little white truths

Hello and welcome to another empties post for the month!

It's been a month of panning and empties posts for me and I haven't done that many review posts, purely because I've had more work on than usual and the kids have also been a little tougher (it's winter so it's not as easy to get them out of the house and burn off energy).

Anyhoo. Empties. Let's have a look.

NYX Butter Glosses in Sugar Plum and Strawberry Parfait

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 Sugar Plum here and Strawberry Parfait 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 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 and that's always a bonus. 

Sugar Plum was a little too cool-toned for me so it made me look rather dead, but it mixed beautifully with Strawberry Parfait (which warmed it up so it suited me) and I do love a lavender/purple lip, so I enjoyed these while I had them. Repurchase? Yes.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Full review here. It was so nice to return to this hand cream because for some reason the last few years haven't been great in terms of trying new ones (I've tried a lot of duds unfortunately), but this one is great and I really enjoy the formula.

Apparently one of these L'Occitane creams is sold every three seconds, and I do see why it's so popular: it works, it isn't that expensive, and it doesn't leave a horrendous residue on the hands. My dry skin has been happier ever since I reintroduced this product, so I might have to buy myself another one soon. Purchase? Yes.

Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder in Euphoric Strobe Light

I recently panned this via Project Pan because, even though I enjoy the formula and colour, I prefer Brilliant Strobe Light so I always reach for that over this one and there was no point in keeping it in my collection. I've reviewed it here.

I've always loved how soft and subtle these highlighters are on the skin, as well as how smooth and silky they are to the touch. The only problem with the formula is that it contains tiny flecks of noticeable glitter, and while I normally wouldn't wear anything with glitter in it (except on the eyes), I live with it in these because they otherwise look so natural and they don't emphasise texture. Without the glitter, they'd be perfect. Repurchase? No.

Thursday Plantation Brightening Oil

Full review here. This is the second oil I've tried from Thursday Plantation and I haven't been very impressed by either of them.

It leaves behind a greasy finish so it mightn't suit those who prefer oils that vanish into the skin. I've been applying mine as my overnight hydrator because it's too greasy to wear under makeup during the day, and also because the coating it leaves on my skin makes it a good oil to seal in my other products and keep my skin protected until morning. That's about all it does, though - at least in my case - and what I've found is that it doesn't absorb into the skin well. Instead it sits on top of my face and doesn't feel like it's getting in there and nourishing my dry skin where I need it most. Repurchase? No.

A'kin Natural Deodorant 

This is a great natural deodorant and it's the first one I've found that works beautifully for me. Over the last year or so, I started to realise that normal deodorants just weren't working for me anymore. They were leaving me with seriously itchy skin - to the point that I was often in discomfort overnight - and my skin also started flaking off under my arms, which it had never done before. Eek.

Thankfully this product works for me and I love it: it stops me from getting stinky under the arms and I only need to apply it once every 24 hours. Plus it doesn't irritate my skin and it's not super expensive, so it's a winner in my books. I've reviewed it here. Purchase? Already have.

In sum

That's all from me! I'm pleased to have cleared out another empties post for the month, and I'm hoping to get a third one done before month's end. We'll see.

My favourite items in here were the A'kin deodorant, the NYX glosses (as always), the Jurlique eye cream and the L'Occitane hand cream. Everything else I can take or leave.

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