Friday 2 September 2016

Trimming My Stash And A Life Update - August 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Well the summer holidays are just about over, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or Frappuccinos in this case) are now back on the Starbucks menu, what does that mean? well it's September of course, and whilst I'm still praying for a lottery win or an Indian summer to get my sunshine fix, there is no doubt that despite the warm start to the week, autumn is on its way


Whilst I'm sorry to see the end of summer. I have to be honest and say I'm not particularly sorry to see the back of August. It was a pretty rubbish month in a lot of ways for me, culminating in a broken laptop, and a couple of screen free weeks, that I could seriously have done without. I'm now way behind schedule when it comes to blogging and You Tube and I have to admit that it's stressing me out a little bit! For once though I'm going to try and take my own advice and try to keep calm, and enjoy the creative process.

I've got lots and lots of posts and videos planned for the next few weeks, to try and bring myself back up to date, including some hopefully interesting reviews, and some hauls. If you like hauls, you need to make sure that your following my blog, and that your subscribed to my You Tube channel. I have a home haul, an ebay haul, specific shop hauls, and countless beauty hauls to come, including some items that I bought way back in May!

Since I have so many beauty items still to show you, I'm putting my Project 10 Pan plans on hold. My decision has nothing to do with the launch of Kat Von D into Debenhams later this month, and if you believe that you'll believe anything! ;). Seriously though I want a clean break and I can only do that when all of my beauty haul posts and videos are out of the way. I am definitely going to do it though and I'll let you know with a post and a video when I take the plunge and start my make up no buy. In the meantime though I've still be trying to use up as many beauty products as I can and here are the items that I finished in August.

Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml
Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml
The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml
Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml
Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml
No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml
Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml
Total - 8 Items

July and August ended up being twins - I managed to finish 8 products in July and I managed to finish another 8 items in August. It wasn't a vintage performance by any means but I managed to finish a nice assortment of older body care items and one longstanding skin items so I'm still pretty pleased, and I'm already looking forward to improving my total next month.

1. Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml


The first item that I finished was a product that I had pretty much forgotten about. I normally have about half a dozen hand creams on the go at once and this one was one that I'd pretty much forgotten about. I originally bought this from a site called Powder Rooms that I loved but it now appears to be offline. They sold all sorts of quirky brands and products and this hand cream from popular nail brand Butter London was just one thing that I bought from the site. It had quite a runny texture, but it was easily absorbed and it left the skin feeling silky soft. The biggest selling point for me though was the smell - the Mango Peach scent was literally mouthwatering. Unfortunately Butter London don't seem to sell their hand creams anymore but you can still buy their nail polishes and lip products from various retailers including Feel Unique and HQ Hair, and with their new UK website set to launch soon here's hoping that they bring this gorgeous smelling lotion back

2. Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml


This is the first of several mini products in this post and it's another rediscovery. Like socks and selection packs, a Sanctuary Spa gift set from Boots used to be almost a mainstay under my Christmas tree. My tastes have changed slightly over the years but I can still appreciate this exotic scent and the familiar bright orange packaging. This body scrub is still one of core products in the Sanctuary line, and although the name has changed slightly, this micro bead free scrub, contains gentle, pumice stone particles, suspended in a patchouli and orange scented, essential oil filled foaming gel. I like this scrub and I'll happily use up the couple that I've found in my stash but that said I probably wouldn't repurchase. There are now lots of different scrubs in the Sanctuary line, and you should know by now that I love salt and sugar scrubs, so my favourite scrub from Sanctuary is actually their Hot Sugar Scrub which normally retails at around £12. Pricey but worth it for the circulation boost that the warming effect gives you. This one though under it's new name the Sanctuary Gentle Polish Body Scrub retails at a much more affordable £5.50 for a 200ml tube and this 50ml size retails at the perfect try me price of just £2.50.

3. The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml


This is another rediscovered product and unfortunately it's another product that's been discontinued. The Body Shop Earth Lovers range was a range of 100% biodegradable shower gels. The packaging was biodegradable as was the shower gel itself, and it was also sulfate, paraben, colour and soap free. This one sounds a little odd fragrance wise but it just worked, the sweetness and fruitiness of the apricot, went perfectly with the peppery herbal hit of the basil. I personally found the formulation a bit watery but I did enjoy this fragrance.

4. Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml


This was a product that I was sent to review from My Pure, and whilst I quite like it, I've got to say that in my opinion you can't beat a normal chemical filled (but acetone free) nail polish remover. This did what it was supposed to but it really struggled on anything with texture or glitter, and it was also better suited at removing one or two coats rather than a full manicure. You can read a full review here.

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml


When these little pots first came on the market I had to admit that I wasn't a fan. I tried a few at several different price points and I was left feeling a bit mehh but now I get it I really do. This particular pot is just £1 and for me it's been a beauty life saver. I don't use them often to remove a full manicure but if you mess a nail up mid paint, then these pots are a quick and easy way to take your polish off without ruining the rest of your manicure. They also last for ages, and even when their effectiveness is starting to fade, just tip the polish remover out of the pot, and replace it with fresh remover, and you can get a bit more use out of it. Eventually though the sponge starts to disintegrate and you need to move onto a new pot. I already have a new pot and I will definitely be picking up another one.

6. Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml


Another one of these and I think that this particular full sized one came in a beauty box. I love the texture and that fact that you can use it wet or dry but it definitely isn't my favourite Rituals scent. I think it has a fairly unisex scent, with the tart, citrus of the orange, and the warm woodiness of the cedar. Nice product but I prefer some of the other Rituals scents. You can also read my thoughts on this product here x

7No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml


Although I don't use or buy this particular product regularly, it's one of those things that I seemed to have a few of. The reason being, that this was the product that I always bought when I they had the free No7 voucher offer on in Boots. It's a good quality, gently fragranced hot cloth cleanser, that takes your make up off quickly and easily, and it feels nice on the skin. Every time I use this I always ask myself why I don't buy it and use it more often, for me it easily rivals some of the more expensive and famous hot cloth cleansers out there, so if you're on a budget or if it's on offer, it's well worth a try or at least it used to be. Like a lot of things Boots seem to have to changed the name, it seems to be the same product but it is now called The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which retails at £9.95 for a 200ml tube. I really hope it is the same product and I will definitely be picking one up to try next time that I need a new cleanser.

7. Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml


My shower product sorting continued last month and this was another rediscovery. This mini came from a limited edition Next Christmas gift set, that was themed around food fragrance beauty products. It had a thick texture and a pretty disappointing fruity scent. The name promised so much but for me it didn't deliver and even it could repurchase it, I wouldn't  :(

A bit of a mixed bag from me today I know, with a mini life update and an empties post, but it's good to share, and if you have any questions either on any of the products that I finished last month, or on anything else to do with me, my blog or my You Tube channel then please leave me a comment x Don't forget to follow me on all of my other social media channels via the links in the sidebar and I'll see you soon with a haul post x

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