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

Hey Guys x I hope you've all had a lovely Saturday x The weather isn't that great for the first Saturday in July, but I'm British so I'm pretty used to summer being a wash out! I really can't believe that it's July already - I've already had a few Christmas in July press invites which is terrifying - where is this year, and where is my life going!

I've had another up and down month but I'm thinking positive and battling on regardless, blogging again has taken a bit of a back seat but I'm feeling really motivated at the moment, I've got a lot of ideas and I've got a lot of new posts planned. Before we look forward though first lets look back at June and focus on my June beauty empties.

Boots Botanics Cleansing Toner All Bright - 250ml
L'Oreal Kerastase Cristalliste Luminous Perfecting Conditioner - 75ml
OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml
The Body Shop Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml
Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics Body Scrub - 50ml
Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml
Benefit Sandal Scandal - 130ml
Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - 84 Epatant - 4g
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths Brightening - 10 x Quilted Cleaning Cloths
Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml
Impulse Tease Body Fragrance - 75ml
Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 300ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Total - 14 Items

Yeah - I managed to finish 14 items last month, which is best performance of the year so far. As well as managing to finish a lot of half finished product I also managed to finish a really nice mix of products, including some body care, skin care, and hair care items, and shock of horrors I even managed to finish a make up item!

1. Boots Botanics Cleansing Toner All Bright - 250ml

I've been using this Boots toner for a little while now and for the price I really like it. If you like Pixi Glow Tonic then this is an okay budget alternative. At just £3.99 for a 250ml bottle, this toner of AHA's and Hibiscus. It brightens and freshens my skin without any of the tingle associated with pricier exfoliating toners. Is it as good as Pixi Glow Tonic or Alpha H Liquid Gold? not in my opinion but it's a decent product and it's something that I will always pick up when it's on offer.

2. L'Oreal Kerastase Cristalliste Luminous Perfecting Conditioner - 75ml

This conditioner from L'Oreal's famous Kerastase range was something that I received in a beauty box. I've got to say that it didn't really wow me it was a good everyday conditioner but it didn't make that much of a difference to my hair. The only real plus point and the point that took this product to the next level was the smell, I absolutely loved the scent, put this fragrance in a perfume bottle and I would most definitely buy it, as a conditioner though I would happily use it but I wouldn't go out of my way to repurchase.

3. OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml

OPI Avoplex is without a doubt my favourite ever cuticle product. It smells amazing, it sinks in quickly and it works. This is the travel or on the go version and instead of coming in a glass bottle it comes in a squeezy plastic tube with an attached brush. It's a little thicker and more gel like than the original formulation but it works just as well, and it's a lot easier and less messy to carry around. I've already repurchases the original glass bottle for home use, but for travel and holidays I'll definitely repurchase this on the go version.


4. The Body Shop Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml

When The Body Shop's Honeymania range launched, you couldn't go on twitter or read blogs without somebody raving about it. Personally though I wasn't interested, honey for me is the devils food, I hate the taste of it and I think that the smell is even worse!  Fast forward though to December 2014 and I was invited to a festive event at a branch of The Body Shop in Newcastle Upon Tyne. After receiving an amazing hand massage and finding out some more about their Christmas range I was lucky enough to received a fabulous goodie bag which contained this product. I tried it full expecting to hate it but shock of horrors I didn't, I loved it! It has a tiny bit of sweetness to it but what you smell instead of the sickly sweetness of honey, is a beautiful heady floral aroma. You can swirl a bit of this sticky, honey like gel into the bath, for a bubbly milky bathing experience or you do what I've been doing over the last few months and use it in the shower. It is specifically a shower product but put a small amount onto a shower scrunchie, and you have a super foamy, deliciously scented shower. Since I don't have a bath tub anymore I probably wouldn't buy this specific product but I would definitely consider buying some of the other products in the Honeymania line. You can read all about my The Body Shop experience and read a mini review of this product here.

5. Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics Body Scrub - 50ml

I love Hello Kitty and I love florals so I was all over this Boots exclusive collection from a few years ago. Apart from the super cute packaging, again the best bit about this product was the smell. This scrub and the entire Hello Kitty Liberty range had the most amazing powdery, slightly Shea butter based, floral scent which I loved, unfortunately in this case though I just didn't love the product. This scrub had a liquidy, cream base with tiny, teeny, nut shell like particles. I like a good, grainy scrub but for me the grains in this one were just too fine to do the job properly, which is a real given everything else it had going for it is a real shame.

6. Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml

For me one of the best parts about blogging is getting the opportunity to try something new, and hopefully finding something that you love, and this product was a case in point. I received and reviewed this product just under a year ago now, and I loved it so much that I went straight out and repurchased it. This is really nice range and this conditioner made me hair feel instantly smoother and thicker. You can read a full review of this, and of some of the other products in the Invisible Oil range here. Blogging is a fickle thing and I'm currently loving another product but this is still something that I would definitely consider repurchasing x

7. Benefit Sandal Scandal - 130ml

This is the first of two empties that I'm absolutely devastated to have finished because they can't be replaced. Nowadays we probably know Benefit Cosmetics best for their quirky and innovative make up range, but back in the day there was more to Benefit then just brows and blushers. When Benefit first launched in the UK they used to have a nice little core collection of body care products, all fragranced in their signature Maybe Baby scent. As well as bubble baths, shimmer, balms, and body creams, they also produced this pretty amazing foot cream. I'm not a huge fan of minty foot creams, so this one with the floral Maybe Baby fragrance was perfect for me. With a rich creamy texture,and crammed full of AHA's to attack that dry skin, it came with a cute pair of pink and white pompom socks. This was a perfect overnight foot product, the dry skin disappeared within hours and it left the feet feeling silky soft. This was my favourite ever foot product and I'm very, very said that it's been discontinued :(

8. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - 84 Eptant - 4g

Something else that I'm devastated to have finished is this Illusion D'Ombre eye shadow from Chanel. This shadows have the most amazing mousse like, cream texture, they apply and blend like a dream either with the brush that's provided or if you're feeling really lazy you can apply them with your fingers. This shade is Epatant, a beautiful metallic silvery, grey, taupe, green, that changed in the light. This was one of my go to eye shadows for a long, long time, it was easy to apply, the wear time was good, and the finish was super impressive. In theory this shadows should have been binned a long time ago but thanks to using a damp brush, and spraying it with Fix + I managed to hydrate it enough to finish the pot and I'm sad. Why am I sad? Well I love the formulation and I for this one could even justify the £25 price tag but unfortunately Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Epatant is no more, I can't find it anywhere so I think it's been discontinued - farewell Epatant I loved you - even if nobody else obviously did.

9. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

Your probably sick of seeing these in my empties post but yes this month I finished another two packets of these babies and I bought some more. In one day I took 158 swatch photographs so these babies have been busy mopping up swatches and for freshening up on sticky days. They're full of tea tree so they leave your skin feeling cool and fresh, I don't use them on my face that often but they are a good standby.

10. Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths Brightening - 10 x Quilted Cleaning Cloths

Dear readers, I have a confession to make I used this face wipes on my face and nowhere else! I don't why I did it maybe it was because I thought that a high end skin care brand would make a decent caring wipe and good for you wipe and  do you know what I did actually quite like d these. I got this ten pack of Ole Henriksen wipes in a beauty box, and feeling lazy one morning I picked these up and give them a try. They were a really nice quality, thick and quilted wipe, with a lovely citrus and vanilla scent. They left my skin looking really fresh, and bright and feeling squeaky clean, if a tiny bit sticky. Although I'm definitely not a cleansing with wipes convert, these were a good quick way to cleanse my skin and I actually felt as though they had some skin care benefits. I probably wouldn't repurchase these but if you're interested these wipes retail at around £12 for a pack of 30.


11. Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml

This was my first ever bottle of Pixi Glow Tonic, and I'm a total convert. As much as I love the feeling and results from Alpha H Liquid Gold, I love the convenience and ease of use of Glow Tonic. You can fit it into any skin care regime, just use it to replace your regular toner and you're good to go. Again full of AHA's this toner has made such a difference to my skin since I started using it regularly, my skin is smoother, and clearer, I get less breakouts and my pores aren't as obvious. I love this stuff and I will definitely continue to use it. All you need to remember to do is use a bit of SPF on your face, but you should be doing that anyway. You can find out a little bit more about why I love this in my March / April Favourites Video which you can watch here 


12. Impulse Tease Body Fragrance - 75ml

Whilst searching through my extensive beauty stash I found a whole load of new and half finished body sprays -  Isn't that always the way when you've bought a new one, note to self - maybe if I was more organised and tidier this wouldn't happen! Anyways if ever there was a product to take my back to my early teenage years it would be an Impulse body spray. Every girl I knew used to reek of them and we always used to try and be the first to try a new fragrance. My favourite used to be the one if the dark blue can, I don't remember the name now but they all smell pretty similar and the fragrance of this one took me right back. This one has that same sort of sweet, musky scent that I remember so well, the one I liked was a bit more fruity but this one is definitely trying to a bit more sophisticated with the musky undertones. I probably wouldn't repurchase this particular scent but at between £1 and £1.99, these are a pretty bargainious way to recapture your childhood.

13. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 300ml

Another product that featured in my March / April Favourites Video (you can watch it here) and something  else that I love. This is exactly what I look for in a body scrub - I'm a huge fan of coarse salt and sugar scrubs and this one is exactly that. Crammed full of sugar, and moisturising oils, it has the zingy, citrus, lime scent, that we've come to expect from the Sugar Crush line and I love it. I like using on dry skin for a really intense scrub, just massage it in and rinse it off and your skin is left feeling smooth and silky. I will definitely buy this again and again x


14. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

Yes I finished another packet x You can read my thoughts above x 

Well that ended up being a much longer post than I'd planned so I really hope that you managed to stick it out until the end. I finished a lot of products last month and I really can't see me doing as well in July but you never know, as per usual though I'll give it my best shot.. I've got a few beauty hauls to show you over the next few weeks but then I will definitely be starting Project 10 Pan so hopefully in July I'll have a few more make up items to show you but we'll see x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions on any of the items that I've finished then please let me know x

Huge Collective Beauty Haul Featuring QVC, Essence, Chanel And More x

Hey Everyone x Following on from yesterdays Iced Rainbow post I'm back with another haul post and this time it's a pretty huge collective beauty haul. There really is something for everyone in this haul, lots of different things and lots of different price points.

We'll start off with some budgets from one of my favourite brands at the moment, Essence. Over the last few months, I've managed to make a couple of trips to Wilko purely to buy some bits from Essence. I was recently sent a package full of Essence goodies and it only succeeded in whetting my appetite for more.

Although my nails are pretty dreadful at the moment, they had too many pretties to ignore x Reviews and nails of the days to come but I got a few nail art bits including some nail foil and some foil transfer solution. I used to use foils on my nails all the time about 10 years ago and since these bits appear to be being discontinued I stocked up. Foiling is a technique that I love and I can't wait to give it a go again when my nails are a bit longer. As well as the foils I also got a couple of colours - Essence Holo Graphics Effect Nail Polish in 22 I ♥ Magic and Essence Holo Jewels Effect Nail Polish in 12 Bejewelled.

I also picked up one of their Nail Art Designer set. This contains 3 different textured sponges for creating an airbrush effect, and a very thin striping brush.

As well as the nail bits I also got a couple of make up items including the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder. I love both the Laura Geller Matte Maker and the MAC Prep + Prime clear / white powders but they are both pretty spending so I'm hoping that this similar looking product will be a good substitute. I also picked up one of the new Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascaras in 02 Browny Brows. According to some of the reviews that I've this is supposedly a good dupe for Benefit's Gimme Brow, I haven't had a chance to try it yet but I'll let you know what I think when I do x

Another product that's been talked about and hyped up is Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 063 East End Snob. This has taken a bit of finding but I'm pleased I got it in the end.

I've just been wearing this nude, pink, mauve shade over my entire lips and topping it with a bit of gloss but if anyone can recommend a lipstick that goes well with this shade, then I'd love to know x

Another Avon haul, and another nail polish. If there is a sale supplement in my catalogue that;s always what I read first and I was super happy to see some of their Stardust Nail Enamels. I only a couple of these but I love the demi matte finish which is packed full of sparkle. This one is Polished Plum which is packed full of multi coloured glitter. I'm really disappointed that they've discontinued these but fingers crossed the new Mineral Crush polishes will be similar.

Alongside the nail polish I also bought a perfume from Avon. I know it's hard buying a fragrance that you haven't tried before, but after trying the scratch and sniff panel in the brochure I had to buy this one.

Cherish is the perfume that Avon created in association with Abby Clancy and her mum. It's a bit headier then most perfumes that I own but it includes my favourite scent, Jasmine so it's a winner with me.

Next ebay, and although I've bought quite a bit from ebay lately I've only bought a couple of beauty things x One items arrived just a little bit too late for inclusion in this post but I did get these eyebrow razors in time.

These are a zillion times better than the last ones that I got. They are stupidy, sharp so I have nicked myself a few times but they are amazing for getting rid of all of those fine hairs, and strays that ruin the shape. Unfortunately thanks to ebays layout changes I can no longer find the seller, but these ones should be quite easy to find.

Another budget buy came courtesy of Poundland, I seem to mention this shop in pretty much every post that I write at the moment but I can't help it, they have so much good stuff in at the moment. Operation bye bye bath is still ongoing so as well as trying to use up all my bath products, I'm trying prepare myself for the inevitable, not by buying shower gels, I already have tonnes of those but by buying shower caps - I can't be doing with washing my hair every time I have a shower so I'm going to need plenty of these on standby. This is the Miss Piggy version but I'm definitely going to get the Minnie Mouse one too.

From one off, fun, pocket money friendly items, to a few purchases that I've had to think a little bit harder about. The first product in the higher end section of this haul is something that I've wanted for a long time so it certainly wasn't an on the whim purchase.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 54 Boy is one of those lipsticks that is truly iconic. The name makes reference to Coco Chanel's love affair with Arthur Edward "Boy" Capel, and it's truly one of the nicest lipsticks that I now own.

Although it looks very pink in my product pictures it actually more of a nude shade with just a touch of sparkle. The formula is very hydrating which does effect the wear time slightly but there is no better feeling then opening that black and gold tube, and smelling that traditional rose fragrance. Lipstick heaven in a tube we'll just pretend we didn't see the £24 price tag.

Lipstick, lipstick, how I love thee, I have so many lip products it's insane but on the 3rd March QVC had a special day where all on air items were on 3 easy pay. I just intended to watch a few shows but I got engrossed in a Bare Minerals order, and as if by magic the place order button appeared on my screen. To be fair I've tried a lot of Bare Minerals products but I've never tried any of their lipsticks.

The Bare Minerals Nude Perfection kit comes with 3 Mini Marvelous Moxie Lipsticks, all in varying brown, and nude tones, that can be wore alone are mixed together. As well as in the limited edition kit that I got all of the lipsticks are available as full sized items separately so I'll definitely be adding these to my to review pile x

Something else that I ordered from QVC came from the Joan Collins Timeless Beauty brand. I've watched the presentations a few times mainly to hear the wit of Ms Collins but you can't help but marvel at the glamour and style of her products and packaging. Seeing as I really don't need any more make up I decided to try something else that she offered, the Class Act Lash Growth Treatment. I've used a certain lash growth product in the past with some success (which I also must review for you at some point) but it is a bit price prohibitive so when I saw this one for under £20, I thought I'd give it a go. Obviously I'll give it a through review when I've had a chance to try it but based on first impressions the packaging is gorgeous and really high end so I'm really hoping that the contents matches that. With every purchase from the line you also get a sample pack of her First Base Foundation to try. The little pack contains every colour that they do so you can pick the perfect shade for you x I think that is a fab idea and I think that it's something that all brands should do. Again I'll let you know what I think, in a future sample Saturday post x

My final QVC purchase (for now!) came from the Alpha H range. I love Alpha H and I'm a huge fan of their star product Liquid Gold. This special offer kit came with both a 50ml and a 100ml bottle of Liquid Gold, and a canvas tote bag. I love this stuff but shame about the bag which absolutely stinks to high even and is currently being aired off in the porch.

The last things I have to show you are all magazine freebies, I've spent a little bit of time in hospital waiting rooms over the last month so I've needed something to relieve the boredom. If you're quick you might be able to get your hands on these x  Harpers Bazaar came with a free 15ml tube of Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream, Marie Claire came with a free, full sized, limited edition Nails Inc polish - this is Fiesta, and Glamour came with a free item from Balance Me - I went for the 100ml tube of the Super Moisturising Body Wash.

So that was my pretty huge, and pretty expensive collective beauty haul. I'm going to try and review as much of it as I can but if there is any specific review you would like to see then please let me know x Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow with a review or two xx

An Iconic Nails Of The Day - Chanel - Rouge Noir

Although I'm not the biggest fan of Chanel nail polishes, it's hard to argue with the popularity of their iconic shade 18 Rouge Noir. Created in 1994, Rouge Noir, or Vamp as it's known in the USA, became one of the first "it" nail colours. Propelled to stardom after it's appearance on Uma Thurman's nails in Pulp Fiction, it's been worn by the likes of Madonna, and it even has it own Wikipedia article.

Although it's popularity has waned over the years, it still continues to be one of Chanel's best sellers, and by the year 2000, it was the fifth best selling nail polish of all time - not a bad statistic when you consider that it only been on sale for 5 years.

The reason for it's popularity is pretty obvious, Rouge Noir, literally translates as red, black, and that's a perfect description. This deep, dark red wine shade is both wearable and sophisticated, no matter how long or how short your nails are. I have to say I actually prefer this type of colour on shorter nails. Uma Thurman, proved that you don't need long nails to make an impact with your manicure. 

I've had this bottle for quite a while now, which may explain why I found the polish so thick but it still applies pretty well, and with careful application one coat would produce a full coverage deep red. Add the second coat like I have here, and you get the true, black, red, glossy finish. When it comes to wear time, unfortunately me and Chanel just don't get on and this lasted just 2 days without a top coat before it started chipping.

The colour of this polish deserves it's iconic status. It's that perfect, femme fatale, sophisticated with a hint of drama, shade. It's perfect for this time of year and it says something when similar shades, are referred to as Rouge Noir a likes. I love the colour but again the formula does nothing for me. I have had this bottle quite a while now but from day 1 it just didn't last on my nails. A good top coat will of course stretch of the wear time a bit, but for the price I'm not sure it's worth it. Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in 18 Rouge Noir retails at £18 for a 13ml bottle. It's not always the easiest shade to get hold of but it's currently in stock online at Debenhams, Boots, and House Of Fraser x Is this polish a hit or a miss for you? Leave me a comment and let me know x 

The Rest Of November's Haulage

Hey lovelys
I mentioned in my monthly summary post that I was waiting for a few parcels, and things that I'd ordered in November, everything is just about here now so I thought I'd show you what I got :)
First up a something from the lovely Lottie's blog sale - check her out if you haven't already, her blog sales are the best :)

Benefit Cha Cha Tint - along the same lines as Benetint and Posey Tint, this is in a lovely peach / mango colour, I wasn't sure at first but Mummy Lou tried it and it looked so nice on her :) I also got a gorgeous turquoise ring but it was a bit too big so I've passed it on to someone who will get more use out of it x Thanks Lottie xx

Next up Avon, I've got into this brand again in a big way - well it helps when your next door neighbour is an Avon rep :) The thing I'm loving at the moment from Avon is nail polish

From the Nailwear Pro line, this one is called Sequined Turquoise, I think I already have something similar but it is gorgeous, so sparkly and glittery

Apart from a little something for my Christmas giveaway I also got on of these

Yes I know it looks like some sort of dead creature but it is in fact a fake hair piece, I've been eyeing up similar ones from Ken Paves on QVC but the prices put me off, this was only £3.99 so it was worth the gamble.

Next a little something from ebay -Yes it's another shrug / kimono / bolero thing, this time in mocha and orange.

This is exactly the same as the first one I got from BooHoo apart from the colour and the fact that the BooHoo tag is replaced with a one from a brand called Evita, and guess what it was cheaper too!!

Next up a little QVC purchase and something I'd been after long, long time - the famous L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

Now you now me I hate the smell of marzipan, even the thought of Lush Snowcake has me running for the hills!! L'Occitane Sweet Almond Liquid Soap is even a step too far for me, so I'd always been put off trying this, but 4 easy pays, and free delivery meant it was hard to refuse. The smell is actually nothing like marzipan, it had a fresh, almost fruity fragrance and I can't wait to give it a go, I'm going to do a full review of it on my blog for you, such is the hype surrounding it.

Next up a few nail things, from Viva La Nails, they had a pretty good Black Friday offer so I took advantage, and got a few things for pressies and a few bits for me :), well it would have been wrong not to ;) - First up some of their nail wraps

Nail wraps are huge at the minute aren't they with new types coming on to the market all the time, but these ones from Viva La Nails are a bit different, there actually water decals. You soak them in water than apply them to the nails. I can't wait to give these a go, I've got a huge post planned looking at and reviewing a lot of the different types of nail wraps on the market, including Nail Rocks, Myleene Klass, Incoco, and of course these ones, so keep an eye out for that at the start of 2012 :)

I also got some super cute flower nail stickers, which you can hopefully see more of in the next week or so in my Changing Your Nail Polish post on Nail Stickers, apologies that this is going to be up a bit later than I planned but I've had some serious nail snappage over the last week or so :( Oh and the little pointy thing is a dotting tool, which you can also use to help pick up gemstones and the like, this will be really useful for the rest of the posts in the series, hint, hint ;)


I also started the process of purchasing a few things in November including my Sigma flat definer brush which hasn't came yet , and this

Yes I got the Chanel BuyAPowa deal -  the smokey eye quad, it's so beautifully wrapped, that I can't bear to open at the moment so I'm going to stick it under the Christmas tree, with a tag that reads To Louise, From Your Evil Alter Ego, LouLou - fitting me thinks :)
So that was the remnants of a very naughty November, has December started in the same vein or have I been a good girl, well I'm already drafting another haul post so make your own minds up ;) Any questions please leave me a comment x