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

 Hi Guys x  I hope you all had a good long weekend and I hope that you haven't eaten too much chocolate ;) As well as chilling, spending time with friends and family, watching football and obviously gorging myself on chocolate and cheesecake, over the last few days I've managed to do quite a bit of blog prep, so I've got lots of content coming up for you including some beauty and lifestyle reviews, and the return of my Luscious Lips series! First up though it's time to take a trip back to February for the 2022 edition of Trimming My Stash.

Derma V10 Exfoliating Foot Peel Tea Tree & Peppermint - 1 x Treatment
MAD Beauty Ginger Snap Cranberry Hand Cream - 30ml
AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo - 250ml
Beauty Pie Soul Providers Re-Energizing Dry Oil Sugar Scrub - 475g
Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - Acetone Free - 200ml
Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Apple Shea Butter Hand Cream - 29ml
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips*

Total - 7 Items

After the disappointment of January's miserly total of 3 products, February was a much more successful month and I managed to finish a pretty respectable 7 items. I didn't really finish anything that exciting though just a few much loved and holy grail products, and a few festive thing, one of which really confused, but more on that later..

1. Derma V10 Exfoliating Foot Peel Tea Tree & Peppermint - 1 x Treatment

Strangely enough the first product in February's countdown was something that I also used and finished in February 2021. Total coincidence and not planned at all, but maybe February is the month when you first look down and see the state of feet that have been incased in socks and boots all winter - bleurgh!

My feet were pretty gross if I'm being honest, very dry, with flaky bits and cracked heels, and whilst my heels still need a bit of extra work, this foot pack has really improved the feel and appearance of my feet without a great deal of effort.

You can read a full review of them here if you're interested x Something to keep in mind though - don't use this immediately before a holiday, an event, or any occasion where you need to have your feet on show, because the dead skin will literally peel off them for WEEKS! This time around the peeling phase lasted for around 6 weeks! It looks disgusting with bits of skin flaking off with every step (sorry if that's a bit TMI), but if you have dry skin on your feet and a bit of spare time to flake and peel, then these socks are a really easy way of getting rid of it.

I've just actually bought a new packet, and the packaging has recently changed but you can usually pick these up for about a £1 from various retailers including Poundland, Savers, Wilko, The Range and Home Bargains.

2. MAD Beauty Ginger Snap Cranberry Hand Cream - 30ml

Next up the product that confused me ! I received this hand cream, and a lovely candy cane shaped nail file from my friend Helen for Christmas, and give the words 'Ginger Snap' printed in large type on the front of the tube, and the pictures of a gingerbread house, I expected this hand cream to smell like gingerbread, but look a bit further down the tube and in smaller type it says "Cranberry Hand Cream". If I'm being honest it doesn't take a lot to confuse me at time but mind blown! LOL!

Anyways despite my initial surprise that it didn't smell of cookies or baking, it did indeed have a lovely, tart, fruity cranberry type scent that reminded of some of The Body Shop's old festive cranberry scents.

Containing shea butter, this slightly off white cream, had a lovely rich and creamy texture. A little went a long way, and it absorbed pretty quickly leaving the hand feeling smooth and hydrated, with a slightly matte finish.

Whilst there are other hand creams in the MAD Beauty range, this one appears to have been a limited edition Christmas product, which is a shame because I love the scent and the texture.

3. AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo - 250ml

One of my biggest gripes with the beauty industry and with AVON in particular is that they keep discontinuing things! There really is nothing worse than when you fall in love with a product or 
a shade and then with no warning the brand or the product that you love disappears into the ether! 

Well I was recently looking for something in my unopened beauty stash, and I discovered several products from the AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil range - a line that surprisingly now been discontinued.

The first product that I finished from the range was the shampoo. Designed for all hair types but especially for dry hair, this shampoo contained Argan oil, Pro Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E, and was designed to moisturise the hair and leave it feeling smooth, silky and detangled.

With a gorgeous fresh, fruity scent, this shampoo was pearlised white in colour and had quite a thick rich texture. It foamed up really well, rinsed away easily, and left my hair feeling smoother, and less dry.

Thankfully I love all of the shampoos that I've tried from the AVON Advance Techniques range, and this one was no different. I really can't recommend the Advance Techniques range enough for quality, performance and for value for money and whilst it's great that I like the new products in the range I just wish they would stop discontinuing things.

4. Beauty Pie Soul Providers Re-Energizing Dry Oil Sugar Scrub - 475g

Next up a product that you've seen before and that you'll more than likely continue to keep seeing on this blog! I don't think that I'll ever stop buying and trying new body scrubs, but whilst this one is still available and I can afford it, I'll continue to buy it. It might be a little bit scratchy for some people but for me it's perfect - you can read my full review here. If you're a bit wary about trying Beauty Pie, honestly give it a try, you have nothing to lose. I've been really impressed with most of the stuff that I've tried. I'll be sharing a few reviews with you soon but in the meantime if you're interested in finding out more about Beauty Pie for yourself then please click on my link to find out more x 

5. Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - Acetone Free - 200ml

Although the packaging has changed several times in the intervening years this next product itself hasn't really changed at all and it's probably been on my most bought beauty products over the last 10 years or so.

It's acetone free, it contains Vitamin E, and aloe vera, it's cruelty free, and for a nail polish remover it actually doesn't smell too bad, on and it works on even the most stubborn of polishes. You can read a full review here.

For a decent nail polish remover it's also really affordable retailing at just £1.99 for a 200ml bottle, and if you know anything about Superdrug you'll know that they love a special offer, and this particular polish remover is currently on a buy one, get one half price offer. I've already got a couple of bottles on standby and it's another product that I'll continue to use for as long as it's available, even though I seem to spend more time removing nail strengthener, and toe nail polish, than I do the polish on my finger nails.

6. Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Apple Shea Butter Hand Cream - 29ml

Next up another hand and nail related product, and it's another hand cream, this time from Bath & Body Works. From their fall / holiday range, I bought this hand cream, and the matching hand soap from NEXT Beauty and had I known better I would definitely have bought some back ups!

The smell of this hand cream was just so damn mouthwatering, it had a gorgeous spicy fruity scent. With apple and vanilla, and the warm spicy notes and cinnamon and clove , it took all of my willpower not to taste it! 

Containing shea butter, this ivory coloured cream, had a gorgeous thick and buttery texture. Despite the richness and thick feel it actually absorbed into the skin really quickly and left my hands feeling smooth, protected and moisturised, but not sticky or tacky, making it a perfect hand cream for the colder months.

I've only tried a few of the Bath & Body Works hand creams (My Mam loves the Rose one), but I'm so impressed with texture, the moisturising benefits, and the scents. The one drawback is the UK pricing with an average 29ml hand cream retailing at around £8. Alas this fragrance I believe was a limited edition but my fingers are tightly crossed that it will make a triumphant return later on in 2022, and believe me I will be buying a few back ups this time ;)

7. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips**

Finally another product that you've seen before, and whilst this one is quite a new one to me it's something that I will definitely be repurchasing.

For the last 12 months or so I've came to rely on the cheap as chips Nair Facial Wax Strips that I used to pick up on every Poundland trip, but then I was kindly sent 2 boxes of these babies, and it was love at first rip! You can read my full review here x I think fate really has played its part here though as my local Poundland no longer seems to stock the Nair strips, so I now have a ready replacement, and since these ones are the same price I have no complaints.

February was a definite improvement on January's pretty dismal total of 3 products, so overall I'm pretty pleased to have finish 7 items in February and maybe in March as well ;) My March empties posts will be up soon, but in the meantime you can keep track of how I'm doing in the sidebar and if you have any questions or any of the products that I've mentioned in this post then please leave me your thoughts in the comments section below x

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

**Press Sample 

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

So, i'm playing super duper catch again, not just with Glossybox but also now with empties posts. I honestly don't know what I've been doing over the last month or so two to fall so behind on my posting (well actually I do) but I'm going to try and get as many posts as I can up before the end of 2020. So as the first snow of the seasons hits for a lot of us in the UK, let's take a look back to October.
 

Naobay Orange Juice Hand Cream - 100ml
MineTan Body. Skin Exfoliating Coffee Scrub - 30g
Beauty Pro Pumpkin Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask
Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 200ml
Beuti Skincare Anti-Inflammatory Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir - 30ml**
Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes Charcoal - 8 Cubes - 150g

Total - 6 Items

I didn't quite manage to read September's total of 8 beauty products, but I still managed to finish a fairly respectable 6 items. This post as you will see is a tiny bit of a cop out because I have talked about all of the items in it in the post, but that's just the way it goes sometimes, and as per usual I'm just happy to have finished a good amount of items and created a little bit of space.

1. Naobay Orange Juice Hand Cream - 100ml

First up something that I reviewed back in September. This lovely citrus hand cream from Spanish natural beauty and skincare brand Naobay, came in the July 2020 edition of Glossybox UK and you can read a full review of it here x 

I really love my hand creams and this was a nice one, it was really hydrating without being too greasy or sticky, and I love the slightly bitter orange scent. 

I would definitely consider repurchasing this one again, especially if it was a little bit easier to find x 

2. MineTan Body. Skin Exfoliating Coffee Scrub - 30g

Next up another Glossybox item and something that came in the September 2020 edition, which scarily I only talked about on the blog about a week ago!

From an Australian owned self-tanning brand, this was a coffee ground based body scrub that also contained salt and sugar grains, and loads of other nourishing and moisturising ingredients.

You can read a full review here, but I actually really like, it was scrubby enough without being scratchy, it left the skin feeling really smooth, and looking more even in tone, and the strong coffee aroma was perfect for creating that get up and go feeling first thing in the morning.

3. Beauty Pro Pumpkin Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask

After a couple of Glossybox items, the next couple of items are actually things that I've actually chosen to buy. First up something that I bought to try and get myself into the Halloween spirit, whilst treating my skin at the same time to an infusion of pumpkin, ivy, bergamot, and chia extracts.

Again you can read my full review here but as far as Beauty Pro are concerned it was another winner, and vegan friendly to boot.

4. Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 200ml

From a little treat, to something that I buy and use on a regular basis, the Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover. 

I've used a lot of nail polish removers over the years but I keep coming back to this one. Despite being acetone free, it removes everything that you can throw at it, it smell okay (to my nose at least, Mummy Lou isn't keen though), and it's really affordable.

Although the packaging (and the price) has changed since I wrote this product rave post, the product inside is pretty much the same. Alas after a few months of decent nails, they all started to break, and I now have my little shorty nails again, and whilst I still have a few nails of the day posts to share with you, I will mainly be using this product to remove strengthener rather than pretty polish - ho hum :(

The Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover now retails at around £1.49 for a 200ml bottle, but you can usually get it on a buy one, get one half price offer, so I usually end up buying a couple at a time.

5. Beuti Skincare Anti-Inflammatory Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir - 30ml**

Next up something that I rediscovered the dregs of back in September, and it's something that I fell in love with all over again.

This was a press sample and it was something that I talked about way back in 2016. This product made me fall in love with facial oils, and it made me realise that it isn't just dry skin that can benefit from the application a good quality facial oil.

It smells amazing and whilst you can use it during the day, it's has a perfect aromatherapy scent, that just screams bedtime. You also such a tiny amount it lasts for ages and it leaves the skin no matter what your skin type feeling super soft. You can read my full review here. 

Again the packaging has changed, as unfortunately has the price but it still seem to be the same product. A 30ml bottle of Beuti Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir retails at £47 and is available direct from Beuti Skincare and also from selected Harvey Nichols stores.

6. Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes Charcoal - 8 Cubes - 150g

The final item in this post is the only one that I haven't actually written a full review of but I have mentioned it in depth here if that still counts.

I don't think that sugary, salty, charcoal based cubes are the most economical way to buy a body exfoliator, but they are fun to use, again they are nice and scrubby without feeling scratchy, and they leave the skin feeling super soft.

I think I will probably buy these again, but I want to try the normal charcoal scrub and the watermelon cubes first. The Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes - Charcoal retail at around £6 - £7 from various retailers including NEXT Beauty, Beauty Bay and ASOS. 

So there we have it a solid amount of empties with a slightly cop out ridden blog post - never mind! My aim with these countdowns is always to do better the following month, and if you take a little look in my sidebar then you'll know that November was a pretty decent month. Obviously I'll talk about that more in the next week or so but my focus has now shifted to December's total, and finishing the year with a bang rather than a whimper ;) Thanks for reading as always and don't forget to let me know if you have any questions, and I will see you in a day or so with another post xx

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

**Press Sample

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

Before I share a little Halloween themed post with you, I thought I'd play catch up again and share my September empties with you x 

SUGU Beauty Refreshing Panda Face Sheet Mask With Apple - 1 x 27ml Mask

Bubble T Restoring Hand Wash - Hibiscus & Acai Berry Tea - 260ml

Primark PS... Love Your Nails Nail Polish Twist Post - 70ml

Living Proof Perfect hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector - 30ml

Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara - Drama & Curl - Black - 4ml

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

AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 250ml
The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel - 250ml

Total - 8 Items

After a fairly middle of the road performance in August, I tried really, really hard in September, and as a result I managed to finish 8 items, including a couple of forgotten about bits, a few new discoveries, and believe it or not a make up item!

1. SUGU Beauty Refreshing Panda Face Sheet Mask With Apple - 1 x 27ml Mask

The first product that I finished was a skincare item, and it was a sheet mask from Korean inspired skincare brand SUGU Beauty.

Containing apple, cucumber, lavender, and wild cherry extract, this was a printed face mask that made you look like a pretty scary looking panda, and it was designed to refresh and add radiance to dull, puffy skin.

Made from some sort of fibre, the mask itself was absolutely soaking wet, which initially made it quite difficult to unfold, but the fibre was pretty strong so it didn't tear. If you have ever had a problems with sheet masks like this being too small, this this mask would be perfect for you. I don't have the smallest of heads and this mask actually felt pretty big on me, and the nose hole in particular was huge! which made this poor panda even more terrifying.

Because of all of the fruit and flower extracts, I was really expecting this mask to smell gorgeous but alas not, instead it had a fresh, neutral but slightly chemically scent.

Before 

On application it felt cool, and damp on the skin, as I say it was quite wet and liquidy, so the excess did run down my face, and my neck and into my eyes which was a bit stingy.

On Application

You can leave it on for anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes, so I left it on for about 15 minutes. After I removed the mask my skin still felt quite wet, so I massaged the excess liquid into my skin. It definitely felt more hydrated and cool to the touch, if a little sticky.

After 

I don't know whether or not you can see too much difference between the before and after pictures but my skin definitely felt more hydrated, and cool to the touch. The cool sensation lasted for about the 10 minutes that it took for the excess liquid to fully soak in, my skin was then left looking and feeling smoother and more refreshed.

All in all this wasn't a bad mask for skin that needed a little bit of tlc, and the panda face is either fun or terrifying depending on your point of view. Even better still was the fact that I just paid £1 for it in Poundland. One of my local stores had a whole load of different SUGU Beauty masks in stock, so I bought a few different ones to try. Poundland change their stock all of the time though so there is no guarantee that these masks will still be in stock. A few different places including ASOS, Argos, and The Fragrance Shop sell a small range of SUGU Beauty products but the only places that I can find this particular mask are Amazon and a website called Beauty Goddess, where it retails at around £3.99, so I think I got a bargain.

2. Bubble T Restoring Hand Wash - Hibiscus & Acai Berry Tea - 260ml

Ah, hand wash! We didn't know it way back in January but in 2020 hand wash pretty much became more precious than gold! As I've said on the blog before we're very much soap bar people, but because of COVID we've now become hand wash devotees.

In the deepest, darkest of lockdown way back in March and April hand wash became ridiculously scarce, and the only place that I could be was on the NEXT Beauty website,  and I manage to grab a bottle just days before they went into temporary hibernation.

From fruit and herbal tea inspired brand, Bubble T, this vegan friendly hand wash contained sweet orange extract and goji berries. Just a tiny little bit of this pinky, red gel was enough to produce a creamy, non drying, cleansing foam with a lovely fruity scent.

I really enjoyed using it and I've subsequently gone on to buy a few more for gifts. Specific hand washes are still a bit difficult to track down and this one is currently out of stock on the official Bubble T website but it is still available from NEXT Beauty for £3 and from Boohoo for around £4.

3. Primark PS... Love Your Nails Nail Polish Twist Post - 70ml

More nails of the day posts can only mean one thing - I'm using more nail polish remover! Whilst I swear by favourite Superdrug remover for removing full manicures, these little dippy pots are fabulous for single fingers, and for correcting mistakes without removing your entire manicure, just dip, twist and your done!

I haven't tried any of the more expensive versions but this is the best one of the posts that I've tried. It's cheap, the polish remover is strong enough to remove even the darkest polish, and the sponge is substantial enough that it doesn't fall apart after a single use. Who knows when I'll make it back into Primark again, but when I do I'll definitely be hunting a couple more of these pots down.

4. Living Proof Perfect hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector - 30ml

The next item is a travel sized hair product from the brand Living Proof that I received in the May 2020 edition of Pink Parcel. You can read a bit more about it here but basically this was a overnight mask that you apply to damp or dry hair, and then you leave it overnight before washing it out the next morning, leaving your hair shiny, vibrant and manageable.

For a hair mask it quite a thin cream, almost lotion like texture, with a lovely fresh scent that's almost identical to the classic Elizabeth Arden Green Tea fragrance. Whilst initially it feels a tiny bit sticky, it sinks in really quickly leaving no residue or staining on your pillows.

Ideally you should really wash it out first thing in the morning but since it wasn't obvious that I had product in my hair, and tended to leave it in all day, and I washed my hair at night instead, meaning that you could even use it as a styling product for calming frizz and as a general hair fragrance. Whilst the difference in my hair wasn't earth shattering, my hair looked shiny, felt less tangled, and didn't look quite as frizzy. If you have fine hair this would probably be ideal for you, as it provided nourishment without weighing the hair down.

I actually really liked this and I loved the scent so once I've worked my way through my hair product mountain I will definitely be buying the full size. I can't find this travel size for sale on its own, but the full 118ml size retails at around £20 from various retailers including direct from Living Proof, Cult Beauty, ASOS, Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and NEXT Beauty.

5. Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara - Drama & Curl - Black - 4ml

I know it's been a while but shock of horrors in 2020, I finally finished another make up item. Okay it was another mascara but in this upside world I'll take what I can get!!

This particular Eyeko mascara came in the March 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, and you can read a full review here.

I actually surprised myself by really liking this mascara, I loved the curl and the uplift that it gave my lashes, and I initially loved the idea of the squeezy tube. I did find it a touch clumpy, and that actually got worse as it got older. I don't know whether or not that was down to the tube but it did seem to dry out more quickly than my mascaras usually do, but I still liked it and I would definitely consider buying it or using it again.

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

Just when I think I'm out of these another packet miraculously appears. I actually found this packet in a random drawer and as per usual I've been using them for swatch clean up. I couldn't actually find these the last time that I was in Primark, they had all of the other varieties in their new biodegradable wipe format but not the tea tree ones! 

Never mind I've been using micellar water and cotton pads, and some other tea tree wipes, and my mum actually won a huge pack of biodegradable baby wipes (amongst lots of other things I may add) so I've been using those. If I find some I probably will buy them but I don't think that I'll be buying any in the near future.

7. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 250ml

As I've said before there really is nothing worse than when a brand discontinues something that you like. it literally happens to me all of the time. One of the most recent things that's disappeared from my life is the AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall range. Thankfully I managed to stock up on a few products from the range before it disappeared completely but I thought that it was only fair that I should try some it its replacements, so I bought some products from the Loss Control range and some products from the reconstruction range.

This is the shampoo from the Reconstruction range and it contains keratin, protein, omega 6 and avocado oil, and it's designed to help reduce split ends and breakages, and to help smooth away frizz. Like the Anti Fall products it smells amazing. It had a gorgeous fruity scent, and just a small amount produces a lovely creamy foam. 

I've been using this shampoo alongside a few other products in the Reconstruction range, so I can't really say how well it performs on its own, but my hair generally feels in much better condition, and it doesn't look quite as frizzy and fly away as it normally does. I'm still losing what seems like a tonne of random hairs but it's not noticeable and my hair still looks nice and thick and healthy.

For the price again I'm really impressed with this range, it smells gorgeous and my hair seems to like it. Obviously I have other things to use up (including another bottle of this shampoo) and I still have some bits from the Loss Control line to try but I will definitely be buying this again. As you probably know already, AVON prices and offers (and products!) change all of the time but at the time of writing this size of shampoo currently retails at around £3 with the 400ml size retailing at around £4 online direct from AVON, or from your local AVON representative.

8. The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel - 250ml

The final item in this list is something that has been hanging around in my shower for sometime now, and I was inspired to finish it thanks to a more recent purchase.

The local cat charity from where I got Max frequently hold various raffles and sale on their Facebook page to raise money for the rescue. Well a couple of months ago now one of the members who is a representative for The Body Shop at home, held a sale to raise some much needed funds for the rescue - obviously I bought a few bits and one of the things that I bought was The Body Shop Mango Body Yogurt. 

As much as I love The Body Shop Body Butters, the body yogurts are my new love. Hydrating, yet super light and not greasy or heavy they are perfect for when you're in a rush and you don't have time to stand around waiting for moisturiser to absorb. They do them in a few different scents but the Mango is where it's at, it has the most amazing, mouthwatering, fruity scent, in fact it took my strength not to have a taste.

Since I like to coordinate my shower gels and body moisturisers, I went on to see what other mango, peach and apricot shower products that I could find in my stash and this was the first thing that I grabbed. I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop shower gels, and this one is right up there. Yellow, orange in colour it has the most gorgeous fresh and fruity mango scent.

This particular bottle is as old as the hills now, and obviously the packaging has now changed but this particular shower gel is still available in their core range for around £5.50 for a 250ml bottle. Again I won't be buying this in the near future but I will definitely repurchase it somewhere down the line x 

So there you have it Trimming My Stash - September 2020 edition! I was really pleased to finish 8 items, and whilst I'm not convinced October's total is going to be anywhere near that. I'm going to do my best over the next 24 hours or so and see what happens. As per usual if you have any questions on any of the items in this post then either leave me a comment below, or get in touch with me via email or via any of my social media channels x Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow with a spooky Halloween post x 

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

Reflections and Trimming My Stash - September 2017 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

So any lingering hopes of an Indian summer are long gone, now we're in October there is no denying that Autumn is here. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, the leaves are falling from the trees and you can now go into any supermarket in the UK and buy a pumpkin!

In the last couple of days I've been reminded of a song that we used to sing at this time of year in school assemblies and at Sunday school. The song is called Autumn Days and it's about been thankful for the harvest and those little things in life, and I think it's something that we can all live by. It's very hard at times to find any positives in life but they are always there even if sometimes they take a little bit of finding.

If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I'm currently doing the #365DaysOfHappiness project, it hasn't been easy it times but sometimes even the smallest and most innocuous things can lift your spirits, from a nice cup of coffee, to a fragranced candle, and knowing that it's only 82 days until Christmas.

I know, I know I've already started my Christmas shopping and I'm preparing to fill the shower with all of my festive toiletries, I love Christmas and it always makes me happy but in order to start using all of those cranberry, apple, and gingerbread smellies, I need to make space and get some bits used up. My October aim is to clear my shower of fruits and florals but in the meantime lets see what beauty products I finished last month.

Scrub Love Invigorating Coffee Body Scrub - Coconut Affair - 50g
Beauty Bible Cleansing Milk - 300ml
Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 250ml
Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara -10ml
Collection 2000 Colour Match Foundation - Ivory 1 - 30ml

Total - 5 Items 

Okay, so five items isn't that amazing but I'm still really happy because of the type of items that I managed to finish. Make up items are always pretty thin on the ground for me, probably because I have so much of it that I never really use anything consistently but in September I managed to finish 2 make up products and some body and skincare bits, and as the slogan goes "every little helps"

1. Scrub Love Invigorating Coffee Body Scrub - Coconut Affair - 50g

These scrubs are absolutely everywhere at the moment, and I've managed to accumulate quite a few of them thanks to the various beauty boxes that I'm subscribed to. Billed as more eco friendly, these scrubs are basically just coffee grounds, with a few added ingredients (coconut in this case). I always assumed that these scrubs would have some sort of cream, oil or gel base but they don't, or at least this one didn't. It's basically looks and smells just like coffee grounds, with just a hint of coconut. I tried just taking a handful and rubbing it on my legs but I think I managed to lose more in the shower than I managed to use! I found the best way to use this was to tip a small amount into my hand and then I added a bit of shower gel to achieve a more spreadable consistency. When it comes to body scrubs I know what I like, and the number one thing that I look for is grittiness, this scrub is definitely gritty but it is just so, so messy! The floor of my shower room was literally covered in coffee grounds, and brown yucky looking splodges, I managed to get more of the scrub on the floor, on the shower screen and on the wall then I did on my thighs, and the shower trap, clogged up in an instant! This scrub would be amazing first thing in the morning, with the invigorating feel and the coffee aroma but for me I just can't deal with the mess and neither can Mummy Lou. I'll use the remaining sachets that I have but I definitely won't repurchase :( If you want to try this scrub for yourself then you can buy if from various retailers including Beauty Bay, Fragrance Direct, and Very.

2. Beauty Bible Cleansing Milk - 300ml

I think I've mentioned this in a previous post but I recently tested a batch of products for one of the most comprehensive beauty books on the market, Beauty Bible. If you're confused by all of the beauty products on the market then this is the book that you need. Basically it's a beauty review book, and for every edition the team behind the Beauty Bible recruit hundreds and hundreds of volunteers to try out every beauty product under the sun. I've done it a few times now and I've really enjoyed trying out a wide variety of new products. The only thing is that you're not allowed to talk about the product that you tried on social media :( which in this case is a bit of a bummer because this was one of my favourite products. So in brief it's a sensibly priced, cleansing milk and I loved it, and I would definitely consider spending my hand earned cash on it in the future x 

3. Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 250ml

I don't know if you've noticed but I'm starting to get into painting my nails again, after around 6 months of rubbishness, my nails are getting longer, stronger and they're looking pretty decent, so I'm taking advantage and painting and photographing them while I still can. I know it isn't the most exciting of tasks, but if you paint your nails, at some point you're going to need to take that polish off. 

I'm using two different polish removers at the moment, the Primark PS Love Your Nails Nail Polish Twist Pot, which I use to correct mistakes and to just remove one or two nails, and for everyday use and removing a full manicure I swear by this one from Superdrug. I've used this remover for years and the price has remained the same for the longest time. This acetone free polish is one of my holy grail products, it works, it doesn't smell too awful, and it's only £1.39 for 250ml. I love it so much that I even wrote a blog post devoted to it, that you can read here x 

4. Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara -10ml

I'm not having the best of luck with mascaras at the moment - During a recent optician visit I was diagnosed with dry corneas, due to a combination of both my facial nerve paralysis, and one of my current medications. My eyes can be a bit sensitive at the best of times but at the moment, they're particularly bad. I've tried and binned 3 mascaras in the past fortnight due to sensitivity and whilst I couldn't really class those as empties, I can class this one as an empty.

I haven't tried a lot of make up from Soap & Glory but other the past few years I've managed to acquire a few of their mascaras thanks to the Boots Star Gifts, and a few months ago now I decided to give this one a try and I have to say I was impressed. This mascara which retails at around £10 promises thicker fuller lashes and on me it delivered. It didn't dry my lashes out and it didn't feel heavy or clumpy, and whilst it didn't look as though I was wearing false lashes, my lashes definitely looked fuller, and thicker, and it didn't make my eyes run or sting. It wasn't the longest wearing mascara that I've ever used but I'll happily use the ones that I have and I would definitely consider repurchasing this one in it's own right.

5. Collection 2000 Colour Match Foundation - Ivory 1 - 30ml

Now before you I say anything I know that this is an old, old bottle of foundation. I'm fully aware of that, and I know that you should really throw make up and especially liquids and creams out after so long. This still smelled okay and the texture hadn't changed so I kept as it and tried to eek it out for as long as possible. The reason why is that I loved this foundation, the colour match was perfect, the texture was perfect for my skin type, and it wore well on my oil prone skin. In this format this foundation has long gone. Collection, as they are now called does have a Colour Match Foundation in it's current collection (haha) but it's now in plastic, squeezy tube, and the shade names have altered slightly. At only £3.99 for 30ml it's well worth a try though, so I've picked up the shade Ivory and I'm hoping upon hope that it is just as good as this one was. If it isn't I'll be begging Collection to bring the original one back!

So they were my September empties, as I say I'm really pleased to have finished a few make up items, but in October I'll definitely be focusing on the bathroom, and trying to make room for both my festive shower bits, and my winter themed body creams. Which reminds me, if you are a bit obsessed with Christmas bath and body bits then check out tomorrow's post to see some of Lush's festive offerings x If you have any questions on any of the items that I've mentioned then please leave me a comment below x 

Trimming My Stash And A Life Update - August 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Well the summer holidays are just about over, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or Frappuccinos in this case) are now back on the Starbucks menu, what does that mean? well it's September of course, and whilst I'm still praying for a lottery win or an Indian summer to get my sunshine fix, there is no doubt that despite the warm start to the week, autumn is on its way

Whilst I'm sorry to see the end of summer. I have to be honest and say I'm not particularly sorry to see the back of August. It was a pretty rubbish month in a lot of ways for me, culminating in a broken laptop, and a couple of screen free weeks, that I could seriously have done without. I'm now way behind schedule when it comes to blogging and You Tube and I have to admit that it's stressing me out a little bit! For once though I'm going to try and take my own advice and try to keep calm, and enjoy the creative process.

I've got lots and lots of posts and videos planned for the next few weeks, to try and bring myself back up to date, including some hopefully interesting reviews, and some hauls. If you like hauls, you need to make sure that your following my blog, and that your subscribed to my You Tube channel. I have a home haul, an ebay haul, specific shop hauls, and countless beauty hauls to come, including some items that I bought way back in May!

Since I have so many beauty items still to show you, I'm putting my Project 10 Pan plans on hold. My decision has nothing to do with the launch of Kat Von D into Debenhams later this month, and if you believe that you'll believe anything! ;). Seriously though I want a clean break and I can only do that when all of my beauty haul posts and videos are out of the way. I am definitely going to do it though and I'll let you know with a post and a video when I take the plunge and start my make up no buy. In the meantime though I've still be trying to use up as many beauty products as I can and here are the items that I finished in August.

Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml
Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml
The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml
Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml
Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml
No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml
Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml
Total - 8 Items

July and August ended up being twins - I managed to finish 8 products in July and I managed to finish another 8 items in August. It wasn't a vintage performance by any means but I managed to finish a nice assortment of older body care items and one longstanding skin items so I'm still pretty pleased, and I'm already looking forward to improving my total next month.

1. Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml

The first item that I finished was a product that I had pretty much forgotten about. I normally have about half a dozen hand creams on the go at once and this one was one that I'd pretty much forgotten about. I originally bought this from a site called Powder Rooms that I loved but it now appears to be offline. They sold all sorts of quirky brands and products and this hand cream from popular nail brand Butter London was just one thing that I bought from the site. It had quite a runny texture, but it was easily absorbed and it left the skin feeling silky soft. The biggest selling point for me though was the smell - the Mango Peach scent was literally mouthwatering. Unfortunately Butter London don't seem to sell their hand creams anymore but you can still buy their nail polishes and lip products from various retailers including Feel Unique and HQ Hair, and with their new UK website set to launch soon here's hoping that they bring this gorgeous smelling lotion back

2. Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml

This is the first of several mini products in this post and it's another rediscovery. Like socks and selection packs, a Sanctuary Spa gift set from Boots used to be almost a mainstay under my Christmas tree. My tastes have changed slightly over the years but I can still appreciate this exotic scent and the familiar bright orange packaging. This body scrub is still one of core products in the Sanctuary line, and although the name has changed slightly, this micro bead free scrub, contains gentle, pumice stone particles, suspended in a patchouli and orange scented, essential oil filled foaming gel. I like this scrub and I'll happily use up the couple that I've found in my stash but that said I probably wouldn't repurchase. There are now lots of different scrubs in the Sanctuary line, and you should know by now that I love salt and sugar scrubs, so my favourite scrub from Sanctuary is actually their Hot Sugar Scrub which normally retails at around £12. Pricey but worth it for the circulation boost that the warming effect gives you. This one though under it's new name the Sanctuary Gentle Polish Body Scrub retails at a much more affordable £5.50 for a 200ml tube and this 50ml size retails at the perfect try me price of just £2.50.

3. The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml

This is another rediscovered product and unfortunately it's another product that's been discontinued. The Body Shop Earth Lovers range was a range of 100% biodegradable shower gels. The packaging was biodegradable as was the shower gel itself, and it was also sulfate, paraben, colour and soap free. This one sounds a little odd fragrance wise but it just worked, the sweetness and fruitiness of the apricot, went perfectly with the peppery herbal hit of the basil. I personally found the formulation a bit watery but I did enjoy this fragrance.

4. Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml

This was a product that I was sent to review from My Pure, and whilst I quite like it, I've got to say that in my opinion you can't beat a normal chemical filled (but acetone free) nail polish remover. This did what it was supposed to but it really struggled on anything with texture or glitter, and it was also better suited at removing one or two coats rather than a full manicure. You can read a full review here.

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml

When these little pots first came on the market I had to admit that I wasn't a fan. I tried a few at several different price points and I was left feeling a bit mehh but now I get it I really do. This particular pot is just £1 and for me it's been a beauty life saver. I don't use them often to remove a full manicure but if you mess a nail up mid paint, then these pots are a quick and easy way to take your polish off without ruining the rest of your manicure. They also last for ages, and even when their effectiveness is starting to fade, just tip the polish remover out of the pot, and replace it with fresh remover, and you can get a bit more use out of it. Eventually though the sponge starts to disintegrate and you need to move onto a new pot. I already have a new pot and I will definitely be picking up another one.

6. Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml

Another one of these and I think that this particular full sized one came in a beauty box. I love the texture and that fact that you can use it wet or dry but it definitely isn't my favourite Rituals scent. I think it has a fairly unisex scent, with the tart, citrus of the orange, and the warm woodiness of the cedar. Nice product but I prefer some of the other Rituals scents. You can also read my thoughts on this product here x

7. No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml

Although I don't use or buy this particular product regularly, it's one of those things that I seemed to have a few of. The reason being, that this was the product that I always bought when I they had the free No7 voucher offer on in Boots. It's a good quality, gently fragranced hot cloth cleanser, that takes your make up off quickly and easily, and it feels nice on the skin. Every time I use this I always ask myself why I don't buy it and use it more often, for me it easily rivals some of the more expensive and famous hot cloth cleansers out there, so if you're on a budget or if it's on offer, it's well worth a try or at least it used to be. Like a lot of things Boots seem to have to changed the name, it seems to be the same product but it is now called The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which retails at £9.95 for a 200ml tube. I really hope it is the same product and I will definitely be picking one up to try next time that I need a new cleanser.

7. Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml

My shower product sorting continued last month and this was another rediscovery. This mini came from a limited edition Next Christmas gift set, that was themed around food fragrance beauty products. It had a thick texture and a pretty disappointing fruity scent. The name promised so much but for me it didn't deliver and even it could repurchase it, I wouldn't  :(

A bit of a mixed bag from me today I know, with a mini life update and an empties post, but it's good to share, and if you have any questions either on any of the products that I finished last month, or on anything else to do with me, my blog or my You Tube channel then please leave me a comment x Don't forget to follow me on all of my other social media channels via the links in the sidebar and I'll see you soon with a haul post x

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

Hey Guys x It's the first of the month and that means that it's empties time again. I've been a busy bee this month sorting out my entire toiletry stash, so I know exactly what I've got and what I need to use up. and what needs to go in the bin. I've moved everything that's been opened and half used into the bathroom and my aim is to use those up before I start on anything new. I really love trying new things but toiletry wise I'm looking forward to rediscovering some old favourites and of using some products up. Speaking of which lets see what beauty items I managed to finish in July.

Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml
Easy Nails Fast & Fruity Acetone Free Nails Polish Remover - Peach Fragrance - 50ml
Balance Me Skin Brightening Exfoliating Body Polish - 220g
Fair Squared Vanilla Shower Gel - 10ml
Make Up Gallery Well Polished Cuticle Oil - 10ml
Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - 100g
OPI Chip Skip Nail Lacquer Chip Preventor - 15ml
Total - 8 Items 

Although I didn't managed to surpass or equal June's total of 14 items, I still pretty pleased to have finished 8 things. Again I've finished a nice variety of products including some body care and some skin care items, and I also managed to finish a few things that have been lingering on for a while.

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

Nuff said really, hot, and sticky weather, and lots of swatches to clean means another packet of these bit the dust

2. Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml

It always seems that I'm on the lookout for something beauty wise, and at the moment I'm on the hunt for a good, budge eye make up remover. Gatineau is my brand of choice but it isn't cheap so I'm on the lookout for something a bit cheaper. Recently my local Superdrug had an offer on their Nivea skincare so I picked this eye make up remover and the Nivea Daily Essentials Eye Make Up Remover. I've only managed to use this one so far, and I have to be honest and say that I don't love it. Don't get me wrong this stuff removes even the most hard wearing mascara, and long wear eyeshadow but like a lot of removers it makes my eyes sting and water. I'm going to give the other bottle ago but based on this one I'm not expecting a lot and my search for the perfect eye make up remover goes on.

3. Easy Nails Fast & Fruity Acetone Free Nails Polish Remover - Peach Fragrance - 50ml

This was an emergency purchase many moons ago on the way to a blog event. Three of my nails chipped before I even got on the bus and I needed something quick and easy to take my nail polish off. I bought this pot from Bodycare and an emergency purchase was about all it was good for. If I remember rightly it struggled to take the polish off, the quality of the sponge inside was really poor and it the tub leaked everywhere. I've been using it to remove clear  nail strengthener which was about all it was good for thankfully now though it's dried out and I can bin it. The only plus point was the peach scent - needless to say I won't repurchase!


4. Balance Me Skin Brightening Exfoliating Body Polish - 220g

This was a My Pure review product from way back in 2014 and I loved it. I love a good body scrub and that's exactly what this one is. I love salt and sugar based scrubs and this one is salt based, it was nice and gritty with a moisturising oil and shea butter base, this scrub had a refreshing and revitalising spearmint based scent. It left my skin feeling silky smooth and alive. Fabulous stuff - you can read a full review here. I don't think My Pure sell this in this format now but they have do have do sell a product in a tube that sounds almost identical x


5. Fair Squared Vanilla Shower Gel - 10ml

This was a subtly scented, moisturising shower gel that  was kindly sent and I recently reviewed in one of my Sample Saturday posts x You can read my full review here x

6. Make Up Gallery Well Polished Cuticle Oil - 10ml

This is the second bottle of this Poundland oil that I've finished lately and it probably shows my current obsession with cuticle oil. It makes such a difference to the state of your nails and at the moment I'm applying it numerous times a day. My favourite oil of all time is OPI Avoplex but it's pricey, this was a pretty decent accompaniment to my OPI but my new love is Primark's PS Cuticle Oil. It's the same price as this one and I prefer it so I'll only be buying this one again in an emergency

7. Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - 100g

What can say about this cult product from Lush that hasn't already been said! Snow Fairy is one of Lush's most popular products of all time. This pink sugary, sweet shower gel, which is packed full of fine glitter is a Christmas limited edition, So come December time me and my fellow Snow Fairy lovers try to stock on as much as we can for the year ahead. I've used it quite sparingly so far this year so I still have another small, and a medium size bottle to use up but come December, I'll definitely be buying more x

8. OPI Chip Skip Nail Lacquer Chip Preventor - 15ml

Ah Chip Skip, one of OPI's most misunderstood products and one of my personal favourites. I have heard so many people referring to this as base coat and then saying it's rubbish! Well that's because it isn't a base coat. If you can't get nail polish or strengtheners to stay on your nails then you need this. Chip Skip is a clear watery liquid that you paint onto your bare nails, it soaks into your nails, and then you apply your base coat and polish on top. What Chip Skip does is remove any of the grease and oils from your nail surface that can lead to your polish peeling and chipping. A lot of people recommend wiping your nails with either alcohol or nail polish remover instead but this product is much easier and less messy to use. I think it's makes a real difference and it's something that I will continue to use. A little goes a very long way and because it isn't a polish, it doesn't go thick or gloopy so you can use it till the very bottom of the bottle.

I'm pretty excited now I've completed my toiletry sort out, to get going, and to get some products used up. I've rediscovered a couple of half finished shower products that I'm going to start with and hopefully I'll manage to work my way through a few more products in August.

I know I mentioned Product 10 Pan in my last empties post, and although I'm not quite ready to start it, it is definitely going to happen next month. I've got a lot of beauty haul posts to go up and then hopefully I'll be able to start Project 10 Pan in September and get some of my make up used up. If you've posted an empties post on either your blog or on your You Tube channel then link me up so I can have a nose x