little white truths

Direct sunlight (click on any image to enlarge it):

Verdict

I absolutely love this gloss and I've given the formula an HG tag. I think that perhaps this isn't the highest-performing shade in the range (more on why below), but I still love it and I would still buy it again.

It's a standard gloss that comes in a plastic tube with a doe-foot applicator. It has a sweet, sugary scent that's not overpowering so it's a good, balanced kind of scent for a product like this.

The gloss feels very comfortable to wear and it's hydrating enough for my dry lips that I can rely on it for hydration during the day. For this reason it's been a good product to include in Project Pan along with other, less hydrating products because I can layer this underneath or over the top to keep my lips feeling comfortable.

The formula isn't sticky but it does have a tackiness to it that helps it stay on your lips. Sure, it's not a super long-lasting product (I wouldn't expect it to be), but it does stay longer than other glosses so that's a plus.

What I like about this formula is that you can apply a very fine layer (eg, over a lipstick or liner) and just add a bit of shine, or you can add more and get a medium coverage and just wear the gloss by itself. Not all glosses are opaque enough to give good colour, but all the shades I've tried so far of these ones are. Tick.

Apple Strudel is described as a peach but I think it's more of a peachy pink and unfortunately it pulls a little too pink on me so it doesn't suit me as well as something more orange-toned would. I still do like the colour, but I shopped around for a coral and this was the closest thing I could find in my local Priceline (the only other orange-toned shade was very bright so I decided to opt for this one).

My only issue with this particular shade is that it has a tendency to settle into lip lines (you'll see that in the photos above). While it does have a plumping effect so it smooths out my lines, if you look closely you can see that it's pooled into any texture. Sure it's not awful and probably nobody but me would notice, but that's something to be aware of.

Overall I love this formula and I recommend it: it's the nicest gloss formula I've found so far - whether budget or high-end. I can see myself buying a truckload of these whenever Priceline has a sale. You can't beat a great gloss that you can grab for a fiver on special, that's for sure.

Love.