I wouldn’t recommend… Naturtint Shampoo & Naturtint Nutrideep Multiplier Protective Cream

Hi there! About two months ago I got two Naturtint samples – Naturtint Shampoo and Naturtint Nutrideep Multiplier Protective Cream. The shampoo claims to moisturise and to strengthen hair, while the protective cream claims to condition hair and to protect it from breakage.

As I said, these two bottles are sample sizes. They don’t state how much product is in them. But I compared the size of the bottles with similarly-sized mini bottles I’ve got. And I think these are 40ml bottles. Now let’s get to the products!

Naturtint Shampoo was nothing special. It was very runny, it hardly smelled of anything and it didn’t lather up well. It cleansed my hair and my scalp OK. But I’d prefer a supermarket own-brand shampoo any day. I used this shampoo four times only (that’s what I got out of the small bottle), but I’m satisfied I don’t need to buy a full-size bottle for myself.

Naturtint Nutrideep Multiplier Protective Cream wasn’t great at all. It looked like a regular conditioner. But as soon as it touched my hair, it shrunk to a weird soapy nothingness (I had to use up the entire bottle in one go). The product felt very drying and uncomfortable. And I didn’t even try to detangle my hair. But I left the product on for two minutes as per the instructions on the bottle and then I rinsed it out.

What happened then? I slathered my hair in L’Oréal’s deep conditioner to restore it to its pre-Naturtint state. That’s because after rinsing out the Naturtint, my hair was a dry, straw-like mess with zero elasticity. It was horrible. I didn’t even know it was possible that my hair could feel like this! This Naturtint product is, without question, the worst I’ve ever used on my hair – it even beats the Naked Colour conditioner (which I think was rubbish).

Honestly, I don’t know what this product is good for. It’s not only not conditioning, it felt like it’s anti-conditioning. And what purpose does it really serve when you need a deep conditioner to restore your hair to normal after using this product?

I wouldn’t recommend these Naturtint products. However, if you’re interested, the full-size bottles (150 ml) are available for between £5 and £10 each (depending on where you shop).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Mist

Hi there! I found this oldie The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Mist the other day. And I think now’s the time to finally use it up. I’m not sure how old it is, but it still smells yummy.

OK, so this body mist promises freshness and a sparkling, energetic scent. Is it like that? Well, almost. In my opinion this body mist smells more of lychee fruits than of lychee blossoms.

It smells sweet, fruity and juicy, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s fresh.

While it’s not cloying or overpowering, it’s certainly not anywhere near as fresh as lemon or grapefruit fragrances or body mists.

I would still say this body mist would be great for spring and summer as it is not too sweet.

It’s also not very intense, so I can douse myself in it every two or three hours without smelling like a perfume store.

I generally prefer my fragrances to last longer than that, but I don’t mind that body mists are not as longlasting. They’re obviously meant to be short-lived fragrant refreshments.

But here’s the bad news: The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Mist was part of a limited edition collection, so it’s no longer available. If you really, really want a lychee fragrance, you have to look for something else.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Foils & Stamping – Featuring Rimmel, Barry M & Pueen

Hi there! A couple of weeks ago I did a foils & stamping mani. I really liked how it turned out. So I thought I could try something similar – but this time with green base colours.

I selected Rimmel Salon Pro 544 Bewitch (index, pinky) and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Key Lime (thumb, middle and ring fingers) as my base colours.

Both polishes were almost opaque in one coat. Awesome stuff!

Then I used leftover foils to add some sparkle to the dark green polish.

The floral image I stamped on the light green polish is from Pueen’s 76 plate which is part of Pueen’s Buffet Leisure set.

I think this mani didn’t turn out as nice as the ‘original’ mani from a few weeks ago. But it looked OK. Please let me know how you like this mani. And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Thierry Mugler Cologne

Hi there! Today’s review is about Thierry Mugler’s Cologne (which I have several samples of). And in the spirit of using my samples, I’ve now been wearing this fragrance for a few days.

OK, before we start, Mugler Cologne contains the following notes: bergamot, neroli, petitgrain, orange blossom, ‘S’ molecule and white musk. There’s a question mark behind the ‘S’ molecule – apparently it’s a super secret fragrant molecule.

Mugler Cologne is all about bergamots and orange flowers. It’s a classic (some would say old-fashioned) cologne scent. It’s not the most original fragrance, but it’s well done. It’s pure, fresh and clean – definitely a good choice for spring and summer – and I think it’s perfectly unisex.

If you love the scent of classic colognes and bergamots, you’d probably like Mugler Cologne which is available as 100ml for around £30.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick Wild Berry

Hi there!Today I’ve got another lipstick to review. It’s MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick Wild Berry. I’ve previously reviewed a matte lipstick from MUA – and I wasn’t impressed. And unfortunately today’s review isn’t a positive one either. Now let me tell you why I’ve already binned this lipstick.

First of all, I don’t like how the lipstick applies and how it feels on my lips. The formula is thick and waxy, the colour doesn’t transfer well onto the lips, and the lipstick feels drying and sticky at the same time.

I also don’t love the colour. It looks like a dark berry colour in the bullet. But it’s a fuchsia / plum shade on the lips. The colour pay-off isn’t that great either. I’ve got a white spot on my bottom lip (it’s just a lack of pigment). Most lipsticks cover this small area easily, so it was quite a disappointment that this lipstick didn’t.

All in all, I think this isn’t a good lipstick. I know the reviews about it are mixed – lots of people seem to love MUA’s matte lippies (I really don’t get it), but just as many don’t. I compare every matte lipstick to UNE’s brilliant matte lipsticks (they feel like velvet, but they’re matte). And based on that comparison I’d be flattering MUA’s Wild Berry lipstick if I were to say it’s ‘below average’…

MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick in Wild Berry is available for £1 (Superdrug, MUA online store).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

NSPA Caramel Fudge Shower & Bath Gel

Hi there! About two months ago I bought quite a few NSPA products. I’ve already reviewed the wonderful Orient fragrance, and now’s the time to take a closer look at NSPA Caramel Fudge Shower & Bath Gel.

I really like the thick texture of this shower & bath gel because I can’t spill it by accident. And the shimmering gel in golden and caramel hues looks very pretty.

The gel lathers up nicely and it smells absolutely delicious. NSPA did a really good job creating an authentic caramel fudge fragrance.

Another good thing is that this shower & bath gel doesn’t dry out my skin. It really feels rich and velvety – just as it says on the bottle.

It’s too bad I’m only using this product now. It would have been perfect during the colder months…

NSPA Caramel Fudge Shower & Bath Gel a limited edition product. It’s only £2 for a huge 500ml bottle. My local Asda has lots of stock left, so yours might too!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – NYC In A Minute 027 Love Match, NYC In A Minute 264 Lincoln Square Lavender & Stamping With Pueen 82 (Nail Fail)

Hi there! The other day I painted my nails with one of my new polishes – NYC In A Minute 027 Love Match.

I don’t really love the colour orange, and I always struggle to come up with ideas on what to do with orange nails. So why I continue to buy (and wear!) orange polishes I’ll never know. 😀

Anyway, I was bored of the orange polish quickly – I’d say it was around the time I was applying the second coat.

So I sponged on NYC In A Minute 264 Lincoln Square Lavender in vertical lines. I really like this polish – the colour is lovely and the formula is great and easy to work with.

OK, there I was – still without an idea on what to do with this half-hearted attempt at a manicure. So I picked Pueen’s 82 plate from Pueen’s Buffet Leisure stamping plates set. I opted for an image featuring stars, hearts and circles.

The black polish I used to stamp on the images is NYC In A Minute 001 Evil. Everything went well until my midle finger had an unfortunate run-in with a blob of black polish – which essentially ruined the image. And when I tried to save the image, I ruined another one (I’m glad you can’t see my thumb!). Ah well, it’s certainly not the worst mani – but I wish I could have avoided the blob accident.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Have a lovely day! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug’s Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask.

The product claims to ‘deeply cleanse pores’ and to ‘help draw out impurities’. So I put it to the test. 🙂

This mask is a regular clay mask. I applied it to my face and let it dry for about 15 minutes. Then I washed it off with water.

I didn’t see much of a difference, but my skin felt smoother, cleaner and clearer. So yes, I believe this face mask really does something.

I also liked that this mask didn’t aggravate my skin in any way – no redness, tingling, stinging or burning.

So yeah, I did like this mask and I’ll definitely buy it again! I think I’ll pick up a few more of these face masks to use them on a weekly basis.

If you’re interested, Superdrug’s Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask is available for 99p. But at the moment Superdrug runs a 3 for 2 promotion on selected face masks. If you want to mix and match, why not have a look at Superdrug’s Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant Peel-Off Mask too? 🙂

Another bonus: This product is suitable for vegans. And it’s BUAV-approved (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo), so it’s cruelty-free!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

L’Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Caring Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! As I’m using different shampoos and conditioners all the time, I sometimes forget old favourites – like L’Oréal’s Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo and Conditioner. However, I’ve now bought these two products again – and I remembered why I always loved them so much.

The shampoo is great. It smells pleasant and it cleanses my hair and my scalp nicely. The conditioner is one of the best I’ve ever used – second only to Herbal Essences’ Classics conditioners. What I love about the conditioner is that it detangles my hair nicely and that it doesn’t weigh my hair down – just the way I like it. 🙂

I also noticed that these two products really help maintain the intensity of my hair colour after I’ve dyed my hair. Normally the colour bleeds quite a bit for a few washes after I’ve dyed my hair – but these two products made a huge difference! Well done, L’Oréal!

I would definitely recommend L’Oréal’s Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo and Conditioner to anyone with coloured hair. If you want to hold on to your hair colour for as long as possible, you really should try these two products!

The shampoo and the conditioner are available as 250ml for £2.99 and 400ml for £3.99. This is really good value. However, there’s usually at least one supermarket or drugstore chain that runs a half price or BOGOF promotion on the big bottles. So keep your eyes peeled for the best offer! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Wash, Body Butter & Perfume

Hi there! You might know that I’m not the biggest fan of the fragrance and the flavour of coconuts. So I wouldn’t have chosen these coconut-scented products for myself. However, these products were part of a humongous gift box (no, not a set – it was a huge box) which was incredibly cheap – so I just had to have it. 🙂 Now let’s look at Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Wash, Body Butter & Perfume.

The Body Wash is quite nice. It smells like coconut and vanilla, but it doesn’t have this sickly sweet scent which many coconut-themed products have. The body wash lathers up nicely and it feels good on my skin – it’s not drying at all. Well done, Pacifica!

The Body Butter is a weird product. First of all, it’s not a butter but more like a body lotion. And it’s brown. It doesn’t stain. But for a moment I really thought they might have accidentally filled this tube with a self tan lotion. 😀 I think this product is very moisturising, but the fragrance is totally off. I looked up reviews elsewhere, and about half the reviewers noticed the weird scent too. Most of these guys (or rather gals) found the scent plasticky, and someone likened it to furniture polish (not that far off). I’d describe the scent as that of a wet gym towel. Unfortunately the scent is also quite long-lasting – and no, it doesn’t get better.

The Rollerball Perfume is excellent. When I roll on the fragrance, it’s quite strong and harsh at first. But that’s just for a few seconds. And it develops into a really beautiful summer vanilla fragrance. It’s tropical, exotic, sweet, warm and creamy. Yes, the coconut is definitely noticeable but it doesn’t smell cheap. And (fortunately) the vanilla note is stronger than the coconut note. The fragrance stays close to the skin, but it’s really long-lasting – twelve hours plus!

Based on my experience with these products, I’d recommend the fragrance and the shower gel. In regards to the body lotion, if you can sample it in-store, you should do it!

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar is available as body wash, body butter, rollerball perfume, spray perfume, solid perfume, soap, candle, reed diffuser, body oil, hand cream and wipes. There’s something for everyone! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde