Hi there, roommates!

We know you’ve been wondering about who the next Roommate of the Month is! Well, the long wait is over. After much hunting and searching, we’ve finally spotted the next roommate who is deserving of the spotlight!

She is none other than 20 year-old beauty blogger and travel consultant, Hanna Nicolas! She has been consistently popping-out of our “roomie radar” as she’s been sharing and posting all her Sample Room beauty loots ever since she became part of the community.

To get to know more about this loyal roomie, we asked her a few little questions…

ABOUT HANNA’S BLOG

1. Tell us about you and your blog.

“Writing is my first love, makeup and beauty products come next.During my puberty, I suffered from terrible breakouts and was able to manage keeping them at bay after trying out a lot of products! I then preach to my friends how to keep skin healthy and they began approaching and consulting me about which beauty products they should use. This made me start my own beauty blog, and there I shared my rants and rave reviews about the products that work and did not work for me.”

2. Who are the bloggers you look up to?

“I’ve been silently reading Martha’s blog (beautyjunkee), Liz’s (projectvanity), and Donnarence’s (mylucidintervals) and some other beauty bloggers I know.”

3. What advice can you give to our roommates who are also interested to start their own blogs?

“If blogging makes you happy, just do it. Don’t let any circumstances stop you. Believe in yourself that you can do it and it will come naturally.

ON HER BEAUTY ROUTINES

1. Share to us your skin care and makeup routines!

“I do the basic skin care routine: cleanse, tone, moisturize and scrub. I don’t mind spending a little beyond my budget just to make sure that what I am using will really suit my skin type.About my makeup routine, I like to keep it simple. I’m not the type who likes putting on layers of foundation. Mine’s more on sunscreen, tinted moisturizer, finely-milled loose powder, and slightly tinted lip balm. In short, fresh look! Haha!”

2. What are the top 5 beauty products you can’t live without?

“Considering my frequent change of mood (lol), right now: a good gentle cleanser, a lightweight moisturizer, a reliable sunscreen, a good BB Cream, and a lip balm will do.

ABOUT HER SAMPLE ROOM JOURNEY

1. When did you first found out about Sample Room?

“I knew about Sample Room when I was still a student.I was on a tight budget back then, and was so desperate to find the best products for my acne-prone skin. I decided to search for samples online, and that’s when I stumbled upon Sample Room. I decided to give it a try after knowing that I can just use points to get free samples.

Eventually, I found myself splurging on VIP subscriptions because I know I’ll get much more than what I’ve paid for.”

2. How did Sample Room help you in your journey in the world of skincare and makeup?

“With Sample Room I was able to try what’s blazing and trendy in the world of makeup and skin care. It helps me big time to look for products that–who knows–may soon become part of my holy grail items, and to look for products I can talk about in my blog. The best thing is spending a fraction for full-sized products!”

3. What are the best finds you discovered through Sample Room?

“Mostly Belo SunExpert and Zenutrients products. I’m currently obsessing about Belo’s After-Sun Gel and Zenutrient’s CocoHoney Firming Mask!”

4. Any advice for your fellow roommates with regards to their sampling journey?

“Spend on VIP subscriptions now and never miss out on what’s hot! It’s worth it, I promise!”

And that ends our interview with our dear roommate of the Month—Hanna Nicolas. Our cheers and gratitude to your ever-faithful support, Hanna!

To know more about this amazing gal, you can check out her awesome blog at hannanicolas.blogspot.com or visit her social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fashbeaubyhanna/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannapoleng/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hannapoleng
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Wanna be the next roommate of the month?  Be active in the community and share your Sample Room finds on your social media accounts using the hashtags #RoommateOfTheMonth and #SampleRoomSpotlight!

Catch you on our “roomie radar”!

Rache-Real Tolentino, our Roommate of the Month for February 2017!

This 29 year old Sample Roomie shared with us snippets of herself as she revealed her blogging testimony, beauty routines, and her beauty sampling journey with Sample Room:

ABOUT RACH’S BLOG

Have you ever found yourself in a jobless phase of your life where you just feel idle and dejected? Just like Rache, most of us can relate to it, but unlike many, she turned this phase of her life into something productive—she started a career-oriented blog and called it “Slurpandtalk.” In this blog, she poured out all her emotions and insights about her life. Rache confessed, “I was jobless for two months and my blog became the outlet of my realizations, my learnings and experiences during job-hunting, and more.” According to her, her blog is a testimony that the juiciest and ripest ideas, like fruits, should be picked at the right time. “Slurpandtalk is about the things we talk over some slurp—over a bowl of steamy soup, a tall glass of juice, or freshly brewed coffee,” Rache explained. When asked for her blogging tips, she said “Just do it. Write as soon as something pops in your mind, whatever topic that may be. ‘Save as draft’ will be your bestfriend.”

ON HER KIKAY ROUTINES

Rache sure have included her beauty tips in her blog, too. In sharing about her routines, she revealed that the classic “cleanse, tone, moisturize, protect, enhance”  skincare trick and the “no make up look” works pretty well on her. Rache said, “I  do field work so don’t wear heavy make up. Tinted moisturizer and a tinted lip balm does the trick.” Indeed, such pure simplicity never fails, and never goes out of style!

REGARDING RACHE’S SAMPLE ROOM JOURNEY

Rache shared that most of her beauty finds came from Sample Room. In fact, she said that before Sample Room, she had always committed the mistake of buying products first before knowing their efficacy on her skin. Like many of us, she too had always ended up wasting money and effort because of this mistake. But when she found out about Sample Room, things have never been the same. “Before Sample Room, I used to buy, try, and cry if the product doesn’t suit me and I paid so much for it. Now, most of my personal care products are those that I was able to try and find suitable for me after sampling,” Rache admitted. She even added that, most of the products she has tried from Sample Room became mainstays in her skincare and makeup routine, like the Shiseido Ibuki Sleeping Mask.

We asked for some Sample Room advices she can share to her fellow roommates, and this is what she spilled: “Stalk Sample Room on social media and get first dibs on their amazing surprises! Don’t hesitate to spend on VIP subscription, you will get more that what you paid for.” Time to write these tips in your memo, ladies! Who knows, you might just be next roommate to receive a surprise from us!

Blog: www.slurpandtalk.wordpress.com
Instagram: @rachetolentino11
Facebook: Rache Real-Tolentino
Twitter: @rachereal

Introducing, the 29 year-old Beauty Blogger and Payroll Company Trainer, Deza Derder, our Roommate of the Month for January 2017!

REGARDING DEZA’S BLOG

When life gets tough, sometimes we pause, take a step back, and look for something to channel our feelings. This is how Deza began her blogging career.

It was during a rough time when Deza, on a whim, started sharing her thoughts on selected beauty products online as a way to relax.  Little did she know she’ll receive a lot of love and support from netizens, and eventually make a career out of it. Deza shared her story, “I was going through a lot of things and I needed an outlet to destress so I went back to writing… I just picked up a few products from the beauty section, tested them, and shared my thoughts via wordpress. I was overwhelmed by the support I received from my 1^st few blogs and so I kept doing it.” Fast forward to today, she now has her own website www.allaboutbeautybydee.com where she posts all her reviews and insights on all things beauty. She looks up to fellow bloggers, Nikki Tiu and Teni Panosion (a.k.a MissMaven) for some blogging inspiration.

When asked for some advise she can give to her fellow roommates who are aspiring to become beauty bloggers, this was her give away: “If you love blogging, don’t let anyone stop you… Stay true no matter what, and take care of your name. Your blog represents you.”

ABOUT DEZA’S SKIN CARE AND MAKE-UP ROUTINE

Deza knows how to keep her skin pampered. In taking care of her combination skin, she starts off by using a makeup remover to get rid of facial dirt, or as how she puts it, “products that are alien to her face.” Afterwards, she makes sure her face is thoroughly cleansed using a good foamy facial wash and a toner. To others, it ends on that and it results to dry and patchy facial skin. But for Deza, the last step entails applying a moisturizer to replenish the lost moisture on her skin, “I wrap my routine with a hydrating moisturizer. Twice or thrice a week, I throw in a face mask in the routine.”

When it comes to Deza’s makeup routine, she likes to start things simple. For her base, a good primer and a good bb cream would do. But for her finishing touches, things get a little more sassy. As Deza said, “I give my face a little warmth using a matte bronzer, add some highlighter because life is boring and dull without it, then I swipe a layer or two of my fave bold lipstick.” And if there’s one make up step she can’t make an exception with, it would be grooming her eyebrows. “I definitely don’t leave the house without my brows!,” Deza emphasized.

ON DEZA’S SAMPLE ROOM EXPERIENCE

Deza vaguely remembers her first encounter with Sample Room, but she tells us that she is 99.9% sure that Sample Room partner blogger, Phoebe Ramos, “super kaduper” influenced her. How? Well, aside from being a fellow beauty blogger, she happens to be her former workmate, too! What a small world indeed. “I look up to her at work and it amazed me more when I found out that she blogs too. It makes you wonder how someone as busy as her manages her time well,” Deza states. True enough, if someone is as inspiring as that, it’s inevitable to follow his/her example!

If you ever wonder what’s inside beauty blogger Deza’s beauty bag, she revealed with pride that they are mostly samples she got from Sample Room. Deza declares, “most of the products in my skin care bag are there because of Sample Room. I practically check Sample Room whenever I hear about a new product launch. If the item is available, then I add it to my cart without batting an eyelash!” One of her best product finds is Zenutrients. Deza excitingly shared with us her fondness for the brand ever since she found it on Sample Room, “I have used and abused a lot of Zenutrients babies—from their creams, balms, and my super fave, their spahhnitizer. I love that a lot!”

Deza ended her story with an advice for her fellow roommates, “Don’t be afraid to try new things especially when they are samples! Life is too short to be boring and scared.” Whether samples or life endeavors, Deza encourages everyone to just take a leap of faith and explore the unknown!

Blog: www.allaboutbeautybydee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutbeautybydee/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deza.derder
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/allaboutbeautybydee

For our Roommate of the Month for December 2016, we are proud to introduce the 36-year old Training and Quality Specialist and beauty junkie, Maan Love Joy Marcos!

ABOUT HER BLOG

In 2013, Maan started a blog to document her travel and food adventures. Unfortunately, due to her commitment to her work, she couldn’t keep her blog in tip top shape. However, she’s planning to revive it someday and doing all the preparations she could do for her comeback in the blogging world: a solid theme, inspiration and time.

She doesn’t have any blogger that she looks up to in particular but she reads on articles and posts that she finds interesting. When asked about the blogging advice she could give to her fellow roommates who want to start blogging, she narrowed it down to three things: Find Inspiration, Keep Everything Cohesive and Be Diligent in Maintaining it. She follows these three steps by heart and it’s advisable for aspiring bloggers as well to take notes on her tips.

ABOUT HER ROUTINE

No matter how tired Maan is at the end of the day, she always makes sure to remove her make-up before going to bed. After that, she follows a skincare regimen that covers the essentials: a cleanser, toner, exfoliant and moisturizer with SPF. Recently, she also added face masks (sheet, peel off, wash off) to her essentials. Everyone deserves a little pampering every now and then!

She also makes sure to clean her makeup tools regularly because dirty makeup tools can be an attractive breeding ground for bacteria, dust, and dirt and may cause some skin irritation and breakouts.

Lastly, she also treats herself to a routine facial. As Maan suggested, “Since the skin has several layers and exfoliating only helps with the top layer, every so often it’s nice to go deeper with professional care to unveil that more radiant and youthful complexion.” We couldn’t agree more!

For her makeup routine, it depends on where she’ll be going or what her activities will be. Her main focus is to prep her skin and accentuate her brows and lips. If she has enough time to spare, she would go for a light and simple makeup look for work. But if the situation calls for it, she could do a full-glam do for a party or a date!

For her, the best secret makeup is having a good skin. “I have really been using a moisturizer with SPF since I was 20, and I have recently fallen in love with Korean 9-step skincare routine.” If she had to choose only 5 ride or die products, they would have to be:
1. Facial cleanser(foam and scrub)
2. Moisturizer with SPF
3. Powder Foundation
4. Lipstick or Lip tint
5. Brow pencil

ABOUT SAMPLE ROOM

Because of Instagram, she signed up on Sample Room as it piqued her interest of her inner beauty junkie. As she thought of maximizing her membership in Sample Room, she opted to purchase the VIP membership and have not regretted it ever since!

Since Maan is a creature of habit, once she finds products that she likes, she’ll usually stick with it even if it’s expensive or until it no longer suits her skincare needs. “What Sample Room afforded me to do was finding alternative products that are cheaper but still equally effective,” Maan said. The Sample Room community also introduced her to brands that she would typically have never either known or considered as she usually buys and uses products that are recommended to her by people that she knows. She also tends to research and read product reviews online and with Sample Room, it made things easier for her. “This is what is good about Sample Room, the reviews come from real people based on their personal experiences and unpaid opinions.”

Her best discovery thru Sample Room is the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules. She would have never purchased a full size of it without being able to test if it is something that will suit her skincare needs. “Another one is Olay Regenerist, I have been using Olay Day and Night Cream for the longest time and have been quite satisfied but since I am older, I guess my skincare needs change too and I realized that after I used Regenerist cream and serum,” Maan said.

In 3-5 years, she can still see herself sampling and enjoying her time in the world of beauty products with Sample Room. When asked what are her top tips for her fellow roommates in navigating and experiencing Sample Room, she said “Read the reviews if you plan to sample a product. Also, purchase VIP points, I swear it’s really worth it!”

—

Maan Love Joy Marcos
Blog URL: maanlovejoy.wordpress.com
IG: _maanster
FB: Maan Love Joy
Twitter: maanlovejoy

Let the drum roll start as we congratulate Christine Fernandez as our Roommate of the Month for November!

ON BLOGGING

The 29-year-old nurse and beauty junkie started her blog in 2009 as a result of the lack of product reviews catered to Filipina women. “Most reviews, swatches, and shades were meant for international readers,” said Christine. This situation led her to start her own blog, allaboutbeauty101.com.

Her blog consisted mostly of product reviews as she wanted it to serve as a medium for new and budding makeup enthusiasts. She also wants to pander to those who are budget savvy that wants to do their research first before buying a product. Christine explains, “This way, they would be able to gauge and hopefully be able to help my readers decide if the merchandise is for them or not.” Her informative posts and well-curated photos were drawn in from her love of all things beauty. Not to mention, her sources of inspiration are Temptalia, Michelle Phan, and Sample Room Partner Blogger Nikki Tiu.

When asked what bits of blogging wisdom can the 7-year beauty blogger share with her fellow roommates, she emphasized the power of passion and expression: Find your passion and don’t be afraid to express yourself. If faced with tough times, she adds “Keep going. There will come a time that you would feel so uninspired that you just want to stop. Don’t. Keep exploring, enjoying and writing.”

ON HER BEAUTY ROUTINES

As a beauty blogger, Christine tends to change her skincare routine as she’s trying out different products for her blog. However, she tries to follow a standard beauty routine on a regular basis: Makeup removal, Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize, Apply serum, and indulge in a Mask. Once or twice a week she would exfoliate at home using peeling products and masks and go to a professional clinic for a facial once a month.

To keep her makeup on point, she uses a primer, a liquid foundation, a blush, a good lipstick and an eye shadow. If she feels like it, she tends to add a bit of contouring and highlighting, groom up her eyebrows, and apply an eyeliner and a mascara.

We also noticed how flawless she looks when we stumbled on her Instagram account. Her secret? Blend, blend, blend. “There is nothing more important than doing a proper blending of makeup.”

ON SAMPLE ROOM

Christine first learned about Sample Room back in 2013, when a friend of hers suggested for her to try it out. 50+ sampling sessions after, she’s addicted. As she and Sample Room have the same goal, “Try before you buy”, she finds it really helpful for her to explore a wide range of products and share her experiences with her readers and followers.

In her three years of being an active member of our community, her top 3 finds from the site are the Shiseido IBUKI Beauty Sleeping Mask, the Zenutrients Eucalyptus Massage Oil, and the Red Cherry Lashes.

Her word of advice for her fellow roommates? “Get a VIP Membership. It is worth it.” She also adds that roommates should post their reviews after personally using the items for at least a week. “Don’t be too hasty since most of the products take time before you can see and feel any difference.”

And of course, above all, is for you to enjoy your Sample Room experience in our lovely community.

Blog: www.allaboutbeauty101.com
Instagram: @allaboutbeauty101ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allaboutbeauty101/
Twitter: @kleng05
Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClmzGx57XKU7xfzRAczLFOg

Sample Room will now be featuring one amazing roommate per month!

We are introducing the “Roommate of the Month” as our way of featuring the lovely people that supported Sample Room since time immemorial.

We currently have 55,000 roommates in our squad and choosing a month’s featured roommate will be based on his/her activity within the site and off-site such as social media posts and detailed product reviews on their respective blogs.

And what do you get for bagging our featured roommate spot? For one, you will be featured on our blog and on our social media channels. Links to your blog site and social media sites will also be included in the feature. Yey! You will also receive additional 25 points in your Sample Room account and a surprise gift from us as well! Double yey! Plus, the bragging right of standing out in our 55,000-strong roomies squad! Super yey!

Just use the hashtags #SampleRoomSpotlight (so you can also have a chance to be featured in our Sample Room Spotlight as well!) and #RoommateOfTheMonth in any of your Instagram posts so we could check you out and your participation in our lovely community.

Good luck to every one and thank you for your love and support to Sample Room. You’re the coolest squad ever! #RoomiesSquad