little white truths

You may remember that we received one of these in our last Mecca Beauty Loop boxes, and I've been using mine consistently for the last couple of weeks - so I've almost finished it and I'm ready to review it.

Long story short, I don't like it at all - so much so that I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag - although admittedly that's partly because I made the mistake of reading some online reviews of these glosses before I used mine and of course set the product up to fail.

Indeed, the reviews on Mecca's website rate this gloss at 4.8 stars (out of five) and I'm rather baffled by this.

Part of the problem for me personally is that there's peppermint oil in the formula, so I find it uncomfortable to wear this gloss because I have a slight intolerance to that ingredient.

That's not my only issue, though, and it's not the reason why I've given it a disappointing products tag: I also think it emphasises lip texture (definitely not what an expensive gloss should do!) and it even manages to emphasise texture that wasn't previously there when I layer it over a more hydrating product.

Guess it's just not for me.

Urban Decay claims/product details:

  

There's the applicator: 

  

Now for swatches.

Direct sunlight:

And natural light:

My bare lips for reference: 

 Wearing the product in natural light:

And indirect sunlight:

Verdict

I don't like this product and I personally wouldn't recommend it.

It's a standard gloss in a tube that comes with a doe-foot applicator and it smells like peppermint. While I like that scent in theory, in practice the peppermint tingles my lips to the point of discomfort so I can't wear the product alone. I do have a mild intolerance to peppermint, though, so most people should be ok with it.

The product claims to plump up the lips, but it definitely doesn't - at least for me. It just tingles (sometimes stings, now that it's winter and my lips are drier) but doesn't offer any of the usual plumping benefits that you'd expect from a product like this.

On that, this is one of the few glosses I've ever used that emphasises lip texture. Now a key selling point of a gloss to me is that it plumps the lips, smooths them out and offers a glossy, youthful finish. Sure, this one offers a glossy finish, but it shrivels my lips up so they look very old and dry. Yes this may partly be because the formula has shimmer in it, but I also think the formula itself isn't great.

Not only this, but frequent use over the past couple of weeks has caused my lips to dry out and start flaking. Since this is the only thing I've changed during that time, I know this particular product is responsible. While some might argue that a lip balm is meant to hydrate (so you could wear one underneath) and a gloss is about the finish, I personally think that a good gloss should do both.

Also, as mentioned above, even if I pair this with eg a balm or creamy lipstick underneath it, all that does is change the finish from flattering to unflattering because this gloss somehow makes my lips look shrivelled even when I've laid down something hydrating and plumping underneath. Blurgh. I'm not sure how it achieves that but it does - something I've not come across before in any gloss.

The good news, though, is that it's not sticky and almost has a glassy feel (if that makes sense!); however it transfers in a heartbeat onto my coffee cup, so I suggest applying two thick layers if you want some remaining on your lips after you've had a few sips of whatever you're drinking.

I also agree that it doesn't feather or bleed throughout the day, but those claims and the non-sticky one are really the only claims the product meets, in my opinion.

Overall I don't like this gloss and I can't recommend it, plus it's expensive for what it is so I would certainly test one first before committing to a purchase. Of course, I've only tried this particular shade and it's entirely possible that other shades in the range may have a slightly different formula, so I can only speak to this one.

Not for me.