Pale Products and More

Okay so I know I said I was done with deodorant reviews after finding Lush's Aromaco and T'eo but...I lied and I'm sorry. I still like both of those products, but they seemed to be working less and less the longer I used them. Where I used to be able to apply and not worry, I found myself becoming paranoid and worried if I didn't bring them with me to apply throughout the day. I was never outright smelly, but it was enough to put me back to the search.

And that search led me to the brand Native. A youtuber I watch (Jamie Paige) had mentioned it in a video as a natural deo that actually worked and while I was skeptical, I placed an order. I opted for the Fall Travel Sample Pack so that I could try out several scents. It came with 5 mini deos in the scents Coconut & Vanilla, Lavender & Rose, Cucumber & Mint, Lilac & White Tea, and Orange & Honeysuckle, the two latter being seasonal. That box retail for $24 while a regular size stick goes for $12 (or $10 if you sign up for a subscription).

This product is the easiest to use out of all natural deos I've tried, and the most "normal" for those who may be switching from commercial deodorants. It comes in a regular tube and in a white solid form and is creamy just as regular solid deodorants are. The brand recommends only applying 2-3 swipes of product so that it just what I did. Pictured is one of the new scents I picked up.

I used up all the scents so I have a decent understanding of how each one performs. I can say that applying them in my normal review fashion (showering at night, applying, then reapplying in the morning), they go on easily and you can smell the scent although its definitely not overbearing. For the majority of the scents you can barely smell them unless you have your nose in your pits, and the same goes for the morning after application- I can smell the product if I try, but otherwise its not noticeable.

I found that applying only 3 swipes per pit did do the job, and no matter what on work days, lounge days, whatever, I never once smelled or felt insecure about smelling, etc etc. It doesn't stop me from sweating, but of course its not an antiperspirant so its not claiming to do so. The only time I noticed an ever so slight smell was after intense anxiety sweating, and even then the slightly bad smell was more on my shirt rather than in my pits, changing my shirt did the trick.

As far as the scents go my favorite are the Cucumber & Mint and the Lilac & White Tea, and the rest were just okay. The Orange & Honeysuckle smells exactly like an orange lollipop and it has the strongest scent out of all of them to the point where I can smell it during the day. I also found that the Orange & Honeysuckle as well as Lavender & Rose didn't seem to hold up quite as well as the other scents, and have since repurchased full sizes of Cucumber & Mint and Lilac & White Tea, and completey used them up. I just recently purchased three new scents and haven't used them long enough to have any opinions just yet. The three new ones were Cyprus & Ginger, Blackberry & Green Tea, and Charcoal. Pictured here is Blackberry & Green Tea and Charcoal.


I know I said this with the Lush deodorants but, I've found my new deodorants, y'all. I love these! They provide me with everything I need in a deodorant- ease of application, nice scents, and most importantly longevity and keeping me smelling nice!

I've only recently started branching out and trying new sunscreens because before I figured if it ain't broke don't fix it or whatever, but lately I've been switching it up and I'm really enjoying trying new ones! Most recently I ordered the Skin Aqua Super Moisture Milk SPF 50+ PA++++ to try out.

This is the first "milk" type sunscreen I have tried so I was excited! Japanese and Korean sunscreens are already pretty thin in consistency compared to their Western counterparts, but milky type versions are even thinner. This product is supposed to be shaken before use, and it comes out of a little tip to ensure you don't get too much out at once.


It has a  smell and a very thin milky consistency that runs immediately. I feel like with a thinner product like this I wanted to apply more than I normally do. I apply it in little blobs all over my face first, then dab it in with a puff. The following pic was the first layer, I did about one and a half more.


 It sinks in really easily and immediately after application it gives a very natural satin look with a glow on the high points of my face (vs the Can Make which gives a very glowy look to the point of emphasizing my pores). I really loved the finish right after application, it looked super natural and healthy.


After 30 minutes it still has a very nice natural look that is still satin, but maybe it has less glow at this point? Again, super natural looking. It wears so well under makeup, I haven't experienced any pilling. The slight glow does seem to come through under foundation, in a super natural, "lit from within" look.


This might be in my head but I feel like I get better protection from this vs Can Make, but it could be due to applying more of this product since its such a light consistency. I can add several layers of this product with no issue of it sinking completely into my skin.

I go through a bottle about a month and a half to two months depending on if I'm solely using this or rotating it with others.

Overall this has replaced Can Make Mermaid as my favorite every day sunscreen! I've already repurchased it (twice!), and definitely will in continue to do so. Applies easily, completely sinks into skin, leaves a beautiful, not overly glowy finish, and is relatively cheap. Can't ask for more.

So...Glossier. I'm a little late to the party, this I know. Its soo hard for me to buy makeup from a website that isn't Sephora or Ulta for some reason, so I just never got around to actually getting anything from Glossier. Spoiler? I regret that so much. But alas I finally gave in to my own laziness and made the purchase.

This retails for $16 (or slightly cheaper when you buy it in a duo with Haloscope, as I did). It comes in clear, blonde, brown, and black. It is supposed to fill and shape brows while keeping the hairs soft and appearing thicker. I opted for the shade black (I know I know) because I wanted one with color, but knew the other two would be too warm toned for me. The shade actually works really well and doesn't look too shockingly dark.


Now this product has been hyped so damn much I thought there's no way its that great. I've used the Essence Make Me Brow for awhile and liked it, but I could only use it along with my brow pencil because I have really thin tails and virtually no arch. Having to use a gel in conjunction with a pencil defeated the simplistic idea of a gel to me, and I thought this one would be the same...but I was wrong!

glossier boy brow in black

left: essence make me brows in browny brown top: glossier boy brow in black bottom: etude drawing brow in gray

I applied this after penciling in my brows the first time and it did make them appear thicker, but I wasn't really sold until I used it alone. Here's my (very sad) brows with nothing on it, notice the super thin tail and lack of arch, and overall lack of shape. Sorry the right brow is out of focus but you get the idea.



I applied Boy Brow all over and this was the result. I liked that the product seemed to really only grab the hairs and not smudge all over the skin underneath, but I still don't have an arch and will need to pencil one in if I left it at this. This is about how my brows look if I only use the Essence gel, so I wasn't too impressed yet.



Then I applied it multiple times over the tail area, really working it in, kind of intentionally getting product on the baby hairs and skin. I somehow faked an arch using only the wand and not going in with a brush or pencil????




And here's a picture after using it for a couple weeks and really getting the hang of it. Sorry that its a selfie but I think you can still see how nicely shaped they are etc etc.


Especially because I've been going for a more natural look lately, this is a game changer. Sometimes my pencil brows look a little too "done" for the rest of my makeup, or they look off when I'm wearing no other makeup, so Boy Brow being able to give me these super light and natural brows? I'm amazed. I love it. I'm a believer. This is seriously the best eye brow gel, end of story.

As my lust for cream products continues I decided I wanted to try out more cream bronzers than the ones I already have (RMS Beauty Burti Bronzer, review here, and Nudestix All Over Face Color Matte in Bondi Bae, review here) I do love both products, I just wanted to try something else out, and that just so happened to be the Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer. I had my eye on it for awhile but I believe Sam Ravndahl on Youtube finally convinced me.

It retails for $24 for 1 oz. of product, comparing to the other cream bronzers mentioned above; RMS is $28 .20 oz., and Nudestix is $30 for .25 oz., so you're definitely getting your money's worth with Milk which I appreciate. It is said to be a creamy matte that gives an immediate hydrated warmth.



The color baked is described as a "neutral bronze". I think this does pull relatively neutral, maybe slightly yellow (compared to Nudestix which pulls orange and RMS which pulls more red toned). I find that its easier for me to work with a yellowy or reddish brzoner over and orange one, as over application can easily be fixed with these tones. The product itself is creamy with an ever so slight tug when I swatch it. It applied opaque but sheers out nicely, although it can be applied darker if one desires- I'm just a sheer bitch lately.

I have applied this with both a sponge and a stipping brush, and I like both just as well. They both evenly apply the product, whether I tap the tool directly on the product, or swipe the product on my face first. It is not patchy and blends easily, its hard to over do it.

just bronzer and base products applied

It wears well for 6-8 hours, as with all creams its going to rub off easier than powder, but I find that, like most creams, if it rubs off it doesn't look splotchy or bad really. I love the color on my skin definitely more than the Nudestix one, probably tied with RMS.

full face done

Overall I really like this bronzer and it has quickly become just as used as my other two cream bronzers. I can't imagine running out of this giant product soon, but if I did I would repurchase. The color works on my extremely cool toned pale skin, its even and creamy without sliding too much, blends and fades evenly.

For the last several years I've used Wet N Wild Megalength on my bottom lashes, as per Taylor Thatyalaa's recommendation. I used to love it, but lately I find that lately it transfers onto my under eyes like crazy, and leaves me with big black marks at the end of the day, not a look. So thus began my quest for a new bottom lash mascara, and I quickly found the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara!

Now I had this in my Sephora cart and between the time I put it in my cart and the time I could buy it, it went half off, then went out of stock not only on Sephora but also on Ulta AND Clinique's website. Are you kidding me. So I tried to see if it was in store anywhere near me and one store still had it, so naturally I drove there as soon as I could to get it. Then all websites took off the listing for it, but its back on every site now? I was so scared it was getting discontinued.

I've tried a lot of different things when it comes to shaving products, creams, gels, you name it. I shudder when I think back on the period I actually didn't use anything at all to aid my shaving...my legs were so dry. Out of everything I've tried I've never been wowed, so when I was looking for something to qualify my Ulta order for free shipping and I saw this shaving oil on sale I knew I had to order it.

The Tree Hut Moisturizing Shave Oil retails for $11.99 on Ulta, but I did get it on sale. It claims to give you the closest shave possible and to protect your skin from nicks. Sounds good to me.

I used this for my legs only (as I've started getting my pits waxed), and I was very pleased. Its thin and runny, but not too liquidy. It pumps out easily and won't immediate slip off your fingers, which I was worried about. The smell is okay, I'm not a huge fan, but it doesn't linger. A little goes pretty far, I only needed one pump for each leg. Another positive is the stream of water that inevitably runs down my leg didn't seem to wash it off too much, as is always the case with shaving cream.

I did seem to get a closer shave than normal, and I used the same shitty razor I have been. My legs felt super moisturized when I got out of the shower, although they aren't dry to begin with.

Overall I really liked the ease of use as well as the results. I'll be using this bottle up for sure, and as of right now, definitely repurchasing.

I originally ordered the Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel when I realized I was finally on track with my face sunscreen, but was forgetting about my body! Back in the day (like three years ago, lmao) I used to wear a lot of tank top crop tops (like that's literally all I wore), so its safe to say I damaged my arm and decolletage skin a fair amount. I wanted a product bigger than the typical face sunscreen since I would be going through it quickly, and didn't want to compromise on protection or cosmetic elegance, which brought me to this product.

Now if this is your first time on my blog or hearing about Asian sunscreens, PLEASE I beg of you, go read my review of the Biore Aqua Rich Watery Essence HERE. I go into detail on all the Asian vs western sunscreen basics and you'll be a lot less confused if you start there, I promise. I'm not getting into any of that stuff on this post, so pop that other post open in a new tab and skim it, at least. Or google it, because a million other people have explained it so much better than I have.

This retails from $10-$20 depending on where you get it from, and is 140g, so a bit larger than the standard smaller tubes of facial sunscreen. It has a pump which I loooooove. The product itself is white and thin, but thicker than Biore Watery Essence. It has a faint, fresh scent. Applying it feels like applying a lotion, and it does leave a bit of a tackiness to the skin, although that does fade within the hour.


I apply this to my arms/hands, shoulders (if exposed, which isn't often), neck, decolletage, and ears, as well as any other exposed spots, but those are typically what is exposed.

biore for comparison

Reapplying this is easy and the product layers just fine, I have not had any issue with it pilling, although I can't say it won't on the face, as I've only ever used it there in dire situations.

Overall I love this body sunscreen and have repurchased my second bottle. It provides the protection I need on days I'm working, or at school, or running errands, and you can't beat the cosmetic elegance it provides over western sunscreens.