Trimming My Stash December 2017 Edition Empties, Mini Reviews And A 2017 Round Up

So like so many things at the moment, this post is late, nearly a fortnight later than it should have been but as I said life got in the way and this virus just doesn't seem to want to shift. Never mind over the last couple of days I've started to get back into the social media thing again, I've filmed 5 You Tube videos, and I've been editing photos and doing lots of blog planning and research.

Some of the videos that I filmed were my What I Got For Christmas videos, I know they aren't to everyone's taste but a lot of people seem do seem to like them and do seem to share my nosey side. I've already upload the first video which is all about beauty (click here to watch it) and over the next couple of days I'll be uploading another two featuring fashion and accessories, and home and lifestyle.

Compared to previous years I didn't get a lot of beauty products this time round, and I'm fine with that. I didn't really ask for anything beauty related and unusually for me I didn't stock up on any of The Body Shop festive lines, and I didn't even get the 2017 Soap & Glory Star Gift. Putting it simply I'm finally realising that I really do have more than enough to be going on with, I have loads of shower gels, and body lotions, and skincare, make up and nail polishes, and quite frankly I don't really need any more.

Yes I did buy a few beauty bits in the sales but to be honest, I can't see myself splurging unnecessarily on beauty bits in the foreseeable future. I'm not saying I'm not going to buy anything beauty related but I'm certainly going to be a bit more selective in 2018 about what I do buy, and of course I'm going to concentrate on using up the products that I already own.

AVON Senses Romantic Kiss Magnolia And Jasmine Shower Gel - 250ml
Holler And Glow Purrfect Pedi Foot Peel Socks - 20ml x 1 Pair
Face Inc By Nails Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Illuminating Sheet Mask - 1 x Sheet Mask - 20ml
French Connection FCUK Signature Body Polish - 50ml
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Geranium & Neroli - 150ml
Foltene Pharma Shampoo Thinning Hair For Men And Women - 200ml

Total - 6 Items

Which brings me on to the whole point of this post, December 2017's Trimming My Stash, it wasn't the best of months but I still managed to finish a respectable 6 items, including some skin, body and hair care items.

1. AVON Senses Romantic Kiss Magnolia And Jasmine Shower Gel - 250ml

First up a shower gel, and one from AVON's popular Senses range. I've used quite a few of these over the years, and they usually represent excellent value for money with prices often starting as low as 99p. Like a lot of AVON products though the range is constantly changing, and they are forever changing and discontinuing products. Unfortunately I can't find this one in the current senses line but it was a pleasant floral scent, with just a hint of heady jasmine. This was probably more of a summer scent but it certainly made a change from the fruity and foodie scents that you normally associate with the festive season.

2. Holler And Glow Purrfect Pedi Foot Peel Socks - 20ml x 1 Pair

You might have seen these socks in my recent Primark haul (Have a read here if you haven't seen it). It was Boxing Day and I was just starting to feel a little rough and drained and I felt like a pampering session was in order, so I stuck these socks on my feet and waited for the magic to happen! I'm slightly addicted to these foot peel things and I've used a quite a few different ones now, but these are the cutest I've used by far. In a fab teal blue animal print, you stick these socks on for an hour and so and then you rinse your feet and get rid of all of that peeling solution and then all you do is wait for a few weeks, and then all of the dead and dry skin starts to peel off your feet. Mine are currently still in the peeling stage but these socks definitely did what they promised and I'll definitely by picking some more up on my next visit to Primark. You can do the treatment every six weeks or so and I'm determined to keep on top on my hobbit like, dry feet in 2018.

3. Face Inc By Nails Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Illuminating Sheet Mask - 1 x Sheet Mask - 20ml

Another mask and this time one for the face. From the cutest foot mask, to one of the cutest face masks that I've ever used. This was something that I reviewed just before Christmas from the fabulous Nails Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Beauty Gift Set. You can read a full review of this mask and the set here x but this sheet mask was the perfect quick fix for when your skin was feeling a bit tired, a bit dull and a bit worse for wear. I think it is still available from various outlets on it own but if you can get the full Sparkle Like A Unicorn set then I would really recommend especially since it now seems to be on sale x

4. French Connection FCUK Signature Body Polish - 50ml

Ahhh, a blast from the past and a product from deep with my stash. A few years ago I couldn't get enough of the French Connection FCUK Signature scent, and thankfully before it disappeared completely I stocked up on as many kits as I could, and I was lucky enough to receive a couple of bits from a former blogger that I was extremely grateful for. I still have a few shower gels, body creams, and body sprays in my collection but I think that this was the last of the body scrubs, and as much I love the scent I won't miss this particular item too much. I love a nicely textured, scrubby scrub and this just wasn't it. It was a sort of liquidy cream, with the occasional nut based particle running through it. It was too runny and it wasn't abrasive enough for me.

5. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Geranium & Neroli - 150ml

From a product that I didn't get on with to a product that I love beyond words. I'll hold my hands up, when I first used this product I didn't really get it but over the last 18 months or so it really has come into its own in LouLouLand. My hair to put it politely has been crap for the longest time, it has spells when it comes back to some realm of normality and then it just goes back to a weak, dropping out ball of frizz. No this stuff hasn't given me that fabulous waving in the wind on a Cornish cliff top, beautiful hair that I crave but it has given it some of it's umph back. When I use this product my hair becomes more manageable, it's calmer and it seems stronger and less fragile. My hair still isn't anywhere near what I want it to be but this product makes a noticeable difference to my hair every time I use it and I even managed to get it coloured at the salon recently and that's something I haven't dared to do from sometime. It's a work in progress, and whilst I'm going to keep trying new things, and concentrating on taking care of my hair from the inside, this product in all of it's various scents is now a staple in my bathroom.

6. Foltene Pharma Shampoo Thinning Hair For Men And Women - 200ml

Finally another hair product and this time one that is specifically designed for thinning hair. I'm not sure where I got this from, but the words hair loss, thinning hair and anti fall seem to draw me in a like a magnet at the moment. Designed to strengthen the hair and restore the natural balance of the scalp this shampoo had quite a distinct but not unpleasant aromatherapy type scent. Like most of these shampoos you wash your hair and then leave the products on your hair for a few minutes before rinsing. It was a nice shampoo but I didn't really notice a difference in the condition of my hair or my scalp and I definitely didn't notice a difference in the amount of hair that I was losing. I think that this product is designed to be used alongside the Foltene Hair And Scalp Treatment so maybe I would seen a bigger difference if I'd used the two products together - definitely something to try in the future I think but in the meantime I'm currently using the AVON Anti Fall range and I also have the Nanogen system to try.

Trimming My Stash - 2017 Totals 

January - 2 Items
February - 3 Items
March - 7 Items
April - 5 Items
May - 5 Items
June - 5 Items
July - 12 Items
August - 7 Items
September - 5 Items
October - 5 Items
November - 8 Items
December - 6 Items
Total - 70 Items

So in the final month of 2017 I managed to finish 6 beauty products, and when you add that to the rest of my monthly totals I managed to finish 70 beauty products in 2017. It sounds a lot on paper but in reality it was actually my worst year since I began this whole Trimming My Stash thing in 2013. Never the less I'm still pretty pleased with that total, imagine if you had to go out and buy 70 skin, hair, body and make up products, you'd need a quite a few shopping bags to carry it all home, so I need to put it into perspective and by positive about my achievement.

I still have a long way to go though and I still have drawers and storage boxes groaning under the weight of my beauty stash so in 2018 I'm going to keep on trying to use up the products that I already have and I'm going to try and be a little bit more selective about what I do buy, and with any luck I'm be able to equal, if not beat 2017's total!

Are you doing something similar in 2018? Do you have any tips on how to use things up or how to stay focused and only buy what you need? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to let me know if you have any questions x