Votre Vu Samples!

I think we can all agree that samples are rad! Receiving free things in the mail or at a store helps you to try new things and test out products before purchasing. I have discovered some of my favorite beauty products through sampling and think that companies that give out samples are smart because they can reel in customers who would have otherwise not made a purchase.

Votre Vu is a french skincare line created by a family of skincare artisans eighty years ago. In 2007 an American entrepreneur wanted to bring the best naturally derived skincare products back to the U.S. market so he took off to France in search of something special. There the two parties were united, and Votre Vu was born. 

I have been drooling over their products ever since seeing their hand lotion/lip gloss hybrid in Allure magazine called Duette Luxe Lip Balm and Hand Creme a few months ago. In one product my two obsessions are combined creating product perfection. I have yet to purchase since my dream product is $39.00, but I continued to drool.

I recently became aware that Votre Vu offers free samples to try their amazing products on their website. After filling out a quick form and waiting for an email to confirm my request my samples were on their way. Or so I thought. The next day, I checked my email, and there was a message from a representative from their company asking whether my combination skin was more dry or oily. She wanted to make sure that I received the correct products for my skin type. Huh? Superior customer service for samples? I was super impressed. Customer service is something that is so rare these days and this company was communicating with me about free samples. Awesome! After answering questions about my skin and exchanging weekend pleasantries  my samples were sent.

About three days later my samples arrived. I found a large, thick envelope in my mailbox and went inside to rip it open. My envelope contained a fancy little booklet titled "The French Girl's Guide to Natural Beauty". Opening to the first page there was a sentence that Votre Vu uses to sum up how French girls view skincare that I thought was meaningful. "Skin care serves a lifetime, makeup but a few hours". So true. The little booklet held seven samples.

Booklet Cover

Booklet open to first sample page

Cleansing Gelee

The line of samples that I received is for folks with combination skin that leans toward oily/troubled. First up is the Cleansing Gelee which is formulated to rebalance skin. The gel cleanser smells like citrus and feels nice while applying. It rinsed clean and didn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry. Overall, a very effective cleanser.

Balanced Toner for Oily Skin

Sample of toner with the cap off

Balanced Skin Toner for Oily Skin comes in an adorable little pump bottle similar to perfume samples except they added a cap which is a nice touch. The toner is a combination of rose water, calendula and sage extracts. It smells amazing, I can smell the rose water and oh my is it refreshing! 

Serum Balance Pour Le Visage

The packet that contained the next product, Serum Balance Pour Le Visage had a tiny pin taped to it. At first I was puzzled, but then I realized that it is so that you can get the serum out of the packet without compromising the ingredients on the inside by having the packet opened. My guess is that this sample contains enough serum so that you can use it more than once. The serum promises to diffuse inflammation, regulate sebum production (too much sebum=oily skin), and refine and even out your skin's texture. The serum is very runny and was difficult to apply to the face. In hindsight, it would have probably been easier had I used a cotton ball instead of my fingers. It felt tacky after applying but did sink in after a minute. I didn't notice any instant results, which can sometimes be a problem with samples, but I would be willing to try a full size to see what happened with prolonged use.

Creme de 24/7 Oily Skin

Creme de 24/7 Oily Skin is a moisturizer that purifies the skin while reducing inflammation and hydrating skin. It also claims to shrink your pores with Lavender, Geranium and Rosemary oils. My pores are out of control so I was excited to see if this was true. Now I know that pores can't actually shrink, but they can become less noticeable. Fingers crossed! The texture of the cream was rich and thick. It spread evenly and quickly but it made my face very shiny. Usually I see this problem with creams that contain sunscreen (which this has) so I wasn't too surprised. Due to the breakouts I have been experiencing lately, this made me uncomfortable. The idea of having shine/sunscreen clogging my pores had me worried and I stopped using it. I do think though that sunscreen is important daily and would love this product if it weren't for the pimple party on my chin. Another note....no scent. Which is nice for someone with troubled skin. Perhaps this would have done something for my pores, but since I stopped using it I wasn't able to test it's full effects.

Antioxidant Eye Gelee

The Antioxidant Eye Gelee cools, soothes and hydrates while making wrinkles less noticeable and banishing dark under eye circles. Eye cream is a big deal for me since I always feel like my eye area is so dry making eye cream one product I absolutely cannot live without. I really wanted to love this. The color is gorgeous and I was dreaming of this tiny blue container sitting on my vanity making me happy ever time I opened it. Unfortunately this made the area around my eyes red a few hours after using. I must have reacted badly to one of the ingredients. Which is unusual, since that never happens. From what I could tell the formula is rich and it would be wonderful as an eye cream or an eye mask. I was really bummed about this not working for me.

(To use as a mask, dab more than usual around your eye area and leave on for ten minutes then remove.)

Restorative Neck Cream

Okay the next product I passed off as something I would never need, mainly because I have never really paid attention to neck creams before.  The Restorative Neck Cream combats sagging tissues, (ew gross!) diminishes dreadful lines and promotes younger, healthier skin. Is my neck aging? I have never thought about that before and to be honest I am kinda bummed that now my attention has been drawn to yet another part of me that is aging. Would this neck cream work? I have no idea since I am not really sure what I am looking for. My neck looks just fine thanks. But as I said before this is what makes beauty samples so great. I would never buy a neck cream, but try a sample out? Of course! Since this was a sample I was only able to get one use out of the packet so I was unable to note significant changes. The neck cream felt like any other lotion going on. Out of sheer curiosity I would be willing to give a full size a go to see if I could notice any changes in what my neck looks like. At this point though, I am going to classify this product under something I don't need yet.

Luxe Hand Creme

Lastly was my favorite of the bunch. Luxe hand cream. This is the same hand cream that is in my dream product that I mentioned earlier. I am drooling even more now because this hand cream is AMAZING! It smells delicious. Almond and coconut together is something fantastic. The formulation was soothing and super moisturizing thanks to grapeseed, sunflower and jojoba oils. Another bonus is that the creme contains UVA/UVB protectors which is a great thing to have in a hand creme. Did I mention is smells out of this world? Oh I did? 

I have been thrilled to try these products and really think that I will make the jump and purchase the Luxe Lip Balm and Hand Creme now. I tried it and I liked it. As far as the other products go, it was fun to try a handful of items from the brand but there seemed to be more that didn't work for me than stuff that did. I loved the toner and the cleanser. The others not so much. Again, that is the beauty of samples. Had I purchased these items I would have been disappointed and the eye cream would have been returned for sure.

 Huh? What's that? You want samples too? Well click the link below and fill out the form and try these gorgeous products for yourself. Promise me though that once you do you will leave a comment to let me know what you thought. I would love to hear what you have to say!

Before going, I want to give a big thanks to Traci Kuhn of Votre Vu for being so amazing. You are a rare gem and top notch when it comes to customer service and I thank you.

To try Votre Vu for yourself click here:

http://frenchskincare.org/french-skin-care-samples/