Trimming My Stash - January, February And March 2023 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews* **

Nothing proves more that life gets in the way than this blog post - Already way later than I intended I originally started drafting it way back in December, which worked out fine for most of it, but not for the new year, new start introduction that I'd originally planned, so please forgive me for this probably garbled beginning. This post is the first of four that I'm hoping to get up before the end of February, sharing all of my beauty empties from 2023 with you. I've been debating for a while over which was the best and quickest way to do it, and I've decided to split all of 2023 empties into 4 blog posts, each post focusing on 3 months worth of empties, starting today with January, February and March.

January, a month supposedly of new beginnings and change, or in reality for most of us I guess, the start of more of the same! - I mean I always try to start the year on a positive note and make the odd change but that's not usually how it stays or what actually happens, but I guess that's life for you!

Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml
Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray - 240ml
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 400ml
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Bath & Body Works Merry Christmas Winter Candy Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

Total - 5 Items

My start to 2023, at least trimming my stash wise, wasn't too bad. It wasn't a spectacular start by any means, but it was a good steady month where I managed a pretty respectable 5 items, including 1 festive product, and a few staples.

1. Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml

This first item first made an appearance on the blog in my August 2022 empties post, and whilst you will see it mentioned in a quite few upcoming empties posts, it does now appear to have been discontinued or at least altered.

As I've said on many occasions I don't know whether it's down to illness or medication, but despite taking all of the gummy vitamins in the world, and spending a fortune on hair products, I'm sure that I still lose way more hairs than the average person.

This particular product was just one of my many anti hair loss products that I've tried over the years, and I have to say that these little vials did seem to help. You can read a little bit more about them and my experience with them here, but you just massaged some of the colourless, water like serum into your hair and scalp, and let it do its thing. My hair had more volume and felt thicker, and it looked a bit fuller as well. The biggest compliment you can give a product though, is when you stop using it you really do notice the difference, hence it's something that I've repurchased again and again.

Alas I couldn't justify keeping my Beauty Pie subscription, but my bestie still has hers, and she's been kind enough to place the odd order for me so I can still make use of the member prices. As I say though this product does appear to have been discontinued, or at least replaced by the Renewed Density Anti-Hair-Loss Treatment, which comes in a 100ml bottle and has a recommended member price of £19. The ingredients and description are very similar to these ampoules so I'm hoping that it's just a packaging switch up - I've got one to try so I'll let you know my thoughts when I've used it up x 

2. Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray - 240ml

Now in my previous empties post, I mentioned that 2022 was the year that I rediscovered my love of ear piercings, adding another 3 piercings to my admittedly quite small ears, and something that you need to do with especially new piercings is to clean them, preferably with saline solution.

While the NeilMed spray is by far my favourite. I did buy a couple of cans in a row that had problems with both the nozzles and the pressurisation , so I ended up trying a few other brands, while my anger subsided. 

For the price and the size of the can, this particular one is probably the best value saline spray on the market, but unlike the NeilMed spray it dispenses an awful lot of product at once, the mist is nowhere near as fine, so it tends to go everywhere, and obviously you end up wasting quite a bit as it ends up in your hair and running down your neck, but as I say it is a bit cheaper than the NeilMed version, and again it's pure saline with nothing else added, so I guess it depends on how your going to use it, and what type of piercing it's for.

This 240ml can of Stericlens Sterile Saline Spray retails at around £7.44 on Amazon, and the smaller 100ml bizarrely retails at around £8.48 also from Amazon. Various sizes and multipacks are also available from eBay.

3. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 400ml

If you're a regular reader of my empties posts then you'll know that there are some products that I buy over and over again, and this is definitely one of them. I'm not going to bore you by talking about it yet again, so I'll just say that I love this shampoo and so does my hair. If you're interested in finding out more about it them use the search function in the sidebar and have a little read.

This 400ml size retails at around £5 from both the AVON website, and via your local AVON representative, and if you love it as much as I do, then you can also get a 700ml super size, which retails at around £8.

4. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Next up something else that you're probably sick to death of seeing on here, so especially since this won't be there only appearance in this post, I'll keep it brief - Jolen Face Wax Strips = A literal holy grail product for me! You can read a full review here x Nuff said!

5. Bath & Body Works Merry Christmas Winter Candy Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

Now I'm a huge fan of Bath & Body Works as a brand, and whilst I love so many of their scents, this particular one was one of the first fragrances that I ever tried from the brand, and as a result it has a special place in my heart.

For me the quintessential festive scent, Winter Candy Apple, is fresh, fruity, and spicy. With notes of apple, rose petals, and candied orange, it will definitely appeal to anyone who loves fruity and foodie scents. Teamed up with Bath & Body Works, aloe, shea, and vitamin E, non drying foaming hand soap formulation, and you have a festive bathroom essential.

Alas this one has probably disappeared from shelves now till at least the Autumn but you might still be able to find it, in an in store sale section or on the secondary market.

So they were my January empties, as I say not a spectacular start trimming my stash wise, but a steady foundation and a place to build from.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose Limited Edition - 50ml
Easy Piercing Saline Solution - 50ml
Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask - 100ml
Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus + Spearmint Stress Relief Sugar Body Scrub - 368g

Total - 4 Items

Unfortunately I couldn't quite live up to that start in February 2023, and I only managed to finish another 4 items, including a couple of things you've seen before, something new and a limited edition item.

1. Alpha-H Liquid Gold Rose Limited Edition - 50ml

A few years ago you couldn't read a blog or any other form of beauty editorial or content without seeing at least version of this product been talked about and hyped up.

One of the original glycolic acid preparations on the market, this water like toner of sorts which contains 5% glycolic acid, is perfect for brightening and improving the texture of the skin, and I swear by it for helping reduce the appearance of pores, and keeping spots and blackheads at bay.

This particular bottle isn't the original though, this was and I believe still is a limited edition, and contains plant and flower extracts, such as lotus flower and damask rose. It has more moisturising ingredients than the original and it's recommended for people with a drier skin.

Whilst the scent was still quite astringent, it has a slight rose, geranium aroma, and whilst the familiar liquid gold tingle was still there, I personally though found this rose gold version to be a bit more gentle on the skin.

Whilst his version is quite hard to find now Cult Beauty do currently have the 100ml bottle in stock which retails at around £37. If you're a purist though and love the original, the original Liquid Gold is still widely available with the 30ml bottle retailing at around £14.99 from various retailers including ASOS, Space NK, Cult Beauty and Amazon. You can also get a large 100ml bottle for around £43, for most of these other retailers as well as from Look Fantastic, and M&S and if you fancy saving some money it's currently on offer at Amazon for £34.39!

2. Easy Piercing Saline Solution - 50ml

Next up another saline spray, what can I say I was still mad at NeilMed! I think I picked this particular one up because it was cheap, and I knew it must be decent because it's stocked at the studio where I get my piercings done.

Agin it's just pure saline solution with nothing else added, this 50ml spray actually lasted longer than I thought it would, and it would be perfect for travel or for just throwing in your bag to keep your piercings clean on the go.

I bought this particular bottle from Amazon where it retails at around £6.94.

3. Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask - 100ml

If you've been reading my blog for sometime now then you'll probably have already realised that I'm an advertiser or influencers dream. If something gets a cult reputation or if everyone seems to be talking about a product, then you can guarantee that I'll pretty much need it, and this was just one of those products.

I don't even think that it was that hyped up over its skincare benefits, it was more for the novelty value, with people turning their faces in fluffy, bubbly clouds that was the true selling point.

You can reads my review here, but I think that after finishing another pot my opinion has changed a little bit. This pot seemed to have a slightly different fresher scent, and I don't know if that was why, or if my skin has changed (probably more likely!) but I didn't seem to get on with this mask quite as well as I did. Whilst it still looked fun, I found the bubbling and tingly feeling a bit more uncomfortable this time round, so much so that I couldn't wait to wash it off, and it left my skin looking pretty pink.

Needless to say I probably won't be buying this again, and it's clear to see that the hype has now well and truly died down because this product is now really hard to find in the UK.You can find it on eBay, and whilst Amazon no longer stock the Elizavecca version there are several very similar looking products in their lists ranging from around £9.99 to £11.99.

4. Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus + Spearmint Stress Relief Sugar Body Scrub - 368g

Now it wouldn't be an empties post without the appearance of at least one body scrub, and this one was a new one for me. Whilst I definitely have a list of my favourite scrubs, that I'll definitely repurchase, I can't resist trying new ones, and this one if I remember rightly was a sale purchase again from Bath & Body Works.

From their 'Aromatherapy' range, comes a sugar scrub, which contains jojoba oil, in this case essential oils of eucalyptus and spearmint, as well as clary sage extract and safflower oil.

With a chunky, oily brown sugar like appearance, it has the super scrubby texture that I love, but it isn't too harsh or scratchy thanks to the high oil content that leaves the skin both exfoliated, moisturised and silky soft.

On paper this scrub is perfect for me but I just wasn't a huge fan of the scent. If I buy a product with eucalyptus in it, that's what I want it to smell like but for what ever reason, no matter what the brand I always end being disappointed. This scent isn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination it just isn't my favourite. The eucalyptus scent is definitely there but it's covered up by a lot of other things so you just end up with a herbal, green scent, a bit minty, head clearing but not really what I expected. This is definitely a unisex scent and I do think that a lot of people will love it, it just wouldn't be top of my list. There are a couple of other different scents in this scrub including a few lavender based scents though that I definitely want to try.

This scrub now comes in slightly different packaging, and retails at around £18 from NEXT Beauty online, and from Bath & Body Works stand alone stores and concessions.

So not a vintage performance in February, but could I do better in March 2022?

Eclat Advanced Foot Exfoliation Peeling Mask - 2 Socks - 60ml
Ginvera Green Tea Hydrating White Mask - 1 Sheet Mask
NeilMed Neil Cleanse Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash - 177.6g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Conditioner - 400ml

Total- 5 items 

Well, it turns out that I could - I went one better in March and equalled January's total of 5 items, including 3 things you've seen before, something new and an item from deep, deep in my stash!

1. Eclat Advanced Foot Exfoliation Peeling Mask - 2 Socks - 60ml

Something that March usually signifies is that winter is coming to its close and that spring is well and truly on its way, barring the odd rogue snow shower in April obviously! and if you're anything like me that means taking a closer look at what those boots, and fluffy socks have been hiding over the winter months.

I suffer from horribly dry feet and every now and then I love to use one of these masks to get rid of some of the worst calluses. I actually bought this particular one after seeing it mentioned on a Buzzfeed list which surprise, surprise featured predominantly Amazon products!.

You should know the drill by now - the sachet contained a pair of fibre lined plastic socks, cut them open and the socks contained a clearish liquid, which contained lactic and salicylic acids, lots of different alcohols, and oat kernel extract, which had a warm apple like, but slightly astringent scent.

As per the instructions I put the booties on to clean dry feel, and like every other similar product that I've tried they felt pretty squishy. They did feel slightly warm and stingy but nothing too strong or uncomfortable.

The instructions advised to leave them on for anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes, so you've guessed it, I left them on for the full 90! When I removed them my feet were covered in a slightly oily bubbly like solution. After rinsing my feet in warm water they looked a touch pink but nowhere near as red as some similar peels that I'd used in the past.

I initially had really high hopes for this peel, my skin started to feel tighter within 24 hours, and within 3 days the peeling had started, which is by far the quickest time of any previous mask that I'd used! Alas that was pretty much as good as it got, the dry skin peeled off here and there for another 5 or 6 days, and then it stopped. My feet were definitely smoother and less callused but it had barely made inroads into the dry skin on my heels. 

If you have the odd bit of dry or callused skin on your feet, then I would definitely give these a go, but unlike the original article suggested if your heels especially are thick and dry, then don't expect miracles.

That being said these aren't actually that expensive so they are probably worth a try. You can pick these up on Amazon for just £4.45 which is a pretty good price especially if you're a Prime customer (If you aren't though and you're in the UK don't forget you can use my link and sign up for a free 30 day trial!) You can also find them for various prices and multipacks on eBay.

2. Ginvera Green Tea Hydrating White Mask - 1 Sheet Mask

The next product on March's list came from the deep, deep depths on my skincare stash, and to be honest with you I have no idea where I got it from! 

I'm a huge, huge fan of the Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel facial peel, and this mask comes from the same brand. Containing green tea, vitamin C, and aloe vera, like so many Asian created masks this one is designed to hydrate, brighten and whiten.

The mask was a nice quality fibre sheet mask, I'm not sure how old this was so it wasn't really surprising that it wasn't the wettest mask that I'd ever used, but at least that made it fairly easy to unfold!

It didn't really have a lot of scent and since it seemed to dry out quickly I had a little lie and chill session for the 15 or so minutes that I had it on.

Despite the lack of moisture in the mask there was a little bit of leftover serum on my skin. I massaged it in an although it felt sticky for a good five minutes or so afterwards, my skin actually looked less red and more even, and my eye area especially looked a lot brighter.

Unfortunately I can't find this mask anywhere online, or I would have definitely considered repurchasing it. Even when it was 'way past its best' I still saw some good results, so if you know where I can buy this or if you can even recommend a reliable stockist of the Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel, then please let me know in the comments x 

3. NeilMed Neil Cleanse Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash - 177.6g

So after trying a few other saline sprays, I eventually retuned to my HG product - I talked about this is my previous empties post, so you can have a read and find out just way I rate this stuff so highly. If you have fresh or healing piercings then buy this! 

4. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Blah, Blah - Love them, I don't want to bore you and talk about them again - repeat to fade...

5. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Conditioner - 400ml

Question, are you one of those people who finishes their shampoo first or do you always end up using more conditioner? If you fall into the latter category then please tell me how that works - I just don't understand it!  I've use way more shampoo than I do conditioner, and again so it's proven, I finished the corresponding shampoo in January and I didn't finish the matching conditioner until March!

I've spoken at length on many occasions about how much I love the products in this range (have a little search if you don't believe me!) so if you've made it almost to the end of this post I'm not going to start boring you even further - lovely conditioner, my hair likes, and even though I'm currently using and loving something else at the moment, I will definitely continue to use and repurchase this product.

This 400ml size retails at around £5 direct from the AVON website or from you local rep.

If you've made it to the end of this post then thank you for your dedication and perseverance in reading this somewhat epic, longwinded post. I know it was long but I think that this is going to be the best way to try and my empties posts back up to date again x 

All in all a solid but not necessarily spectacular start to 2023 what with quarter of the year gone and 14 items down, surely if could only get better in the next quarter? Well, if you want to spoil the surprise then you can have a little look in my sidebar, otherwise you can hang on for my next empties post which should be live soon but in the meantime I'll have some fresh, probably beauty related content up soon x In the meantime though if you have any questions then please help save me from the spam and leave me a comment below, I hope that you all have a great start to the week and I'll see you all soon x 

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

**Prices And Information Correct At The Time Of Publication

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

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

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

Total - 7 Items

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Beautaniq Beauty Nourishing Mascara - Black - 8ml

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

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

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

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

Trimming My Stash - March And April 2022 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A Little Personal Update* **

I can hardly believe that it's been nearly two months since I last posted anything on here, and I have to say that even for me that's a pretty long disappearing act, and for that I'm truly sorry!

So, what have I been up to? Well quite a bit, and at the same time not a lot! As well as celebrating my birthday by spending a little bit of quality time with my friends and family, I've also been lost in the hell that is PIP renewal, and yet more unpleasant health stuff! The gist of it is that I have another couple of diagnoses to add to my already long list of medical concerns; Thankfully nothing immediately life threatening, but there is one that I'm actually going to talk about in more detail later in this post, that can be pretty painful, and unpleasant, and the other one is something that my GP is going to have to keep a close eye on. As the old saying goes, it never rains but it pours, but as they also say knowledge is power, and thanks to knowing just exactly what's wrong now, I'm definitely in a much better place at least in my mind than I was say a month ago.

So here I am again, back with a renewed since of purpose and a slightly less messy brain, ready to talk about some fun, escapist stuff. Today I've got an empties post for you, and in the spirit of playing catch up again, I'm doubling up and today you've got a two for one, with both my March and April Trimming My Stash posts all condensed into one beauty filled bundle just for you.

Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml
Vitamasques Pearl Sheet Mask - 1 x Face Mask
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - Geranium & Neroli - 75ml
L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml
Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g
Woo Woo Refreshing Wipes - 12 x Wipes

Total - 7 Items 

After a pretty poor start to the year, like in February in March I managed to finish another 7 beauty products. It was quite a hair product focused list this time around, with a couple of other little bits including something which is now one of my bathroom staples, and a product that literally made my mouth water!

1. Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Apple Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

Although I still wish that we had stand alone Bath & Body Works stores here in the UK, I'm really enjoying having slightly easier access to at least some of their products in their range via both NEXT online, and my local NEXT Beauty store in the Metrocentre, although I'm not sure my bank manager would agree!

I've bought a couple of things in the last few months from them but my huge Bath & Body Works hauls happened primarily during the latter part of 2021, and I went mad for all of their fall and festive scents!

This particular fragrance, was I believe one of their fall scents, and I literally had to do everything in my power to stop myself from having a taste, it literally smelled so good! As you would probably expect Pumpkin Apple had a gorgeous sweet fruity scent, with just a hint of tartness and warming apple pie spices - mouthwatering!

To the best of my knowledge Bath & Body Works do two different types of hand wash / hand soap, and this is the Gentle Foaming version, so instead of dispensing a gel or liquid soap, this pump action bottle dispense a blob of creamy feeling, dense, whipped foam.

Unlike some hand washes on the market this one was all about luxury and it was surprisingly moisturising. A little went a long way, and it was easy to rinse away leaving the hands clean, soft, smooth and smelling amazing, Not the cheapest hand wash out there but in this case I think you get what you pay for and this one for me was well worth the money.

I don't know if this particular scent was available in anything other than hand care products (I talked about the matching hand cream in my February 2022 empties post x) but I'm really hoping that Bath & Body Works bring back this scent for autumn / winter 2022.

2. Vitamasques Pearl Sheet Mask - 1 x Face Mask

Next up a skincare product that I received in the September 2021 edition of Glossybox UK. Since last year (and maybe even this year - eek!) was a bit of a fail when it came to Glossybox unboxings I'm trying to dig out and use as many of the products as I can and review them for you, and since this one was a nice, quick and easy one to use and review, way back in March I thought I'd give it a try.

From Korean style mask specialist Vitamasques, come their Pearl Sheet Mask. Containing real pearl powder, chamomile, peony, and centella asiatica extract, this is an anti-inflammatory mask that is designed to brighten dull and tired skin, and to protect against redness .

The shell shaped packet contained a good quality, thick, white fibre sheet mask. The mask itself was very wet and despite how wet it was the quality meant that it was pretty easy to unfold. Over the years I've used a lot of sheet masks and let's be honest sometimes they don't always fit that well, sometimes the eye holes, etc. are just too big or small, or they're in the wrong place, but I have to say that for me the fit of this one was pretty much spot on, and I think I have quite a large head, so read into that one what you will ;)

Before 

Like most sheet masks, this one initially felt quite cool on application, but it slowly warmed up to body temperature. As I say it was quite wet in the packet, soaked with a water like, liquid serum, but thankfully my skin seemed to absorb quite a lot of the liquid, so there were very few drips.

On Application

As per the instructions I left it on for about 20 minutes before removing it. Despite how much liquid my skin seemed to absorb there was still quite a bit of fluid left on my skin so it took quite a while to massage it in and for my skin to take it all in so my face remained quite sticky and damp for a good 10 to 15 minutes.

Immediately After Removal

After about 10 - 15 minutes my skin felt a touch smoother, and it also looked and felt more hydrated, less red, and it also seemed to have a slight sheen / glow to it. As time progressed my skin did feel a little bit oilier than usual but I love how it felt on my skin and how my skin looked afterwards. Throw in the biggest selling point for me which was the beautiful almost jasmine like white flower scent, and I would definitely consider buying this cruelty free mask again.

About 10 Minutes After Removal 

The Vitamasques Pearl Sheet Mask retails at around £4.99 and is available direct from Vitamasques. 

3. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer - Geranium & Neroli - 75ml

 
From something new to something that you've seen me talk about in several posts, Philip Kingsley's famous Elasticizer, and if you either haven't read my previous posts or you haven't heard of this stuff, where have you been?

Originally developed for the goddess that was Audrey Hepburn, Elasticizer to put it simply is an intensive hair conditioner that strengthens and revitalises the hair in just one use.

Apply a generous amount to damp hair, and leave it for at least 20 minutes but you can leave it on for pretty much as long as you want. My mam often leaves it on overnight, and at this time of year you can even pop it on before a beach trip for all day treatment and protection. Then all you do is just shampoo and condition your hair as normal and then voila! instantly softer, stronger better hair! Have a little search on the blog for Philip Kingsley Elasticizer and you'll find loads of posts where I sing its praises, it really is that good, and it's something that I will continue to buy and use.

This particular tube was a limited edition, and had a gorgeous aromatherapy like geranium scent, so it will probably be pretty difficult to find this particular one, but there are loads of other scents and sizes out there both on the high street and online from various retailers including direct from Philip Kingsley, Marks and Spencers, Feel Unique, Boots, Look Fantastic, John Lewis, and QVC UK.

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

Next up, the second of 3 hair care products in March's countdown and again it's something that you've seen before, and it's something else that you will no doubt get tired of seeing again and again in future posts.

I'm still at a bit of a loss as to how exactly this water like substance works but I know that it does something that my hair appreciates. You can read my thoughts on this one in a bit more detail here, but again it's something that I'll continue to buy and use, in fact I've just finished another bottle. I will definitely continue to buy this one, but I've actually just bought the new Colour Protect version to try, so I've you've already tried it I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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

Well I always knew that this day would come, and in mid March it finally arrived, and I finished my last product from the AVON Anti Hair Fall range!

Admittedly I still have a finishing product left, but still sad times - I've really enjoyed using both the shampoo and conditioner from this range, and whilst I do love the product that AVON replaced it with, I'll never forget that fruity, minty scent.

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

Suffering from as many ailments as I do, you reach a point where you actually dread going to see a doctor or nurse about a new symptom or problem for fear of what it may lead to, so you put it to the back of your mind, and try to deal with it the best you can, until it either gets too much or like me in this case you have a few spare minutes at the end of an appointment.

For a few years now I've been getting the very painful spot like lumps mainly on my underarms and on the tops of my legs and thighs. They don't always behave like normal spots in that they don't always burst or come to a head, but they can be really uncomfortable, and embarrassing and they leave behind horrid dark, pigmented type scars when they eventually disappear.

I vaguely remember asking a doctor about them, only to be told it was either down to shaving or ingrown hairs, recently though I mentioned it to my new doctor, and at last I have a proper diagnosis - Hidradenitis Suppurativa. I've linked to the Wikipedia page so you can read a bit more about but it's basically caused by blocked sweat glands / hair follicles.

Alas there is no real cure for it, but there are things that you can do to reduce the lesions and lessen the discomfort. At the moment I have quite a mild case so my GP recommend that I use an acne type wash on the affected areas, and after a little bit of online research a few people talked about salicylic acid soaps.

From a UK based company Moksha Beauty, this cruelty free, vegetable based bar contains sulphur, salicylic acid, vitamin E and exfoliating poppy seeds. It's antibacterial and is designed for use both on the face and body.

It has a herbal like scent mixed up with the scent of freshly struck matches - not amazing but I do think it's helping. It leaves the skin quite taut when you first rinse it off but touch wood I haven't had quite as many spots since I started using it, and the lumps that I have had don't seem to have gotten quite so large or uncomfortable.

As I say nothing can cure it but if I can keep on top of it, without going the antibiotic, steroid or surgery route, that will do me just fine. If anyone has the condition and has any other tips or product recommendations though I'd love to hear them, especially if you've found anything that helps with the pigmentation and scarring!

The Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar 100g retails at around £8.99 on Amazon UK and around £7.97 direct from Moksha Beauty.

7. Woo Woo Refreshing Wipes - 12 x Wipes

The final item that I finished in March, was another one that you've seen before, the Woo Woo Refreshing Wipes. You can read my thoughts on these here and here. I do like these for that yucky time of the month, but they aren't something that I use everyday. They retail at around £2.25 a pack from Superdrug if you fancy trying them for yourself. I actually haven't been to Superdrug for anything in what seems like an age (or a proper shopping centre come to think of it), so I'm actually trying another brand of intimate wipes at the moment, and of course I'll let you know my thoughts on those ones in a future empties post x 

So they were the 7 items that I finished in March, but I said this was a double header, so just how did I do in April...

Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Shower Gel - 250ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Softening Body Butter - 50ml
Berry Nice Body Scrub - 150ml
Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Shea Butter Hand Cream - 29ml
Derma V10 Gonk Printed Foot Pack - 1 x Treatment
Derma V10 Gonk Printed Sheet Mask - 1 x Treatment
The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee Shower Gel - 250ml

Total - 8 Items 

Well in April, I managed to go one better and I managed to finish 8 beauty products, making April my best month of 2022 so far. Again I managed to use up a good assortment of products including some fun things, and a couple of gold standard items.

1. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips *

First up on April's list is new ish product to me that's quickly achieved holy grail status in LouLouLand, and it's the second pack of Jolen Face Wax Strips that I was sent a little while ago to review. You can read my full review here, and whilst this was the last packet that I was sent, you will definitely see these again in a future post, because I loved them so much that I went out and bought another 4 boxes! That's commit and dedication for you ;)!

2. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Shower Gel - 250ml

3. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Softening Body Butter - 50ml

Next up a double header, with 2 products from one of my favourite festive ranges from The Body Shop in recent years, Juicy Pear. 

These two products really were the perfect combo, a non drying, gently foaming shower gel, and a lovely creamy, nourishing body butter with an amazing sweet yet tart sugary pear scent - In my opinion this scent wasn't just for Christmas, it was a scent that worked equally well in the summer months. I think I might have a couple of Juicy Pear bits left here and there but I'm not too worried about using them up, because I have a whole load of products from the Christmas 2021 Kindness & Pears range which smells exactly the same and it might be a little bit easier for you to track down either in  The Body Shop outlet stores, or on the secondary market.

4. Berry Nice Body Scrub - 150ml

If you're a regular reader of this blog then you'll know that there are 2 things that I particularly love - body scrubs and bargains, and this next product combines both of those things.

I can't remember exactly how much this particular scrub was but I know it was reduced and I know that I picked it up in Poundland.

Officially described as a blueberry body scrub, this densely packed scrub had a sort of blue raspberry scent. If you've ever had a blue slush puppy then that's exactly what this smelled like, slightly synthetically sweet, with a touch of pleasant sourness to it. I really wish I'd taken a picture of the scrub itself for you because the colour was something else, it was a deep, cool almost turquoise blue colour.

I'm not sure if it was a salt or sugar based or even a combination of the two but it had a nice scrubby feel to it, with the added bonus, that it temporarily made you look like a smurf! Thankfully the scrub and the blue colour rinsed away pretty easily leaving no residue behind just soft and smooth skin. For the price whatever it was, I actually really liked this scrub, I loved the slightly retro scent, it was fun to use, and it did everything that you'd want it to.

Given the high turnover of products in Poundland, I would suspect that this particular product will now be quite difficult to find, but if I did see it again, I'd definitely pick up another pot or two.

5. Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Shea Butter Hand Cream - 29ml

Next up a slightly more expensive product and it's another item from one of Bath & Body Works fall and festive ranges. I've been buying (all be it with difficulty!) products from Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple range for well over 15 years now, and there is a reason why this scent keeps coming back year after year.

This scent for me is something special - a spicy, sweet fruity combination of red apples, winter rose, candied orange, cinnamon and maple - it's perfect for the festive season and beyond.

Team that beautiful scent with Bath & Body Works signature shea butter filled hand cream formula, that sinks in really quickly for such a rich product, and leaves the hands super soft and protected, and for me it's a winner.

Seeing as this is a seasonal scent it's probably only available on the secondary market at the moment, but fingers crossed it comes back into stores for the 2022 holiday season.

6. Derma V10 Gonk Printed Foot Pack - 1 x Treatment

Something else that I missed on the blog this year is Easter. I ate way too much chocolate, I made my Creme Egg Cheesecake, and I tried out a couple of Easter themed pampering treats. Both come from Derma V10 and both were bargain £1 from Poundland. First up feet and I tried this pair of Easter themed gonk moisturising socks.

Containing passion flower, sugar cane, pineapple, red grape, lemon and olive oil extracts, these were basically fibre lined plastic bootees, that were filled with a slightly sweet smelling, milky water like serum.

Really simple to use, all you do is pop them onto your feet and chill for around 20 minutes or so, before removing them and massaging the copious amounts of leftover serum into your feet.

Like the Christmas themed socks that I tried way back in December I was pretty impressed with these socks for the price. My feet looked noticeably less dry and they felt really soft and smooth. It's a shame these ones were a limited edition but there are some similar foot packs in the permanent or at least more widely available Derma V10 range so I might give one of those a try in the future.

7. Derma V10 Gonk Printed Sheet Mask - 1 x Treatment

Just like at Christmas Derma V10, and Poundland also did a matching Easter themed sheet mask. Featuring an orange and pink Easter bunny gonk design, this mask contained hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and prickly pear extract, as well as liquorice root, rosemary and aloe vera, this 20 minute mask was designed to moisturise the skin and to leave it smooth and hydrated.

Immediately on opening the packet you could smell a sweet, but subtle watermelon scent. The mask itself was damp but it wasn't the wettest mask that I've ever used but it was of a decent quality so it was pretty easy to unfold.

Like most sheet masks it initially felt quite cool on the skin but it quickly warmed up to body temperature. The instructions said to leave it on for 20 minutes but I only ended up leaving it on for about 15 minutes, as it started to feel quite dry to the touch.

There was a little bit of excess serum left on my skin, which as per the instructions I massaged into my face. My skin felt a touch tacky at first but after a few minutes my skin felt dewy and hydrated, and it looked fresher and as though I'd just applied some moisturiser. It seemed to be just what my skin needed after copious amounts of chocolate! Alas like the foot mask this one was also a limited edition but as I say I'll definitely be taking a closer look at some of the other products in the Derma V10 range.

8. The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee Shower Gel - 250ml

Finally another product from The Body Shop, and I've got to say that I'm a little bit embarrassed to show you this one, because this product has to be be from at least 7 years ago!

Originally released as part of their Christmas 2014 offerings The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee collection was another one of my all time favourite festive ranges. With fair trade vanilla extract and honey, this gorgeous custard like, creamy, foaming shower gel, had a lovely warm, spicy, almost caramel like sugary vanilla scent, that stayed the same right up to the very last drop in the bottle.

This range is obviously long gone now but I'd love to see a similar scent again this year, fingers crossed.

So all in all 2 pretty good months, and a good mixture of products to boot. Obviously May's already been and gone now (My May empties post will be up soon!) so fingers crossed I can finish June on a high. As per usual if you have any questions or comments please let me know, and thank you again for your patience and your continued support. In my absence I hit 1.8 million all time page views which is totally insane. Thank you so much, you don't know how much it means to me knowing that people still take time out of their day to visit my little spot on the internet, it's still crazy to me and I'm forever grateful xx

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