little white truths

Hello and welcome to my first round of monthly favourites for the year.

January has been an odd month for me because I've been focusing less on review posts and more on 'other' posts, so I'm not facing a long list of reviews from which to pick out my favourites.

Still, it wasn't too hard to choose my top products because I've been keeping things simple this month (it's been a tiring one), and I've certainly been in a little routine that hasn't varied too much.

Let's have a look.

Clinique Take the Day off Cleansing Balm

Full review here. This is one of those rare cult products that actually lives up to its hype, in my opinion, and I've been really enjoying it this month.

It's a solid balm that melts into an oil when applied, and it does a great job of removing makeup and grime - plus a little goes a long way so even this little sample tub is lasting a good while. It's also fragrance-free so it should suit those with sensitive skin.

The only thing I'll say about this is that it's better to use a cloth when you remove it, and it does leave a slight residue on my skin - which doesn't bother me because I double-cleanse anyway - but it's worth mentioning all the same.

A cult favourite for good reason.

Becca custom palette (Ombre Rouge and Ombre Nudes)

This palette is in circulation for Project Dent at the moment, and using the shadows has reminded me of how much I love them. I've reviewed the Ombre Nudes palette here and the Ombre Rouge palette here.

As you may know, I wanted to use this just after my Too Faced Natural Matte palette so I could compare the two formulas, and while I do feel that the Too Faced shadows feel softer, smoother and creamier in texture (which is my preference), these Becca ones are generally more pigmented (so less building required, but they're not so pigmented that they're hard to work with), and they also last longer on the eye.

I've used both palettes during January when it's been hot (and eyeshadow is more likely to shift on me), and it's been interesting to see just how long these Becca ones stay put as compared to the Too Faced shadows, which only last five hours max on me in the heat.

So we can say now that I'm probably going to pan the Too Faced palette next year because I don't need both, meaning I've learned something valuable from the exercise. Hooray to that.

Antipodes Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum

Full review here. I finished this recently and I'm missing it already: nothing I'm currently using is as rich and good for my dry skin as this product was.

It's a serum but it feels more like an oil in texture, and it also smells like berries (in a natural way) so I enjoyed the overall experience of using it because it felt lovely and I liked the scent.

If you have oily skin then you mightn't like this because you may find it to be too heavy, but for my dry/dehydrated skin, I couldn't get enough of it. I would absolutely buy it again: it's reasonably priced and you can always wait for specials at Priceline. Even better.

Inika Certified Organic Pure Primer with Hyaluronic Acid

I've used a lot of average primers that don't do much in my time, but this isn't one of those. Indeed, I'm surprised that it isn't talked about more: I think it's underrated and I hope that more people get a chance to use it. It's that good. I've reviewed it here.

What I love about this is that it's super hydrating so it gives my dry skin a drink, and not only this, it has a tacky finish that helps makeup adhere and also last longer - and since most primers don't do much for longevity on me, that's something I really like about this product.

For me, this is everything the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Primer should have been (that didn't work well for me unfortunately), and I definitely recommend it.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

Full review here. This is currently part of my 2018 Pan that Palette challenge, and as you may know, when we pan things they often lose their 'colour' a little with daily use: that is, we can tire of them and they can feel less special over time.

That's not true of this palette. Yes I've only been panning it for a month, but I've been reaching for it every day because I want to - while with the eyeshadows I'm panning, for example, I've wanted to have a break for a day or two each week. Hell, even the two bronzers on my Project Dent list were put aside for a couple of days over their respective denting periods this month, for the simple reason that I needed a break from them. And Project Dent only runs for two weeks!

But with this? Every day I'm using it as my blush, highlighter and also my finishing powder (I'm separating the individual swirls in each pan to achieve this with a needle), and never once have I tired of it. Never once have I wanted to use anything else.

That says something.

In sum

I hope you enjoyed this little post!

January is usually a pretty slow month but it's also a weird one (I've found myself drowning in admin rubbish this month - how many forms do I need to complete?!), so it's definitely been one of those months where I've stuck to what works and haven't played around too much.

Do let me know in the comments what your favourite products are this month: I'd love to hear.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x