Bag o' Samples

Daisymayrobin gave me a big ol' bag of make-up samples from Nordstrom a couple weeks ago! What a sweetheart!! I was so excited that I screamed like a "Woooo girl". Then I collected myself and promised some reviews.

Always eager to try new foundation, I started out by testing the Smashbox Sheer Tinted Moisturizer. The sample color was Luminous. I planned to test it for a week.

The tinted moisturizer didn't have a bad smell, which was good. However, it seemed kind of thick and didn't apply as smoothly as my Lorac Breakthrough Performance Foundation. It was also not as moisturizing (which is weird, since it's a moisturizer), so my face seemed slightly less oily and I didn't need to blot as much as usual.

The color match was ok on my skin, although I would choose a lighter tone if I were going to buy it. It was rather sheer and natural looking. I was actually kind of happy with it as I kept checking it throughout the day. But then at the end of the first day of testing, I noticed a small blemish on my chin. Ack! A coincidence?

I took a break and my chin cleared up (this was a tiny blemish, but a zit nonetheless.) So, a coulpe days later, I decided to give the tinted moisturizer another go. Again, I thought it looked ok and thought maybe I'd buy it and put it in my foundation rotation (hee, that rhymes!). But then...I went to the bathroom before I left work for the day and looked in the mirror...and there was another pimple! Damn! Fool me once, tinted moisturizer, shame on you. Fool me twice and you get a one way ticket to the garbage can. Hasta la bye-bye, as my old boss used to say.

After reading the reviews on Makeup Alley, I see that a lot of other people reported skin eruptions after using this product. So it's not a winner and I'm not even going to use up the rest of the tiny sample tube. But, on the bright side, it's one less foundation type product that I have to wonder about, and that is priceless.