Trimming My Stash - April 2017 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

After a bit of an iffy start to the year, over the last few weeks, I'm finally starting to feel as though I'm starting to turn the corner and leave some of the negativity that's clouded the first part of the year behind.

It's not to say that April's been all sweetness and light, it hasn't but maybe I'm starting to deals with life's hurdles a little bit better than what I have been doing. I'm feeling more comfortable in my own skin, and I'm feeling more positive about the blog and about life in general. May is my birthday month and I have lots to look forward to this month, so I'm going to grab the bull by the horns (I am a Taurus after all) and go for it, life is too short to worry about pointless things, life really is for living and that's what I intend to do from now on.

Before I start afresh though it's time to take one last look back at April, and take a look back at my April beauty empties. 

Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean 3 In 1 Deep Purifying Cleanser - 200ml
Benefit The Porefessional Instant Wipe Out Mask Dual Sided Pore Clarifying Mask x 1
OPI Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Replenishing Oil - 15ml
L'Occitane Cleansing And Soothing Shower Oil With Almond Oil - 250ml
RESEED R12 Tri Peptide Active Hair Serum For Women - 30ml

Total - 5 Items

So I managed to finish 5 beauty products in April, not the best total ever but I'm going to embrace the positive, 5 items are certainly better than 1 and I finished a few things that I thought would never end.

1. Soap & Glory Peaches And Clean 3 In 1 Deep Purifying Cleanser - 200ml

I've got to be honest and say that Ive never actually bought a Soap & Glory skincare item on it's own. All of the Soap & Glory skincare products that I've tried have come from the Boots Soap & Glory Star Gifts. Buying a big gift set of products can be a bit hit or miss, but in this case I've been introduced to a gem. This is just a basic cream cleanser with a slightly weird - peach, menthol, mint smell. It's perfect on my oily skin and it's really easy to use, just massage a small amount over your face, then wipe away with either a damp flannel or muslin cloth or splash off with warm water, and all of your make up just wipes away, leaving your skin silky soft. I really like this cleanser and it's definitely something that I would consider repurchasing.

2. Benefit The Porefessional Instant Wipe Out Mask Dual Sided Pore Clarifying Mask x 1

This pore mask from Benefit Cosmetics is part of their ever expanding Porefessional range. It's basically a combination of a pore strip and sheet mask. All of the masks are packaged individually and to use them all you do is press the plastic bubble, to release the pore tightening liquid into the fabric like mask. Then you just open the packet and apply the damp mask, smooth side down to either your chin, your forehead or your nose, they you leave it for ten minutes before rubbing the remaining liquid all over your face with the rougher side of the mask. It smells slightly of menthol, and as you would expect it tingles ever so slightly on the skin. To be honest I haven't noticed any long term effects but I do have a few more of these masks to use up so I might notice a difference then but we'll see. What I can say though is after you've used the mask your skin certainly feels tighter and less oily. I definitely think that these masks would be great before an event or a party, or an occasion where you would want your make up to stay in place and for your skin to look more even and less oily. 

3. OPI Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Replenishing Oil - 15ml

My nails at the moment are really unpredictable, in the space of a week, they can go from long, hydrated and healthy, to dry, rough and broken. I'm persevering with the strengtheners and perhaps more importantly I'm trying to keep my hands and nails hydrated. OPI Avoplex is probably my favourite cuticle oil of all time, crammed full of avocado oil, it smells lovely, it absorbs quickly and it makes an immediate difference to the appearance of my nails. I love it and I will continue to buy it when I can justify it but at the moment I'm loving the Primark PS Cuticle Oil, which is nearly as good and retails at just £1 a bottle. Spend or save it's up to you, but they are both great products that can a real difference with just one use

4. L'Occitane Cleansing And Soothing Shower Oil With Almond Oil - 250ml

Be it summer or winter, this product really is an all year round skin saviour. If you have dry skin, or itchy skin, or even if you feel that the skin or your body just needs a little bit of love, then this is the product that you need. The shower oil concept is quite a new one and L'Occitane one of the genres innovators, the product feels oily on the skin but add water to it and it turns into a creamy, lightly foaming body cleanser. You can also add to the bath for pampering, and moisturising soak. Oh and if you think that almond means marzipan, it doesn't - I hate anything that smells or tastes of bitter almond, and I love this, instead of the bitter almond scent you might expect instead this smells of slightly of apple, and warm vanilla with just a hint of nuttiness. This product isn't cheap but a little goes a long way, and I guarantee that once you try it you will never want to be without it x I've recently repurchased this from QVC UK thanks to a special price, and an easy pay offer that made it a bit more affordable, so I would definitely recommend shopping around if you do decide that you want this in your life x You can read a review of this product here x

5. RESEED R12 Tri Peptide Active Hair Serum For Women - 30ml*

I was sent this product quite a while ago, as part of the full RESEED line which is specifically designed for women with thinning hair. This is the serum that you massaged into the hair to encourage hair growth. I've tried to eek this product for as long as possible because this is the one product in the range that really makes the difference. Unfortunately i do think that you need to use all of the products in the system together and consistently to see a real difference. You can read my review of the full system including this product here x

So they were my April empties x My aim as always for this month is to do better, and I hopefully want to try and finish at least one make up item in May x Are you doing something similar link me to your posts and channels below and of course if you have any questions on any of the items that I've mentioned in this post, then please leave me a comment x

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