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 - June 2021 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

Before I start playing catch up again and posting some other reviews and hauls, I thought that I'd at least try and get my empties posts back on track with my June Trimming My Stash post.
 
The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 250ml
Avant Skincare Deluxe Hyaluronic Acid Vivifying Face & Eye Night Cream - 50ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml
The Body Shop Juicy Pear Body Yogurt - 200ml
Steve Laurant Total Repair Lip Mask - 1 x 8g Mask
Patchology Mood Mask The Good Fight Clear Skin Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask
L'Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml
Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml
Elysium Spa Epsom Salts Bath & Shower Gel - Lavender - 300ml
Nair Wax Strips - Face - 12 Wax Strips

Total - 10 Items

After a couple of decent months, June was the standout month of 2021 so far, at least empties wise, and I managed to finish 10 items! No make up yet again (I definitely need to try a little bit harder on that one), but lots of skincare, and body products, a few much loved items, and a few bargain buys.

1. The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 250ml

I'm starting June's list I guess on a bit of a sad note, and unless a miracle happens, I'm saying goodbye to my last product from The Body Shop's Glazed Apple range.

From circa 2014, Glazed Apple is probably my favourite ever festive collection from The Body Shop. With just a slight hint of apple, this had a lovely sweet and sugary fruity scent, reminiscent of candy apples, or even candy floss. I absolutely loved it, it lingered on the skin, and it was one of those fragrances that you could smell all over the house, after you'd used it in the shower.

Whilst I do have a couple of apple and pear based products from different Christmas collections from The Body Shop to use up, I believe that this was the last Glazed Apple product that I has, I'm probably over egging the pudding a bit here but farewell and I'll miss you :(

2. Avant Skincare Deluxe Hyaluronic Acid Vivifying Face & Eye Night Cream - 50ml

When it comes to skincare, I don't always use the same products everyday, I tend to switch it up depending on how my skin feels, what I think it needs, and what I'm trying out at that moment in time.

I normally have a few different moisturisers on the go at once and that's probably why I don't seem to finish them that often. For example at bedtime I tend to alternate between a night cream, a night oil, and a sleep mask, with the occasional application of Alpha H Liquid Gold thrown in for good measure. Lately though my skin has needed a bit of a boost, and this particular product has made a real difference. 

I received this product in the January 2019 edition of Glossybox UK, and you can read a full review of it here. 

I really enjoyed using this moisturiser, I loved the fact that it doubled up as an eye cream, and I loved how smooth and even it left my combination skin, without leaving it oily or greasy or causing breakouts.

I would definitely have considered buying this again but with an RRP of £98 it is just a bit too price prohibitive.

3. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml

4. The Body Shop Juicy Pear Body Yogurt - 200ml

Next up another product from The Body Shop, and it's the first of two products in this post from the 2019 Juicy Pear festive range.

I do love a good body scrub and I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop's sugar based scrubs. They have just the right amount of scrubbiness, and the sugar dissolves away leaving no mess behind in the bath or the shower.

Made of community trade organic sugar from Paraguay and Italian pear extract, this scrub had a gorgeous sweet, yet tart, fruity pear scent which complemented the next product on June's list perfectly.

Yes, item number 4, is another product from The Body Shop's Juicy Pear range, and this time it's a body moisturiser.

Now I'm sure you are already familiar with The Body Shop body butters but have you heard of their body yogurts? I love my body butters but if I am being honest they do take a little while to sink in. If you're hot or if you're in a rush then body yogurts are the answer to your prayers. Whilst they aren't quite as moisturising as body butters, they have a lovely cooling, cream gel texture that melts almost immediately on contact with the skin. They are really quick to absorb and although they can leave the skin just a touch sticky at first, especially if you use too much, the leave the skin hydrated and beautifully scented.

With the same sweet, tart, fruity pear scent, again this product contains Italian pear extract, as well as community trade organic almond milk from Spain.

Alas like the Glazed Apple range, Juicy Pear is no more, but a little birdie has told me that there will be a pear based scent in the 2021 Christmas range, and I can't wait to see what it smells like, but in the meantime I'll happily use up the remaining products that I have from the Juicy Pear range.

5. Steve Laurant Total Repair Lip Mask - 1 x 8g Mask

The next item on the list is something that you've seen quite recently on the blog, the Steve Laurant Total Repair Lip Care Mask, and you can read a full review of it here x 

6. Patchology Mood Mask The Good Fight Clear Skin Sheet Mask - 1 x 20ml Mask

From a lip mask to a face mask, and a sheet mask from a brand called Patchology. If you aren't familiar with them, Patchology are a skin and body care brand that started off initially by developing patches and stick on dressings for the medical profession, before moving on to produce a range of patches, and masks for the body and face as well as some more conventional moisturiser and eye products.

From a subscription box (possibly Pink Parcel) this mask contains a whole host of antibacterial and good for you ingredients including Tea Tree, Willow Bark, Peppermint, amino acids, and allantoin. It is specially designed for younger skin, and skin that is more problematic and blemish prone. Patchology claim that this mask will help to destroy skin clogging bacteria, whilst at the same time soothing inflammation and slowing down oil production.

The sheet mask itself felt very wet, and a touch slimy, and it was coated an almost a clear gel like serum. It was a nice, good quality mask though so it was pretty easy to unfold despite it being so wet. To be honest I was expecting it to have a stronger tea tree or mint scent but instead it had a more subtle almost disinfectant like, slightly herbal scent.

Before

It felt quite cool and wet on application but like most sheet masks it gradually warmed up to body temperature on contact with the skin.

On Application

I left it on for the recommended 10 minutes before peeling it off. There was a lot of excess serum left on my face so it felt very wet. I massaged as much as I could of it into my skin but it still felt pretty wet, and it took a good 10 minutes or so for it to absorb, and even then my skin still felt slightly tacky, and I felt as though I had product on my skin, but overall I think my skin looked cleaner and a touch clearer.

After 

Now apart from the odd hormonal spot, large pores, and an oily t-zone, my skin really isn't that problematic any more, but I tried this mask out around the time that my mum was rushed into hospital - the weather warm, and I was pretty stressed out, so I ended up with a few spots on my chin, my cheeks and on my nose.

To be honest I expected this mask to tingle, and to cause a bit of redness, but bar a tiny bit of barely noticeable extra pinkness, this mask caused no irritation whatsoever, and it may be a coincidence but the spots that I did have definitely seemed to disappear more quickly that usual.

Whilst I'm not sure I would personally buy this mask again, purely because my skin just doesn't really need it at the moment, if you have a more blemish prone skin then this could be something to try.

The Patchology Moodmask The Good Fight Clear Skin Sheet Mask retails at around £5 for 1 x 20ml sheet mask both direct from Patchology and from Cult Beauty.

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

From the moment that I started posting on forums, going on social media, reading blogs and ultimately starting my own blog, I started buying into something called hype! The minute I saw someone raving about a product, or anytime that something new came out, I wanted it! Yes, I am weak, and I am an advertisers dream, or at least I used to be! I honestly have gotten better, I still love trying new products, and I always have a wish list of products that I want to try, but at least now I try and be a bit more discerning, and a bit more selective over what I do buy.

Something that I did buy recently that was hyped up from all corners was the L'Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water! If you haven't already heard about this stuff, where have you been??

I can't say I really understand the technology that well (have a look at the L'Oreal website for an explanation) but this rinse out liquid conditioner claims to work in just 8 second, and it claims to give you 10 x smoother hair, with a silky touch and a glossy shine.

Designed for dry, frizzy, longer hair (yup, that's me!) you apply it to the lengths of your hair after shampooing, then you leave it for 8 second before rinsing it out and applying your usual condition (tbh I just apply it and then stick my conditioner on top before rinsing it all off at once). For best result you then need to blow dry your hair, and then voila!

I admit I was cynical, it looks and feels like water, all be it lovely fresh, fruity, floral smelling water (the scent of which lingers on your hair even after rinsing) but immediately when you apply it you feel a slight warming sensation, so you know that it is doing something!

So did it make a difference? well despite my cynicism yes, yes it did! My hair looked smoother, less frizzy, a lot shinier and it smelled fantastic! For something that looks so innocuous, and that's so quick, I was so surprised to be able to see the difference. I have seen the odd bad review but for me the hype is justified, and I'm already half way through another bottle, and I've just bought another bottle.

You can buy this product from most larger L'Oreal Paris stockists including Superdrug, Look Fantastic, Boots and Amazon, where it has a recommended retail price of £9.99 but my advice is to shop around because you can usually find it on offer for around £4.99.

8. Cussons Carex Moisture Derma Care Antibacterial Hand Wash - 250ml

The next item on the list isn't the most exciting thing ever but it's an essential. I've talked about this particular product before, but thanks to COVID, its lovely fruity scent, and the fact that it isn't drying, it's something that I will continue to buy and use.

9. Elysium Spa Epsom Salts Bath & Shower Gel - Lavender - 300ml

You should hopefully know by now that I love a bargain, and the final two products on this list are some super cheap beauty buys that I picked up on one of my frequent trips to Poundland.

I'm a member of a few Poundland fan groups on Facebook, and this first product was something that I'd seen recommended quite a few times.

I've talked about it quite a few times on the blog but I have quite an interesting relationship with sleep, I can either sleep for 14 hours straight, or I can experience severe insomnia and not sleep properly for days. As as result I am always on the lookout for things to get me in the right mindset for sleep.

I saw a few good reviews of this, and since I usually respond well to lavender I thought I'd give it a try. It's basically a lavender and epsom salt based shower gel which aims to cleanse, soothe, and relax the body and mind.

Clear in appearance and with a runny gel like consistency, you didn't need a lot to produce a good amount of foam. It had a nice but maybe slightly old fashioned, lavender scent, which whilst not the astringent lavender scent that I usually prefer, was gentle and perfect for getting you in the mood for bedtime. It was really easy to rinse off and whilst I wasn't really expecting that much from it, my skin felt really soft and not at all tight or dry.

For just £1, I was actually really impressed with this product, and it's something that I would definitely consider buying again, and I am also now on the hunt for the elusive Eucalyptus version. As I say you can pick this up for just £1 from various stores including Poundland, B&M, and The Range.

10. Nair Wax Strips - Face - 12 Wax Strips

Like all parents and grandparents my mam has some funny sayings in her repertoire, and one of her favourites and something that she said many times to me when I was younger is "you can't have hair in one place, and not the other", and although it's a touch weird she is actually right. Dark, thick hair on your head, means that you'll usually have dark thick hair everywhere else!

I know it's a social construct, and hair on your face and body is 100% normal, but for me personally the tache has to go. I'll happily grow out my body hair at times, but my upper lip and chin hairs, are just a step too far.

Over the years I've used lots of different products to trim my tache so to speak, including bleaching, epilating and hair removal creams, but I've never really been a facial waxer. I don't know whether it's down to age or changes in my skin but lately even my usual brands of hair removal cream have left my upper lip looking super red and sore, so I came to the conclusion that I needed to try something different.

I don't wax my legs that often anymore (I normally use something that I really should have shared with you ages ago - me bad!), but when I do I just pick up a packet of Nair wax strips in Poundland, so when I saw these facial strips, I thought I'd give them a go, and do you know what? I am super pleased that I did.

For just £1 you get 12 facial wax strips, and they actually work. Wax strips have come such a long way since I first started using them, and for the price these ones are excellent, they stick and they remove even the most stubborn, thick, dark hairs by the root! Yes it stings a but, and your face is left a bit red but instead of having to use creams at least once a week. My dark tache hairs are gone for around 3 weeks, and even better still after using these for nearly 3 months now, they are already getting finer and less bristle like.

I'm now kicking myself and wondering just why I didn't persevere with wax in the beginning. I've learnt my lesson now though and you can buy fancier and more expensive Nair facial wax strips, I'll be sticking to these Poundland beauties!

So that was a bit of an epic one, but they were my June empties, all 10 of them, and as you can see in the side bar --> July was just as successful (post coming soon!), and hopefully I'll end up there or thereabouts in August as well.

If you have any questions on any of the products on June's list, then let me know, and please also let me know if you've spotted the Elysium Spa Epsom Salt Bath & Shower Gel in Eucalyptus on your travels, I can't find it anywhere near me and I am desperate to track it down in a bricks and mortar store.

Thanks as per usual for your support and I will see you soon with another post which will either be a Glossybox catch up, or a beauty review x 

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

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

The hot weather in the UK this week has kind of messed up my plans a bit - Although it's currently chucking it down with rain, on the whole it's been way to hot to shoot the make up looks that I need for my next two Glossybox unboxing posts so I've decided to post my May empties this weekend instead.

Primark PS...It's All Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Delhicious Hello Beau-Tea-Ful Exfoliate & Glow Original Black Tea Body Scrub - 100g
AVON Foot Works Expert Exfoliating Foot Mask 1 x Pair - 2 x 20ml
Poundland #6 Limited Edition Gold Anti-Ageing Woven Face Mask - 1 x Woven Sheet Mask
L'Oreal Paris Nutri Oil Nails & Cuticles - 5ml

Total - 5 Items 

I was really pleased to finish 8 items in April, and I was hoping for a similar result in May, but alas it wasn't to be and I only managed to finish 5 items. Still it was better than nothing and I did manage to finish quite and interesting mix of products, including one bottle, a few packets, a few sachets, a few wins and one big fat fail

1. Primark PS...It's All Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

If you were to look back through all of my previous trimming my stash posts, I've probably finished more packets of these wipes, in their various incarnations, than any other product. As I've said on many occasions I don't use them that often on my face, but I find the tea tree scent and tea tree in general very clean, and refreshing, so I've mainly used this pack for general freshening up, and also for cleaning up my hands and arms in between swatch photographs.

I only have one more packet of these wipes left, and as useful as I find them, I don't think I'm going to be rushing off to Primark to buy some more. They are really handy for when you're on the go and for holidays, and I'd definitely consider buying some more in those circumstances, but at home I could just as easily use a muslin cloth, or a reusable cotton pad rather than use a wipe that has to go into landfill. 

2. Delhicious Hello Beau-Tea-Ful Exfoliate & Glow Original Black Tea Body Scrub - 100g

Next up a sachet, and this was a lovely natural, vegan and cruelty free body scrub that I received in the September 2019 edition of Glossybox UK. You can read a full review here but I really like this scrub. it contained black tea, brown sugar, Himalayan pink salt, almond oil and Vitamin E. I loved the citrus scent and the grittiness of this scrub. It left my skin feel super soft, smooth and toned but it was very messy and the tiny tea particles seemed to get everywhere, so if like me you have a wet room, then be prepared to do a bit of extra cleaning. If you can deal with that though this is a really nice scrub, and even though Mummy Lou wouldn't necessarily approve I would definitely consider buying it again. This scrub retails at around £7.95, and it's available direct from Delhicious and from Fragrance Direct.

3. AVON Foot Works Expert Exfoliating Foot Mask 1 x Pair - 2 x 20ml

From something that I loved to my fail of the month. I love foot masks, not quite as much as I love a good body scrub but yeah I like them a lot. Thanks to some nice inherited thyroid problems my feet always feel and look dry. I have to scrub them with scrubs, pumice stones, and foot files, and slather them in moisturiser, just to keep them looking even vaguely presentable. Every now and then though I like to give them a bit of an extra treat, and treat them to some sort of foot mask.

There are two different types of foot mask on the market, plastic booties that are designed purely to add moisture to the feet, and socks that contain some sort of acid based solution, to literally make the dry skin on your feet just peel off.

These AVON socks fall into the latter category, they contain glycolic acid, and aloe vera and promise a salon like 'foot peel' callus treatment, which is designed to exfoliate soften and smooth the skin on the feet.

The packet contains 2 plastic socks and 2 adhesive strips to hold them in place. The socks are sealed so you need to carefully cut along the line so you can put your feet inside. Each sock contains a fibre lining and liquid solution. They are very wet and you need to be super careful not to spill the liquid. The liquid itself has a clean, fresh, slightly astringent scent.

They are really simple to use you just pop the socks onto clean, dry feet, and then you seal them securely with the adhesive strips. I take a size 8 in shoes, and I found the booties very loose, so I could really have done with a few more adhesive strips to tighten them and to hold them in place - I should really have put a pair of socks or slippers over the top to keep them in place and to be able to move around a bit more easily.

The socks feel exactly like you think they would, slippy, cold, soggy and wet, but after a few minutes they did seem to warm up slightly and you could feel a slight tingling sensation especially on the tops of the feet. As I say you could put some socks or slippers on over the top if you wanted to walk around a bit but I took the opportunity to sit down and rest for an hour.

After an hour you take the socks off and rinse your feet in the warm water. The tops of my feet did look slightly red, and the soles of my feet did look slightly wrinkled as though they'd been soaking in water. 

There were no real instructions as to what to do next so I just did what I've done in the past with similar socks, no moisturiser, no picking, and lots of foot soaking, and then I just waited, and waited, and waited, but nothing happened! There was difference in the moisture levels of my feet, and unlike every other pair of similar socks that I've tried there was no drying and no peeling! I used these socks nearly 2 months ago now and I'm still waiting for something to happen!

The skin on my heels especially is still very dry, so there was definitely skin to come off so that definitely wasn't the problem - I just don't think that the solution in these socks was strong enough to make any real difference. I've a look at the small print on the packet and apparently you can use these socks every 1-2 weeks, compared to once every few months with similar products so I definitely think that the strength of the glycolic / AHA's has something to do with it. These socks are available from your local AVON representative or online for around £5 but take my advice and give them a miss, and try another brand instead.

4. Poundland #6 Limited Edition Gold Anti-Ageing Woven Face Mask - 1 x Woven Sheet Mask

From a foot mask, to a face mask, and this one is from Poundland's high end inspired #6 skincare line. This limited edition gold anti-aging woven sheet mask, is suitable for all skin types, and it's suitable for vegans. Designed to fight visible signs of ageing, it contains Vitamin E, aloe vera, and a special blend of herbal extracts including rose geranium, bamboo lily, and golden camomile.

The first thing I noticed was just how wet this mask was, the sachet was nearly half full of a clear, barely scented, viscous liquid, there was so much of it that I actually rubbed it all over my body and my next. The mask was quite tightly folded but it felt pretty sturdy, one side was comprised of a gold plasti feeling foil, and the other side was made of a white fibre. As well as the obvious holes for the eyes, nose and mouth, there were also some folds, which I think could have been there to help the mask contour to the fact. It's a good idea in theory but it actually meant that I couldn't get the mask to lie flat.

Like most sheet masks, it feel very cool on the skin, and it also felt and looked very wet. The excess fluid from the mask ran down my neck, and into my eyes and nose for the full 15 - 20 minutes.

As you can see from the picture below my skin was left both feeling and looking very wet. I rubbed as much of the excess liquid as I could into my skin, but it still took around 10 minutes for it all to absorb, and even then it still felt a touch sticky.

Although there wasn't too much of visual difference, my skin felt a little bit plumper, and a bit more hydrated. It did feel nice and refreshing on the skin and it would be a really nice treat if you were on a budget - This mask is a limited edition so I'm not sure if it's still available but if you can find it, it is just £1.

5. L'Oreal Paris LA Manicure Nutri Oil Nails & Cuticles - 5ml

Finally another Poundland purchase, and it was a nail and cuticle oil from L'Oreal Paris. I don't always have time to look through the purple packets containing branded make up that Poundland often sell, but every now and then you can really find a gem. There is no real writing on the bottle and to be honest I can't find out too much about it. Apparently it contains a blend of 11 nutritive oils and vitamin derivatives - I've no idea which ones though, and it was designed to improve the appearance of the nails, and leave nails and cuticles nourished and more elastic and to help prevent breakages and flaking.

It was a nice cuticle oil, with no real scent, it was hydrating and moisturising, but it wasn't too heavy or greasy.

I can't find this oil on either the Boots or the Superdrug websites so I think it has possible been discontinued. I can only find it on eBay and Amazon, and on discount beauty sites like Fragrance Direct and Beauty Outlet. It has an RRP of £5.99 but it seems to be selling for around £2.99 so I think that I got a bargain.

So I didn't finish that many products in May but I did finish a few interesting bits. I've already finished 7 products so far in June, and fingers crossed I might be able to add one or two more in the next few days x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned then leave me a comment below, and don't forget to link me up to your empties posts or videos x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Trimming My Stash - June 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey Guys x I hope you've all had a lovely Saturday x The weather isn't that great for the first Saturday in July, but I'm British so I'm pretty used to summer being a wash out! I really can't believe that it's July already - I've already had a few Christmas in July press invites which is terrifying - where is this year, and where is my life going!

I've had another up and down month but I'm thinking positive and battling on regardless, blogging again has taken a bit of a back seat but I'm feeling really motivated at the moment, I've got a lot of ideas and I've got a lot of new posts planned. Before we look forward though first lets look back at June and focus on my June beauty empties.

Boots Botanics Cleansing Toner All Bright - 250ml
L'Oreal Kerastase Cristalliste Luminous Perfecting Conditioner - 75ml
OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml
The Body Shop Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml
Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics Body Scrub - 50ml
Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml
Benefit Sandal Scandal - 130ml
Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - 84 Epatant - 4g
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths Brightening - 10 x Quilted Cleaning Cloths
Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml
Impulse Tease Body Fragrance - 75ml
Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 300ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Total - 14 Items

Yeah - I managed to finish 14 items last month, which is best performance of the year so far. As well as managing to finish a lot of half finished product I also managed to finish a really nice mix of products, including some body care, skin care, and hair care items, and shock of horrors I even managed to finish a make up item!

1. Boots Botanics Cleansing Toner All Bright - 250ml

I've been using this Boots toner for a little while now and for the price I really like it. If you like Pixi Glow Tonic then this is an okay budget alternative. At just £3.99 for a 250ml bottle, this toner of AHA's and Hibiscus. It brightens and freshens my skin without any of the tingle associated with pricier exfoliating toners. Is it as good as Pixi Glow Tonic or Alpha H Liquid Gold? not in my opinion but it's a decent product and it's something that I will always pick up when it's on offer.

2. L'Oreal Kerastase Cristalliste Luminous Perfecting Conditioner - 75ml

This conditioner from L'Oreal's famous Kerastase range was something that I received in a beauty box. I've got to say that it didn't really wow me it was a good everyday conditioner but it didn't make that much of a difference to my hair. The only real plus point and the point that took this product to the next level was the smell, I absolutely loved the scent, put this fragrance in a perfume bottle and I would most definitely buy it, as a conditioner though I would happily use it but I wouldn't go out of my way to repurchase.

3. OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go - 7.5ml

OPI Avoplex is without a doubt my favourite ever cuticle product. It smells amazing, it sinks in quickly and it works. This is the travel or on the go version and instead of coming in a glass bottle it comes in a squeezy plastic tube with an attached brush. It's a little thicker and more gel like than the original formulation but it works just as well, and it's a lot easier and less messy to carry around. I've already repurchases the original glass bottle for home use, but for travel and holidays I'll definitely repurchase this on the go version.


4. The Body Shop Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - 300ml

When The Body Shop's Honeymania range launched, you couldn't go on twitter or read blogs without somebody raving about it. Personally though I wasn't interested, honey for me is the devils food, I hate the taste of it and I think that the smell is even worse!  Fast forward though to December 2014 and I was invited to a festive event at a branch of The Body Shop in Newcastle Upon Tyne. After receiving an amazing hand massage and finding out some more about their Christmas range I was lucky enough to received a fabulous goodie bag which contained this product. I tried it full expecting to hate it but shock of horrors I didn't, I loved it! It has a tiny bit of sweetness to it but what you smell instead of the sickly sweetness of honey, is a beautiful heady floral aroma. You can swirl a bit of this sticky, honey like gel into the bath, for a bubbly milky bathing experience or you do what I've been doing over the last few months and use it in the shower. It is specifically a shower product but put a small amount onto a shower scrunchie, and you have a super foamy, deliciously scented shower. Since I don't have a bath tub anymore I probably wouldn't buy this specific product but I would definitely consider buying some of the other products in the Honeymania line. You can read all about my The Body Shop experience and read a mini review of this product here.

5. Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics Body Scrub - 50ml

I love Hello Kitty and I love florals so I was all over this Boots exclusive collection from a few years ago. Apart from the super cute packaging, again the best bit about this product was the smell. This scrub and the entire Hello Kitty Liberty range had the most amazing powdery, slightly Shea butter based, floral scent which I loved, unfortunately in this case though I just didn't love the product. This scrub had a liquidy, cream base with tiny, teeny, nut shell like particles. I like a good, grainy scrub but for me the grains in this one were just too fine to do the job properly, which is a real given everything else it had going for it is a real shame.

6. Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml

For me one of the best parts about blogging is getting the opportunity to try something new, and hopefully finding something that you love, and this product was a case in point. I received and reviewed this product just under a year ago now, and I loved it so much that I went straight out and repurchased it. This is really nice range and this conditioner made me hair feel instantly smoother and thicker. You can read a full review of this, and of some of the other products in the Invisible Oil range here. Blogging is a fickle thing and I'm currently loving another product but this is still something that I would definitely consider repurchasing x

7. Benefit Sandal Scandal - 130ml

This is the first of two empties that I'm absolutely devastated to have finished because they can't be replaced. Nowadays we probably know Benefit Cosmetics best for their quirky and innovative make up range, but back in the day there was more to Benefit then just brows and blushers. When Benefit first launched in the UK they used to have a nice little core collection of body care products, all fragranced in their signature Maybe Baby scent. As well as bubble baths, shimmer, balms, and body creams, they also produced this pretty amazing foot cream. I'm not a huge fan of minty foot creams, so this one with the floral Maybe Baby fragrance was perfect for me. With a rich creamy texture,and crammed full of AHA's to attack that dry skin, it came with a cute pair of pink and white pompom socks. This was a perfect overnight foot product, the dry skin disappeared within hours and it left the feet feeling silky soft. This was my favourite ever foot product and I'm very, very said that it's been discontinued :(

8. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - 84 Eptant - 4g

Something else that I'm devastated to have finished is this Illusion D'Ombre eye shadow from Chanel. This shadows have the most amazing mousse like, cream texture, they apply and blend like a dream either with the brush that's provided or if you're feeling really lazy you can apply them with your fingers. This shade is Epatant, a beautiful metallic silvery, grey, taupe, green, that changed in the light. This was one of my go to eye shadows for a long, long time, it was easy to apply, the wear time was good, and the finish was super impressive. In theory this shadows should have been binned a long time ago but thanks to using a damp brush, and spraying it with Fix + I managed to hydrate it enough to finish the pot and I'm sad. Why am I sad? Well I love the formulation and I for this one could even justify the £25 price tag but unfortunately Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Epatant is no more, I can't find it anywhere so I think it's been discontinued - farewell Epatant I loved you - even if nobody else obviously did.

9. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

Your probably sick of seeing these in my empties post but yes this month I finished another two packets of these babies and I bought some more. In one day I took 158 swatch photographs so these babies have been busy mopping up swatches and for freshening up on sticky days. They're full of tea tree so they leave your skin feeling cool and fresh, I don't use them on my face that often but they are a good standby.

10. Ole Henriksen The Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths Brightening - 10 x Quilted Cleaning Cloths

Dear readers, I have a confession to make I used this face wipes on my face and nowhere else! I don't why I did it maybe it was because I thought that a high end skin care brand would make a decent caring wipe and good for you wipe and  do you know what I did actually quite like d these. I got this ten pack of Ole Henriksen wipes in a beauty box, and feeling lazy one morning I picked these up and give them a try. They were a really nice quality, thick and quilted wipe, with a lovely citrus and vanilla scent. They left my skin looking really fresh, and bright and feeling squeaky clean, if a tiny bit sticky. Although I'm definitely not a cleansing with wipes convert, these were a good quick way to cleanse my skin and I actually felt as though they had some skin care benefits. I probably wouldn't repurchase these but if you're interested these wipes retail at around £12 for a pack of 30.


11. Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml

This was my first ever bottle of Pixi Glow Tonic, and I'm a total convert. As much as I love the feeling and results from Alpha H Liquid Gold, I love the convenience and ease of use of Glow Tonic. You can fit it into any skin care regime, just use it to replace your regular toner and you're good to go. Again full of AHA's this toner has made such a difference to my skin since I started using it regularly, my skin is smoother, and clearer, I get less breakouts and my pores aren't as obvious. I love this stuff and I will definitely continue to use it. All you need to remember to do is use a bit of SPF on your face, but you should be doing that anyway. You can find out a little bit more about why I love this in my March / April Favourites Video which you can watch here 


12. Impulse Tease Body Fragrance - 75ml

Whilst searching through my extensive beauty stash I found a whole load of new and half finished body sprays -  Isn't that always the way when you've bought a new one, note to self - maybe if I was more organised and tidier this wouldn't happen! Anyways if ever there was a product to take my back to my early teenage years it would be an Impulse body spray. Every girl I knew used to reek of them and we always used to try and be the first to try a new fragrance. My favourite used to be the one if the dark blue can, I don't remember the name now but they all smell pretty similar and the fragrance of this one took me right back. This one has that same sort of sweet, musky scent that I remember so well, the one I liked was a bit more fruity but this one is definitely trying to a bit more sophisticated with the musky undertones. I probably wouldn't repurchase this particular scent but at between £1 and £1.99, these are a pretty bargainious way to recapture your childhood.

13. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 300ml

Another product that featured in my March / April Favourites Video (you can watch it here) and something  else that I love. This is exactly what I look for in a body scrub - I'm a huge fan of coarse salt and sugar scrubs and this one is exactly that. Crammed full of sugar, and moisturising oils, it has the zingy, citrus, lime scent, that we've come to expect from the Sugar Crush line and I love it. I like using on dry skin for a really intense scrub, just massage it in and rinse it off and your skin is left feeling smooth and silky. I will definitely buy this again and again x


14. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

Yes I finished another packet x You can read my thoughts above x 

Well that ended up being a much longer post than I'd planned so I really hope that you managed to stick it out until the end. I finished a lot of products last month and I really can't see me doing as well in July but you never know, as per usual though I'll give it my best shot.. I've got a few beauty hauls to show you over the next few weeks but then I will definitely be starting Project 10 Pan so hopefully in July I'll have a few more make up items to show you but we'll see x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions on any of the items that I've finished then please let me know x