little white truths

I've used one of these before (reviewed here) but I wanted to review this one separately because it has a little bit of colour and shimmer to it so the swatches may be useful to someone, although note that the shade doesn't show up on me (perhaps my lips are too pigmented for it) so it's essentially a clear gloss with a bit of shimmer in it.

Still, it's a lovely product and I've been enjoying using it, although I have to say that it's been hijacked by my 3yo because she has chronically dry lips (sorry my dear, can't fight the genes ; )) and this is the only gloss or balm that she will use. Funny that. I think she just likes the look of the neon lid...

Mecca claims/product details:

• A lip-conditioning classic made with rich botanicals, nourishing vitamin e and a glossy finish for on-the-go chic
• Special edition version for Beauty Loop containing shimmer and housed in neon packaging
• An all-time favourite
• Hydrates and conditions lips with a lip-loving formula containing shea butter, hyaluronic filling spheres, pomegranate seed oil and SPF 25 for beautifully soft, SPF protected lips
• RRP $28 AUD for 11g

There's the pot in direct sunlight:

And natural light:

Light and heavy swatches, direct sunlight:

And indirect sunlight (you can see how it doesn't have much colour once sheered out):

 My bare lips for reference:

Wearing the product, natural light (indoors):

Verdict

I've used plenty of lip gloss over the years so I have a lot to compare this to. I really like the formula, and obviously my daughter likes it too - and given how many glosses she's refused to use (or used once and refused to use again), that's saying something.

The product is a thick gloss/balm in texture and it's on the sticky side so it won't be for everyone, but I personally don't mind a bit of stickiness to my glosses because it means they tend to last longer on the lips. And do note this isn't so sticky that it's unbearable or that I really notice it - it's just sticky enough to stay where it needs to.

Note also that this does have a scent - it smells like balm to me and I suspect what I'm smelling is the shea butter - but the fragrance is only noticeable when I sniff the tub so I'm not aware of it once it's on and that's always a plus for me because I hate strongly scented lip products that I can smell all day because your nose is of course directly above your lips.

What I love about this gloss is the texture: there's something plush about it and I enjoy applying it for that reason alone. Better still, it plumps up my lips and fills in lines so it's a great gloss to pair with any lip product because it will turn bad, drying formulas into good ones. Indeed, something that plumps lips and reduces the look of lines is what I look for in lip products so I'm pleased to report that this one ticks those boxes.

On top of that, the product feels nicely hydrating and conditioning on the lips. My lips are perpetually dry but I'm not so aware of that when I'm using this product because it manages the issue beautifully. While I can't say that this stops my lips from being as dry as they are (I'm yet to find a product that can change how they feel when I'm not wearing it), this keeps them comfortable whenever I apply it so that's a big plus. It has nursed my daughter's lips back to health too.

Note that the colour of this gloss doesn't really add anything to the product because it doesn't show up on me (it just looks clear), and I personally would prefer to see a bit more pigment - otherwise there's no point including it at all. I also do like a bit of shimmer in my glosses when it's not too noticeable (but instead adds a nice sheen) and I think that's the case with this product.

All in all, I think this is a great gloss that generally meets its claims and it's one I would buy. Sometimes products are hyped-up for a reason, I reckon this is one of those.

Excellent.