Trimming My Stash - May 2020 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

The hot weather in the UK this week has kind of messed up my plans a bit - Although it's currently chucking it down with rain, on the whole it's been way to hot to shoot the make up looks that I need for my next two Glossybox unboxing posts so I've decided to post my May empties this weekend instead.

Primark PS...It's All Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Delhicious Hello Beau-Tea-Ful Exfoliate & Glow Original Black Tea Body Scrub - 100g
AVON Foot Works Expert Exfoliating Foot Mask 1 x Pair - 2 x 20ml
Poundland #6 Limited Edition Gold Anti-Ageing Woven Face Mask - 1 x Woven Sheet Mask
L'Oreal Paris Nutri Oil Nails & Cuticles - 5ml

Total - 5 Items 

I was really pleased to finish 8 items in April, and I was hoping for a similar result in May, but alas it wasn't to be and I only managed to finish 5 items. Still it was better than nothing and I did manage to finish quite and interesting mix of products, including one bottle, a few packets, a few sachets, a few wins and one big fat fail

1. Primark PS...It's All Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

If you were to look back through all of my previous trimming my stash posts, I've probably finished more packets of these wipes, in their various incarnations, than any other product. As I've said on many occasions I don't use them that often on my face, but I find the tea tree scent and tea tree in general very clean, and refreshing, so I've mainly used this pack for general freshening up, and also for cleaning up my hands and arms in between swatch photographs.

I only have one more packet of these wipes left, and as useful as I find them, I don't think I'm going to be rushing off to Primark to buy some more. They are really handy for when you're on the go and for holidays, and I'd definitely consider buying some more in those circumstances, but at home I could just as easily use a muslin cloth, or a reusable cotton pad rather than use a wipe that has to go into landfill. 

2. Delhicious Hello Beau-Tea-Ful Exfoliate & Glow Original Black Tea Body Scrub - 100g

Next up a sachet, and this was a lovely natural, vegan and cruelty free body scrub that I received in the September 2019 edition of Glossybox UK. You can read a full review here but I really like this scrub. it contained black tea, brown sugar, Himalayan pink salt, almond oil and Vitamin E. I loved the citrus scent and the grittiness of this scrub. It left my skin feel super soft, smooth and toned but it was very messy and the tiny tea particles seemed to get everywhere, so if like me you have a wet room, then be prepared to do a bit of extra cleaning. If you can deal with that though this is a really nice scrub, and even though Mummy Lou wouldn't necessarily approve I would definitely consider buying it again. This scrub retails at around £7.95, and it's available direct from Delhicious and from Fragrance Direct.

3. AVON Foot Works Expert Exfoliating Foot Mask 1 x Pair - 2 x 20ml

From something that I loved to my fail of the month. I love foot masks, not quite as much as I love a good body scrub but yeah I like them a lot. Thanks to some nice inherited thyroid problems my feet always feel and look dry. I have to scrub them with scrubs, pumice stones, and foot files, and slather them in moisturiser, just to keep them looking even vaguely presentable. Every now and then though I like to give them a bit of an extra treat, and treat them to some sort of foot mask.

There are two different types of foot mask on the market, plastic booties that are designed purely to add moisture to the feet, and socks that contain some sort of acid based solution, to literally make the dry skin on your feet just peel off.

These AVON socks fall into the latter category, they contain glycolic acid, and aloe vera and promise a salon like 'foot peel' callus treatment, which is designed to exfoliate soften and smooth the skin on the feet.

The packet contains 2 plastic socks and 2 adhesive strips to hold them in place. The socks are sealed so you need to carefully cut along the line so you can put your feet inside. Each sock contains a fibre lining and liquid solution. They are very wet and you need to be super careful not to spill the liquid. The liquid itself has a clean, fresh, slightly astringent scent.

They are really simple to use you just pop the socks onto clean, dry feet, and then you seal them securely with the adhesive strips. I take a size 8 in shoes, and I found the booties very loose, so I could really have done with a few more adhesive strips to tighten them and to hold them in place - I should really have put a pair of socks or slippers over the top to keep them in place and to be able to move around a bit more easily.

The socks feel exactly like you think they would, slippy, cold, soggy and wet, but after a few minutes they did seem to warm up slightly and you could feel a slight tingling sensation especially on the tops of the feet. As I say you could put some socks or slippers on over the top if you wanted to walk around a bit but I took the opportunity to sit down and rest for an hour.

After an hour you take the socks off and rinse your feet in the warm water. The tops of my feet did look slightly red, and the soles of my feet did look slightly wrinkled as though they'd been soaking in water. 

There were no real instructions as to what to do next so I just did what I've done in the past with similar socks, no moisturiser, no picking, and lots of foot soaking, and then I just waited, and waited, and waited, but nothing happened! There was difference in the moisture levels of my feet, and unlike every other pair of similar socks that I've tried there was no drying and no peeling! I used these socks nearly 2 months ago now and I'm still waiting for something to happen!

The skin on my heels especially is still very dry, so there was definitely skin to come off so that definitely wasn't the problem - I just don't think that the solution in these socks was strong enough to make any real difference. I've a look at the small print on the packet and apparently you can use these socks every 1-2 weeks, compared to once every few months with similar products so I definitely think that the strength of the glycolic / AHA's has something to do with it. These socks are available from your local AVON representative or online for around £5 but take my advice and give them a miss, and try another brand instead.

4. Poundland #6 Limited Edition Gold Anti-Ageing Woven Face Mask - 1 x Woven Sheet Mask

From a foot mask, to a face mask, and this one is from Poundland's high end inspired #6 skincare line. This limited edition gold anti-aging woven sheet mask, is suitable for all skin types, and it's suitable for vegans. Designed to fight visible signs of ageing, it contains Vitamin E, aloe vera, and a special blend of herbal extracts including rose geranium, bamboo lily, and golden camomile.

The first thing I noticed was just how wet this mask was, the sachet was nearly half full of a clear, barely scented, viscous liquid, there was so much of it that I actually rubbed it all over my body and my next. The mask was quite tightly folded but it felt pretty sturdy, one side was comprised of a gold plasti feeling foil, and the other side was made of a white fibre. As well as the obvious holes for the eyes, nose and mouth, there were also some folds, which I think could have been there to help the mask contour to the fact. It's a good idea in theory but it actually meant that I couldn't get the mask to lie flat.

Like most sheet masks, it feel very cool on the skin, and it also felt and looked very wet. The excess fluid from the mask ran down my neck, and into my eyes and nose for the full 15 - 20 minutes.

As you can see from the picture below my skin was left both feeling and looking very wet. I rubbed as much of the excess liquid as I could into my skin, but it still took around 10 minutes for it all to absorb, and even then it still felt a touch sticky.

Although there wasn't too much of visual difference, my skin felt a little bit plumper, and a bit more hydrated. It did feel nice and refreshing on the skin and it would be a really nice treat if you were on a budget - This mask is a limited edition so I'm not sure if it's still available but if you can find it, it is just £1.

5. L'Oreal Paris LA Manicure Nutri Oil Nails & Cuticles - 5ml

Finally another Poundland purchase, and it was a nail and cuticle oil from L'Oreal Paris. I don't always have time to look through the purple packets containing branded make up that Poundland often sell, but every now and then you can really find a gem. There is no real writing on the bottle and to be honest I can't find out too much about it. Apparently it contains a blend of 11 nutritive oils and vitamin derivatives - I've no idea which ones though, and it was designed to improve the appearance of the nails, and leave nails and cuticles nourished and more elastic and to help prevent breakages and flaking.

It was a nice cuticle oil, with no real scent, it was hydrating and moisturising, but it wasn't too heavy or greasy.

I can't find this oil on either the Boots or the Superdrug websites so I think it has possible been discontinued. I can only find it on eBay and Amazon, and on discount beauty sites like Fragrance Direct and Beauty Outlet. It has an RRP of £5.99 but it seems to be selling for around £2.99 so I think that I got a bargain.

So I didn't finish that many products in May but I did finish a few interesting bits. I've already finished 7 products so far in June, and fingers crossed I might be able to add one or two more in the next few days x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned then leave me a comment below, and don't forget to link me up to your empties posts or videos 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