little white truths

I really like this. I would love an opportunity to try it with the cleanser for the mask combo, so I might need to speak to Mecca about that ; ) It's brightening and seriously wakes up your face. I definitely think it's worth exploring more so I'll be on the look-out for another sample.

Diptyque Créme Riche Body Butter

This is a lovely body cream but OMG it costs $116! Paying that much for face care is one thing, but for body care?! My golly. I really need to stop acquiring samples from Mecca - all that happens is I wind up with things I could never afford and would never buy!

Still, it's lovely to be able to trial something this fancy, and also to be able to say that this is nice enough, but not $116 nice enough. Stick to sampling this in-store I reckon ; )


Kate Somerville Somerville360 Tanning Towelettes

These are apparently designed to give an even tan without streaks. I wasn't sure I'd like the sample because I'm more of a cream kind of lass and this looked like it could be fiddley.

Turns out I do think the sample was a bit annoying to use: it's a huge cloth that you're meant to wipe all over your body in circular motions after exfoliating. I did that and, yes, I do look a bit browner, but I much prefer using a tanning cream. Also, my skin felt really dry after using it so I had to put some moisturiser on afterwards, which may have affected how well the tanner worked.

Kate Somerville Deep Tissue Repair Moisturiser

By golly this costs $172 for the full size so it would want to be good! Apparently it contains an exclusive blend of peptides and is designed to hydrate and smooth the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Unfortunately I really liked this (I say unfortunately due to the price tag) - my dry skin loved it and looked so hydrated afterwards. If it wasn't so expensive I'd be considering buying it. It's rare that I find a moisturiser that stands out from the pack but this one did.


ModelCo Exfoliating Cream

This was ok. I might have liked it better because it does contain a nice lot of scrubby material; however I have two scrubs I use that I'm in love with from Eslor and Indio, so I'm hard to please in that department.

ModelCo Instant Miracle Booster

This isn't a bad product. It definitely brightened my face and made it look fresher/younger, but I found that it didn't moisturise too well. I prefer similar products from Eslor, Clarins and Sukin for these purposes.


Korres Fig Showergel

This is apparently a soft moisturising shower gel that's ideal for everyday use. Wheat proteins form a protective film on the skin, maintaining its regular hydration level. Whether or not that's true, I don't like this product at all. It smells weird and doesn't foam well, and I don't get the sense that it cleans well. I'm sad about that - I thought I would love this one!

Now this one I liked. I just wish there had have been more in the sachet - it wasn't quite enough for one application for me, maybe because it's quite thick and rich. I loved the smell and it felt smooth and velvety on, plus it was super hydrating without being greasy. This is one that I'll definitely consider buying once I run out of body cream.

Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar

This is apparently an antioxidant-packed moisturiser that helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles, skin discolouration, rough texture and dehydration. It's also meant to dramatically improve skin radiance and gently exfoliate, revealing smoother, healthier looking skin. I was expecting to love this because I've seen a lot of people rave about it, but I didn't think it was any better or worse than most moisturisers. Unlike the Kate Somerville moisturiser above, I've used cheaper moisturisers that fare just as well and this didn't stand out for me. It's fine, I just didn't think it was great.

In sum

I'm glad to have knocked off a few samples - they do seem to pile up so quickly. My favourites in the bunch are definitely the Kate Somerville and Sunday Riley creams, and I liked the L'Occitane body cream enough to try it again before deciding whether or not to put in on the wishlist.

I may well do another sachet post this month just to get through a few more : )

*Swatched in natural light and allowed to dry before giving it a light rub

Verdict

I really wanted to love this pencil, but unfortunately it's not one I can wear.

As you may know, I'm not a fan of noticeable glitter but I do use it occasionally on my eyelids, as I've done above. If it stayed put, I would definitely be keeping it - but as you can see from the swatch on my arm, it doesn't dry and shifts with the lightest wipe. I gave it another wipe about an hour after applying it, and it still moved just as easily. Foo!

On the colour, it's not really 'olive' but more a pale green - you can see that from the swatch on my eyelid. That's fine by me because it's still a pretty colour and I do love green, but do be aware of that if you're after a darker shade.

In terms of using it as a base for shadow, you can do that (and it helps with the transfer issues), but there's too much glitter in it for my tastes and it therefore makes my matte eyeshadows look sparkly, which isn't what I want. For those of us with puffy eyes or almost non-existent lids (or anyone who's a bit older and has a few wrinkles above their eyes), the worst thing you can do is add sparkles/shimmer because it accentuates lines and also - in my case - makes my puffy eyes look even puffier because it highlights the area.

As for product claims, I think it generally meets those, except for the 'extra long wear' one. But it is creamy and glides on very well, and the pigment is good but it's certainly not the most pigmented pencil I own and I need a few swipes to get a decent colour.

Being objective here, if you're younger and don't have rubbing issues on your eye area, this is a really pretty product and not too expensive (particularly considering it's twice the size of your average 1.2g  pencil). Plus because this doubles as a base for powder shadow and can help intensify the shadow/help it adhere better, you might find a lot of use for this product.

Unfortunately it's just not for me. Not happy (!), but I'm sure I can pass it on to someone who'll really enjoy it.