Because it takes at least thirty days to actually see any visible effects of skin care on the skin, I’ve decided to break down sample sizes into a first impressions sort of post. While these sample sized moisturizers didn’t last long enough to show results, they did last long enough to let me know if I wanted to give the full sized version a full trial.
Today we have three moisturizers: Kiehl’s Calendula Serum Infused Water Cream, It Cosmetics Confidence in a Gel Lotion, and Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizing Gel Cream.
Let’s start with IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Gel Cream. This was the shortest of my trials as the product only lasted a little over a week. As the name suggested it is a gel cream. It has a light fresh scent and it absorbed well into the skin in a reasonable amount of time. During my week using this gel cream it felt like a gel cream.
There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t wow me. There was really nothing that made it stand out over other gel creams. It was also only of use to me as a day cream. It simply wasn’t moisturizing enough for night time use.
This isn’t an automatic deal breaker for me as I don’t mind a separate night cream, but it is something to keep in mind. Using this, you may need to get a second night cream. Would I mind using it again? No, I wouldn’t mind at all. Would I go out of my way to pick up a full size of the product for a full trial? No. It was good, but not a stand out.
Next up we have the Kiehl’s Calendula Serum Infused Water Cream. I recently tried a mask from Kiehl’s Calendula line and really enjoyed using it (the link will take you to the full review), so I had high hopes for this moisturizer. When you open the jar, you can tell it is a water cream. It is a much thinner consistency than the gel creams. I don’t mind the consistency, as long as it absorbs well in a reasonable amount of time. This water cream has a somewhat floral, yet oddly lemony scent to it.
I rather enjoyed the scent to be honest. In fact, it was my favorite part of the cream. While I like that this cream only needs a little to work, it does take a while to absorb into the skin. If you are in a rush in the mornings, this probably isn’t for you. It is the sort of moisturizer you put on and then leave the bathroom to attend to other things before coming back and applying your makeup.
Also despite the time it takes to absorb, on me it was only a day cream. It wasn’t moisturizing enough to let me set aside my night creams. While I did like the scent, I think for me this was a pass. I will certainly be returning to the Calendula Petal Infused mask, but I will not be purchasing the water cream.
And this leaves us with the Shiseido Essential energy Moisturizing Gel Cream. I have to say this is not my first time with a sample from Shiseido. I generally like their products, but with Shiseido it always comes down to scent. Everything I have ever tried from Shiseido is highly fragranced.
This cream is as well. It is a lightly sweet floral scent. While the scent is not cloyingly floral and has an almost fruity scent mixed in, it is very much present. I happen to like the scent, but if you are thinking about picking this moisturizer up, you really need to take into account your own sensitivity to scent. Because it is such a strong and present scent, I would recommend trying a sample before purchasing. The floral notes are not rose based, or at least they don’t seem so to me. They seem more in the lily family to me, with maybe a hint of plum.
The cream itself is a typical gel cream consistency. The scent that is so strong in the jar fades almost immediately upon contact and the cream absorbs well and quickly into the skin. Only a very little of the cream is needed and in fact this sample size lasted a hair over three weeks.
I really enjoyed it on my skin. In addition, I found that when using it I didn’t need a separate night cream every night. I found I could use a night cream or sleeping mask twice a week and this cream the rest of the time and be perfectly hydrated. This is a cream I am adding to my list of products to try in the full size. I very much enjoyed my short time using it and look forwards to doing a more extensive trial with it in the future.
For now, all three containers are empty and are making their way to the empties bin. The Shiseido will definitely return, the Kiehl’s definitely won’t and the It Cosmetics is a maybe.
Ms. Mimsy Reviews 