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 - November And December 2022 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A 2022 Round Up*

Hey everyone, I hope you are all having a good week - it's nearly the weekend! I don't know what it is at the moment but we seem to be lurching from one drama to the next! I've been knocked for six with a virus culminating in an out of hours doctors visit on Saturday afternoon; all 3 cats have been poorly and have ended up at the vets, my mam had a hospital appointment last Friday, and believe you me all of that is only the tip of the iceberg, so fingers crossed you've had a better few weeks than I have!

Anyways apart that I've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes on the blog, including working on some exciting new collaborations, and prepping a long awaited giveaway post. Before all of the excitement of that though, it's empties catch up time, and today we're travelling back nearly a whole year to November and December 2022, to take a look at all of the products that I used up way back then, and just what I though about them.

Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Bath & Body Works White Barn Cactus Blossom Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml
Smooth Coffee Coffee Body Scrub - 200g
Eclat Acne Cream - 50g

Total - 4 Items 

Ah November, that transitional month from autumn into winter, the month of bonfire night, Christmas light switch ons, and Black Friday, and seemingly sub par trimming my stash performances. Like in October I only managed to finish 4 items, including a few things that you've seen before as well a couple of new bits.

1. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

I guess it's no real surprise that these babies make another appearance in an empties post. Since I was first sent these facial wax strips to review in early 2022 they've become a permanent fixture in my beauty routine and I probably been using about 1/2 to a full packet every month.

You can read a full review of them here (including some lovely hairy themed pictures ;), I really can't recommend them enough. They're good quality, they remove even the shortest hairs, and they're really affordable. My hairs are finer and are less dense, and honest I couldn't be with them now.

I've been buying these for around a £1 in both Savers and B&M, but I recently picked up a few packets in B&M for just 89p each. I'm also lead to believe that they are available in some Poundland stores, even though I've personally seen them there. If you fancy buying them in bulk, or you want them delivered to your door and you don't mind paying a little bit more, you can also find them on Amazon, o them on eBay and on Ocado.

2. Bath & Body Works White Barn Cactus Blossom Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

As much as I love a bargain something that I've really loved splurging on over the last year or so, are Bath & Body Works hand washes and hand soaps. They aren't cheap but thankfully I have managed to pick a few up bottles in various NEXT sales and this particular one was one of these bargains.

In my favourite 'gentle foaming' formulation, Cactus Blossom is one of their most popular permanent fragrances. The scent is officially described as 'the scent of a sweet tropical oasis with notes of cactus flower petal, sun-kissed coconut and sparkling lemon'. For me though, as someone who is rubbish at describing scents, it has a real heady tropical floral scent, with just a hint of fruity sweetness and freshness. I'm a huge fan of the Victorias Secret fragrance 'Tease' and this definitely has some similarities.

Couple an amazing scent with Bath & Body Works amazing shea butter, aloe vera, vitamin E, and essential oil formulation, and you have a luxurious, non drying foaming hand wash that's perfect for a powder room or an upstairs bathroom.

These hand soaps retail at around £10 each but a little goes a long way, and you're feeling savvy, then when you get to around half way down the bottle fill it up with water, give it a shake and continue using your now full bottle of hand wash. The product is really concentrated so adding some water honestly doesn't make that much of a difference bar it making the bottle last twice as long ;).

Officially only available from NEXT Beauty online, and in selected NEXT stores with Bath & Body Works concessions, there are loads of other Cactus Flower products to choose from including a fabulous candle which I would throughly recommend. You can also buy a whole range of different Cactus Flower products including some exclusives, rare and discontinued products on eBay.

3. Smooth Coffee Coffee Body Scrub - 200g

From something that can be a bit spendy, to something super affordable, and it's a product I first showed you way back in the  summer of 2021. Costing just £1 from Poundland, the predominantly salt based body scrub also contained arabica coffee seed powder and walnut shell powder, and it did the job perfectly; it was scrubby enough for me and it also won praise from Mummy Lou for not clogging up the shower drain, and not leaving everything gritty and brown! You can see some pics and read a full review here.

Unfortunately I haven't seen this in store for quite some time, and I can't find it anywhere on the new Poundland website! Yes, you heard me, you can now buy all of your favourite Poundland goodies and some very interesting special buys (including PIXI, Elemis and L'Occcitane!) online. Alas no chilled, frozen or PEP & Co products yet but I can imagine it being a real godsend for anyone who can't make it to a store. As I say I can't find this particular item on there but I would recommend their Sooo Cocoa Cocoa Butter Salt Scrub which is only £1.50 for 270g - I will be featuring it in a future empties post but it's pretty similar at least texture wise to this one.

4. Eclat Acne Cream - 50g

I've mentioned it in a few posts now, but if you don't already know last year I was diagnosed with a skin condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS), which causes nasty almost boil like spots and scarring, in areas such as the under arms and inner thighs. 

I'm quite lucky that so far my case is relatively milk, but it doesn't look very nice, and the lesions can be quite painful. Treatment options are varied, but there doesn't seem to really be one definitive cure or answer. One of the options I was given was just to treat like acne and to use products like spot creams and products containing salicylic acid to try and keep it under control.

I did a little search online and I've bought a few products that other people recommended, and I've made a few other changes to me everyday routine, but this particular item was something that I just randomly came across. You know what it's like, it's late at night and you're just randomly scrolling through Amazon, just searching for random stuff, I think I was searching for spot or acne treatments and I came across this.

From 'nature powered' beauty brand Eclat Natural Skincare, this is as the name suggests an acne treatment cream. Designed to prevent and treat breakouts, and reduce oiliness, pores and blackheads, this cream contains salicylic acid, vitamin C, olive oil, safflower seed oil, and allantoin.

It has a dense but lightweight texture, and it absorbs into the skin really quickly. It has a very slight menthol type scent, and whilst it initially feels cool and slightly tingly on the skin, that feeling quickly subsides.

What I like about this product compared to some other acne and spot treatments, it that it doesn't seem to dry out the skin. Obviously underarms are quite a sensitive area and this cream definitely doesn't cause anymore irritation, the skin feels almost moisturised and in my case it does seem to calm down active ares, and prevent the spots from getting any worse.

The pot is pretty tiny but a small amount goes along way, especially if your just treating individual areas, with an RRP of £9.99 it's also pretty affordable , cruelty free and vegan. I bought my initial pot and the one I'm currently using from Amazon but it's actually out of stock on there and on the Eclat website, but I'm lead to believe it should be restocked shortly. In the meantime though you can also find it on eBay.

So they were my empties from November 2022, not an amazing total but they all count and hopefully you'll agree there were a couple of interesting items in the all be it very short list. I did say that this was a double header, so it's time now to move on to the last month of 2022 and to find out whether or I ended the year with a bang or more of a whimper?

NeilMed Neil Cleanse Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist Wound Wash - 177.6g
Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Cupcake Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml
If The Shoe Fits Little Miss Princess Twinkle Toes' Moisturising Foot Mask Socks - 2 x Foot Mask Socks

Total - 5 Items 

Okay, it wasn't the spectacular ending to the year that I would have liked, but I did go one better than in November and in December I managed to finish 5 items. Again there are a few both old and new staples on the list, and a few newer random things, all in all not a bad mix to end the year on.

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

2022 was the year when I caught the piercing bug again. In September of last year, I added a daith piercing to my left ear, and then in December I added two new helix piercings to the same ear.

To be honest I can't really remember getting any real aftercare instructions with any of my previous 8 ear piercings, bar being sold bottles of aftercare solution, but nowadays the best advice for a new piercing is to keep it clean with sterile saline solution. I must admit at the time I got slightly addicted to piercing videos on Tik Tok, and this particular product kept being recommended by both professional piercers and piercing fans alike.

It's just sterile saline solution, and nothing else, no preservatives, alcohol, tea tree or anything. The can is pressurised so the mist is actually really fine, and the slightly longer nozzle means that you can get right into those awkward areas meaning you can just spray and go, so there is no excuse not to keep your piercings clean. 

I love the spray on this one, the size of the can, and just how long it lasts. Alas I had a couple of faulty cans in a row which meant I did try a few, all be it cheaper, products, but I keep coming back to this particular product, and it's one that I will continue to repurchase, especially when I get round to getting my daith hoop switched out, and fingers crossed my right conch pierced before the year is out!

This particular size retails at around £13.99 from Amazon but it's also available both in this size and in a smaller size at several different price points from eBay.

2. Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Cupcake Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - 259ml

I'm sensing a bit of deja vu in these next 2 products at least - that's what happens sometimes though, you finish the same or similar products over and over again, so next up it another gentle foaming hand soap from Bath & Body Works, this time in one of their fall and festive fragrances.

As much as Bath & Body Works have some really nice core fragrances, I really think that their seasonal scents are where it's at, even if it annoys me when my favourites don't reappear year after year.

So from fall 2022 comes Pumpkin Cupcake - again with aloe vera, vitamin E, and shea extract, this scent has notes of 'baked pumpkin, whipped vanilla frosting and golden honey.' If you like foodie based, spicy and sweet scents then this is / was the fragrance for you - it was sweet, warm and cakey - if you're a fan of The Body Shop's Vanilla Pumpkin then you'll love Pumpkin Cupcake. 

Whilst there are a few pumpkin based things from Bath & Body Works on the NEXT website, this particular scent doesn't appear to have returned in 2023, you can however get the Pumpkin Apple hand soap which I would 100% recommend. If you have a concession near you it might be worth having a look in store, if not these are loads of pumpkin themed Bath & Body Works products on eBay including a few Pumpkin Cupcake bit, and some US exclusives.

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

I hope you appreciate the fact that I have gone to the trouble of taking and editing another photo of these for you LOL ;) You'll probably be pleased to know that I won't be waffling on and repeating myself again, singing the praises of this product - just scroll up to see what I think ;)

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

Next up another items that you've already seen quite a lot of on this blog so again I'm not going to go into too much detail about it. I love this stuff, I've used numerous bottles of it now, I don't know how it works, but what I do know is that it makes my hair less frizzy and easier to control. I've tried a few similar products now but I keep coming back to this one. If you want to find out more about what this product does and a bit more on how it works then have a little search on the blog to find out more x 

5. If The Shoe Fits Little Miss Princess Twinkle Toes' Moisturising Foot Mask Socks - 2 x Foot Mask Socks

New Years Eve - a night of celebration and wild partying, or if you're more like me a night of pampering, cosy PJ's, nibbles, fizz and a good film! Since I'm very much a home bird on New Years Eve - I'm definitely on the fun, relaxation and self care train - it therefore makes sense that the very last product that I finished in 2022 was a pampering product and it was this foot mask.

I think I actually bought this set maybe a year earlier as a gift for someone but I completely forgot about it, and when I rediscovered it I decided to keep it for myself! If you're around my age then you'll probably remember a period of time when the Little Miss characters were everywhere! I know I ended up with a whole load of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and nightwear with the Little Miss Naughty character on from the likes of Debenhams, Miss Selfridge, and if you know you know, La Senza, in fact I think I still have a dressing gown somewhere, and it's safe to say I still have a bit of nostalgic love from the characters.

This cute set contained 3 Little Miss themed beauty and pamper products - a lip mask, an eye mask and this foot mask.

The packet contained a pair of alas not Little Miss designed, plain plastic socks. They were definitely shorter and smaller than some similar products that I've tried, and on my size 8 feet they ended up being a bit more like a trainer sock, so I was pretty pleased that they still fit!

The plastic socks had a thin fibre lining and contained a runny liquid containing vitamin E and rose extract, which had a slightly astringent fruity floral scent.

When I first put the socks on the liquid almost seemed to bubble up. The socks obviously felt cool and soggy but they did sting a little bit on the odd cat scratch!

As instructed I removed the socks after 20 minutes and there was quite a bit of froth on my skin. This was a rinse off mask, so I rinsed it off with warm water and dried them off with a towel. After drying then looked a bit wrinkled and a bit red, and whilst they felt more relaxed there was no real difference in the smoothness of my skin, and later that night I did notice that they got a bit itchy, but that could have been down to the bubbly and the cheese overload!!

I think that these were a fun gift or stocking filler but don't expect any skincare miracles. I bought this gift set in the local north east institution that is Boyes Stores, but it is available from anywhere in between £8.99 - £10.99 on eBay who also sell a whole load of other Little Miss themed beauty items.

There you have it then, my empties for the last two months for 2022, and another 9 items were added to my Trimming My Stash 2022 total, which you can see in all its glory below...

January - 3 Items
February - 7 Items
March - 7 Items
April - 8 Items
May - 7 Items
June - 4 Items
July - 6 Items
August - 7 Items
September - 5 Items
October - 4 Items
November - 4 Items
December - 5 Items

2022 Total - 67 Items

Well, if you look at it statistically at least, 2022 was a little bit of a disappointment when it comes to trimming my stash, never mind with anything else. In 2022 I managed to finish just 67 items, which was way down on both 2021's total of 94, and on 2020's total of 75, and I actually managed to equal 2019's total, making 2022 my joint worst performance since I started logging and blogging my beauty empties.

There is no doubt that I could have done better, but overall I'm still pretty pleased with my total. That's 67 less products cluttering up my office, my bathroom and my bedroom, and since I've been both buying less, and I've been starting to clear out some expired and unwanted products, I'm definitely starting to create some spaces here and there.

Obviously trimming my stash is a regular thing both for me personally and for the blog, so I'm doing it again this year. I've been updating the items in my side bar but I'll be updating it properly with the totals and so on over the weekend, and in the next week or so I'll be starting to play catch up with monthly total and mini review posts. Be warned they are probably going to be pretty epic posts covering around 3 months worth of products each, at least until I get back up to date anyways x 

Thanks again for your patience with all of the catch up stuff, I really appreciate it - If you're doing something similar then let me know how you're doing in the comment, and I will see you soon either with an autumnal nails of the day or my long awaited giveaway ;) x

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total - 4 Items

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

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

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

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

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

Pink Clay On Application 

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

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

Pink Clay After Removal

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

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

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

Golden Glow On Application

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

Golden Glow After Removal

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

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

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

2. Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 30g

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

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

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

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

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

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

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

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

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

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

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

Total - 6 Items 

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

1. Berry Smooth Strawberry Foaming Salt Scrub - 240g

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

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

4. Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion - 400ml

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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