Trimming My Stash - September 2021 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

I don't know about you, but I'm finding it really hard to understand just where this year has gone! I'm sure I say this every year but the days, weeks, and months seem to go by way quicker than they did when I was a child, but here we are, it's now less than 6 weeks to Christmas, and I can now safely say that 2021 has been a bit of a fail.

For various reasons (mainly health related) I haven't achieved what I wanted to on either a personal or on a blogging level. So with the year hurtling towards a close, all I can promise is that I'm going to give it my all in the remaining weeks of 2021, and I'm going to try and post as often as I can, whilst at the same time trying my best to maintain my own, almost impossible to achieve, standards (being a perfectionist and never being happy with anything you do full on sucks!).

Although my Glossybox posts and my other more general reviews have gone up the spout, I have just about managed to keep my empties posts pretty much up to date -Shock of horrors I'm only 2 months behind, and today I'm going to make only 1 month behind by sharing my September Trimming My Stash post with you x 

L'Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml
Cuccio Naturale Cuticle Revitalizing Oil - Lavender & Chamomile - 75ml
Bubble T Blueberry Hand Cream - 60ml
Vivienne Westwood Naughty Alice Eau De Parfum - 30ml
L'Occitane Shea Butter Rose Petals Hand Cream - 30ml
Oh K! Bubble Sheet Mask - 1 x 23g Sheet Mask
L'Occitane Honey And Lemon Hand Cream - 75ml
Elysium Spa Avocado & Lime Sea Salt Scrub Body Exfoliator - 200g
Lush Yog Nog Shower Gel - 275g
You're Sweet! Exfoliating Cubes - Sweet Candy Exfoliating Cubes - 8 x 10g
eos Evolution Of Smooth Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml

Total - 11 Items

At last I did it! After 3 months in a row of finishing a massive 10 items, in September in eventually managed to go one better, and finish 11 beauty products, making it my best month of the year so far! Alas no make up but a nice mix of body care products, with a few skin and hair care products thrown in for good measure.

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

First up one of those products, where I bought into the hype, and unsurprisingly fell hook, line and sinker in love! There was a period of time, I think, earlier this year, when this stuff was everywhere, in magazines, on blogs, and on Instagram, and being the beauty junkie that I am I couldn't resist giving it a try.

You can read a little bit more on what it does and how it works here, but to put it simply, this stuff is amazing! Although it looks like water, it's super quick and easy to use, and it leaves your hair feeling softer, looking smoother and less flyaway and smelling gorgeous.

I don't use it every wash, only when I'm going to be blow drying my hair, but it really is a revelation and it's something that I will continue to buy.

L'Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water has an RRP of £9.99, and is available from the like of Superdrug, Boots, Amazon UK, and Look Fantastic. If you fancy trying it for yourself though, then it's worth shopping around a bit because you regularly find for around half price.

2. Cuccio Naturale Cuticle Revitalizing Oil - Lavender & Chamomile - 75ml

Over the last year or so I've mentioned quite a few cuticle oils from European professional nail brand, Cuccio (You can read me thoughts here, here and here x) but of all of the scents that I've used so far, this one is by far my favourite.

In the salon size, glass, globe like, angled base, dropper bottle, this gentle lavender scented nail and cuticle oil contains safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, and cotton seed oil, as well as lavender and chamomile extracts.

Perfect for bedtime use, this oil is lovely and hydrating, but without feeling overly heavy or greasy. I'm currently using another bottle of the White Limetta & Aloe Vera oil, and some pure jojoba oil on my nails and cuticles, but I will definitely be repurchasing this particular scent in the future.

This particular scent comes in a variety of sizes but this 75ml size retails at anywhere between £12.99 and around £8.95 from various retailers including direct from Cuccio, Nail Polish Direct, eBay and Amazon.

3. Bubble T Blueberry Hand Cream - 60ml

Next up another hand and nail product, and this time it's another hand cream from Bubble T, and it's the first of 4 hand creams in the post! Although I'd tried a few products from fruity, tea inspired beauty brand Bubble T, up until I tried the Bubble T Peach Bellini Restoring Hand Cream that came in the February 2021 edition of Glossybox UK, I'd never tried one of their hand creams before.I enjoyed using the limited edition Peach Bellini version so much that I went out and bought another couple of hand creams from the brand, including this one.

Similar in texture and appearance, and performance to the previous hand cream that I'd tried, this one also contained aloe vera, and shea butter, and it had a sweet, fruity, almost bubblegum like grape / berry scent. Again it was a nice hand cream, it wasn't too heavy or greasy, making it ideal for everyday use.

This price for this particular hand cream seems to vary a little bit, but you can find it anywhere between £1.99 and £4 from various stockists including Amazon UK, Look Fantastic, Beauty Expert, and NEXT Beauty.

4. Vivienne Westwood Naughty Alice Eau De Parfum - 30ml

For someone who loves fragrance as much as I do, it's been a long, long time since I featured a fragrance on the blog, and this one is a bit of an old favourite of mine.

This particular scent is another product that I remember there being a lot of hype about. I can't remember whether though the hype was due to the fragrance itself, or down to the cute heart, Vivienne Westwood logo, charm bracelet that came with each bottle. My bracelet lies forgotten somewhere in one of my many jewellery boxes, and despite the initial hype, it seems as though the fragrance has now been largely forgotten as well.

With notes of black rose, ylang ylang, violet and pink pepper, this warm floral scent always reminded me of a more grown up version of one of the most well known scents of the 80's and 90's Coty Exclamation!

I would definitely have considered buying another bottle of Naughty Alice, but alas it appears to have been discontinued, and whilst you may be lucky enough to find a reasonably priced bottle, all of the bottles that I can find on the secondary market seem to be on sale for around £100 a more, which unless you're a serious perfume collector, is quite frankly ridiculous. I loved you Naughty Alice but not that much!

5. L'Occitane Shea Butter Rose Petals Hand Cream - 30ml

Next up another hand cream, and it's the first of two luxurious products in this post from French brand L'Occitane. With 20% shea butter, this was one of their thicker hand creams, it had a rich creamy texture, and a heavenly, fresh, powdery, almost fruity rose scent.

It took a little bit of time to absorb, as most of the L'Occitane shea butter based hand creams do, but it left the hands feeling velvety soft, and delicately scented.

This particular L'Occitane hand cream, like so many that I feature on the blog, was a limited edition, but if you're after a rose scented hand cream there are currently a few different ones on the L'Occitane website, which retail at around £8 for a 30ml travel size like this one.

6. Oh K! Bubble Sheet Mask - 1 x 23g Sheet Mask

From hands to face, but no space - the next item on September's list is a skincare product and it's a sheet mask from Korean inspired brand Oh K!  Now we're all familiar with ordinary paper sheet masks but this one is just a little bit different, it's a bubble sheet mask!

Containing willow bark extract, this serum soaked mask reacts with the oxygen in the air to create tiny bubbles which exfoliate the skin, and help to reduce the appearance of pores.

The instructions say to squeeze the packet before you open it, to make sure that the serum is evenly distributed throughout the mask. The mask itself is made from charcoal fibre, which in itself can minimise pores, and purify the skin. Given the charcoal the mask is quite dark in colour, and although it's of a good thickness, and good quality, the dark colour does make it a little bit tricky to unfold because you can't really see the folds very well.

Before

With a pleasant green, herbal scent, almost as soon as you apply it you can start to see and feel the bubbles forming both on top and underneath the mask.

On Application

It initially felt quite cool on application, but as the oxygen reaction started to do it's thing, almost immediately you started to feel a tingly, tickly, popping sensation, that continued as the bubbles grew!

After 10 Minutes    

The instructions advise that you leave the mask on for at least 10 minutes, and for no longer than 15 minutes, so I left it on for around 10 minutes, before peeling it off. Immediately after removal, my face was covered in a layer of bubbly, foam.

Straight After Removal

After rinsing my face with warm water as instructed, and then patting my skin dry, my face looked a touch pink, but it looked very clean, and clear, and it felt almost squeaky clean!

After Rinsing 

I really love just how clean my skin feels after using bubble masks like this one. I know a lot of people aren't keen on the tingling and prickling sensation, but I love it when a product actually feels as though it's working, and after all who doesn't like impersonating a cloud with all of those lovely bubbles!

The Oh K! Bubble Sheet Mask retails between £4 and £4.50 and is available direct from Oh K! as well as from Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, Boots, and NEXT Beauty.

7. L'Occitane Honey And Lemon Hand Cream - 75ml

Next up yet another hand cream, and this one is without a doubt one of my favourite hand creams of all time and you can read a little bit more about it here x 

Although I'm not a huge fan of honey, this hand cream had a warm sweet scent, cut through with just a hint of citrus. Team that comforting scent up with L'Occitane's rich and decedent hand cream texture and in my eyes you have a winner!

Alas this one has now been discontinued as well, and sadly this was the last large tube that I had left - Thankfully, I do still have a tiny, tiny little tube so I'll be able to enjoy this scent for just a little bit longer.

8. Elysium Spa Avocado & Lime Sea Salt Scrub Body Exfoliator - 200g

Now if you're a regular reader, you'll already know that I'm partial to a bargain. I love high end beauty products as much as the next blogger, but lets be real, in these current confusing times, sometimes we just don't have the money for a proper splurge, and even though prices have risen across the board you can still find a beauty bargain if you look hard enough.

If you live in the North East, or Yorkshire, then you might be lucky enough to have a Boyes store near you. Never the most organised of shops, Boyes sells everything from hardware, to craft supplies, clothing, miss matched china, and of course health and beauty products. I'm lucky enough to live quite near to a store but I've got to say that I don't actually go in that often, but I really should. I went recently and picked up a super cute 2022 diary, and a pile of beauty bits including a rainbow Wet N' Wild highlighter, and this body scrub.

I was really pleased to see a whole range of products from a brand called Elysium Spa. I'd previously tried and really liked a lavender shower gel from them, and as well as picking up the eucalyptus shower gel that I'd been looking for, I thought I'd try one of their body scrubs - there were a few different ones to choose from but I went for the Avocado And Lime Sea Salt Body Scrub.

Containing sea salt, sweet almond oil, jojoba butter, avocado oil, and lime oil, it came packaged in the cutest little screw top tub / bucket. The scrub inside was pale yellow in colour, and it resembled slightly damp table salt that you can just about clump together with your fingers.

I don't know quite what I was expecting scent wise, but I think I was probably expecting it to have a little bit more of a fruity scent. In reality though it actually reminded me of a fresh unisex, or even aftershave, cologne like scent.

Use wise, it was pretty simple, you just needed to grab a handful, and massage it over damp skin. It wasn't rough or scratchy, but you definitely feel as though you'd given your skin a thorough exfoliation - like all salt scrubs it did sting a bit on cuts and scratches (the perils of cat ownership!) so I wouldn't use it directly after hair removal but it wasn't too bad. Being predominantly a salt scrub it rinsed away really easily and it dissolved straight away leaving no mess in the shower and super soft, smooth skin.

I can't remember whether this was a £1 or just 99p, but either way it was a bargain, and I'm definitely going to try some of the other scents and formulations in the future.

9. Lush Yog Nog Shower Gel - 275g

From a scrub to a shower gel, and it's one of Lush's festive offerings. Containing maple syrup water, clove bud oil, and ylang ylang, Yog Nog not only looks beautiful with its shimmery, gold finish, but it also smell amazing! Officially described as caramel scented, for me it has more of a spicy, sweet, burnt caramel, almost honeycomb scent! Use it in the shower, and both you and your bathroom will smell mouth watering.

I know that Lush is famous for Snow Fairy, but if you haven't tried Yog Nog yet you really are missing out. I shouldn't really be buying anymore shower products but I will definitely be picking up another bottle this festive season.

This 275ml size retails at £12, you can also a 100ml taster bottle for £6, and a huge 550g bottle for £20. It isn't cheap but you need such a tiny amount, it lasts for ages.

10. You're Sweet! Exfoliating Cubes - Sweet Candy Exfoliating Cubes - 8 x 10g

From a sweet shower product, to a sweet body exfoliator, and it's another bargain buy, this time from Poundland. Basically what this was, was a tube of about 6 large, varying sized pale pink sugar cubes. Like the Sunday Rain ones, you take a cube, dampen it, crumble it and then use it on damp skin as a body scrub.

With a subtle but sweet scent, these cubes were way less dense and compact than the Sunday Rain ones, and they felt a lot coarser on the skin. I also felt that I needed to use a couple of these for a full body exfoliation, compared to usually just one of the higher priced ones.

To be honest I think that cubes like this are a bit of a gimmick, yes they are great for travel and they're a bit of fun, but surely it works out more economical just to buy a tube of body scrub?

As I say they were a bit of fun but I probably wouldn't repurchase these particular ones. I can't remember if I paid £1 or £1.50 for these but if you're interested check out your local Poundland.

11. eos Evolution Of Smooth Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml

Finally another hand cream, and it's another one that you've seen before, this time from eos. You can read my thoughts on this one here x I think that this was another Poundland buy, and I would definitely buy another one if I came across it again. I love the true eucalyptus scent and I think it's especially great for this time of year when so many of us are feeling bunged up and snotty.

If you can't find it in Poundland then you can find it online for around £4.99 from Look Fantastic, and HQ Hair, and for around £4.13 from Amazon UK.

If you've made it to the end - Thank You!! That was a pretty epic empties post, so if you have any questions on any of the numerous products that I featured in this post then please leave me a comment below x 

As you can probably see from my sidebar, October in comparison was a bit of a fail trimming my stash wise, but that means that I should be able to get my post up a bit quicker this time round - every cloud as they say! Never mind I've got a few days of November left now, so fingers crossed I can improve my total this month.

Thanks for reading and I will seen you soon with another post xx

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

Trimming My Stash - May 2021 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews* **

 Hey Everyone, I hope you've all had a lovely start to the week. I've got to be honest and say that the heat in the UK over the last few days has knocked me for 6. Give me a sunny beach in the Med and I'm great but in the UK it's a whole different story! 

Despite the heat, and so called 'freedom day', I dragged my hot, masked and weary self to the Metro Centre for a couple of hours. A lot of people were still wearing masks but by the time I left it was getting just a bit too busy for me to feel truly comfortable. I mainly went for an eyebrow wax and tint, and although I did have little look on a few shops I didn't honestly buy that much, even in Primark, so alas no haul post but if you want to see what I did buy then take a look at my Instagram Stories today, or under the Instahaul 4 highlights tab x 

I really meant to upload this post yesterday but I was so zonked out after my few hours out of the house and the heat that I just spent the day trying to keep cool. Today is supposed to be a little bit cooler but I thought I'd make an early start anyways and get this post uploaded. Before I play Glossybox catch up later in the week again, I thought I'd play empties catch up and share my May beauty empties post with you x 

Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream - 50ml
Gwidhw Goody Hoo Muscle Soother - 250ml**
The Body Shop Frosted Berries Shower Gel - 250ml
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula With Vitamin E Original Solid Formula - 30g
L'Occitane Shea Butter Frangipani Hand Cream - 30ml
Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask
The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask - 15ml

Total - 7 Items

Just like in April, in May I managed to finish another 7 beauty products. Unlike most of my 2021 empties posts so far, May's total contained no hair products, instead I finished a nice mix of body and skincare items. Again it's going to be one of those posts when you've probably seen fairly in depth reviews of most of the products before but as I say it can't be helped, and you never know there maybe a product or two that you've probably forgotten about x 

1. Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream - 50ml

First up a hand cream, and it's something that I've talked about quite a few times on the blog. The Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream is crammed full of moisturising oils and butters, as well as honey and sweet orange oil, and has lovely warm, sweet, citrus scent. You can read a full review of it here, but I really love it, and it's something that I would definitely consider repurchasing. 

2. Gwidhw Goody Hoo Muscle Soother - 250ml**

The next product is the first of what will be several ancient, so old it's quite embarrassing products that I've recently rediscovered. A few years ago now we had our bath taken out, and our bathroom was converted into a wet room / shower room. That involved us having to pack the entire contents of the bathroom up into boxes, and guess who has just rediscovered a box of old skin and body bits? Well, me of course, and since I'm a bit stingy, I'm trying to finish everything that's still usable, and hasn't changed texture and that doesn't smell funky. Well this product looked, and smelled the same as it used to, so after a period of fibromyalgia related neck and shoulder pain, I decided to finish it off.

I was originally sent this to review from natural beauty site My Pure, and you can read a full review here. Whilst My Pure, and sites such as Ecco Verde, and Celtic Herbal still sell a range of Gwdihw balms, this camphor and menthol scented gel appears to have been discontinued which is a huge shame, as it was a nice, 'natural' alternative to some of the more mass market high street muscle ease products.

3. The Body Shop Frosted Berries Shower Gel - 250ml

It wouldn't be an empties post with a product from The Body Shop, and today I've got two for you, and the first one is a festive item.

From the 2016 (maybe?) Frosted Berries range, this berry, red shower gel, has a lovely fruity, slightly tart, raspberry, cranberry, and blackcurrant based scent. I love The Body Shop shower gel formulations , and this shower gel was a delight to use no matter what the season. Alas this was a Christmas limited edition so it's now long gone bar on eBay, thankfully though I still have a few products from the range to use up so I can enjoy some berry bliss for a bit longer.

4. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula With Vitamin E Original Solid Formula - 30g

The next product on May's list is something that came in the December 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, but it's a product that I didn't get round to both reviewing and using up until May, and it was one of those products that from the first minute that I tried it, I knew I would buy it again, and I already have. You can read a full review of the Palmers Cocoa Butter With Vitamin E Original Solid Formula here x 

This was just a little pot but I've gone on to buy the full big daddy, 100g size, and I still love it, and I'm still using it mainly as a hand and cuticle moisturiser, but every now and then I can't resist popping a bit on my lips to try and combat the chocolate cravings!

5. L'Occitane Shea Butter Frangipani Hand Cream - 30ml

Next, up another fairly old product, and it's something from French brand L'Occitane. I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane, and their hand creams are easily some of the best that I've ever used. As well as the original shea butter, they also come in a range of both core, and limited edition formulations and scents.

This frangipani fragranced hand cream was a limited edition product, and I believe that I got this particular one in a set from QVC UK. Containing 20% shea butter, this thick white cream was surprisingly easy to massage into the skin. It did take a little while to absorb though so I mainly used this one as an overnight hand cream with cotton gloves. It left the skin feeling really smooth, hydrated, and protected, making it and the other shea butter based hand creams in the L'Occitane range ideal for anyone with drier skin.

As I say all of the L'Occitane hand creams are amazing but this one was probably one of my all time favourites thanks to the beautiful summery, coconut, and white flower scent.

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

The next product on the list is the first of 2 skincare items on May's list and it's the first of 2 face masks. This was another Glossybox item, and it was something that came in the January 2021 box that I didn't get round to using until May.

You can read a full review of this mask here, but in brief it was a good one, it was soothing, cooling, and hydrating, and it was great for drier (or sun exposed!) skin. In fact I liked it so much that I went on to buy one for a friend.

7. The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask - 15ml

Finally another face mask, and it's another product from The Body Shop. I received this particular mask in the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar, and you can read a full review of it in this Sample Saturday post here x 

As I get older my skin is starting to dry out a little bit, and I definitely don't get as many spots as I used to (although I do have 2 at the moment - what the hell?), but for the occasional hormonal breakout I would definitely consider buying this mask again.

So there you have it, quite a few products that you've seen before, some recommendations, and a blast from the past. I already know that June was a better month than May trimming my stash wise, but fingers crossed I can end July on a high and beat that total.

As per usual if you have any questions then please let me know, and I will see you soon with another belated Glossybox unboxing and review x 

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

** Press Sample

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

So here we are, we're now more than half way through 2020, and I can safely say that for the majority of us, it's been a weird one.

Although changes are still afoot with face masks becoming compulsory in shops in England this week (why wait so long? surely we should have been wearing masks from the beginning, very odd!), at last things are starting to look and feel a bit more normal. 

I had my hair done on Thursday (you cans see some before and after pics below) and I also managed to have a long overdue eye test on Saturday, and whilst I still don't feel like going to a city or busy shopping centre, the whole concept of going outside again is starting to feel normal again and I am starting to get out and about a bit more.

Before

After 

Even when everything else goes belly up though you can still rely on me for my regular empties posts, even if they haven't exactly been posted on time so far this year.

Marks and Spencer M&S Beauty Floral Collection Rose Moisture Rich Hand Wash - 50ml
Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner - 100ml**
Oh K! SOS Skin Calming Dalmatian Print Sheet Mask With Charcoal And White Tea - 1 x 23ml Sheet Mask
The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Softening Body Butter - 200ml
AVON Nail Experts Nail Moisture Mask - 30ml
Cussons Carex Fun Edition Antibacterial Hand Wash - Mr Bump - Tutti Frutti - 250ml
Hask Orchid & White Truffle Moisture Rich Deep Conditioner - 50g
L'Occitane Honey And Lemon Hand Cream - 75ml
Primark PS...Nail & Cuticle Oil Nourishing Treatment - 11ml

Total - 9 Items 

After a slight blip in May, I managed to pull it around in June, to have my most successful month of 2020 so far. I managed to finish 9 beauty products, unfortunately it was another make up free month, but I did manage to finish a nice mix of products including a couple of skincare items, lots of hand and nail bits, a body product and a haircare product, so all in all a pretty decent month.

1. M&S Beauty Floral Collection Rose Moisture Rich Hand Wash - 50ml

First up a hand wash, and this is the first of two hand washes, and numerous hand and nail products that I managed to finish in June. This hand wash is from Marks and Spencer Floral Collection, and it something that I received in a gift set a couple of years ago now. There isn't a lot of information on the packaging but according to the Marks and Spencer website, this product is both cruelty free and suitable for vegans, and it contains both shea butter and rosa centifolia extract.

It had a thin, gel like formulation that turned into a non drying, gentle foam when it was mixed with water. Due to the inclusion of real rose extract, it had a subtle green based, true to life rose scent. The scent was a touch old fashioned but it was still a very nice product to use. The packaging on this one does appear to have changed slightly but the product inside appears to be the same. Marks and Spencer still sell the same set that I got which contains a 50ml hand wash and a 50ml hand lotion for £5, and they also sell a larger 250ml size of the hand wash which retails at £3.50.

2. Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner - 100ml**

This next item was a skin product that I was sent for review from natural beauty site My Pure. You can read my original review from August 2014 here. I recently rediscovered this product in a forgotten toiletry bag and since it still smelled okay, and since there was so little left in the bottle I decided to finish it off. 

Trilogy are a New Zealand based ethical, natural, and organic skin care company. Containing aloe vera, geranium, lavender, and other rare flower waters, this product is deiced to hydrate, tone and revitalise the skin. There are so many reasons why I love this product from the gentle floral scent, to the brown frosted glass bottle to the fresh cooling and soothing effect it has on the skin. It's perfect for all year round skin toning and refreshening but thanks to the aloe vera content it's perfect after a day in the sun and it's even okay to use after hair removal. I have a lot of toners to use up but it is something that I would definitely consider repurchasing. As well as My Pure, it's also available for around £18.50 from various other retailers including direct from Trilogy, Feel Unique, and Look Fantastic.

3. Oh K! SOS Skin Calming Dalmatian Print Sheet Mask With Charcoal And White Tea - 1 x 23ml Sheet Mask

The next item is a skincare product and it's something that you might have seen in my previous post. This sheet mask from Oh K! came in the May 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, it's in a Dalmatian print design and it contained white tea, tea tree, gingko biloba and charcoal powder.

It looked a little bit scary on and not as cute as I'd hoped but it was nice and cooling and refreshing on the skin and it's something that I would definitely consider repurchasing. Price varies on this one between £2.50 and around £5, and it's available for a quite a number of retailers including direct from Oh K! and also from Feel Unique, Beauty Bay, and Look Fantastic.

4. The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Softening Body Butter - 200ml

It isn't exactly the season for all things pumpkin at the moment, but can you tell the weather that? You talk about changeable - one day it's warm and the next day it's freezing, I'm a typical Brit but you really can't win with the weather at the moment. Something that is always a winner though is a body butter from The Body Shop. I've been a huge fan of them since they were launched, and this one just so happens to be one of newest favourites.

Alas it's only usually in store from around September to October / November time but if it comes back this year I'm definitely going to be picking up a few for my stash.

Containing shea butter, sesame seed oil, cocoa butter, madagascan vanilla extract and pumpkin, this body butter has a lovely creamy texture, that does take a little while to sink in but it leaves the skin feeling silky soft, and smelling delicious. If you aren't a fan of traditional pumpkin spice fragrances that can often be too cinnamon, ginger and clove heavy, then this is a nice alternative with a sweet, and creamy vanilla scent, with just a hint of fruit and spice (Have a read of this post to find out more about it x). I love, love, love this fragrance, I have a little bit of shower gel left and then I am officially out of my vanilla pumpkin fix - fingers crossed it makes another appearance this year x

5. AVON Nail Experts Nail Moisture Mask - 30ml

Next up another hand product, and this time it's something from AVON. Designed to smooth, and hydrate the hands, and to help prevent a build up of rough and dry skin, this cream contained cocoa, shea and mango butters.

This was basically a lilac coloured, hand cream, with a fresh almost aquatic, cucumber like scent. The instructions said just to massage into the hands and nails and to apply cotton gloves and leave them on overnight for the best results. I found that it took around 20 minutes to soak in, at first it felt slightly tacky but that feeling gradually went away leaving the skin soft, and smooth.

I've got to say that I expected a little bit more from this product. The texture wasn't as thick as I was expecting, and it was definitely had more of a hand cream like feel rather than something hard working, intensive and mask like. It was okay but I probably wouldn't repurchase. I'm not sure whether or not this this product has actually been discontinued - I can't find it online, and it isn't in the latest AVON brochure that I have either (Campaign 11 July 2020). If you fancy giving it a go though, there are a few floating around on eBay UK and who knows it may appear in a future catalogue.

6. Cussons Carex Fun Edition Antibacterial Hand Wash - Mr Bump - Tutti Frutti - 250ml

I've tried quite a few of the hand washes from the Cussons Carex Fun range now, including Love Hearts, and Mr Tickle Sherbet Lemon and whilst I've liked them all, this Mr Bump Tutti Frutti one is by far my favourite, and that isn't just because I used to be so clumsy that my mam used to call me Miss Bump!

It has all of the antibacterial properties that you'd expect from Carex, all bundled up in a lovely fruity scented, pale pearlised blue gel. As well as its mouthwatering aroma, it also produced a lovely gentle foam that left the hands feeling squeaky clean but not dry or stripped.

I originally bought this particular hand wash quite a while ago now in Poundland. Finding specific hand washes still seems to be nigh on impossible at the moment but last time I checked this particular one was available on Superdrug online.

7. Hask Orchid & White Truffle Moisture Rich Deep Conditioner - 50g

The next product was another Glossybox item, and I received this on in the April 2020 box. You can read a full review of this Hask mask here, but in short I liked it, the smell was quite strong, but it left my hair feeling detangled, soft and sleek. Unfortunately it isn't the easiest of products to get hold of but in my opinion it's one worth tracking down if you can x

8. L'Occitane Honey And Lemon Hand Cream - 75ml

I try not to use the word hate too often, but I really, really don't like honey! I suffered from a lot of sore throats as a child, and since one of my uncles used to keep bees, my mam always had a ready supply of honey to add to hot orange squash to soothe my throat.

It is really good for you but I just can't stand the sickly sweet scent and taste. I can just about manage it in salad dressings, and in Toblerone's but I'm never going to be one of those people that can eat it by the spoonful. You'll probably find it a bit strange then that 2 of my favourite hand creams of all time contain honey!

Originally released in 2007, this shea butter based hand cream contains honey from Provence, and real fresh lemon extract. It had a lovely thick and creamy texture, and with it's slight yellow colour it was almost custard like. It took a little while to absorb but it left my hands feeling silky smooth and protected. From what I gather when it comes to the scent this product had one of those love it or loathe it type fragrances, but despite my hatred for honey it was a scent that I fell in love with.

It was quite a strong scent but in my opinion it wasn't an out and out honey scent, instead for me it had a warm and comforting, slightly sweet scent with just a touch of zesty lemon. My grandma always used to have a packet of honey and lemon Lockets on her bedside table, and this scent in someways reminded me of her.

Alas the entire honey and lemon range was discontinued a few years ago now, I stocked up on this hand cream before it disappeared, and I think I might have another one somewhere - fingers crossed anyways! If you like the idea of the honey and citrus mix though, then just a quick heads up to keep an eye out for next months trimming my stash post because I'm on the verge of finishing something you just might like ;)

9. Primark PS...Nail & Cuticle Oil Nourishing Treatment - 11ml

Finally another hand and nail based product, and it's a cuticle oil from Primark. I posted a full review of this product way back in December 2019 which you can read here. Basically for the price it's a pretty decent product, it moisturising, it soaks in and it has a pleasant vanilla / coconut based scent.

I haven't been to Primark since December and as much as I'd love to go, as I said before the idea of going to a big city or an enclosed shopping centre doesn't really appeal at the moment. Despite that, and the fact that I have a few different cuticle products to use up, I would definitely consider repurchasing this particular product on my next Primark trip, whenever that may be!

So they were my June empties, it was my best month of the year so far, and I finished a few nice products so overall I'm pretty happy. Fingers crossed though that I can equal or even better June's total in July. If you have any questions on any of the products that I mentioned in this post then please leave me a comment and let me know, and I'll see you soon with my thoughts on the June edition of Glossybox UK.

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links
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Trimming My Stash - January 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

I seem to say this an awful lot but here we go again, goodbye January and good riddance. I always try to start the year in a positive frame of mind but within 2 weeks it had all gone belly up. I'm trying to keep personal stuff off the blog at the moment but please, please will something nice happen to me for once! I'm trying to keep myself focused on my goals though, and as I've said in my previous post, I'm been having a lot of pamper time, and pamper times involves using up a lot of beauty products, so I present to you my January empties :)

The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Butter - 200ml
Philip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo - 20ml
"OPI" Cuticle Revitalize Oil Pen - Rose
The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Polish - 75ml
May Beauty The Incredible Face Mask - 10ml
L'Occitane Foot Cream - 10ml
Leighton Denny Slick Tips - 12ml
Total - 7 Items

Bar a couple of exceptions January's empties were all about moisture. Although it wasn't the coldest of months the damp and the wind have all played havoc with my skin. My hands and nails have been super dry and my feet haven't been much better. I've cleansed, exfoliated and I've slathered myself with moisturiser from head to foot and at last I'm starting to see some results, and in the process I managed to finish 7 items.

1. The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Butter - 200ml

The Body Shop Body Butters are one of my winter essentials, and although I often use them if I've been on a beach or hot holiday, for me they are one of my holy grail products for dry, and chapped winter skin. I usually have about 4 different fragrances on the go at once, and as much as I love the original Cocoa Butter variant I love their festive scents. Unfortunately this fragrance didn't reappear in 2015, but it's one of my all time favourites. Couple a creamy vanilla scent with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon notes, and you've got a beautifully sweet, cake smelling body butter. A little of these butters goes a long way, and whilst they take a little while to absorb they really are a dry skin saviour.

2. Philip Kingsley Body Building Shampoo - 20ml

I was sent a kit a little while ago from the lovely people at Philip Kingsley that contained 3 of the best selling hair care products. The kit contained this lovely shampoo, that smelled gorgeous and that I really enjoyed using. You can read my full review here x

3. "OPI" Cuticle Revitalize Oil Pen - Rose

This is the second one of these cheapo potentially fake OPI, ebay cuticle oil pens that I've used up, and whilst I don't think they're the most moisturising product out there, they're cheap, and they're great for emergencies, travel or when you're on the go. The only thing that annoys me is that you can't get all of the product out of the pen but for a pound or so you can't argue.

4. The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Polish - 75ml

Another festive fragrance from The Body Shop, and it's another one of my favourites Frosted Cranberry. I love this mouthwatering juicy fruit fragrance but I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of this particular product. It has quite a sticky, jam like texture, and the cranberry seed exfoliating particles for me just don't do it. The smell is lovely but the texture for me doesn't quite work.

5. May Beauty The Incredible Face Mask - 10ml

With changes in the weather, over indulgence, stress and being ill, over the last four weeks my skin has paid the price. I've dealt with pretty much everything from dry, red patches, to a horrid hormonal breakout. The breakout was the reason that I used this mask and it definitely seemed to have knocked it on the head. I'm really pleased that I bought myself some more of these for those spells when my skin just won't behave. You can read a full review of these masks here x

6. L'Occitane Foot Cream - 10ml

Apologies for the lack of picture but Mummy Lou threw the tube out before I'd had the chance to photograph it! This is a mini of one of my favourite foot creams of all time. I love the texture but what I love most about this is the smell. I'm not a huge fan of minty smelling foot products, so this lavender scented one fits the bill perfectly, and it makes it a perfect bedtime treat.This shea butter based cream also contains a little bit of mint that you can't really smell and arnica to make it a cooling and soothing essential for hot, dry and tired feet. I have quite a few foot products to use up but I will definitely consider purchasing the full 150ml size despite the £19 price tag.

7. Leighton Denny Slick Tips - 12ml

Apologies for the rubbish photograph, but the fact that I finished 2 cuticle products in January probably shows you just how dry my hands and cuticles have been. Created by celebrity manicurist Leighton Denny, you would expect this be a decent product and it is. It really helps moisturise and soothe dry, sore cuticles but the smell unfortunately doesn't rock my world, to me it smells like a combination of mint and lemongrass. I like it but there are products that I prefer so whilst I'll use up the other one that I have, I wouldn't go out of my way to repurchase.

On the whole I think this is a pretty decent start to the year x This month my aim is to use up a few skincare products and I'm also hoping to start working my way through a few make up items. Project 10 Pan is definitely still a possibility though so I might hold off on those till I make my mind up for definite ;) I'm also planning on having a little bit of a sort out of my bath and body products so hopefully I'll find a few more bits to use up. I know a lot of people start doing something similar in the new year so if you're trying to use up products or if you do a regular empties post or video then please leave me your links x

Marks And Spencer Beauty Advent - Days 13 - 24 And A Merry Christmas

It nearly here guys x It's nearly Christmas :) I'm wearing my new Garfield pj's, drinking a glass of mulled wine, and waiting for Santa! I just thought write a quick post giving you an update on the contents of days 13 to 24 of the Marks and Spencer Beauty Advent :)

Days 13 - 15

 

Day 13 - Mio Liquid Yoga Restorative Bath Soak - 53ml

Day 14 - Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil - 30ml

Day 15 - Roger & Gallet Fleur Di Figuier Hand And Nail Balm - 30ml

Days 16 - 18

Day 16 - Rodial Dragons Blood Sculpting Gel - 15ml

Day 17 - Swell Hair Ultimate Volume Masque - 50ml

Day 18 - Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Moisturising Soap - 25g

Day 19 - 21

Day 19 - Marks & Spencer Autograph Ultra Shine Twist Up Lip Colour - Nude

Day 20 - L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel - 75ml

Day 21 - Pixi Glow Tonic - 100ml

Day 22 - 24

Day 22 - REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial - 15ml

Day 23 - Stila Lip Glaze - 18 Sugar Plum -1.5ml

Day 24 - Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer - Pretty Woman - 15ml

Again, there was a nice selection of products, I already love the Pixi Glow Tonic, the Percy & Reed No Oil Oil and the L'Occcitane shower gel, which is one of my mums favourites, but there were plenty of other things that I'm really looking forward to trying, including the Stila Lip Glaze, and my first Morgan Taylor nail polish,

All in all I'm pretty pleased with the contents of the calendar - There are a couple of things that I will probably pass on but since I love trying new things, this has given me the opportunity to try lots of new items and lots of new brands.

I'm really hoping that I get a few new beauty bits in my stocking in the morning but we'll have to wait and see what Santa brings x I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you that celebrate a very Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful day and even if you don't celebrate, I hope you all have a safe and happy Friday, and please remember that you are not alone x If you need someone to talk to or you need some help, please, please read this post from Kellie aka Big Fashionista x  Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas x