Sample-icious: The Search for the Perfect Moisturizer

Fact: People love free stuff. Trust me I know. I work in Minor League Baseball and anytime we have a giveaway, people go crazy for it! Being a human being, I can't say I'm much different. And as a female, free samples are one of our favoirte things! A long time ago when I found out that if you order online at Sephora, you can get 3 free samples with every order, I was instantly hooked! It's funny because if you know me, you probably know that I'm the type of girl that doesn't care much about my appearance on a day to day basis. Sure I shower, brush my teeth and comb my hair but I definitely choose sleep over any sort of rigid morning beauty routine. I'm always arriving places with a wet head and a naked face. However, if I actually have time, say on a Saturday off or before going out at night, I turn into any other girl, going the full hair, makeup and lotion routine. So while it can be rare, I still love sampling all sorts of products and investing in the ones I find worthwhile. Through all of my shopoholic ordering on Sephora.com, I've accumulated quite a collection of samples and haven't truly had the time to try them all out. I hope to change that in the near future and will post my thoughts and reviews on here.

Everybody Mosturizes:

Even someone such as myself who doesn't have much of a daily beauty routine beyond the basics needs a reliable mositurizer. One day a few years ago, I was going on an interview in New York City and of course I was crazy early because I didn't want to get lost in the big city. I noticed that my face was really dry that day so I wondered into a Sephora on my way to the interview. I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money because I just needed a dab to swipe on my face. I found a small bottle of Clinque Dramatically Different Moisturizer. After using it, I fell in love, bought a full size bottle and that became my go to face lotion ever since. Recently I decided I wanted to test the waters to see if there was something else out there. As much as I love my Dramatically Different Moisturizer, it doesn’t include an SPF which I’ve read is an important component to have in a daily face cream. That way if you’re not at an outdoor event where you would consciously put sunscreen on such as the beach or a picnic, you still have some protection. Along with some various free samples I’ve stocked up on, I also bought a Moisturizer Sampler from Sephora that had sample tubes of various best sellers. I’m starting to try them one by one to see if I am ready to make the leap into changing my daily moisturizer.

Moisturizer #1:


Korres Wild-Rose 24 Hour Moisturizer SPF 6, price $35 for 1.4 oz

The first one I decided to try was Korres Wild-Rose 24 Hour Moisturizer. While the sample came in a tube, it appears that the full size product comes in a jar. That may hold me back slightly just because I’m not a big fan of using products that come in a pot or jar. When I dip my fingers in, I always get lotion or lip balm stuck in my finger nails when using products that come packaged in this way. If I really loved it though, I suppose I would still get it. It has an SPF of 6 which isn’t much, but I think is perfect for a daily moisturizer. It’s $35 for 1.4 oz which is a little expensive but we will see how it compares to other similar products.

From the first time I used this product, I was a big fan. When you squirt it on your finger (remember the sample did come in a tube even if the full size product doesn’t), you instantly smell a light rose scent that is very pleasant but wouldn’t overwhelm your perfume, body spray or body lotion. It also has a light feel to it which is perfect for a moisturizer. You definitely don’t want a heavy face lotion that feels like a mud mask when you put it on. The Korres Wild-Rose was very easy to apply and rub in and it leaves your face feeling smooth and soft. The description on Sephora’s website reads:

"An extraordinary, 24-hour intensive moisturizer for normal and dry skin, Wild Rose has a rich, yet light texture and a unique blossom scent, plus whitening wild rose oil and an SPF 6 to help prevent brown spots caused by sun damage."

I agree that this is an accurate portrayal of the product and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested. The sample only got me through a few days, but I think it was enough to put it on my list of maybes. I’m excited to try more of my samples and eventually choose my next daily moisturizer!