A Very Late Trimming My Stash - August 2022 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews*

Well looking out of the window today it definitely looks as though summer is here, or at the very least on its way! The sky is blue, the sun's out, it pleasantly warm, the birds are singing, and the ambiance is only being spoilt by the council cutting the grass outside my window!

All of this sunshine is making me think back to last summer, and to say that it was a warm one, with July and August seeing some of the hottest days in the UK since records began. Normally my monthly empties posts reflect either what I've been doing that month, how I've been feeling or the weather, or the temperature, but looking back to August 2022, bar the odd item, all of my empties were pretty much just basics. 

Tresemme Colour Enhancing Mask - Warm Red - 200ml
VEGAN By Happy Skin Original Skin Essence Toner - 100ml
Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml
AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner - 250ml
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 250ml
MineTan Body. Skin Rapid Recovery After Sun Gel - 50ml
Sunday Rain Scrub Away Exfoliating Cubes Charcoal - 8 Cubes - 150g

Total - 7 Items

Yeah, not the most exciting of months by any stretch of the imagination, but I managed to go one better than I did in July 2022 and I managed to finish 7 items, including a few must haves, a few things that you've seen before, and a couple of newer loves.

1. Tresemme Colour Enhancing Mask - Warm Red - 200ml

First up the first of 4 hair care products in this post, and this one is all about the colour! I've coloured my hair for years now, dabbling with everything from blonde streaks, to the darkest brunette, to red and blonde 'Ginger Spice' streaks, but at the moment I'm loving the red tones, cherry, burgundy, pillar box - if it's red based, bring it on!

The thing about red based colours though is that they have a tendency to fade quite quickly, so in order to keep them looking their best you either need to keep colouring your hair, or you need to integrate some colour care products into your hair regime.

The trouble is though that products for red hair just aren't that easy to find, so when I spot something, i usually end up buying it on the spot. I originally bought this particular product when it was on offer in Superdrug, and I have to say it one of the best colour based hair products that I've ever used.

Made by affordable salon inspired brand Tresemme, this product is basically a colour enhancing deep conditioner / hair mask. Containing colour pigments as well as argan and jojoba oils, you apply it as you would any other conditioner or mask to damp hair after shampooing, and then you can leave it on for anywhere between 3 and 15 minutes before rinsing it off. I always try to leave it on for as long as possible to get the full benefits but you can easily see and feel a difference even after 3 minutes. I usually only use it once a week and that's enough to maintain my colour you can also eek it out by adding a little bit to regular conditioner.

As well as just being a great hair conditioner that leaves the hair feeling, soft, nourishes and detangled, it also gives the hair a great shine and it really seems to enhance the red tones in my hair, so it looks better for longer.

The one drawback if you can call it that is the colour of the product itself, it really us a bright red and it resembles a combination of ketchup and berry compote, so try not to move your head about too much when you're using it or you may have to give your bathroom tiles a clean! It can also leave a bit of residue on your hair, something that you'll probably already be familiar with if you're a fan of red hair dye, so watch what you're wearing, be prepared to stain a towel or turbie twist or two at least temporarily and sleep with your head on an old towel, or invest in some dark pillowcases (I'm currently using the black satin self tan pillowcase protectors from NEXT which are really good!), and enjoy your fruity smelling, glossy red locks!

Alas this stuff isn't that easy to get a hold of now, it's long gone from Superdrug and when I last saw some in Morrisons of all places, I bought the last 3 bottles that they had on the shelf. The blonde and silver shades are still available here and there but the only place that I can still find 'Warm Red' is now on Amazon where it retails at £9.95.

2. VEGAN By Happy Skin Original Skin Essence Toner - 100ml

Next up a skincare product and it's something that you've seen before. This skin tonic came in the February 2022 edition of Glossybox UK, and you can read a full review of it here.

This was a really nice product to use, it was gentle on the skin, and it had the most gorgeous orange blossom like scent and I would definitely have considered repurchasing it if wasn't for the high price tag for what is quite a small bottle. It is another one of those shop around products though and whilst it's still selling for £34.99 for a 100ml bottle on the official VEGAN By Happy Skin website, it's slightly cheaper on Sephora retailing at around £19.99 and I've also found cheaper still on secondary markets such as eBay.

3. Beauty Pie Renewed Density Anti Hair-Loss Ampules - 14 x 8ml

Now, whether or not it's down to chronic illness or medications, I can't really say, but what I can tell you is that I think I lose way more hair on a daily basis than the average person. The shower drain is constantly full of hair, every bobble or scrunchie has a clump or hair wrapped around it, and there is a reason that doesn't involve my two long haired cat that we have an anti hair wrap vacuum cleaner!

I've always used decent products and even though I no longer abuse my hair with Sun In spray and heated hair tools like I did when I was in my teens, it sill falls out! Needless to say I'm not obsessed with, and always on the look out for anti-fall and hair growth products.

If you're a regular reader of my blog then you'll know that I subscribe to Beauty Pie, a scheme where you can either pay a monthly or a yearly subscription, and that allows you to buy their own brand, high quality beauty products for a fraction of what they would cost on the high street, or from a designer or high end beauty brand.

I'm not going to lie it can work out expensive, to justify the cost of the subscription and to not waste it  there is almost an obligation to buy something, but I've been pretty impressed with all of the bits that I've tried and there are some real gems in their inventory.

After seeing the words anti-hair loss on my screen I remember ordering these when they first came out in early summer last year, and it's safe to say I'm a bit of a fan!

Inside the plain but embossed Beauty Pie box you get 14 glass ampoules that are filled with an anti-hair loss solution as well as two plastic nozzles that fit onto the bottles. The colourless, water like serum in the little bottles contains Zinc, to promote healthy hair, arginine to moisturise and condition the hair, Niacinamide to reduce oil and sebum on the scalp, larch tree extract, and Redensyl™, which is an ingredient that has been specially created for thinning hair to condition the scalp, to help reduce hair and help to promote thicker, and denser hair. With an independent study finding that 90% of users agreed that their hair looked and felt thicker after 12 weeks, there was no question that I had to try it for myself.

Unlike a lot of hair growth products and regimes these ampoules were really simple to use. When you first start using them it's best to do a month long intensive treatment, so depending on the length of your hair you apply 1/2 - 1 full ampoule a day, to a dry or towel dried scalp, and then you just massage the liquid into your hair and scalp. Even on my length hair I only used half a vial a day so my box lasted the whole month, it doesn't add any residue, or stickiness to the hair, and the solution does seem to absorb quite quickly so if you wanted to use a full vial then I don't think it would cause any issues bar having to buy another 2 boxes to do a one month treatment. Then after your first month is complete you can then either do another intensive treatment or you can move on to a maintenance programme and use 1 vial a week.

The clear water like liquid does smell a little odd, slightly herbal with a bit Deep Heat thrown in for good measures, and whilst it did tingle a little bit when I first used it, as I say there was no stickiness, and it didn't really alter the feel of my hair.

Since this product looked so innocuous I was pretty sceptical at first but by the end of my first month my hair seemed to have more volume and it definitely felt a bit fuller, so I bought another box and another one, etc. and whilst I personally did another intensive months treatment, I have now switched to using a couple of bottles a week as more of a maintenance programme. I guess if anything that's my one complaint, if something works you really need to keep buying it and using it to see results. I'm currently using yet another box of these treatments but after that I do have a couple of other things to try including something that you may have seen on Tik Tok, but I will more than likely be buying another box of these in the near future.

One box of 14 x 8ml ampoules retails at the non member price of £56, or if you're a Beauty Pie member you can pick up a box for £28 excluding postage and packing.

4. AVON Advance Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner - 250ml

Next up the first of two hair products from AVON and this one was a rediscovery. It might not really seem like it but I really am trying to use up some of the older products in my stash. I started doing a real deep dive into some long forgotten drawers and boxes last year, and that's something that I'm continuing to do now in 2023.

I finished the matching shampoo back in February 2022, and unlike a lot of people who used way more conditioner than shampoo, it's pretty typical of me that I took another 6 months to finish the conditioner!

From AVON's discontinued Moroccan Argan Oil range, this conditioner as you would expect contained argan oil, as well as vitamin E, and Pro Vitamin B5, and was designed to hydrate the hair and transform the condition of dry hair.

It had a lovely creamy but lightweight texture, and like all of the other AVON conditioners that I've tried, it was easy to apply and rinse out and it left the soft, and detangled, and with a gorgeous fruity scent.

Alas this particular range has been discontinued but there are still some really good hair care products to be found in your brochure including the next item...

5. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Shampoo - 250ml

Yes, you've most definitely seen this particular product in quite a few previous empties posts, and even though I'm now trying to use some of the random shampoos in my beauty stash, you'll definitely see this product again in a future empties post.

From AVON's Reconstruction range which is designed to restore damaged hair and to to prevent breakages and split ends, this shampoo contains keratin and panthenol, vitamin E, and avocado oil, and it does exactly what it says it does. It foams well, it cleans well, and it leaves the hair feeling and look clean and shiny, and on my quite coarse textured hair.

The only thing i would say is that since I first started using the Reconstruction range, the scent recently appears to have changed - the lovely fresh, fruity aroma appears to have been replace with a warm, muskier floral scent, and whilst it's not awful by any means, I do prefer the original scent.

Never mind it's still a really good value shampoo, with this 250ml size retailing at around £3 and the 400ml size retailing at £4.50, but don't forget AVON nearly always have special offers on things like haircare so keep an eye on the website or in you AVON book via your local AVON rep x 

6. MineTan Body. Skin Rapid Recovery After Sun Gel - 50ml

Finally an item more in keeping with the sun and the heat of July and August 2022, and it's another product that you've seen before. Yes it's an aftersun and you hopefully first saw this in early 2022 when I eventually got round to reviewing the contents of the May 2021 edition of Glossybox UK.

You can read a full review of it here, but this combination of aloe vera and niacinamide was perfect to soothe sun exposed skin, even if it did melt a little bit due to the heat!

I can't find this particular size anywhere online but the larger 177ml size is available for £13.99 direct from Mine Tan.

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

From moisturising and healing the skin to preparing it for some sun exposure, by giving it a good scrub, and surprise, surprise the final item that I finished in august 2022 was a body scrub. I've talked about these little things from Sunday Rain a few times before but sadly I think that this is going to the last time that I talk about this particular body scrub.

Admittedly a bit gimmicky this tub contained 8 large grey / back sugar cubes, that contained a combination of sugar, shea butter, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil and charcoal powder, that are designed to scrub, soften and purify the skin.

One cube is enough for 1 bath or shower, and all you do is just break up the semi solid cube and massage it on to damp skin like you would any other body scrub, before rinsing it away. With a pleasant fresh scent, and a really lovely scrubby texture, as well as being fun to use these cubes also left my skin feeling super soft, and as a bonus they are also great for travel.

I've had a good search online and unfortunately I can't find these charcoal cubes anywhere, so I've came to the conclusion that they may have been discontinued. You can still get the Rose Water, and the Watermelon cubes though from various retailers including Amazon, Superdrug and Beauty Bay, and I recently spotted a few Sunday Rain bits on my local TK Maxx amongst some other good stuff ;) so it might be worth checking them out x 

If you made it to end thank you x That seemed to be a pretty epic post, but they were my very late August 2022 empties, pretty hair heavy I admit, but another 7 items were added to my 2022 total which is all thay matters. Again if you have any questions on any of the products that I mentioned, or on anything else that you fancy, then please leave me a comment below x 

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

Trimming My Stash - October 2021 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And An Update*

Bonjour mes amis! I disappeared again didn't I! Sorry! My COVID booster knocked me for 6 for a few days, and then I came down with a stinking cold! Urgh! Never mind though, although I haven't been that visible on social media, and on the blog lately, I have been busy prepping blog posts for you, so fingers crossed you'll have lots of content to keep you busy in the run up to Christmas and beyond! 

Today I've got a little empties post for you, and after a pretty amazing 4 months, in October I came back down to earth with a bit of a bump!

The Body Shop Drops Of Youth - Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask - 1 x 21ml Sheet Mask
Sunday Rain Rejuvenating Body Scrub Acai Berry - 265g
Primark Alex Steinherr Pore Balance Blemish Rescue Stickers - 22 Stickers
John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner - 250ml

Total - 4 Items

Yes, after four months of finishing 10 or more items in a month, in October I only managed to finish a pretty measly 4 products, but hey they all count don't they. Not a very exciting mix this time round but a few nice bits, and some things that I will definitely repurchase.

1. The Body Shop Drops Of Youth - Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask - 1 x 21ml Sheet Mask

First up a face mask, and this one was a free gift that came with my autumnal Vanilla Pumpkin haul from The Body Shop.

From their popular Drops Of Youth range, this biodegradable sheet mask contains a high concentration of their trademarked Drops of Youth ingredient. 99% of the ingredients in this mask are of natural origin, and include edelweiss, criste marine, and sea holly plant stem cells, as well as community fair trade moringa oil from Rwanda.

Designed to fresh, smooth, awaken and plump the skin, this was a really good quality mask, it was nice and thick and as a result it was really easy to unfold.

It felt really wet, but instead of a thin water like texture it felt more like a slightly oily serum, with a sweet, green herbal scent, that reminded me a bit of geranium or rose geranium essential oil.

Before

On application the mask immediately felt quite cooling on the skin, but like most sheet masks it warmed up on contact with the skin and it gradually seemed to dry out as my skin started to absorb the serum. I did feel a slight tingling sensation at first but it wasn't extreme or uncomfortable.

On Application

My skin really seemed to like this mask, and it seemed to really absorb the serum, so when I took it off there wasn't too much excess product left on my face, but as per the instructions I massaged the odd patch of leftover serum into my skin. My face felt a touch sticky but that quickly subsided leaving my skin just a touch softer and smoother.

To be fair though this mask isn't really about changing the texture of your skin, this mask is really about changing how it looks, and although you can't really see much in these pictures, in real life my skin definitely looked more hydrated and refreshed, which was exactly what that mask promised to do.

After

I have to say I really liked this mask, although I don't think it's something that I would use all the time, I would definitely use it again if I felt my skin needed a boost.

The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Concentrate Sheet Mask retails at around £5

2. Sunday Rain Rejuvenating Body Scrub Acai Berry - 265g

Next up a body scrub, and it's another one from Sunday Rain. I've used a few different scrubs from vegan body care brand Sunday Rain now and so far so good. Their body exfoliators seem to fall into two categories, their exfoliating cubes (You can read my thoughts on the charcoal ones here), and their more traditional style scrubs like the Mango + Coconut Polishing Scrub.

This Rejuvenating Acai Berry Body Scrub falls into the second category. Containing acai berry extract which is rich in Vitamin C, and natural sugar, this pale pink scrub is very similar texture wise to the Mango + Coconut scrub. It felt quite damp, and it contained small but present grains of sugar. It wasn't the scrubbiest or strongest of scrubs, but it did the job, it was easy to massage into the skin, and even though it's pretty gentle, you can really feel it working.

What I liked most about this scrub thought, was the fact that it turns into almost a creamy milk on contact with water, it was really easy to rinse away, mess free and it left my skin feeling lovely and soft and smooth.

As much as I liked the Mango + Coconut scrub, I think I actually like this one more, I loved the subtle, sweet fruity scent and who doesn't love a bit of pink in their bathroom! I will definitely consider buying this one again. If you fancy trying it for yourself then you can buy if from a variety of retailers including ASOS, Superdrug and Beauty Bay for around £6.

3. Primark Alex Steinherr Pore Balance Blemish Rescue Stickers - 22 Stickers

When it comes to Primark hauls this year has been a pretty barren one. Thanks to lockdown and ill health, I can count the number of times that I've been to Primark this year on one hand!

Have I missed it? Well yes and no! I've missed the freedom of real shops, and hunting for gems amongst the racks, but again it's really showed me that I can live without buying so much stuff. I have more than enough shoes and clothes, and more than enough beauty and make up products to last me a life time!

My buying and spending habits have got to change, and in 2022, they're going to with the return of Project 10 Pan, and the introduction of a spending diet or two. Obviously more on that to come, but before that I actually have a Primark visit planned for this week, so it's going to be one last hurrah, and whilst I'm there I'm definitely going to see if I can find another packet of these.

It's been so long since I've been to Primark that I don't even know whether or not they still stock the Alex Steinherr beauty collaboration, but if they do these are well worth picking up. Yes, you can get cuter shaped ones, but since you wear that overnight who really sees you wearing them? These were basically circular, velum like stickers that were infused with tea tree and salicylic acid, and were designed to help clear redness, reduce inflammation, and fight blemishes.

Perfect for individual and one off spots, making sure your skin is clean and dry, you stick a patch to the offending spot, head to bed and let it do its thing overnight. The next morning it will have gone one of two ways, your spot will be less red, and less obvious, or in some cases it may actually by bigger, and I'm sorry if this is too much information, it may have already burst or it may be ready to burst or to pop. You might need to apply them a couple of nights in a row for really stubborn spots, but either way my spots definitely didn't last as long and didn't look as angry when I used these patches. They really did what they promised and unlike some other similar patches that I've tried they didn't sting and they actually stayed put over night.

Obviously these patches aren't really for you if you have a lot of spots or acne, but if like me you get the odd hormonal spot, these patches can really help clear them up more quickly.

For just £3 for 22 patches I would definitely buy these ones again if I could, in the meantime though I have some similar patches from Korean inspired skincare brand Oh K! to use, so I'll keep you posted as to how I get one with those ones.

4. John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner - 250ml

First up an apology, I'm sorry that you can only see half of an empty tube here but Mummy Lou got to it first, and I only just managed to retrieve half of it from the recycling bin!

A couple of months ago now I changed my hair colour again, going for a slightly more natural looking brown shade at the roots, and going from a redder shade from the mid lengths to the ends.

I love red on my hair but it fades so quickly that you really need to use some specialist products to give it a fighting chance of sticking around. One of my favourite specialist red hair ranges is the John Frieda Radiant Red range, and you can read my thoughts on this particular product here. I really like this conditioner and I will definitely repurchase it again in the future, even though I'm currently loving the TREsemme Colour Enhancing Hair Mask in Warm Red, which in my opinion is even better for enhancing red hair.

The John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner has an RRP of around £6.99 for 250ml tube, and is available from various retailers including Boots, Feel Unique, Tesco and ASDA.

So they were my October empties, there weren't many of them but November's total as you can see 👉 (post coming soon!) was a little bit better, and here's hoping I can end 2021 on a high and boost my yearly total in December. Again if you have any questions please leave me a comment below, and if you've left me a comment in the last month, all comments (not spam though!) will be approved and responded to later this week x 

Thanks for reading and I'll see you later this week with a Glossybox unboxing x 

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

Trimming My Stash - January And February 2021 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews, And An Update*

Hey everyone, I hope you've all had a good week, I'm still a bit sniffly, and recovering from a dentist visit, but the show must go on, and today I've got a two in one trimming my stash post for you x

AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray - 100ml
AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask - 150ml
Sunday Rain Polishing Body Scrub - Mango + Coconut - 265g
AVON Advance Techniques Anti Hair Fall Shampoo - 250ml
Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub - 20g
Eness Exotic Africa Argan Oil Nourishing Hand Cream - 100ml

Total - 6 Items

January and February are normally pretty lean months when it comes to beauty empties, but January especially didn't turn out to be too bad a month. With nowhere to go and nothing really to do 2021 so far has been all about self care, so January's items were all about basic maintenance and pampering, with a mic of intensive hair and body treatments. 

1. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray - 100ml

First up a hair product and this is the first of several products in this post from AVON. From their Reconstruction range, which is specifically designed to repair and reconstruct damaged hair and split ends, this spray contains AVON's unique Keratin Panthenol Complex.

Designed to be used alongside the other products in the Reconstruction range, this lightweight spray has been created to make the hair look and feel stronger and healthier. 

You can use it in two ways - you can spray it on to damp hair before styling, and you can also use it on dry hair. It has a lovely fruity scent, and it feels really light and almost water like. It doesn't make the hair greasy, and it doesn't weigh it down or alter the texture in anyway.

Since I've been using it (as instructed) alongside other products in the Reconstruction range, it's difficult to say how well it works, and even whether it actually does anything at all. My hair does seem have responded well to the whole range though, so I've already bought another bottle. I love the scent, which lingers slight on the hair, and it certainly isn't doing my hair any harm, so I'm going to keep using.

The AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction Hair Resuscitation Spray retails at around £5 direct from the AVON website or direct from your local representative.

2. AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask - 150ml

Next up another hair product from AVON and it's another product from the Reconstruction range. The 3 Magical Minute Mask again contains the exclusive Keratin Panthenol Complex, as well as avocado oil, and Vitamin E.

Again it is for damaged hair and is designed to restore vitality and strengthen the hair, and again it's designed to be used alongside the regular Reconstruction shampoo and conditioner. This is an intensive weekly treatment, that is white in appearance with a creamy texture, and it has the same fruity scent as the other products in the range.

All you do it apply it to clean, damp hair, and leave it for 3 minutes before rinsing. Whilst it feels nice and creamy, it isn't too thick so it spreads nice and easily through damp hair, even with a comb. It then rinses easily way leaving the hair feeling silky smooth and tangle free.

Since I've been using this alongside the other products in the range, again it's hard to say how affective it actually is on its own, but my hair did look and feel marginally better when I added it into my haircare regime. I loved the scent, it made my hair feel better, and it took no longer than a regular conditioner to use. I have quite a few intensive treatments and hair masks to use up but I would definitely consider buying this one again. The AVON Advance Techniques Reconstruction 3 Magical Minute Hair Mask retails at around £5.50.

3. Sunday Rain Polishing Body Scrub - Mango + Coconut - 265g

From haircare to body care, and next up the first of 2 body scrubs in this post. You should know by now that I love a good body scrub, and whilst I've found some gems over the years, I'm always on the lookout for new brands, and new products.

You may have seen a couple of mentions of the Sunday Rain Scrub Away Charcoal + Bamboo Exfoliating Cubes in previous empties posts, I love them and I love the concept but instead of repurchasing them I fancied a change, and I decided to try something else from the brand instead.

If you aren't familiar with Sunday Rain, they are a US based, vegan friendly body care brand. This is one of their more conventional salt based body scrubs, which contains creamy and softening mango butter, and moisturising coconut oil.

Peachy / orange in colour it has an almost granular, dense paste like texture. The salt particles are fairly fine but it's still a nice, scrubby scrub, that rinses away to an almost milky like lotion.  The really selling point of this scrub though is the scent. When you first open the tub, it's like you opened a carton of mango sorbet! It's fresh, fruity and mouthwatering! As you start using it though the coconut starts to come through, it isn't quite as nice as the initial mango hit, but it's still very pleasant on the nose.

I would definitely consider using this scrub, and other products from the mango and coconut range in the future. This scrub does seem to be out of stock in a lot of places including ASOS and Beauty Bay, but it is currently available for £6 from bubu and Oliver Bonas.

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

Next up, another product from AVON and yes it is another hair product! When brands discontinue or alter products that you love there is always a risk that the you'll hate the replacement. Thankfully though in this particular case I love AVON's Reconstruction range, and I'm really hopeful that the Loss Control range will be equally as good. Despite that though I still have a soft spot from the original Anti Hair Fall range, and I will still be a bit sad when my stash comes to an end.

With arginine, wheat protein, and peppermint, my hair really liked this shampoo, and I love the fresh and fruity, mint tinged scent. This is obviously long gone from both the AVON website, and their catalogues, but as I say the replacements are just as good. I think I have one more bottle of the conditioner and about a half a supersized bottle of the shampoo left, and then it really will be time to say a fond farewell to the Anti Hair Fall range.

5. Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub - 20g

The next empty on the list is a product that came in the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar. Now promises, promises, I had every intention of doing a full unboxing and review of the calendar like I've done in previous years, but since we're now nearly in April, it seems to be a bit pointless.

So instead what I've decided to do is pick out some of the best products, and post in depth reviews as and when, over the next few weeks and months, and I will of course be featuring the odd thing in upcoming empties posts, like this one.

If you want to see the full contents of the calendar, then have a little look at my Instagram highlights to see a full day by day unboxing of goodies from brands including Fenty, The Body Shop, HUDA Beauty, Lime Crime, and Iconic.

In the meantime though, back to my empties and on Day 11 of the 2020 Glossybox advent calendar I received a 20g Deluxe Mini size of the Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub.

Frank Body are an Australian founded beauty company, who base a lot of their products on coffee. Originally just a body care brand, their range now includes coffee based products for the hair, the face, and the lips.

The product that I received was one their original products, the Original Coffee Scrub. Both vegan friendly, and cruelty free, as well as paraben, and phthlate free, the scrub contains Robusta coffee grinds, cold pressed sweet almond oil, vitamin E, sea salt, orange oil, and soybean oil.

Designed to even out, and smooth skin, as well as fading scars, and marks, breakouts and cellulite, the scrub as you would expect looks like slightly damp, coffee grounds, scattered with small crystal like particles of salt.

The smell I have to say was amazing, it had an almost coffee, chocolate, orange scent. The scrub has a nice scrubby texture, you could definitely feel the grains doing their thing, but it wasn't harsh, scratchy or uncomfortable. It didn't cling to the skin and as a result it was pretty easy to rinse off. After rinsing the softness of my skin was really apparent. My legs and particularly my thighs and bottom felt silky smooth to the touch.

Like other coffee and tea based scrubs that I've tried it was pretty messy. It got everywhere and the bottom of my shower basically looked like I'd emptied out a coffee maker, so you do need to make sure that you give your bath or shower a good clean afterwards.

I absolutely loved how soft this scrub make my skin feel but I would definitely feel the wrath of Mummy Lou (aka the bathroom police!) if I bought it again which is a real shame.

Glossybox placed a value of around £1.40 on this 20g size. It normally retails at between £12.95 and £13.95 for a 200g pouch from various retailers including direct from Frank Body, Boots and Look Fantastic. If you fancy trying it first though with a smaller size, Cult Beauty, and Selfridges sell a 100g pouch for between £6 - £6.95, and if you want to go all out you can buy a huge 600g pouch direct from Frank Body for £24.95.

6. Eness Exotic Africa Argan Oil Nourishing Hand Cream - 100ml

The final product that I finished in January was another body product and it's the first of 2 hand creams in this post. Operation nail growth has recommenced! After looking at those gorgeous nails in my recent nails of the day post, and the nails in the post I've got coming up next for you, I'm determined to get my claws back. I've been liberally applying OPI Nail Envy, cuticle oil, and hand cream, in an attempt to at least get some some length back, and so far so good, so you can expect to see a lot of hand and nails care posts in some future empties posts.

I believe that this particular hand cream came in a subscription box. It's from an ethical and cruelty free British brand that there was quite a buzz about amongst bloggers in around 2016 and 2017. As well as selling online, they also had a flagship store in Birmingham city centre, but like so many brands in such a competitive industry it seems as though that they couldn't keep the initial hype going, and the only trace I can now find of the company is a liquidation entry on the Companies House website.

It's a real shame because this was a nice hand cream. Containing argan oil, avocado oil, and ylang ylang, it had a lovely tropical flower scent, and it had a lovely thick and creamy texture, that left my super dry hands feeling silky soft, and looking more hydrated. I enjoyed using it so much that I have definitely considered repurchasing it x

Despite being only 2 or 3 days less than any of the other months, when it comes to empties February always seems to be a pretty barren month, and even though I managed to do a lot better in February 2021, it was still a bit of a struggle.

Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub - 20ml
Primark PS...Cuticle Oil - 10ml
eos Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml
Derma V10 Exfoliating Foot Peel - Tea Tree & Peppermint - 1 x Treatment

Total - 4 Items

So, yeah I managed to finish 4 items which isn't too bad I guess for a lockdown month. Again nothing too interesting mainly hand and foot products, with one skincare product thrown in for good measure.

1. Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub - 20ml

First up the solitary skincare item, and it is something that I reviewed on the blog quite recently, the Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub. I got this little tube in the September 2020 edition Glossybox UK, and you can read my full review here.

This was my first experience with Huda Kattan's Wishful skincare range, and based on this experience it certainly won't be my last. I loved how my skin felt after using this product and it's something that I would consider buying it in the full size.

2. Primark PS...Cuticle Oil - 10ml

Next up one of my favourite ever budget beauty finds and sadly something that no longer seems to exist in this particular format or formulation. Yes, it's my old favourite, Primark's £1 avocado oil, based cuticle oil.

I really though that I'd finished my stash of this, but whilst I was tidying the monstrosity that is my desk, I found a half finished bottle that I then demolished in less than a month.

I loved it, it was a bargain and much as I like the replacements they aren't quite as good as this, but who knows, it's been so long since I've been to Primark now, when they eventually do reopen they will probably have something entirely different.

3. eos Shea Better Hand Cream - Eucalyptus - 74ml

Sticking with hands and nails it's time for the second hand cream that I promised you, and this one was another bargain buy, this time from Poundland.

Now we all know eos or Evolution Of Smooth for their famous dome shaped lip balms, but did you know that they also have a pretty decent hand and body care line? Well they do, and although it's available from various retailers, if you look hard enough in your local Poundland you might find the odd thing like this hand cream.

Vegan and dermatologically tested, this hand cream contains sustainable shea butter and shea oil, as well as cocoa butter, avocado oil, aloe vera and eucalyptus. White in colour it has a thick and creamy texture but it still absorbs quite quickly into the skin, leaving the hands smooth and hydrated, if a tiny bit sticky.

What I really love about this hand cream though is the scent, it has a lovely eucalyptus scent, apparently also with undertones of oak and peppermint. It's fresh but not too much of an assault on your nose, and it great not only for your hands but also for your nose if your feeling a little bit congested. 

For me this one is definitely a night time hand cream, pop it on with a pair of cotton gloves, fall asleep and let the aroma and all of those moisturising ingredients do their thing. I really liked using this hand cream and I've actually already bought another tube.

If you're lucky enough you might still be able to find this in your local Poundland. If not though it is still available for the full price of £4.99 from HQ Hair, Beauty Expert and Look Fantastic, and for a slightly cheaper price of around £3.96 from Amazon.

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

Now if you're not a fan of feet, then I will forgive you for skipping past the rest of this post. The final empty that I'm going to share with you is a pair of those love them or loathe them foot peeling socks. Designed to get rid of all of that dry skin on your feet, I also picked these up in Poundland before Christmas but I've only just got round to using them.

If you haven't heard of Derma V10 before, they are one of the leading manufacturers of beauty and personal care products in the UK. All of their products are budget friendly and they aren't tested on animals, and this particular product is also suitable for vegans.

Before

When you open the pouch you are greeted with a pair of plastic socks, each sock is sealed so you need to cut along the dotted line to open them up. The plastic material was quite sturdy, and the socks were lined with a paper / fibre inner sock which is soaked in a water like solution containing alcohol, lactic acid, salicylic acid, peppermint leaf extract, and tea tree leaf extract.

The socks do have a slight mint and tea tree scent, but the overwhelming scent is more alcohol, and chemicals. All you do is put the socks onto clean dry feet, adjusting them with the attached sticky tab so they stay on your feet. Then all you do is sit back and relax for 90 minutes x 

They were quite cool when I first put them on but they gradually warmed up to body temperature. As you would expect they felt quite wet and squishy. I experienced a tiny bit of tingling on a cat scratch or two, but it was nowhere near as bad as with some similar products that I've used in the past.

On Feet 

Something that was different about these socks though was that you didn't need to rinse your feet when you removed them, all you needed to do was towel dry your feet. My feet initially looked a little bit pink, and wrinkly, as though they had been immersed in water but there was no immediate difference.

To see the real benefits of socks like these you need to keep soaking your feet, and no matter how dry they feel you need to stay away from the moisturiser, which I must admit is sometimes easier said than done.

Within a week the tops of my feel started to feel very dry, and a little bit sore, but my soles and heels didn't really start to truly dry out till about a week and a half in. In the before picture I don't think my feet actually look too bad, just the odd dry patch here and there, with my heels being the worst, but the amount of skin that actually came off was actually pretty terrifying. My feet just peeled, and peeled, it looked awful and way too disgusting to actually put on the blog!

By the time that I took the picture at 3 weeks that you can see below the bulk of the dry skin had gone, but you can still see a patch on the middle of my foot and the odd flake on the side.

After 3 Weeks

After a full month had passed my feet definitely looked smoother and aside for my terminally problematic heels, there were no other patches of dry or hard skin. I have to say after using a lot of similar product for the price, these are one of the best pairs that I've used, and my feet definitely looked better after using them.

If I was to use these again (and I probably will!) I would probably put a thin layer of vaseline on the top of my feet to protect my more sensitive areas, and to stop them peeling, as it was a touch uncomfortable and irritating, but if you can deal with that, and you can keep your feet covered up for about a month, then these are definitely worth buying if you have dry skin on your feet.

You can pick these socks up for around £1 from various retailers including Poundland, Savers, Wilko, The Range and Home Bargains.

So they were my January and February empties, not a bad result but fingers crossed I can do even better as the year progresses. If you have any questions on any of the products that I've talked about in this post, then leave me a little comment below and I'll get back to you x 

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

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

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

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

Total - 6 Items

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

1. Naobay Orange Juice Hand Cream - 100ml

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

**Press Sample