Australis Mineral Highlighter

I wanted this product for almost a year yet I had no idea it came in two shades (slap on the wrist for the lack of research!). I purchased it from Life Pharmacy for less than $20.00 and was surprised that it was smaller than I expected. It comes in the signature black and pink colours for Australis in a light plastic bottle with a pump. From afar it's visually pleasing but on closer inspection there's not much to ohhh and ahhh about.

I assumed that I had purchased Pearl but was surprised to see a gorgeous golden bronze fluid dispensed from the pump. It has a slightly thinner consistency than Benefit's Sun Beam and is easy to blend into the skin. It smells like it just came off the production line but my nose doesn't stay wrinkled for long.

I feel you do waste a lot of product because you only need a very small amount to dab into the areas where you want it, but the pump doesn't really allow for that. When you pump out the product, the amount may look small but due to the intensity you will realise it's actually a lot. The pump is good but there's no control over dispensing less than what comes out (similar to MAC's Pro Long Wear concealer).

I prefer to wear this just on a plain face and I apply it to my cheekbones because I found that when I apply it over my makeup it has a tendency to lift or move my foundation even with light dabbing motions. I like that it doesn't dry too quickly because it makes it easier to blend and layer until I am happy with the colour pay off without caking it on.

In normal lighting when the product is blended I can possibly detect a slight sheen and a light wash of gold from certain angles. However what I can't stand are the white specks that are left behind on my face from the product. At this point the product is already dry and no amount of blending will rid me of it unless I wash my face.

On lighter complexions, this will not be an issue but if you're part of the chocolate club be mindful that from a distance it may look ok but up close people may raise their eyebrows at why you didn't blend the white specks away - you can't. The worst part for me is when the sunlight hits my face and I'm just a shimmery face of fine gold specks.

Personally this product is more suitable for a night out because it's only then that I notice a beautiful radiant glow as if the sun had lovingly kissed my face during the day. But I don't like highlighters where I can only wear it in the night time or only in the day time! This product wasn't my cup of tea so I happily passed it on.

I was stoked to receive this for review! But, after 5 days of trying to make it work, I could not get anything to come out of the bottle (short of cutting it open). I don't know if it is a design flaw with the bottle style or if just a one off broken one but I was disappointed I didn't get to try it! Sorry guys but no review here