little white truths

I bought this around Christmastime last year when Mecca was running one of those free shipping promotions (so all orders came with free shipping, no minimum spend). I needed a lip scrub and this was the only one available at the time, plus the packaging looked good and it wasn't expensive so I thought why not?

Because it's a bloody awful product, that's why not. My golly.  

It has had some great reviews on Mecca's website though, so maybe that's just me!

• Give your pout a little lovin' with this 100% natural lip scrub for kissably soft lips
• Whether it's a seamless lipstick application you're after or simply soft, smooth lips, this scrub does the trick
• A concoction of ground robusta coffee and coffee seed oil, raw sugar, cold-pressed macadamia oil and ethically sourced beeswax come together to form this lip exfoliant
• Rich in fatty acids and antioxidants
• RRP $10.95 for 15ml

The packaging looks good and you do get a decent amount of product. 

Mind you, the shelf-life is a small six months so I'm not sure how on earth you'd get through this chunk of lip scrub in that time. 

Just sayin'.

Verdict

I'm absolutely hating this product and for this reason I've given it a 'disappointing products' tag.

It's a coffee-scented product and I do love the smell so no complaints there. It also contains a reasonable amount of scrubby matter in the form of sugar and coffee grounds, and while I think that more scrubby matter would be better (this is why I like Lush's Lip Scrubs; I've reviewed one here), there's enough to do an ok job so I can live with that side of things.

What I can't live with, however, is how this feels on the lips. I don't know what's in it that makes it feel this waxy and greasy, but whenever I use it, I feel like I've wiped my lips with old, crusty candlewax that's gone all melted and goopy. Honestly, this just feels disgusting to me and every time I use it, I regret putting it on because I hate the feeling so much.

On top of that, the stuff is bloody hard to remove. I normally apply my lip scrubs whenever I feel like it - often after cleansing in the morning or after cleansing in the shower - but I can't with this because I need a good cleanser to wash it off.

What this means in practice is that I have to apply it as my first step in the shower, and then double cleanse afterwards (giving my lips more focus than I normally would, which can be irritating in itself), just to make sure I've got it all off. And even then I'm sometimes still aware of the stuff on my lips after use. 

It's not a good, hydrating wax. It's a gluggy, slippery one that leaves my lips feeling dry and in need of a decent balm - said balm not being able to sink in and do its job unless I've hacked this stuff off.

So in sum, I don't like this product at all and I can't recommend it. I'll have to throw it in a panning project, just to get through it. Blurgh.

Avoid.