Trimming My Stash - August 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

So should I apologise again for the lateness of a blog post or should I just get on with it? You decide! Well you don't I do and I'm going to offer a fleeting but non specific apology - things happen, life gets in the way and all that jazz. I've had another pretty up and down few weeks but I'm still here, I'm still shopping and I'm still desperately trying to finish a few beauty products along the way.

Courreges La Fille De' L Air Eau De Parfum - 8.5ml
Scrub Love Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Scrub - Coconut Cranberry - 100g
Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner - 100ml
My Little Beauty Coco Sunrise Hair And Body Oil - 75ml
Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub - 300ml
Bomb Cosmetics Mandarin & Orange Cleansing Shower Butter - 320g

Total - 6 Items 

August was a much better month than July, I managed to finish 6 items, including a few long time favourites and a few beauty box items, although I didn't manage to add any make up items to my August I did manage to finish a fragrance, and some skin and body care products, all in all not a bad month empties wise!

1. Courreges La Fille De' L Air Eau De Parfum - 8.5ml

If you follow any of my other social media channels or if you're a regular watcher of my You Tube unboxing videos, then you'll know that I love fragrance but like most people I'm not always a fan of random perfumes in beauty boxes. Scent is such a personal thing that it can be really hard to give a 100 or so people the same fragrance and for them all to love it, but it really can give you the chance to try something new, and every now and then, you hit the jackpot. When I received this in a My Little Box, well over a year ago now I was hesitant but it really was love at first sniff! 

This fragrance from iconic French designer brand Courreges is the perfect scent for summer. It's a perfect combination of citrus and floral, and contains bergamot, neroli, orange blossom, musk, ozone scents and rubber! Yeah ignore the concept of the rubber that's just weird, instead embrace the white flowers and the orange blossom and you'll be transported to the Mediterranean before you know it, quite literally as it turns it, the name actually translates to The Girl In The Air, and for a while when it was first released in 2015, it was an Air France exclusive. Thankfully now it's readily available worldwide, well apart from in the UK that is! For some reason Courreges don't officially retail their scents in the UK so this is definitely something to try if your heading to sunnier or not so sunnier climes in the near future. If you're like me though and you have no exotic jaunts planned than you could always try reseller sites such as ebay and Amazon, I've had a look today and this fragrance is still available from both UK and European sellers. Thankfully I have a couple of bottles to keep me going, when I first talked about this scent, and about how much that I loved it, the lovely team at My Little Box, very kindly sent me another purse spray free of charge, and this year my lovely mummy managed to get her hands on a full size bottle that she gave me for my birthday. I love a lot of different fragrances but this is definitely now one of my go to's. 

2. Scrub Love Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Scrub - Coconut Cranberry - 100g

Ah the last of my Scrub Love sachets, and Mummy Lou breathes, well a sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong I do like these an awful lot it's just that they are so messy! This one though was way, way better than the Charcoal one that I talked about last month (read my post here if you haven't already). The texture and the scent was way better and this one was a little bit more like some of the other Scrub Love products that I'd tried. With a fruit, slight coconut scent, this one was much squidgier, and a result much, much easier to apply and use. Containing ground coconut shells and flakes, as well as coconut oil, vitamin E, and cranberry seed oil, this one had a decent scrubby texture, and whilst it wasn't any wear near or scratchy as the charcoal variant it still did the job, and thanks all of the natural oils (which also helped hold it together) it felt slightly oily on the the skin. It rinsed off fairly easily in the shower, and the skin was left feeling both smooth and hydrated. Like all of the other scrubs that I've tried from this brand it did leave a bit of gunk in the bottom of the shower, so whilst this product maybe isn't for my mam or clean freaks, if you're looking for a natural scrub with no nasties or micro beads, and that's full biodegradable then this range could be something worth trying. I personally would be happy to use some of these again but I don't wish to incur the wraith of Mummy Lou so all I can do is hope that they pop up in another subscription box sometime soon.

3. Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner - 100ml

Now if you've spent as long online as I have then you might have already seen a lot of buzz and hype about this purse friendly skincare product range from Superdrug, with many people hailing as a fabulous budget alternative to products such as Alpha H Liquid Gold, PIXI Glow Tonic, and NIP + FAB's Glycolic range.

Containing kiwi and mulberry extracts, AHA's and Glycolic Acid, this product is designed to even out the complexion, refine pores, smooth out fine lines, fade pigmentation, clear dead skin, and add radiance to the compexion.

Simply use it as you would any other toner, apply it to a cotton pad and then wipe it over the skin. You can use this toner both morning and night, but I prefer to use it at night, and to let it do it's thing whilst I sleep. Immediately after application it starts to feel as though it's doing something, and my skin starts to feel slightly warm and tingly. I've been using this for over a month now, alongside another product from the same range, and my skin definitely feels smoother, and looks brighter and clearer, I also noticed that those annoying hormonal breakouts on my chin cleared up more quickly whilst I was using this product.

This stuff is good, and it's definitely something that I intend to buy again, the only bad thing for me (other than remembering to wear SPF - I know, I know - slaps wrists), is the smell. It has a very green, woody, herbal scent that reminds me a bit of aftershave! Never mind I guess I can live the scent of a hunky man purely for the results that I've had from this little bottle of magic. It normally retails at £5.99 for 100ml bottle but Superdrug nearly always has some sort of offer on this range, the current offer is buy one get one free so it's well worth trying.

4. My Little Beauty Coco Sunrise Hair And Body Oil - 75ml

Another product from the now defunct My Little Box UK, and it one of the products from their own line that was sadly never available to buy separately in the UK. 

Thanks to too much Malibu once upon a time I have a love / hate relationship with coconut. I really can appreciate the yumminess of the scent but sometimes it can be a little bit too much for me. I can usually deal with a little bit though and this product was both within my limits and perfect for the summer months.

This was basically a multi purpose oil both containing and smelling of coconut. I do love an oil and I mainly used this oil in two ways, on my hair as both a pre-wash treatment, and a styling product to tone down the frizz and add shine, and as a body oil to add extra nourishment to drier areas and to help treat some stretchmarks. It was a nice easy to apply oil, that absorbed pretty quickly and it made an instant difference hydration wise to both the skin and the hair. 

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

I love, love, love this stuff, it's one of my most used and repurchased body scrubs and it's something that I will continue to use and repurchase. As the name would suggest it's a gritty brown sugar based scrub, with just a touch of sea salt and macadamia grains, with add sweet lime oil, to give it its zesty citrus scent, and added almond oil, and glycerin for hydration.

Sugar and salt scrubs are without a doubt my favourite kind, apply a small amount (a little goes a long way)  to damp skin and you get a decent friction scrub with none of the mess. The oil content also gives the skin a nice moisture boost, and the scent is a real mood booster, honestly what's not to love.

6. Bomb Cosmetics Mandarin & Orange Cleansing Shower Butter - 320g

Now Bomb Cosmetics definitely don't get as much publicity as Lush does but there products are equally fun and quirky - no they don't just make bath bombs, they also make everything from candles, to soaps, to hair masks and shower butters!

Shower butters I hear you cry, what is a shower butter? well shower butters are probably my favourite product from Bomb Cosmetics, Think tubs of squidgy butter, that foams up equally well in the bath or the shower. Simply scoop a small amount and pop it under running water or onto a shower scrunchie and it lathers up like a dream.

Crammed full of nourishing shea butter, this mandarin orange scented citrus fabulousness has been a mainstay in my bathroom for a few years now. It's such an economical product you only needs a tiny little bit so you £7.99 investment goes a long way. They are also super easy to use, they feel gentle on the skin and this one in particular smells amazing.

The name and the packaging seems to have changed now to just Mandarin Shower Butter but I'm hoping that the product inside is still the same. Since I don't have easy access to a bath tub now I'm always on the lookout for fun and different shower products and these fit the bill perfectly. I'll definitely be picking up another tub in the near future, and I'm also fancying trying one of the scents maybe Blackcurrant hmm decisions, decisions!

So they were my August empties, I've already finished a few bits already in September so fingers crossed that I'll do even better this month x Let me know if you have any questions on any of the items that I finished and I'll do my best to get back to you x 

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

We're now more than half way through 2018, and if I'm honest I can't wait for it to be over. I seem to be saying this a lot lately but the last few weeks have been pretty rubbish again. More health issues for both me and my mam, a few MH issues for me, and a poorly kitty means that I'm struggling on a lot of fronts at the moment.

As per usual my blog and my social media presence has suffered although I've managed to upload a few You Tube videos, I've missed a couple of events lately, and my blog especially has been a little bit quiet. I can't guarantee that is going to change in the very near future but I'm going to try a little bit harder to make time for you guys x I have a pile of unboxing videos to do, and I've started photographing a few bits for some up and coming posts so fingers crossed you might be seeing me a  bit more regularly in your subscription feeds. First up though lets take a little look back at all of my beauty empties from June!

Scrub Love Detoxifying Activated Charcoal Body Scrub - Cucumber And Bamboo - 100g
Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml
Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Foaming Bubble Bath And Shower Gel - 480ml
The Body Shop Dewberry Bath And Shower Gel - 250ml

Total - 4 Items 

Not my best performance I'm afraid with just four items, but I did manage to tackle some of the many half full bottles that are littering my shower cubicle, including a real blast from the past, and I also managed to finish one of the worst / best products that I've used x 

1. Scrub Love Detoxifying Activated Charcoal Body Scrub - Cucumber And Bamboo - 100g

Is it possible to love and hate a product in equal measure? Well after trying this body scrub I think it is! I've tried a few products from Scrub Love now and whilst I love the concept I've had more misses than hits so far. I generally love the scrubiness and the textures but my biggest issue with them is that they can be very messy. I'm going to be honest with you though, the mess that every other Scrub Love scrub that I've tried, combined, pales into comparison with this one!

Think traditional body scrub and you'd be way off the mark, in reality this pouch contains a faintly but slightly strange scented, slightly damp, fine grit. I really can't gloss this up at all that exactly what it looks like, black dirt or grit, that literally went everywhere, it covered the floor of the shower, and it clogged up the shower drain. It literally looked like someone had been to B&Q bought a bag of black sand or grit and thrown it on the shower floor! To say my mam wasn't pleased was an understatement and she banned me from ever buying it again!! (I actually got it in a beauty box so I didn't technically pick it out myself in the first place, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!).

Eek! Fair enough I guess but the annoying thing is that despite the mess, and the slightly strange but thankfully faint scent, I actually loved how this product made my skin feel. I literally massaged clumps of it into the damp skin on my knees, elbows, bum and thighs, and the result was one of the most grittiest and most thorough scrubs that I'd ever used. It rinsed off fairly easily (much easier than it was to clean out of the shower anyway!) and it literally left my skin feeling like silk, velvet, kittens ears, and anything else that you can think of that is super soft. My skin felt smooth, clear, clean and alive!

This scrub certainly did what it promised. This scrub would be perfect ahead of fake tanning, a body treatment or when you need your skin to feel soft, and touchable, and to look amazing. For some people this scrub would be a bit too scrubby, and obviously there is the mess factor, but if you can handle that this scrub really does deliver.

2. Primark PS Cuticle Oil - 10ml

There isn't a lot else that I can say about this really that I haven't already said apart from for only £1 a bottle this stuff in my opinion can't be beaten! I don't know whether it's down to the amazing weather that we've had over the last few weeks but my nails have gone to hell, thankfully I have several more bottles of this wonder liquid on the go so hopefully it shouldn't be too long before they're strong, hydrated and paintable again.

3. Philosophy The Gingerbread Man Foaming Bubble Bath And Shower Gel - 480ml

This used to be one of festive bath and shower essentials but since I've discovered some of the equally good, more budget friendly dupes from brands like Beauticology, Treacle Moon and I Love.. I haven't shown Philosophy quite as much love as I used to, but if you can afford to splash out a little bit than Philosophy shower gels are pretty damn good!

Philosophy The Gingerbread Man is usually released just in time for  Christmas, and this bottle has been in my shower since around November time. Like all Philosophy shower products it has a rich and creamy texture and it can also be used in the bath. Obviously I used it in the shower and only a tiny amount produces a rich and creamy lather.

I'm sure I've talked about this scent before but don't think ginger root, it doesn't even an out and out ginger biscuit fragrance, the scent is foodie based but its more a warm and spicy combination of ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and baking spice. If you aren't a huge fan of sickly, foodie fragrances though don't let that put you off trying this. It's spicy and warming but not too sweet or sickly. I definitely think that this is a unisex product, and it's also one that I think children would like. When it is available this isn't the cheapest shower product but it's a great one for a family bathroom at Christmas or at quite frankly any other time of the year.

4. The Body Shop Dewberry Bath And Shower Gel - 250ml

Like so many little girls that grew up in the late 1980's and 1990's one of the scents of my childhood, and pre teen to early teenage years was The Body Shop Dewberry. I flirted with some of their other scented like White Musk, Fuzzy Peach and Green Apple but I always came back to my one true love, Dewberry. There was literally nothing like it, and the merest sniff of that sweet, juicy, yet warm and tart scent transports me to days of PE skirts, Head sports bags, and French homework, not always good memories but memories of my past and the things that made me who I am.

It's funny how fragrance can do that, but unfortunately The Body Shop moved on and some time after the heady days of 1990 and 1991 Dewberry disappeared from their shelves before being briefly reintroduced in the early 2010's. I picked up this bottle when it was reintroduced and I'm ashamed to say I've treasured it and eeked it out way longer than the use by date suggested.

Never mind it hasn't changed texture and it still smelled the same so I risked and loved it. In The Body Shop's aloe vera enriched, high foaming yet moisturising formulation, this product was a delight to use and I'd repurchase it again in a heartbeat if I could, now if you'll excuse me I need a minute to yet again mourn this bottles passing - sniff!

Come on The Body Shop please, please bring Dewberry back, you've bought Banana back and I'm sure I'm not the only one that's missing a bit of Dewberry nostalgia! If they don't, if you can recommend any thing that smells the same, I'd love to know, sometimes you just need something to trigger those memories of life when it was a little bit less complicated! As well as Dewberry recommendations don't forget to let me know if you have any other questions or comments on any of the products that I've finished or quite frankly on anything else xx

Trimming my Stash - March 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

"March Comes In Like A Lion, And Goes Out Like A Lamb"

Well the last 7 days officially prove at least to me, that those old sayings like this are utter tosh. The month ended pretty much as it started with yet more snow, but in my case in particular it didn't got out like a lamb, more like a whirling dervish!

If you follow me on any of my other social media channels you'll know that March ended, and April started in the worst possible way, with an emergency ambulance, an A&E trip, and a short hospital stay for Mummy Lou. Certainly not the Easter that I had planned but thankfully she's home and whilst she has a few more hurdles to overcome she's feeling much better and I'm gradually coming down from a stressed and anxiety ridden high.

March sucked big style for a number of reasons, and to be honest April hasn't started off much better but as I keep saying, and I have to keep believing things can only get better, and they will get better! You have to keep believing - positivity, positivity, rah, rah, rah!

So over the last few weeks I've been sleeping, I've been eating lots of chocolate, indulging in lots of self care, and general life sorting, and even though I've been a little bit quiet online I've still been doing lots of blog and You Tube prep so as long as the creeks don't rise I should be a little bit more productive online in the weeks and months to come.

The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml
Beautifully Scrumptious Deep Moisturising Foot Pack - Tea Tree And Peppermint - 1 x Pair Socks
Baija Paris Gommage Festin Royal Body Scrub - Caramelised Honey - 50g
Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo -250ml
Scrub Love Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Scrub - Coconut Mango - 50g

Total - 6 Items 

So starting in a productive and positive vein I thought I get my first post up of the month and share with you my March beauty empties. Considering it was such a topsy turvy month I think I did pretty well to finish another 6 items. I'm there or thereabouts on a few make up items, but I didn't manage to push any over the line in March. Alas no skincare either but lots of body and hair care and I managed to finish a couple of interesting items so I'm still pretty pleased with March's total.

1. The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml

Now normally by the time it hits February or March I relegate my festive toiletries to the back of the cupboard and keep them safe until the festive season comes around again. this year though I've decided to do things a little bit differently. One of my worst beauty failings is filling up the cupboards, drawers and shelves with half finished bottles and jars, so instead of switching my beauty products up to suit the change of seasons, this year I'm planning on using up everything that's currently in my shower, including a ton of festive scented products before I move on to something new.

This lovely shower gel is one of The Body Shop's festive limited editions from quite a few years ago now. Although it was marketed as a festive fragrance I think this warming and comforting scent is definitely something that you could use all year round especially if sweet scents are your thing. It has a sweet but not overtly sickly, vanilla based scent intermingled with various warming spices including cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. It's not too strong and it's not too sickly it's just comforting, it you liked the smell of Starbucks Vanilla Spice / Winter White Hot Chocolate for a year or so ago then you'll like this. Alas like so many of my favourite festive scents from The Body Shop this one hasn't been seen for some time but fingers crossed they bring something similar back soon, in the meantime, I still have a few of their Vanilla Brulee products left in my stash, which is different but just as yummy x 

2. Beautifully Scrumptious Deep Moisturising Foot Pack - Tea Tree And Peppermint - 1 x Pair Socks

There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to feet, you either think that they are the greatest thing on this planet, or they gross you out. I definitely fall into the latter category I can deal with my own but touching other peoples quite frankly makes me feel a little unwell - in fact touching other peoples skin generally makes me feel a little queasy but hey hopefully you get what I'm trying to say.

Feet are not the most pleasant of things but we really do need to take care of them - they work incredibly hard and lets be honest we don't always treat them that well. So if you have feet do yourself, and the world a favour and take care of them! Keep them clean, keep them fresh and keep them moisturised. Thanks to medication and a thyroid condition my feet get very dry and as a result I'm always looking for ways to keep the dry skin at bay, and to keep them soft and hydrated.

I have a bit of a thing about foot creams and pedicure products, and over the last few years I've developed a major love in with pedi peel type socks, you know the ones, pop them on and wait for your feet to shed like a snake. As gross and as fascinating as they are in equal measure they are amazing for getting rid of that dry skin with very little effort. Whilst these socks look similar though they actually have a completely different function

Unlike those plastic and infused paper type socks that make your feet peel, these ones from the fabulously named Beautifully Scrumptious are all about the moisture. These disposable socks are infused with a fresh smelling moisture cream containing tea tree, lavender, and peppermint. Pop them onto clean, dry feet and relax for around 15 minutes, slip them off, rub the excess lotion into your feet, and you're left with feet that feel cool, refreshed and silky soft. I was really surprised at just how much better my feet both looked and felt after just 15 minutes, my feet felt a lot smoother, and the increase in hydration was really evident in the appearance of my feel and in particular in my horrible, dry and cracked heels.

These socks are designed for just a single use but after one 15 minute treatment they still felt pretty wet, so I actually managed to get another treatment out of them the next day. I'm so, so impressed with the effectiveness of these socks especially since they were only £1 in Poundland. So if you want both better looking, and feeling feet in a matter of minutes then these socks are definitely worth picking up, and I'll definitely be adding a couple of more pairs to my basket next time I'm in store.

3. Baija Paris Gommage Festin Royal Body Scrub - Caramelised Honey - 50g

Although one of my things are pedicure type products one of my real obsessions is body scrub, something so simple, yet so often brands get it so wrong. Well not in this case, so stand up Baija Paris, and accept the praise that is heading your way.

This was a product that I received in my December Birchbox (watch my unboxing video here) and  believe me it was a winner. Packaged in a gorgeous but slightly dangerous when you've get wet hands, glass jar, this was a lovely, very gritty and grainy sugar based body scrub. It had a good oil content so as well as being very exfoliating it was also very moisturising. I'm not a fan of honey scents so I was a bit sceptical about this one at first but it actually had an incredible, if slightly sickly sweet toffee, fudge inspired scent.

This brand isn't that widely available in the UK unfortunately but I really enjoyed using this scrub on all levels and if I could get my hands on it, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again

4. Soap & Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream - 125ml

Ah more feet and as were hopefully heading towards better weather and sandal season, it's more important than ever to get those feet in tip top condition. This is without a doubt one of my favourite ever foot creams! Containing fruit acids, to tackle that dead skin, and lots of moisturising ingredients, the texture is just right, it isn't too thick and it's nice and easy to rub in. I'm also a huge fan of the scent: whilst minty, tea tree and lavender scents definitely have their place (especially if your feet or a bit whiffy!) I love the fresh, fruity, floral, okay the impossible to describe scent of this one. I usually slather it all over my feel after a shower, pop on a pair of socks and let it do it's thing. My feet are pretty dry and whilst this Soap & Glory cream isn't a miracle cure, like most foot creams it definitely makes a difference when you use it consistently.

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

If you follow me on Instagram then you'll already have heard me raving about this shampoo and the matching conditioner. First up it's super affordable, the RRP for this particular shampoo in the 250ml size is £3, but as you know AVON have regular offers on all of their products so shop carefully and you could probably pick up both a shampoo and conditioner for less than a fiver (my last bottle was only £1.50!). Secondly and perhaps more importantly this is a decent shampoo! It contains ingredients that you would expect in higher end shampoos including wheat proteins, keratin, aginine, amino acids, and bamboo extracts. Designed to help strengthen the hair from root to tip, it has a lovely fresh, floral scent, it foams nicely (it does contain SLS though) and it feels nice on the hair, and leaves it feeling really clean and conditioned. Although it's marketed as an anti-hair fall shampoo, you have to be realistic about your expectations and yes I probably am still losing more hairs than the average person but thanks to the combination of this shampoo and the corresponding conditioner (and a few other products from other brands), my hair is in pretty good condition at the moment, so for the price I'm stick with it. I've already repurchased both the shampoo and conditioner and I can see myself buying it again and again.

6. Scrub Love Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Scrub - Coconut Mango - 50g

Now this is the second product that I've tried from Scrub Love and I have to say I liked this one way more than I liked the last one (read my thoughts here). Although that one also contained coconut it also contained coffee which really added to the mess and my somewhat negative review.

This Coconut Mango scrub which came in the June 2017 Birchbox (see my unboxing here), contained lots and lots of coconut from the shell, to the oil, and the milk, and it also contained a load of moisturising and good for you ingredients including kaolin, sugar, glycerine, grapeseed oil, and mango seed butter, and whilst it was still a tad bitty and messy thanks to all of the oils and butters it was much easier to clump together and massage into the skin.

It had a nice and scrubby texture, and the scent was amazing, subtle coconut and lots of fruity, and juicy mango - a lovely scent that transported you to the tropics even in snowy Co Durham. It was nice and scrubby and I loved the scent but I still prefer out and out sugar or salt scrubs so I probably wouldn't repurchase this one but I would happily use it up if I acquired another one in the future.

So they were my March beauty empties x As per usual I'll be trying to do better this month, and I'm really going to try and finish at least one make up item if I can x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned then please leave me a comment and let me know x

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