little white truths

 

I've decided to sneak in an empties post early this month: it was bin night last night, and yesterday I took these photos so I could send my empties straight into the recycling. Yes it's the small things, but it always feels good to get the empties box to a point where I can close it again - and remove a few bits of rubbish from the house in the process.

Anyhoo! Let's have a look.

Project Pan empties

I'll just touch on these briefly because you may already have seen me talk about them via Project Pan.

So that's a no to purchasing all of these except perhaps the lipstick.

Ren Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser

Full review here. This cleanser is designed for oily/combination skin but I loved it on my dry skin and while I'm glad I've finished it because it was starting to expire (it had thickened a little), I'm also sad to see it go because I really enjoyed it.

It's a clay cleanser that smells like Dutch almond fingers (yum) to me and it felt so nice against the skin: the smooth texture was just gorgeous. Plus you get a whopping 150ml and from memory it only cost me $36 AUD so it's one I might buy again. Repurchase? Maybe.

Nivea Sun Ultra Beach Project SPF 50+ Sunscreen Spray

I haven't reviewed this because it was just a stock-standard body sunscreen that I bought half-price during one of Priceline's sales, but it really annoyed me because I think the 'spray' aspect is misleading. 

I was expecting something that, you know, sprayed out - but this was really a pump and it pumped out little blobs of thin, runny, greasy sunscreen like any other pump bottle. Foo. I wouldn't buy it again. If I see something that's called a 'spray', then I expect it to do just that. Repurchase? No.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rejuvenating Cream

Full review here. This is my second one of these and I'm sad to see it go - particularly because I've just heard from Alpha-H that the product has been discontinued and replaced with something else. Oh no! Hopefully the replacement is just as good.

I used this on alternate evenings to Alpha-H's Liquid Gold and it did such nice things for my skin: it was hydrating and nourishing, but it also had a resurfacing effect and it left my face looking much brighter and healthier. Repurchase? Would if I could!

Alpha-H Beauty Sleep Power Peel

This is another great product from Alpha-H and it's one that made enough difference to my skin that other people noticed - a rare thing, in my experience! I've reviewed it here.

You're meant to use it twice a week but I used it more frequently than that because it wasn't doing enough with twice-weekly applications (I used it on alternate evenings), and what it did was make my skin look brighter, younger and more even, plus it reduced the look of fine lines and helped acne scars fade more quickly. Repurchase? Yes, but I would like to try other overnight creams first.

L'Oreal Revitalift Concentrated Serum

Full review here. I haven't had a lot of luck with skincare from pharmacy brands like L'Oreal and Garnier but I did really enjoy this product.

It's a very thin, watery serum that absorbs beautifully so it didn't interfere with my moisturiser's ability to sink in, and it made my face look/feel brighter and more toned to boot. It also had a temporary effect on fine lines because it made my skin look more plumped, so it was a good product to put under makeup. It mightn't be the most amazing serum I've used but I did enjoy it and it's one to keep in mind next time one of the big pharmacies has a half-price sale. Purchase? No.

Korres Guava Shower Gel

I haven't reviewed this yet but I will eventually because I bought three of these minis in different scents and this was the first one I opened.

I'd been wanting to try more from Korres' range and while I'm glad I bought these, I'm also glad that I only bought them in small sizes because I don't think they're anything to write home about. Yes this one smelled nice and it was fine as a body wash, but I think you can better and there was nothing about the formula that stood out to me so it's not one I would buy in full size. Repurchase? No.

Australis Clear Lash & Brow Extender

Full review here. I'm not someone who spends a lot of money on brow products because I personally don't think you need to and I would rather save my money for eg a beautiful foundation, since I do think there's a difference between high-end and budget foundation formulas in general - but you can do brows well on a budget.

This clear brow gel was fine and it held my brows in place all day. There wasn't anything special about it but it did the job and it didn't cost much so you can't really ask for more. Yes it got all cloudy and gross as I used it, but then, my clear brow gels always do - no matter how much they cost. Repurchase? Yes.

Evelyn Iona Natural & Organic Lip Gloss in Lise

I didn't hate this lip gloss but I also didn't love it and I'm glad to see it empty. I've reviewed it here. 

It looked nice on but my issue was that it felt a bit plastic in texture so I was always aware of it on my lips, plus it wasn't hydrating so I couldn't rely on it for moisture and it did dry my lips out. Still, I've used worse so it wasn't all bad. Purchase? No.

In sum

This wasn't a bad bunch of empties and I did really love the two Alpha-H products as well as the Ren one. I love reading empties posts myself so I hope you've enjoyed this post and perhaps got an idea or two about new products to try.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x