A Very Late Trimming My Stash - June And July 2022 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

To say that it's been a while since I last posted an empties post would be an understatement, but I'm back with one today and I have some serious catching up to do!

Although I pretty much gave up on everything else last year, at least blog wise, I still continued to collect, photograph, research and count up all of my beauty empties, so over the next few week I'm going to be sharing all of my remaining empties from last year with you, as well as all of the goodies that I've managed to finish so far in 2023.

There will be a few posts where I combine a few months in 1 post, and a few stand alone posts for your delectation and delight. First up though we're going to take a trip back to early summer, and take a look all of my beauty empties from June and July 2022.

Aldi Lacura Pink Clay & Golden Glow Multi Mask - 2 x 50ml
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 30g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips**
L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml

Total - 4 Items

After several half decent months in 2022 trimming my stash wise, June was a bit of a damp squib, and despite all of my best efforts I only managed to finish 4 items! and whilst none of the items that I finished were that exciting, there were a few almost holy grail standard products, and a pretty decent budget buy.

1. Aldi Lacura Pink Clay & Golden Glow Multi Mask - 2 x 50ml

First up a product from Aldi's much hyped and slightly controversial, Lacura Beauty line. This is basically 2 dermatologically tested face masks in one cleverly divided jar. You can either use the masks separately or you cocktail them and use them on different parts of the face. 

The first mask is the 'Purifying Pink Clay Mask' which is supposedly a pretty decent dupe of the much more spendy Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Porefining Face Mask. Containing extracts of Australian Kakadu Plum and Witch Hazel, it's designed to detoxify the skin, draw out impurities and refine the pores.

Pale pink in colour it has a creamy, clay like texture - it was a touch thick but it was still fairly easy to apply evenly to the skin with the either the fingers, the enclosed mini spatula or with a mask brush. Initially I felt a little bit of warmth and a little bit of tingling but that feeling disappeared quite quickly. Like most clay masks it tightened as it dried which can be a touch uncomfortable if your skin is sensitive.

Pink Clay On Application 

After about 15 minutes or so it had turned white and was completely dry. Like most clay masks it took a little bit of washing off, but after a lot of massaging with warm water and a muslin cloth off it came.

My skin initially looked quite pink and felt a touch tight and a little bit dry, but after around 10 minutes that feeling had subsided and my skin was left feeling soft and smooth, my pores were clean and less obvious, and the oil and shine on my t-zone in particular had all but disappeared (all be it temporarily), and my skin looked more matte and even.

Pink Clay After Removal

This mask was perfect for oily skin, and problematic skin that just isn't behaving itself blemish or shine wise, but what about those days when your skin is at the other end of the spectrum, and needing a little bit of moisture or a wake up call? Well instead of going out and having to be a different product, this pot also cleverly contains 50ml of the 'Lacura Brightening Golden Glow Mask'. Containing hyaluronic acid, and extracts of mangosteen and pomegranate, this mask was specifically designed to hydrate the skin, and to give it a healthy glow.

This one had more of a cream like texture, as the name suggests it was gold in colour, and it seemed to be filled with microscopic gold sparkles. Being a cream mask it was really easy to apply your fingers, a spatula or as I did a mask brush.

At first it felt quite cool on the skin but as it sat on my face I did start to feel a slight tingling sensation which lasted until I washed it off after about 15 minutes.

Golden Glow On Application

As it was a cream mask it was really easy to wash off with a muslin cloth and warm water. Again, at first my skin looked a touch pink and felt a touch tight but it quickly went back to 'normal'. On the whole my skin did look a touch brighter, and a little bit more 'awake' but I couldn't really see too much of a difference, still I loved how it looked and in a weird way it actually felt quite nice, and with the same white floral, fresh fruity scent as the pink clay mask, it smelled lovely as well.

Golden Glow After Removal

I mainly used these masks separately but I did cocktail them once or twice, and use them at the same time on different areas of my face to treat different skin concerns, for example I used the pink clay mask on my t-zone and on my chin, and the golden glow mask under my eyes and on my cheeks.

Due to the tingling I experienced I probably wouldn't recommend these masks if you have a really sensitive skin, but if you fancy a cruelty free spa treatment on budget, then this mask could be something worth trying.

As you know Aldi can be a bit hitty missy when it comes to stocking beauty products but if you can find it, this mask duo retails at around £6.99. You can on occasions also buy a 60g size of the Purifying Pink Clay Mask on it's own, both in store and online. I've always been pretty pleased with the things that I've tried from Lacura, so it's definitely worth having a look in the beauty and middles aisle next time you're in Aldi.

2. Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 30g

Next up another skincare item and it's one of my holy grail skincare products, the Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream.

Okay, this stuff is pretty spendy but for me it's worth every penny, and believe it or not my 92 year old godmother agrees with me! I'm in my 40's with a combination skin, and she has a drier, more mature skin, and I don't know how it does it but this stuff just works for both of us.

Admittedly neither of like heavy or sticky moisturisers, so that may be why, but the texture is a huge selling point. It has a light cream / gel texture, that sinks straight into the skin without leaving any stickiness or residue, and the skin is left feeling silky soft and hydrated. Crammed full of botanical and marine plant extracts, it can be used all over the face and if you're lazy also as an eye cream. It also makes the perfect make up base, and it never feels heavy, and it never caused any breakouts or increased oiliness. I love it and it's something that I hope that I'll be able to continue using (finances permitting!).

The one drawback is of course the price, Elemis is a prestige British brand and uses premium ingredients all of which are reflected in the price. The full 50ml size retails at anywhere between £89 and £94, with this 30ml jar having an RRP of around £63. Not cheap but a little goes a long way and if you can shop around a bit you can often get a better deal. You can pick up Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream from a variety of retailers including direct from Elemis, Boots, John Lewis, Amazon, Look Fantastic, ASOS, NEXT Beauty, and Sephora.

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Ah! Another holy grail standard product and a more recent one, the Jolen Face Wax Strips! I was sent a couple of packets of these to review back in February / March of last year and I absolutely love them. You can read my full review here, but for just £1 a box these strips remove even the tiniest hairs, and they nearly always get the roots out, no mean feat on my previously thick and spiky tache hair! Just to add after just over a year or purely using wax strips on my upper lip area and chin, my facial are definitely finer and sparser - result! 

As well as Savers, I recently also found these strips in my local B&M store, so if you're a waxer or even if your not there is no excuse for not giving these a try.

4. L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml

The final product on June's list was something else that I've talked about before, the L'Oreal Elvive Wonder Water. I don't know how it works, but what I do know is that it makes a difference to my hair when I use it. My hair seems easier to control, and it's less frizzy. I actually ran out a month or so ago, and I've just started using this again after a little break and I really can see the difference. I've tried one of the newer varieties which I'll talk about in a future empties post, but this one is my real love and it's something that I will continue to use. It has an RRP of £9.99 but it's usually on offer for around £4.99 from a variety of retailers including Superdrug, Boots, Look Fantastic and Tesco. If you're like me though and you don't want to be without this product then you can lock in your saving by doing what I've done and buy it on subscribe and save, which is a kind of auto delivery option from Amazon, so you can guarantee you'll never run out ;).

So they were my June 2022 empties, not too many of them I admit but they all count, and thankfully July was a slightly better month.

Berry Smooth Strawberry Foaming Salt Scrub - 240g
O'Keefe's For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - Value Size - 180g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion - 400ml
Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask
Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g

Total - 6 Items 

Yes, in July 2022 I managed to finish an extra 2 items, and I ended the month with 6 empty tubs, bottles and boxes. It was a nice mix of mainly different types of body care products with a couple of facial skincare items thrown in for good measure x

1. Berry Smooth Strawberry Foaming Salt Scrub - 240g

First up in July, one of my favourite things, a body scrub. I do love a body scrub and this one from Poundland had a nice, if slightly artificial strawberry / berry / bubblegum scent, and because it was a salt scrub, it passed the Louise scrubby test - You can read a bit more about it here x 

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Alas I haven't seen this one in store for some time, but if you see a similar looking scrub in Poundland I'd definitely pick one up and give it a go -  I've tried a few scrubs from Poundland now including a cocoa butter one I've just finished and they've all been pretty decent and good value for money, even if most of them were more than a pound (£1.50 ;).

2. O'Keefe's For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - Value Size - 180g

I'm not sure whether it's because of my thyroid issue, but my feet at times are the bane of my life - my heels are always dry and no matter how much I care for them, they sometimes even crack!

Over the years I must have spent a fortune on exfoliators, pumice stones and moisturisers for my poor tootsies, and whilst I can usually keep them under control, sometimes you need to bring out the big guns. This particular product would never win any awards for its scent or its glamour appeal, but it you have dry or cracked heels or feet, get a tub or tube of this straight away!

With no real scent this thick, white cream doesn't look that exciting but massage even the smallest amount into your feet, stick on a pair of socks and if it's at night go to bed or pop them on in the morning and go about your day as normal, and if you're anything like me in just one use you'll see a difference, and if you don't see an improvement after 7 days of continuous usage then O'Keeffe's will give you your money back.

I won't be using  this all the time but when my feet 'really' need it or when I need to show them off, I'll definitely have a tube or a pot of this on standby.

The O'Keeffe's Healthy Foot Cream comes in a variety of different configurations including a various sized tubes a 91g tub and this 180g value sized tub. Like everything I'd advise you shop around a bit as prices can vary - O'Keeffe's products are available from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Boots, Superdrug, Savers and Tesco.

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Well, they do say that your hair grows faster in summer and so it obviously proved in June and July of last year, when I finished another packet of these Jolen wax strips. I know everyone is different but I normally need to wax properly every 4 weeks with the occasional touch up every now and then, but as I say my hairs are definitely finer and sparser than the used to be so fingers crossed that they will eventually give up and disappear completely - I live in hope anyways!

4. Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion - 400ml

Now I'm not going to lie this is another one of those products that I probably should have binned at least a year before I eventually finished it, but it still smelled the same, and it was too expensive and too good not to use it up, so when the sun came out last summer I dug this out and finished it off!

With a slightly old fashioned floral scent, on the surface this is just a nice, light, hydrating body lotion, but it's actually so much more than that. Containing sweet orange, allantoin, grape seed oil, narcissus bulb extract, and melanin activating peptide, this is in fact a tan accelerator. Use it for at least 2 weeks before a holiday, during your holiday, and for around 4 weeks after your holiday, and even with SPF, you will tan better and faster than you usually would, and it even works on pale pink people like me! Oh, and even if you're planning on staying in the UK, just use this instead of your normal body lotion for the summer months and then you're ready for the odd day in the UK when the sun comes out ;)

Again, as you would expect from a prestige French skincare brand, this stuff is a little bit on the pricy side with an RRP of around £55 for a 400ml bottle, but like with everything these days if you shop around you might get it a little bit cheaper or in a smaller bottle x The Gatineau Tan Accelerator Lotion is available from various retailers including direct from Gatineau, Amazon, QVC UK, Sephora and Look Fantastic.

5. Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask

Next up, it's another product that you've seen before and it's a product that came in the August 2021, 10th birthday edition of Glossybox UK!

I think it was an extra product as it wasn't in the official listing and I'd already received the same mask in the January 2021 box.

You can read a full review here but if you're looking for a cooling and moisturising sheet mask for the warmer months, then maybe this could be it.

The Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask is available for around £4.95 from retailers including Look Fantastic, Sephora and NEXT Beauty.

6. Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g

Finally another body product, something else that you've seen before, and another one of my beauty must haves. 

Last year I was diagnosed with a skin condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which causes painful spot like lumps on my body, and after reading a things about the condition and a few bits online, I was brought to this soap and I've been buying it ever since to help keep the lesions under control - you can read a little bit more about it here. I've actually just started a new bar and like most things in the intervening year has gone up - a 100g bar now retails at £9.99 from Amazon but for me it's worth every penny!

So there you have it, a very, very late June and July 2022 empties post, and what will be the first of many over the next few weeks. I'm going to try and break them up a bit with some different posts so you shouldn't get too sick of empties posts ;) but I promise that I'll try and get them all up to date as soon as possible. In the meantime if you have any questions on any of the products in this post, or if you just want to say Hi! then leave me a comment below xx

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total - 7 Items 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy Velvet Body Butter - 140g

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

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

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

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

6. Leighton Denny Intense Manicure Oil - 12ml

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January - 4 Items

February - 3 Items

March - 4 Items

April - 8 Items

May - 5 Items

June - 9 Items

July - 8 Items

August - 5 Items

September - 8 Items

October - 6 Items

November - 8 Items

December - 7 Items

2020 Total - 75 Items

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

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

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

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

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

Before I start on another round of Glossybox unboxings and reviews, I thought I'd get my empties update, so today I'm sharing my April beauty empties with you.

Beauty Pro CBD Oil Infused Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask

Starskin Dreamkiss Plumping & Hydrating Bio-Cellulose Lip Mask - 1 x 5g Mask

Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand And Nail Lotion - 100ml

OPI Avoplex Nail And Cuticle Replenishing Oil - 15ml

Cussons Carex Fun Edition Caring Hand Wash Antibacterial - Love Hearts - 250ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 50ml
Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml
Femfresh Daily Intimate Wash - 250ml**

Total - 8 Items

After a pretty indifferent start to 2020 Trimming My Stash wise, April was a much better month all round, and I managed to finish 8 items. I didn't manage to finish anything overly exciting, but it was a nice mix of essentials, and basics, with a few a few pampering products thrown in for good measure.

1. Beauty Pro CBD Oil Infused Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask

The first item that I finished was a sheet mask from mask specialist Beauty Pro, that I received in the January 2020 edition of Glossybox UK. You can read a full review of this mask in my original unboxing post that you can find here. This mask is one of Beauty Pro's newest editions, and it's completely plant based. I really loved this one it had a lovely, slightly herbal, lavender scent, and I loved how fresh and clean it made my skin feel. 

It's one of the nicest products that I've tried from Beauty Pro and it's something that I would definitely consider using again. The price varies between £4.95 - £5.95 and it's available from various retailers including directly from Beauty Pro, and Look Fantastic.

2. Starskin Dreamkiss Plumping & Hydrating Bio-Cellulose Lip Mask - 1 x 5g Mask

Next up another pampering product, and another item from Glossybox. This is another mask but this time it's a lip mask from another mask specialist, Starskin. This cruelty free lip mask is designed to be hydrating, and to help increase the volume of the lips. You can read a full review in my February 2020 Glossybox unboxing post that you can read here.  

Despite not seeing a great deal of difference volume wise, I love the hydrating effect and it was a really nice treat for the lips, and something that I would definitely consider repurchasing. These Starskin lip masks come in a pack of 2, and retail at around £8.50 from various retailers including Look Fantastic and Feel Unique.

3. Elemis Skin Nourishing Hand And Nail Lotion - 100ml

I don't know about you, but my hands are pretty dry at the moment. All of the constant washing, using anti- bad gels, and a lack of fresh air all means that I'm trying to give my hands an extra bit of TLC.

I think that this product was part of a gift set, that my mam originally bought from QVC UK, which included some Skin Nourishing body products and some hand care items including the hand wash that I featured in my December 2019 Trimming My Stash post, that you can read here :)

From the popular Skin Nourishing range this lovely hand cream was really moisturising and hydrating but without being too heavy or sticky. Containing camellia, cotton seed, and starflower, it had a lovely soft floral, almost baby powder type scent, that worked perfectly at bed time teamed up with a pair of cotton gloves for an extra boost.

Like the hand wash, I think that this hand cream was either a limited edition or it was exclusive to the set that it originally came in, because I can't find anywhere online. You can still get a few products from the Skin Nourishing range, including the famous milk bath, the shower cream, and a body cream, which is basically a thicker, and more luxurious version of the hand cream, from various retailers including John Lewis, Debenhams and QVC UK.

4. OPI Avoplex Nail And Cuticle Replenishing Oil - 15ml

Next up another product that was designed to combat dry hands and nails, OPI's classic Avoplex cuticle oil. Containing avocado, grapeseed, sunflower, sesame, and kukui nut oils, this is one of the best products that I've ever used on my hands and nails. Lately though I've abandoned it in favour of some cheaper options, but I recently rediscovered this half used bottle, and I decided to use it up.

Despite its almost cult status, OPI have actually discontinued the original Avoplex formulation, and replaced it with the new Pro Spa Nail And Cuticle Oil.  The bottle looks the same, and apparently it smells the same, but the ingredients do seem to be slightly different.

I definitely think that I'll try the new version at some point but the £18.20 price tag does put me off a little bit, especially when I am seeing decent results from cheaper products. If you've tried it then I'd love to hear your thoughts on it before I open my purse? Let me know in the comments your thoughts good and bad x 

5. Cussons Carex Fun Edition Caring Hand Wash Antibacterial - Love Hearts - 250ml

There seems to be a bit of a glut of hand and nail care products in this post and here's another one, and this time it's a hand wash. 

Whilst we always use a hand wash in the kitchen, my mam has a pretty strong relationship with the humble bar of soap, so that's we tend to use in the bathroom, only switching it up for a liquid soap at Christmas or when we have visitors. Like a lot of people though for hygiene reasons at the moment we've started using hand wash in the bathroom as well, and since I was the one that actually bought this product I thought that it deserved a mention in my April empties post.

Part of Carex's 'Fun' range, this is part of Carex's collaboration with tuck shop sweet giant Swizzels, which has seen a wide range of sweetie themed hand washes, shower gels, and hand sanitisers. I picked up this hand wash after trying the Love Hearts themed hand gel in the September 2019 edition of Glossybox UK (You can read my review here).

As well as all of the obvious hygiene reasons, I love the smell of this hand wash, it smells similar to the hand sanitiser, but the lack of alcohol gives it a sweeter, less harsh, fruity scent. It has a gentle foam, and it cleanses the hands without leaving them feeling dry or stripped. I would definitely consider repurchasing this particular fragrance in the future but at the moment when it comes to hand wash at the moment, it's a case of what you can get, and you really can't be too choosy. If you do fancy tracking this down though the price does seem to vary depending on where you buy it, Poundland and Asda sell it for a £1 compared to Superdrug who currently charge around £1.89 for it - hmm.

6. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 50ml

I talked about this product in my last empties post (you can read it here). This is a mini pot that I got in Christmas gift set from The Body Shop. As I said in my previous post this is a lovely sugar based body exfoliator with a lovely sweet, yet tart fruity pear scent. I still have a full sized pot of this left and a few other bits in the same scent so I can enjoy this, in my opinion, all year round scent for a little bit longer.

7. Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml

Next up, my current favourite eye make up remover (find out why here). It took me a long time to find something that worked, and that didn't irritate my eyes. Throw in the fact that this product is pretty affordable too, at around £3.79 or less a bottle, and it's a winner in my eyes ;)

I've actually run out of this now so I'm going to try and use up a few of the other products in my stash but I will definitely be repurchasing this in the future.

8. Femfresh Daily Intimate Wash - 250ml**

As as Brit I'm pretty accustomed to whinging about the weather, so I hope you'll excuse me for you've guessed it whinging about the weather. Whilst it'd definitely cooler than yesterday, I'm sitting writing this post with the windows wide open, and I'm still sweating like a banshee, in fact as soon as I publish this post I'm going to go for a nice refreshing, tepid shower to freshen up my bits. My shower is full of all different types of shower products that I'll happily use and slosh all over my body, but you do have to be a bit careful with some of them.

I try and keep products that are really, really scented, or that contain shimmer, glitter or sparkles away from my intimate bits, and instead I'll use a specialist product. I'm not a huge fan of the advertising strategy for a lot of products like this because they always seem to want to convince women that they smell unclean or abnormal, which is quite frankly ridiculous, but as long as you don't over use them I think that certain feminine hygiene items, can play a part in your regular beauty and hygiene routine.

Quite a while ago now I was sent a whole load of Femfresh products to try and I've gradually been working my way through them. This Daily Intimate wash is hypoallergenic,  and dermatologically and gynaecologically tested. Containing moisturising aloe vera extract, it's gentle enough use every day, and it's designed to help maintain a healthy pH balance. The product itself is a colourless gel, which produces a very gentle, light foam when mixed with water. It has a very subtle fresh scent, and it doesn't leave the skin dry or irritated.

I used to pretty against feminine products like this but now like I said I think they have their place and their uses especially at that time of the month. The packaging on the entire Femfresh range seems to have changed since I was sent this, but they still have a Daily Intimate wash which sounds almost identical to this one, and looks pretty much the same. This product retails at around £2.99 from various retailers including Boots, Superdrug, independent chemists and supermarkets.

So after a fairly indifferent start to 2020 Trimming My Stash wise, April turned out to be a pretty decent month, I've got to say May isn't looking the great but I think I might manage to finish another product before the month ends tomorrow but we'll see x Either way I'll update with you my May totals in a week or so, and if you have any questions or comments on any of the products that I've mentioned then leave me your thoughts below and I'll see you in a few days with my thoughts on the March 2020 edition of Glossybox UK and a little giveaway ;) x

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