100% Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care All Over Body Cream With Manuka Honey

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug’s Vitamin E Skin Care All Over Body Cream With Manuka Honey. This cream is a limited edition – so I bought two tubs when they ran a ‘buy one, get second half price’ promotion about two weeks ago.

First of all, this cream smells very nice. I’d describe the scent as exotic and warm. The coconut oil in this product is quite noticeable. But (as someone who doesn’t like the scent or taste of coconuts) let me assure you this cream doesn’t have this overpoweringly sweet and dense fragrance which many coconut products have. This cream smells lovely, and – judging by its scent – you’d think it’s a high-end product!

I think this body cream is really good. It feels rich and moisturising, and it takes care of dry skin. I’d even say it’s calming! And despite the rich formula, this cream doesn’t feel sticky at all after a few minutes. I love it! And if it wasn’t a limited edition, I’d say this cream could become a beauty staple!

Superdrug’s Vitamin E Skin Care All Over Body Cream With Manuka Honey (limited edition) is available as 475ml for £2.99. Very good value! The product carries the Leaping Bunny logo – it’s cruelty-free and suitable for vegetarians!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Essence Single Eyeshadows Part I – 78 Vanilla Milkshake, 80 Groovy Grapes, 02 Dance All Night, 79 Lola Petrola, 68 Strawberry Ice Cream

Hi there! I’m trying to bring some order into my beauty stash – and I found quite a few Essence single eyeshadows which I’ve never used. Now that I’ve found them, I do remember buying them when they were 50p each – that was when Essence revamped their eyeshadow collection about a year ago (?).

I’ve now tried these eyeshadows – and I think they’re great. They’re even softer and more buttery than Sleek or MakeUp Revolution eyeshadows (I’m totally thrown – but in a good way!). And they’re highly pigmented.

I swatched these five eyeshadows in the same order as they’re in the picture above: 78 Vanilla Milkshake (shimmery vanilla), 80 Groovy Grapes (dusty purple), 02 Dance All Night (sparkly gold), 79 Lola Petrola (petrol / teal), 68 Strawberry Ice Cream (shimmery baby pink).

These eyeshadows are extremely nice! Groovy Grapes and Lola Petrola look a bit weak in the photo, but they’re really great in real life. The three shimmers look a bit pale in the pictures – but that’s because of my pale arms. 🙂 Anyway, the eyeshadows are easily blendable and they don’t give me any trouble at all. So yes, I’d definitely recommend them! I’ve got a few more of these to try and wear – and I’ll report back on the remaining eyeshadows shortly.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in Essence cosmetics, you can find their products at Wilko. If you’re into nail stamping, you should try Essence’s white stamping polish which is £1.49 only!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

I Love… Strawberries & Cream Bubble Bath and Shower Crème, Nourishing Body Butter and Refreshing Body Spritzer

Hi there! I got myself a few more I Love… products. These were on sale for half price (£1.49) because I Love… is currently giving it’s entire collection a makeover. I think the line didn’t need updating – not yet. That’s because I Love… manages to capture the scents of fruits and sweets perfectly – which is something that some high street brands struggle with. But I don’t want to complain about ‘other brands’. I’d rather tell you what I Love’s… Strawberries & Cream collection is like! 🙂

I Love… Strawberries & Cream Bath and Shower Cream (available as 500ml) is a gentle bath and shower product. I wouldn’t say it’s moisturising, but it’s certainly not drying. The strawberries & cream fragrance is very sweet!

I Love… Strawberries & Cream Body Butter (available as 200ml) is a reasonable moisturiser. It’s not as thick as many other comparable body butters, so it’s a bit easier to apply. But it isn’t as rich as those thick body butters. Still, it’s definitely a good product! The strawberries & cream scent is sweet, intense and longlasting.

I Love… Strawberries & Cream Body Spritzer (available as 100ml) really is the cat’s whiskers – if you’re into strawberry-scented body sprays. On its own this body spritzer isn’t that longlasting (which is OK). But if you spray it on after you’ve used the matching body butter, you’ll be surrounded by the sweet aromas of strawberries & cream for hours – probably even half a day. I think that’s fairly impressive!

I’m not the biggest fan of super sweet scents in toiletries. So I’ll be giving the body spritzer and the bath and shower cream away. I’ll use up the body butter myself (my fingers have been in the tub, so I wouldn’t want to give this one away). But my teenage relative will surely be happy to take the other two products off my hands.

Saying this, if you’re a fan of strawberry-scented toiletries, I would definitely recommend this I Love… collection. The strawberries & cream fragrance is sweet, intense and much more authentic than some high street brands’ (more expensive) strawberry-scented offerings.

The I Love… Strawberries & Cream product line has been updated – the design of the packaging has changed and some products might be replaced. However, the price seems to have remained the same – most I Love… products are still £2.99.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

L’Oréal Sublimist Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser

Hi there! Today’s post is about L’Oréal’s Sublimist Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser.

I only had this small sample, but it was enough for me to conclude this is an excellent face cream! Now let me tell you why.

When I applied the cream, I noticed the rich texture. The cream felt great on my dry skin. But I wasn’t sure if this rich cream would be a good base for make-up.

My worries were unfounded because – within a minute – the cream had sunk into my skin nicely. What remained was the feeling of a silky, lightweight moisturiser on my skin. And yes, this cream is a good base for make-up. I found the scent of this face cream to be pleasant as well. It’s not too strong – it’s just right.

The only thing I’m not super happy with is that this cream doesn’t contain sunscreen. I do like my facial moisturisers to have SPF 15. So I wouldn’t use this cream on sunny days (because my foundation doesn’t contain sunscreen). However, if you prefer a face cream without SPF, I would definitely recommend this product!

L’Oréal’s Sublimist Skin Perfection Day Moisturiser is available as 50ml for £15. As always, keep your eyes peeled for half price or BOGOF offers. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Underwater Mani – Featuring Rimmel, Essence, Astor, Beauty UK & Sugar Bubbles

Hi there! I loved my last underwater mani so much that I did another one.

This time I thought I’d use my newest glitter polish – which reminded me very much of mermaids – and my Sugar Bubbles SB 031 stamping plate.

I used these polishes:
Rimmel 60 Seconds 844 Out Of The Blue (base colour, pinky).
Beauty UK White (base colour, ring and middle fingers).
Astor Lacque Deluxe 880 Forest Green (base colour, index finger and thumb).
Essence Nail Art Stampy Polish in White (stamped image on pinky, index finger, thumb).
Rimmel Love Glitter 034 A Crush On You (glitter topper ring and middle fingers).

So here it is – my underwater mani! I think it turned out great. What do you think?

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Make-Up 30 Sand, Dream Mousse Blush 01 Dolly Pink & Dream Mousse Eyecolor 10 Caramel Karma

Hi there! My latest quest to finally use all those free samples filling up my drawers led me to Maybelline’s Dream Mousse products.

I didn’t do swatches because the samples didn’t contain much product. But I’ll tell you how these products fared anyway.

I applied Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse make-up in 30 Sand with my fingers. The foundation was easy to apply and it felt very nice on my skin. I think the coverage is quite impressive.

However, the product didn’t really work with my dry skin – it highlighted a big dry patch (the size of a 50p coin) which I didn’t even know I had. So I think this foundation is better suited to people with oily skin.

I didn’t care for Maybelline’s Dream Mouss blush in 01 Dolly Pink. The blush was much thinner than the foundation and I didn’t manage to apply it as evenly as I had hoped (I’ve never used a mousse blush before).

The good thing is that the blush can be wiped off or blended into the foundation easily, so mistakes can be corrected. However, the downside is that you really can wipe off the blush by accident. Also, this blush is glittery. And since it’s so very easily blendable, I looked like I had gold dust all over my face. This product is definitely not for me.

Maybelline’s Dream Mousse Eyecolor in 10 Caramel Karma fared better than the blush. The shade is a beautiful shimmery light brown which was easy to apply and blend. Unfortunately the mousse eyeshadow didn’t stick to my eyelids. So I ended up with lots of small brown flakes under my eyes and on my cheeks. I tried to wipe off those flakes – very carefully – but this started the unfortunate chain of events which made my face look like it was sprayed with gold dust.

I wouldn’t recommend any of these products to people with dry skin. However, I can see that these mousse products would work well for people with oily skin. In regards to the foundation, the coverage is very nice. I’m thinking of buying a full-size pot of foundation to see if I can somehow mix it with my much loved Pan Stik foundation this summer. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Boots Botanics Hydrating Serum Capsules

Hi there! When I had a bit of a clear-out recently, I found these Boots Botanics Hydrating Serum Capsules.

It’s been a while since I actually used these serum capsules. But I remember I liked them, so I decided to give them another try.

For the past few days I’ve used the serum on my face (once daily, in the morning, before I applied my day moisturiser). And I’m really pleased with the product!

The serum feels wonderfully velvety. I love it! And it really does give my skin a moisture boost – just what I needed! And despite the rich formula, the serum doesn’t mess with my make-up!

It’s too bad these serum capsules have been discontinued some time ago. Otherwise I’d swing by my local Boots to stock up on them today! I also don’t know why I stopped using this serum back them. I know it didn’t cause me any skin trouble (I would have thrown it out), so I guess I probably just put the bottle somewhere safe and then I forgot about it…

I’ve previously used other Boots Botanics products as well – but only stuff from the older collection. But now I really want to look into the current product line! Any recommendations?

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Astor Eye Artist Eye Shadow Palette 720 Smokey Black

Hi there! Today’s post is about Astor’s Eye Artist Eye Shadow Palette in 720 Smokey Black. I found this palette (and a few others) for 99p at my local Family Bargains store recently. So if you’re looking for a beauty bargain, don’t forget to swing by your local bargain stores! 🙂

This eye palette is a small compact containing five eyeshadows (2 light greys, a medium grey, and 2 almost black shades) and a small double-ended sponge applicator.

All the eyeshadows are shimmery and they’re highly pigmented. They’re buttery and soft and a dream to work with. So yes, Astor’s Eye Artist Eye Shadow Palette in 720 Smokey Black is a quality eye palette.

I’ve also got Astor’s Smokey Purple palette – which, I think, is just as great. I’ll definitely go back to the bargain stores to see if they have any other colour combos. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Gosh 549 Holographic Hero & Stamping with Pueen 55

Hi there! I’ve been sporting really boring manis for the past week. Nothing worth mentioning.

And, of course, I got bored of those plain manis. So I grabbed a holo polish, Gosh 549 Holographic Hero, and my stamping kit.

I applied two coats of Holographic Hero. The polish dried quickly and was opaque in two coats. It’s not the strongest holo polish out there, but I only paid £1.99 for it, so I won’t complain.

Then I chose a stamping plate – Pueen 55 from Pueen’s Stamping Buffet. I opted for the leafy image and stamped it on with Revlon Colorstay Stiletto. I think this mani turned out alright. What do you think? 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Harmony Hair Indulgence Herbal Shampoo & Conditioner With Mulberry Extract

Hi there! Today’s post is about Harmony Hair Indulgence Herbal shampoo and conditioner with Mulberry Extract. I found these products at my local Family Bargains store. I’ve never seen these before, but they were really cheap (99p each). So I thought I should give the shampoo and conditioner a try. 🙂

These two products are aimed at people with normal to fine hair. The shampoo claims to be volumising, and the conditioner claims not to weigh hair down. Sounds great, doesn’t it? OK, now let’s see how this shampoo and conditioner combo fared.

The shampoo really is volumising. I noticed a difference after the third wash. So yes, the shampoo does what it promises! The conditioner is OK. It really doesn’t weigh hair down, but it’s not the most suitable conditioner for long, thick and curly hair. However, I think this conditioner would work really well for ladies with fine hair.

I’m not in love with the fragrance of these products. They smell a tad too soapy for my liking. The next person might love the scent, but it doesn’t tickle my fancy.

What I really like about these two products is that they don’t make my hair greasy. I do wash my hair every morning – no matter what. But it’s nice to know I could probably skip a wash if I really had to. 🙂

I might buy this shampoo & conditioner combo again. And I would definitely recommend these products to people who have fine or straight hair and want more volume.

Harmony Hair Indulgence Herbal products with Mulberry Extract are currently available in discount stores. Family Bargains has the 250ml bottles for 99p. I guess most other discount stores charge about as much – or as little. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde