little white truths

I have two empties posts that I want to get up before the end of the month, although I don't have long so I may not get to #3 in the next few days. We'll see.

In any event, I'm glad I've finished so many products this month, and May should be a decent month too because I have quite a few items that will likely finish themselves by then.

Anyhoo! In no particular order...

Benefit Hoola Cosmetics Bronzing Powder

Full review here. This is one of those bronzers that I love in theory because it's such a great colour, but in practice it's not as foolproof as my other bronzers so I'm glad it's gone.

The texture is smooth, creamy and finely milled, but it can start to look powdery on my skin when I need to build it, and it also doesn't blend well unless I've really powdered my face down - which I don't want to do because I have dry skin and too much powder looks awful and ageing on me. So while I love the colour and can see why so many people like it, it's not the right bronzer for me. Purchase? No.

Kevyn Aucoin The Pure Powder Glow in Dolline

I loved this blush for years because it's such a pretty colour and the formula is amazing, but by the end, Hourglass blushes had overtaken it and I wasn't using it enough so I ended up panning it. I've reviewed it here. 

It adds a beautiful, natural glow to the skin that lifts the face and looks so pretty without being too much. It's also exactly my kind of colour, and it's foolproof: while the colour is there, it's not so pigmented that you have to be careful with it, and I never wound up with clown-face when I used it because it almost diffuses itself. It's just a gorgeous product, but I don't need it so I don't mind that it's gone. Repurchase? No, but only because I have too much blush.

OGX Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Frizz Defying Curl Cream

Full review here. I really love this product and the only reason I ended up panning it was because there's a huge amount of product in the tube and I only needed a little each time, meaning that it had lasted me years and I wanted to finish it before it turned.

What I love about the product is that it de-frizzes my dry, wavy hair and adds a healthy amount of shine. It also makes my hair more bouncy, soft and manageable, and the effect lasts for days so you don't need to keep applying it. A little also goes a long way so it's super good value. Definitely worth trying. Repurchase? Yes.

Shu Uemera Art Series 2.0 Silk Bloom Restorative Conditioner

I didn't review this product because it came in a subscription box and I don't like reviewing haircare without its mate, and we didn't receive the shampoo. Boo hiss boo.

What I can say is that it took me ages to finish because I didn't like it and didn't want to use it. I needed a lot per application (so it wasn't concentrated) and I also found that it left my hair unbelievably knotty after use. While I think it conditioned a bit, it wasn't good for my dry hair and it did nothing for my frizz either: if anything, my frizz looked worse when I used this. Purchase? No.

Andalou Naturals Quenching Coconut Water Firming Toner

Full review here. I absolutely love this product and I can't wait to buy another one. Indeed, I knew I would be giving it HG status almost from the first use, and I'm missing it already.

I apply this to a cotton pad and it does a beautiful job of removing that last layer of gunk from my face - and it does so without feeling astringent but instead rather gentle - plus it hydrates my dry skin to boot. I also love the coconut scent and it works nicely over makeup, although I had to decant it into another bottle because the spray on this one isn't fine enough. Just a lovely product, and it's not expensive either (especially on sale). Repurchase? Yes.

Banana Boat Soothing Aloe Mist After Sun Spray

If you haven't seen me talk about this one yet in favourites posts etc, check out my full review here. It's not designed as a 'makeup' product but it's one of the best setting sprays I've ever used and it only costs a few dollars if you can grab it on special. 

It hydrates, plumps and soothes the skin, plus it leaves a dewy finish that isn't too much and it takes the 'edge' off your powders so your makeup looks merged and flawless after use. It reminds me in so many ways of MAC Fix+, only it's significantly cheaper and the bottle is huge. Repurchase? Yes.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Full review here. This mascara is good but it's not without issues so I wouldn't buy it, but I do think it's decent and I can see why a lot of people love it.

First, the brush on this is too fat for my hooded eyes, which means I struggle to get it close to the lashline, and I also get mascara goo on my upper eye area if I bring the brush in too close. Plus the spacing between the bristles doesn't work for me and I always need to use a lash comb with this product, which I find annoying. Nevertheless, I get  some nice length and volume from this and it doesn't smudge or flake throughout the day, so it's not all bad news. Purchase? No.

NYX Butter Glosses in Maple Blondie

I've been through quite a few of these glosses now and I absolutely love them so you'll probably be seeing them show up in my empties posts forevermore. I've reviewed Maple Blondie here.

What I love about these is that they hydrate my lips better than most other lip products I've tried, and they also have a plumping effect so they smooth out the look of texture on my lips. On top of that they wear pretty well for glosses and they come in a variety of shades (so there should be something for everyone), plus they're cheap. Love. Repurchase? Yes.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (Liquid) in Champagne Pop

These liquid highlighters are my favourites and I've loved every single one I've owned (this is my third). I've reviewed this here. 

What I love about this formula is that it looks so natural on the skin, and it works well for spot-highlighting, on its own, as a glowy primer and also mixed in with my foundation. Indeed, it's an incredibly versatile product and I always have some kind of use for these. I also think these highlighters are good value because you get a lot of product and they last for ages. They're my HG liquid highlighters for a reason. Repurchase? Yes.

The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer

Full review here. I like this product and I think it does a great job of smoothing out my skin while also blurring the look of texture like open pores, and since it's cheap, I would absolutely recommend trying it because if it doesn't work for you too, there's no big loss.

I like that it offers a smooth surface for makeup application while also giving the appearance of plugging pores so my facial texture looks less obvious. It also tones down the look of my greasy sunscreen and makes my face look more matte but still with a slight dewy finish that suits my dry skin. Indeed, it's the kind of product that you could wear on its own because it makes the skin look a little better. Plus it's cheap. Worth trying. Repurchase? Maybe.

In sum

That's all from me. I hope you enjoyed this little post and that you have plenty of your own empties to share this month.

The best items in here were the Becca highlighter, the NYX gloss, the Banana Boat spray and the Andalou toner. Although I do love the OGX and Kevyn Aucoin products too, I mightn't buy those again - at least for a while - because I'm ready to try other things.

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