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

I didn't really intend to post two empties posts in a row, but since this isn't going to be a particularly long post (compared to most of my other posts anyways!), I thought that since I had a little bit of spare time I'd try and get it out the way.

DR Docteur Renaud Mango Hand And Nail Repair Cream - 75ml

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Gentle Gel Hand Soap - 236ml

Gelicity Gel Spa Just For Feet Jelly Foot Soak - Soothe With Lavender & Lemongrass - 40g - 1 x Treatment

Total - 3 Items

When it comes to beauty empties, January is usually a pretty barren month, so whether it was down to illness, or the fact that December was such a good month empties wise, it wasn't really too much of a surprise that I only managed to finish 3 items in the first month of the year.

1. DR Docteur Renaud Mango Hand And Nail Repair Cream 75ml**

This first item is another one of those products that I rescued from the deepest darkest depths of my beauty stash, and it's another items that's so old, I'm almost too embarrassed to show you. I actually received this product as a press sample way back in 2014, and you can read my full review here.

I recently rediscovered it and there was about quarter of a tube left so I decided to use it up, and do you know what? Even though it was old enough to have started school, it was still as nice as it was when I originally opened it. The smell maybe wasn't quite as strong as it had been, but it was still pleasant, it was still lovely and creamy, and really hydrating. 

Obviously the packaging has changed in the intervening 8 years, but you can still buy the same hand cream directly from DR Docteur Renaud all be it in a slightly small 50ml size for around €9.90, and for about £9.60 from a site called Skin Evolution, and for about £6.51 from My Origines.

2. Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Gentle Gel Hand Soap - 236ml

One of the few good things that came out of 2021 was the official launch of Bath & Body Works in the UK. You've been able to buy it on the secondary market and from the odd website for a little while now, and whilst we don't have any standalone stores yet, you can now pick up some of your Bath & Body Works favourites both online and in store from NEXT Beauty.

Ever since the late 1990's when my godmother first brought me some Warm Vanilla Sugar bits back from Florida, I've been in love with the brand. In the intervening years I've picked up a few bits online and from the US, but having such easy access to brand over the last few months has been dangerous! Their festive ranges are by far my favourites and over the last few months I've stocked up on everything from candles, to shapeable soap, to sparkly body moisturiser, and of course hand washes.

I believe that Bath & Body Works do two different types of hand was, and this one is in their "Gentle Gel Hand Soap" formulation. You only needed less than half a pump of this clear gel, mixed with warm water to produce a gentle, non drying foam.

It is a really nice hand wash but the real selling point for me was the scent, even though I've been introduced to a lot of new scents this season, Winter Candy Apple is probably my favourite holiday scent from Bath & Body Works, and it's the one that I've been buying by any means possible for the last 10 years or so. Officially a combination of red apple, winter rose petals, candied orange, maple and cinnamon it has a gorgeous slightly spicy, festive apple and citrus scent that I absolutely love.

This retailed I believe at £7.50 which is a bit pricey for a hand wash but in my opinion it was well worth it. Other than on the secondary market you'll probably have trouble finding this one at least October / November time when it will hopefully return to stores. Not to worry though I still have lots of Bath & Body Works and Winter Candy Apple bits to use up, so you'll definitely see some more products in some upcoming empties posts x 

3. Gelicity Gel Spa Just For Feet Jelly Foot Soak - Soothe With Lavender & Lemongrass - 40g - 1 x Treatment

One of the most frustrating things about being a beauty blogger, is the fact that both products and brands are either discontinued or just seem to disappear overnight. The amount of things I've photographed, and researched, and then wham! all of that work is just wasted. 

The same thing happened with this particular product, I'd shot some pics and videos, and I was just finishing an Instagram post, and then nothing! The brands social media presence had gone, and after a little bit of digging I found out that the company had actually gone into liquidation :( Since I'd already gone to the trouble of shooting pics that I'd share them with you in this empties post x 

Gelicity were really famous for both of their kids and adults jelly baths - products that you could add to bath to give the water a fun jelly like consistency. I actually reviewed one of their bath products way back in 2013, but this particular product was designed specifically as a treat for the feet.

Containing lavender and lemongrass extract this pedicure treatment was designed to soothe tired and aching feet, as well as helping with odour and fungal problems

The box contained two sachets, 1 to create the jelly, and 2 to dissolve it. Sachet 1 contained pale blue crystals, that resembled salt or sugar. It had a slight spa like scent but it wasn't as strong or as evident as I'd hope or expected.

All you needed to do is to fill a bowl (not a foot spa), large enough to put both of your feet in at once. with 4 - 5 litres of warm water, and then you add the contents of sachet 1 and swirl it round a bit to mix it, and then you need to leave it for two minutes.

In those two minutes the water gradually turns into a thick purple/ lilac, semi solid, jelly like substance.

The instructions advise to give it a stir with your hands to break it up a bit. You can then really see the jelly bead like texture. Once you've done that it's time for the fun and pampering to begin!

Plonk yourself on a chair and just pop your feet into the bowl, and move your feet up and down, scrunch your toes up and enjoy the squish! Turn up the video volume for the full effect!

As well as being super fun, it actually feels really nice and relaxing squashing the jelly underfoot and squishing it between your toes.

I probably kept my feet in the bowl till the jelly water went cold which was about 10 - 15 minutes, if the water was a bit warmer then I would definitely have kept me feet in for longer! When you've had enough, you just add the contents of packet 2 to the bowl, which is basically just sodium chloride, aka salt and the jelly will gradually start to dissolve. 

It doesn't completely return back to water, but it does basically turn into a slightly denser than water liquid with a few small jelly like beads suspended in at. At this point it's now safe to dispose either down the skin, or like I did down the toilet.

After removing your feet you just had to pat them dry (you can still see the odd bit of jelly clinging on!), and whilst there was no real change (bar immersion changes - wrinkles!) to the texture of my feet, they did feel refreshed and very relaxed.

This soak was really fun to use, and it was a really relaxing treat for achey or tired feet, and I would definitely repurchase it if I could! As I say this particular company has now gone in to liquidation but I think that there still are some similar products on the market. I've seen something similar in some professional pedicure videos on You Tube, and I've also seen something similar on eBay which I will definitely be trying out. If you know of anything similar out there then please let me know in the comments x 

So that was my very short January empties list! Not the best start to the year but as the saying goes things can only get better, well fingers crossed they can anyways As per usual let me know if you have any questions or comments, and of course it you have any jelly foot soak recommendations, and I will see you soon with another post x 

*This Post Contains Non Affiliate Links

**Press Sample

Trimming My Stash - November 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Have you ever felt as though there just aren't enough hours in the day? I'm feeling that way at the moment, and it's so easy to see why people get so frazzled at this time of year, there just seems to so much to do at times and the to do list never seems to get any shorter! The annual decorating and tidying frenzy is well and truly under way, there are gifts still to wrap, cards still to deliver and there is shopping still to be done. For a spoonie that's hard enough to deal with but throw in an attack of the sniffles, a coughy, snotty and snuffly Mummy Lou, and all the everyday tasks that still need to be done, then it's no surprise that I don't whether I'm coming or going at the minute. It's hard for everyone at this time of year, so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself, I'm going to do what needs doing and I'm going to try not to stress about the little things, and above all I'm going to try and focus on what's important.

Having said that, although this post is up a lot later than I would have liked, this and my previous post probably marks the start of what hopefully be my busiest spell on the blog of 2018. I have lots of posts planned, they are nearly all photographed, and I'm really excited to start getting some content up, eventually! I've also got a festive giveaway planned so providing the creeks don't rise, stay tuned for some long awaited blog posts x First of all though it's time to take a step back to last month and have a look at November's beauty empties.

I was so proud of myself with October's total of 10 items, but alas I couldn't continue that success in November. I tried hard I really did but for some reason it just didn't happen and I only managed to finish a measly 3 items :( Not the best month I'm sure you'll agree but every little helps as the famous supermarket saying goes and it does, I now have 3 less items in my bulging cupboards and drawers, and I've created a tiny bit of space for potential beauty gifts (fingers crossed ;) Although there aren't many of them, the items that I managed to finish are pretty interesting and weirdly I loved them all and as you'll see, I will definitely be repurchasing two of them x 

Baija Paris Green Tea Jasmine Body Oil - 30ml
Oh K! Fruit Enriched Peeling Foot Mask - 2 x Skin Softening Socks - 2 x 20ml Sachets Stimulating Foot Essence
Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml

Total - 3 Items

1. Baija Paris Green Tea Jasmine Body Oil - 30ml

We'll start off with an item that I probably won't be repurchasing but I would if I could. Like so many unusual and less well known brands this product came in beauty box, I think it was either a My Little Box or a Birchbox. This isn't very well known brand but in my experience it should be, it's a French based predominantly body care brand, that seems to be famous for it's beautiful, natural aromas.

This was a beautiful, fine textured, easily absorbed body oil. You could use it as an all over body moisturiser but I tended to use it on my tiger stripes to add a bit of excess moisture and a bit of TLC! Okay, I admit it I have stretch marks, who doesn't? I'm not the biggest fan of them but thanks to growth, and periods of weight loss and weight gain, I have them and once you have them there isn't too much that you can do about them bar embrace them, and give them a little bit of moisture love. Although it doesn't get rid of them completely, moisturising can make them less visible and it can definitely prevent new ones from forming. Whilst this wasn't a miracle worker it did leave my skin feeling smooth and silky, and smelling amazing.

This oil had an amazing scent - a fabulous fresh, fruity floral green tea scent, mixed with just a hint of jasmine. It actually smelled very similar to Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, a scent that some people find a little bit old fashion but personally it's a one that I love and that I used to wear regularly. I would definitely consider repurchasing both this product and some of the other products that I've tried from Baija Paris but the range is incredibly difficult to get hold of in the UK, you can occasionally find the odd thing in TK Maxx, but other than that you're pretty much relying on resellers which is a shame, if you see it though the entire range is well worth trying x

2. Oh K! Fruit Enriched Peeling Foot Mask - 2 x Skin Softening Socks - 2 x 20ml Sachets Stimulating Foot Essence

Foot peels and peeling socks are probably one of the grossest beauty products on the market but personally I love them! There is something completely gross yet somewhat fascinating and even enjoyable about watching all of that dry skin fall off your feet! I don't even like feet that much but these things are just so satisfying - Does that make me a bit weird lol I don't know?

I've tried a lot of different types of peeling socks over the years but these ones are a little bit different to all of the other brands that I've tried so far. The box contains a pair of paper / fabric socks with a plastic lining. The socks are pretty decent quality they don't feel flimsy or thin and they have a tie which helps secure them onto your feet. The tie is a much better idea than the sticky tabs that these socks normally have, they felt really safe on my feet, they didn't feel as though they were going to slip off, and I didn't feel that I needed to put a pair of socks on over the top to hold them in place. 

Sounds pretty standard so far doesn't it but what is unusual is that the socks are completely dry, so the box also contains two sachets of stimulating foot essence (1 for each foot), which contains lactic, salicylic and glycolic acids and a variety of fruit acids including lemon, lime, orange, apple, grape and wild cherry, which you then pour into your socks.

All you do is wash and dry your feet, and then put the liquid filled socks on to your feet, secure them with the ties and then you just sit and relax for between an hour and an hour and a half, to let the liquid do it's thing before rinsing off your feet in plain, warm water.

There was no real scent to the liquid just a slight astringency, almost alcohol scent, The two phase system meant that the socks were really wet, and the liquid really did completely cover the feet. I'm not going to lie, after about 10 minutes I started to feel a tingling sensation, it wasn't unpleasant but it was noticeable, and you definitely felt as though it was doing something. 

The worst thing with this type of product is the waiting, over the next week or so your feet steadily get drier and drier, and no matter how much you want to, you can't moisturise them! I used these socks around 2 weeks ago now and it's safe to say that my feet do not look pretty! The skin is drying and peeling off on the soles, and balls of my feet and even between my toes . Soaking your feet makes a big difference and it can really help speed the process up, so for best result either shower with your feet in a washing up bowl (that's what I've been doing!), have a bath, or treat yourself to a foot spa, to really loosen off that dead skin!

Based on the initial feeling and the results so far these are probably the strongest type of these socks that I've tried, yes my feet look pretty horrid at the moment, but in a week or so they'll be smooth, baby soft and party ready x If your feet have seen better days and the thought of showing them to anyone fills you full of horror then these could be something to try, just make sure you give them long enough to work before that big event, as with these things it definitely gets worse before it gets better x Based on my current results I will definitely be repurchasing these socks again x They retail at around £8.50 from various retailers including FEELUNIQUE, ASOS and the Oh K Life website x 


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

As you know my quest for a new eye make up remover has been a long one - there have been lots of fails, and lots of nearly's, but at long last I think I may have found the one. Simple are specialists in skincare for sensitive skin, so why on earth did I wait so long before giving this one a go? I'm obviously not quite with it at times! 

Like all Simple products this eye make up remover is free from colours or dyes, artificial perfumes, or chemicals, it's also oil free, non comedogenic, hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested and approved, and opthamologically tested. Containing Pro Vitamin B5, it is designed to gently and effectively remove all eye make up including waterproof mascara, and it's also suitable for contact lens wearers.

As you would expect it is clear in colour and it has an almost water like appearance and texture, and no real scent. Given the slightly unassuming appearance I was really surprised at how well this worked. It removed everything that I threw at it with very little effort, long wear mascara took a little bit longer but it still removed easily without scrubbing or rubbing, and most importantly my eyes didn't feel dry or sore, and there was no watering or stinging!

I don't know if my quest is over, and I'll definitely keep trying new things, but with this product I've definitely found something that I like and that I'll continue to repurchase. In fact I've already bought another couple of bottles, the RRP for this is around £3.79 but in Superdrug in particular, it's normally on special offer so it's well worth stocking up if you like it as much as I do.

So only 3 items, but as hopefully you can see they were three very interesting items, 2 of which have subsequently become firm favourites. We're now well into December and so far I've only managed to finish one item so fingers crossed I can up my game and finish the month and the year on a high x Don't forget to let me know if you're doing something similar to Trimming My Stash and of course please let me know if you have any questions on any of the items in this post x 

Trimming my Stash - February 2017 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but I'm still finding it pretty hard to believe that we're into March already. This year is starting the same way that last year ended, at 100 miles an hour - stop the world I want to get off - argh!

February was another rubbishy month in LouLouLand with family illness and so on but I'm trying to focus on the positives for once, including my blogging birthday (don't forget to enter my giveaway here if you haven't already, you can find it here), and all of the plans that I have to move my blog and my You Tube channel forward. I know it can sometimes be hard to find the positives in life, but if you really look hard enough, in most areas you can usually find something to be positive about or something to be thankful for.

RESEED Gingko & Sabal Fortifying Shampoo For Women - 250ml
Soap & Glory Sit Tight Sit Activated Special Low Body Firming Formula - 200ml
Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml

Total - 3 Items 

Take last month's Trimming My Stash for example, yes I only managed to finish 3 items, but I finished one more than I did in January, and I managed to finish one product that seemed to have made itself permanently at home in my bathroom.

1. REESEED Gingko & Sabal Fortifying Shampoo For Women - 250ml

This was a product that I was originally sent to review, I loved it so much that I ended up buying another bottle. I love this as a shampoo in it's own right but by just using the shampoo and the serum and botanical solution very sparingly, I haven't really seen the same results as I did in the initial review. I would thoroughly recommend it as a gentle, body building shampoo but it's £25 and in my opinion I think it works way better when you use alongside the other products in the RESEED range. You can read my full review here x

2. Soap & Glory Sit Tight Sit Activated Special Low Body Firming Formula - 200ml

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I don't believe that any cream or lotion can firm up your skin, and get rid of your cellulite, but my dear readers I'm always willing to admit that I'm wrong, and I do tend to get suckered in to buying things that I pray will firm up my bottom and get rid of some of those perfectly normal, shallow craters on my thighs! Did this product do that? Well unfortunately it didn't, it had a nice cream, gel texture, and it had that reassuring, cool, hot thing going that made you feel it was doing something, and boosting your circulation, but my bits are still as wobbly as they ever were. Maybe if I'd used it twice a day it wouldn't have become a permanent fixture in my bathroom and I might have seen a difference but some how I'm not convinced . Yes lotions and potions might make your skin feel softer, and smoother, but sensible diets and exercise are the only real way to firm up your wobbly bits. If you know otherwise though, and you've used a product that you found made a difference then let me know in the comments x This product actually has been discontinued now and replaced by the new and reformulated Soap & Glory Sit Tight Super Intense Targeted 4D Firming And Soothing Lower Body Serum which has a nifty massage head, and despite my ranting I'm actually tempted to give it ago so let me know if you've tried it x 

3. Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml

This is one of my favourite ever foot creams, It doesn't have the richest or the creamiest texture, but slap a bit of this beautifully fruity, floral scented, creamy lotion onto your feet, stick a pair of socks on, experience a tiny bit of a tingle thanks to the fruit acids, give it an hour on so and your feet will look and feel a lot smoother. Thanks to a few thyroid problems my feet are ridiculously dry, so this isn't a miracle worker but it certainly makes a little bit of a difference, and thanks to the Soap & Glory star gifts at Boots, I now have a nice little stash of this one, and it's something that I will continue to buy regardless.

So this wasn't the longest empties post again, but I'm staying positive that I'm going to have a good year, and that I'm going to finish lots and lots of beauty products in 2017. Are you doing something similar this year? Let me know below x

Treat Those Tootsies With OKKO - A Review For My Pure*

Every winter I make the pledge to look after myself just a little bit more, and more often than not it ends up as one big fat fail! Yes I'll wrap up warm and eat things that make me happy but when the weather gets colder, my normal body care routine sometimes goes out of the window.

The way I look at it, I'm not going to be flashing the flesh as much as maybe I would maybe in the summer so I can ease off on the hair removal and stop worrying so much about the state of my feet and my thighs. It's a total false economy though when you think about it, the more you ignore your feet the worse they get, if you look after them all year round it makes your life way easier when you get to sandal season. So in an effort to break the habit of a life time, this winter I'm whipping off that hair and I'm trying to take care of my poor little tootsies. 

Thanks to a poorly thyroid gland my feet need an awful lot of TLC. My heels are very dry, and cracked, and I'm prone to dry patches and calluses on my toes, throw in a dose of poor circulation and I need some serious help. I seriously do try, I exfoliate, and I use foot cream regularly, but at the moment nothing seems to be working, so for one of January's My Pure reviews, I decided to try out a product from one of site's newest brands OKKO.

Founded in the UK by two mums, OKKO's ambition is to make people feel comfortable in their own skin. They produce a small range of balm based products for the skin and the body, all of which are 100% natural and 100% environmentally friendly. All of their products are handmade in small batches for freshness, and contain no chemical additives. They are also suitable for vegans and they aren't tested on animals.

The product that I decided to try from the range was the OKKO Skincare Natural Foot Balm With Peppermint and Rosemary. The ingredients in this balm are like an A-Z of nourishing plant ingredients, it contains extra virgin olive oil, mango butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, rose hip oil and avocado oil, as well as vitamin E and peppermint oil, and rosemary oil, to refresh and soothe the skin.

This solid balm come packaged in a large eco friendly, cardboard tube similar to a lip balm, which saves on waste, and makes application a breeze. The balm itself has a solid waxy, oily texture and is translucent yellowish in appearance, which melts immediately on contact with the skin.

All you do is push the product up from the base, and apply it to clean dry, exfoliated skin. The balm melts on contact  and all you need to do is massage it gently into the skin. You can apply this all over the feet but I've been applying it specifically to my problem areas, mainly the sides of my toes and my heels. It doesn't absorb straight away so I would thoroughly recommend that you pop on a pair of cotton socks and let it soak in either for a few hours or if you can, overnight.

I'm not a huge fan of foot products fragranced with mint, and whilst this balm does contain peppermint extract, the rosemary fragrance dominates, given the feet a fresh feeling and a fresh scent.

I've been using this product every other day for around 3 weeks now and I can definitely see a difference. Appearance wise my feet look more healthier and hydrated, and there is definitely less dry skin on my heels and calluses on my toes. This product is great for moisturising the whole foot but for me, this product is ideal for those really troublesome areas that need a bit of extra love. 

This balm comes in a 42g tube but a little goes a long way, and since OKKO claim that even with daily use this product will last for for around 2 months, this product is both great value for money and great for your feet. The OKKO Skincare Natural Foot Balm With Peppermint and Rosemary comes in a 42g tube and retails at £14 from My Pure x  If you have any questions please let me know and thanks for reading x 

*Sample

Press Sample - Getting Those Tootsies Ready For Spring With Gwdihw - A Review For My Pure*

Well it looks as though spring had arrived with a vengeance, or should that be summer? Temperatures in my little part of Co Durham reached a fabulous 20° C this week, way above the March average. What does that mean yup we start exposing our bodies and of course out feet to the sun. It might be just me but personally I wouldn't dream of my exposing dry crusty feet in my sandals some people don't have a problem with this and that's fine but it's not for me. Like a lot of people out there I am really not a fan of feet, touching anyone elses bar my own brings me out in dry heaves, but I have to say I always try to keep my own feet looking the best they can, I don't always wear nail polish on my toes, but I always make sure that I exfoliate and moisturise them on a regular basis. Normal body or hand cream does the trick but more often than not I tend to go for a product specifically designed for the feet, so when I saw a new foot care product on the My Pure inventory I knew I had to give it ago.

My previous experience with Welsh brand Gwdihw - Good Hoo was a good one, their Nail Wizard Balm is definitely right up there in my products of the year so far ( click here to read my review), so I decided to see what else the brand had to offer, and low and behold they produce a foot balm.

Like the rest of their products the Twinkle Toes Foot Balm, is handmade in Wales using only local and natural ingredients. Again the ingredients list is a small one - it contains just five ingredients, Marigold Flowers, Coconut and Olive Oils, Beeswax and Lavender Essential.

There's something missing I hear you cry, where's the peppermint? where's the menthol? As much as I love foot creams and balms 90% of them smell of mint or menthol don't get me wrong I don't hate these fragrances and they can be really refreshing on the feet, I just prefer my foot cream to smell of something else, and this one does. It has an amazing fresh lavender aroma, don't think old lady lavender, think a fresh, zingy almost antiseptic lavender fragrance.

Packaged in a cute metal tin, it has quite a solid texture, that actually makes it quite hard to get any product out, so what I've been doing is putting the pot on the top of the radiator while I've been having my bath or my shower. This makes the balm a lot of softer and a lot easier to use.

I've then been rubbing it all over the soles of my feet, concentrating on the driest parts such as the balls of my feet and my heels. You can just leave it as it is, it does soak in pretty quickly but I've been putting a pair of socks on to give my feet a more intense treatment.

Has it made a difference? yes I think it has my heels don't feel as rough or look as chalky as they did before I started using it, the lavender also seems to really make my feet feel invigorated, and strange as it sounds more relaxed. I love this product an awful lot but like always there is a drawback, not the texture that can be easily remedied, it's the size of the pot. You get just 25g of product, I've been using this about twice a week  for around 3 weeks now and I'll be lucky if I have a quarter of the tub left. Maybe I'm over using it but it just doesn't seem to last that long when you use it on a regular basis, in it's current size despite the relatively reasonable price I can't really justify the purchase, put it in a bigger tin and my name will be at the top of the list. If you have any questions please leave me a comment. As of 2021 Gwdihw Goody Hoo Twinkle Toes Foot Balm retails at £4.49 for 25g from My Pure x

*Press Sample