Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase (Debenhams)

A few weeks ago, I was browsing around in Debenhams after work. I needed to buy my backup of the Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation (review here) and I spied the Estee Lauder counter with this lovely Gift With Purchase. Normally, I never buy from them because they always have an attractive offer but you have to buy two products from their range and one has to be skin care which is never affordable. It was the same thing this time around. I had recently run out of my cleanser SK:N Vitamin Rich Cleanser (already reviewed here) so I thought "Oh well" I may as well give it a go seeing that they also had 10% discount. I ended up buying the Estee Lauder Multi-Action Gelee Cleanser and the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer which I would be reviewing soon and I was quite happy with the discount I got and of course this Gift With Purchase (GWP). I have been using them for a little while now and I really like the range of products included so I thought a little review/first impression was due...

Packaging

As always, I really like how much effort these high end brands put in their sample sizes. It just makes a difference and you feel like you are using the full size which is exactly the feeling a sample size should evoke just so the customer can end up buying the full size if they had a good experience. I particularly love the Makeup bag and the Eyeshadow quad.

Contents

Can we just appreciate how colorful and spring-y the makeup bag looks? I love it. It is actually made of plastic/rubber and for some reason, I thought it would be cotton/canvas or whatever material normal makeup bags have. I have to say the names of their products are so looooooooooooong and I wonder whatever happened to having shorter names that actually stick better in a customer's memory. Long names aside, they were pretty generous with the range of products included inside. You are even allowed to choose what Eyeshadow Quad shade you wanted and the Lipstick shade as well which I think is commendable. Inside this beautiful bag, I received the following:

Estee Lauder Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15 (what a mouthful!)

This is now my go-to moisturiser because it is so easily absorbed and it does not leave an annoying greasiness on my face. It applies really well and keeps my skin hydrated and with the added SPF 15, it's a winner for Spring.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

I already tried their Advanced Time Wise Eye cream and I loved it but I love this one even more. The texture feels rich but light when applied; it's really hard to explain. Once it hits under the eyes, it's also readily absorbed and I am slowly becoming a fan of eye creams because the two Estee Lauder ones I have tried are lovely.

Estee Lauder Stress Relief Eye Mask

I am saving this for when I go on holiday so I can use it on the plane because my eyes would definitely be needing it as my flight will be a long one. I am quite excited to try it because I don't think I have tried an eye mask before so I hope this is really good and I would report back after I have tried it.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eye Shadow Quad

You beautiful Quad....how I love you so! I was excited about this because its packaging is just beautiful and attractive. Inside the eye shadows are really tiny. Seriously, if you have big fingers and you forget your brush, you won't be able to apply this. At first, I thought the shades would look dodgy on me but they are actually good and the color pay off is fantastic but not as good as my beloved MAC. The shades are Ivory Slipper, Enchanted Forest, Nude Fresco  and Hot Cinnamon. If you are dark skinned or olive skinned, this would look pretty on you and you can get a few looks from this quad. 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Mascara

The former non-mascara applier (moi) has been slowly converted to a die-hard mascara fan with the constant application (and practice) using some new high end mascara samples I have been trying. When I saw the wand/brush, I knew we would get on really well. I prefer lengthening mascaras to volumising ones but sometimes, it does not really matter. Although this falls under the volumising category, it's actually lengthening too and gives a very flattering length and volume to my lashes no matter how tiny they are. The trick is in the application which should be done from root to top with a slight wiggle. That always works for me and prevents clumping which is my pet peeve.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Sugar Honey (83)

When I saw this shade, I thought it would be too dark but it's really flattering on my lips. It's like a nude with a hint of colour and lustre which would be suitable for olive and darker skinned ladies. I am not quite sure how flattering it would be on paler skin types but you never know. It is well pigmented and has a good lasting power on the lips sans eating/drinking. I have stuck this permanently in my makeup bag because it's the perfect nude for work.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Intense Kajal Eyeliner Duo

Last but not least is the Kajal Eyeliner Duo which is my least favourite/used product and it's not because it's not great but mainly because I am rubbish at applying eye liner. No really, I am really bad at it and I end up with really watery and sometimes, red eyes. It's pathetic and when I rub my eyes, I look like a weeping Panda so this has been staring up at me from my makeup drawer daring me to use it. I will prevail one of these days....

That's it folks and I hope you have enjoyed it. This post was meant to go up when the offer was still on but it's ended now which is a real shame but you never know if it would be up in your local Debenhams but if if you wanted to try out any of these products, I hope this has helped however little and I will see you in my next post...x