October Beauty Awards

Hi there! And Happy Halloween! October 2016 is almost over – and this means it’s time for the October Beauty Awards – a.k.a. my monthly favourites. As always, I picked three favourites from all the products I’ve reviewed this month. You could say I’m dishing out imaginary gold, silver and bronze medals! 🙂 And I’ve included a few honourable mentions as well. Now let’s get started, shall we?

3rd place – Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask
Runner-Up – L’Oréal Skin Perfection Velvety Soft Toner

Superdrug’s Superfruits Mask is the best face mask I’ve ever had. It’s brilliant! It seems to be out of stock online at the moment, so I hope it won’t be discontinued. Fingers crossed! L’Oréal’s Velvety Soft Toner is… velvety soft. I’ve never felt anything like it. I will use this one regularly, no doubt.

WINNER – Olay Anti-Wrinkle 2 In 1 Firm & Lift Anti-Wrinkle Booster + Firming Serum

You really must try Olay’s Anti-Wrinkle Booster + Firming Serum. It feels like a mix of liquid silk and velvet and it makes my skin feel wonderfully smooth and supple. It’s an 11 Stars product!

Now on to the honourable mentions! I really like Garnier’s Skin Naturals Fresh Radiance Boosting Scrub, Superdrug’s Leafy & Lovely Hand Lotion and Superdrug’s Mango & Papaya Body Scrub. And Anovia’s Fragranced Body Mists With Fruit Extracts have shown that “Made In UK” doesn’t mean a product has to be expensive, and that a cheap product from a bargain store can be surprisingly good!

What do you think of my favourites? Have you tried any of these products? Feel free to let me know in the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Blood & Bats For Halloween – Featuring Essence, Revlon & Maybelline / Nail Art Challenge #23 Inspired By A Movie

Hi there! Today’s post is about my Halloween 2016 mani – blood & bats.

I had the idea to do this mani when I did my Halloween Nail Ideas post earlier this month. In that post I showed you photos of a bat mani and a blood spatter mani – and back then I knew that I wanted to combine the two.

So for this mani I painted my nails with Essence The Gel Polish 33 Wild White Days (1 coat). Then I applied a few blobs of red polish – Maybelline Colorshow 349 Power Red – with (a small piece of) a make-up sponge.

I used two no-name stamping plates – M94 (Konad dupe) and A13 – and my favourite black polish, Revlon Colorstay 270 Stiletto, to stamp on the bats.

I think this mani turned out nicer than expected. I wasn’t sure if a sponge would be the right tool to create a bloody background for the bats – but I think it looks quite authentic. So yes, I chose the right tool for this nail art job! 🙂

I’m also including this mani in my 31 Days Nail Art Challenge as #23 Inspired By A Movie. The movie would be ‘Bats’, a shockingly bad movie featuring bloodthirsty bats (and with plenty of shockingly bad acting).

If you’re still looking for last-minute Halloween nail art inspiration, please check out all the manis I’ve done this month – they’re all Halloween-themed! I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween tomorrow. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Manhattan Eyemazing Eyeshadow 3

Hi there! Today’s post is about a small eyeshadow compact I’ve found at one of the Poundstores – Manhattan Eyemazing Eyeshadow 3. This is a small compact that contains 4 shimmery eyeshadows – a greyish brown, a bright lilac, an orange-tinted gold, and a red-tinted terracotta.

What I like about these eyeshadows is that they’re very easily blendable, that they last all day without problems, and that they’re easy to remove at the end of the day.

However, I need to mention two negative bits as well. First of all, the eyeshadows are poorly pigmented. I had to use a lot of product just to do the swatches. The other thing that annoys me is the palette design. Sure, it’s nice to look at, but it takes effort and precision to get the right colour (and not a mix of two or more colours) onto an eyeshadow brush. I can manage with the smallest brushes I’ve got, but it shouldn’t be this complicated…

As this compact was £1 only, I won’t complain. And I will definitely continue to use these eyeshadows because they blend very well. Oh, here’s another thing… I have several of these compacts – all different colours. I haven’t used the other ones yet (one new product at a time…), but I’ll let you know if they’re better as soon as I’ve tried them.

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

The Ultimate £1 Stocking Filler – Leafy & Lovely Floral Hand Lotion

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug’s Leafy & Lovely Floral Hand Lotion – which I bought around Valentine’s Day. But since this hand lotion is still available (and it’s £1 only) I thought I should do a quick review.

First of all, I love the fancy packaging. The design is really cute, and the hand cream tube reminds me of considerably more expensive hand creams from The Body Shop, L’Occitane or Roger & Gallet. So I think this hand cream is a budget luxury product!

I also like the fragrance – it’s floral and green – like spring! By the way, the fragrance is the exact same fragrance that Superdrug used in last year’s Summer Meadow hand lotion. 🙂

Another thing that’s great is that this hand cream isn’t sticky. It’s absorbed quickly, but it makes my hands feel silky-soft. Very nice! So if you’re looking for a budget luxury hand cream (for yourself or as a stocking filler or as a gift…), this is what you want! Superdrug’s Leafy & Lovely Floral Hand Lotion is available as 60ml for £1 which is excellent value.

Have you tried this hand lotion, or would you like to try it? Feel free to let me know in the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

I Love… Lemons & Limes, Vanilla & Ice Cream, Sugared Cranberries Bath & Shower Crèmes

Hi there! Not too long ago I found a few cute I Love… gift sets at my local Asda. Each set contained six different shower gels (100ml each). And there were two different sets to choose from – one of these sets was Christmas-themed, the other one contained summery and fruity shower gels.

The fragrances in the fruity set were Coconut & Cream (I don’t like coconuts), Strawberries & Cream (I don’t like strawberry aromas in toiletries), Mango & Papaya (I have a big 500ml bottle of this one), Raspberry & Blackberry (I have several full size bottles), Lemons & Limes and Vanilla & Ice Cream. Only the last two shower gels were new (and interesting) to me, so I kept these. I gave the remaining four shower gels to a teenage relative.

So today I’ll tell you if I Love… Lemons & Limes and Vanilla & Ice Cream Bubble Bath & Shower Crème are any good. I’ve also decided to include my thoughts on the Sugared Cranberries Bath & Shower Crème (this one was in the Christmas-themed set) in this review. I’ll be reviewing the remainder of the Christmas-themed keepsies shortly.

I Love… Lemons & Limes is a decent shower gel. I don’t think this product is particularly moisturising, but it doesn’t make my skin feel dry. The fragrance isn’t too fizzy or too cool, it’s more like candied lemons and limes. So this one is definitely suitable for colder days too.

I Love… Vanilla & Ice Cream is a revelation. Whilst the shower gel isn’t very moisturising, its fragrance is one of the most gorgeous vanilla fragrances I’ve ever smelled. It really smells like vanilla ice cream! This shower gel is that good that my husband snatched it – at least I got to use it once! 🙂 Too bad this one isn’t part of I Love…’s permanent collection. I’d be buying the big 500ml bottles all the time!

I Love… Sugared Cranberries is a really nice shower gel. It smells sweet, fruity and warm, and I think it fits the sugared cranberries theme perfectly. It’s not the most original fragrance, but it’s definitely enjoyable!

I found my two I Love… sets (6 different shower gels per set, 100ml each) for £2.99 each at my local Asda. Unfortunately the majority of the fragrances in these sets aren’t part of I Love…’s permanent collection. So if you find these sets at your local Asda (or wherever), just buy them. I’m sure you won’t regret it. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Ghosts / Nail Art Challenge #29 Inspired By The Supernatural

Hi there! Halloween is just a week away, so I thought I’d do another Halloween-inspired mani which also doubles up as challenge #29 (Inspired By The Supernatural) of the 31 Days Nail Art Challenge.

I painted my nails with Rimmel 60 Seconds 843 Midnight Skinny Dip (3 coats). Midnight Skinny Dip is a blue polish with a bit of an old-fashioned metallic finish.

This kind of colour is often recycled for all kinds of Christmas-themed nail polish collections. Not my favourite.

The ghosts are decals that I found online. I think they’re really cute and they’re perfect for Halloween and for the Inspired By The Supernatural theme. 🙂

I wanted to do a glitter accent nail, and I chose Sally Hansen Triple Shine 300 Pearly Whites (which is a cheaper dupe for Color Club Covered In Diamonds). I love this flakie topper. It’s gorgeous and it goes well with any colour.

I’m happy with how this mani turned out. It’s a bit more individual (and less scary) than your average spiderweb or eyeball mani. Feel free to let me know what you think. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Cruelty-Free – Montagne Jeunesse Cucumber Peel-Off Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about Montagne Jeunesse’s Cucumber Peel-Off Mask.

I know opinions on this one are mixed, and now that I’ve tried this mask, I have to say my own opinion is mixed too!

Let’s start with the good: This mask is like every other peel-off mask. You apply it, you let it dry, you peel it off, you rinse off the residue – and then you can admire your clear and soft skin.

Another good thing is that this face mask is 100% cruelty-free – it’s BUAV-approved and it carries the Leaping Bunny logo!

However, the mask stinks. Big time! I’d describe its smell as boozy – and very strong. I can’t even smell a hint of cucumber.

If this mask were much better than other random peel-off masks, I might be able to get over its unpleasant smell. However, it’s not better than other masks, so I won’t buy this one again. If you’re looking for a nice peel-off face mask, have a look at all the peel-off masks I’ve tried and reviewed.

If you’d like to comment, please feel free to do so. And thank you for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

The Perfect Stocking Fillers For £1 – Superdrug Sweet Snuggles Lip Balms and Hands & Nails Sets

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug’s Sweet Snuggles Lip Balm Set and Superdrug’s Sweet Snuggles Hand & Nail Set. I bought these two sets last year – for £1 each. And since Superdrug is now selling two almost identical sets (the design is a little different – but everything else is the same), I thought I’d tell you if they’re any good.

Superdrug’s Sweet Snuggles Lip Balm Set consists of 3 lip balms. They’re vanilla-flavoured and they’re very nourishing. I also love the cute design – very fitting for the colder season! This year Superdrug is selling essentially the same lip balm set (as I said before, they chose a new design, but the name and the product are basically still the same) – and it’s available for £1. Considering the good quality of these lip balms, the set is a total steal!

Superdrug’s Sweet Snuggles Hand & Nail Set consists of a small 30ml hand lotion and a small emery board (= the perfect size for every cosmetic bag). I think the hand lotion is very nice. It’s wonderfully moisturising, but it’s not sticky at all. And it makes my hands feel so soft! I also like the delicious and sweet vanilla scent (it reminds me of Boots’ vanilla body butter). The emery board is nothing special – it does its job – like every other emery board. At the moment Superdrug does a near identical set (the emery board is the same, but this year’s hand lotion features a penguin image) wich is £1 only.

I would definitely recommend these little sets. They’re cute, they’re great stocking fillers, and the products are actually useful! I haven’t seen the new sets in store yet (online only), so I’m not sure about whether or not they carry the Leaping Bunny logo. My guess is that they do because last year’s sets were BUAV-approved, and they did carry the Leaping Bunny logo – and Superdrug’s own brand products are generally certified cruelty-free.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Awesome – L’Oréal Skin Perfection Velvety-Soft Toner

Hi there! Today’s post is about L’Oréal’s Skin Perfection Velvety-Soft Toner. As you can see from the title of this post, I am in love with this toner.

Now let me tell you why. So, this toner promises to remove impurities and to reveal toned and silky-smooth skin.

In addition, the toner is paraben-free, it’s hypo-allergenic and it’s suitable for sensitive skin.

I’ve been using this toner for a few weeks now, and I can say it is definitely suitable for my sensitive (and moody) skin. No redness, no stinging, no burning.

This toner feels… like no other! That’s because it really feels velvety on my skin – I love it!

I’m also very happy with how well this toner cleanses my face. It removes make-up and cream cleanser residue with ease and it makes my skin feel clean, clear and velvety. It’s amazing!

Another bonus is the lovely and subtle fragrance – it’s pure, fresh and ‘pink’. It’s the perfect fragrance to go with the colour and the bottle design. So yeah, I would recommend this toner to everyone. If you’re looking for a new toner, give this one a try!

L’Oréal’s Skin Perfection Velvety-Soft Toner is available as 200ml for about £4. However, look out for special offers – I bought mine on a 2 for £5 offer – which is excellent value. 🙂 And since I love the toner so much, I want to try the matching cleanser too. Yes, I’ll continue to use the half-used products in my rota first. But the cleanser will move in with me too – no doubt!

If you’ve tried this toner, I’d love to hear to hear what you think. Feel free to leave a comment. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Blood Spatter Nails / Nail Art Challenge #24 Inspired By A Book

Hi there! Today’s post is about another mani that’s suitable for Halloween – and for every Dexter fan out there. It’s the ultimate quick and easy blood spatter mani.

I’ve done this mani before, but I love it so much that I’m sporting it at least once every couple of months. And today I’m entering it into my lifetime 31 Days Nail Art Challenge as entry #24 Inspired By A Book. The book would be ‘Darkly Dreaming Dexter’.

I painted my nails with Essence The Gel Polish 33 Wild White Days (2 coats). I love and hate this polish. In terms of coverage it’s the best white polish I’ve ever had. But it’s very goopy and a nightmare to work with. And polish thinner doesn’t help at all! 😦

Anyway, I did the actual blood spatter with the help of the wonderful Rimmel 60 Seconds 320 Rapid Ruby – and a toothpick. Yes, I applied the red polish with a toothpick. It sounds easy, and it is easy. And trust me, you can’t do anything wrong because, obviously, the mani is supposed to look messy.

How do you like this mani? Have you chosen your Halloween mani already? Please feel free to let me know in the comments. And if you’re doing blood spatter nails, please let me know, I would love to have a look! And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde