Trimming My Stash - November And December 2020 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And A 2020 Round Up*

 Right, after another rubbish couple of weeks in LouLouLand, it's time for another ridiculously late catch up post, and no, it isn't an unboxing post (I thought I'd try and split them up a bit), instead it's an empties post, and in a desperate attempt to try and get myself back up to date with at least something, I'm combining a couple of months, and my yearly round up into 1 epic post.

First up, let's take a trip back a few months to November 2020...

Gatineau Floracil Plus Gentle Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover - 118ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml
AVON ANEW Clean Anti-Ageing 3 In 1 Cleansing Water - 200ml
Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Body Butter - 50ml
Elemis Spa @ Home Body Exotics Jasmine And Rose Hand And Nail Cream - 20ml
Neutrogena Pure Glow Daily Cleansing Cushions - 22 x Dual Textured Cushions
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml
Total - 8 Items

Trimming my stash wise, November was a pretty good month. I didn't manage to finish anything too exciting but I did manage to finish a nice variety of skin, hair, and body care items, including one pretty embarrassing, old, product.

1. Gatineau Floracil Plus Gentle Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover - 118ml

No doubt you will have heard the saying 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it', well in the case of this particular product, no truer words have ever been spoken.

Although it ranks fairly high in the spendy stakes, the original Gatineau Floracil Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, in my opinion is worth every penny. I don't buy it that often now but it does exactly what it promises. It removes make up with ease, and it doesn't cause any dryness, stinging or irritation.

In simple terms if something works why change it? Well thankfully Gatineau didn't change or discontinue the original, but instead they released this,.. this imposter, Floracil Plus!

Containing good for you ingredients such as aloe vera, witch hazel, and vitamins, Floracil Plus was actually introduced to help tackle a new generation of waterproof, and long wear mascaras, and apparently like the original it allegedly suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

I will admit that my eyes can be quite dry and quite sensitive, but this stuff make them sting like crazy, it left them feeling really greasy, and I personally didn't find it anywhere near as effective as the original.

As I say I'm just super grateful that they didn't discontinue the original, and I don't think that I'm alone in that viewpoint because this particular remover is now quite hard to find. It doesn't seem to be available direct from Gatineau now, and I can only find it in a few sets on the QVC UK website, and on Fragrance Direct who also sell it in a duo with the original for £16.95, and on it's also available on its own for £11.50, but in my opinion, skip it and buy the original instead x 

2. AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml

Next up the first of 2 AVON products in November's list, and it's a hair product. I'm coming to the end of my Anti Hair Fall stash now, and whilst I really do like some of the products that replaced it, I think I will always have a soft spot for the products in the range.

Containing keratin, bamboo extract, arginine, and peppermint extract, it conditioned the hair without leaving it greasy or heavy, it had a gorgeous fruity, with a hint of mint scent, and I really think that it made a huge difference to my hair.

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

The next item on November's list is another AVON product, and it looks as though it's something else that has either been discontinued or reformulated. This was another one of those products that I'd always intended to review properly but as per usual I never got round to it, so here is a little summary x

I did actually repurchase this a couple of times, so to put it simply it was obviously pretty decent. It was basically a micellar or cleansing water. It has a very subtle fragrance, it felt slightly tingly on the eyes, but it was fine on the rest of my face, and it removed dirt and make up, without leaving my skin dry or tight. It did leave my skin slightly sticky but overall it was pretty good.

I don't use micellar or cleansing waters as much as I used (I trying to get better with my skincare), but I potentially would have bought this one again, but unfortunately I can't find either on the AVON website, or in the latest book. The nearest thing that I can find is the ANEW Revitalising Micellar Water which retails at £6 and is something that I might try in the future.

4. Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml

Next up something that was like gold dust in 2020, and no I don't mean toilet paper! I'm referring to hand wash! I've used quite a few different hand washes from Carex over the last few months, but it was this rather boring sounding one that's actually become my must have.

Off white in colour, and rather suggestive in appearance, this moisturising hand wash has a gorgeous fruity scent, and despite all of its antibacterial and cleansing properties, you could really feel the slickness and the moisture on your skin.

This is the eco refill bottle which comes with a screw off cap, meaning you can save on packaging be reusing your pumps. This particular variant comes in various sizes and usually retails between £1 - £2.50 from various retailers including Boots, Superdrug, Poundland, Tesco, Wilko, Asda, and Sainsbury's.

5. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Body Butter - 50ml

Usually I try to switch up my body and shower products with the seasons, but in 2020 my usual habits seemed to fly out of the window, and I indulged in some festive scents even in the height of summer. I didn't manage to pick up anything from The Body Shop's 2020 festive range so I'm still going to be using up pieces from years gone by.

Spiced Apple was one of their offerings from around 2016 / 2017, and seeing as I love the scents of orchard fruits, I stocked up on some of my favourite products which I'm still using to this day. In The Body Shop's signature body butter formulation with both shea and cocoa butters, this particular one had a lovely warm cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and crisp baked apple scent, that smelled almost good enough to eat - definitely one of my favourite ever festive scents from The Body Shop.

6. Elemis Spa @ Home Body Exotics Jasmine And Rose Hand And Nail Cream - 20ml

This next product is the first of 3 hand creams that feature in this post, and it's the first of 2 from British spa brand, Elemis. I believe that this travel sized hand cream must have came in one of their special Christmas Today's Special Value kits on QVC UK, as it's now almost impossible to find.

From their Body Exotics range, this hand cream contained a whole load of natural extracts and ingredients, including sunflower oil, again oil, jasmine and lotus flower extract, as well as ylang ylang, rose, chamomile, and sandalwood oils. It had an almost velvety texture, and it smelled beautiful with an almost spicy rose scent, with jasmine and white flower undertones.

I really loved this hand cream, and I would definitely consider repurchasing it, if I could find it.

7. Neutrogena Pure Glow Daily Cleansing Cushions - 22 x Dual Textured Cushions

Okay, the least said about this next product the better really. I talked about these in more depth in my July 2020 empties post, but to put it simply these cleansing pads were probably one of the oldest beauty products in my stash and whilst I am now free from the embarrassment of owning and using something so old, in a way I'm still going to mourn their loss because as product I really did like them, and I'm still a bit said that they were discontinued however many years ago that was.

8. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml

The final empty from November was another limited edition Christmas item from The Body Shop, and this time it was a products from their 2019 range.

As I say I love the crisp sweet, yet tart scent of orchard fruits, and their mouthwatering Juicy Pear range was right up my street, and of course you know how much I love a good sugar scrub.

I really thought that I had another one of these in my stash but at the moment I can't seem to find it, so if this was my last pot, I'll definitely miss it, and like so many festive scents from The Body Shop, I'll keep my fingers crossed for its return.

So they were my November empties, a nice mix of bits, and a good 8 items to add to my yearly total. Alas I didn't quite manage to hit the same heights in December, but I still managed to finish a very respectable total of 7 items.

Elemis Body Exotics White Lotus & Lime Hand & Nail Cream - 20ml
Read My Lips Every Day I'm Brusselin' Moisturising Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask
Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Purple Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask - 15g
Benefit Gimme Brow Brow Volumising Fibre Gel - 3 - 3g
Marc Jacobs Daisy Velvet Body Butter - 140g
Leighton Denny Intense Manicure Oil - 12ml
Bio Glow Nature Inspired Hand Creme Rose - 60ml

Total - 7 Items 

Again I managed to finish a good mix of products including a few old and long standing items, some newer things, and even a make up item!

1. Elemis Body Exotics White Lotus & Lime Hand & Nail Cream - 20ml

First up a hand cream, and it's another limited edition from Elemis. I believe that this one also came in one of their QVC UK TSV's and I think that this one was possibly from 2016.

Containing shea butter, and macadamia oil, as well as bitter and sweet orange, patchouli, white lotus, thyme, and lemon and lime extracts. Again this hand cream had a lovely rich velvety feel. It had a very green, herbal scent, with only a tiny hint of recognisable citrus. It was a very unisex type scent.

Unfortunately as I say this was another limited edition product, and it's now almost impossible to find.

2. Read My Lips Every Day I'm Brusselin' Moisturising Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask

Next, up the first of 2 face masks in this post, and this particular product was my Christmas Eve beauty treat. I bought this particular mask from Boots' Read My Lips stocking filler range, which contained things like Brussel sprout lip balm, and pigs in blankets post notes and bath bombs.

The humble Brussel sprout gets a lot of stick but personally I love them, honestly try them roasted or in stir fry if you're not keen, and I promise you will become a convert!

Alas this fibre sheet mask doesn't actually seem to contain Brussel sprouts but it does contain a whole load of other plant extracts and botanicals. The mask itself was white in colour and featured a festive green cartoon sprout design. It was a good quality mask and it didn't rip or tear, and it had a lovely fruity, berry scent.

It was very wet to the touch, and it felt very cooling and refreshing on the skin. I left it on for about 15 minutes, and after peeling it off, my skin still felt quite wet. Unusually the instructions said to wash away the excess liquid, but after rinsing my skin and drying my face, my skin both looked and felt nice and refreshed and hydrated.

For a so called novelty product I was actually pretty impressed with this mask, it was fun, it felt nice on the skin, and it had a lovely scent.

Alas this seems to be another product that will be pretty much impossible to find, but you can find out more about the brand here x 

3. Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Purple Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask - 15g

From one mask to another, and to be fair mentioning this one in this post is a little bit of a cop out! This face mask actually came in the November 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, so unfortunately you'll have to wait just a little bit longer to read the unboxing post which should hopefully be within the next week to find out my thoughts on this face mask. In the meantime though you can buy it exclusively in the UK from Amazon where it retails at £2.49.

4. Benefit Gimme Brow Brow Volumising Fibre Gel - 3 - 3g

Make up items were very thin on the ground in my 2020 Trimming My Stash posts, so I was extra pleased to finish one in the last month of the year. 

Whenever you see any pictures of my eyes or my whole face, either on my blog, my Facebook, my Instagram or my Twitter, 9 times out of 10, this is the brow product that I'm wearing.

I love all of the brow products in the Benefit Cosmetics range but this one really is my go to, and I actually own it in a few different shades depending on my hair colour at the time, and the look that I'm going for.

This is shade 3 which is medium / neutral light brown, and this is my everyday subtle shade. Super quick and easy to use, Gimme Brow adds colour and volume to the brows, and it helps to tame down the hairs, fill on the odd gap and cover the odd grey hair.

I love it, it's the perfect brow product if you're time poor, another bonus is that you don't need a lot of skill to apply it and it lasts for ages both on the brows and despite the size, in the tube too. 

This full 3g size comes in 10 shades and retails at around £22.50 from various retailers including direct from Benefit Cosmetics, John Lewis, Boots, House Of Fraser, Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and ASOS. 

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy Velvet Body Butter - 140g

The next item on December's list was another slightly embarrassing, super old product, and this time it isn't a skin care item it's actually a body product.

Let's be honest, like most people I was probably first drawn to Marc Jacobs Daisy because of the bottle design. I love hippy, dippy looking daisies and thankfully I also love the fragrance with it's fruity, floral violet notes.

Although this was actually called a body butter, for me it had more of a rich body cream texture, with the bright and breezy daisy scent, and just a touch of shimmer. This tub looks a little battered and faded now but it was well loved, and it smelled amazing until the very end.

I think this particular product has unfortunately been discontinued now but you can still get something called Luminous Body Lotion, in a few different Daisy gift sets.

6. Leighton Denny Intense Manicure Oil - 12ml

It's funny how your buying habits change; When it was available on QVC UK, I used to be a regular buyer of Leighton Denny's nail polishes and treatments, but once they left the channel, I moved on and I pretty much stopped buying from the range, which on reflection is a real shame when you consider how good products like this actually are.

Basically this is a manicure oil that can be used as both an intensive hand moisturiser, and as a cuticle product. Containing a blend of 4 skin softening oils - sweet almond, wheatgerm, avocado, and olive, and 5 essential oils - lavender, chamomile, geranium, cedar and bergamot, this oil didn't just smell beautiful, it was also a real moisturising treat for the hands and nails.

This particular size no longer seems to be available but you can buy a 50ml size from £22 direct from Leighton Denny x 

7. Bio Glow Nature Inspired Hand Creme Rose - 60ml

The final beauty product that I finished in 2020 was another hand and nail product, and it was another hand cream. I picked this one up on a whim in Poundland and do you know what? For the £1 price tag it wasn't half bad. 

Both cruelty free and vegan friendly, it contains shea butter, jojoba oil, vitamin E, and rosemary extract. It has a nice rich and creamy texture, and it absorbed well in to the skin, especially when used alongside a pair of cotton gloves at bedtime. The scent was a touch old fashioned rose but for just £1, it was a decent buy. If you fancy trying it for yourself, as well as Poundland, you can also find it at Fragrance Direct, The Range, B&M and Savers.

So there you have it, I ended 2020 with another 8 empties in November and another 7 items in December, but what different did that make to my overall 2020 total...

January - 4 Items

February - 3 Items

March - 4 Items

April - 8 Items

May - 5 Items

June - 9 Items

July - 8 Items

August - 5 Items

September - 8 Items

October - 6 Items

November - 8 Items

December - 7 Items

2020 Total - 75 Items

Well, against all the odds, in 2020 I managed to finish a grand total of 75 items! I know! I couldn't quite believe it myself! I mean I didn't go on holiday, I didn't get dressed up at all and I barely wore any make up, but some how I managed to finish 8 more products than I did in 2019, and I managed to achieve my best finish since 2016!

I'm still now quite sure how it happened really, was it down to an increase in self care? or was it down to really concentrating on finishing all of those half finished products? Whatever the reason, I'm really just really pleased with just how many products that I managed to finish in 2020. I certainly bought less and I can really see the spaces starting to appear in my cupboards and drawers.

It goes without saying that I will be continuing to trim my stash in 2020, and my plan again is to buy less and use more, and again my focus is to try and finish a few more make up items, lockdown or no lockdown.

My January empties update should be up in the next week or so but in the meantime you can keep track of my progress in the sidebar x As per usual please let me know if you have any questions on any of the items in this all be it very long post, and don't forget to let me know if you're doing something similar in 2021. Thanks for reading and I will see you soon with another post x 

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Trimming My Stash - December 2019 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A 2019 Round Up*

Before I continue with my long overdue unboxing posts I thought I'd a little break from all of the newness and take you back to 2019 again, with my December empties.

Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand Wash - 200ml
#6 Micellar Cleansing Water - 200ml
Anatomicals Boob Tube Grab Your Melons Shower Gel - 50ml
Cussons Carex Fun Edition Mr Tickle Antibacterial Hand Wash - Sherbet Lemon - 250ml
Total - 4 Items

Despite all of my promises to end 2019 on a high, December ended up being a bit of a damp squib, and I only managed to finish 4, not very interesting items.

1. Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand Wash - 200ml

Despite Mummy Lou's continuing, and very environmentally conscious love affair with the humble bar of soap, as a pet owning household we go through quite a lot of hand wash. Although we normally finish a bottle or so a month I don't normally include it in my trimming my stash totals because to be honest it always it seems to be more of a household item rather than something that I finished but breaking the habits of a lifetime December's empties total actually contains 2 hand washes. 

The first one that I'm going to talk about was actually part of a gift set that I received a few Christmas' ago, from luxury British spa brand Elemis. Now, whilst writing this post I've searched high and low for it online but unfortunately I can't find it anywhere so I've came to the conclusion that it was either a QVC UK exclusive or it was a limited edition.

To call this just a hand wash is actually a bit of a disservice - from their famous Skin Nourishing range, this hand wash is actually much more of a hand treatment. Containing camellia, cotton seed extract, and milk proteins, just a small amount of this thick, opaque gel, produced a gentle, light weight, but really nourishing and moisturising foam, you actually felt as though you were giving your hands a treatment rather than just washing them. The treatment aspect was also compounded by the soft and creamy,  almost powdery, gentle floral scent that runs through the entire Elemis Skin Nourishing range.

Perfect for dry hands or just hands that needed some love I'm really sad to see the back of this but thankfully I still have quite a few products from the Skin Nourishing range to use up including the corresponding hand cream. If you haven't tried this range, then I would thoroughly recommend it, it's ideal for skin that easily irritated, and skin that needs a bit of moisture. You can buy Elemis products from a variety of retailers online including QVC UK, Debenhams, John Lewis, Look Fantastic and Feel Unique.

2. #6 Micellar Cleansing Water - 200ml

Next up a skincare item, and something from Poundland's #6 skincare range. When it comes to beauty I'm not a snob, I love brands and luxury as much as the next person, but I'm not frightened to try dupes, and bargain basement items - if I love it, great! if I don't I haven't wasted my money.

The #6 range was designed to deliver a range for all skin types, that delivers healthy looking skin on a budget, but containing high end ingredients such as ceramides, Vitamins A and E, and algae extracts.

For just £1 an item, the first item that I tried from the range was their micellar water, which is hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested, opthamologically approved, alcohol and fragrance free, and suitable for vegans. Containing Pro Vitamin B5, aloe vera, chamomile, and Vitamin E it is designed to remove make up, cleanse, smooth and purify the skin.

The packaging is pretty basic, a clear plastic bottle with flip top cap, and to be honest the contents doesn't look very exciting either, it just looks like a typical micellar water, aka a clear water like liquid, with no real scent. Performance wise it was pretty gentle on the skin, it removed even long wear make up without too much effort. Like a lot of micellar waters I did find it tingled slightly when it was left on the eyes. I didn't find drying on the skin and I didn't see any redness but it did leave a slightly tacky finish on the skin which took a few minutes to subside.

For just a £1 this wasn't bad and whilst I wouldn't buy it and use it regularly I wouldn't hesitate to pick it up in an emergency or to use it again. It's certainly not the worst micellar water than I've ever used and as I often say I've definitely spent more than this and liked a product less, so I firmly believe that you don't always get what you pay for. You can find the #6 range in Poundland stores.

3. Anatomicals Boob Tube Grab Your Melons Shower Gel - 50ml

The next December empty is something that I think that I received in a subscription box. It's a quirkily named, melon scented shower gel from Anatomicals, that was produces in association with breast cancer charity Coppafeel.

I'm not a huge fan of melon scents but to me this is just a very fruity scent, with a hint of a floral, that I loved. I can't find this mini tube anywhere online but you can buy the full 250ml size from ASOS for around £3.49, and 80p of that goes to Coppafeel. Thanks to the November 2019 edition of Pink Parcel (the least said about the debacle that is Pink Parcel at the moment the better though!) I have another full sized bottle in my stash but this is definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

4. Cussons Carex Fun Edition Mr Tickle Antibacterial Hand Wash - Sherbet Lemon - 250ml

Finally another hand wash and something else that I actually bought in Poundland. This was just a cheap impulse buy that I picked up because I'm a bit of a fan of Mr. Men & Little Miss. It was nowhere near as luxurious as it's Elemis counterpart, but it was gentle, it was antibacterial (essential if you have cats), and it had a lovely, fruity, sugary, lemon scent.

I'm currently using a festive AVON hand wash but I've already picked up the Mr. Bump Tutti Frutti version to try. The price for these hand washes does vary quite a lot, you can get them for as little as 95p, to £1 in Poundland, Boots, and Tesco, to as much as £1.89 in Superdrug, so shop around if you can.

So that was December Trimming My Stash, and that was 2019, but just how did I do in 2019 overall? Well let's see...

January - 4 Items

February - 5 Items

March - 8 Items

April - 8 Items

May - 4 Items

June - 3 Items

July - 5 Items

August - 8 Items

September - 11 Items

October - 5 Items

November - 2 Items

December - 4 Items

Total - 67 Items 

Well, in total in 2019, I managed to finish a grand total of 67 beauty products. It sounds like a lot but like Decembers total it turned into a bit of a damp squib. 2019 was actually my worst year since I started counting down my empties, and I was 5 products down on last years total of 72. I'm a little bit disappointed but despite that I think that 2019 was the first year where I've actually been able to see my stash diminishing. I definitely didn't buy as much beauty stuff in 2019, I had several good sort outs, I gave some things away, I binned a few bits, and I finished a few ancient products that had been hanging around in my bathroom since the year dot.

It goes without saying that I'm going to continue to trim my stash in 2020. The same goals will apply, to finish as many beauty products possible, to buy less, and to try and only buy what I need. I made a good indent into my bath and body products in 2019, and whilst I'm hoping that I can keep that up in 2020, I'm also going to try and make more of a dent in both my skincare and my make up stash than I did last year, and of course I'm going to share my journey with you every step of the way, starting with my January empties in a week or so x Let me know if your doing something similar and if you have any questions on any of the products that I finished in December or on anything else then leave me a comment below x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Unboxing Glossybox UK - September 2019 Edition - Delicious Beauty*

After all of the excitement of August's birthday box, the September edition of Glossybox UK, was always going to be a little bit of a letdown. This post is pretty late but it's given me the opportunity to read a lot of other posts, and comments on September's box, and I've got to be honest and say that a lot them won't have made very pleasant reading for the team at Glossybox.

As much as I enjoy reading other peoples opinions though I always try to make my own mind up, and I always try to be as objective, and as open minded as possible, and I know that's why people like you keep on reading my blog, so without further ado I'm going to get right on with my review.

After all of the sparkles and gloss of August's birthday edit, Septembers box saw a return to the traditional Glossybox packaging of a pale pink and black box, pink tissue paper, a black ribbon, and black shred.

As per usual the box contained a little leaflet telling you a little bit about the theme of the box and about the products inside. The theme of September's box was "Delicious Beauty" and all of the products inside were in some way connected to food

Now normally you only get 5 products in every Glossybox but September's box officially contained 6 items, but from the pictures and reviews that I've seen, most boxes actually contained 7 things.

After looking more closely at the contents though I think that the extra items are in there purely to push up the value. There were a couple of more budget friendly products in this box, and I think that Glossybox probably added the extra items, to give us more value for money- Did they succeed though?

Mayy Banana Setting Powder - 4.5g - Full Size - RRP £15

The first item in the box, is the most expensive item, and it's a product from a brand that I haven't heard of before, Mayy Beauty / Mayy Cosmetics. I can't find out too much about the brand, but from what I can gather they are based in the UK and this is the only product that they appear to sell.

As the name would suggest Banana Setting Powder, is a yellow toned face powder. It's hypoallergenic, paraben free, cruelty free, mineral based and vegan and it contains added hyaluronic acid, and it's also suitable for all skin types.

It's designed to set make up and to mattify the skin, and to diffuse redness and skin imperfections. Mayy also claim that it's smudge proof, water resistant and it extends the life of your make up.

Like the STYLondon Banana Setting Powder, that I received in July's Pink Parcel, it has a slight baby powder scent. It's a nice fine, textured powder which is super easy to blend. Although it looks quite yellow in the the tub, on my skin tone it doesn't look yellow at all, it just blends in to my foundation and my skin tone. If your skin is darker than mine it could potentially look a little bit chalky.


I swear by face powder to tone down oil on my t-zone, and to make my foundation last longer, and this definitely did that, I'm not sure about their water resistance claim though, after a bracing walk along the seafront I'd sweated off a lot of my make up, and I needed to reapply it especially on my t-zone.

In the before pictures I'm just wearing my new favourite foundation (The Ordinary Coverage Foundation in 1.1P), and the only difference in the second picture is an added layer of the Mayy Banana Setting Powder. You can't see too much of a difference but my skin does a little bit more even, and even a bit glowy in the after picture.

Before 

After 

I've had a little look online and the only place I've found this powder is on the Mayy website where it retails at £15.

Palmers Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack - 60g - Full Size RRP £2.09

I think I'm probably the only person on this planet that doesn't love the scent of coconut. Don't get me wrong I don't hate it but it can often be too much, too sweet, too sickly or too synthetic. There is no denying though, that for the majority people coconut definitely falls into the delicious category, and coconut is one the main ingredients in the next item.

Designed especially for dry, damaged, and colour treated hair, this hair mask contains ethically, and sustainably sourced coconut oil, and coconut milk, as well as Tahitian monoi (coconut oil infused with tiare flower petals), and silk and keratin proteins.

It's a conditioning mask that you apply after shampooing, for 10-15 minutes or even overnight before rinsing. It claims to help repair weak, fragile, and damaged hair, giving it incredible shine, and condition.

I'm actually in the middle of testing out some new hair products for the blog at the moment, so I haven't tried this yet but I'll let you know my thoughts in a future empties post. The product is available from various retailers including Superdrug, Boots, and Tesco.

Colgate Max White Charcoal Toothpaste - 75ml - Full Size - Est. Price £2 - £3.99

In the last year or so one of the biggest ingredients in just about everything from cheese and crackers, to ice cream, and to skincare, has been charcoal.

From their whitening "Max White" range, this toothpaste from iconic dental care brand Colgate contains activated charcoal and gentle mineral scrubbing particles. It is clinically proven to remove 100% of surface stains as well as fighting cavities, and cleansing your whole mouth.

I'd always been a bit scared of charcoal toothpastes, how can something that looks so dirty, clean your teeth, but I bit the bullet so to speak, and gave this a go, and wow I have to say I am really impressed! 

Once you get over the colour, and the fact that your mouth goes temporarily grey / black, you realise that this is actually a pretty decent toothpaste. I don't know how well you can see the texture from the picture below but it actually has a slightly grainy, slightly abrasive mouth / tooth feel which definitely helps your teeth to feel super clean, and since I've been using it I've definitely seen a improvement in the colour. I don't have the whitest teeth naturally but I'm going to persevere with this and fingers crossed my teeth will get a little bit whiter. Oh and it also has a lovely strong mint flavour so it helps keep your breath and your mouth nice and fresh.

This seems to be quite a new edition to the Colgate Max White range, so it only seems to available in a few retailers including Superdrug and Morrisons. Prices do seem to vary between retailers, so I would definitely shop around if you're interested in trying this.

Cussons Carex Fun Edition Love Heart Cleansing Hand Gel - 50ml - RRP £1.55

In September, Glossybox subscribers received one of two Carex Hand Gels, Strawberry Laces, or the one I got Love Hearts. I'm not a huge public transport user now, so I don't use as much hand sanitiser as I used to, but it's still one of my handbag essentials, so this was a useful addition.

Claiming to clean, care for and protect hands, this pale pink gel, has a lovely fruity, slightly sherbet scent. Due to the alcohol content it immediately feels cooling on the skin, and you have just enough time to rub yours hands together before it starts to absorb. it dries really quickly, and your hands just feel clean and dry, without any stickiness or tackiness. 

Hand sanitisers are a real must have product, and this one smells nice and I like how it feels on my skin. Again if you're interested in trying this one I'd shop around, it's currently available from various retailers including Boots, Superdrug, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons, but the price varies quite a bit and you don't want to pay more than you have to x 

Mitchell And Peach Flora No. 1 Fine Edition Eau de Parfum - 15ml

I said in my rather lengthy introduction to this post that the September edition of Glossybox received a lot of criticism, and unfortunately this was the products that bore the brunt of that criticism. 

Fragrance is such a personal thing, ask 100 different people what their favourite fragrance is and you'll probably get 100 different answers. It's such an individual thing that I always think that it's a bit of a risk to put perfume in a subscription box. Personally though I don't mind getting a fragrance in a subscription box, I love trying new things and I've discovered quite a few favourites in various boxes over the years, but it's a dodgy one.

I'm sure I've tried something from this brand before, but if you haven't heard of them, Mitchell and Peach are an English based perfume and toiletry company that not only make all of their products in the UK, but they also grow all of the plants and flowers that they use in their products on their own country estate.

Now I know your probably wondering how a fragrance falls into the delicious theme, well one of the key ingredients in this fragrance is the aniseed scented sweet fennel. It also contains lots of floral notes including rose, lavender, ylang ylang, peony and larkspur.

I'm not good at describing fragrances so with this one I'm not even going to try other than to say that it's a green, floral, with a hint of warmth. I found it a very complex scent, every time I smelled it I smelled something different within it. On first sniff I liked it, second sniff I hated it, and then I loved it! Yup it's one of those x 

It it horrible? Is it gross? No not to me it isn't. It's not something I would go out and buy but I can definitely appreciate just how unusual it is. If you like sweet, bubblegum, generic florals, then this won't be for you but if you want something that's just that little bit different, natural yet long lasting, then this could be worth trying. I'm sure you'll be able to find a bottle or 2 on ebay if you're interested. I can't find a price for this particular size but Glossybox quote a price of £29.75 for 17.5ml deluxe mini size, and the full 50ml size retails at £85 direct from Mitchell and Peach.

Delhicious Hello Beau-Tea-Ful Exfoliate & Glow Original Black Tea Body Scrub - 100g - Full Size - RRP £7.95

This final official product couldn't have arrived at a better time - I'd just finished the last body scrub in my stash when this baby turned up. From a UK based company this 100% natural, vegan and cruelty free scrub is designed to get rid of dry skin, and flush away toxins.

The key ingredient in this scrub is black Assam tea, which contains caffeine and natural antioxidants, to perk up the skin and to reduce cellulite. It also contains brown sugar, and Himalayan Pink Salt which is rich in minerals and deep cleansing. Other ingredients include sweet almond oil, essential oils, and Vitamin E.

The pouch contains a relatively dry scrub mix, look closely and you can see the tea leaves, and even the salt and sugar grains. You massage it into damp skin, and it you have time you can leave it for a couple of minutes to let the ingredients do their thing. You only need a tiny amount and the citrus and tea scent is mouthwatering. It's pretty easy to rinse off and even when your skin is still wet you can feel a difference to the skin. Even after just one use my skin felt firmer and super smooth. 

I'm so happy with this product I love both the smell and the results but I'm going to be honest with you it is a bit messy, the grains get everywhere, and when they're added to water, the liquid does go a little tea like, so make sure that you give your bath tub or your shower cubicle a good rinse.

Alas this product failed Mummy Lou's mess test but despite that I would still consider using this product again. It's available directly from Delhicious where 10% of all of their profits go to Stop The Traffic, a charity that is committed to ending human trafficking, and from Fragrance Direct.

As I said earlier the September box contained 6 items instead of the usual 5 but most people were lucky enough to get a 7th item in their box, and it certainly was delicious x 

Godiva Masterpieces Ganache Heart With Belgian Dark Chocolate 

Yes, the final item was a bar of chocolate from internationally renowned Belgian chocolate company Godiva. Whilst milk chocolate is always my go to, when I need a real chocolate hit or an energy boost, dark chocolate is the one.

This was a lovely bar with heart shaped segments. It was a really rich, dark chocolate, with a creamy chocolate ganache filling. Even Mummy Lou who isn't a plain chocolate fan enjoyed the little piece that I gave her. 

Stupidly I threw the packaging away without noting down the size but this is a small, regular sized bar. The larger 83g bar retails between £1.50 and £2 and is available from most major supermarkets. This was a my first Godiva experience and it certainly won't be my last x

Okay final thoughts! Was this the best Glossybox ever? I'll hold my hands up no in my opinion it wasn't - a lot of the items were at a lower price point which as I say was probably the reason for the extra items but the products weren't bad products. A lot of the things weren't very exciting but they are products that the majority of people will use after all who doesn't need toothpaste, hand sanitiser or hair conditioner? If you don't like an item aka the perfume, find someone who does, gift it or even sell it, and don't forget that the Banana Setting Powder is worth more than the cost of the box, so whether you like the items or not the box is definitely value for money.

Subscription boxes like Glossybox are a risk and if you can't accept the fact that you might not always get products that you love in every box, then maybe the concept isn't for you. Am I being fair? or am I being too generous? Let me know your thoughts in the comments x 

If you fancy trying Glossybox for yourself then sign up now via this link to get October's Angel or Devil themed box, which contains one of 2 STYLondon eye shadows palettes. According to my Glossybox account I'm getting the Angel box, which I think means that I'm getting the pink toned palette. It shouldn't be too long before I get it now so I'll hopefully try and get that post up a bit quicker than this one x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links