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 - 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

A Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - May 2020 Edition - Wild Thing - Zebra Edit*

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems as though 2020 was the year that the team at Glossybox really discovered make up. I've been a Glossybox subscriber on and off since Day 1, and whilst their boxes have always contained the odd bit of make up, the boxes that I've had so far in 2020, seem to be a little bit more make up, and colour heavy than some of the boxes that I've had in previous years.

I love make up though, so I'm not complaining, it just means that my unboxing posts can sometimes take a little bit longer to prep - there are colour accurate swatches to shoot and edit, and of course face shots to shoot, and of course to edit. It all takes time, and in my case I need good light to shoot it in. It's been a bit tough to shoot make up pics over the last few weeks, it's either been too hot to wear any or it's been too dark and miserable to capture any decent pictures - sometimes you just can't win! Thankfully though I've managed to finish all of the pictures for this post, all be it two months late, so welcome to a very late unboxing of the May 2020 edition of Glossybox UK.

After a couple of traditional pink and black boxes in March and April, I was really pleased to see something a bit different in May. The majority of Glossybox subscribers were sent one of two safari / jungle animal designed boxes. There was a yellow gold and black leopard print design, and a zebra print design which was the one that I received.

The lid featured a black and silver foiled zebra print design, with the words 'WILD thing' written on the edge of the lid in white and gold. The inside of the lid also featured a special design with the usual Glossybox logo printed in white on a black background, alongside some white paw prints.

The box base was in a plain matte black, and the black and silver theme was carried on inside the box. The contents of the box were wrapped in silver tissue, tied with a black ribbon and accompanied but matte black paper shred.

The first item in the box as always was the information leaflet, and even though there were officially two different box designs, the contents was pretty much the same, bar a few differing colours, varieties, and packaging options.

The theme of the box was obviously 'Wild Things' and the products in my zebra edit, were specially selected to make the subscriber feel fierce and wild - miaow! and the box contained sultry eye make up, animal print skincare, and beauty tools to encourage creativity and help us to rule the urban jungle - roar! (sorry I don't really know what sounds zebras make - neigh maybe ;)

Steve Laurant Wild Thing Eyeshadow Palette - 7.2g - Full Size - RRP £31 / $40

The first product in the box, was the item that was teased in April's box,  and it was an eyeshadow palette from Glossybox favourite brand, Steve Laurant.

I've tried a few things from the brand now including and lipgloss in eggplant, and lip gloss / tint in cherry, and a rose gold pigment, but this is the first time that I've had the opportunity to try a pressed eye colour and a palette.  If you haven't heard of the brand - they are a US based cosmetics brand that are both cruelty and gluten free.

This is Steve Laurant's Wild Things palette, whilst the outer box varied and reflected the zebra or leopard print of the outer box, the palette inside was exactly the same.  Whilst the box was pretty fancy, the packaging of the palette itself is quite basic. It just a plain square, shiny black plastic compact with the Steve Laurant logo on white on the top. Unfortunately it's one of those palettes that's quite difficult to open without breaking a nail, I found that I had to stick something like a pair of tweezers into the slot to twist it open to save my nails.

When you eventually get into the palette you're greeted with a full, palette sized, mirror, and 9 roughly 5p - 1p sized eyeshadows. Obviously gluten and cruelty free, Steve Laurant claim that these shadows are long wearing, crease resistant, silky smooth and blendable.

The palette contains a nice mix of mattes, and shimmer, in a mixture of nudes, browns, taupes, bronzes, and it even contains a black and a silver colour.

I have to say I agree with Steve Laurant's claims on this palette all of the shadows are smooth and creamy, and as you can see the colour payoff even on the matte shades is excellent. I did experience a little bit of fallout on the shimmers but otherwise they were really easy to apply and they were really easy to blend. Excuse the lockdown brows but I thought I'd two quick and easy looks just to show you the pigmentation and again just pretty these shadows actually - the first is a peachy, bronze, brown look, and the other is a quite silvery smoke look using just the black and silver shades.

As well as looking awesome, the wear time on these shadows was also pretty decent, they faded down gradually with no harsh, creasing or smearing, and even at the end of a warm day I still had eyeshadow to remove from my oily eyelids - win!

I love browns, nudes and taupes, so this palette was right up my street. The quality was decent, the pigmentation, wear time, and application was all spot on, the only real drawback for me is the price, this palette retails at around £31 / $40 direct from Steve Laurant who ship worldwide, and as good as it is, I think it's quite pricy for the size of the shadows, and for the relatively basic packaging. I don't know about you but I think it seems a lot when you consider just how good, and how affordable a lot of UK drugstore palettes are. Let me know your thoughts in the comments x

eos Smooth Sphere Organic Sweet Mint Lip Balm - 7g - Full Size - RRP £6.50

Next up a cult lip balm from eos. It seems as though every other brand has a globe / spherical shaped lip balm now but eos is the original and some say the best. Once quite hard to get hold of in the UK, eos, which stands for evolution of smooth, are a US based brand that some say revolutionised the humble lip balm with a new philosophy and an innovative new shape!

From their organic range, all of the balms that subscribers received in May's box are certified organic and Eco Cert guaranteed, they are made from 100% natural, sustainably sourced ingredients and contain no gluten and no mineral oils. They are dermatologically tested, and they aren't tested on animals.

Every subscriber randomly received one of 3 balms, and the one that I got was Sweet Mint, The pastel green, twist open sphere contains a dome shaped, creamy coloured, solid balm. The balm contains a whole host of moisturising ingredients including shea butter, sunflower seed, coconut, olive and jojoba oils, as well as carnuba wax and beeswax, as well as stevia extract to give it a sweet taste, and of course peppermint extract.

The balm melts slightly on contact with the skin, and goes on translucent, with an ever so slight gloss. It feels smoothing and moisturising on the lips without feeling, gloopy, heavy or sticky. The name sweet mint describes the flavour and scent perfectly, it tastes like a sweet mint with an almost warm, vanilla undertone. Like all lip products containing mint it does tingle slightly on the lips but it's not harsh or painful.

I struggled a bit applying the spherical SPORTFX balm that I got in April's Glossybox, but the translucency and the rounded shape of the container actually made it easier for me to hold, and to apply.

I've got to say that when I first saw this product in my box I was a little bit disappointed to see yet another lip balm, but even though I'd tried a lot of the eos inspired balms I'd never tried actually tried the original, and I have to say that despite my initial negativity,  I'm pleased I've now lost my eos virginity. I really, really like this lip balm, I love the fact that it isn't heavy or sticky, and I love the fact that actually seems to absorb into the lips rather than just sitting on the top, and it actually seems to make my lips feel softer! As you know from my SPORTFX review I have a strange relationship with lip balm, but I like that one and this one from eos enough from to try and keep using them - will I ever finish a lip balm? That still remains to be seen but I'm going to give it my best shot from here on in. This particular eos lip balm retails at around £6.50 from various online and bricks and mortar stores including Boots, Look Fantastic, Beauty Bay, and NEXT Beauty.

Oh K! SOS Skin Calming Dalmatian Print Sheet Mask With Charcoal And White Tea - 1 x 23ml Mask - Full Size - Est. RRP £4

The next item was another random selection item, and this time it was one of 3, animal designed, printed sheet masks from quirky Korean inspired skincare and body care brand, Oh K!

I received the Skin Calming Dalmatian Print Sheet Mask, that contains a host of botanical ingredients including white tea, tea tree, ginkgo bilboa and charcoal powder. This vegan friendly mask is designed to draw out impurities, soothe breakouts, and reduce redness and inflammation.

When I first started using sheet masks one of the major problems with them was that they were too dry, given the last couple I've tried though, that doesn't seem to be of a problem any more no matter what the brand. This mask was very, very wet, it was soaked in a clear, almost serum like liquid. It was very wet, and quite tightly folded together, but tissue, like fibre mask felt surprisingly strong so it was fairly easy to pull it apart.

The mask was white in colour, with black and grey Dalmatian like spots, and splodges on it. In theory it sounds quite cute but like so many of these character and animal style masks, it actually looked a little bit scary!

The scent though was lovely, it had a nice fresh, almost herbal scent. It immediately felt really cooling and refreshing on the skin, which was ideal on the warm day that I used it. Being so wet though there was a problem with excess fluid running down my face and neck

I removed the mask after around 15 - 20 minutes or so and predictably my skin felt very wet, so there was loads of serum like liquid left over to rub into my face, neck and chest. It took a good 5 or so minutes for it all to soak in. As it claimed on the packaging my skin did indeed feel cool, calm, and refreshed, and it definitely had a bit more of a healthy glow to it.

After

Even with a filter this mask didn't look quite as cute as I wanted it to, but it was a nice mask to use especially on a warm day, and it's one that I would definitely consider using again. The price seems to vary quite a lot depending on where you buy this one - I've found it for as little as £2.50 and for as much as £5. It's pretty easy to find online from various retailers including direct from Oh K! and also from retailer such as Feel Unique, Beauty Bay and Look Fantastic.

Mudmasky Hair Mask, Scalp Treatment & Miracle Shampoo 3 In 1 Formula - 75ml - Full Size -  RRP £21

Although their focus in the early days of their business was primarily on face masks, as their business has grown Dutch company Mudmasky have introduced a range of other products including skincare items, and now haircare.

I actually already own a tube of this product that I got in the August 2019 edition of Pink Parcel, but I'd never actually got round to using it, Seeing as my hair needs a bit of TLC at the moment ahead of my long awaited appointment with my hairdresser next week though, I've been digging out a few pampering products to try so I thought I'd give this a go.

The brand is both cruelty free and it's also approved by PETA. It both paraben and sulphate free and it contains Moroccan Argan Oil, Moroccan Lava Clay, and botanical and flower extracts including St John's Wort, Cornflower, Calendula, and Linden Flower.

Suitable for all hair types including damaged, and chemically treated, this is a 3 in 1 treatment, it's a hair mask, a scalp treatment, and a miracle shampoo, the helps to repair, hydrate and strengthen the hair, moisturise the scalp, and control damage. You don't need any other other shampoos or conditioners - this apparently is all you need.

Slightly off white in colour, it has a loose, thin but still creamy texture, that reminds me in both appearance and feel of an everyday conditioner. It has a nice gentle, clean scent that reminds me a bit of Dove and Nivea. All you do is massage it into wet hair. It isn't too thick so it's quite easy to work it through the hair and massage it in to the scalp. It wasn't really clear on how much product you should actually use so I just used a good dollop. Then you just leave it on the hair for one minute before rinsing it out with warm water.

It was pretty easy to rinse out, it didn't really produce any foam so it did feel more like I was washing out a conditioner rather than a cleansing product but it hair feeling smooth, clean and almost slick to the touch. As per usual I left my hair to dry naturally, and it ended up feeling a touch knotty and dare I say it not quite as clean as normal.

Maybe it was down to the amount of product that I used, or even something psychological with the lack of foam, and the more conditioner like feel, but hair definitely felt a touch greasier, and it seemed to need washing more quickly than usual.

This product would be great if you were in a rush, or if you're travelling and you just want to take one product, or even if you like the idea and feeling of co-washing, but alas it's a no from me, it didn't leave me hair feeling clean enough, or even conditioned or smooth enough. The only retailer I can find it direct from Mudmasky who ship worldwide, where depending on the exchange rate this 75ml tube retails at around £21.

Stargazer Glitter Eyeliner Pencil - Silver - 1.17g - Full Size - RRP £2

The fifth and final item in the box was another make up item, and yes it was another eyeliner! I seem to have received a lot of eyeliners from Glossybox in both 2019 and 2020, and there is yet another one to come in June's box, but this one from Stargazer is just a little bit different.

Stargazer are a UK beauty company, who manufacture products for other brands, and themselves right here in the UK. They are a cruelty free, budget friendly brand, that produce a range of fun make up and beauty products ranging from brightly coloured hair dyes, face paints and glitters, to foundations, bronzers, nail polishes, and eyeliners.

Every Glossybox subscriber received one of 6 shades of glitter eyeliner pencil in their box, and the one I got was Silver. In the traditional wooden pencil style, it has a silver coloured barrel, and a clear plastic lid with embedded silver sparkles. The pencil itself has a waxy silver base, and contains lots of small silver glitter particles.

The pencil has quite a soft feel, and unlike a lot of glitter liners that I've tried the pigmentation  excellent. A lot of times glitters are suspended in just a transparent wax but the silver base made a real difference.

Unfortunately these pictures were taken at the height of the heatwave that we had a few weeks ago, so it was way too hot for full make up so I'm not wearing foundation, powder, concealer, or even mascara, I'm just wearing this liner, and my product less lock down brows!

Worn As Liner 

Even for eyeliner noobs like me, you can't go too wrong with a pencil liner like this. It was smooth and easy to apply and as I've said the pigmentation's spot on, in fact it was so soft and blendable,  without any pulling or dragging, that you could even colour your whole lid in like I've done here and use it as an eyeshadow.

Worn As Shadow 

As I say it was a pretty warm day when I shot these pictures, so unsurprisingly it didn't last too long especially since it was applied directly onto bare skin. The silver base faded leaving tiny silver, glitter particles on my lids which pretty much spread everywhere else on my face within a few hours.

With an RRP of just £2 though you can't really complain. This liner would be great for a party, a night out or if you want to experiment with make up or if you're on a budget. It's available direct from Stargazer as well as from eBay, Amazon, and several other fashion and beauty retailers.

Despite the fact that I didn't really get on with the Mudmasky product, I really liked all of the other products in the box, with my standouts being the eos lip balm and obviously the Steve Laurant eyeshadow palette. Okay I also received another lip balm and another eyeliner but overall for me it was a decent box and again well worth the money. 

Let me know your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to use my links to find out more about Glossybox or to subscribe for yourself - I'd really appreciate it x Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with my June empties post and then my thoughts on the June edition of Glossybox UK which contains a product from HUDA Beauty x 

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