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.

PR / UNPAID AD - Sleepy Showers And Scrubs With The Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub*

Unlike a lot of bloggers with disabilities and chronic illness I don't actually talk about my health that much - my blog has always been a place to escape rather than dwell on my limitations but every now and then I throw the odd thing into the conversation and today I'm talking again about my issues with sleep! 

As you would probably expect from a condition named 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', some of the main symptoms are tiredness, and exhaustion. Even if I've had a real 'lazy' day, I can go to bed and sleep solidly for 12 hours plus, and still wake up feeling just as shattered as I did when I went to bed! It's both annoying and debilitating, but what a lot of people don't realise though is that ME, CFS, or whatever it called this week, can also cause chronic insomnia! If you've ever suffered from the inability to sleep, even if it was just a one off, then you'll know just how frustrating it can be. I regularly have nights when despite being almost delirious with exhaustion, I just don't sleep! If I'm having one of those nights, there isn't always a lot that I can do about it, but I can at least try and prevent it by adopting a good sleep routine.

I've talked quite a lot on the blog in the past about establishing a good sleep routine, so you should know the drill by now - establish a regular bedtime, have a comfortable bed and bedding, cut out the caffeine and have a warm drink, say goodbye to electronic devices, and have a warm but not too hot bath or shower.

I love having a shower just before bed, I don't know whether it's the warmth or the sound of the water, but it really helps me switch off and wind down. Sometimes I'll just grab the first shower product that I come across, but most of the time I'll trigger 'operation sleep' and use something lavender scented. At the moment I'm using the shower gel and the body lotion from the Lush Sleepy range, which has a beautiful relaxing lavender scent. When I'm having a late night, pre bed shower I normally just foam up, rinse, dry and then moisturise - no treatments, extra products or anything that takes too much time or effort, recently though I was sent a product from Lush that works perfectly with the Sleepy range, and amps up your nighttime routine, without too much extra effort, and yes it's one of my favourite ever things, a body scrub!

As much as I love my body exfoliators when you're feeling tired, adding in that extra step is often a bit of a chore, that you could probably do without, but if you love the idea of a body exfoliator without the effort then Lush Co-Mingle could be the answer to your prayers!

Designed to be quick and easy to use, Co-Mingle is the perfect product for that late night shower. It's basically a 3 in 1 product - a gentle body scrub, and a body wash with built in moisturisers, so you can just scrub, wash and go!

Crammed full of shea butter, cupuaco butter, cocoa butter and argan oil, as well as natural exfoliators bamboo stem extract and tagua nut powder, this scrub is pale pink in colour, and has a creamy, almost whipped mousse like texture, permeated with very fine but noticeable exfoliating particles.

Just apply it as you would any other body scrub to damp skin, and massage it on to the skin. In seconds it goes from a creamy exfoliator, to a creamy, milky foam, cleansing and gently exfoliating your skin. Even though the particles are quite small they still rinse away fairly easily and the skin is left feeling clean, smooth and smelling heavenly.

Oh yes, the smell! As you've probably already guessed this scrub has the same beautiful lavender scent as the Sleepy range. This isn't your old fashioned powdery lavender it's has a gorgeous, relaxing aromatherapy like lavender scent that makes this product perfect for those nighttime baths and showers. 

It obviously works perfectly as an accompanying product to the similarly scented Sleepy Shower Gel, or Showder, or even the Sleepy Bubble Bar, or the Deep Sleep Bath Bomb, but if you're extra sleepy then you could just use this use this over your whole body, I'd probably avoid "ahem' certain areas but the particles are fine enough, that it shouldn't cause too many issues elsewhere. So all you really need to do is take this one tub into the shower, and then because of the moisturising ingredients, you can either dry yourself off and pop your PJs straight on, or you can do what I do and team it up either with the Sleepy Body Lotion, or Lush's fabulous Dream Cream, and then you'll be in the land of nod before you know it!

You should know by now that I do love a full on scratchy scrub, and whilst this one is never going to win any awards for its scrubbiness, it should win an award for its convenience, and for it's fabulous scent. When used alone or with some other similarly scented products, it really helps you get in to that bedtime mind set whilst at the same time giving your skin a much needed treat.

Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub comes in a 225g tub and retails at £20. It's available direct from Lush and from your local Lush store x 

I'd love to know if you have a specific nighttime routine and what products you use to help you get a good nights sleep, so please let me know in the comments and don't forget to let me know if you have any questions x 

*Press Sample / Unpaid Advertisement / Non Affiliate Link

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

To say that it's been a while since I last posted an empties post would be an understatement, but I'm back with one today and I have some serious catching up to do!

Although I pretty much gave up on everything else last year, at least blog wise, I still continued to collect, photograph, research and count up all of my beauty empties, so over the next few week I'm going to be sharing all of my remaining empties from last year with you, as well as all of the goodies that I've managed to finish so far in 2023.

There will be a few posts where I combine a few months in 1 post, and a few stand alone posts for your delectation and delight. First up though we're going to take a trip back to early summer, and take a look all of my beauty empties from June and July 2022.

Aldi Lacura Pink Clay & Golden Glow Multi Mask - 2 x 50ml
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 30g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips**
L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml

Total - 4 Items

After several half decent months in 2022 trimming my stash wise, June was a bit of a damp squib, and despite all of my best efforts I only managed to finish 4 items! and whilst none of the items that I finished were that exciting, there were a few almost holy grail standard products, and a pretty decent budget buy.

1. Aldi Lacura Pink Clay & Golden Glow Multi Mask - 2 x 50ml

First up a product from Aldi's much hyped and slightly controversial, Lacura Beauty line. This is basically 2 dermatologically tested face masks in one cleverly divided jar. You can either use the masks separately or you cocktail them and use them on different parts of the face. 

The first mask is the 'Purifying Pink Clay Mask' which is supposedly a pretty decent dupe of the much more spendy Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Porefining Face Mask. Containing extracts of Australian Kakadu Plum and Witch Hazel, it's designed to detoxify the skin, draw out impurities and refine the pores.

Pale pink in colour it has a creamy, clay like texture - it was a touch thick but it was still fairly easy to apply evenly to the skin with the either the fingers, the enclosed mini spatula or with a mask brush. Initially I felt a little bit of warmth and a little bit of tingling but that feeling disappeared quite quickly. Like most clay masks it tightened as it dried which can be a touch uncomfortable if your skin is sensitive.

Pink Clay On Application 

After about 15 minutes or so it had turned white and was completely dry. Like most clay masks it took a little bit of washing off, but after a lot of massaging with warm water and a muslin cloth off it came.

My skin initially looked quite pink and felt a touch tight and a little bit dry, but after around 10 minutes that feeling had subsided and my skin was left feeling soft and smooth, my pores were clean and less obvious, and the oil and shine on my t-zone in particular had all but disappeared (all be it temporarily), and my skin looked more matte and even.

Pink Clay After Removal

This mask was perfect for oily skin, and problematic skin that just isn't behaving itself blemish or shine wise, but what about those days when your skin is at the other end of the spectrum, and needing a little bit of moisture or a wake up call? Well instead of going out and having to be a different product, this pot also cleverly contains 50ml of the 'Lacura Brightening Golden Glow Mask'. Containing hyaluronic acid, and extracts of mangosteen and pomegranate, this mask was specifically designed to hydrate the skin, and to give it a healthy glow.

This one had more of a cream like texture, as the name suggests it was gold in colour, and it seemed to be filled with microscopic gold sparkles. Being a cream mask it was really easy to apply your fingers, a spatula or as I did a mask brush.

At first it felt quite cool on the skin but as it sat on my face I did start to feel a slight tingling sensation which lasted until I washed it off after about 15 minutes.

Golden Glow On Application

As it was a cream mask it was really easy to wash off with a muslin cloth and warm water. Again, at first my skin looked a touch pink and felt a touch tight but it quickly went back to 'normal'. On the whole my skin did look a touch brighter, and a little bit more 'awake' but I couldn't really see too much of a difference, still I loved how it looked and in a weird way it actually felt quite nice, and with the same white floral, fresh fruity scent as the pink clay mask, it smelled lovely as well.

Golden Glow After Removal

I mainly used these masks separately but I did cocktail them once or twice, and use them at the same time on different areas of my face to treat different skin concerns, for example I used the pink clay mask on my t-zone and on my chin, and the golden glow mask under my eyes and on my cheeks.

Due to the tingling I experienced I probably wouldn't recommend these masks if you have a really sensitive skin, but if you fancy a cruelty free spa treatment on budget, then this mask could be something worth trying.

As you know Aldi can be a bit hitty missy when it comes to stocking beauty products but if you can find it, this mask duo retails at around £6.99. You can on occasions also buy a 60g size of the Purifying Pink Clay Mask on it's own, both in store and online. I've always been pretty pleased with the things that I've tried from Lacura, so it's definitely worth having a look in the beauty and middles aisle next time you're in Aldi.

2. Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream - 30g

Next up another skincare item and it's one of my holy grail skincare products, the Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream.

Okay, this stuff is pretty spendy but for me it's worth every penny, and believe it or not my 92 year old godmother agrees with me! I'm in my 40's with a combination skin, and she has a drier, more mature skin, and I don't know how it does it but this stuff just works for both of us.

Admittedly neither of like heavy or sticky moisturisers, so that may be why, but the texture is a huge selling point. It has a light cream / gel texture, that sinks straight into the skin without leaving any stickiness or residue, and the skin is left feeling silky soft and hydrated. Crammed full of botanical and marine plant extracts, it can be used all over the face and if you're lazy also as an eye cream. It also makes the perfect make up base, and it never feels heavy, and it never caused any breakouts or increased oiliness. I love it and it's something that I hope that I'll be able to continue using (finances permitting!).

The one drawback is of course the price, Elemis is a prestige British brand and uses premium ingredients all of which are reflected in the price. The full 50ml size retails at anywhere between £89 and £94, with this 30ml jar having an RRP of around £63. Not cheap but a little goes a long way and if you can shop around a bit you can often get a better deal. You can pick up Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream from a variety of retailers including direct from Elemis, Boots, John Lewis, Amazon, Look Fantastic, ASOS, NEXT Beauty, and Sephora.

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Ah! Another holy grail standard product and a more recent one, the Jolen Face Wax Strips! I was sent a couple of packets of these to review back in February / March of last year and I absolutely love them. You can read my full review here, but for just £1 a box these strips remove even the tiniest hairs, and they nearly always get the roots out, no mean feat on my previously thick and spiky tache hair! Just to add after just over a year or purely using wax strips on my upper lip area and chin, my facial are definitely finer and sparser - result! 

As well as Savers, I recently also found these strips in my local B&M store, so if you're a waxer or even if your not there is no excuse for not giving these a try.

4. L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water - 200ml

The final product on June's list was something else that I've talked about before, the L'Oreal Elvive Wonder Water. I don't know how it works, but what I do know is that it makes a difference to my hair when I use it. My hair seems easier to control, and it's less frizzy. I actually ran out a month or so ago, and I've just started using this again after a little break and I really can see the difference. I've tried one of the newer varieties which I'll talk about in a future empties post, but this one is my real love and it's something that I will continue to use. It has an RRP of £9.99 but it's usually on offer for around £4.99 from a variety of retailers including Superdrug, Boots, Look Fantastic and Tesco. If you're like me though and you don't want to be without this product then you can lock in your saving by doing what I've done and buy it on subscribe and save, which is a kind of auto delivery option from Amazon, so you can guarantee you'll never run out ;).

So they were my June 2022 empties, not too many of them I admit but they all count, and thankfully July was a slightly better month.

Berry Smooth Strawberry Foaming Salt Scrub - 240g
O'Keefe's For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - Value Size - 180g
Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips
Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion - 400ml
Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask
Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g

Total - 6 Items 

Yes, in July 2022 I managed to finish an extra 2 items, and I ended the month with 6 empty tubs, bottles and boxes. It was a nice mix of mainly different types of body care products with a couple of facial skincare items thrown in for good measure x

1. Berry Smooth Strawberry Foaming Salt Scrub - 240g

First up in July, one of my favourite things, a body scrub. I do love a body scrub and this one from Poundland had a nice, if slightly artificial strawberry / berry / bubblegum scent, and because it was a salt scrub, it passed the Louise scrubby test - You can read a bit more about it here x 

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Alas I haven't seen this one in store for some time, but if you see a similar looking scrub in Poundland I'd definitely pick one up and give it a go -  I've tried a few scrubs from Poundland now including a cocoa butter one I've just finished and they've all been pretty decent and good value for money, even if most of them were more than a pound (£1.50 ;).

2. O'Keefe's For Healthy Feet Foot Cream - Value Size - 180g

I'm not sure whether it's because of my thyroid issue, but my feet at times are the bane of my life - my heels are always dry and no matter how much I care for them, they sometimes even crack!

Over the years I must have spent a fortune on exfoliators, pumice stones and moisturisers for my poor tootsies, and whilst I can usually keep them under control, sometimes you need to bring out the big guns. This particular product would never win any awards for its scent or its glamour appeal, but it you have dry or cracked heels or feet, get a tub or tube of this straight away!

With no real scent this thick, white cream doesn't look that exciting but massage even the smallest amount into your feet, stick on a pair of socks and if it's at night go to bed or pop them on in the morning and go about your day as normal, and if you're anything like me in just one use you'll see a difference, and if you don't see an improvement after 7 days of continuous usage then O'Keeffe's will give you your money back.

I won't be using  this all the time but when my feet 'really' need it or when I need to show them off, I'll definitely have a tube or a pot of this on standby.

The O'Keeffe's Healthy Foot Cream comes in a variety of different configurations including a various sized tubes a 91g tub and this 180g value sized tub. Like everything I'd advise you shop around a bit as prices can vary - O'Keeffe's products are available from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Boots, Superdrug, Savers and Tesco.

3. Jolen Face Wax Strips - 16 Wax Strips

Well, they do say that your hair grows faster in summer and so it obviously proved in June and July of last year, when I finished another packet of these Jolen wax strips. I know everyone is different but I normally need to wax properly every 4 weeks with the occasional touch up every now and then, but as I say my hairs are definitely finer and sparser than the used to be so fingers crossed that they will eventually give up and disappear completely - I live in hope anyways!

4. Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion - 400ml

Now I'm not going to lie this is another one of those products that I probably should have binned at least a year before I eventually finished it, but it still smelled the same, and it was too expensive and too good not to use it up, so when the sun came out last summer I dug this out and finished it off!

With a slightly old fashioned floral scent, on the surface this is just a nice, light, hydrating body lotion, but it's actually so much more than that. Containing sweet orange, allantoin, grape seed oil, narcissus bulb extract, and melanin activating peptide, this is in fact a tan accelerator. Use it for at least 2 weeks before a holiday, during your holiday, and for around 4 weeks after your holiday, and even with SPF, you will tan better and faster than you usually would, and it even works on pale pink people like me! Oh, and even if you're planning on staying in the UK, just use this instead of your normal body lotion for the summer months and then you're ready for the odd day in the UK when the sun comes out ;)

Again, as you would expect from a prestige French skincare brand, this stuff is a little bit on the pricy side with an RRP of around £55 for a 400ml bottle, but like with everything these days if you shop around you might get it a little bit cheaper or in a smaller bottle x The Gatineau Tan Accelerator Lotion is available from various retailers including direct from Gatineau, Amazon, QVC UK, Sephora and Look Fantastic.

5. Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask

Next up, it's another product that you've seen before and it's a product that came in the August 2021, 10th birthday edition of Glossybox UK!

I think it was an extra product as it wasn't in the official listing and I'd already received the same mask in the January 2021 box.

You can read a full review here but if you're looking for a cooling and moisturising sheet mask for the warmer months, then maybe this could be it.

The Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask is available for around £4.95 from retailers including Look Fantastic, Sephora and NEXT Beauty.

6. Moksha Beauty Advanced Salicylic Acid & Sulphur Scrub Soap Bar - 100g

Finally another body product, something else that you've seen before, and another one of my beauty must haves. 

Last year I was diagnosed with a skin condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which causes painful spot like lumps on my body, and after reading a things about the condition and a few bits online, I was brought to this soap and I've been buying it ever since to help keep the lesions under control - you can read a little bit more about it here. I've actually just started a new bar and like most things in the intervening year has gone up - a 100g bar now retails at £9.99 from Amazon but for me it's worth every penny!

So there you have it, a very, very late June and July 2022 empties post, and what will be the first of many over the next few weeks. I'm going to try and break them up a bit with some different posts so you shouldn't get too sick of empties posts ;) but I promise that I'll try and get them all up to date as soon as possible. In the meantime if you have any questions on any of the products in this post, or if you just want to say Hi! then leave me a comment below xx

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

Glossybox 2021 Revisited - A Review Of The e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow - Berry Bad, And More Life Lately x*

Well it's safe to say that the few weeks have been pretty horrible. Less than 1 day after I published my last post we received the news that one of my bonus dads, my Uncle George has passed away. Although he had various ailments, it was all very sudden and understandably we were and still are both devastated, my mam's super close to both of her brothers so it's been a huge blow to her both mentally and even physically, so I've been doing my best to support her and take care of her. If that wasn't enough one of my oldest friends Helen, lost her dad just 5 days after my uncle passed. I spent so much time with her and her family when I was younger, going on holiday with them, and having sleepovers, and going over for tea. Her and her family are still very close family friends so it was huge loss, and mentally it really was the straw that broke the camels back for me, so understandably I've had a to take some time out. Whilst there are still tonnes of emotions, thoughts and memories floating around in my head, I've decided that I need a distraction, so I decided to sit down today and get my blog on.

As I mentioned in my last post, after many years I eventually made the decision to cancel my Glossybox subscription, there were a few reasons why I chose to cancel, but one of the main reasons I guess, was that I was starting to feel a bit snowed on by all of the products that I still hadn't touched. I have a huge basket full of bits dating back to 2021, including lots of unopened items, and I just didn't see the point in adding to that pile! In the weeks and months to come I'm going to try and feature as many of these products as I can, either in full review posts like this one, faces of the day posts, or in future empties post, thus giving myself content options without the stresses of proper unboxing's.

So today we're taking a little trip back to November, 2021, to talk about a product from the Beauty Desires edition, and it's something that the eagle eyed readers amongst you might have already seen mentioned in my previous blog post, the e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette in Berry Bad.

Whilst the e.l.f. range is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be, and their £1 products are long gone, it's still one of my go to brands for good quality, affordable make up, with the odd cult or viral favourite thrown in for good measure (Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Ecstatic, I'm talking to you!).

A good test for any brand no matter what the price point though should be the quality of their eyeshadows. In this day and age if a brand can't produce a decent eyeshadow then it's very unlikely that anything else, at least powder wise, will be any good.

Packaged on a fairly basic clear, and white plastic compact, as the name would suggest, this quad contains 4 berry like, autumnal toned powder eyeshadows. The quad contains 2 matte shades, 1in a dark almost, burgundy brown and the other in a light, peachy nude, and 2 almost metallic shimmers, 1 in a warm bronze / copper tone, and the other in a gorgeous deep wine / berry tone.

All of the shadows are lovely and smooth, and the shimmer / metallics in particular have an almost creamy feel. The pigmentation and colour payoff as you can see is superb even on the two matte shades.

They were really easy to apply and to blend out, with only a tiny bit of fallout, which brushed away easily with a fan brush.

This is just a really quick look that I created with 3 of the shades in this quad, and as well as looking not too shabby, the shadows wore well even on my oily lids with only a tiny bit of fading and creasing after around 5-6 hours of wear.

For an eyeshadow palette with an RRP of just £4 this quad really impressed me. The shadows were soft and creamy, the payoff was fantastic and the pigmentation even on the two matte shades was really impressive. I was also really impressed with the wear time, and don't forget all of e.l.f's products are both vegan and cruelty free, and they are also free from phthlates, parabens and several more potentially iffy ingredients - not bad for a 'budget brand"!

If you don't fancy going down the berry route though, there are around 12 quads in the Bite-Size range featuring everything from greens to blues, and purple, to loads of neutral and fashion options. The full  e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow quads including Berry Bad, is available direct from e.l.f. Cosmetics, selected shades are also available from various other retailers including ASOS, Beauty Bay and Superdrug.

Are you a fan of e.l.f. Cosmetics? Let me know your favourite products in the comments x 

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, And Added Affiliate Links

My Last Glossybox Unboxing - A Late Unboxing Of The March 2022 Edition Of Glossybox UK - Glossy Wonderland*

So I guess this post signals an end of an era, I've been subscribed to Glossybox for quite a while now, and over the years, I've regularly shared my unboxings and thoughts on the latest box both on my You Tube channel and latterly, here on my blog. Today's post though will be the last unboxing that I'll be sharing with you. 

As I said in a recent post I'm just too far behind with my Glossybox unboxings to carry on with them, not only that but I've also put my notice in to cancel my box. I've really enjoyed the surprise element and getting to try so many new things, but I just can't justify spending money on beauty bits when I have so many products that are practically untouched. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by my beauty stash for a little while now but it feels good to be making some positive moves to get it a bit more under control.

Although I won't be doing any more unboxing posts I will probably still end up sharing my thoughts on some of the items in all of last years boxes, and of course in the 3 boxes that I've received this year, either in separate review posts, faces of the day, or in empties posts so you shouldn't miss out. If you see anything in any of these pics that you'd like to see reviews of though, let me know and I'll get on it ASAP x The same also applies to last years Glossybox advent calendar, I'm not going to do a post on it now but if you are interested in the contents, you can take a look at the relevant tab on my Instagram, and of course if there are any products that you're particularly interested in reading reviews on, then please either leave me a comment on Instagram or here on the the blog x

Why then, after all that, am I bother to share this unboxing with you, well to put it simply it was prepped and ready, and it relates to another review post that I've got prepped and ready to go, so here for your reading pleasure are my thoughts on the March 2022 edition of Glossybox UK.

Can you remember what you were doing back in March of last year? Believe it or not whilst I can't always remember what I was doing yesterday, I can actually remember snippets of March last year. I had a horrid chest and sinus infection that just wouldn't shift. I guess that should have been an early sign that the rest of 2022 would be a bit of a fail but for most of you, I guess you were probably still full of hope that 2022 was going to be a better than the previous 2 years at least - All I'll say is that life comes at you hard sometimes, doesn't it? 

Despite the fact that I was snotting and sniffing, something that probably cheered me up at the time, was the arrival of the March 2022 edition of Glossybox UK.

Packaged in the familiar black and pink packaging, the theme of March's box was "Glossy Wonderland" and according to the online magazine, the box was all about exploring your fun and playful side, and all about learning to love "the person you see through the looking glass".

I have to say that I really loved the online Glossybox magazine that now accompanies every box. As well as saving on paper and resources, the extra articles are all really interesting. March's magazine included several short easy to read articles on new blush trends, as well as an explanation on just how pH changing make up works, and as per usual it also gave subscribers a full breakdown of all of the products in the box, and according to Glossybox, March's box contained "four magical beauty buys, one of two shower essentials, and one of two chocolatey treats". It all sounds good, but what exactly did I get, and what did I think of the contents? Well let's take a look inside and see....

Elikya Beauty Rose Liquid Highlighter - 15ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £12.80

First up, the first of 2 make up items in March's box, and it was a product from a new brand to me, Elikya Beauty. Elikya Beauty are a Parisian based beauty brand who produce a wide range of natural, vegan, organic, cruelty free and eco responsible cosmetics, featuring everything from skincare products, to make up for the eyes, lips and cheeks.

The product that all subscribers received in their March box was a cheek product and more specifically a liquid highlighter or illuminator. Enriched with natural soybean oil, as well as hibiscus extract, which is crammed full of skincare benefits, this product is perfect for creating that pinch your cheeks rosy glow, whilst at the same time leaving the skin with an on trend dewy finish.

.

Packaged in a frosted glass bottle, this illuminator comes with a dropper style dispenser / applicator. Although it's officially described as a rose gold toned highlighter, I think it's actually more of a slightly metallic rose pink. 

Whilst it appears quite dense it actually has quite a lightweight liquidy feel. A small amount goes a very long way and whilst it looks quite scary, and pigmented, it actually blends down to a lovely sheer rose pink

It's definitely one of those products where you should start out with less. and apply a little bit more if you need to. The first time that I tried it, I just applied a few dots here and there and then blended it in, only to end up looking like Aunt Sally (Ask your Mum if you don't know who that is ;) Apply a small amount and build it up, you can alway add more but you can't really tone it down!

I personally think that calling this just a highlighter or an illuminator is a bit of a disservice. Despite how it appears both in the bottle and in the initial swatch, it isn't that sparkly or shimmery, in fact I can barely see any shimmer on my skin. Instead for me I think this works better on my naturally quite rosy cheeks as a lovely, sheer, light bringing, dewy liquid blush. Whatever you use it for, it's super pretty and its something that I will happily use up.

Glossybox placed a value of £12.80 on this unboxed, full 15ml sized product. The only retailer that I can find for Elikya Beauty is their own French based, French language website. I can't find this particular product but their Illuminateur in Pink Glowy which retails at €14.90 looks pretty similar.

KNDR Beauty Mood Stick PH Changing Lipstick - Never Blue - 3.5g - Full Size - Est. RRP £17

Although I don't watch it anywhere near as often as I used to I'm a huge fan of QVC UK, and in particular QCV Beauty. I'be bought so many things from them over the last 30 years or so, and when it comes to beauty they've always been at the head of the queue when it comes to selling new and innovative beauty products.

One of my earliest purchases was a set of lipsticks from a brand that I believe was called Ultraglow. They weren't just any lipsticks though, they were blue, yellow, and green lipsticks that reacted with your own pH to create your own unique, and more conventional lipstick colour.

Once pretty unique colour changing make up products are now fairly easy to find, with brand such as Smashbox, Lipstick Queen, Charlotte Tilbury and Barry M, all producing pH changing lip colours.

From US based vegan and cruelty free brand, KNDR, the next item in March's box was a paraben and mineral oil free, Mood Stick pH Changing Lipstick in the shade, Never Blue.

The lipstick comes boxed and comes in a turquoise / blue, white and gold cardboard tube. Officially described as a sheer, hydrating tint, the lipstick inside is light blue in colour, and for me it has more of a lip balm type appearance and texture.

Whilst it's definitely a blue colour in the bullet, swatch it or apply it to the lips, and the magic happens! Instead of the baby blue shade, at least on me you get a gorgeous cool pink toned lip colour.

For me it definitely has more of a non greasy, hydrating lip balm feel. It feels smooth and moisturising on the lips without feeling too heavy or sticky. It initially has quite a nice sheen to it but once that disappears, you're left with a matte but not flat almost stain that lasts surprisingly well, not unlike those long gone Ultraglow lipsticks of my teens.

Yes, the pH thing is a bit gimmicky but the colour it ended up turning on me was nice, and the lipstick itself texture wise was nice, and the wear time was really impressive. From what I can gather you can only officially buy KNDR products from their own US based website but they do ship worldwide, and there is the odd thing on Amazon. Again I can't find this exact product on their website but they do have a colour shifting lip balm, their Mood Balm, in the same shade, Never Blue, which looks very similar and retails at $16.

James Read - Gradual Tan -  Sleep Mask Tan Body - 100ml - Full Size? - Est. RRP £21

I've got to be honest with you, yet again, when it comes to self tab, I'm pretty lazy. I'm not one of those people that needs to be perma tanned, I only really tan now when I'm going away, going out, or sometimes just on a whim.

When it comes to self tan though I want something quick and easy, so more often than not if I do want to perk myself up a bit I'll reach for a gradual tanner, so when I opened the March 2022 box I was really pleased to get the chance to try a "gradual tan" from celebrity tan expert, James Read's range.

Containing hyaluronic acid, red algae, and 100% naturally derived DHA, this product is designed to work overnight with you own skin tone to give you a subtle golden glow.

Packaged in a flip top bottle, the tanner itself looks milky white in the bottle but it's actually colourless when you come to apply it onto the skin.

As with all self tans, I exfoliated first and I'm a regular moisturiser, so I had a smooth clean canvas to work with and I applied it using my own velour tanning mitt. Seeing as there was no guide colour it was a bit difficult to see where you'd applied it, but thanks to the light gel texture, the product did leave a slight sheen on the skin which lasted for a minute or so. It actually absorbed into the skin quite quickly, leaving a smooth, non sticky finish.

Now I know when it comes to comes to self tan one major question always comes up and no it's not what's the colour like, or how messy is it? It's what does it smell like? Well initially it smells a bit plasticy, and then when your massaging it in you get quite a subtle fresh scent, but I'm sad to say that after an hour or so, that digestive biscuit, traditional fake tan scent comes through, so if you're not a fan sorry guys this product reeks of it!

So what about the colour? Well in theory you would apply this product before you go to bed, but since I wanted to try it out properly and monitor any changes I tried it out during the day. It took a couple of hours before I noticed any difference but after that the colour got deeper and deeper until about 6-8 hours in when it looked to be full developed, and then I realised what a mess I'd made!

2 Applications On My Left Leg

To put it bluntly it was a big fat fail, it was pretty streaky with darker patches on my shin and calf. I'm not going to show you just how bad it was instead in the picture that you can see above I'm doing the one leg challenge  after I'd desperately applied another coat to try and even it out!

With one very tanned leg and one pasty blue one I decided to apply a single coat on my right leg, and this time I took a bit more time over the application, applying less, and buffing more, and it didn't actually turn out too bad, so patience and practise really does make perfect.

2 Applications On My Left Leg, 1 Application On My Right Leg 

Colour wise this actually looked fairly natural on me, all be it at the darker end of the spectrum. It lasted for a good few days before fading, all be it a little bit unevenly in parts.

Although I was initially less than impressed with this product, in all honesty it wasn't actually that bad. In my opinion it's not a gradual tanner in the traditional sense in that you can slap a but of lotion on and leave it, and then do the same the next day to gradually give you a little bit of colour, this is much more like a proper fake tan. It needs careful application, buffing and blending, because the colour is pretty strong or at least it was on my skin tone. On the plus side the colour as I say was decent, and the lack of guide colour meant that it wasn't messy to use, and it also absorbed and dried quickly and it didn't transfer onto bedding, towels or clothing. That being said I probably wouldn't buy the full size of this one but I may be tempted to try another product from the wider James Read tanning range in the future.

Glossybox placed a value of £21 on this 100ml, alleged full size but I personally can't find this size anywhere. All I can find is a 200ml size which retails at around £37 direct from James Read as well as from Look Fantastic, and Sephora.

Magnitone WIPE OUT! Microfibre Cleansing Cloth - 1 x Cloth - Full Size - Est. RRP £8

Next up something that I was convinced that I'd showed you before, all be it in another incarnation, a Magnitone Wipe Out Microfibre Cleansing Cloth. I have quite a few of these cloths now for various advent calendar and beauty boxes but surprisingly I don't think I've ever actual reviewed one of them before. If you haven't came across these before though then where have you been? They really are something special because they can remove even the toughest make up with just warm water.

All you do is just soak one of these super soft and fluffy cloths in warm water, and then gently wipe it over your face melting all of your make up away with just some plain tap water, and the power of microfibre - if you don't believe me check out these picture and take a look for yourself...

Before

What I'm Wearing 

Primark PS..."Skin Balm" Blurring Pore Smoothener Face Primer

Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation - 102 Fair Ivory

Mally Beauty Cancellation Concealer - Light / Medium 

Mally Beauty Eye Light Setting Powder - Lighter

AVON MagiX HD Finish Powder

Benefit Brow Zings Total Taming & Shaping Kit For Brows- 4 

PIXI By Petra Brow Tamer 

e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow - Berry Bad

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast High Definition Collagen-Coat Mascara - Film Noir

 Elikya Beauty Rose Liquid Highlighter

KNDR Beauty Mood Stick PH Changing Lipstick - Never Blue

After

Voila! A full face of make up dissolved away in an instant with no product, no residue, and no irritation, just clean skin and very dirty and make up covered cloth.

It sounds crazy but they really do work. Admittedly I don't usually use waterproof mascaras but they've pretty much removed everything I've ever thrown at them. If you can't live without your cleanser though, you can also use them as a conventional cleansing cloth and then all you do is just pop them into the washing machine (remember no fabric conditioner with microfibre type products), leave them to dry and they're good to go again.

These cloths are brilliant for travel, if your trying to be a bit more eco friendly, or if your skin is sensitive and you have issues with skincare products. As I say I have quite a few of these now and they are something that I will continue to use both on their own and with my skincare products.

Glossybox placed a value of £8 on this full sized cloth, but they are available in a wide variety of sizes and colours from various retailers including direct from Magnitone as well as from Sephora, Look Fantastic and Beauty Expert. ,

Bilou Creamy Shower Foam - Coco Cocktail - 200ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £3.99

From cleansing your face to cleansing your body, and the next item in March's box was one of my favourite types of shower product, a shower foam. These products just make showering a more decedent experience, there is just something about slathering my body in deliciously scented foam that I really enjoy :)

From German brand, Bilou, this shower foam contains aloe vera, almond oil, and avocado oil, and has a rich and creamy texture, and as you would expect from a foam a little goes a long way. it's easy to rinse away and it leaves the skin feeling clean and not dry or tight, and it also makes an excellent shaving foam.

The real selling point though of this particular product though has to be the smell. It has a delicious creamy vanilla and coconut scent that just makes your mouth water.

Alas this product isn't that easy to find in the UK anymore, it used to be available in Superdrug, but they no longer stock it, so if you're interested in trying it you'll need to have a little search online or navigate their German website.

Ferrero Raffaello - 4 Pieces - 40g - Est. RRP £1

Sticking with the coconut / vanilla theme, the March 2022 edition of Glossybox also included an extra little sweet treat, subscribers either received a Mallow & Marsh Marshmallow Bar, or a 3 pack of Ferrero Raffaello's, and seeing as the Mallow & Marsh bars aren't suitable for vegetarians, I was delighted to the Raffaello's.

It might be a slightly controversial opinion but I actually prefer Raffaello's to Ferrero Rochers, but then again, I am partial to a Bounty too!

There is something about the white chocolate goo combined with the coconut, the crisp wafer, and the whole blanched almond in the middle that just works, these things are just so easy to eat - I absolutely love them!

They can be pretty pricey, so I would definitely recommend that you shop around a bit especially if you want a big box but 3 and 4 packs are readily available in most major supermarkets as well as Poundland, and selected Boots and Superdrug stores, and newsagents x 

So there you have it my last ever Glossybox unboxing post, and all in all it was a pretty decent box to end on. As I say the March box will be my last one so if you're interested in what I receive in that one, and what I got in my February box then keep an eye on my Instagram account, and again if you so anything in those posts or in the pictures at the start of this post that you'd like to see a review of, then please let me know x I love reading your comments so if you have any questions on anything in this post then please let me know x Thanks as always for reading and I'll see you later in the week with a make up review xx

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