little white truths

There was almost a drama with this post because I managed to delete half the photos before uploading them, but happily I was able to find them in the recycling bin (took a while!) so we're ok.

You may have heard me say that I'm hoping to do three empties posts in June, for the simple reason that my empties bag is starting to spill over, so best I clear it out sooner rather than later.

Let's have a look.

I've been through countless Liquid Gold empties so I won't go on about it too much here, other than to say that it's a staple of mine and I'm never without a bottle in my stores. I've reviewed it here. I do have a back-up but I'm currently testing another product - and I'm already missing this one. So's my skin. Repurchase? Already have.

As for the mist, this was a rare Alpha-H miss for me and it did nothing. It's meant to be applied before you go to sleep (in conjunction with the matching peel, which I do own), but since it wasn't working for me I ended up using it as a toner. It worked fine for that purpose but I wouldn't recommend it. I've reviewed it here. Repurchase? No.

Because it's bad, that's why not. I've reviewed it here. The mist it sprays is nicely fine so that's a plus, but problem is, mine kept jamming between spritzes so it took longer than it should have to cover my whole face.

Plus the mist itself wasn't hydrating and it's meant to be, and if anything it dried my skin out and made it thirsty for moisture. Boo. Repurchase? No.

Thankyou Foaming Hand Wash with Botanical Red Ginger and Blood Orange

Full review here. I was hoping to like this because I love the idea behind the brand and want to support it, but unfortunately this was an awful hand wash and I hated it. I don't often use the word 'hate', but there it is. 

It came out in its foam state - which took some getting used to because the foam was really airy and thin - and it didn't clean well at all. Not only this, it left a weird film on my hands so it not only didn't do its job, but it also made matters worse. My husband hated it too. Repurchase? No.

If you read this blog you'll know that I love MOR products, and while this one was good, I think I was expecting more (ha) because I got on so well with the matching MOR Candied Vanilla Hand & Body Lotion. I've reviewed it here. The lotion I've reviewed here.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with this product - it's just that I was expecting something richer (because the lotion is richer) and this was better for day use, but I'd bought it for use overnight because MOR creams are usually good for night use. It also smelled too sweet for me and I don't remember the lotion smelling exactly the same. Gosh the packaging's gorgeous though. Repurchase? No.

Divine Woman Lactic Gel Cleanser

I've done a round-up post on the set this came in (see here) and this was easily my favourite item of the four in the set. It was great for brightening and resurfacing the skin, and you could use it both as a cleanser and as a peel. 

My favourite use for it was as a peel because it really woke up my face, so it was a good one for morning use. Worth noting is that I've been testing a few lactic cleansers lately and this is so far the best, but I'm about to open one from Alpha-H so we'll see. Purchase? Maybe.

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter 

This is described as a super hydrating product, and anything that has 'oil' and 'butter' in the title gets me rather excited because my skin needs all the grease it can get.

I liked it. It's a nice rich cream that isn't too heavy and it spreads and absorbs well, plus it feels quite velvety so I enjoyed the texture. It has a light, inoffensive shea butter scent and it hydrates beautifully, so it's indeed good for dry skin. The full 50ml size is $58 so it's not super cheap, but it's not the most expensive face cream I've seen either. Purchase? Maybe.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm 

This is an HG product of mine and it probably doesn't need much introduction because it's well-loved in the beauty community and has been for years. It's one of those amazing cult products that does exactly what it says it will do and seems to work wonders for a variety of different skin types. Full review here.

The only other comment I have to note after using this daily again is that I much prefer it over makeup than I do underneath it, not only because of how well it plumps/refreshes the skin, but also because it can sometimes 'ball up' under other products. Repurchase? Already have.

Models Prefer Soothing Lip Balm in Creme Caramel

Full review here. I didn't like this much at all so I won't say anything other than that it wasn't hydrating in the slightest (and it's a called a lip balm so it should be), plus after two days of solid use it caused my lips to dry out and get flaky so I had to send it to the foot balm section and that's how I got through it. Don't bother. Purchase? No.

Sierra Bees Organic Lip Balm

I received an eight-pack of these as a GWP ages ago, and I finally got around to using them earlier this year. I've reviewed them here.

While I enjoy these products as dedicated lip balms, I've also been using them on my dry feet, knees and elbows - although this one I did use only on the lips. These come in a bundle of fun flavours and they're nice as lip balms but I almost prefer to use them elsewhere because they manage dry skin in a flash. Repurchase? Yes, partly because they're 50 cents each if you buy the pack!

Rituals, The Ritual of Sakura Body Cream

Full review here. This is a gorgeous body cream and I've been rationing my tub for almost a year now because Rituals has sadly packed up and left Australia, but I allowed myself to finish the final bits this month because it's winter and my dry skin needed it. 

This just smells and feels so beautiful, and while I wouldn't normally spend this much on a body cream it's nice to do it every now and then. If you have some spare dollars and want to treat yourself, any of Rituals creams would be a good pick but this Sakura scent is definitely my favourite. Repurchase? Yes, if I could.

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Oil

This was sent to me for review and while I do think it's good for removing makeup, it's definitely not my favourite cleansing oil and I think you can do better - even at chemist prices. I've reviewed it here.

My issue with it was that it was super greasy (yes, even for an oil) and it also tended to travel into my eyes and give me blurry vision (it often ended up in my mouth too), plus I couldn't leave it on the skin for a while like I do with my other oil cleansers because it's so runny that it just went everywhere. Not awful but not my favourite. Purchase? No

In sum

I'm really glad I've managed to clear out some more empties and I'm looking forward to getting through more in June.

The best items in this lot were Alpha-H's Liquid Gold, the Divine Woman cleanser and the Rituals body cream.

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