Getting Free Samples, Part Two

Aloha everyone! I'm back with Getting Free Samples, Part Two! Back in June, I told you about how I had emailed lots of companies, asking for free samples of their products. Well now the samples have arrived and I'm ready to share what I received! First, I will write a list of the companies and what their responses were. Then, I will show you the products that were mailed.

Companies That Sent Things To Me:

1. Burt's Bees

2. Tom's of Maine

3. Jane Iredale

4. BareMinerals

5. L'Occitane

6. Nivea

7. L'Oreal

8. The Republic of Tea

9. Blum Naturals

What They Sent Me:

Burt's Bees: Two full-size tinted lip balms in the shades Rose and Red Dahlia. This was so generous of them! Most companies will only send small, sample size items, but not Burt's Bees!

Tom's of Maine: A full-size Daily Moisture Beauty Bar and a full-size Lip Shimmer in the shade Spring Blossom. Again, full-size products! I haven't used the soap yet, but it smells amazing! The Lip Shimmer is a beautiful shade and gives lips such a pretty sheen when applied.

Jane Iredale: Two sample-size Amazing Base Loose Mineral Powders in the shades Radiant and Ivory, a sample-size LipDrink Lip Balm, and a Glow Time BB Cream sample card trio. The lip balm seems a bit waxy, but it does work fairly well. 

BareMinerals: A sample of the Bare Skin Foundation in Bare Linen 03. This definitely wins the Largest Packaging to Sample Size Ratio award. The sample is barely enough for one use, but it arrived in a roughly 6x8x4 inch cardboard box. 

L'Occitane: Five cream samples: Perfecting Cream, Divine Eyes, Divine Cream, Precious Cream, and Light Comforting Cream

Nivea: Sadly, they told me no for samples. However, they kindly sent 7 dollar off coupons!

L'Oreal: They actually told me that they didn't have any samples to send, but for some reason I received some! They send me samples of their Extraordinary Oil collection: one Nourishing Shampoo, one Nourishing Conditioner, and one Transforming Oil-in-Cream. They also added a two dollar off coupon for any of their advanced haircare products.

The Republic of Tea: Four tea bags in the flavors Mango Ceylon, Ginger Peach, and British Breakfast. They also sent me a catalog of their teas.

Blum Naturals: Three Cleansing Towelettes: two for combination/oily skin and one for exfoliating. They're great for removing makeup and cleansing!

There ya have it. My samples experience. I'm so grateful to all of the companies that kindly sent me samples, but especially to Blum Naturals, Burt's Bees, and Tom's of Maine who sent me full-size products! Let me know if you have any questions about what companies said no or how I went about this fun little project! 

~ Kat :)

A Few Favorites: Books

Hello everyone! 
Reading is one of my favorites. It whisks you away to unbelievable places and introduces you to spectacular characters! It allows you to travel to places such as make-believe Narnia or magical England within seconds. I'm here to share some of my favorite books with you. I'm sure you heard of (if not read) most of these. I'm not going to write summaries (my hope is that you Google them after reading this post), just my thoughts. Also, they are listed in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I met someone once who didn't like these stories and I was shocked! Who couldn't love these? They're simply amazing. Yes, children love them, but the wonderful thing about them is that no matter how old you are, they will always be entertaining and enjoyable! C.S. Lewis was absolutely amazing with all of his works. He put so much thought in these stories and hid so much truth in these fictional stories.


2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I know what you're thinking. "What? Why is this one of your favorites? It's a horrible, gut-wrenching book of tears!" I agree. It's plot gives you a nauseating feeling. Now I'll try not to spoil anything, but you will feel completely sick, upset, and saddened after finishing this book, but that's the point. This book provides us with a deeper understanding of the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. Often we say that we know how bad the Holocaust was, but this story will enhance your understanding of it.


3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The story being told through the eyes of a six-year-old girl provides a different outlook. Her youthful innocence is not frilly, or fake, she speaks exactly what's on her mind and we can benefit from that. This story is truly a work of art and it most probably ranks number one in my favorites (this blog post is not written in any kind of order). There's not much more I can say about it rather than GO READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T!

4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors (the other being Edgar Allan Poe). In this story, he sheds light on the problem with our society doing away with individual thoughts and controlling everyone with mass media. It shows the problems that arise when people start to drift away from their own original thoughts and ideas, and start to follow the crowd.

5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This is such a classic. I believe that everyone should read this book in their lifetime. It's such a good reference to the Roaring Twenties! It's full of drama, which is always a good thing to have in a book (keeps you entertained the whole way through). The characters are complex and so different from each other. Isn't it annoying when you read a book and it seems like all of the characters are the same: flat and boring. I can't encourage the reading of this book enough! It's definitely a favorite.

There you have it! A small selection of my favorite books. If you take the time to read these, then you won't be disappointed! Let me know what you think of them and feel free to suggest your favorite books in the comments!

~ Kat :)