Trimming My Stash - May 2022 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

Right, catch up time, now before I post a belated Glossybox unboxing I thought I'd stick up a quick and yes, late empties post for you, and whilst I will be doubling up months in some future trimming my stash catch ups, in honour of it being my birthday month, May the lucky thing gets to have a post all of its own! 

Bath & Body Works Afternoon Apple Picking Gentle Gel Hand Soap - 236ml
Derma V10 Got Buns Hun Boob Mask - 1 x Treatment
Derma V10 Everything's Peachy Booty Mask - 1 x Treatment
Keeome Hydration Therapy Mask - 1 x Mask - 25ml
John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo - 250ml
Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Whipped Confetti Body Scrub - 175g
Beautaniq Beauty Nourishing Mascara - Black - 8ml

Total - 7 Items

Okay, so I was one product down on April's total of 8 items, but I was still pretty pleased to have consigned another 7 items to the empties pile in the merry month of May! Since I tend to eek my birthdays out for as long as possible, I threw in a few extra self care days, and as a result I added a few unusual pampering products to Mays total. May also saw me finish a few festive ish themed items, and shock of horrors I finished a make up product!

1. Bath & Body Works Afternoon Apple Picking Gentle Gel Hand Soap - 236ml

First up a festive item or should I say a more fall or more autumnal one! As some of you might remember around this time last year, NEXT Beauty became the first official UK retailer of Bath & Body Works, and as a result I officially became a lot poorer!

With the first few items online being more fall related this was one of two hand washes that I purchased, alongside Pumpkin Apple, and just like that one Afternoon Apple Picking smelled good enough to eat.

In the gel like, liquid soap formulation, this hand wash contained aloe vera, shea butter extract, and vitamin E, and had a almost apple pie like scent with notes of apple, pear and cinnamon. The formula was gentle and non drying and a little went a very long way.

As of yet I haven't seen this scent this year on NEXT Beauty but I have already ordered both the Pumpkin Apple, and the Pumpkin Cupcake Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps; They aren't cheap at £9.50 each (although there is currently a 2 for £13 offer!) but as I say they last for ages and the scents are incredible, and I for one can't wait to see what other Bath & Body Works treats are on offer for this years fall and festive seasons.

2. Derma V10 Got Buns Hun Boob Mask - 1 x Treatment

Now as I said in the introduction, since May was my birthday month, I indulged in a little bit of extra pampering, including a hair cut and colour, and a brow wax and tint as well as trying out some new shower and body products, and some masks. As well as face masks (more on that later), on a whim I also decided to try out some...ahem...other masks, to treat some body parts that don't often (if ever!) see the light of day! 

First up boobs, and my next May empty was a boob sheet mask from Derma V10! Alas no pictures of my modelling either this or the next mask - I did take a couple of pictures, but on reflection I decided that I'd like to keep my advertising revenue ;) and I really don't think that anyone would actually like to see that anyways ;), but this or should I say these masks contained hyaluronic acid, collagen, aloe vera, vitamin E and retinol, as well as a whole host of plant extracts including chamomile, rosemary, and liquorice, and is especially designed to hydrate "your perky oar" (their words, not mine!) eek!

The masks themselves had a pink and white cupcake style design, and they had a subtle sweet coconut type scent. Size wise, these babies never stood a cat in hells chance of covering my rather ample chest, so in reality on me they looked more like pasties! 

They were pretty wet to the touch but despite that they were still pretty easy to unfold. Popping them on was a bit of a shock to the system as they were pretty cold and wet but they pretty much stayed put for the full 20 or so minutes that I wore them. After peeling them off there was a little bit of liquidy serum left over, so as per the packet instructions I patted it into the girls!

So were they perkier? Not really, but they definitely felt cooler and more refreshed, which would be perfect for that time of the month. My skin also felt softer and more moisturised. Yes, they are a bit gimmicky, but once I got over the initial dampness and chill, my boobs seemed to enjoy the experience, so you never know I might try either this one or another boob mask again in the future.

3. Derma V10 Everything's Peachy Booty Mask - 1 x Treatment

From boobs to the butt, and did you know that Derma V10 also do a butt mask? Well they do! and in for a penny, in for a pound, in my ongoing quest for a peachier bum, I gave that one a go as well. Again containing collagen, and retinol, as well as extracts of prickly pear and aloe vera, this mask is designed to give you a softer and smoother booty!

The sachet contained two decently sized, peach print sheet masks. Again they were very wet, but they were decent quality so again they were fairly easy to unfold. They had a slight fruity scent but nothing to strong or obvious.

On application they initial felt cool, wet and a touch sticky, there was then a slight tingling sensation that only lasts for a minute or so before disappearing. Unlike the boob masks these ones didn't seem to stick as well so the only real way to keep them on for the full 20-30 minutes was to lie on your stomach!

After peeling them off there wasn't too much leftover serum but I massaged it in anyways. Initially it did feel a bit sticky but it gradually absorbed leaving my derriere feeling cooler and refreshed and maybe a tiny bit smoother, but on the whole they didn't make a huge difference, and my butt definitely didn't feel any peachier. To be honest I think that one was a little bit more of a gimmick and whilst I wouldn't rule out me trying another butt or thigh mask in the future, I'm way more likely to try out another boob mask.

I picked up both of these masks in my local Poundland, but you can also pick them up in stores such as The Range, and Savers.

4. Keeome Hydration Therapy Mask - 1 x Mask - 25ml

Continuing with the mask theme, and for the first time in a while I decided to brave my skincare drawer and try out one of the numerous facial sheet masks in my stash and I found this one from Korean inspired beauty brand, Keeome. 

Alas like so bits and pieces in my extensive beauty stash, this brand and this particular products seem to be long gone, which is a real shame.

This vegan friendly, and paraben free mask contained natural white mulberry extract, a key antioxidant and anti-aging ingredient, as well as a high concentration of hyaluronic acid to combat dryness and fine lines. Designed to replicate a full on spa visit and professional facial experience, this was claimed to smooth, plump and brighten the skin.

Made of 100% natural micro fibre cotton, it was immediately obvious that this was a quality sheet mask. It was very, very wet, and there was a large amount of fruity scented, slightly oily liquid left over in the sachet, but it was still fairly easy to unfold.

On application it was still very wet, and as a result a lot of the excess cool feeling liquid ran down my face and neck and into my eyes, which was slightly stingy. In the 25 minutes or so that it was on my face though it dried out slightly but it still felt quite cold and damp.

When I removed the mask my skin was covered in a layer of lightweight, oily like serum. Unlike a lot of sheet masks that tell you to massage any excess liquid into the skin, the instructions on this sachet said to rinse any excess away with warm water, and to gently pet the skin dry. Afterwards my skin looked a touch pink, but it looked and felt really clean, it felt smoother, more hydrated and it had a real glow to it, perfect for any birthday girl!

I really liked this mask and I think it's a real shame that it no longer seems to be available; the official website appears to be offline, and the brands Facebook page doesn't appear to have been updates since 2018 - I think I originally received this mask in a Birchbox, and I actually found another one in my stash, so I think I'm going to keep it for a special occasion.

5. John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo - 250ml

Birthday month equals pampering and there is nothing that makes you feel better than a good hair cut and a splash or two of hair dye, and fresh colour means the reintroduction of some colour maintaining and boosting products into my hair care regime.

If you're a blonde, a brunette, or even if you have grey or silver hair, there are a plethora of colour enhancing and maintaining products out there, but if you're on the ginger to red spectrum there isn't really a lot out there, which is strange really when you consider that red hair starts to fade pretty much the minute you step out of the salon!

Anyways this particular product seems to be one of the few 'red' shampoo on the market and it whilst it doesn't really impart any extra red colour on the hair, this shampoo which contains pomegranate and vitamin E, smells lovely and fruity and it leaves the hair looking really healthy and shiny.

I've mentioned this shampoo quite a few times on the blog, so have a little search to find out more. Even though I'm now well overdue both a cut and colour this is something that I will continue to buy and use, that being said though if you know of any other red toned shampoos or if you can recommend anything else to use then please let me know in the comments below x 

The John Frieda Radiant Red Shampoo retails at anywhere between £6 and £7 and is available from various retailers including Boots, Tesco, Ocado, and Feel Unique. They also do a matching conditioner which I also love, but if you want a real red colour boosting conditioner then I may have found something even better, which I will be sharing with you in another upcoming empties post x 

6. Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Whipped Confetti Body Scrub - 175g

Next up another product from Bath & Body Works and alongside Warm Vanilla Sugar, this was the scent that started a whole new and predominantly long distance obsession! I've already mentioned it about a dozen times on the blog especially over the last 12 months or so but Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple is probably one of my favourite ever scents - sweet sugary apple, warm rose, sweet yet tart citrus, and cinnamon and maple, leads to something that to me is absolutely mouthwatering .

I was only really that familiar with the body wash, the body cream, and the hand gel, but the launch of the range into NEXT Beauty last year introduced me to a whole load of new products in the Winter Candy Apple scent, and this was one of them!

I do love a good body scrub, and this one looked like a bit of fun for the festive season! Containing shea butter, sugar and vitamin E, this one was predominantly white in colour, and had quite a creamy, fluffy texture. The cream contained small exfoliating particles, and little pink /red and blue / green sprinkles!

It was super pretty and obviously it smelled amazing, it was surprisingly hydrating, and it rinsed away easily, but for me it just wasn't scrubby enough. If you don't like really strong, gritty scrubs, then you would probably like this one but personally I prefer something on the rougher side so I probably wouldn't repurchase this one.

As of yet I haven't seen any Winter Candy Apple products on the NEXT website but fingers crossed they'll be added soon and then I can stock up x

7. Beautaniq Beauty Nourishing Mascara - Black - 8ml

I'm guilty of a lot of things and faux pas when it comes to beauty, probably one of my biggest sins is continuing to use products long after the use by recommendations. If it still works, it hasn't changed texture, and it doesn't smell funky then I'll probably keep using it.

This mascara came in the March 2021 edition of Glossybox, but I didn't actually end up reviewing it until September last year, so when it eventually bit the dust in May, it had been open for around 9 months instead of the recommended 3, whoops! Anyways you can read a full review here, but in short it was a good everyday mascara, nothing spectacular but it didn't clump or dry out the lashes. Like most things the price has now increased and it now retails at £19 direct from Beautaniq.

So they were my very late May empties, as per usual if you have any questions please leave them below and I will see you soon with another catch up post that will probably be a Glossybox unboxing xx 

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

Trimming My Stash - January And February 2021 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And An Update*

Hey everyone, I hope you've all had a good week, I'm still a bit sniffly, and recovering from a dentist visit, but the show must go on, and today I've got a two in one trimming my stash post for you x

AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray - 100ml
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask - 150ml
Sunday Rain Polishing Body Scrub - Mango + Coconut - 265g
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo - 250ml
Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub - 20g
Eness Exotic Africa Argan Oil Nourishing Hand Cream - 100ml

Total - 6 Items

January and February are normally pretty lean months when it comes to beauty empties, but January especially didn't turn out to be too bad a month. With nowhere to go and nothing really to do 2021 so far has been all about self care, so January's items were all about basic maintenance and pampering, with a mic of intensive hair and body treatments. 

1. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray - 100ml

First up a hair product and this is the first of several products in this post from AVON. From their Reconstruction range, which is specifically designed to repair and reconstruct damaged hair and split ends, this spray contains AVON's unique Keratin Panthenol Complex.

Designed to be used alongside the other products in the Reconstruction range, this lightweight spray has been created to make the hair look and feel stronger and healthier. 

You can use it in two ways - you can spray it on to damp hair before styling, and you can also use it on dry hair. It has a lovely fruity scent, and it feels really light and almost water like. It doesn't make the hair greasy, and it doesn't weigh it down or alter the texture in anyway.

Since I've been using it (as instructed) alongside other products in the Reconstruction range, it's difficult to say how well it works, and even whether it actually does anything at all. My hair does seem have responded well to the whole range though, so I've already bought another bottle. I love the scent, which lingers slight on the hair, and it certainly isn't doing my hair any harm, so I'm going to keep using.

The AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray retails at around £5 direct from the AVON website or direct from your local representative.

2. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask - 150ml

Next up another hair product from AVON and it's another product from the Reconstruction range. The 3 Magical Minute Mask again contains the exclusive Keratin Panthenol Complex, as well as avocado oil, and Vitamin E.

Again it is for damaged hair and is designed to restore vitality and strengthen the hair, and again it's designed to be used alongside the regular Reconstruction shampoo and conditioner. This is an intensive weekly treatment, that is white in appearance with a creamy texture, and it has the same fruity scent as the other products in the range.

All you do it apply it to clean, damp hair, and leave it for 3 minutes before rinsing. Whilst it feels nice and creamy, it isn't too thick so it spreads nice and easily through damp hair, even with a comb. It then rinses easily way leaving the hair feeling silky smooth and tangle free.

Since I've been using this alongside the other products in the range, again it's hard to say how affective it actually is on its own, but my hair did look and feel marginally better when I added it into my haircare regime. I loved the scent, it made my hair feel better, and it took no longer than a regular conditioner to use. I have quite a few intensive treatments and hair masks to use up but I would definitely consider buying this one again. The AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask retails at around £5.50.

3. Sunday Rain Polishing Body Scrub - Mango + Coconut - 265g

From haircare to body care, and next up the first of 2 body scrubs in this post. You should know by now that I love a good body scrub, and whilst I've found some gems over the years, I'm always on the lookout for new brands, and new products.

You may have seen a couple of mentions of the Sunday Rain Scrub Away Charcoal + Bamboo Exfoliating Cubes in previous empties posts, I love them and I love the concept but instead of repurchasing them I fancied a change, and I decided to try something else from the brand instead.

If you aren't familiar with Sunday Rain, they are a US based, vegan friendly body care brand. This is one of their more conventional salt based body scrubs, which contains creamy and softening mango butter, and moisturising coconut oil.

Peachy / orange in colour it has an almost granular, dense paste like texture. The salt particles are fairly fine but it's still a nice, scrubby scrub, that rinses away to an almost milky like lotion.  The really selling point of this scrub though is the scent. When you first open the tub, it's like you opened a carton of mango sorbet! It's fresh, fruity and mouthwatering! As you start using it though the coconut starts to come through, it isn't quite as nice as the initial mango hit, but it's still very pleasant on the nose.

I would definitely consider using this scrub, and other products from the mango and coconut range in the future. This scrub does seem to be out of stock in a lot of places including ASOS and Beauty Bay, but it is currently available for £6 from bubu and Oliver Bonas.

4. AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo - 250ml

Next up, another product from AVON and yes it is another hair product! When brands discontinue or alter products that you love there is always a risk that the you'll hate the replacement. Thankfully though in this particular case I love AVON's Reconstruction range, and I'm really hopeful that the Loss Control range will be equally as good. Despite that though I still have a soft spot from the original Anti Hair Fall range, and I will still be a bit sad when my stash comes to an end.

With arginine, wheat protein, and peppermint, my hair really liked this shampoo, and I love the fresh and fruity, mint tinged scent. This is obviously long gone from both the AVON website, and their catalogues, but as I say the replacements are just as good. I think I have one more bottle of the conditioner and about a half a supersized bottle of the shampoo left, and then it really will be time to say a fond farewell to the Anti Hair Fall range.

5. Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub - 20g

The next empty on the list is a product that came in the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar. Now promises, promises, I had every intention of doing a full unboxing and review of the calendar like I've done in previous years, but since we're now nearly in April, it seems to be a bit pointless.

So instead what I've decided to do is pick out some of the best products, and post in depth reviews as and when, over the next few weeks and months, and I will of course be featuring the odd thing in upcoming empties posts, like this one.

If you want to see the full contents of the calendar, then have a little look at my Instagram highlights to see a full day by day unboxing of goodies from brands including Fenty, The Body Shop, HUDA Beauty, Lime Crime, and Iconic.

In the meantime though, back to my empties and on Day 11 of the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar I received a 20g Deluxe Mini size of the Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub.

Frank Body are an Australian founded beauty company, who base a lot of their products on coffee. Originally just a body care brand, their range now includes coffee based products for the hair, the face, and the lips.

The product that I received was one their original products, the Original Coffee Scrub. Both vegan friendly, and cruelty free, as well as paraben, and phthlate free, the scrub contains Robusta coffee grinds, cold pressed sweet almond oil, vitamin E, sea salt, orange oil, and soybean oil.

Designed to even out, and smooth skin, as well as fading scars, and marks, breakouts and cellulite, the scrub as you would expect looks like slightly damp, coffee grounds, scattered with small crystal like particles of salt.

The smell I have to say was amazing, it had an almost coffee, chocolate, orange scent. The scrub has a nice scrubby texture, you could definitely feel the grains doing their thing, but it wasn't harsh, scratchy or uncomfortable. It didn't cling to the skin and as a result it was pretty easy to rinse off. After rinsing the softness of my skin was really apparent. My legs and particularly my thighs and bottom felt silky smooth to the touch.

Like other coffee and tea based scrubs that I've tried it was pretty messy. It got everywhere and the bottom of my shower basically looked like I'd emptied out a coffee maker, so you do need to make sure that you give your bath or shower a good clean afterwards.

I absolutely loved how soft this scrub make my skin feel but I would definitely feel the wrath of Mummy Lou (aka the bathroom police!) if I bought it again which is a real shame.

Glossybox placed a value of around £1.40 on this 20g size. It normally retails at between £12.95 and £13.95 for a 200g pouch from various retailers including direct from Frank Body, Boots and Look Fantastic. If you fancy trying it first though with a smaller size, Cult Beauty, and Selfridges sell a 100g pouch for between £6 - £6.95, and if you want to go all out you can buy a huge 600g pouch direct from Frank Body for £24.95.

6. Eness Exotic Africa Argan Oil Nourishing Hand Cream - 100ml

The final product that I finished in January was another body product and it's the first of 2 hand creams in this post. Operation nail growth has recommenced! After looking at those gorgeous nails in my recent nails of the day post, and the nails in the post I've got coming up next for you, I'm determined to get my claws back. I've been liberally applying OPI Nail Envy, cuticle oil, and hand cream, in an attempt to at least get some some length back, and so far so good, so you can expect to see a lot of hand and nails care posts in some future empties posts.

I believe that this particular hand cream came in a subscription box. It's from an ethical and cruelty free British brand that there was quite a buzz about amongst bloggers in around 2016 and 2017. As well as selling online, they also had a flagship store in Birmingham city centre, but like so many brands in such a competitive industry it seems as though that they couldn't keep the initial hype going, and the only trace I can now find of the company is a liquidation entry on the Companies House website.

It's a real shame because this was a nice hand cream. Containing argan oil, avocado oil, and ylang ylang, it had a lovely tropical flower scent, and it had a lovely thick and creamy texture, that left my super dry hands feeling silky soft, and looking more hydrated. I enjoyed using it so much that I have definitely considered repurchasing it x

Despite being only 2 or 3 days less than any of the other months, when it comes to empties February always seems to be a pretty barren month, and even though I managed to do a lot better in February 2021, it was still a bit of a struggle.

Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub - 20ml
Primark PS...Cuticle Oil - 10ml
eos Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml
Derma V10 Exfoliating Foot Peel - Tea Tree & Peppermint - 1 x Treatment

Total - 4 Items

So, yeah I managed to finish 4 items which isn't too bad I guess for a lockdown month. Again nothing too interesting mainly hand and foot products, with one skincare product thrown in for good measure.

1. Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub - 20ml

First up the solitary skincare item, and it is something that I reviewed on the blog quite recently, the Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub. I got this little tube in the September 2020 edition Glossybox UK, and you can read my full review here.

This was my first experience with Huda Kattan's Wishful skincare range, and based on this experience it certainly won't be my last. I loved how my skin felt after using this product and it's something that I would consider buying it in the full size.

2. Primark PS...Cuticle Oil - 10ml

Next up one of my favourite ever budget beauty finds and sadly something that no longer seems to exist in this particular format or formulation. Yes, it's my old favourite, Primark's £1 avocado oil, based cuticle oil.

I really though that I'd finished my stash of this, but whilst I was tidying the monstrosity that is my desk, I found a half finished bottle that I then demolished in less than a month.

I loved it, it was a bargain and much as I like the replacements they aren't quite as good as this, but who knows, it's been so long since I've been to Primark now, when they eventually do reopen they will probably have something entirely different.

3. eos Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml

Sticking with hands and nails it's time for the second hand cream that I promised you, and this one was another bargain buy, this time from Poundland.

Now we all know eos or Evolution Of Smooth for their famous dome shaped lip balms, but did you know that they also have a pretty decent hand and body care line? Well they do, and although it's available from various retailers, if you look hard enough in your local Poundland you might find the odd thing like this hand cream.

Vegan and dermatologically tested, this hand cream contains sustainable shea butter and shea oil, as well as cocoa butter, avocado oil, aloe vera and eucalyptus. White in colour it has a thick and creamy texture but it still absorbs quite quickly into the skin, leaving the hands smooth and hydrated, if a tiny bit sticky.

What I really love about this hand cream though is the scent, it has a lovely eucalyptus scent, apparently also with undertones of oak and peppermint. It's fresh but not too much of an assault on your nose, and it great not only for your hands but also for your nose if your feeling a little bit congested. 

For me this one is definitely a night time hand cream, pop it on with a pair of cotton gloves, fall asleep and let the aroma and all of those moisturising ingredients do their thing. I really liked using this hand cream and I've actually already bought another tube.

If you're lucky enough you might still be able to find this in your local Poundland. If not though it is still available for the full price of £4.99 from HQ Hair, Beauty Expert and Look Fantastic, and for a slightly cheaper price of around £3.96 from Amazon.

4. Derma V10 Exfoliating Foot Peel - Tea Tree & Peppermint - 1 x Treatment

Now if you're not a fan of feet, then I will forgive you for skipping past the rest of this post. The final empty that I'm going to share with you is a pair of those love them or loathe them foot peeling socks. Designed to get rid of all of that dry skin on your feet, I also picked these up in Poundland before Christmas but I've only just got round to using them.

If you haven't heard of Derma V10 before, they are one of the leading manufacturers of beauty and personal care products in the UK. All of their products are budget friendly and they aren't tested on animals, and this particular product is also suitable for vegans.

Before

When you open the pouch you are greeted with a pair of plastic socks, each sock is sealed so you need to cut along the dotted line to open them up. The plastic material was quite sturdy, and the socks were lined with a paper / fibre inner sock which is soaked in a water like solution containing alcohol, lactic acid, salicylic acid, peppermint leaf extract, and tea tree leaf extract.

The socks do have a slight mint and tea tree scent, but the overwhelming scent is more alcohol, and chemicals. All you do is put the socks onto clean dry feet, adjusting them with the attached sticky tab so they stay on your feet. Then all you do is sit back and relax for 90 minutes x 

They were quite cool when I first put them on but they gradually warmed up to body temperature. As you would expect they felt quite wet and squishy. I experienced a tiny bit of tingling on a cat scratch or two, but it was nowhere near as bad as with some similar products that I've used in the past.

On Feet 

Something that was different about these socks though was that you didn't need to rinse your feet when you removed them, all you needed to do was towel dry your feet. My feet initially looked a little bit pink, and wrinkly, as though they had been immersed in water but there was no immediate difference.

To see the real benefits of socks like these you need to keep soaking your feet, and no matter how dry they feel you need to stay away from the moisturiser, which I must admit is sometimes easier said than done.

Within a week the tops of my feel started to feel very dry, and a little bit sore, but my soles and heels didn't really start to truly dry out till about a week and a half in. In the before picture I don't think my feet actually look too bad, just the odd dry patch here and there, with my heels being the worst, but the amount of skin that actually came off was actually pretty terrifying. My feet just peeled, and peeled, it looked awful and way too disgusting to actually put on the blog!

By the time that I took the picture at 3 weeks that you can see below the bulk of the dry skin had gone, but you can still see a patch on the middle of my foot and the odd flake on the side.

After 3 Weeks

After a full month had passed my feet definitely looked smoother and aside for my terminally problematic heels, there were no other patches of dry or hard skin. I have to say after using a lot of similar product for the price, these are one of the best pairs that I've used, and my feet definitely looked better after using them.

If I was to use these again (and I probably will!) I would probably put a thin layer of vaseline on the top of my feet to protect my more sensitive areas, and to stop them peeling, as it was a touch uncomfortable and irritating, but if you can deal with that, and you can keep your feet covered up for about a month, then these are definitely worth buying if you have dry skin on your feet.

You can pick these socks up for around £1 from various retailers including Poundland, Savers, Wilko, The Range and Home Bargains.

So they were my January and February empties, not a bad result but fingers crossed I can do even better as the year progresses. If you have any questions on any of the products that I've talked about in this post, then leave me a little comment below and I'll get back to you x 

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

Trimming My Stash - January, February, And March 2020 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

Right, I said that this was going to be an epic post, and after spending the last week or so working on it, it's certainly that. Since I'm now so far behind on my empties posts, I've decided to do a 3 in 1 post to try and get myself up to date again. so this long and rambling post will cover all of my beauty empties from January, February, and March, and April's will hopefully follow in the next week or so. First up January, and a pretty mediocre start to 2020.

Derma V10 Deep Moisturising Hand Pack Argan Oil - 1 x Treatment
Bio Miracle Stardust Unicorn Bubble Mask - 1 x 20g Bubble Sheet Mask
Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara - Black - 10ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g

Total - 4 Items

1. Derma V10 Deep Moisturising Hand Pack Argan Oil - 1 x Treatment

I think 2020 is going to be remembered for lots of reasons, most of which are fairly obvious but one of the reasons that I think I'll be remembering it for is it being the year that my hands and nails finally gave up hope!

My hands were already dry thanks to the central heating and the cold and windy winter weather, but thanks to  all of the extra hand washing and sanitising that going at the moment, my hands, and nails aren't looking their best.As you should know from the amount that I finish, I'm a regular user of both hand creams and cuticle oils, but over the last few months in a desperate bid to repair my hands and nails, I've been trying some more intensive treatments, including this hand mask that I picked up in Poundland, from UK based company, Derma V10.

Suitable for vegans, the pack contains two plastic gloves, with a paper / fibre like lining. Each glove contains a lot of milky, white liquid that contains Moroccan argan oil, shea butter and vitamin E.

All you do is pop the gloves onto clean, dry hands, and then just relax as best you can for around 20 minutes, whilst trying to ignore the cold, squelchy feeling that currently enveloping your hands.

After taking the gloves off, as you can see my hands were still very wet, and they were covered in a milky substance that smelled a bit like minty, plastic, and my fingertips were also really wrinkled as if I'd had had a nice long bath - hmm.

The instructions said to massage any excess liquid into your hands, but there was so much of it, it took a good 10-15 minutes for it all to soak in and even then my hands still felt really sticky.

Immediately After Removal

I took a few before and after pictures but to be honest I don't think that you can really see too much difference between the two pictures. In real life though my hands strangely did feel more hydrated, and the problem areas around my cuticles definitely didn't feel as hard or as dry, bit they did feel pretty tacky, and I did feel as though I needed to wash my hands, which to be honest outweighs any real benefit. I actually bought a few different hand masks to try out so I'll try and keep an open mind when I use them, but I can't help but think that that a pair of cotton gloves, and some hand cream, might be a better and more eco friendly option.

Before 

After 

I picked these up in Poundland, but Derma V10 as a brand is also available in various other bargain type, and chemist stores such as Savers, B&M and Bodycare for around a £1, and you can also find them on ebay.

2. Bio Miracle Stardust Unicorn Bubble Mask - 1 x 20g Bubble Sheet Mask

Next up a face mask, and one that I received in my last Pink Parcel box that I received way back in November! The least said about the shambolic end of Pink Parcel the better, I kept the faith with them for way longer than I should have, and I like so many others paid the price, literally! Anyways I didn't post an official unboxing but this was one of the items that I received and it combined two of my favourite skin care products, bubble masks and sheet masks.

Bio Miracle is a US brand that is popular in both the US and in Asia. Animal friendly, this mask is also paraben free, it contains green tea, anise, grape, papaya, and apple extracts and it's designed to promote cleaner, clearer skin, by eliminating impurities and increasing hydration.


Immediately on opening the sachet you're greeted with a mass of purple liquid, almost suspended in the liquid is a nice quality paper / fibre mask that is printed with a unicorn design that is barely visible due to the inky purple liquid. The scent is slight fruity but at the same time quite astringent.

Because it's so wet, it's quite difficult to open the mask up, but it's decent quality so I personally didn't experience any tearing. All you do is apply the mask to clean dry skin and then you wait for the magic to happen. The instructions say for best result to rub the mask to encourage the bubbles to form, but in my experience they didn't really need a lot of encouragement!

On Application 

After 1 - 2 Minutes 

After 20 Minutes

The mask felt slightly tingly on the skin, and it was almost quite ticklish with the bubbling sensation, and that only increased as more bubbles formed. it wasn't uncomfortable and like most bubble masks it makes you feel as though it's doing something.

Immediately After Removal 

After removing the mask there was a lot of purple liquid and bubbles left on the skin, so I rinsed the excess off with warm water. After rinsing my skin looked clean and clear, and it felt smooth with no redness or tightness.

After Rinsing 

I'm not going to lie this mask was messy as hell, with purple drips running down my face, and rogue bubbles escaping into my hair. I was actually pretty worried that it would stain and that I'd end up looking like Violet Beauregarde but I just looked like someone with slightly better skin!

Despite the mess and the almost horror movie esq visuals I really liked this mask and I would definitely consider repurchasing it. The only place that I can find this mask online in the UK is from a company called Beauty Bargains UK where it retails at £3.

3. Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara - Black - 10ml

The next item is a bit of a rarity for me when it comes to empties posts because it's a make up item. As much as I love make up because I have so much of it, I'm always switching it up and using different things so it's very rare that I ever finish anything. Obviously I should use up more mascaras but who isn't guilty of using one for longer than 3 months - I can't help it i feel guilty for throwing things out that aren't empty - what can I say?

Although 2019 was an exception, just about every Christmas I get some form of gift set from Soap & Glory filled with bath and body goodies, and sometimes skincare and make up. I've had a few of these mascaras now and I think it's a decent everyday mascara.

Featuring Soap & Glory's unique Superfill - false lash effect fillers, Shine Amplifiers, and no flake, 24 hour technology, Soap & Glory claim that this mascara has a no clump formulation, that add super volume, and length to lashes.

On me it adds a little bit of lift to my lashes, they look a little bit fuller, and a tiny touch longer, but they give a more natural look rather than a true false lash effect. It also wears well, with very little smudging or flaking. it's a good workhorse mascara that you could easily wear for any occasion. If you want to know what it looks like on, then it's the mascara that I'm wearing in my December Glossybox unboxing post, and in both parts of my 2019 Glossybox advent calendar unboxing, which you read here and here. This mascara retails at £10 and is available from both Boots and direct from Soap & Glory.

4. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g

The final item from January sums up 2 of my favourite things, body scrubs, and festive scents from The Body Shop. From Christmas 2019's Juicy Pear range, this is a gorgeous sugar based body scrub that contains community trade, organic sugar from Paraguay, and pear extract from Italy.

I love anything apple or pear scented so this collection was right up my street. Unlike a lot of festive scents it wasn't spicy, there was no cinnamon or ginger just the subtle sweet, tart scent of ripe pears. The Body Shop sugar scrub is already one of my favourite scrub formulations, and when you combine it with such a yummy scent even more so.

This particular scent was obviously a limited edition for Christmas 2019, so it will probably be pretty difficult to find now, which is a shame because I think this scent actually has an all year round appeal. This size of scrub though has a retail price of around £16. Thankfully I managed to get my hands on a few Juicy Pear items in the after Christmas sales so I'll be able to enjoy this lovely fragrance for little bit longer.

Next up February's empties - To be honest I don't remember an awful lot about February or early March but what I do remember is that any attempt at beauty routine went straight out of the window because I barely made it out of bed for more than a few hours a day - damn you stupid virus - So understandably February's empties total, like Januarys, and as you will see March's, was less than impressive.

Baylis & Harding Skin Spa Rosemary, Eucalyptus & White Tea Luxury Cream Wash - 500ml
Beauty Pro Eye Therapy Under Eye Mask With Collagen And Green Tea - 1 x Pair - 3.5g
Primark PS...It's All Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Total - 3 Items

1. Baylis & Harding Skin Spa Rosemary, Eucalyptus & White Tea Luxury Cream Wash - 500ml

When you've got a cold, a chest infection, or if you're feeling a little bit bunged up, you will do anything to help yourself breathe a little bit easier, and whilst I really struggled a couple of thing that I relied on a lot were steam inhalations and hot showers. Thankfully we are lucky enough to have a wet room and a shower chair so I was still able to have nice warm, steamy showers.

I really found that the steam and the hot water helped no matter what shower product I used but this product in particular seemed to give me a bit of an extra boost.

From British based toiletry brand, Baylis & Harding, this vegan friendly and paraben free shower cream contains extracts of white tea, rosemary and eucalyptus. I've used a few eucalyptus based shower products over the years, and whilst you could definitely smell the slightly antiseptic notes of the eucalyptus and rosemary, the inclusion of the white tea seemed to tone it down slightly and give more of a green, woody scent.

As you can probably guess from the inclusion of the polar bear on the packaging this was also a limited edition Christmas item. I've had a little look online and the only places that I can now find this range online is on Amazon or ebay. 

2. Beauty Pro Eye Therapy Under Eye Mask With Collagen And Green Tea - 1 x Pair - 3.5g

Next up another subscription box item, and something from the August 2019 edition of Glossybox.

From mask specialist, Beauty Pro this is a pair of hydro gel under eye patched. Paraben, lanolin, mineral oil, and petroleum free, these patches are dermatologically tested, and aren't tested on animals. They contains collagen, green tea, aloe vera, and vitamins A and E. Designed to relaxing and cooling, they claim to relieve the effects of tired, swollen and puffy eyes, as well as minimising  dark circles, and improving the appearance of fine lines and dryness on the under eye area.

Each patch was stuck to a sheet of clear plastic film. One side of the patch had a paper / fabric fibre feel, and the other side was covered in a pale green semi solid gel, which smelled a little bit like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea fragrance.

The shape of the patch fits the under eye perfectly. All you do is apply the patch gel side down, to clean dry skin. On application the patch felt quite cool but it wasn't quite as cool as I'd expected. The patch felt slightly tight on the skin, and once it was applied it didn't move. After 20 minutes it was fairly easy to peel the patch off, and unlike a lot of hydro gel based products there was no stickiness and virtually no moisture remaining.

Before

After

As you can probably see there is no real visual difference between the before and after pictures, but in real life my skin did feel a bit more refreshed and a little bit more hydrated.

I have to say that I actually prefer a pure hydro gel patches with no fabric side because I find them a little bit more cooling and hydrating but these one are way less messy to use. There is no excess liquid, or stickiness and you can even wear your glasses whilst you're doing the treatment.

These patches come in a pack of 3 pairs for around £4.95 from various retailers including Beauty Pro, Look Fantastic, Amazon, Feel Unique and Fragrance Direct.

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

I can usually say that I've been using these wipes for swatch clean up, and for general hygiene reasons but I'm not going to lie - I probably used most of this packet on my face!

When you're not feeling well and you're all gross and sweaty, rubbing a cool, tea tree based wipe over your face makes you feel clean and fresh again, even it's just for a few minutes. Under normal circumstances using wipes on your face is a bit of a no no, so I hope that the skin care purists amongst you will forgive me.

I haven't been into Primark since before Christmas so I have no idea if they even still sell these but I have one packet left and I can assure that I have no plans to use them on my face, they will be used for swatches and swatches alone.

Finally it's time to look back at March's empties, and as I said like January and February before it, it was another mehhh month.

Primark PS... Nourishing Cuticle Revive Nourishing Cuticle Oil - 1.5ml
Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes Charcoal - 150g
Aldi Lacura Healthy Glow Exfoliating Toner 5% Glycolic Acid, Aloe Vera & Ginseng - 250ml
AVON Senses Festive Wishes Winter Apple Cheer Daily Hand Wash - 250ml

Total - 4 Items

1. Primark PS... Nourishing Cuticle Revive Nourishing Cuticle Oil - 1.5ml

Talking about Primark this next item was actually one of the last things that I bought there, way back in December. You can read a full review of it here. I haven't really got a great deal to add to my original review other than to add that I like, it's convenient and it works, it just doesn't last that long, and if you look really closely at the picture above, there is a tiny bit of product still left in the tube that I just can't get it out - hmm still it was only £1 so I can't really complain.
ETA - I eventually realised that it was was possible to twist and pull the brush end out to access the remaining oil - so no waste after all and so it was definitely worth £1.

2. Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes Charcoal - 150g

Next up another body exfoliator, and this time it's something from much hyped, vegan brand, Sunday Rain.

From their charcoal range, the tub contained 8 exfoliating cubes each containing shea butter to heal and moisturise, sugar to smooth, and to help retain moisture, as well as naturally derived wood charcoal, which is slightly gritty, to exfoliate, purify and refresh the skin.

The cubes themselves are like pumped up, dark grey sugar cubes. They are a bit softer than sugar cubes though and they have a nice, subtle fresh scent. I found the best way to use them was to slightly crumble the cube, and massage it into damp skin. The were nice and gritty and any excess rinsed away easily with warm water, leaving the skin super soft.

They are a touch messier than a normal tub of body scrub, but because of the sugar base any dark residue dissolves and rinses clean away.

I'm not sure whether these cubes are as economical as a normal body scrub but I do like them, and I really want to try the watermelon version as well.

These retail at around £6 - £7 for a variety of retailers including ASOS, Boohoo, Debenhams, and Amazon.

3. Aldi Lacura Healthy Glow Exfoliating Toner 5% Glycolic Acid, Aloe Vera & Ginseng - 250ml

Okay, lets cut straight to the chase with this one, this particular product has pretty much borrowed its entire being from PIXI Glow Tonic, it isn't really a dupe, it's much more of an out and out copy.The packaging is pretty much identical and the ingredients list is pretty similar too, all be it with Aldi version apparently containing less Aloe Vera extract.

Having used both products I don't think that there is too much difference between the two. The Aldi version smells a touch more astringent, and I did find that it tingled a little bit more, but I experienced pretty much the same results with both products. My skin was more balanced, blemishes dried up more quickly, and any rough patches didn't feel quite as rough.

To be honest I would repurchase both this and the PIXI product - I like them both, and in my experience the results were pretty similar, the only real difference is the price, a 250ml bottle of PIXI Glow Tonic retails at around £18, where as a 250ml bottle of Aldi Lacura Healthy Glow Exfoliating Toner, retails at around £3.99.

I can understand people hating on brands for such blatant dupes (although Aldi have now changed their packaging) but ultimately it's the consumer that benefits. If you can afford to spend £18 on just 1 skincare product that's fine but if you can't then there are cheaper alternatives out there. You pays your money and takes your choice I guess x 

4. AVON Senses Festive Wishes Winter Apple Cheer Daily Hand Wash - 250ml

The final product that I'm going to talk about in this post is a hand wash, and honestly who hasn't used one of these up in the past month or so?

Although I'm not 100% sure about this one's antibacterial properties, this was a lovely hand wash, in one of AVON's festive scents. It had a very similar smell to The Body Shop's Spiced Apple scent from a few years ago - sweet yet tart apple, combined with warming festive spices. It smelled lovely and it didn't feel drying on the skin.

Since this was a limited edition product it's not that easy to get hold of now. I spotted it in a recent sale supplement and tried to order some but unsurprisingly it was sold out, thankfully I have a unopened bottle of the accompanying shower gel, so at least I can enjoy the fragrance for a little bit longer.

So they were my January, February, and March empties, if you have any questions or comments on any of the items in this post then please let me know x I haven't had the best start of the year empties wise but hopefully things will get better from here on it. My April empties post should be up in a couple of weeks or so, and since I managed to get my new fibre broadband sorted I should be able to post a little bit more regularly x Thanks for reading and I will see you soon with a late unboxing and review of the February edition of Glossybox x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links