Happy Birthday from Estee Lauder: My Birthday treats

Today is my birthday! I was so excited to receive a card in the post from Estée Lauder to wish me a happy birthday and tell me that I was invited to get a special birthday treat from my local counter. The card entitled me to a surprise sample gift along with a complimentary beauty look for both myself and a friend!

Being a fan of Estée Lauder, of course I wanted to pop along to the counter and make use of my lovely little surprise! I stopped by with a friend, but as the systems were down, we weren’t able to book in for a complimentary look at that time. Nevertheless, the lady on the counter selected some lovely surprise samples for me to take home and try.

I was really excited to have a good look at the products and also try them out. I used to use bits and bobs from Estée Lauder’s skincare range years ago, and I used to also wear Double Wear foundation until my skin became too sensitive to it. Included in the samples were; Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara, Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, Advanced Night Micro Cleansing  Balm, Modern Muse Eau de Parfum and Modern Muse Nuit Eau de Parfum.

Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara
I always find it hard to find a mascara that I really love, so when I saw that one of the samples was a mascara that I hadn’t tried before, I was really keen to test it out. The mascara wand is quite chunky and tapers in to the tip to allow you to get to those shorter inner corner lashes. The brush is made from real bristles consisting of flexible and fibres to deliver the formula and solid fibres to comb and separate lashes to avoid clumpy, overdone lashes. Bonus points already! The mascara promises to life, curve and volumise with it’s formula blend of three high-volume fibres and mousse light base. It’s fortified with conditioning lash-advancing vitamin complex too. I like to make my own judgements first by trying out a formula before reading what it actually promises to do, so here’s what I thought initially – it’s a lovely formula that isn’t too wet or dry and is seriously black which I love. I have naturally blonde lashes and this coated them beautifully for my in-between lash tint stage. I found that the brush really clung onto my lashes and hugged them tight as I applied the formula, my lashes appeared to be lifted and gently volumised, whilst looking a little longer. I also noticed that this mascara didn’t budge all day which is a big bonus. I often find myself having to wear waterproof mascaras to stop that happening, but this formula was great and wasn’t too hard to remove at the end of the day either.

Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II
This is somewhat of a cult product. Most beauty loving girls will have tried this formula out before or at the very least, seen several raving reviews of how great it is. I applied this to my cleansed, dry skin and was immediately surprised by the consistency. For some reason, I was expecting more of an oily formula even though I knew this was a serum. A little went a long way and the serum absorbed into my face nicely without that sticky residue that some serums leave behind that I find a little unsavoury. The serum is suitable for all skin types and claims to reduce the look of all key signs of ageing. From dry skin and fine lines and wrinkles to dullness and loss of radiance. The complex is also oil-free, dermatologist tested, ophthalmologist tested and is non-comedogenic so won’t clog pores. I can’t give you a verdict on whether this works or not just yet, but I can tell you that I enjoyed my first application and will continue to use the full sample. It also got the thumbs up from my mum, and my Dad who was begrudgingly forced to try it out. All in the name of beauty!

Advanced Night Micro Cleansing Balm
Cleansing balms are a great way to gently remove makeup, oil and dirt from the skin at the end of your day. They’re usually a balm texture that turns into an oil when worked into the skin that gently melts makeup away. What I noticed about this balm is that I had to use quite a bit to make it fluid enough to massage around my face without any drag or feel of heaviness. The only balm I can compare this to is the Eve Lom Balm Cleanser as it’s the only one that I’ve used before. In comparison, I felt that I needed to use less of the Eve Lom Balm Cleanser to get that ‘slip’ to what I did with Lauder’s offering, but the Lauder balm did feel really nourishing on my skin too.

The balm is described as micro-purifying and micro-revitalising. I had to use it several times to take my makeup off, but I was wearing a waterproof mascara. I think I would enjoy using this balm more as a finishing product in my makeup removal routine rather than the main product to remove my makeup.

Modern Muse Eau de Parfum
Modern Muse is a pretty floral scent – not the usual type of scent I go for. Described as ‘an alluring contrast of sparkling florals and sleek, sensual woods.’ I can see why they describe it this way as it’s a pretty accurate image the scent creates once you smell it. The perfume seems to linger for a good while after applying which I think is great, but it’s not the type of scent I’d choose to wear. You’ll probably like this if you like scents like Lacoste’s Touch of Pink.

Notes include: Exotic Mandarin, Honeysuckle Nectar, Dewy Petals, Jasmin Sambac, China Absolute, Tuberose Fleur Firnat, Fresh Lily, Patchouli Coeur, Patchouli Crist, Amber Wood, Soft Musk, Madagascar Vanilla SFE.

Modern Muse Nuit Eau de Parfum
I always find that I’m ‘that girl’ that tends to like the darker side of perfumes. From YSL’s La Nuit de L`Homme Le Parfum (I know, this is men’s and it’s what I buy for my dad because it smells divine!) to Black Opium, I enjoy an intensely, deep-scented perfume from time to time. Anything musky, sensual and flirty hooks me immediately, so as soon as I sprayed this perfume, I instantly loved it. Described as being ‘drenched in glamour, inspired by mysterious opulence and intense luxury’ it’s everything I desire in a scent and it’s absolutely addictive. With notes of Rum Accord, Jasmine Absolute, Sandalwood, Musk and Amber, the deeply rich scent will be perfect for an evening out or special event. This is definitely a perfume I’d be happy to recommend and even add to my carefully picked selection of signature favourites. If you like scents like Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb, I think you’d enjoy this one too.

Thank you Estée Lauder for the gorgeous Birthday treats!

© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2017.