Trimming My Stash And Life Lately - April 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Well. well, well the last few weeks have been fun in my world haven't they! Thankfully it eventually appears as though we're starting to turn the corner. On Tuesday I celebrated my 40th birthday, obviously given the events of the last few weeks, the celebrations were majorly scaled back but I had a fabulous day, and I was well and truly spoilt as per usual by my amazing family and some very special friends x I got some lovely pressies some of which I'll be sharing with you on Instagram but the biggest and best pressie of all was having my mam home. She was discharged on Tuesday afternoon and whilst she has an outpatient appointment next week, hopefully she's well on the way to a full recovery.

This year seems to have been very stop, start when it comes to blogging but hopefully with things returning back to normal at home, and a change in my own mindset and outlook I'm hopefully going to able to get some of those posts and videos up that I've been planning and promising for what feels like an eternity. First though I'm going to take a very late look back at April's beauty empties.

Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml
Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing Conditioner - 20ml
Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder - Transparent - 8g
Dawin Miller Joy White Jasmine And Cranberry Body Wash - 120ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml

Total - 5 Items 

Well despite all of the trials and tribulations that April had to offer I still managed to finish 5 beauty products. Although I didn't manage to finish any facial skincare items this time round, I did manage to finish a make up item, so I'm classing April as a trimming my stash win!

1. Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml

I've talked about this product a few times now, and to be honest I can't praise it enough. I've used a lot of cuticle oils over the years, and this is without a doubt one of the best that I've used and it's also the cheapest. Crammed full of avocado oil, this oil is easy to apply, and it absorbs super quickly, and at just £1 a bottle you can afford to slather it on. This is now one of my beauty must haves and it's something that I'm going to continue to stock up on and use regularly.

2. Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing Conditioner - 20ml*

This travel sized product came in a set that I was sent to review way back in 2015 (You can read my review here). I've no idea why I didn't finish this sooner but here we are. I'm a big fan of the Philip Kingsley brand and this was another nice product. It was a nice lightweight conditioner that was ideal of fine hair, or if you wash your hair on a daily basis. If your hair is very dry this might not be enough for you, but you could team it up with Philip Kingsley's famous Elasticizer if your needs a bit of extra boost.

3. Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder - Transparent - 8g*

At last a make up item! and this one was another press sample, and this time one from natural beauty store My Pure. Having quite an oil prone skin I love face powder, and I'm a particular fan of loose powder and if you are as well, this one was a good one. Yes, like all loose powders it was a touch messy, and you did get a bit of fallout, but it wasn't too chalky, and it really did take down the shine especially on my t-zone. If you're looking for a cruelty free, loose powder from a natural and eco friendly brand then this could be a one to try. You can read a full review here. 

4.  Dawin Miller Joy White Jasmine And Cranberry Body Wash - 120ml

While sorting through my beauty stash a few months ago now I discovered a Christmas gift set from a toiletry brand that I hadn't heard of, Dawin Miller. Joy definitely isn't a festive type fragrance in the traditional sense and it's something that you could easily use all year around, it's definitely more of a floral, than a fruity scent, and the heady scent of the jasmine really did dominate with just a hint of the tart berries. I love the scent of jasmine and white flowers so I really enjoyed using this lovely foaming shower gel. I can't find any trace of this brand or any information about it so I don't honestly think that it's something that I'm going to be able to repurchase it but I do have a hand and body lotion, and some body cream to use up, so I can go on enjoying the scent for a little bit longer.

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

Argh ! I have no idea what happened the picture here but I can assure you that I definitely did finish this bottle of conditioner. This is without a doubt one of the nicest hair conditioners that I have used in a long, long time. With a very similar scent to the accompanying shampoo that I talked about in March's trimming my stash post (read my thoughts here), this creamy condition probably has a touch more of the peppermint scent to it, which gives a cooling and refreshing hit. Also containing bamboo, keratin and arginine, this stuff leaves my hair feeling silky, smooth and very hydrated and shiny. Like with the shampoo I'm not sure it made too much different to my hair loss but since I've started using both the shampoo and the conditioner from this range I've noticed a definite improvement in the condition and the appearance of my hair. I've already repurchased this product and it something that I'm going to keep buying

So they were my very late April empties, if you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned than please don't hesitate to leave me a comment below, or contact me via email or twitter, Thanks for reading and thanks again for keeping me sane over the last few weeks xx

*Press Samples

Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder - Transparent - A Review For My Pure*

From something that was once a mainstay in many peoples make up routines, in recent years loose powder seems to have got a bit of  a bad press. Look at any You Tube video or magazine article on celebrity make up fails and you're bound to see at least once beautiful woman with a loose powder disaster and a floury, cakey face - not a good look!

Loose powder can be messy, and it can be cakey, drying and ageing but it if you've got an oily skin, it can be a god send. A lot of brands are replacing their loose powders with balms, and silicone mattifiers but for me I'll always be a loose powder girl.

Find a good loose powder and you'll realise why this product has been around as long as it has. The ingredients may have changed a bit over the years but if your skin is prone to oiliness and shine, then you'll know that a quick dusting of powder, both perfects and sets your make up, and takes away all of that oil and shine.

I'm slightly obsessed with face powders, and I always have a few on the go at once - I tend to use pressed powders for touch ups and when I'm on the go but for that first application at home I love the feeling of a loose powder on my skin. I've got one or two in my collection already but since I recently finished one I thought that I pick one up for one of May's My Pure reviews.

I've already spoke a little bit about the ethics and history of German brand Lavera in a previous post but I think it's important to remind you of the significant role they've played in the natural beauty industry.


Lavera as a company are over 25 years old, which surely tells you something about the quality of their products. 25 years in the beauty industry is a long time, and in that time many brands have came and went but Lavera have stayed at the top of the natural beauty market. They produce a wide range of products that only use natural ingredients, which are organic where possible, and that are formulated without synthetic preservatives, colourings or fragrance. The range is also animal friendly, and dermatologically tested to be suitable for even the most sensitive of skins.

The product that I decided to try was the Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder which comes in the one shade Transparent. Lavera are firm believers in the fact that make up should be good for your skin, so this product contains a host of good for you ingredients that you probably wouldn't expect to be in a face powder.

Suitable for all skintypes this talc free formulation, contains a wide variety of natural minerals and light reflecting pigments, as well as rice powder, and nourishing, organic oils, butters and plant extracts including, argan, coconut, sunflower, olive and jojoba oils, cocoa and shea butter, and extracts of rosa centifolia, mallow, lime blossom and licorice root.

The powder itself comes packaged in a basic, but practical screw top jar, and features a little insert with holes in so you don't dispense too much product at once.

The pot also comes with a useful, soft velour powder puff. You can apply the powder either with the puff provided but either patting or rolling it onto specific areas of shine, such as the t-zone, or if your skin is just generally oily or if you want to set your make up, you do what I generally do and use a big fluffy brush

The powder itself has a beautiful soft and velvety feel, it is very finely milled and it feels very lightweight on the skin, and no matter how much you apply it never feels cakey or drying. I think that that's probably down to all of the moisturising ingredients and plant oils, that also give a subtle but noticeable aromatherapy type scent.

The shade is called Transparent, and unlike a lot of loose powders that claim to be translucent, and despite the fact that it does seem to have a hint of colour, it doesn't drastically change the colour of your foundation or look obvious or chalky on the skin. My skin is you know, as very pink toned and quite pale, and this shade really worked with my skin, I can't say though how this would work on darker skin, a true translucent but should be okay but that's something that you would need to try for yourself to be sure.

I've been using this powder to set a variety of foundation, and it worked equally well on all of them but perhaps the one that it's performed best with is the Lavera Natural Liquid Foundation in the shade 02 - Ivory Nude. I reviewed this product a little while ago now (read my review here) and whilst there were aspects about it that I liked, the colour was a little bit off, and the creamy formulation meant that it didn't last very long on my skin. When I saw the accompanying powder, I thought would give it a go and see if it made a difference, and believe it or not it did.

Not only did it seem, to calm down the richer colour, but it also took away all of the initial shine, and glow in an instant, and it helped the foundation not only last longer but it also it made a lot more wearable on my oily skin

I've took a few photos below but I don't really think they show the difference that well after all this is a transparent powder so you aren't really supposed to see it. In the before pictures I'm just wearing the Lavera foundation and nothing else, and in the after photos I've just added a dusting of the Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder.

Before

After

I know you can't see too much of a difference in these photographs but I think you can see a slight change in the skins texture in the after photographs. What I like about this powder is that it is so light weight, you can barely see it or even feel it on the skin, you skin just looks smoother, and with a more even tone and texture. The oil just seems to disappear in a minute and your skin doesn't feel caked, thick with product or dry and flaky. If you have oily skin and you love natural products than I would definitely recommend this product. As well as using it set your make up, you can also dust this powder onto bare skin and use underneath your make up, to mattify the skin, and to even out your skin tone. Yes it's a little bit messy and you get a bit of fall out here and there but if you want an even toned, matte complication, then this is definitely something to try. The Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder in Transparent comes in an 8g pot and retails at £15.90  from My Pure. Are you still a loose powder fan? Let me know below x

*Sample