Oh Sample Sundays, how I’ve missed ye! I used to do this series weekly, when I was living in Korea and shopping like a maniac. It was so easy, given that the beauty shops there load you up with samples to try (amazing) and I would hit them hard on a pretty much weekly basis (also amazing). The beauty scene is so fast-paced, new and innovative products are coming out all the time, and the stores are just… right there. How could I not?!
Alas, moving back to Aus However, I have managed to keep the dream alive by starting a very kawaii store which sells K-beauty, yay! Obviously this pleases me greatly, and means that I’m able to keep an eye on the K-beauty scene, for work purposes, obviously.
However, nothing compares to actually living in the heart of the beauty scene, hence why this series started to become few and far between. Less buying means fewer samples, yknow. But I still do have a lot to work through (I do still buy things, and quite a lot of ’em), so I thought today I’d share a few Korean & French samples I’ve had tucked away.
Diptyque Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay
I first heard about Diptyque, the luxury French brand, back in Korea. A bunch of the UK beauty bloggers I started watching around that time would often rave about Diptyque candles, and I wondered what the fuss was about. One of my fellow teachers also loved the brand, and I stumbled across some in a bougie Gangnam mall which kind of sealed my lust for the brand. Alas, I wouldn’t get my paws on some Diptyque products of my own… until bae came through with the goods!
Gav completely spoilt me on his return from a recent trip away, and copped me a bunch of Diptyque goodies. Let me tell you, the unboxing experience with Diptyque is unrivalled. Everything was beautifully wrapped, and there were a bunch of boxed samples neatly tucked into a Diptyque-branded pouch, all tied up with a ribbon. Perfection!
Here’s a little peek at the texture:
As you can tell from the picture & the name of this product, this is a slightly gritty clay that gently exfoliates your skin. I wouldn’t even completely say “scrub”, because that conveys too much harshness and harks back to the dark mid-2000s where every exfoliator had microbeads and scrubbed your skin raw. Not anymore!
This clay is really quite creamy and calming to use. Even for those with sensitive skin, like myself, this clay perfectly cleaned my skin without any kind of reaction whatsoever. That’s one of the things I love about French skincare: they’re always so well formulated that they work on even the most sensitive complexions.
Here’s a little swatch I prepared earlier:
You can tell how thick this clay is in this picture. It honestly felt super luxe, if I do say so myself. Afterwards, my face felt super soft but not scratched. Now don’t get it twisted, this product may require you to save your coins for a lil’ bit, but it sure it worth it.
The Diptyque Multi-Use Exfoliating Clay is available on Amazon here and at Saks here.
su:m37 Bubble de-Mask
Oh, how I love a good bubble mask. They’re kind of the modern day equivalent of lip plumping glosses: we like when we can really feel our beauty products doing something, yknow? And by George, will you feel this mask bubble!
The liquid is like a smooth gel at first, and easy to apply. But once it’s on, it takes about 20 seconds to kick in, and then it’s bubbles ahoy. It’s actually really fun, and doesn’t get too carried away. I actually didn’t end up using the whole sachet, so my bubbles were perhaps more subdued than they could be, but they were still an ~effect~.
Here’s some of the bubbles once they’d calmed down (I’d also reapplied some after they started poppin’ off, so it’s kinda uneven but you get the gist):
Sparkly, non?!
So the bubbles were exciting and all, but afterwards, oh my skin! Good lawd. It felt fresh as a daisy; smooth but not stripped, cleansed and clarified, and nourished too. I definitely think
Here’s a lil’ piccy of the “after” effects:
This shot came out a little blurry, but you get the idea! I often get a reaction to cleansers or products that are too astringent or cleansing, and while I did find I had to use double layers of my usual toner, my face wasn’t tight. Definitely brighter, but not a red tomato which is often wont to happen. I would love to use this mask more often, and would definitely consider purchasing the full size version. Big ups to su:m37.
By the way, I used these two masks a number of days apart, because clearly this would be far too much brightening and exfoliating on the one day. This is the magic of blogs!
The su:m37 Bubble de-mask is available on Amazon here.
su:m37 Secret Repair Concentrate
This highly-coveted beauty product is the stuff of legends. Truly, it was either this or Helen of Troy that caused the Trojan War. This secret sauce (it really does have a kind of ~saucy~ consistency) is fermented, as all good su:m37 products are, and quite thick without being heavy. It has a herbal/almost citrusy scent that I can’t quite put my finger on, but rest assured it smells very fresh.
I’ve been using this little sample all week — you don’t need much to get you very far. I apply this concentrate after my toner (currently using Mizon’s Water First Essence) and it sinks right into the skin. Because su:m37 create only fermented plant-based products — in a fermentation research institute in Gangwon-do, Korea — they’re designed to be better absorbed by the skin, and ontain a bunch of antioxidants and good tings for the skin. Much like Korea’s national dish, kim chi, the process of fermentation in skincare elicits a broad range of minerals, vitamins and many other benefits that us westerners may not know about.
So, back to the product at hand. It has a herbal scent, but not unpleasant, and is a thin enough consistency to absorb into the skin really quickly. Being a ham, I didn’t actually take a shot of the product itself, so you’ll have to take my word for it. But I did end up using it for about 3-4 days — a little goes a very long way — and found my skin felt quite smooth and bright, coupled with the rest of my routine.
I really enjoyed the texture of this concentrate, and it definitely felt like it would help to anti-age me, which is something I always enjoy.
Again, this brand is high-end and not on the cheap side, so this would need to be a considered purchase. However, when I’m feeling spendy, I’ll definitely be getting my paws on this. There is something about Korean beauty brands that I just… ughhhh they’re just too good.
The su:m37 Secret Repair Concentrate is available on Amazon here.
