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

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links
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Trimming My Stash - August 2019 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

I'm late again but it's empties time! The never ending house sort out continues, and as result I've found a few bags and boxes of beauty things that I'd forgotten about. I've found some press samples, so I've got lots of new reviews coming up, and I also found another box of shower and body products, so I've got more products to use up than I thought - argh!

The Body Shop Frosted Berries Exfoliating Sugar Scrub - 250ml
Femfresh Ultimate Care Soothing Wash - 250ml**
Superdrug Shower Foam - Orange & Satsuma - 150ml
Patisserie De Bain Caramel Whip Hand Cream - 50ml
Dr.Organic Bioactive Skincare Tea Tree Wet Wipes x 20 Wipes
AVON Naturals Kids Bursting Berry Body Wash & Bubble Bath - 250ml
Primark PS... Cuticle Oil - 10ml
Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Peel Off Mask - 10ml

Total - 8 Items

Never mind, I've found a few interesting products, and I had my joint best month of the year so far, when it comes to trimming my stash. In August I managed to finish 8 items, which puts August on par, with both March and April. Although I didn't manage any nail or make up products again, I did manage to finish quite a few body products and a couple of skincare items, and a few things that had been hanging around in the bathroom for some time.

1. The Body Shop Frosted Berries Exfoliating Sugar Scrub - 250ml

First up a long gone, Christmas edition from The Body Shop, and would you believe the last body scrub in my beauty stash bar something that you'll see in an upcoming Glossybox unboxing. I can't believe it, I've actually used up every single scrub in my collection, and considering I had about 7 or 8 at some point, I think I've done bloody well, the only problem is I'm now going to have to go out and buy a body scrub too, so if you have any recommendations for something then please let me know x

I'm quite sorry to say goodbye to this one actually, The Body Shop Exfoliating Sugar Scrub is probably one of my favourite formulations when it comes to body scrub. If I'm being really picky, I prefer a slightly grittier formulation but I still like it, I'll definitely repurchase this particular products in either a permanent scent, or in a limited edition scent.

Frosted Berry, as I say was a festive scent from a few years ago. It had a lovely, slightly tart, fruity, berry scent. It won't be long now before we find out what the 2019 festive scents from The Body Shop are going to be. I'm hoping beyond hope that we're going to get another apple based scent, but I've heard whispers that there might be a pear based scent that I'm already super excited to smell, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

2. Femfresh Ultimate Care Soothing Wash - 250ml**

Talking of rediscovered press samples, I've just discovered a few more products from Femfresh in a box I'd forgotten about - me bad! Quite a while ago now I was sent a package of washes and wipes including this one.

Now as you know I can take or leave, specific feminine washes, and wipes, but at certain times of the month they can be really useful especially when you've got some highly scented or sparkly products in the shower.

This pH balanced product is both dermatologically and gynaecologically tested, and contains probiotics, and cranberry extract, and is designed to soothe and cleanse the intimate area.

Texture wise it's a cross between a lotion, and a cream wash, it doesn't have any really scent, and it doesn't really foam that much. It felt comfortable, and non drying, and it's something that I would feel comfortable using all over the body.

The packaging seems to have changed slightly since I received mine but the product and the ingredients seem to be the same. This product retails at around £3.65 from various retailers including Superdrug and Boots.

3. Superdrug Shower Foam - Orange & Satsuma - 150ml

When I first lost my bathtub I went on a quest to find products that made showering a more pleasant, and pampering experience, and one of the products that I've come to love is a shower foam. It doesn't matter what the brand is, loads of foam and bubbles just makes showering a more pleasurable experience.

This one was from Superdrug's fruity range. The dispenser was a little bit stiff so it wasn't the easiest product to dispense but a little bit of pressure produced a lovely moisturising, creamy foam, with a lovely citrus scent that transported back to eating orange ice lollies, when I was a child. It was nice and easy to rinse off, and since you could also use it as a shaving foam it's a real time saver.

Alas this product appears to have been discontinued but Superdrug still seem to do a Fruity Orange & Satsuma Shower Gel that has an RRP of 99p for 250ml. So I'm assuming and hoping, that it smells the same, and it's something that I'm definitely going to pick up in the near future.

4. Patisserie De Bain Caramel Whip Hand Cream - 50ml

Apologies for the photo, but in between finishing this product and photographing it, I lost the other half of the tube! Now I've had a little look through the blog, and I can't find any previous reference to this hand cream, so whilst I originally thought that I got this in an advent calendar, I must have received it in a subscription box.

If I'm honest I'm not quite sure what's going on with Patisserie De Bain as a brand at the moment. It's the little sister brand of Yorkshire based beauty company Rose & Co but recently it seems to have disappeared from their website, and with products from Patisserie De Bain recently appearing in Poundland, it does make you wonder if at least some of the range has been discontinued .You can still find the odd thing on various websites including Superdrug and Fragrance Direct but I can't find anything in the Caramel Whip scent.

This was a really good night time hand cream, it had a slightly sticky, thick, rich and creamy texture, that took a while to absorb and as a result worked perfectly with cotton gloves as an overnight treatment. It had a lovely sweet, slightly sickly, burnt caramel, sugar scent.

As I say I've had a quick look online and I can't find this particular product anywhere, so if you fancy trying it, ebay might be your best bet.

5. Dr.Organic Bioactive Skincare Tea Tree Wet Wipes x 20 Wipes

Next up an item that I received in the April 2019 edition of Pink Parcel. You can read my full review here x They were decent wipes, all be it with a slightly odd tea tree, and fragrance free scent but for what I use wipes for I probably wouldn't repurchase. I'm actually trying to cut down on the amount of wipes that I use anyways so I will just stick to my favourite Primark wipes for now.

6. AVON Naturals Kids Bursting Berry Body Wash & Bubble Bath - 250ml

Even though I'm in my forties now I can't resist cute, and I also can't resist anything fruity or berry scented, so no I don't have a secret child I just occasionally use products from the AVON kids range.

This was a thin translucent, blue purple gel, that you could use either as a bubble bath or as a shower gel. I don't have a bath so I just used this as a shower gel, and it produces loads of creamy bubbles. I'm not sure what berry it was supposed to smell of but it definitely had more of a grape like scent that reminded me a bit of grape bubblegum!

AVON are always discontinuing products and scents so it's not really that surprising that I can't find this particular scent in the latest brochure or online. There are still plenty of other fragrances available though including Playful Pear, Groovy Grape, and Swirling Strawberry. They are retail at a very pocket friendly £1.50 for 250ml so you can afford to treat the little ones or yourself.

7. Primark PS... Cuticle Oil - 10ml

I think that this cuticle oil is probably one of my most finished beauty products over the last couple of years. It's super cheap (£1 a bottle!) and it does the same job as some of the more expensive brands. It's a product that I will definitely continue to repurchase - I've only got about half a bottle left so I think I'm due a Primark trip to stock up - watch this space!

8. Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Peel Off Mask - 10ml

Finally another product from a subscription box, and this time a face mask from the July 2019 'Holiday Haul' edition of Glossybox. I've already written a full review of this mask which you can read here x It was a nice mask and it's definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

So there we have it my August empties x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've finished please let me know in the comments x August was a good month for empties so here's hoping that I can do even better in September x

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 
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Trimming My Stash - January 2018 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A Catch Up

So we're now into the second month of 2018 already and as the song goes "Thing Can Only Get Better". I've lost count of how many times I've quoted that damn song on my blog but please, please, please can something go right for me just once?

The virus from hell is still continuing to plague both myself and the mothership, and to say that I'm feeling pretty fragile, both mentally and physically is an understatement. I feeling as though it's 1 step forward and 2 steps back at the moment, I'm feeling weary and drained, and everything just seems to be getting on top of me again, and just when you think that things can't get any worse, a rogue MacBook update rendered my Mac unusable!

Thankfully the amazing guys and girls, at the Genius Bar, in the Intu Metrocentre Apple store managed to get my up and running again with a few hours, but I've spent the last few days, downloading things from the cloud, and reinstalling a few programmes, thankfully though bar a printer that doesn't seem to want to install, it's almost like nothing ever happened so after another unplanned hiatus I'm ready to embrace, my blog, and You Tube again, and I'm back with another Trimming My Stash post x

Femfresh Ultimate Care Pure And Fresh Gel Wash - 250ml
Vitamasques Hydro Face Mask 120 Hours Of Hydration - 25g - 1 x Hydrogel Mask
Primark PS Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Oily & Blemish Prone Skin - 25 x Wipes
The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Shower Gel - 250ml

Total - 4 Items 

Obviously it wasn't my intention to post two Trimming My Stash posts in row but that's just the way that things have worked out. In an ideal world I would have started 2018 off with a bang and finished a ton of products in January but surprise, surprise it hasn't worked out like that. Still four items are better than none, and whilst they aren't the most exciting of items either, it's a solid start and I guess you know what I'm going to say next.. things can only get better from here on in x 

1. Femfresh Ultimate Care Pure And Fresh Gel Wash - 250ml*

I'm going to start off with a slightly controversial product, feminine wash! There are so many arguments surrounding this stuff that I really don't want to get it into now, or maybe ever! It's all down to personal choice but I can honestly say that it's something that I've never gone out and purchased myself but after receiving a package of products from Femfresh a little while ago now I decided to give this a go. I guess the argument is that highly perfumed products can cause a few issues downstairs, and since I was using a bottle of glitter filled Lush Snow Fairy at the time I decided that maybe I should use something else to wash my ahem..undercarriage. It had very little fragrance and it didn't feel drying or irritating, on my more delicate areas, and I guess it probably did them more good than a smattering of glitter and sparkles. I still have a few different varieties of Femfresh to try out, and whilst I firmly believe that I smell okay naturally I can definitely see myself using this product again in the future, particularly at certain times of the month. Femfresh Ultimate Care Pure And Fresh Gel Wash retails at around £3.29 for a 250ml bottle.

2. Vitamasques Hydro Face Mask 120 Hours Of Hydration - Rose Of Jericho - 25g - 1 x Hydrogel Mask

Like most people whenever I'm poorly or under the weather you can really see it in my skin. Over the last month or so I've noticed a real change in the texture and feel of my skin, and although it still looks shiny, at the same time it also feels quite tight and uncomfortable. Having quite oily skin I've always been quite scared of adding to much moisture to my skin, but since somebody once told me that oily skin can still by dehydrated I had a little look through my collapsed skin care drawer (long story basically it's too full!) and found a few hydration and moisture boosting products to try. Face masks are always an easy option and I think they are a great quick fix for a lot of skincare issues, and something that I've fallen in love with is the sheet mask. They are perfect for a pre party or a special occasion boost and in a lot of cases they can make your skin look smoother and brighter in a matter of minutes. I've tried a few sheet masks from Vitamasques but this one was something completely different to anything else that I'd tried before. Instead of the one piece, conventional liquid infused fabric or paper mask, this fibre mask came in two pieces for a better fit and featured a thick almost gel like layer of product. Containing Rose Of Jericho extract, this mask promises 120 hours worth of hydration, and whilst I'm can't be 100% certain that the effects lasted that long this wet, and cool feeling mask certainly left my skin feeling moist, and looking a bit more even in tone, and Mummy Lou even said that I looked a little bit more awake and refreshed. This mask was definitely what I needed last month and whilst £7.99 is a little bit pricey to some for just one mask, this one definitely did what it promised, and I'm definitely going to look into trying more hydrogel type masks in the future.

3. Primark PS Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Oily & Blemish Prone Skin - 25 x Wipes

I've used these for a couple of reasons over the last month, including cleaning swatches for some blog posts that I've got coming soon, and I've also been utilising the antibacterial properties of the tea tree oil and wiping bits and pieces down in an attempt to rid myself and my surroundings of this virus from hell! In fact the only place that I haven't used these wipes on in the last month is my face, my skins just been a little bit too dry and sensitive for these ones so I've been using a combination of AVON micellar waters and Primark's Micellar Water wipes for those lazy skincare days of which there have a been a lot lately. These wipes are still a staple in my beauty stash though and they are something that I will continue to purchase. 

4. The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Shower Gel - 250ml

Finally a Christmas product and something that hasn't been around for the last year or so :( As you know I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop Christmas collections, and one of my favourite scents that they've ever done is Frosted Cranberry. Alas over the last few years it's been replaced by Frosted Berries which I do love but it isn't quite the same. I'm crap at describing scent but it this is the perfect combo of sweet and tart cranberries with just hint of spice. I have a couple of pieces left in this fragrance in my stash but like with all of their apple scents I'm hoping that The Body Shop bring this one back for Christmas 2018.

As I say not the best of starts to 2018, empties wise, but it's better than nothing and I'm already feeling positive about what I can achieve in 2018 and just how many products that I can finish! If you're a beauty obsessive like me are you doing something similar this year? or are you taking it further and cutting down your beauty spending? Let me know in the comments below x and I will see you tomorrow when I'll be revealing the winner of my PIXI giveaway x