little white truths

Hooray to finishing more products! We're moving out of our house at the moment because we need a bigger place, so I'm more than happy to throw this lot of empties into the recycling.

It's amazing how much crap one accumulates, and we're not hoarders so I can't imagine how much stuff you'd wind up with if you liked hanging on to things. Granted I have more than enough beauty products, but the dwindling stores don't take up much space these days so I've no idea how I'm filling so many boxes.


Allegra Rhodes Ocean Mist Hand Wash

Full review here. This hand wash smells divine and it's the fragrance that sets products from Allegra Rhodes apart. I don't really notice the texture/effect of a hand wash unless it's really bad or really good, and this is neither: it's decent and cleans well, but I would be buying it for the smell alone because it's not insanely better than any other hand wash I've tried. One good thing about this product is that it lasted over a year and had a lot of use in that time, so it's good value. Repurchase? Maybe in a different scent, just for a change.

Happy Skincare Cloud 9 Deep Cleansing Balm

If you read this blog, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Happy Skincare products and this cleansing balm in particular. Full review here. The only thing I'll say about it is that I preferred the old texture: I think the formula is the same, but not long ago the texture changed and this doesn't feel quite as delicious on the skin. I still do like it though and I love cleansing balms/creams in winter because they're great for dry skin. Repurchase? Maybe. I've been through a few of these now and would quite like to see what else is out there that's similar.


Tosowoong Syn-ake Wrinkle Free Lotion

This was a Memebox inclusion. Full review here. It was an ok moisturiser, it just didn't have enough punch for my dry skin so it's not one I would consider buying. In the end it got sent to the body cream section and it lasted a remarkably long time, so that's a plus. Purchase? No.

Bobbish Luminous Body & Facial Mist

Another Memebox inclusion. Full review here. I didn't like this as a face mist because it sat on top of the skin and made me look greasy, especially when I put it over makeup. I guess that's because of the oil in it. But I generally only use face mists to spray throughout the day, so I didn't have much use for it otherwise. In the end I used it as a body mist in place of my moisturiser, just to get rid of it. Even then it left me feeling pretty slick, more than a normal oil, and I didn't like it for that reason. Purchase? No.


Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

Full review here. I got this in a Priceline baggie and it smells soapy fresh and clean, which makes a nice change from other dry shampoos I've used that have smelled a bit chemical and synthetic. It's an ok product as a dry shampoo but I think better ones exist on the market, and ones that are better value because I needed to use so much of this each time to get it to work as intended. Purchase? No.

Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair Shampoo

Full review here. I didn't like it at all unfortunately: it's quite heavy and doesn't lather well, and I need to use it three times each wash to get my hair feeling even close to clean. It also leaves my hair looking dull and lifeless, and has a strong smell that's quite chemical in nature and hurts my nose a bit. Purchase? No.


Neutrogena Alcohol-free Toner

Full review here. This product was a bit meh for me and I didn't love it (although I didn't hate it either). It doesn't irritate my face but I think it's too gentle for me because I don't get that wonderful refreshed feeling after using it that I get from other toners. I also don't think it cleans as well as other products because I sometimes needed to use it twice to get the job done. Repurchase? No.

Urban Skincare Co Body Bar

This was part of an upgrade pack that I received from Urban Skincare and since I don't use soaps, I gave this to my husband and he happily used it. I did give it a trial after he'd opened it and it's a nice-enough soap that cleans well, but it didn't wow me as other soaps have (eg one I recently used from MOR). Purchase? No.


Benefit They're Real Lengthening Mascara

Oh how I hate this mascara. Full review here. I forced myself to use this sample for six weeks once I'd opened it, and I suffered every day. Not a day went past when the ridiculously fat brush didn't deposit mascara where I didn't want it. Honestly, it's the worst brush I've ever come across and I find it impossible to use. This probably has a lot to do with my puffy eye shape, but it's so fat that others must find this issue too. Purchase? Never.

Soak Skin Booster Body Lotion

This was a Violet Box inclusion. Full review here. I did like it but I've used plenty of other body creams that I prefer because they smell nicer. Scent aside, this is a hydrating cream that spreads well, so the trial-size tube lasted a good while. Purchase? No.

In sum

This isn't a great round of empties and the best products are the first two, the Allegra Rhodes Hand Wash and the Happy Skincare cleansing balm. I wouldn't buy either however because I would rather find new products to play with.

Hopefully there'll be more products in next month's empties post, so I can happily be rid of more products received from subscription boxes that I haven't loved : )