little white truths

While I'd initially planned to review my three Natio tinted moisturisers together, in the end I had to review them separately because I used up Neutral before I even tested either of the other two, and I also wanted to find out whether the formula was different between them.

Reason being, I could tell when I swatched these that Honey had a slightly different formula because it was more runny than the other two. In the end that didn't really matter and the formulas are largely the same, so I guess I could have reviewed them together but separate reviews it is.

Anyhoo. Let's have a look at this one.

Natio claims/product details:

• Inspired 3-in-1 formula creates the ultimate in barely there makeup perfection
• Combines the benefits of a moisturiser and a sunscreen, with a hint of colour for a fresh, natural satin finish
• Provides light to medium coverage
• Lightweight and hydrating formula leaves a healthy-looking, natural, glowing complexion
• RRP $18.95 AUD for 50ml, but do shop around (I bought mine at half-price)

Below are heavy, medium and light swatches of Honey, direct sunlight:

And indirect sunlight (look at how much it oxidises after application; see the middle swatch especially):

And below I've swatched Honey alongside the other two shades so you can see the differences between them.

Direct sunlight:

* L-R: Neutral, Beige, Honey

Verdict

This isn't a good product and while I don't regret buying it because I paid very little for mine and I have found some use for it, I wouldn't recommend it and I certainly wouldn't buy it again.

Please note that so much product spewed out of Honey when I was doing the above swatches that I had too much, but rather than waste it, I did three large swatches instead. I'm mentioning this because you do need to be careful with this particular shade: the tubes are designed to stand upright, which means that Honey is ready to dribble out as soon as you open the lid.

The product is a standard tinted moisturiser that comes in a tube and smells a little like sunscreen. It spreads and applies well, and it has a shiny finish so do be aware of that: I personally prefer to powder it.

What surprised me about this product when I first used it was just how little coverage it has. Indeed, I tried it yesterday as a stand-alone tinted moisturiser, and all it did was tint my skin a darker shade without covering anything.

This morning I used it with my Australis whitening drops to see how it went with those, since they have a reasonable amount of coverage, and I needed to add quite a few drops to get the shade closest to my skintone. Problem is, Honey is neutral in undertone so even though the mix had enough coverage, it looked grey on my skin so I had to wipe it off.

I then tried it again, mixed with the warmer Beige this time (as well as the whitening drops), and while the mix had enough coverage, the result had an odd greyish orange undertone that doesn't match my yellow-based skin. Still, it doesn't look so bad that a good bronzer and a well-placed scarf couldn't make it look passable.

The other thing to note is that all three shades oxidise and also dry down a little bit darker (I understand that 'oxidising' and 'drying down' like paint are slightly different things). You'll notice that especially in the middle swatch of Honey in the indirect sunlight shot above, where I've noted the oxidation. You'll also see that in the first of the comparison swatches above, where each shade is getting dry around the edges.

Overall I don't think this is a good product and I can't recommend it. It doesn't cover anything and the formula also darkens on application. Thankfully I've been able to use mine by mixing it in with my facial sunscreen to make that last longer so it hasn't been a complete waste, but that's all I can do with it.

Blurgh.