little white truths

It's close enough to the end of the month that it felt like a good time to clear out my empties box again and have a look at what I've finished this month.

As I mentioned in my first empties post for July, I have a feeling that these posts will continue to contain less products as time passes, since I no longer have a bunch of Memebox duds that I'm trying to get through.

What I may do in future is roll my two empties posts back into one, but for now I'm sticking with two so any single post won't be too long.

This month I've finished quite a few things that I've wanted to get through so I could move on to something new - eg the Too Faced base and Benefit concealer - so it feels like it's been a good month in that respect because I've happily moved quite a few new and fun products into circulation. Yay to that!


Lancome Trésor Midnight Rose EDT

This is my second bottle of this perfume: I bought the first one and my husband grabbed another one for me overseas because he likes it too. It's a great night perfume because it's on the richer side but it isn't too heavy, and the blackcurrant notes are yum. It also lasts well so it gets points for that too because so many perfumes don't go the distance, but this one still has legs at the end of the day. Repurchase? Yes, but not for a while because I'm ready to try something new.

Nivea Pure Invisible Anti-perspirant Deodorant

I don't often include products like deodorant in these posts unless they're really good or really bad. Unfortunately this one was really bad, which surprised me because I used to use it and it worked well enough, but for some reason this didn't keep me smelling fresh. Not what you want from deodorant! It worked better if I applied a truckload of it, but even then it wasn't great. Repurchase? No.


Project Pan 2015 Products

I was glad to see the back of my Too Faced BB Tinted Moisturiser and my Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02/03 because I was more than ready to bring some fresh products into circulation.

I won't talk about these two items too much here because I've done that enough via Project Pan, but suffice to say that I won't buy either of these again. The Too Faced product wasn't quite right for me and it was a little paler than I'd hoped, and the Boi-ing concealer creases so I had to keep smoothing it out as the day progressed. So repurchase? No.


BioElixia Body Shaper - stretch mark diminishing créme

Full review here. This is one of the many products that promises to do something about stretchmarks but of course doesn't deliver because things like that are largely determined by genetics and, as far as I know, no miracle cream exists to deal with them. It's fine as a body cream although it doesn't absorb that well so you really have to rub it in or you'll be left covered in white streaks. I'm glad it's gone. Repurchase? No.

Sharashara Pink Piggy Collagen Cream

This is one of the few Memebox products that I've really loved. Full review here. It's the perfect cream to apply over makeup throughout the day because it doesn't 'lift' makeup of your face (some products can) and leave you looking like you'll need to apply your face again. Plus it plumps and hydrates amazingly and I'm so sad to see it gone that I might have to buy it again if I haven't got a suitable replacement in stock. Repurchase? Yes.


Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion

I got this as part of a set for Christmas a while ago and I never used it because it wasn't great on my skin, but recently I've been finishing off the 'random' items of skincare I own to make way for a new round of products, and this one was on the randoms list. I've used this cream many years ago and it didn't agree with my skin then, and it still doesn't. It's not hydrating/plumping enough for me and I'm glad it's gone! Repurchase? No.

Zelens 3t Complex Essential Anti-aging cream

I absolutely loved this cream and I'm sad to see the back of it! Full review here. It's insanely hydrating and my skin looked so much better while I was using it. The only downside is the huge price tag, and that's the only reason why I wouldn't buy it. So repurchase? No, unless I win the lottery.


Shanghai Suzy Lipstick in Miss Ally Amethyst

As you may know, I'm a huge fan of Shanghai Suzy lipsticks, it's just that this one wasn't a good colour on me. Full review here. As I'm sure many have done, in the past I've stocked up on these because they only cost $12.95 each and you can usually find a 'four for the price of three' deal online. Problem is, a deal like that isn't good value if not all the colours suit you! I worked hard to finish this one, and I've promised myself that I'll get through at least one more dud colour this year (I just wear them at home and then put something else on if I'm going out). Repurchase? Yes, just not in this colour.

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch

Oh how I loved this little primer! I'm very sad it's gone. Full review here. You only need to use the smallest amount each time so this little 4ml pot lasted for ages, and it did wonders for the look and feel of my skin. It was a great base for makeup and felt so velvety on - it's an amazing product and it's gone straight to the wishlist. Purchase? Yes.

In sum

Some great products here and some not so good ones. The best of this lot are the Zelens and Clarins products, plus the Sharashara moisturiser. If I had the dough, I'd be buying all three of those straight away.