little white truths

Hello and welcome to another sachet post.

As you may know, I've been keen to get through some samples and smaller items before the end of the year, so I've just introduced some travel-sized products to get through and I'm now ready to wind up this sachet post, which includes a bunch of things that I've been testing over the last few weeks.

Let's get straight into it.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation

I did a first impressions post on this foundation a couple of days ago (see here) and you'll see swatches of Light Neutral, Light-Medium Honey, Medium Honey and Tan Sand in that post.

It had a very strong scent that I didn't like and it also dried down to a powdery finish that didn't suit my dry skin. Plus it looked a bit like a mask on me, although that could be because I'm used to more dewy tinted moisturisers. The other thing I noticed about this was that my face felt very dry underneath it all day, so we can say that it's not for me.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation

I've tried this over the past two days and while I can see why people love it, I don't think it's the right fit for my dry skin. See here for my swatches and first impressions of shades 150, 220, 340 and 420.

I liked that it had a soft-focus finish so it blurred the look of texture like open pores, and while I like the idea of a foundation that sets to a matte finish in theory, the reality is that my dry skin needs something dewy. I also felt that this sat on top of my skin, rather than becoming one with my face in the way that my tinted moisturisers do.

Still, it wore well and held up nicely in hot weather, and I think it's a good one to try for oily skin.

Sachajuan Silver Shampoo & Conditioner

These are designed to add pigments to the hair that counteract and neutralise yellow/golden tones (so they're meant for blondes, not my dark brown hair). They should also add volume and new lustre to the hair, meanwhile hydrating, increasing shine and giving stability.

Look, you can't tell much from one use but I can say that these aren't for me. The shampoo cleaned well enough (although I had to use quite a bit of it) and the conditioner was ok, but it wasn't enough for my dry hair. After use my hair was knotty and unruly, plus it felt very dry - so I obviously need something with more punch.

Lancome Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Full review here. This is my HG serum and I was glad to have another sample to play with. Indeed, I have three 5ml samples waiting in the wings to use now that I've finished this sachet, and I'll be sure to use them soon because I love this product and can't live for long without it.

It's one of those rare items that does everything it claims to do. My face always looks younger and better when I'm using this (to the point that other people notice the difference) and I intend to always have one in my collection. Yay.

Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture

This is described as an anti-ageing moisturiser to relieve dry, dehydrated skin and restore youthful resilience and tone. It's apparently clinically proven to lock optimal moisture levels in the skin while delivering instant comfort.

I barely remember using this, I must admit, since it was the first sample in this lot that I opened and used a few weeks ago. I do remember that it added moisture but it certainly wasn't the most nourishing cream I've tried, and there wasn't much in the sample so it's hard to say if it did anything amazing for me. What I can say is that I don't plan to spend $130 AUD on the full size.

Dermalogica Age Smart Biolumin-C Serum

This claims to brighten, firm and protect the skin while working against premature ageing. It should target fine lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness and dull skin, while also gently exfoliating dead skin cells to reveal a radiant, even complexion.

I remember quite liking this and I do think it brightened my skin from the first application, which isn't surprising because it contains lactic acid. My skin felt resurfaced after use and looked smoother and healthier to boot, and while as you may know Dermalogica isn't a brand that's traditionally worked for me, I did like this product and I'd be open to trying it again.

Dermalogica Solar Defence Booster SPF 50

This apparently contains antioxidant vitamins c and e to improve skin smoothness and softness while providing added defence against skin-ageing free radicals. You can apply it directly to your face and neck for full SPF 50 coverage, or mix equal parts with your moisturiser or foundation to add critical defence against skin-ageing UV light.

I used this alone and it was fine, if a little greasy. I'm not sure about adding some to your foundation or moisturiser because you need quite a bit of sunscreen to get the benefit of its protection, so I'd be interested to know exactly how much you're meant to use in order to get that protection. I liked that it was thin and that it absorbed well, but otherwise it wasn't a stand-out for me.

Jo Malone Colognes in English Pear & Freesia, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Honeysuckle & Davana and Pomegranate Noir

The only scent I didn't like among these was the Pomegranate Noir, which I found to be sickly sweet and overly woody at the same time.

My favourite was probably the Honeysuckle & Davana, which isn't surprising because I love the scent of honeysuckle, and I did like the other two well enough but found them both to be a little flat and uninteresting for my personal tastes.

What was good about all four of these, though, was that they lasted super well on the skin and I don't think they're a bad investment if you're in the market for a new fragrance. I loved the fancy little sample boxes, too.

In sum

This was an ok round of sachets but nothing really grabbed me and I haven't put anything on my wishlist. My wallet is happy about that!

Still, it was nice to try some new things and also clear out more sachets from my collection, which I'll need to keep doing because the sachet pile is bigger at the moment than it normally is.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x