little white truths

I've been running around doing dumbarse admin crap this morning (excuse my French) so it's taken me a while to finally get to writing this post, despite the fact that I've been up with the birds as usual.

I had thought August would be a huge month in terms of empties, and while it hasn't been small, I have a bundle of almost-finished products that have lasted longer than expected, so they'll be done within the next week or two.

Meaning I'm super excited about September already: aside from it being the beginning of Spring, looks like I'll be ditching old products I'm getting bored of and opening new ones. Huzzah!


Urban Skincare Co Intense Conditioner

Full review here. This was a terrible product and I'm glad I've finished it. Indeed, I deliberately tried to finish it by using lots of it per wash - although to be honest I needed to use lots of it anyway because it wasn't working if I used normal amounts. It still wasn't a good conditioner when I used heaps of it - it didn't hydrate my hair well and also coated it, leaving it dry and dull - but at least that helped free my hair of knots. Purchase? No.

Scandalous Fabulously Flirty Dry Shampoo

When I first used this I thought it was a good dry shampoo, but over time I've realised that it's a great one because I've since used a lot more products in the dry shampoo department and this is easily the best one I've tried so far. Full review here. What I love about it is that it doesn't only work well in terms of soaking up grease on dirty hair, but it also leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling soft as well. Purchase? Absolutely.


Essenzza Fuss Free Naturals Cleansing Wipes - Cleanse + Refresh

These are my HG face wipes. Full review here. I like the green version of these the best because I love the smell, but otherwise the three versions are the same: amazing face wipes and the best on the market by far I reckon. The textured side is genius because it exfoliates your face as you're using it and really helps with the cleansing process, and the smooth side helps remove that last layer of grime. Plus they contain plenty of moisture and leave your skin feeling fresh and clean. Repurchase? Absolutely.

The Cosmetic Kitchen Wake Up Body Scrub

Full review here. This is a dry body scrub but I didn't like using it that way because I found it too harsh on the skin - or perhaps I'm just used to cream scrubs and that's why I didn't like using it dry. What I did was use it wet instead by adding water and mixing it with my body gel, and while I liked the coffee scent and felt it did a good job of exfoliation, it was far too messy to use and plenty of better scrubs exist for a fraction of the price. We received it from LHI and while I'm glad I've tried it, it's not for me. Purchase? No.


Benefit the POREfessional

This was a Project Pan inclusion so I won't go on about it too much here, other than to say I don't like it at all. Full review here. Repurchase? No.

REN Vita Mineral Active 7 Eye Gel

Full review here. I didn't like this eye gel because it wasn't hydrating enough for me and my eye area suffered from it within 24 hours of starting to use it: I'm talking about that wrinkle that appears over one of my eyes when I'm using a 'lesser' eye product. Needless to say, I didn't want to keep using it - so after a week of trialling it I used it on my face instead, just to get through it. It's nice enough, it's probably better for a younger person than me though! Purchase? No.


Indio Age Defence 30+ Sunscreen Cream

Full review here. This was a Bellabox inclusion: there's no way in hell that I would pay $76 for a sunscreen - my golly! It's nice enough and doesn't clog pores, but there's nothing special about it and I certainly wouldn't spend that amount on a dedicated sunscreen. Save your pennies for a fancy moisturiser that has sunscreen in it! Purchase? No.

Tuscan Tan Facial Tanning Serum

This is a great product and I'm sad I've finished it because I have no tanning products left. Foo! Full review here. It's lightweight and gives you a nice, natural looking colour - both immediately and accumulatively over time. My only complaint would be that the colour seems to fade all too soon, although that may have something to do with how often I exfoliate my face ; ). Repurchase? Maybe.

Maxfactor Masterpiece Transform Mascara in Black

This came from The Parcel. Full review here. It's a decent mascara that doesn't cost the earth, and the best thing about it is the brush: it's shaped well and it isn't too thick, which is important for those of us with puffy or hooded eyes because it means you're less likely to make mistakes and wind up with product on your upper eye area. The formula is good too - it doesn't smudge and it gives nice length and thickness, although I do prefer something that gives more length than this does. Purchase? No.

Mary Kay Lip Lacquer in Chai Latte

This was a nice, nude gloss - but it wasn't a lacquer. 'Lacquer' implies that it's a different formula than this was, and one that stays put. This didn't: it transferred easily and wore like any other gloss. I quite liked it but it's certainly not one I would buy. Purchase? No.

In sum

Gosh this year is vanishing fast - as are the mounds of beauty products I've wound up with. Thankfully my spending-ban-turned-low-buy has meant that the amount of stuff I've had in the past has whittled itself down nicely!

The best products in this bunch are the dry shampoo and the face wipes. Here's to finishing more stuff off in September : )