Trimming My Stash - November 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Late again I'm afraid, I think you can guess from my previous post why I've been AWOL this week but  I can type again and I'm back with my November 2016 empties

Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml
Benefit They're Real Mascara - Jet Black - 8.5g
Baylis & Harding Skin Spa Rose Ylang Ylang & Patchouli Body Smoothing Polish - 200ml
Elemis Smart Cleanse Micellar Water - 50ml
AVON ANEW Clean Anti Ageing 3-In-1 Cleansing Water - 200ml
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Hydrating Conditioner - 250ml

Total - 6 Items 

Last month I managed to finish 6 items. It's not as many as I would have hoped but some of these items have been floating around my bathroom and my bedroom for a little while now and I managed to finish item, and a couple of skincare items so it's all good.

1. Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml

From the very first moment that Boots started messing around with their Botanics Eye Make Up Remover. My quest for a new product to remove my eye make up started. I know I have a couple of old favourites from Gatineau and Lancome that I can fall back but I desperately wanted to find something a more purse friendly price point. I've bought a few so far without much success but seeing as a have really sensitive eyes I thought I'd try a product from a brand that specialises in sensitive skin. I actually really liked this product, a clear liquid, it removed even the most long wear make up without making my eyes burn, run or sting. It retails at around £3.45 for a 125ml bottle and I definitely liked it enough to consider a repurchase. The one drawback is that you did quite a bit of product so if you wear a lot of eye make up, it probably wouldn't last long.

2. Benefit They're Real Mascara - Jet Black - 8.5g

I'm going to be honest and say that I've been using another mascara so I'd actually forgotten about this one hence it was probably open for way longer than the 3 months shelf life - whoops. What can I say about this one? Some days I love it, some days it drives my round the bend, on a good day it gives that perfect false lash effect or bad days it turns into a clumpy mess. Funnily enough the longer I had the better it got. Despite my frustrations with it the good days do outnumber the bad and it's definitely a mascara that I would and already have bought again. You can read a full review here x 

3. Baylis & Harding Skin Spa Rose Ylang Ylang & Patchouli Body Smoothing Polish - 200ml*

This was a product that I was sent to review many many moons ago (2014!), it was a recent rediscovery and it still smelled and looked fine so I finished it off. You can read a full review here x Although I still prefer a more grainy,  sugar or salt scrub the real winner here was the scent. It had a pleasant oldie worldly rose scent with just a hint of the heady other ingredients. Unfortunately the Skin Spa range appears to have been discontinued but they still do a wide variety of fragrances especially at this time of year, including a new rose scent, and an amazing Blackberry and Apple scent that I'm obsessed with.

4. Elemis Smart Cleanse Micellar Water - 50ml

5. AVON ANEW Clean Anti Ageing 3-In-1 Cleansing Water - 200ml

Next up not one but two micellar / cleansing waters. I think micellar waters are the new cleansing wipes but thankfully most of them are a lot kinder to the skin. You can either use them on their own or as I've been doing as part of a double cleanser. These are two products at opposite end of the price spectrum and I've really enjoyed using both of them. I will be reviewing both of them in the future so that's all you're getting for now x

6. John Frieda Frizz Ease Smooth Start Hydrating Conditioner - 250ml*

The final product that I'm going to share with you today is another one that's be lingering around in the bathroom since the year dot. This product was something that I received as part of a trio of press samples from the John Frieda Frizz Ease range. As one of the first haircare lines on the market for girls with frizzy and curly the entire Frizz Ease range is truly revolutionary. Although this particular product has now been discontinued, and the full line has been reformulated and repackaged I can't praise this hair care line enough. From coarse and unmanageable hair, to a silky smooth, easy to comb main, this range of product is an affordable must have if you have hair that doesn't behave. You can read my original review here x

So that was my November empties post x After another rough month I'm hoping to be a lot more productive on all fronts in December, so lets hope that I manage to finish the year with a bang and use up some more products, and that I manage to get my blogging hat back on x If you have any questions please leave me a comment and I'll get back, I'm a bit behind with blog comments, but I should be up to date within the next day or so, so please bear with me xx

Trimming My Stash - February 2014 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A Sort Of Giveaway - Closed

Another overdue post for you, this time it's all about about empties. February's total was a little bit disappointing if I'm honest, I only managed to finish 6 items :(

Soap & Glory Flake Away - 50ml
Yonka Pamplemousse Normal To Oily Skin Protective And Vitalizing Cream With Botanical Essential Oils - 50ml
Avon Solutions Body Cellu-Sculpt Massaging Anti Cellulite Treatment - 200ml
Baylis & Harding Sweet Mandarin And Grapefruit Balancing Body Wash - 750ml
FCUK Signature Bodywash - 300ml
Primark Beauty Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree x 25 Wipes
Total - 6 Items 

Okay there were a few bits that I've been using forever and I thought would never end but I'm still a little bit mehhh that I couldn't manage to finish at least a couple of more products. Never mind some of the things that I thought I would finish in February are very nearly done so March should be a better month.

1. Soap & Glory Flake Away - 50ml

A mini to start off with -This scrub came in my Boots Beauty Advent Calendar. I love all of the Soap & Glory body scrubs and this one was no exception. This is the original, with the famous Soap & Glory fragrance. It's nice and scrubby but it feels moisturising at the same time. I will definitely consider repurchasing all the scrubs I've tried from this range.

2. Yonka Pamplemousse Normal To Oily Skin Protective And Vitalizing Cream With Botanical Essential Oils - 50ml 

This was an item that came in a beauty box, and at first I loved it, I must have done I bought another one!, but whether it's down to a change in my skin (ageing!) or the change in the weather but by the end of the tube I hated it. This facial moisturiser from Yonka Paris is for normal to oily skin and contains essential oils such as Grapefruit, Lime, and Lemon. It's designed to revitalise and brighten the skin and tighten the pores. It's not a bad moisturiser by any means but I think my skin at the moment just isn't oily enough for it and is just a tad too sensitive.

The sad thing is I actually have a new and sealed tube of this moisturiser in my skincare drawer, it's unboxed and in the old style packaging (same as my empty) but the foil seal is still intact. A new tube would retail at a scary £36 but one of you can have this one for free.

If you have oily skin and want to try this out and your in the UK leave a comment on this post telling me that you want to try it and leave a contact email and I'll pick a name out at random next Sunday. It seems a shame to waste it when somebody else might see more benefit from it than I would. You can find out more about it here x

3. Avon Solutions Body Cellu-Sculpt Massaging Anti Cellulite Treatment - 200ml

Anti-cellulite products - I've used lots of them over the years and to be honest 90% of them have done naff all and this was another one. This was just a basic firming cream which came in a tube with a dimpled massaging head on the end. It left the skin feeling a bit softer but it didn't really do much with regards to the dimply bits. It's no longer in the Avon catalogue which I guess tell you everything you need to know.

4. Baylis & Harding Sweet Mandarin And Grapefruit Balancing Body Wash - 750ml

This is another one of those products that seemed to go on for ever - no matter how much I used the bottle never seemed to go down. You can get Baylis & Harding everywhere especially at this time of year (Mothers Day) and for the price I really like the range and their products make great gifts. I thought that this would smell like the handwash that I reviewed here but the smell wasn't quite as strong. It was nice but it just wasn't quite as zesty as I'd hoped.

5. FCUK Signature Bodywash - 300ml

One of my biggest beauty disappointments of 2013 came in the Boots Christmas Gift Guide when to my horror I couldn't find the usual FCUK French Connection Signature gift set - they'd changed the fragrance :( I first got a gift set several Christmas' ago in a gorgeous patent weekend bag and I fell in love with the smell. It's hard to describe but I think it's classed as an oriental floral. I stocked up in the 2012 / 2013 sales so I still have quite a few bits to use up but every time I use up something from the range now I'm going to be disappointed that I can't get any more :(

6. Primark Beauty Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree x 25 Wipes

I've just had a look through my blog because I thought I'd done a full review of these but it doesn't look like I have. The probably isn't a need to do one now though because I've talked about these that often both on here and on my You Tube channel. Basically you get two packs of 25 wipes for just £1. Designed for normal to oily skin then contain the real I am when it comes to Tea Tree, Melaleuca Alternifolia, as well as Witch Hazel, and Aloe Vera. I'm not huge on using wipes on my face but these babies do the job and remove make up without any problem, when I'm having an sick or a lazy day. I predominantly use them for freshening up, and for clearing up swatches but they are a really good bargain basement buy. They probably are the biggest or thickest wipes but for the price I'm not going to argue.

So they were my February empties, as I say not the most impressive tally of empties I've ever achieved but it was better than nothing and hopefully March will be better x Don't forget to comment if you'd like my unopened Yonka moisturiser and I'll let you know who gets it next Sunday xx Thanks for reading xx

Christmas Shopping On A Budget - Baylis and Harding Skin Spa

I came to a horrible realisation this week that it's less than 3 month till Christmas argh! - It seems to come around quicker and quicker every year. Thankfully I've already made a start on this years gift list thanks to some great online sales and deals but if you haven't don't worry over the next few months I'm going to be doing some posts on some budget friendly Christmas gifts and stocking filler ideas to get you started :)

I thought we'd start with a new range of smellies from English company Baylis & Harding. I was first reacquainted with this brand in the middle of last year when I reviewed their Lemon and Mandarin Hand Wash - I loved it . I also received a few other bits as gifts last Christmas including a grapefruit and mandarin bath and shower foam which I also loved so when I was offered the chance to try a few products from their new Skin Spa range I jumped at the chance..

The range contains 10 products to help you achieve that relaxing spa experience in your own bathroom The line comprises of a bath milk, a shower cleanser, a body butter, and a body polish, as well as a range of beauty tools to aid the spa experience. All the products contain an exotic fragrance blend of rose, ylang ylang, and patchouli, giving them that spa type aroma. I was kindly sent a couple of products from the range to try out.

The Baylis and Harding Skin Spa Body Smoothing Polish is in it's simplest terms a body scrub. You know me I love my body scrubs so I was really excited when I received this.

It comes in a squeezy tube, with a black leaf design, on a white background, with black and metallic red text, and metallic red branding. The packaging does remind a little bit of Cowshed if I'm honest, but it's modern yet classic and would look good in any style of bathroom.

The scrub itself  has a gel like base, and it's filled with tiny white exfoliating particles, which unfortunately you can't really see here. I used this product mainly in the shower, it massaged easily into the limbs and surprisingly for the size of the particles it give a pretty substantial scrub, it rinsed away easily and left the skin soft and smelling gorgeous. As you know I'm very particular about my scrubs and I'm normally not a fan of scrubs that aren't sugar or salt based but I have to say I really like this, it gave a nice scrub, and the smell was pleasant but not too much, it really smelled like fresh slightly old fashioned roses- it isn't the most modern of smells which might put some of you off but if your mum or gran likes florals I would definitely get something from this range from them - Mummy Lou loved the smell of this and the best thing is this retails at around £3.00 for 200ml

As well as the bath and body product the Baylis and Harding Skin Spa range also offers a range of beauty tools such as loofahs, foot files, exfoliating sponges and these.

The official Bayliss and Harding title for these is a Luxury Body Polisher, but I've heard them called everything from shower scrunchies to dougals - whatever their called I bet you have at least one of these in your bathroom - I know I do :) These mesh balls are amazing for using in the shower and lathering up either with a shower gel or a humble bar of soap. I've acquired loads from various gift sets over the years and I have to say that the quality is variable, some of them just don't have enough mesh or it just isn't tied together tight enough. I have to say this one from Bayliss and Harding is brilliant it's nice and full and it appears to be pretty well made, and do you know what you can even chuck it in the washing machine and give it a spin when it gets a bit smelly or grubby, how do I know that ? well mine came a bit of a cropper and fell into an all be it empty toilet bowl but still lol These babies make a great stocking filler for anybody that bathes or showers and they are only £2.00.

I have to say I loved both of these products and I can definitely see me getting the shower cleanser for Mummy Lou sssshhhh. The best thing about the Bayliss and Harding Skin Spa range is that all the products are under £4.00 making all the products it really affordable for a small gift or for a stocking filler. You can pick all the products from selected Tesco stores, and earlier this week I noticed that the newly established Christmas aisle in my local store had some Skin Spa gift sets ranging from £3.50 - £15.00. I know a lot of people think smellies are a bit of a naff gift but I personally love receiving products that give me a bit of me time. What do you think of giving bath products for pressies? and have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Let me know in the comments x

P.S. As of 2016 I believe this scrub and the Skin Spa line have now been discontinued :(

*Samples.

A Zest For Life With Baylis & Harding

Apologies for the awful title of this post but there are very few companies that have such a prestigious heritage as Baylis & Harding. Founded over 40 years ago, this UK based, family company has long been recognised for it's luxury toiletry products, and its commitment to quality and affordability. I have to say my only previous experience with the brand came from my mum and my grandma, as a result I'd always associated the brand with shall I say an older generation, but how wrong was I! Yes the brand has a traditional heritage and still features classic fragrances such as Lavender and Wild Rose, but there is so much more to Baylis & Harding. As well as producing a lot of children's character and licensed toiletries such as Mr Men and Thomas The Tank Engine, they have also introduced a hair care line, a beautiful floral Royal Bouquet line of hand care products and the colourful Fruits line, again a range of hand care products.

I was very kindly sent a product from the Fruits line. The packaging in the line is a lot more vibrant than a lot of Baylis & Hardings products. I was sent a 500ml bottle of the Baylis & Harding Lemon and Mandarin Hand Wash. The design of the bottle is gorgeous and so bright and cheery, in a bright yellow and white with pictures of Lemon and Mandarin slices, so you know exactly what's in it. With my favourite style of dispenser, an easy to depress pump, it's quite a liquidy gel.

The smell really is the highlight of this hand wash, it smells gorgeous, so revitalising and zesty, you can really smell the real Lemon and Mandarin extracts in this hand wash. When you add the gel to water it produces a light, gentle cleansing foam that leaves your hand delicately scented and thoroughly clean but not tight or dry.

I have to say I really loved this hand wash it would be ideal for the bathroom or even the kitchen, not only that but it's super reasonably priced and you could get the wash and the matching hand lotion for less than £5.00, and if Lemon and Mandarin isn't you thing they have plenty more fragrances to try in their 5 distinct ranges. Baylis & Harding may not have been a brand at the top of my radar but it's certainly one I will take notice of now, some of the shower cremes and bath foams are definitely on my to try list. Baylis & Harding Lemon and Mandarin Hand Wash retails at just £2.00 for 500ml.You can purchase Baylis and Harding from variety of different outlets including Debenhams and of course the Baylis and Harding website where you can see their full range and order online. Any questions please ask x

(Baylis & Harding Lemon and Mandarin Hand Wash Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes )