Do you remember my Rainbow of Samples™ (just kidding it’s not trademarked, but maybe it should be?) stash that I’d been working through?? I know, it’s been awhile since I’ve shared a new one – whoops! I’ve been working through it, I just hadn’t gotten around to putting the posts together so I’ll hopefully have a few to share sooner rather than later this time. These posts might be more for me than anything as I find they keep me accountable for actually trying the samples out that I receive. And it’s not that I don’t want to try them out, I just forget or save them for like a special occasion or something? Who knows, but I do know that I have so many amazing products to try out so I thought I’d keep sharing my first impressions in case any of these are items you’ve been curious about too.  

The next color I’ve got in my rainbow of samples line up is: GOLD. Such a pretty, warm and rich color, isn’t it?? The color gold is said to be associated with illumination, love, compassion, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom. It’s the color of glitz, glam, grandeur, and prosperity. Gold of course is also a metal element and interestingly is the only metal that is actually yellow or golden in color. Apparently other metals might have the hue, but only after oxidation or reaction with other metals. Another super fun gold fact is that nearly all the gold on the Earth came from meteorites that bombarded the planet over 200 million years after the planet formed – SO cool!

I could go on and on with factoid sharing, but I’ll leave you with my sample first impressions instead. Read on for the samples from my stash that are as good as gold:

1 – Shea Moisture Strengthen & Restore Leave-in Conditioner

This one’s more like a smoothing cream to me rather than a traditional leave-in conditioner. It’s nice and it’s light and it smells good too. It didn’t seem to weigh my hair down too much, but it didn’t do much to enhance my natural waves either – So maybe it was a bit heavy for my fine hair waves? 

Would I buy: I already have both a leave-in and a smoothing cream that I really like, so probably not.

2 – Face n Earth Acne and Scar Serum

This serum is lightweight and feels soothing on skin.  It’s oil free and made with things like aloe, salicylic acid and tea tree. It smells a hint medicinal (in a good way), but with a citrus undertone. The scent isn’t overpowering at all. I haven’t  used long enough to know how effective it is at reducing scaring, but it didn’t cause my skin to breakout or cause irritation.  

Would I buy: Perhaps? I’m going to keep trying the sample more long term to see if any scaring or acne redness fades over time.

3 – Face n Earth Colloidal Silver Green Tea Chamomile Toner

This smells nice and light, like chamomile and herbs. It leaves skin feeling clean, and fresh. It’s made with 84% organic ingredients. It’s said to have a calming effect for inflamed skin. 

Would I buy: I like the ingredient combo in this one so there’s a good chance.

4 – De Mamiel Revitalizing Body Serum

Oh, this smells sooo good! Is it lilac and citrus? That’s the first impression but as it wears it’s just like this nice comforting warm floral scent. I looked it up after using and apparently it’s scent comes from the oils of Lemon, Orange, Rose and Sandalwood. It absorbs nicely and leaves skin feeling moisturized. A fun addition is that it has gold shimmer in it so would be especially nice for summer skin. The shimmer is very subtle and just gives a boost to the glow. 

Would I buy: Yes definitely! This is such a wonderful body oil! It’s on my list for when I run out of the others I’m using.

5 – 100% Pure Yuzu & Pomelo Glossing Shampoo

There wasn’t enough of a sample in this one for full wash with the amount of hair I have unfortunately so I can’t totally say how this made my hair feel. The shampoo itself has a thinner, runnier texture but still sudsed nicely. It has a light and fruity smell. And for what hair I could wash with it, it felt clean and maybe a bit bouncier? But it’s unclear since I didn’t have enough to cover my whole head.  

Would I buy: Maybe. I really like other 100% Pure shampoos that I’ve tried so I’m sure this one is good too and I’m always looking to give my hair more shine.

6 – Not Your Mother’s Naturals Royal Honey & Kalahari Desert Melon Repair + Protect Butter Hair Masque

This hair mask has a thick and rich texture, but not like a butter, more like mayo.  It smells nice – sweet with a woodsy and slightly spicy undertone, kind of like how palo santo smells? The only downside to the scent is that it comes from added fragrance – something I always try to avoid. I still decided to try though. I only needed to use about 1/3 of packet. My hair felt thick and unruly before applying and this calmed it down as soon as it was applied. It was easy to comb through locks too. When rinsing it almost felt like some residue was left behind? I mean it still feels clean, so maybe it’s just the moisturization? It doesn’t bother me, I’m just used to a more squeaky clean feeling. Out of the shower it combed out ok, but still felt like I needed to spritz leave-in. I think it did actually make hair a bit shinier. 

Would I buy: I like the smell and ease of use of this one, but I don’t like the added fragrance so probably not.

7 – Element Ayurvedic Apothecary Prana Nasya Oil

Ok, I didn’t realize the intended use for this was a nose oil and now I wish I did because I think I used it up already and I have dry nostrils often – whoops! I ended up using it like a body oil instead, which I think is still ok as it seems multi-purpose. It has a warm smokey citrus scent, like roasted citrus or like candied citrus so it brings out the rich side of the fruit aroma. Interestingly, it doesn’t have any citrus oils in it, it just smells that way to me. It almost feels warming as you’re rubbing it into skin. It’s hydrating and not greasy. It’s enriched with 3 herbs to benefit the mind, nervous system, and breathing passages and it’s aroma alone does just that so I’m sure the oils help when applied around the nose too. 

Would I buy: Yes, I will definitely be purchasing this one after the warm months pass. I need to try this as a nostril treatment.

8 – Moss Beurre Celeste Rinsable Cleansing Balm

This cleanser is so, so nice. It’s a honey-infused cleansing balm that softens to a thicker oil consistency when applied to skin. When you add water it kind of turns to a milky texture and easily rinses off. It smells light and like sweet citrus. My skin felt clean but not stripped of moisture. It made my skin feel taken care of and soothed.

Would I buy: Yes, I definitely want to order this one! I love any skincare that has honey it it, plus it just made my skin feel really nice. This one’s on my list.

9 – Blade + Bloom Rich Face Polish

This is a loose powder face polish. It has a pretty fine texture so it was a bit hard to manage without making a mess on the first try. It’s make-up and texture are similar to that of a face mask and I think you could use it as that too. The finer texture makes for a nice gentle exfoliation, not abrasive. 

Would I buy: I have a handful of other exfoliators that I like, so probably not.

10 – Blade + Bloom Rich Face Balm

I didn’t end up using this on my face because it contains coconut oil and I prefer not to use that on my face, but I did try it on my hands and it’s very moisturizing. It smells nice too – an earthy floral. It’s made with neroli, rose, lavender, frankincense and clary sage essential oils. If I were to use this on my face I would use at night since it’s a denser healing balm. 

Would I buy: No, unfortunately because of the coconut oil I’d have to pass, but it does seem like a lovely moisturizing product.

11 – Blade + Bloom Rich Face Mist

This toner is light, yet feels moisturizing. I’m guessing it has extra hydrating ingredients bc it just feels a bit smoother than some toners when applied which is really nice (yep, checked after I noted that and it has aloe vera and glycerin on the ingredient list). It also smells nice and light too, a bit floral – from the essential oils of lavender, rose, geranium, frankincense, juniper and fennel.

Would I buy: Yes, I always use a toner and I like toners that feel instantly hydrating.

12 – Blade + Bloom Rich Cleansing Oil

This is really nice! It smells amazing, like crisp and tart floral.(Yep, checked and it has citrus, lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils- SO good!) I’d call it a vintage floral garden scent, not like an antique grandma scent, but like a lush garden that’s not as common these days. It has a velvety texture, it’s smooth and you don’t need much to cleanse whole face.   My skin feels clean, but not stripped of moisture. It also feels refreshed. I had no breakouts or irritation from this, I’d even say my skin looks a tiny bit less inflamed the next morning. 

Would I buy: Yes for sure! It’s on my list when my current oil cleanser runs out.

13 – Element Ayurvedic Apothecary Ignite Rosemary Citrus Mist

This smells wonderful! It’s easy to use and you can use it for so many things – aura mist, body mist, linen mist, etc. The scent is light, crips and refreshing. It’s meant to be warm, stimulating and motivating – so good for morning use. I wouldn’t say it lingers a super long time which can be viewed as good or bad I guess, but I still really like it. I love that it’s also energized with crystals over a complete moon cycle for bonus healing energies.

Would I buy: I have trouble waking up in the morning so maybe I need this? I’ll put it on my list!

14 – Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Peach

This is interesting, it looks bright orange/yellow in tube, then looks like an orange peach sheer gloss if swatched on hand, but when I put on cheeks it turns a nice warm coral color. It’s like a chameleon! If applied to lips it’s a bright coral. I think it enhances natural lip color so it brightens it and warms it up while adding medium gloss. It’s not too glossy on cheeks and not too sticky either. It would be good for a simple summer look. On lips it feels moisturizing and not sticky either. It has a slight fruit-like scent to it, which I don’t think is really necessary, but whatever. It’s a little hard to wipe off hand and lips. I found the color had staying power, which is a good sign for long wear.  

Would I buy: Maybe? I don’t really need a product like this right now but I do like coral colored cosmetics, so I’ll keep it in mind.

15 – Dr Hauschka Lip Care Stick

Has a more waxy consistency, or less creamy is what I’m trying to say. It looks yellow-ish in tube but that doesn’t contribute any color to lips, it’s a sheer semi gloss when applied. My lips feel moisturized, but the wear is a slight bit stiff if that makes sense? On downside is there is added fragrance for some reason. It does smell good though like lemon, like a floral lemon.   

Would I buy: No, I have plenty of lip treatments that I already use and really like.

16 – Nua Natural Co Tapajos Oil

This body oil is lightweight and absorbs into skin well. It has a light, nutty, earthy scent. It uses Copaiba and Andiroba oils which is unique. Or at least to me it is, I’ve never heard of these oils before. They are well known for being anti-inflammatory and can help soothe muscle and joint pain. I can’t say for sure if this helped any muscle aches, but it feels nice and soothing to skin.

Would I buy: Maybe? I’d need to test it further to see if it has results for sore muscles.

That’s all for now! Another orange batch of samples coming your way soon. And if you’re interested in previous sample reviews you can check the rest of the rainbow out here.