New Blog Section and Nuxe Sampler Set

The tail-end of 2015 brought me some exciting turn of events. I’ll explain more later, but those changes are also spurring me into action. I’ve been thinking of adding a new type of entry to this blog since June of last year, and January 2016 has that inspiring ring to it. New year, new stuff, right? For this latest addition, I’ll start by setting up the context.

When you buy beauty products, you tend to amass samples. It started with a couple of Korean products here and there, but the Western brands are not be left behind. Add to that the generous gifting of family and friends, and you end up with a drawer of all sorts of samples that just sit there.

In trying to curb my spending for 2016, I’ve decided to use up everything in my stash, but not to let the experience go to waste. I’ll be trying samples and sharing my first impressions of these products, starting with a sampler set from the newly-launched Nuxe Philippines.

Last year, I was lucky to have won this 8-piece travel set from an Instagram contest of Nuxe. I’ve been looking into the explosion of French beauty brands in the market, and this came to me in such a timely fashion. I got to experience their moisturizers and bestsellers, and below are my first impressions/mini-reviews of each product.

Ingredients

Crème fraîche de beauté® 24HR Soothing and Moisturising Cream

Creme Fraiche de Beaute is the firmest moisturizer among the samples. I’m not sure if I’m describing this right, but it is the most colloidal. It’s a white cream that stays puffy and maintains its shape. The scent is powdery and herbal, like rosemary or something similar. The effect is satiny.

Nirvanesque® Smoothing Cream 1st Wrinkles

Cream-colored Nirvanesque has a clean, slightly-fruity scent. It’s the thickest of the moisturizers without crossing over to the oilier, serum-type stage like Nuxellence does.

Crème Prodigieuse® Anti-fatigue Moisturising Cream

Creme Prodigieuse has the most relatable scent in that it smells exactly like scented stationery. I’m a 90’s kid, so those were basically everywhere while I was growing up. It gets absorbed in the skin immediately and has the lightest feeling of all the moisturizers.

Nuxellence® Éclat Youth and Radiance Revealing Anti-aging Care

Light peach in color, Nuxellence is the most liquid of all the moisturizers in the set. It has the conisistency of serum and leaves skin dewy. The scent is a strong powdery floral that I can relate with baby lotions.

Ingredients

rêve de miel® Face Cleansing and Make-up Removing Gel

It looks like raw honey, but the consistency is not at all sticky or thick. The strong powdery scent mixed with sweet honey makes me think of a vintage period, like what I imagine Audrey Hepburn would smell like. It’s mild on the skin, but I also end up having to use more to take all non-waterproof makeup off.

Left: Huile Prodigieuse OR ; Right: Blended

Huile Prodigieuse® OR Multi-purpose Dry Oil

The classic Huile Prodigieuse made such a huge splash in the beauty industry, and Huile Prodigieuse Or is the playful sister. It’s basically the same dry oil formula, but with gold shimmer pigments. Like the original Huile Prodigieuse, it can be used on face, body, and hair, though I feel like the shimmer pigments are too sparse to act as a soft-focus highlighter/bronzer. Or is more ideal for enhancing limbs and decolletage.

Huile Prodigieuse® Multi-purpose Dry Oil

Aaah, this is the one I’ve seen in countless magazines! Huile Prodigieuse gives off an air of old-time luxury, especially when you get a whiff of the sweet-powdery scent. It’s a dry oil, so it doesn’t give off a a great deal of slip. Instead, it sinks into the skin fairly quickly. So much so that you may be tempted to put on a little more. Well, don’t. It’s a thin layer of moisture than you can still top with a creamy moisturizer.

Nuxe Body Melting Body Scrub

I’ve been seeing a lot of micro scrubs lately, but Nuxe Melting Body Scrub is a departure. This is the old-school stuff, a creamy base with what looks like crushed seeds suspended in the mix. It has an almondy-apricot scent scent that I find comforting. The base leaves skin moist like an in-shower lotion does, which is a good way to soothe the skin after exfoliating it.

rêve de miel® Ultra Comforting Body Cream

This is also part of the reve de miel line, but this Nuxe body cream smells less of honey than the gel makeup remover does. It gets absorbed into the skin instantaneously.

 

Overall: Generally, Nuxe products have a strong powdery scent. The moisturizers and the lotion were quick to get absorbed by the skin without leaving much of a greasy look, so I feel less icky about products on my face sticking to my pillow.

Top Picks: My skin just drinks up Creme Fraiche de Beaute at night, with a little bit more moisture leftover until the next morning. Creme Prodigieuse is a close second that seems ideal for the sticky days of summer.

*I received this product free-of-charge as part of a prize bag, but the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.