Integrity Botanicals lets me try them all
I almost didn't blog this week, as I needed a "blogcation" (I obviously made up that word), but then my hubby surprised me with these; a big pile of samples from Integrity Botanicals (in a cute cloth pouch). This online natural beauty boutique not only lets you pick three free samples with every order, but also allows you to purchase sample sizes on select items to count as your order.
Let me explain. You probably noticed that I'm a bit of a lipstick addict with a wish list of lipsticks a mile long. Since I'm always changing my lip color and looking to try as many as possible, my hubby thought it would be more economical for me to get samples and then purchase my absolute favorites (I have to add a full-size Nudus lipstick to my collection, at least for the design/artwork on the tube; doesn't everyone need a lipstick with a tasteful nude sketch on the outside?). For $2.50 per lipstick sample, he bought me five Nudus lipstick samples and five Axiology samples, and got two W3LLPEOPLE and a Vapour Organic Beauty sample for free. In the end, I think he spent less than one Nudus lipstick, which I've been eyeing (27 Kisses, of course), for all you see here.
Speaking of Nudus, here are the five Nudus lipstick samples he picked for me. The colors are Revenge, Dirty Diana, Just Like Jade, 27 Kisses (I gave in to all the hype) and Fairy Tales. As you can see, the samples are very generous. You can tell that they were cut off an actual lipstick. After testing and swatching them, the containers barely look disturbed.
The Nudus lipsticks are highly pigmented (they actually stain a bit, so I had some trouble removing the swatches after photographing them). I only lightly touched the samples to get enough product to apply to my lips. Above you can see Fairy Tales (a warm peach), 27 Kisses (a mauve that seems to flatter most skin tones), Revenge (a bright, bold red; I can totally see why it's sold out), Dirty Diana (love the name; it's a deep bordeaux red that's a good dupe for W3LLPEOPLE Universalist Multi-Use Colorstick No. 5 in Creamy Crimson) and Just Like Jade (it's described as a berry aubergine, like the W3LLPEOPLE Universalist Multi-Use Colorstick of the same name, except this has a hint of purple, similar to RMS Beauty Lip Shine in Royal; it's just not as sheer and shiny as Royal).
The five Axiology lipstick samples my hubby bought me included Reflection, Virtue, Intrinsic, Elusive and Infinite. Again, these are generous samples cut from an actual lipstick. I can see myself getting quite a number of uses out of these.
The Axiology lipstick samples don't seem to be quite as pigmented as the Nudus lipstick. They have a bit of sheerness to them, but are still buildable colors. Above are swatches of Intrinsic (a light nude with gold undertones and shimmer), Virtue (an apricot peach with a light shimmer), Elusive (an orange brick red with brown undertones), Infinite (similar Elusive, but with brown and purple undertones, as well as a light shimmer) and Reflection (a purple that's not quite as bright/dark on your lips as it is in the tube).
As for the free samples, my hubby selected Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Blush in Crave (he knows how much I "crave" Vapour Beauty), and W3LLPEOPLE Bio Brightener Stick (it's so pretty) and Bio Bronzer Stick (gotta love a good bronzer, especially this time of year when my summer glow is fading).
Here are swatches of the W3LLPEOPLE Bio Brightener Stick (I layered it on thick so it would show up in the pic, but it looks more natural in person; it really looks like natural light on your face), Bio Bronzer Stick (it's very similar to RMS Beauty's Buriti Bronzer) and Vapour Organic Beauty Blush Stain in Crave (it's a bright orange in the website photos that's actually more of a burnt orange in real life). These are also cut off an actual stick, so there is ample product. I have to say that I'm really loving all of these. Thanks Matthew (that's my hubby).
Have you purchased samples and/or full-size products from Integrity Botanicals? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter at @Rawdorable and/or Instagram (also @Rawdorable).
