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

Believe it or not it's that time again, it time again for my monthly empties post! Yet another month has flown by and tomorrow is the first of June. It's really hard to believe that we're nearly half way through the year already!

Although I'm not a one for making new years resolutions, every year I try and set myself a few goals and a few things that I want to achieve, and this year one of my major aims was to get myself organised and have a big clear out. I've done the odd thing but May was the month where I really got started and put my plans into practise. I've managed to fill a couple of charity bags with stuff, and I've made a start on sorting through my beauty products, binning things, and deciding in what order I need to use things up.

Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 Wipes
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 Wipes
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - 125ml
Elemis Pro Radiance Hand And Nail Cream - 100ml
Bentley Organic Body Wash With Olive, Tea Tree And Eucalyptus - 250ml
Leighton Denny Slick Tips Nail And Cuticle Oil - 12ml
RESEED Wheatbran Ultra Volume Conditioner For Women - 250ml
Total - 7 Items

Although I didn't manage to finish as many items as I did in April I'm still pretty pleased with May's total of 7 items. I managed to finish a nice variety of things as well as a few half finished products and a few rediscovered items.

1. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 Wipes
2. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 Wipes

Yet again I managed to finish some of my favourite Primark Tea Tree face wipes. As I've said a few times before I don't use these that often on my face but I do tend to use them for cleaning up swatches, and cleaning up my make up palettes. I've got quite a few make up reviews coming soon so I've been using these to clean up in between photographs.I also used quite a few to clean some of my NARS shadows and blushers - After a while the rubberised covering can got a little bit sticky and horrible, all you need to do is take a couple of these wipes and give the packaging a good scrub - after a while the coating will break down leaving you with a clean, non tacky palette - result! For just a £1 for 2 packs of 25 these are a really versatile edition to anyone's beauty stash

3, Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - 125ml

This is probably the best micellar water that I've tried to date - it removes literally everything, without stinging my eyes or drying out my skin. It's affordable and it does the job. This is just a small bottle but this is a product that I will continue to repurchase unless that it I find something I like better. I'm always willing to try new products and I have a couple of new ones to try already so we'll see.

4. Elemis Pro Radiance Hand And Nail Cream - 100ml

I don't know why or what I've been doing or using but my hands and nails are so dry at the moment. I use a lot of hand cream and this month I'm quite sad to have finished one of my favourites. This hand cream from one of my favourite brands Elemis is the perfect indulgence - with a thick and creamy textures, it has an amazing white flower scent, and absorbs quickly into the skin leaving your hands silky soft. My favourite treat with this one is to use it at night, I put on a thick layer and put on a pair of cotton gloves to help it sink in. I really love this hand cream and if you watched my March / April Favourites video, you can find out a little bit more about why I love it x It's something I would definitely consider repurchasing when I've used up my current hand cream collection but at £26 for a 100ml tube, it is quite price prohibitive.

5. Bentley Organic Body Wash With Olive, Tea Tree And Eucalyptus - 250ml

Over the last few months I've had a couple of nasty colds and chest infection, and when you feel a bit poorly and under the weather, nothing lifts your spirits like a nice bath or shower, and this shower gel with eucalyptus and tea tree definitely hit the spot. Don't think that your showering in Olbas Oil or Vicks vapour rub, instead this had a gentle scent, that made you feel super, duper clean and fresh, and that helps you breath just a little bit more easily. This was one of my monthly My Pure products so I was sent it for review and you can read a full review here.

6. Leighton Denny Slick Tips Nail And Cuticle Oil - 12ml

Like hand creams, I have cuticle oils all over the house and this month I found this half finished one in my office, I've been layering on this lemongrass scented oil and a few others two, or three times a day for the past few weeks, and at last the hangnails and peeling cuticles seem to be disappearing. This isn't my favourite cuticle oil by any means but it does the job.

7. RESEED Wheatbran Ultra Volume Conditioner For Women - 250ml

It's always the way, you don't know what till you've got till its gone - I was sent nearly the full RESEED line quite a while ago now and over the 3 months or so that I use - my hair completely changed, it grew, the condition improved and I lost a lot less hair. I've now finished both the shampoo and conditioner from the range, and I'm just about out of the two serums, and already I can see my hair going back to the way it was. The range is pricey but in my experience it's worth every penny, and I'll definitely be repurchasing at least the shampoo and conditioner from the range. You can read my full review here x

So they were my May empties, next month I'm hoping that I can do a little bit better - I've got a few boxes and drawers left to sort, so hopefully I can find some more things to use up. If you have any comments on any of this months empties then please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading x

Trimming My Stash - October 2014 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hi Everyone - Welcome To November - It's so hard to believe that there are only two months of the the year left, and it's scarier still when you think that there are only about 8 weekends till Christmas!-Where on earth has this year gone?

Like every month of 2014, in October I counted my empties and tried to trim my stash, and use up as many beauty products as I could. I already know that I'll be way down on last years figure but I'm still pretty happy with how October went.

MAC Blot Powder - Medium - 12g
Cien Nail Polish Remover Classic - 200ml
Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange & Clove Bud - 250ml
Elemis Jasmine And Rose Milk Bath - 290ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - 125ml
Nair Hair Removal Cream - 100ml
Total - 7 Items

Yes I finished 7 items in October which is one more than I did in September. I also finished a nice mix of products including body care, skin care and make up.

1. MAC Blot Powder - Medium - 12g

Yeah a Back To MAC ! Although MAC MSF Natural gets all the love and the plaudits, I prefer MAC Blot Powder. For me MSF Natural is just a bit too powdery. Blot Powder in my opinion is way better for finishing make up and taking down shine, without adding an awful lot of colour, or chalkiness. The shades are a little bit odd and medium would easily be classed as a light in most other brands but the finish is nice, it can be applied with a puff or a brush and it lasts quite a long time. Would I repurchase? To be honest at the minute the price of £20.50 is a bit prohibitive, so I'm going to be trying out some cheaper alternatives, but I would definitely consider repurchasing.

2. Cien Nail Polish Remover Classic - 200ml

A budget buy courtesy of Lidl - Although admittedly it did cost slightly more than my usual Superdrug remover ;) There are two different variants of this product this one that contains acetone, and an acetone free version which I also have. I meant to review these for you but for some reason I never got round to it. For a product containing acetone I actually found this product quite moisturising, and it certainly didn't leave the nails, white or chalky. I also love the push down, salon style dispenser. It was easy to use, and a lot safer spillage wise. Whilst I'm going to try to reuse the bottle, and the polish remover worked pretty well I don't think I'll repurchase - the reason? the smell! Described as a having a light almond fragrance, this product to me, reeks of marzipan and I hate marzipan!! It scented my nails, my hands and the bathroom, and it lingered it. Nice product, brilliant bottle, shame about the smell.

3. Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange & Clove Bud - 250ml

This was a product that I reviewed for My Pure x You can read my full review here x

4. Elemis Jasmine And Rose Milk Bath - 290ml

A product from one of the Elemis sets that I always get (wahoo!) for my birthday and  for Christmas. I love the original Skin Nourishing Milk Bath formulation, and whilst this one isn't quite as versatile, the smell is to die for and it leaves your skin feeling super soft. It was a QVC exclusive for quite while and this size and a smaller one are still available in some all be it pricey sets but a larger 400ml size is also now available from Debenhams from a pretty scary £40! It a lovely product for a really pampering bathing, experience but for the price, it's pretty hard to justify, although if Santa's listening - Pretty please!

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Need I say anything else about there? Look them up, they contain tea tree oil, and their great for emergency, cleansing and refreshing, and for cleaning up swatches.

6. Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - 125ml

This was either a magazine freebie or a beauty box product. Although the range can be quite highly scented I really like Balance Me products and this was no different. It was a really nice body wash, it smelled nice and it wasn't drying. My only gripe is that smell was more rose geranium, rather than pure rose, but it was still nice and I would potentially repurchase x

7. Nair Hair Removal Cream - 100ml

The most basic one they do courtesy of my local branch of Poundland, and a real essential for me. I don't get on with shaving at all, and depending on my spoonie status, I don't always have the energy or can't stand the pain of waxing or epilating. The does the job and I don't find it too drying. I also quite naughtily use it on my face, because in my experience the facial versions just don't cut it on my thick, dark hair. I've already repurchased and will continue to do so x

So they were my October empties x I'm hoping I can do equally well in November and finish a similar variety of products. I already have a couple of skincare products and a mascara that I know I'll finish, so who knows what else.

Do you have a blog or a You Tube channel, where you do regular empties posts or videos? If you do leave me the link below x  Thanks for reading x

Bentley Organic Moisturising Hand Sanitiser* - A Review For My Pure

I'm keeping my fingers tightly crossed at the minute, so many people around me seem to have colds at the moment. I've had the odd sore throat and sneezing fit but so far I've managed to avoid it. I guess it's one of the hazards of winter, constantly dipping between hot and cold temperatures gives germs the perfect opportunity to breed.

There isn't an awful lot we can do to keep those bugs at bay other than eat a healthy diet, but maintaining good personal hygiene can really make a difference. I'm a bit obsessed with hand washing but sometimes it just isn't possible to give you hands a good scrub with soap and water, so I tend to rely on hand sanitisers.

I always, always have either a gel or a spray in my bag and every time I go out I use them at least once. Their great for getting rid of sticky marks after eating and drinking and of course their excellent for getting rid of the things you can't see.

Just think about it, on an average shopping trip, how many things do you touch? I don't want to sound paranoid but you're touching money, maybe a basket or a trolley, or maybe a door handle. What about using public transport, you touching a hand rail, maybe money again and maybe a seat. It's awful to think about but you really don't know who or what, has touched that same surface before you.

The trouble with hand sanitisers and anti-bacterial gels though is that they are normally full of alcohol. There is no question that alcohol is an amazing substance for killing germs and bacteria but it isn't always the best ingredient for the skin. It can be very, very drying and it can really irritate sensitive skins. I once went to visit my mum during a stay in a local hospital and the hand sanitiser they provided literally made the skin peel from my fingers!

Despite it's popularity and usefulness though, there are now quite a few hand sanitisers on the market that don't contain alcohol. Most that I've found usually contain a blend of essential oils, but for one of this months My Pure reviews I decided to try something new in both ingredients and in texture.

As you'll already know from some of my previous previous posts, the history of Bentley Organic is all about soap, soap making and basically cleanliness. The majority of their products are designed to keep the face, the body and the home clean and hygienic. 

The Bentley Organic Moisturising Hand Sanitiser is alcohol, paraben, and fragrance free. Made with 90% organic ingredients, it contains aloe vera for moisture and a combination of various citrus essential oils. It comes in a 50ml pump action bottle, and unlike a lot of the commercially available anti-bacterial products, it isn't a spray or a gel, it actually a foam. All you do is just pump some product onto your hands, rub them together and it's gone. I don't notice any stickiness or dryness, it just seemed to disappear into my skin.

Obviously I can't comment on whether it actually works and kills germs, but Bentley Organic claims that this product kills 99.9% of all known germs, and as of the 17th November 2009, it was  is the only certified organic sanitiser which was approved by the UK government for killing the H1N1 strain of swine flu. As someone who had swine flu, and suffered the hell that was Tamiflu, that means that it's a winner in my eyes!

I have to say I really liked this, the aloe vera content seemed to provide some form of moisture, and I loved the fact that it didn't leave me hands sticky and uncomfortable. I would have maybe liked some form of fragrance but I can understand why they've made it fragrance free, after all I don't think I'd want a sandwich tasting of hand sanitiser!

I also like the fact that a small amount of product goes a long way, one pump easily produced enough for both hands and the manufacturer claims that you can get up to 125 applications from the one 50ml bottle, making it a really economical product to use given the price. 

I have to say I'm a fan and I would definitely consider repurchasing in the future. The Bentley Organic Moisturising Hand Sanitiser usually retails £3.25 for 50ml from My Pure but it's currently on sale at £2.93, which makes it even more economical to buy when you think of cost per use. Are you a hand sanitiser user? Leave me a comment and let me know x 

(*Sample)

Skimlinks Test

Bentley Organic Bodywash With Olive, Tea Tree And Eucalyptus - A Review For My Pure*

Do you know that the worst thing about being ill is? not having the energy to have a bath or shower that's what. Wipes and damp flannels can only do so much, so as soon as I got over the worst of my recent bout of gastroenteritis, I knew come hell or high water I needed a shower. Thankfully we have a shower seat, so there was no danger of me falling over, but by gum I enjoyed it. I felt, fresh clean and loads better once I was done. Fresh is the key thing, and the product that I used  in the shower was something that I'd conveniently chosen for one of this months My Pure reviews, you'd almost think that I knew I was going to get sick!

A couple of month ago now I reviewed a hand wash from British, natural beauty company Bentley Organic (read my review here). As well as hand washes they also produce a range of baby, hair, home care, and body products, so I decided for one of this months reviews to try out one of their body washes.

My Pure have 4 varieties to chose from including the Cinnamon, Orange and Clove, which matches my hand washes, a version containing Lavender, Aloe and Jojoba, a Grapefruit, Lemon and Seaweed variety and the one I went for Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus.

80% organic and sulfate free, this body wash contains real extracts of tea tree, olive and eucalyptus, and uses natural coconut extracts as a foamer, as well as salt and vegetable glycerin.

The wash itself comes packaged in a basic shower gel, style bottle, practical but nothing fancy. The body wash is clear with just a hint of green in colour, and has quite a thick gel like consistency.

A little goes a long way and despite the viscous texture, it blends easily with water to produce a gentle foam. Alas this my bath test, it just didn't foam enough to justify using it as a bubble bath but in the shower it was fine.

 As you would expect it rinsed away easily, but I have to be honest and say that I didn't really like how it left my skin. I wouldn't say it felt dry but it felt almost squeaky clean, it's hard to describe but I wasn't keen on the feeling, and I felt as though I needed to slather myself with moisturiser the minute I got out the shower. Once I was out and dried my skin  felt fine and not dry at all, it just seemed to be the feeling when it was initially rinsed off.

I guess I could live with it but I probably wouldn't advise that you use this product if your skin is dry. The reason I could probably live with it is down to the smell. The word amazing springs to mind, the tea tree and eucalyptus dominate, giving you a real, refreshing head clearing kick. Perfect for when you need freshening up, or even waking up, or for when your feeling a bit heady and fluey.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I would buy this again but if I do it would definitely be because of the smell and because of the affordable price compared to products in other ranges with a similar scent.  Bentley Organic Bodywash With Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus normally retails at £3.75 for a 250ml tube from My Pure but it's currently on special at just £3.38. Have you tried anything from this brand before? Leave me a comment and let me know x

(*Sample)

Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud - A Review For My Pure*

There a couple of things that I'm a stickler for and one of them is hand washing. I can't stand dirty or sticky hands and I can't comprehend people who don't feel the same way. As a nation I think we're starting to move away from the traditional idea of using a bar of soap to wash our hands, so like many homes we've switched to using liquid soaps and hand washes.

In my opinion liquids are a lot more hygienic than the humble bar of soap. Every squirt is fresh and untouched and it hasn't had the opportunity to pick up anyone elses dirt or germs. I also find liquid hand soaps and washes a lot less fussy and messy, and you don't end up having to clean out that horrible gunge from the soap dish!

Over the years we've tried a lot of different hand washes but like most beauty products it can be a bit of a minefield. Like many other washing and cleaning products hand washes can contain a lot of chemicals and foaming agents that can effect the skin, and with some hand soaps, frequent washing can lead to dry and sore hands. There are two brands that we now buy regularly one is A'kin which I reviewed here and the other is L'Occitane. They aren't the cheapest washes out there by any means but they cleanse the skin without drying. Belts need tightening though and sometimes you just can't justify spending that type of money to wash your hands, so for one of this months My Pure reviews I decided to try a more budget friendly offering, in the Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud.

Before seeing the brand on the My Pure website I have to say I'd never heard of Bentley Organics. They are brand whose main focus is soap making, a trade that has been in the family for over 5 generations. They use only Soil Association Certified organic ingredients and like every other brand on My Pure they are paraben and sulfate free, and their products are suitable for vegetarians.

This hand wash which comes in a pump action bottle, contains real cinnamon, clove leaf and orange peel oils, as well as vanilla extract and vegetable glycerin, and plant based foamers.

It has a pleasant fruity, spicy aroma that reminds me a little bit of carrot cake. The smell is quite mild and doesn't really seem to linger on the skin making this ideal for use in the kitchen.

The wash itself has quite a viscous texture, but it foams easily with a small amount of water and you don't need a lot- don't expect huge bubbles though the foam is very light and gentle. It takes a little bit of rinsing but afterwards your hands are left feeling soft, with no hint of tightness or dryness.

I think that this is a lovely hand wash for everyday use and it easily compares to the more expensive products that I've tried. It's hygienic, non-drying and a little goes a long way. The mild scent means that it would work equally well both in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange And Clove Bud retails at £4.50 from My Pure. If this scent isn't for you, it also comes in 3 other varieties, Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus, Lavender, Aloe and Jojoba and Grapefruit, Lemon and Seaweed.  I can definitely see myself trying more from this line, I've particularly got my eye on some of the body washes and the Olive, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Hand Wash. Have you tried anything from Bentley Organics before? Please leave me a comment and let me know x

(*Sample)