Trimming My Stash - August 2021 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

Hi all, I hope you all had a good weekend x Mine to say the least was mixed, it started off on Friday when I had a whole host of technical problems, and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the weekend!

Never mind though, my productivity increased as the weekend went on, and even though I didn't manage to post what I wanted to, I still managed to get my nail post up on Saturday night, and I managed to get this one, my August empties post, drafted yesterday.

Lanolips Antibacterial Hand Cream - 50ml
Nivea Q10 Multi Power 5 In 1 Firming + Cellulite Gel - 200ml
EOS Evolution Of Smooth Essential Hand Lotion - Berry Blossom - 44ml
Soap & Glory Melty Talented Dry Skin Balm - 30g
AVON Senses Winter Treasure Raspberry And Vanilla Liquid Soap - 250ml
BYBI Strawberry Booster - 15ml
Nair Wax Strips - Face - 12 Wax Strips
Beauty Pie Soul Providers Re-Energizing Dry Oil Sugar Scrub - 475g
Naobay Detox Illuminating Micellar Water - 200ml
Creightons Cocoa Butter Softening Hand Cream With Vitamin E - 50ml

Total - 10 Items

I know I hinted at it in my July empties post, but yes in August I secured the hat trick, and I managed to finish another 10 items! Again a nice mix of body and skin care products, with a few products that you've seen before and a few more bargain buys.

1. Lanolips Antibacterial Hand Cream - 50m

First up, the first of 3 hand creams in this post, and this one is from the dry skin specialists, Lanolips. If you haven't heard of this cult brand, where have you been? Lanolips is a beauty brand that is based on the power, and the healing properties of pure grade, cruelty free, lanolin.

Particularly famous for their lip balms, they've now branched out into skin care and body care. I think that I got this particular hand cream in a previous edition of Glossybox UK, and sadly, based on my own research, I think that it's now been discontinued.

This wasn't just a hand cream though, it was an antibacterial hand cream, so it was perfect for these germ obsessed times. Designed to condition and protect, this hand cream claimed to kill 99% of all germs whilst at the same time moisturising and protecting the hands.

With a creamy texture, this white hand cream had a really fresh, clean green, herbal scent that reminded me a bit of pine needles and fresh rosemary. It was fairly easy to massage into the skin, and it almost seemed as though it was coating the skin. It was a touch tacky at first but it did eventually absorb in to skin leaving the hands smooth and protected.

This really was the perfect hand cream for a COVID winter so it's a real shame that it seems to have been discontinued.

2. Nivea Q10 Multi Power 5 In 1 Firming + Cellulite Gel - 200ml

Okay, I can almost hear the words that you're currently shouting at your screen right now - something along the lines of "anti cellulite products are a scam" and you can't firm your thighs by rubbing in a cream" and yes I hear you, but I do actually really like this product!

Did I notice a visible difference in my cellulite within 3 weeks like Nivea claim? To be honest not visually but my skin on my bottom and thighs certainly feels smoother and softer, and I love the fresh, fruity scent of this turquoise gel, so I've bought a couple more tubes and I'm going to keep using.

The RRP of this product is £11.99 but I didn't pay that I was suckered in on a half price offer, so if you fancy trying this for yourself then keep an eye out in Superdrug, as this is often on offer for around £5.99 or on a buy one get one free.

3. eos - Evolution Of Smooth Essential Hand Lotion - Berry Blossom - 44ml

Next up another hand cream, and this one was another £1 bargain buy from Poundland. From another cult brand eos, Evolution Of Smooth, this is one of several different types of hand cream in their range.

Packaging innovators, this hand cream comes in an almost ergonomic style, easy to hold pod shaped tube, with a flip top cap.

Containing shea butter, aloe vera, cocoa and oat extracts, this fruity / floral scented hand cream is yellow in colour, and has a light, creamy texture. It's super quick to absorb and it leaves the hands feeling silky smooth and smelling heavenly.

I really loved this hand cream and I particularly loved the soft floral combined with fruit berry notes of the Berry Blossom scent, but whilst it feels good in the palm of your hand, the pod style packaging does make it quite difficult to get the product out. It's made of quite firm plastic so it isn't the easiest tube to squeeze, and it's also pretty hard to cut it open and get the last dregs of product out,

I do have another one of these also in Berry Blossom to use up, and I also have another one in the Fresh Flowers scent to try, but I would definitely consider buying it again in the future.

Despite seeing a few other eos products in Poundland recently, I haven't seen this particular hand cream for quite a while now, but if you fancy trying this one for yourself. you can pick it up for around £2.99 from various places including eBay, Amazon, Direct Cosmetics, and Beauty Outlets.

4. Soap & Glory Melty Talented Dry Skin Balm - 30g

With Christmas on its way, it shouldn't be too long before the Boots Christmas Gift Guide is out. It's definitely one the signs for me that Christmas is on its way, and I love nothing more than reverting back to childhood and circling the things that I want, and trying to work out what this years Star Gifts are going to be.

The next empty that I am going to share with you is a product from one of the famous Soap & Glory Star Gifts, and like so many of the original Soap & Glory products this one too appears to have been discontinued.

Packaged in a retro style, metal tin, this multi use dry skin balm contained a combination of coconut and almond oils, mango butter, and vitamin E as well as wheatgerm and castor seed oils.

With a semi solid texture, this natural yellow balm, with a subtle vanilla / coconut scent, melts on contact with the skin. Being a multi use balm you could pretty much use this anywhere that needed a bit of extra moisture, from your lips, to your knees and elbows, the ends of your hair, and to your hands and cuticles.

I mainly used this as a cuticle treatment and as a hand moisturiser. You only needed a tiny fingernail size amount for all 10 nails, a little went a very long way. It felt very moisturising, and obviously a touch oily, but at the same time it didn't feel too heavy or sticky. It took a little while to absorb but the skin immediately looked more hydrated and glowy.

This was a really nice hand and cuticle product, and I can imagine that it would have been great for dry patches or for people with generally drier skin. I know this particular product retailed at around £5 but as I say it's out of stock on the Soap & Glory website, and I can't find it at all on the Boots website, so it look as though it's gone for good. 

5. AVON Senses Winter Treasure Raspberry And Vanilla Liquid Soap - 250ml

Next up another hand care product and this time it's a liquid hand soap. Although I've been using a lot of Carex hand washes lately, I'm a huge fan of a lot of the seasonal fragrances in the AVON Senses range, and also of their Care range, and this one Winter Treasure Raspberry And Vanilla, was I think for either last year or the year before.

Bright red in colour, it wasn't the most outwardly festive scent that I've ever smelled, instead it had more of a warm fruity scent.

Alas this particular scent has now been discontinued (although you might still find the odd product on eBay) but I just had a look at the latest AVON book and this years festive shower gel and hand wash scent is Gingerbread. I do love me some gingerbread scents so I'm definitely going to be ordering myself both a hand wash and a shower gel.

6. BYBI Strawberry Booster - 15ml

The next item on the list is the first of two products that I received in the January 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, and you can read my full review here x 

I don't really have too much to add to my original review - I still feel that it was very much a seasonal product for someone like me with a more oily skin, and I'm still disappointed that it didn't have more of a strawberry scent, it smelled quite oily, and that scent only got stronger the longer the bottle was open. Personally I don't think that I'd repurchase this product but if you have a drier skin especially in the winter months that this could be something to try.

7. Nair Wax Strips - Face - 12 Wax Strips

If you read my June 2021 empties post then you'll have already seen me raving about these bargain priced wax strips, and about what a revelation they've been in my life! Again not too much to add other than I still love them and I'm going to keep buying them for as long as Poundland stock them!

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

Now I'm not going to go into too much depth about Beauty Pie here as I have a few first impressions posts coming soon, but if you aren't familiar with it, it's basically a membership service, that allows you to buy high end products under the Beauty Pie brand, without the marks ups, and advertising costs of designer and high end brands.

After a friend bought me a few bits for Christmas, I signed up for my own membership at the end of December, this is one of the first products that I bought.

I'm a huge body scrub junkie and I'm obsessed with trying new ones, so it made perfect senses that I would try one of the two body scrubs that Beauty Pie offer as one of first items.

The one that I went for was the Beauty Pie Soul Providers Re-Energizing Dry Oil Sugar Scrub, which contains Demerara sugar, sea salt, lemon peel sweet almost oil, apricot kernel oil, evening primrose oil, Indian gooseberry extract, holy basil, black pepper, and cedrat lemongrass fragrance.  It also cruelty free and vegan.

It comes boxed and as well as the tub of scrub itself, you also get a lovely Beauty Pie branded, wooded scoop to stir and scoop out the scrub,

Peel back the protective seal and you're greeted with quite a coarse sugar and salt scrub containing smaller darker particles, including tiny pieces of lemon peel, with a layer of oil on top. You need to give it a stir first to mix the oil into the sugar mix, then you just scoop it out and massage it into the skin in circular motions before rinsing it away.

On the Louise scrubby scale this is quite a scrubby scrub, there is a lot of texture to it, and you really feel as though you've had a thorough spa like exfoliation every time you use it. The high oil content stops it from being too harsh though, and when you've rinsed the scrub away the oil almost turns into a milk, leaving the skin feeling almost glass like smooth and moisturised.

Oh and did I mention the scent? Look at the ingredients list and imagine the scent and you're probably thinking along the right lines; it smells beautifully spa like with a real citrus hit of lemongrass - gorgeous and both refreshing and relaxing!

This is by one of the best, if not the best body scrubs that I've ever used, it smells gorgeous. it's really scrubby, and it leaves the skin super soft - it therefore goes without saying that I've already bought another pot. In fact I love this product so much that this scrub alone has justified my Beauty Pie membership.

Beauty Pie members pay £10.37 for this 475g tub, which has a typical recommended retail price of £50. If you want to try Beauty Pie for yourself then you can use my personal recommendation link here or type LOUISE_HOLLOW into the recommended by a friend box when you sign up, for £10 off your first order, and because Beauty Pie are nice like that I'll get £10 off my next order too, so I guess that's an #affiliatelink :)  

If you're interested in finding out more about my experience so far with Beauty Pie then make sure you stay following my blog to see my first impressions make up hauls, which should be up sometime in the next few weeks x 

9. Naobay Detox Illuminating Micellar Water - 200ml

Next up another skincare product, and like the BYBI Beauty Strawberry Booster, this product also came in the January 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, and again you can read a full review here x 

This product I guess sums up one of my frustrations with Glossybox, I potentially would have repurchased quite a few more products that I've been introduced to by Glossybox, including this one, but so many things are just too hard to find, even with the entire internet at your disposal, which is a real shame.

10. Creightons Cocoa Butter Softening Hand Cream With Vitamin E - 50ml

Finally we have another hand cream, and this one was another bargain buy, this time from Home Bargains. Established in 1954, Creightons are an award winning British company who design, create and manufacture a wide range of 100% cruelty free, skin care, hair care, body care, and wellbeing products.

As you know I love me some cocoa butter, so I couldn't resist giving this hand cream a try. Containing cocoa seed butter and vitamin E, this hand cream comes packaged in a metal look, plastic paint style tube. The product inside is creamy white in colour, and it has a light but dense creamy texture. Rather than the true chocolate, vanilla scent of cocoa butter, this hand cream has a much subtler almost vanilla yogurt type scent.

It was really easy to massage into the skin and it seemed to absorb quite quickly, leaving the skin smooth, and looking and feeling more hydrated.

For around £1 I would definitely consider buying either this one, or one of the other fragrances in the range such as argan or coconut again. I got mine in Home Bargains for around £1 but you can also buy it direct from Creightons for around £1.29.

So they were my August empties, and it was another solid performance with 10 empties. Could I do better in September? Well believe it or not I could! My September empties post will be up in a week or so, but in the meantime if you have any questions on any of the items in this post then please leave me a comment and I'll see you later this week with another post x 

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

Trimming My Stash - May 2019 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

I know time seems to be flying by generally, for me at the moment, but May seemed to go particularly quickly, admittedly I had a pretty busy, as well as welcoming our new kitten Max into the family, I also spent a lot of time with my family and friends, and I celebrated my birthday - all I seemed to do was blink and it was all over, and scarily June seems to be heading in the same direction!

Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater & Pink Peppercorn Hydrating Hand Therapy - 25ml
Soap & Glory Clean On Me Creamy Moisture Shower Gel - 500ml
Vitamasques Tea Tree Face Mask - 1 x Sheet Mask - 20ml
Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - 100g

Total - 4 Items

When it comes to trimming my stash, May wasn't the best of months, it seemed as though it was over before started and every product that I thought that I would finish seemed to miraculously go on and on, a bit like my own personal beauty version of The Magic Porridge Pot. I was a touch disappointed that I only managed to finish four items but I did manage to finish something that I was actually sick to death of seeing in the bathroom, so maybe it isn't all bad.

1. Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater & Pink Peppercorn Hydrating Hand Therapy - 25ml

The first product is one of two items in this post that I'm quite sad to see the back of. This hand cream was behind door number 19 of the 2018 Glossybox All I Want Advent Calendar, and it's something that I put into use straight away. You can read a full review here but this hand cream was crammed full of moisturising ingredients including ceramides, Shea butter, glycerin and macadamia seed oil, and whilst it was really rich and creamy it absorbed really easily into the skin and left them feeling silky smooth. It was a really nice hand cream texture wise, and results wise, but for me the big selling point was the scent. Containing rosewater, it had a gentle, real rose scent, combined with warm and spiciness of pepper. 

I really enjoyed using it and even though I can't justify a repurchase at the moment, when I've used up some of the many hand products in my collection I'll definitely buy it again and maybe some of the other products in the Rosewater and Pink Peppercorn range. This 25ml travel size retails at around £8, and the full 100ml size retails at around £18. You can pick it up from various retailers including Crabtree & Evelyn direct, Look Fantastic, Escentual, and Fragrance Direct.

2. Soap & Glory Clean On Me Creamy Moisture Shower Gel - 500ml

I'm going to start talking about this product with an apology, this is probably one of the grossest empties that I will probably ever show you, but this is what happens when a bottle seems to live in your shower caddy for what seems like a life time. An almost constant stream of water had faded the label, and done goodness what else so I apologise!

I don't honestly know why it's been there so long, I actually really like the product, for some reason though I just haven't reached for it in a while. To be honest I got a bit sick of seeing at there so last month I made a concerted effort to try and finish it. 

This is a gorgeous, creamy moisturising shower gel with that familiar Soap & Glory fragrance, you any need a tiny amount so this half litre size lasts for ages. I do like it and it's something that I'll happily use but it's not something that I would actually go out and purchase on it's own. I'm a huge fan of the Boots Soap & Glory Star Gifts at Christmas, and that, bar the odd purchase, tends to be how I get my Soap & Glory fix. If you are interested in giving this a go though then Boots is the place to go,  this 500ml size retails at £6.50, with a handy 75ml travel size retailing at £3.


3. Vitamasques Tea Tree Face Mask - 1 x Sheet Mask - 20ml

Most of the sheet masks that I seemed to have tried over the years have came in beauty subscription boxes, and I think this one may have came in either a Glossybox or a Pink Parcel. I'm normally a fan of Vitamasques face masks but this didn't wow me. Containing antibacterial, pure tea tree oil, this vegan friendly mask is designed to help balance oily, and acne prone skin. I used to have very oily skin, but the older I get the drier my skin gets, so maybe that's why this didn't really do it for me.

The mask itself wasn't the thickest and it tore quite easily, it was very, very wet though, and the liquid had a tendency to run down my face and into my eyes, which was a bit stingy. It had a slight tea tree scent but nothing to harsh or too strong. When it was on my face it felt nice and cooling, after around 20 minutes I removed the mask and there was still a lot of liquid on my face. As per the instructions I massaged the excess in. It felt a bit tacky and sticky but it did eventually absorb into my face and neck. There was no redness on my skin, it just looked a bit fresher, but other than that I didn't notice any real change. If you have more problematic skin then I would give this a try but on my skin at the moment, it didn't really do very much. This mask retails at around £3.99 direct from Vitamasques and Look Fantastic.

4. Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - 100g

Although it doesn't have the most Christmas scent and the colour isn't really very Christmassy (unless your Barbie that is!), this is probably the quintessential festive shower product. Every year its arrival is eagerly awaited by thousands of Lush devotees, and I'm one of them.

Bright pink in colour and crammed full of iridescent sparkles, it basically smells like a sugar overload, think bubblegum, candy floss, and pick 'n' mix, all rolled into one. A small amount produces beautiful creamy bubbles and a bathroom that smells like a sweet shop!

I don't know if it's just me but I am finding Lush's shower gels and shower products a little bit drying at the moment, but to be honest I can live with that because nothing beats the scent of Snow Fairy drifting through the house even in June. I'm hoping that I have another bottle hiding away somewhere but if not, roll on Christmas 2019!

After two good months in March, and April I was a little bit disappointed to only 4 items in May but it was better than nothing, and hopefully June will be a more successful month. Let me know your thoughts on the items that I finished, and I'd love to know you tips for using up beauty products x Let me know in the comments if you have x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

A Very Late Trimming My Stash - April 2019 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

It's quite scary to think that we're over half way through May now, I honestly don't know where the last few weeks I've gone - I've been in the middle of a huge ME / CFS flare, I got a kitten, I had several days and meals out and I turned 41 eeek! What I haven't had much time to do is blog and as I said in my previous post I'm going to try and make it up to you in the next few weeks with lots of new and different posts. First though I'm going to get caught up and I'm going to share my April beauty empties with you x 

Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml
Boozi Bodycare Cocktails Virgin Mojito Body Wash - 50ml
Colour Vibe Vibrance Bright Violet Semi Permanent Hair Colour - 150ml
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Conditioner - 250ml
Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life - 200ml
Ojon Rare Blend Moisture-Rich Cleansing Conditioner - 240ml
Primark PS... It's Oil Good Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Primark PS... Cuticle Oil - 10ml

Total - 8 Items 

Empties wise April was a pretty good month, like in March I managed to finish 8 items. Unfortunately no make up this time round but a nice assortment of skin care, body care and hair products, including a couple of press samples and a couple of holy grail products.

1. Simple Kind To Skin Eye Make Up Remover - 125ml

I spent a long, long time looking for an affordable eye make up remover, that would do the job without stinging my eyes, and then about a year ago I found it. This Simple eye make up remover has rapidly became one of my most used beauty products, it's removed pretty much every product that I've threw at it, without making my eyes sore and watery and at around £3.79 a bottle it's pretty purse friendly. I'm going to try and use up some of the other eye make up removers in my collection first but I will definitely be buying this one again.

2. Boozi Bodycare Cocktails Virgin Mojito Body Wash - 50ml

I've already this yummy cocktail scented body care, brand on a few occasions, most recently in my October 2018 empties post, and this is another one of their yummy fragrances. This one isn't quite as strong as some of the other scents that I tried, but it really does smell like a mojito with refreshing hints of lime and mint, all contained in a nicely foaming non drying shower gel. Unfortunately though since my previous post on Boozi Bodycare, both the brands website and twitter account appear to have disappeared, which is a huge shame. You can still get a few products on both Fragrance Direct and Amazon UK though, if you're still interested in trying the range.

3. Colour Vibe Vibrance Bright Violet Semi Permanent Hair Colour - 150ml*

This was a press sample that I received quite a few months ago x I'm not going to say anything about here though as I will have a full review coming up on the blog in the few weeks.

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

Next up another HG product, I finished the shampoo in March and I finished the corresponding conditioner in April. I've already spoke at length about both of these products and it's safe to say that I am a huge fan of the range. It contains keratin, bamboo extract, arginine, and peppermint, and it smells gorgeous, it makes a huge difference to my hair and it's really affordable at around £2 a bottle. I've already started a new bottle and I will definitely be buying more.

5. Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life - 200ml

Despite the fact that I'm very much a salt and sugar scrub girl, I've gone through quite a few tubes of this now and it's really grown on me. It's a foaming gel based scrub, that contains a whole host of biodegradable scrubby particles. Even though I would like it to be a bit more scrubby, it's quick, easy to use and it works! Unfortunately I can't actually find this on the Boots website anymore so I'm not sure if it's sold out or if it's actually been discontinued.

6. Ojon Rare Blend Moisture-Rich Cleansing Conditioner - 240ml*

From something that may have been discontinued to something that definitely has been! I loved Ojon from the moment that I bought my first ever kit from QVC. Made from rare, and precious ingredients from the South American rain forest, their Restorative Hair Treatment was a product with almost cult status, and it was in my opinion the best thing for dry and damaged hair that I've ever tried. I loved it and I love every other Ojon product that I ever tried.

As often happens though smaller companies tend to get swallowed up by the big boys, and ultimately the brand was taken over by Estee Lauder. At the time I did a little bit of work with some of Estee Lauder groups brands, and I was sent a few Ojon products to try, unfortunately before I got round to reviewing them the brand was absorbed into Origins before disappearing from shelves completely. I was devastated and after a quick search online I found out that I wasn't alone in that feeling.Thankfully I still have a few jars of the Restorative Hair Treatment and a few other products in back up, and last month used up the last of this particular product.

A few years ago now there was a huge trend for co-washing, which basically washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. It was a trend that I actually embraced for a month or two and I do think that it made a difference to my hair at least in the short term. My hair at the time was highlighted, and sun bleached and it had a tendency to be dry and frizzy and the extra conditioning really seemed to help. In the long term though, personally my hair never felt truly clean, so I ended up reverting back to the old shampoo, conditioner and intensive hair mask routine. As a result of this trend, or innovation a lot of brands started introducing something called a cleansing conditioner, which is basically a very conditioning and nourishing hair cleanser that's designed especially for dry, damaged and breakage prone hair.

This particular one from Ojon was both sulfate and glycerin free and contained a huge variety of moisturising ingredients including kukui seed butter, coconut oil, Castor seed oil, and cocoa butter, and lots of botanicals and fruit extracts including watermelon, blueberry, wolf berry, orange, lemon, bergamot, tiare flower and aloe Vera.

It wasn't quite as thick as I expected, it had a creamy shampoo type feel, and a slightly citrus, aromatherapy type scent. It produced a gentle creamy foam and it was nourishing but not too heavy or rich. It was a nice product and it's a shame that this item, and the line is now long gone.

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

The last products are both Primark items and they're both products that I will repurchase again, and again. I've talked at length about these at least a dozen times already, but they are full of tea tree and they are really useful for a number of things including swatch clean up.

8. Primark PS... Cuticle Oil - 10ml

Finally another product that I can't be without, my favourite Primark Cuticle Oil. My nails are horrific at the moment, they are short, stubby, peeling, flaking and breaking, so I'm resuming operation nail grow LouLou style - OPI Nail Envy, loads of cuticle oil and frequent hand cream application during the day, and cuticle oil, a thicker hand cream, and cotton gloves at night. I have so many fab nail polishes that I want to show you I just need decent nails to show them off and hopefully this will help. It's only a £1 a bottle and it's just as good as the more expensive stuff.

So it was late but we got there in the end, as I say the Colour Vibe review will be up soon, but if you have any questions on any of the other products that I finished last month then please let me know x 

*Press Samples

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 - May 2018 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Where on earth does time go? The last few months especially seem to have flown by and blended into one. I'm behind and late again but hey that's the way life is for me at the moment. So no more waffle and contemplation, lets get straight to the point and talk about May's Trimming My Stash.

AVON True Nutra Effects Micellar Cleansing Water - 200ml
Beautifully Scrumptious Deep Moisturising Foot Pack - Tea Tree And Peppermint - 1 x Pair Socks
Primark PS Micellar Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 x Wipes
Dawin Miller Joy White Jasmine And Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml
Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life - 200ml
Primark PS Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Oily & Blemish Prone Skin - 25 x Wipes
Berrisom Oops Soda Bubble Mask Pore Tox Fruit - 1 x Sheet Mask
Yes To Carrots Hydrating Shower Gel - 500ml
Superdrug Strawberry & Raspberry Shower Foam - 150ml
My Little Beauty Moonrise Make Up Remover Jelly - 100ml
Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara - Noir Glamour / Black - 9ml

Total - 11 Items

May was by far my best month of the year so far, I managed to finish 11 items. Alas no haircare this time round but I did manage to finish a nice combo of skincare, and body care products, and I even managed to finish a make up item, so all in all a pretty good result

1. AVON True Nutra Effects Micellar Cleansing Water - 200ml

Micellar water really has been a game changer for me when it comes to skincare. As someone who suffers from chronic illness, I want something that's quick and easy, and micellar waters are exactly that, quick and easy but with more skincare benefits and better for your skin than the humble face wipe. There is a lot of choice on the market now when it comes to micellar waters but at the moment I'm loving two of AVON's offerings, their Anti Ageing 3 in 1 Cleansing Water, and this one from their Nutra Effects range. It contains micellar technology as well as an exclusive active seed complex with chia seed extract and vitamin E. It removes make up really easily without leaving it dry or irritated, and although it does struggle a little bit with long wear mascara, you can also use it to remove eye make up. I have quite sensitive eyes when it comes to eye make up removers, but I can use this with only minimal watering which isn't too bad. As you probably already know AVON always have a lot of offers on so it's worth keeping an eye out, but this size has an RRP of £4, and you can also get a double sized, 400ml bottle for only £6. 

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

I've already talked about these in a previous empties post (read it here) and I still love them. Moisturised, softer, smoother and better looking feet in less than 20 minutes and all for just a £1, what's not to love! Annoyingly these fabulous socks don't seem to be available in all Poundland stores, so when you see them take my advice and stock up!

3. Primark PS Micellar Facial Cleansing Wipes - 25 x Wipes

Okay I know I've just been talking about how micellar waters are now my go to for quick and easy cleansing but every once in a while I do use cleansing wipes on my face (I know, I know, feel free to slap my wrists if you ever meet me!). I bought these once when I couldn't find my favourite tea tree wipes, and I have to say that they're pretty decent. They don't feel drying or harsh, and they removed a light make up fairly easily, without too much rubbing. Obviously knowing a bit about skincare I would never advocate the use of cleansing wipes on a regular basis (ahem) but at just £1 for two packs of 25 wipes these are perfect for emergencies, and as Caroline Hirons says for fannies, flights and festivals x 

4. Dawin Miller Joy White Jasmine And Cranberry Body Butter - 200ml

I already mentioned the accompanying body wash in April's empties post, and whilst I loved that I loved this body butter even more. For me it was more of a thick body cream rather than a true body butter. Despite it's thickness it absorbed easily leaving the skin feeling silky soft, and smelling heavenly of heady white flowers with just a touch of tart fruit. Unfortunately as I said in my previous empties post this entire range appears to have discontinued which is a shame, but thankfully I still have a bottle of the hand and body lotion left so I can enjoy this intoxicating fragrance for just a little bit longer.

5. Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life - 200ml

Now if you are a regular reader you'll know that when it comes to body scrubs, I'm a salt or sugar scrub gal! Scrubs like this one don't normally float my boat but after using a few tubes of this in the past I'm *very nearly* a convert. With the original Soap & Glory scent this scrub has a cream gel formula, which is crammed full of exfoliating particles. The grains are of a decent size so it's pretty scrubby, and it produces a creamy moisture rich foam on application. In my experience it takes a bit of rinsing but it leaves the skin feeling silky soft and smooth. When it comes to Soap & Glory scrubs I definitely prefer the gritty sugar ness of Sugar Crush but if you don't like things quite so rough then this one is a good alternative, particularly if you love the original Soap & Glory scent.

6. Primark PS Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Oily & Blemish Prone Skin - 25 x Wipes

Would it even be an empties post in LouLouLand if I didn't include a pack of these? No I don't think so! Now I'm not going to lie here, my mam probably used at least half of these when she was in hospital. With the high tea tree content, they are great for freshening up the skin and cleaning the hands. Don't just think of these particular wipes as just face wipes, they really are a multi purpose essential, even if you never even use them on your face.

7. Berrisom Oops Soda Bubble Mask Pore Tox Fruit - 1 x Sheet Mask

I'm really enjoying using face masks at the moment and I particularly enjoying trying out lots of new types and formulations. This one is a combination of both a sheet mask, and one of the Instagram phenomenons of the last year or so, the bubble mask. Designed to detoxify the skin and refine the pores, this fruity, bubblegum scented mask is basically a sheet mask specifically for the lower half of your face. Apply it to your face and after a minute of so the surface of the sheet mask starts to bubble and foam. It feels cool on the skin at first and as the bubbles start to appear you feel a fabulous almost tickly, popping sensation on the skin. Leave the mask on and enjoy the sensation for around 10 - 15 minutes, then take it off and then massage the excess bubbles and liquid into the skin. My skin initially felt a bit sticky but the excess slowly absorbs leaving the skin feeling smooth, clean and fresh. My pores also did look a little bit smaller and a little bit less obvious, in the short term. 

I literally loved every single thing about this mask, I loved the scent, and I loved how the mask felt on my skin, and I loved how my skin looked and felt after application. This mask would be great for a special event or for when you skin needs an extra boost, or if you just want to have a little bit of fun with your skincare. This mask is available from various retailers including Urban Outfitters, Beauty Bay and the Mask House.

I love the whole bubble mask idea and not just for Instagram picture potential ;). I'm definitely going to be trying a few more out and I recently managed to get my hands on the Insta famous Elizavecca Milk Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask (Check out my Instagram for some pics ;) It smells a bit weird and it is a touch messy, but I'm loving the bubbly sensation and how clean my skin feels when I've used it - bubble masks are definitely the way to go!

8. Yes To Carrots Hydrating Shower Gel - 500ml

If you've been reading my blog for a while now then you'll know that I'm a big fan of the whole Yes To range. Over the years I've been lucky enough to have reviewed quite a few of their products for natural beauty site My Pure, and whilst I've enjoyed using a lot of their skin and hair care items, my real love is their shower products. Not only are they very economical in this size but the range is also animal friendly, and free from parabens, SLS, and petroleum. With a light fresh, fruity powdery scent, this particular product is specifically designed for normal to dry skin, it's crammed full of beta carotene (from carrots don't you know!), dead sea water, and almond, olive and jojoba oils, making it perfect for summer. I really enjoyed using this product and I would definitely consider repurchasing it in the future. You can read a full review of this product here x 

9. Superdrug Strawberry & Raspberry Shower Foam - 150ml

Although it's been over three years now since I lost my bath tub, I still do miss it, but surviving on showers alone hasn't been as bad as I always thought it would be. Yes I miss the relaxation element of a bath, but I've really enjoyed trying out new and different types of shower products. I've really learnt to love the versatility of shower foams. As well as being super quick and easy to use they also seem to add a bit more of a luxurious element to the humble shower, and since you can also use them as a shaving foam they are also super versatile. This was basically a very creamy, and moisturising shower foam with a slightly sickly berry scent. The product itself was nice enough but the pump was a bit stiff so it was a little bit difficult to dispense. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this, or any of the other fragrances online any more so I think these shower foams may have been discontinued.

10. My Little Beauty Moonrise Make Up Remover Jelly - 100ml

I got this product some time ago in a My Little Box, and it was a product from their exclusive My Little Beauty range. It was basically a cleanser / make up remover, which was very similar in both application and results to the long discontinued Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel (read my product rave here). It has a thick, jelly like texture, and a fresh, fruity scent, simply massage it into dry skin, and slowly massage in some warm water, creating a slightly warm feeling and a creamy cleansing milk. This cleanser removed the majority of my make up without too much effort, and it left my oily, combination skin feeling smooth and clean. I really liked this product it's just a shame that we were never able to buy the My Little Beauty products in the UK.

11. Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara - Noir Glamour / Black - 9ml

Maybelline are famous for a lot of things in the make up world but look at any magazine's beauty awards and you'll normally find a Maybelline mascara. Personally I think that Maybelline Great Lash is an overrated clumpy mess but I love Colossal and I love the Falsies! It's easy to apply, it's pretty resilient, it defines and lengthens the lashes, and it adds just the right amount of volume. Although the packaging and shade names seem to have changed slightly since I last bought this one, if you're looking for a new mascara and you don't want to spend a fortune, then this could be one to try and it's definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

So they were my very late May empties, I've already finished a couple of items already this month but I don't think that month is going to be quite as successful as May, but you never know x Let me know if you have any questions on any of the items that I've talked about and if you have any bubble mask recommendations I'd love to hear them x