little white truths

This will be a quick review because there's not a heap of info about this product online, nor is there too much to say about it.

I received it in Memebox Special #59 Scrub 2. I didn't like the look of it (looks pretty cheap/tacky), but fortunately it's an ok product.


If you click on the above photo and enlarge it, you'll see the highly useful and encouraging little picture on the back, with hearts coming out of what I suppose are pores, and dancing girls. Excellent.

If those are instructions, I'm not sure how to follow them.

Anyhoo.

Pure Smile claims/product details:

• A scented body scrub made from black sugar, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, gylcerin and amethyst powder extracts
• Aims to clear skin of impurities and keep it smooth and healthy
• To use: gently massage onto wet skin for couple of minutes; rinse off with warm water
• RRP $10 for 100ml

Verdict

While this is definitely gimicky and looks rather tacky, it's certainly not the worst scrub I've used.

In terms of exfoliating action, it contains a decent amount of scrubby matter and does the job well. It can feel a little scratchy if you're not careful, but I don't mind that so much because I prefer a harsher scrub.

It has a slight scent: floral but not overpowering. It also feels quite moisturising (kind of like a hand scrub) and you may feel that you don't need to use a cream afterwards (I do because my skin is dry, but some may prefer not to).

If you can get over the tackiness of this product, you may find that it's good enough.

We received this decent trial-sized sample in a recent Lust Have It box. I've been working my way through the various leave-in treatments I've received from subscription boxes lately, and this is my favourite one out of those I've tested so far. We'll see if that stays the same once I've trialled all my products!

Aveda has shown up quite a few times in LHI and you may remember that I reviewed Aveda's Dry Remedy Moisturising Daily Oil not long ago. Both products are great and if I had the dough, I would consider buying one of them (I wouldn't need both for my hair).


Aveda claims/product details:

• Helps preserve hair colour for up to 6 weeks
• 93% naturally derived leave-in treatment that triple-protects your hair colour with Aveda's powerfully effective, botanically based colour conserve complex
• Larch tree extract helps seal in colour
• Anti-oxidants from green tea help protect against environmental stressors
• Wintergreen and cinnamon oil help protect colour from UVA/UVB damage
• To use: rub a coin-sized amount between palms and fingers; comb through damp hair; do not rinse; style as desired
• Shelf-life: 24 months once opened
• RRP $49.95 for 100ml

Verdict

I really love this product and I'm super glad I've tried it - I was getting a little dejected with all these leave-in treatments I've been using lately that I haven't liked! The issue with those was generally that they weighed my hair down and covered it with a film that dulled it, making it look and feel dirty. This doesn't do that.

Rather than applying this to wet hair, I've been applying a tiny amount to my dry hair to tame frizz, add shine/condition and make it more manageable. It's awesome for that purpose and I'll be sad when the sample is gone, although it'll last me for ages because I'm using so little each time.

As to claims, I'm not sure whether it prevents fade because I don't have colour in my hair at the moment, although based on the reviews I've read, it does do this.

As mentioned, the draw card for me with this product is how well it tames flyaways and manages frizz etc, without turning my hair into a heavy, dull helmet. No one said you have to use products for their specific purpose, so I'm running with that! I have dry/damaged hair and this product feels as though it addresses that, while protecting it at the same time (so I reckon the claims about protecting your hair are true).

One thing to note is the smell. As with the Aveda hair oil mentioned above, it has a very strong smell (I'm sniffing ginger) and the scent does linger on your hands and hair, so do be aware of that - it's strong enough that some people might be turned off by it. For this reason alone (well aside from testing the actual quality of the product), I would recommend trialling it before committing to buying the full size.

A really great product. Recommended if you have the cash!

Recently I've been thinking about doing a new series for this blog, one that would encourage me to play with different products I have, rather than just reaching for the same ones or limiting myself to those on my list for Project Pan 2015.

This year I had two main beauty goals: one, streamline my collection by getting through what I have and sticking to my spending ban; and two, making sure I use my 'special' products more so I can really enjoy them, rather than saving them for big occasions and not getting as much use from them.

Project Pan is helping me with the first goal; and this series will help with the second.

I did think of doing 'weekly/monthly favourites' posts, 'shopping the stash' or 'this week I'm wearing' etc, but I didn't want to limit myself in terms of time (eg would I play with certain products for a week or a month? I didn't want a timeline), and rather than just 'shopping the stash' now and then, I actually wanted to play around with my products and see if I could find new and interesting uses for them. That is, playing with coloured products like eyeshadows/lipsticks and mixing those to create new looks.

So I thought 'now playing' was a better title and concept, and what I plan to do is look at the products I own with a new eye to see eg what other products they work best with, what interesting colour combinations I can create, and what bright and little-worn products (eg lipsticks) I can use with other products to make them more wearable. Hopefully making these discoveries will also be useful for others.

My aim it to really appreciate the products I own - whether the expensive or budget ones - and make sure they're well-used. For example, those Hourglass palettes I have sitting on a pedestal really need to be used more than once a week if I want to finish them off before they go rancid (!). Plus this might help me to restrict the ever-expanding wishlist that I'm compiling while I'm on my no-buy. We'll see if that works ; ) - as a beauty junkie it's pretty hard to stop your endless search for the latest and greatest new thing.

For each 'now playing' segment, I'll do an initial post setting out what I'm playing with for the moment, then I'll do an update post once I'm happy with my adventures with each product. I'll probably keep the list pretty small each time - say at least three products but no more than five - otherwise I won't be dedicating enough thought to each separate product and I want to keep the list moving fairly quickly. I'll also keep the lists of products small because I am still doing Project Pan and this series will need to fit in with that.

Anyhoo. Enough preamble.

Here's what I'm playing with now:


Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion

Is anyone surprised that I bought the peach colour in this range?!

I haven't reviewed this product yet and this 'now playing' segment gives me a good opportunity to do this. It's a really lovely blush that totally lives up to the hype. I bought it not long before going on my spending ban (indeed, I bought far too many products before the no buy, as a kind of last hurrah ; ) ) and I've probably only used it twenty times since then. Shock horror!

In particular I'm looking forward to seeing what eyeshadow shades it works best with.


Lime Crime Lipstick in Geradium

Full review here. This is one of those lipsticks that I don't wear enough because it's so bright and not your everyday kind of colour, plus my husband really hates it. But Lime Crime lipsticks are on my HG list and I want to make sure I get plenty of use from both this and Coquette, the other one I own. Since I've had this for longer and am less likely to use it, I thought it was a good 'now playing' product.

You never know, I might be able to fool my husband into liking it by mixing it with something that's less in-your-face.


theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Full review here. This is a sensational product and one that gets a lot of (valid) hype, and it's definitely one I need to use more. Since I've been busy finishing off other illuminators, this one has fallen to the wayside. It's time to bring it back into circulation! I think there's probably more 'learning' I could do with it in terms of how to best use it around my eyes, so I'm looking forward to doing that.


Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Groenland and St Moritz

This product (in Groenland) featured in a recent post I did on various Nars samples (see here) and I loved it so much that I went out and sourced a third sample in St Moritz, which I think is a better colour match for my skin - particularly in the warmer months.

I want to use these samples up, rather than casting them aside and concentrating only on my Project Pan CC cream, so I've included them here. Plus I reckon I'll be able to do a decent, full review of this product (which has gone straight to my wishlist) after using up the samples, since I've now got a reasonable amount of product to play around with and trial properly.

In sum

That's it! I'm glad I finally settled on the idea for this new bunch of posts.

I'll check back in and write an update post once I've played around with everything and discovered some fun looks. Yay!

I received this BB cream in Memebox Special #37 Wake Up Makeup, and for me it's the item that saved the whole box.

As you'll see in that review, most of the other products were pretty rubbish and not great quality. Thankfully this one is decent, and being a total BB/CC cream junkie, I'm getting harder and harder to please in this department because I've been fortunate enough to use quite a few great creams of this nature.

My only complaint is the colour: it's too pale for me, but thankfully it's not so pale that I can't work with it in the colder months when my skin is less tanned. Happily I had enough sense to muck around with this product when I got it back in early October, and also took my photos then - so you can see below that, with some work, it's a passable colour for me, and I can also darken things up with a powder if I need to.

I've dusted it off again recently because I have a base product I've been using that's now slightly too dark for me (I haven't been out in the sun as much since having a baby), and this has been a good mixer product to bring the colour down a notch or two.


Royal Nature claims/product details:

• Gentle, soothing formula 
• Enriched with calendula, chamomile and portulaca extracts, cypress essential oil and a special 'Angel's Tear' complex
• Aims to relieve and brighten the skin
• SPF30 PA++
• RRP $43 for 40ml

There's the colour on my arm, unblended above and blended below. It's not a bad match for my pale inner wrist - pity I won't be wearing it there ; )

As you can see, it has a watery/runny and sheer formula, which I like and which makes the colour more forgiving in terms of what skintones can get away with it.


There's my bare face:

There I am with the smallest layer of product. You can see that it has an effect on evening out my skintone, although it does make me paler and doesn't look quite right. That's why I'm using it as a mixer product, as a base for a powder foundation or with lots of bronzer.


There's my yukky red chest:


And there it is with the product:


You can see that the coverage isn't too bad, despite how sheer it is, and you can always build it if you want to.

Verdict

I have to say, I'm HEARTBROKEN that this product is too pale for my face. Boo foo boo. Maybe I could wear it on my wrists?!

Obviously I really love it, otherwise I wouldn't be hanging on to it for use as a dedicated facial BB cream: I wouldn't normally work so hard to make a product viable for me (eg by using it as a mixer or with extra bronzer), but it's a really lovely product and I don't want to give it away.

It smells nice, blends well and just feels good for your skin. You can tell it's a high quality product and if it wasn't so pale, I've no doubt I'd be in love with it.

It definitely evens out skintone and has a brightening effect. My skin looks fresher when I wear it and it adds a nice glow, which fortunately still applies if I mix it with the right darker product.

Ticks from me. No ticks for Memebox for including yet another BB/CC cream that's far too pale for my skin - I received a lot of those creams from the company and they were all ridiculously pale. This was the least pale of the bunch, and by far the best one.

I went to review this product last week and then held off after seeing so many raving reviews of it: I didn't love it so much; was I missing something?

After another week of use I can confirm that I don't love it, so I guess I'm in the minority on that front - if the online reviews are anything to go by (see eg makeupalley.com).

Still, you can only go by what works for you, and this one didn't stand out.


Revlon claims/product details:

• A leave-in hair treatment spray that gives a host of benefits to all hair types
• Provides 10 benefits, from shine and frizz control to colour fade protection and UVA/UVB protection
• Adds shine and silky smoothness, plus enviable body and volume
• A great detangling spray 
• Enhances styling possibilities and manageability
• Perfect for repairing dry and damaged hair; also works to prevent split ends
• Improves health and texture of hair
• RRP $15.99 for 150ml, but do shop around

Verdict

As mentioned, I didn't love this treatment.

It's a bit of an odd one because although it's in a spray bottle and is applied that way, it's actually a white cream. I don't know how that works in a spray bottle, but somehow it does. I normally spray some into my hand and then apply it through my hair, concentrating on the ends.

It has a very strong, masculine smell - like a cheap men's aftershave - and it feels quite heavy on the hair. This heaviness is what I don't like about it: it weighs my hair down and leaves a thin film over it, making it look quite dull. For this reason it also reduces the time between washes (because it makes my hair look and feel dirtier), so it's not a product I plan to keep using as a leave-in treatment, now that I've given it a good go. What I'll do with it is use it as a hair mask in the shower, just to get some use from it.

In terms of claims, yes it does manage frizz and it's a good detangler etc, but due to the heaviness of it, I don't think it improves texture or shine. It does feel as though it adds a protective coating to hair (and therefore helps hair that's dry/damaged like mine), but at the expense of weighing it down.

I wouldn't buy this but I'm glad I've given it a go, particularly since so many people rave about it.

Have you tried this? What did you think if so?

Essenzza claims/product details:

• Experience the superior cleansing action 
• Textured on one side to remove dirt and makeup with ease, and smooth on the other side for a perfect finish to your daily facial cleansing
• Removes makeup (including waterproof mascara) and gently exfoliates skin
• Deep cleansing action will leave your skin feeling clean and smooth, and looking bright
• No parabens or sulphates 
• Non greasy and non drying 
• Suitable for all skin types 
• 25 large wipes per pack 
• RRP $6.99 for 25 wipes, but do shop around

Since it's the end of the month and I've knocked off some more products, it was definitely time for a Project Pan update. To see my earlier posts, start with my last post and go from there (or just hit the Project Pan tag at the end of this post).

My updated PP list was as follows:

• Benefit's Coralista Blush (3g travel size)
• ModelCo Colourbox Eyeshadow in Tahiti
• Tonymoly Circle Lens Mascara
• Bodyography primer
• Benefit Boi-ing concealer
• Mememe liquid illuminator
• Dewytree finishing powder
• Drww Mix & Match Set Vol 2 
• 2 x Erborian BB creams
• Sweetpea & Fay Liquid Lipstick in Papercut

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in 03 Pêche Cosy

Mex and I discovered Hobba late last year and it was a happy, local discovery. It's one of the newer kids on the local scene and already it seems to be booming. Part of the attraction - at least for us - is the building itself. The warehouse-style layout is modern, fresh and appealing: a great place to sit back and relax.


These were the breakfast pancakes that Dad ordered when he came along with us one time. He'd had his eye on something else but the table next to us ordered these and, when he saw them come out, he changed his mind and ordered them too.

He said they were great - filling and well done. The pancakes were nicely fluffy and the dish was simple without being boring.


This was what I ordered on the first time we went. It was on the lunch menu: a roast vegetable salad with goats cheese. From memory it cost about $18.

It was sensational - the veggies were cooked to perfection (not too soft) and the pine nuts and goats cheese added interest. My only gripe with it was the amount of oil used for dressing: it really didn't need that much. If it appears on the menu again I would definitely order it, but I'd ask for them to go easy on the oil.


Mex ordered this one: beans with chorizo, feta and a scotch egg. He loved it and was pretty upset when it wasn't on the menu the next time we went hehe. He likes his food rich and hearty and this definitely achieved that. He's also pretty hard to please when it comes to breakfast, but this dish hit the mark.





428 Malvern Road
Prahran, VIC 3181

Hooray for empties!

I didn't think I'd gotten through too many products this month, but turns out I have. There's a few from Project Pan in there and a couple of travel size items, but I'm still doing pretty well in terms of using what I have and not buying anything new : )


KUU Konjac Sponge with French Red Clay

Full review here. Unfortunately this product was rather useless. It didn't add anything to my cleansing routine and, if anything, seemed to send it 'backwards'. It was too gentle and high maintenance. Not worth the hassle. Purchase? No.

Christian Dior La Dolce Vita

Oh how I love this fragrance. It's one of my all time favourites and one of the few I've purchased again and again. It's not an everyday fragrance (it's too sweet/memorable) but it's one that makes me happy whenever I spray it. It really does smell yellow. I'm sad to see it go (particularly because I'm on a spending ban!) but I have been wanting to get through it because it was getting a little old. Repurchase? Absolutely.


Mizon Water Volume Aqua Gel Cream

Full review here. This was a Memebox inclusion that didn't live up to its claims. It's essentially a cheap gel that feels a little sticky on and doesn't do much. It got sent to the body cream section pretty quickly because I have much better products for my face. Purchase? No.

Beauty Firm Rubbing Jelly Scrub

Full review here. I quite liked this little scrub: it had plenty of scrubby matter in it and I enjoyed using it. I didn't limit it to my elbows and heels however and while having a dedicated elbow/heel scrub is a cute idea in theory, I also think it's getting a bit ridiculous (am I meant to have separate scrubs for the various parts of my body?!) and gimicky. Still, I enjoyed using it. Purchase? No.

Ladykin Broccoli Super Brightening Cream

Full review here. Another rubbish Memebox inclusion that got sent straight to the body cream section. It's lucky I have my husband to help me finish off all these creams I don't really like ; ) - we haven't needed to buy body cream for a while hehe. Purchase? No.


Bioelixia Body Shaper Stretch Mark Diminishing Cream

Full review here. Thank god there's some good empties coming up in this post because I'm starting to sound negative (!). This one is pretty rubbish and doesn't do anything in terms of addressing stretchmarks - it didn't for me, anyway. If anyone has ever found a stretchmark cream that works, do let me know - but those things are largely genetic and there's not much you can do about them. Purchase? No.

Happy Skincare Black Cumin Seed Oil

Full review here. In short, this remains one of my favourite Happy Skincare products. It's a lovely oil and it does wonders for my skin, and I keep coming back to it. Plus it's reasonably priced and the company's Australian. Repurchase? Yes.


Pantene 3 Minute Miracle Treatment

Full review here. I've used this many times before and I was happy to see it in my recent Priceline goodies bag - I used it straight away and, as always, my hair felt heaps better afterwards. My hair is in the dry/damaged category and it drinks treatments like this one up. I must remember to source some more. Repurchase? Yes.

John Frieda Frizz Ease

Ah, my HG hair product for frizz. And I haven't written a full review on it! That's mainly because this container is so old that it was definitely time to source a fresh product, and one that would look prettier in photos ; ). I love it. It works. Repurchase? Yes.

Chihtsai Instant Treatment

This is an intense leave-in moisturiser for your hair. I'd never heard of the brand so I did a quick Google search, and the small number of reviews on this product have been glowing. The product's fine, I just don't think it's amazing. It's one of those leave-in treatments that seems to moisturise well, but also leaves your hair rather sticky and weighed-down in the process. I wouldn't buy it but I'm glad I've tried it. Purchase? No.



Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel

Full review here. This is a decent glycolic acid product, it's just a bit strong for my sensitive skin so I can't use it enough to get its full benefit. I've heard many rave about it though, so if your skin isn't like mine then it's worth giving a go. Purchase? No.

Purebess Galactomyces 100%

Full review here. Another Memebox product that did nothing (sensing a theme here?! ; ) ). It's one of those products that contains the same stuff as that fabled SK-II range, it just did absolutely nothing for my skin. I ended up using it as a kind of toner (on cotton pads) to get rid of it. Purchase? No.


Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector

Full review here. This is a really lovely product to use, I just don't think it's worth the price tag. I received this in Marie Claire's The Parcel, and it's not the first trial size I've used. It feels really wonderful on and makes my skin look more velvety and refined, but I haven't noticed any cumulative effect over time. I would stick to something cheaper. Purchase? No.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes