Showing posts with label November. Show all posts
Showing posts with label November. Show all posts

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Trimming My Stash - November 2017 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Even though I've been opening my advent calendars every day since last Friday, I'm still finding it pretty hard to believe that we are nearly a week into December already. This year has been pretty much blink and you'll miss it for me and the last month of the year seems to have started at a 100 miles an hour.

Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter - 125ml
Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml
AVON Mattifying Foundation - Ivory - 30ml
Beauty Bible Shower Gel - 200ml
Boots Damask Rose Sensual Body Polish - 200ml
Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Total - 8 Items

So I'm late again but I'm back and raring to go with my November empties post. I really wanted to hit double figures for only the second time in 2017 but unfortunately I fell just short and I only managed to finish 8 items. Still it was an improvement on October's total of 5 items so I'm not too downhearted. I managed to finish a good variety of items as well with a few skincare body, some body products, and one make up item making the final cut.

1. Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter - 125ml


Apologies that the picture isn't the best but get past that and if you can get your hands on a tub of this fabulous butter then do it! My bestie bought me a tub of this wonder cream after reading about it in a newspaper and it's AMAZING! Officially it's for mini people but this is without a doubt the best foot cream and dry bit cream that I've ever used! Containing olive oil and chamomile you can use this stuff from head to foot. It's sticky and rich but it absorbs eventually and it has a slight vanilla citrus scent. After a shower I've literally been slathering it on my feet and popping on a pair of fluffy socks, and after just a few hours my feet are a lot softer and a lot more moisturised. This product seems to have gone AWOL lately but I'm lead to believe that it's back and that it's just been repackaged as the Waitrose Mini Soothing Baby Bottom Butter which now retails at £3.20 and it is worth every penny! We just need the Waitrose store in Intu Eldon Square to start stocking it again now so I can get some more!

2. Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml


For many years now I've been devoted to OPI's Avoplex Cuticle Oil but after discovering this little bottle of magic in Primark, I pretty much waved it goodbye. At only £1 a bottle this stuff is fabulous is contains Avocado oil, and it does it's thing. It absorbs into the cuticles and nails in an instant and it makes an instant difference to both the look and the condition of the cuticles and the nails. I've bought a few for family members in the past and like me they love it. If something is cheap it doesn't mean that it's awful and this product is a case in point - it's brilliant!

3. AVON Mattifying Foundation - Ivory - 30ml


Now I'm usually a big lover of AVON foundations but for some reason I just didn't get on with this one at all. It was just too thick , and I actually really struggled to squeeze it out of the tube. On the face it looked very mask like and cakey and whilst I do prefer a matte foundation this one was just too heavy. The only positive was the colour match. AVON are always changing their products, lines and formulations and this particular product doesn't appear to be in the current line. One bad experience won't put me off using AVON foundations in the future though and I already have a couple of new ones to try.

4. Beauty Bible Shower Gel - 200ml


Next up another product that I recently tested for Beauty Bible, again due to their restrictions I can't really talk about it on the blog or identify it! It was a shower gel from a largely natural brand and I really liked it but I wasn't a fan of the packaging.

5. Boots Damask Rose Sensual Body Polish - 200ml


I honestly have no idea exactly how old this product is. My mam was sorting through some of her beauty drawers and she gave me this to use up. I've tried and tried to teach her about body scrubs and exfoliating but I've eventually resigned myself to defeat, she doesn't get it and she doesn't see the point - a shower gel and a body mop will as close as she ever gets to giving herself a good scrub - at times I wonder if we're even related!! So I ended up with this pleasant rose scented body scrub which of course I managed to use up in less than a month. It was a cream based scrub with very small exfoliating particles, not my favourite formulation of body scrub by any means but I used it up. This own brand range from Boots seems to be long gone but I'm sure you could easily find something similar.

6. Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner - 250ml


Like so many bloggers and online dwellers I bought this product because of Caroline Hirons! It's a cult product and with good reason, from having relatively decent but slightly oily skin over the last 12 months or so, my skin has regained some of it's teenage angst! This stuff though has been a life saver, it's helped my knock some of those horrible hormonal spots on the head and it stopped my skin looking as dull and grey as it can do when it's craving a bit of sunshine. I will definitely buy this product again but at the moment I'm trying out the Superdrug Natural Radiant Glycolic Toner which is supposed to be pretty similar to PIXI Glow but without the price tag. I'll let you know how I got with that in a future post, oh! and if you are a PIXI fan then you might want to make sure your following my blog,  because I may have a giveaway post coming up in the next week or so that you won't want to miss!

7. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
8. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes



Would it really be a monthly empties post on LouLouLand without any mention of these wipes? I think not. I'm hoping upon hope to get a few make up posts up before Christmas and make up pictures mean lots of swatch shooting and that means a lot of wrist and forearm wiping! These wipes are a real must have for me and I'm always finding new uses for them. I was actually in Primark this week though (haul post and video coming soon!), and I couldn't find these tea tree based wipes anywhere! I really hope they haven't discontinued them, I'll definitely be back in before Christmas so I'll have another look then and in the meantime I picked up a couple of packets of their micellar wipes to tide me over and get me through another couple of weeks of swatching and sanitising.

So they were my November empties, I'm planning on making a big push in the next few weeks to try and end my empties year on a high. Given my performance in 2017 as a whole, beating Novembers target of 8 items won't be easy but I'll give it my best shot 

Again I'm sorry that this post is so late - my time doesn't seem to be my own at the minute and my to do list is getting longer by the day but hopefully now that I've seen some friends before Christmas and that I've nearly finished my Christmas shopping. I'll have a bit of time to actually put the Christmas tree up, get some You Tube videos shot, and get some blog posts written - fingers crossed anyways x If you have any questions on any of the products that I finished in November then please leave me a comment below x


Monday, 1 December 2014

Trimming My Stash - November 2014 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey Everyone x Happy December x It's hard to believe were now only about 4 weeks from 2015, what a scary thought! November's empties pretty much reflect the changing weather and the forthcoming festive season. I dug out a lot of my festive fragrances last month in a attempt to make myself feel a little less stressed and little bit more Christmassy, and do you know what? I think it worked! Okay my Tesco Countdown To Christmas Advent Calendar hasn't arrived yet, but the rest of the calendars are on display, the festive fragrances are burning and the preliminary Asda shopping order has been placed, Christmas is well and truly on it's way.

Avon Naturals Strawberry And Guava Shower Gel - 200ml
The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Polish - 75ml
The Body Shop Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml
Avon Senses Winter Wonderland Warm & Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml
SBC Arnica Bath Soak - 500ml
The Body Shop Cranberry Bubble Bath - 400ml
Total - 6 Items

Anyway enough of the waffle and back to the empties. I'm down on last months total but I still managed to finish 6 items and every single one of them was a bath or a body product, and 4 of those were Christmas related. It was a bit of a frustrating month empties wise, I ended the month with a few products just about done, annoying but at least I'll finish them this month.

1. Avon Naturals Strawberry And Guava Shower Gel - 200ml


Although this is much more of a summery fragrance I'm a huge fan of all of the strawberry products in the Avon Naturals range. This is quite a zingy shower gel and it isn't as sweet as maybe you would expect probably because of the inclusion of the guava. This product is still available from Avon and it's definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

2. The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Body Polish - 75ml


The first of my festive items and it's a body scrub. One of this weeks reoccuring themes on the blog will be my love for The Body Shop's festive fragrances and this one is a blast from the past which unfortunately is long gone from stores. Vanilla Spice had almost an Eggnog Latte esq smell, with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. As you know I'm not the greatest fan of nut based scrubs but the smell of this certainly made up for it.

3. The Body Shop Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml


Ahhh cranberry probably The Body Shop's signature festive fragrance. It varies slightly every year and previous years interpreattion. Really fruity but not overtly sweet it's pretty similar to this years offering. Their body butters in my opinion are one of the best out there and they are a real staple in my bathroom cupboard throughout the year.

4. Avon Senses Winter Wonderland Warm & Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml


Festive item number 3 and it's something that hasn't appeared this year. As well as their Naturals range I'm also a huge fan of Avon's Senses shower gels. This fragrance was a bit fruity, and a bit spicy, and very Christmassy, I really enjoyed using it and I'm sorry I can't get another bottle this year.

5. SBC Arnica Bath Soak - 500ml


Something not so festive, but something that I've really come to rely on throughout the year. I'm a huge fan of the SBC Arnica Gel for soothing my aches and pains, and this is the bath soak provides all the benefits of arnica in a foam bath. With the disappearance of my beloved bath tub early next year this is one product that I'm really going to miss. They do produce a shower product, so I'm really hoping that it has the same effect.

6. The Body Shop Cranberry Bubble Bath - 400ml


Another cranberry product and something else that I'm going to miss. There really is nothing like a warm, foaming cranberry bath to get you in the mood for Christmas. Again this years fragrance is very similar but I'm going to have to rely on the shower gel this time round.

So they were my November empties x As per usual if you have any questions on any of the items that I finished please leave me a comment, and if you're a fan of The Body Shop and their festive offerings you may want to read tomorrows blog post x Thanks for reading and I'll see you later tonight with another post x




Thursday, 1 December 2011

Naughty In November ?


Well November's been a funny month hasn't it, the weather has been distinctively mild compared to last year, and Christmas seems to have started even earlier than ever, there is a house near my that have had their decorations up for nearly 3 weeks! eek!

It's been a funny month in LouLouLand too, I started the month feeling a little under the weather financially but within a day or so of the month starting, a slightly unexpected windfall,and continuing good ebay sales meant that I've had a bit of a spare cash so guess what? yes I was a naughty Lou, and I've spent quite a bit of money this month and as a result I've probably gone way over this months spends eek.
I have a little haul post to go up next week of stuff that I've bought and received over the last week and a bit (L'Occitane, Avon, Viva La Nails, ebay, blog sale!, and Chanel!!!!) but in December I promise I really am going to try harder, as you read this I'm probably wandering around the Metro Centre which probably isn't going to give me the best of starts, but I'm going to be honest and detail all my spends in December for you no matter how far I go over my limit. Call it my penance for going so far over my limit ;)

I have to admit Trimming My Stash this month has also been a bit of a struggle, I've a few things hanging around, including a few make items, and a few bath and face products but they seem to be going on for ever! I only managed to finish 9 items in November
A'kin Jasmine Body Wash 225ml
SBC Jasmine and Evening Primrose Creme Shower Gel 250ml
L'Occitane Acacia Flower Hand and Body Cleansing Mousse 250ml
Ecover Lavender and Aloe Vera Shower Gel 250ml
Philosophy Spicy Pear Cobbler 3 in 1 Shampoo Shower Gel and Bubble Bath 473.1 ml
Anatomicals Not Another Rough Day Please Body Moisturiser 200ml
The Body Shop Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel 250ml
Lovea Guava Toning Body Wash 200ml
Elemis Lime and Ginger Salt Glow 150g

It's not bad I guess but I would have liked to done a bit better, so in December I will be trying really hard!

Well what else can you expect from LouLouLand in December? well reviews and lots of them, in December you can expect reviews of everything from underwear, to energy boosters, to fake tan and hand cream. I'll also be reviewing a few things which I think will make great Christmas gifts :) I've also got December nailed and I'm planning lots of sparkly nails of the days, a couple of updates to my changing you nail polish, and a nail polish collection post focusing on drumroll MAC! I've also got a few end of the year summary posts coming up for you, a festive recipe and of course the annual LouLouLand Christmas giveaway. Added to more ebay listings, Christmas shopping and wrapping, tidying and seeing friends and family I have a jam packed month ahead, but do you know what I love December and I love Christmas. Thanks to all of you guys for your comments and support during November and I hope you'll stick around in December xx