on the Mecca site, so I can't wait to try the Stress Repair, and I'm still curious about the Perricone MD plasma products!

 


I had an email offer for a 7 day supply of Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules from David Jones, so off I went. I love the gorgeous gold packaging of this little flip-top pot, and I don't know what it is about those little capsules, but they just excite me. This sort of thing seems so luxurious to me, and they're just so motherflipping cute! I think it's the novelty factor, too. The Sales Assistant couldn't wait to show me the anti-ageing range (DO I LOOK THAT OLD?!) and lo and behold, led me straight to the Prevage range, which was on my list to ask about. She tried everything on my (by this stage, very well-moisturised and pampered) hands and then gave me a sample pot of Prevage Anti-Aging Eye Cream SPF15. I'm so happy, because I've been wanting to try this much-hyped range for ages! She did try to sell me a discounted Prevage gift set, but I'm not going to spend a lot of money on something I haven't tried out on my face first.

The Philosophy Sales Assistant was full of helpful tips, like applying an eye serum under your eye cream helps the active ingredients penetrate deeper into your skin, giving you better results, and that the only way to get rid of milia is via a Beauty Therapist, who will lance them out. The horror! We talked a lot about my skincare concerns and she gave me a range of product samples, called things like Time In A Bottle and Miracle Worker (lol) to try out.

The actual Philosophy samples I received:
- Miracle Worker Miraculous Anti-Aging Moisturizer
- Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes
- Time In A Bottle Daily Age-Defying Serum
- Time In A Bottle For Eyes Daily Age-Defying Eye Serum

Lastly, I headed over to the La Prairie counter to redeem my email offer for a sample of the new Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster. I was pretty excited because I love La Prairie products (the Skin Caviar range in particular) and the results it gives me, the only downside is the price tag, so I was interested to try the Rapid Response for free. I was disappointed when the Sales Assistant said the samples hadn't arrived in-store yet. She was so nice and very apologetic, as they were supposed to have arrived the week before. She took my number to call me once they arrived and gave me two samples of the Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream and two of the Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex, which I was so grateful for. I love the Skin Caviar products (here's my review of the Skin Caviar Liquid Lift) and can't wait to try the targeted eye cream samples.

Have you tried any great samples lately? Have you loved a sample so much you went on to buy the product?

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Review: La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift

La Prairie Skin Caviar Liquid Lift

La Prairie is a luxe anti-ageing skincare brand originating from Switzerland. La Prairie say they "harness ingredients both rare and beneficial. Today, with cutting edge biotechnology and our patented cellular complex, the formulations have become the most luxurious on earth."

I've tried three products from this brand: Cellular Time Release Moisturizer, Skin Caviar Luxe Cream and the subject of this review, Skin Caviar Liquid Lift. My favourites by far are the two products from the Skin Caviar range.

Floating yellow beads

What  La Prairie say about Liquid Lift: "A lifting phenomenon. Next generation Skin Caviar Liquid Lift is a gravity defying serum that lifts, firms and provides long-lasting effects. With a look that pays homage to our iconic skin caviar pearls, this formula contains scientific advancements that create exceptional results. Past damage recedes as existing cells are rejuvenated, and new ones are super-charged, nourished and protected. Skin appears lifted and taut. Skin Caviar Liquid Lift epitomises science and luxury, the heart and soul of the skin caviar collection."

Very important activation instructions!

Liquid Lift comes in a silver and blue pump dispenser bottle with a clear window at the front that you can see the product through. Round yellow beads float hypnotically on one side and the emulsion is housed on the other side of the bottle. These two must be mixed together by pressing the activator button (located around the neck of the bottle) quite firmly. You then shake the bottle vigorously to blend it all together and create your luxurious Liquid Lift skin caviar serum.

After beads and emulsion have mixed

The first thing I noticed after dispensing this product was the distinctive smell. It's not your usual skincare fragrance, in fact it's unlike anything I've smelled before. I'm pretty sure this is what the Skin Caviar Luxe Cream smelled like, too (I finished my pot ages ago, so I'm relying on my shoddy memory). That makes sense, since they are both from the skin caviar collection. It's impossible to describe the aroma, and some people may not like it, but I'm addicted to it (I think it's because I associate the smell with how lovely it feels going on).

This is certainly a high end product; one look at the La Prairie website will reveal it costs a pretty penny (I'd suggest sitting down). However, it feels aah-mazing when you apply Liquid Lift, and a little goes a long way. It feels like I'm spoiling my skin with an uber-luxurious treatment. The serum itself is thin, lightweight and quickly absorbed. It's a sparkly gel-like substance with a slight yellow tinge that leaves my skin with a healthy looking glow. My pores are barely noticeable and my skin feels soft and ultra-smooth after application. It seems to bring everything together and tighten any saggy skin, giving a much more youthful appearance to my face. I love the way this makes my skin look and am very impressed with the results. 

My favourite way to use this is to apply it before bed, particularly on the night before an event. It's always a confidence boost to wake up with radiant, firm, alive-looking and super-soft skin the day of a big event. For daily use, I apply it before my moisturiser. It provides a great base for makeup and you don't have to worry about foundation or concealer balling up over it. That being said, I've never tried applying makeup directly after Liquid Lift, as it's best to follow up with a moisturiser after using this serum. If you hadn't already guessed, I really love this as an anti-ageing product and would recommend it to anyone in their 30's, 40's and beyond!

Disclaimer: I won three La Prairie products including Liquid Lift, and was also sent a 10ml Liquid Lift from La Prairie. This review is my honest opinion.

SkinCare Routine: April 2013

Here's what I'm currently cleansing with and slapping on my face!

CLEANSING
Formula 10.0.6 Three Times Sublime 3 in 1 Blackhead Wash/Scrub/Mask
Olay Total Effects Cream Cleanser
LUSH Sweet Lips Lip Scrub
LUSH Ocean Salt Facial Scrub

SAMPLES I'm trialling ........
Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera
Trilogy Gentle Facial Exfoliant

MOISTURISERS/TREATMENTS
T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Olay Total Effects Anti-Ageing Cream
Clinique Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel
Olay Anti-Ageing Eye Cream
La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream

Disclaimer: All products were either bought by me, won by me or free as part of a Gift With Purchase.