little white truths

• A hydrating, nourishing essence featuring a silky formula that's highly concentrated in maple tree sap to create a stronger skin environment, helping prep the skin to better absorb products to follow and boosting their effectiveness
• Packed with nourishing botanical complexes, along with ingredients possessing antioxidant properties, which neutralise free radicals and support natural skin cell regeneration
• Has a smooth, non-sticky texture that quickly absorbs into the skin for an instant boost of hydration, resulting in skin that's not only healthier-looking, but better able to obtain the benefits from any product applied afterwards
• Further enriched with unique, botanical, herbal and floral complexes to intensely hydrate and promote a radiant complexion
• Maple tree sap particles are almost the exact same size as our bodily fluids (even smaller than water) and enable the formula to easily absorb deep into the skin
• The essence intensively hydrates and delivers critical nourishment to skin, creating a healthy-looking glow from within
• Also helps prep skin to better absorb subsequent products, such as serums and moisturisers, so that you get the most out of both your morning and evening skincare routines
• Cruelty-free
• To use: after cleansing and toning, apply to face and neck in upward and outward strokes with your fingertips or a cotton pad; pat remaining product into skin until fully absorbed
• RRP $19 AUD for 40ml

The product comes in a clean-looking frosted glass bottle with a plastic cap that looks like wood. I do really love the packaging and it's something I'm happy to have out on the bathroom shelves.

The bottle has a stopper at the mouth with a small hole so you can only dispense a small amount of essence each time, a detail I appreciate because I'm liable to pour/squeeze/pump too much product out if I'm not careful.

Verdict

This is a great little product and I'm really enjoying using it, so much so that I'm already down to the last third of my bottle and I'll be very sad once it's gone!

It's a thin, clear liquid that's a little thicker than water and it has a fresh, perfume-y scent that I don't mind because I barely notice it. I have seen some reviewers complain about the scent, however, so I'd test this first if you're sensitive to fragrance.

You can apply this either with your hands or with a cotton round, and I prefer to just use my hands because otherwise I'd waste too much product. While I'm ok to soak a cotton round with my toner because the round also helps wipe away dirt, I don't think it's necessary to do that with this product so I'd suggest opting for hands so you get the most bang for your buck and don't lose half the bottle to cotton heaven.

I apply this both morning and night, after my toner and before my serum. I'm not sure if you're meant to wait a couple of minutes before applying your serum because the instructions are silent on that, but I normally try to do this - just to give the essence a chance to work its magic before adding anything else on top.

My skin really likes this stuff, I must say. After use it looks brighter and more awake, plus it feels firmer and more toned to boot. It's one of those products that gives you a slap in the face, in the best of ways, and I like how fresh and healthy my skin looks after using this.

As for claims: I do think this nourishes but it's not super hydrating on its own, so you'll still need moisturiser etc after use (or at least I do); it does absorb really well and very quickly; it does make my skin look more radiant; and it does make my skin look more healthy too.

As for whether it helps prep skin to better absorb any products you add over it, it's really hard to judge that claim but I'm prepared to believe it because my skin has been looking happier lately, so perhaps this product has had something to do with that.

All in all, this is a nice little product and I recommend it. It mightn't be the most amazing item of its kind that I've tried (there's an Elizabeth Arden booster I've used, reviewed here, that remains my favourite), it's still very good. Plus this 40ml size won't break the bank, so it's a good starting point if you're interested in trying an essence.

Decent.