August Beauty Awards

Hi there! Today’s post is my monthly favourites post. As always I’ve chosen my top 3 products from all the products I’ve reviewed this month, and I’ve thrown in a few honourable mentions as well. Now onto the top 3!

3rd place – Boots Botanics Super Serum Triple Age Renewal

I really enjoy using Boots’ Botanics Super Serum because it makes the fine lines on my forehead appear less visible.

Runner-Up – Montagne Jeunesse Buriti Fruit Body Smoothie

Montagne Jeunesse’s Buriti Fruit Body Smoothie is unique! And I love it!

WINNER – Yves Rocher Retropical Eau De Toilette

I didn’t know what to expect from Yves Rocher’s Retropical fragrance. But it turned out to be the most beautiful summer holiday fragrance. Just wow!

Now onto the honourable mentions! There were quite a few products that I liked a lot this month, and whilst the winner and the runner-up were easy to determine, there were several products that were competing for the 3rd place!

Sukin’s Moisture Restoring Night Cream has helped me get rid of my dry patches. Outstanding! The melon-flavoured My Little Pony Lip Balm is quite possibly my all-time favourite lip balm. NSPA’s Shea Butter Shower & Bath Gel is one of my all-time favourite shower gels, and using Anatomicals’ chocolate face mask was awesome fun because it was like rubbing chocolate mousse all over my face.

Have you tried any of these products? If so, how do / did you like them? Or would you like to try any of these products? Feel free to comment. And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Beauty Haul! 20+ New Products – Olay, Ekél, Scinic, Daily Defense, Sukin, Balance, Rimmel, Primark, Sinful Colors, Orly & Max Factor

Hi there! Today’s post is about the beauty, skin care & toiletries I bought in August. Well, this is most of what I bought. There were a few purchases in between, but these were 1 or 2 items only each time, and I already stashed those products away…

Anyway, before I tell you what I bought, I’d like to remind you that I’m still doing 3 out / 1 in which means that I can buy 1 item (make-up, skin care, shower stuff, etc.) for every 3 items that I finish. I’m committed to the 3 out / 1 in policy. However, this time I had to ‘borrow’ from future empties. The offers were just too good! OK, now onto the goodies!

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting UV Cream – finally, it is mine! This is an import from the US. Olay doesn’t sell this moisturiser in the UK. I’ve read great things about it, and I didn’t have to think twice when I found it for £12.99.

Ekél Natural Clean Peeling Gel Apple & Rice Bran – I bought the Grape version of this Peeling Gel a few weeks ago – and I fell in love with it. So I bought the apple and rice bran versions as well. They were £4.99 each.

Scinic Aqua All In One Ampoule – I’m only 50% sure of what this product is supposed to do. Yeah, I know what ‘all in one’ means, but still… anyway, the reason I bought this was because it just looked so cool. I’ll try to review this one asap. I paid £9.99.

Sukin Facial Recovery Serum – I bought this serum because it was £4.99 only. It’s usually just under £14, so this one was a total bargain.

Balance Active Formula Instant Effect Wrinkle Filler & Dragon’s Blood Eye Lift Balm – I’ve never heard of this brand, but the wrinkle filler was £2.99, and the eye lift serum was £1.99. I can’t wait to test these products!

Daily Defense Argan Oil 3-Minute Leave-In Treatment – So far I’ve been impressed with Daily Defense’s hair products. And that’s why I bought this deep conditioner. It was £1.99 only!

More Daily Defense! I bought the Daily Defense Macadamia Oil Shampoo & Conditioner combo and a massive 946ml Argan Oil Body Wash (which will probably take me a year to finish). These 3 products were 99p each!

I also bought 2 more Max Factor Pan Stiks. The shade 12 True Beige is the perfect shade for me, but I only use it as my winter foundation because it’s not easy to find anymore. The Pan Stiks were 2 for £5.99. I also bought 2 clear Orly polishes for 99p each. And I bought another Rimmel I ♥ Lasting Finish 702 Marshmallow nail polish for 75p. I already have one bottle of this polish, but love these bubblegum purple nail colours so much!

I went to Primark and Poundland again. I picked up 2 cheap white polishes (Primark own brand, 60p each), and 5 Sinful Colors nail polishes (Poundland, £1 each).

This is (most of) the stuff I bought in August. I didn’t need any of these products, but I was lured in again… Have you tried any of these products? If so, how did / do you like them? Or would you like to try any of these products? Feel free to comment. And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

NSPA Vanilla Shower & Bath Gel, NSPA Shea Butter Shower & Bath Gel

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 NSPA shower gels which, I think, sound perfectly delicious – NSPA Vanilla Shower & Bath Gel and NSPA Shea Butter Shower & Bath Gel. NSPA products are exclusive to Asda, and the big 500ml shower gels are £3 each. I paid £2 each (special offer). 🙂 Now onto the reviews!

NSPA Vanilla is a warm, smokey vanilla. The fragrance is rather dense and definitely more suitable for the colder seasons. I like this shower gel, but I don’t love it. My husband, however, seems to enjoy it very much, so I’ll let him have it.

NSPA Shea Butter smells… cute and cuddly. I can’t describe the fragrance any better, but I love it. It’s gorgeous! If you’re not already in love with this shower gel, you need to have a sniff the next time you shop at Asda.

Have you tried these shower gels? Or would you like to try them? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Yves Rocher Retropical Eau De Toilette

Hi there! Today’s post is about Yves Rocher Retropical Eau De Toilette. Retropical is a limited edition fragrance, and I bought it off someone for £10. What a bargain! And yes, I’m really pleased with myself! 🙂

Before we get to the actual review, let me tell you a little more about the fragrance. Retropical contains fruity and aquatic notes (top note), floral notes (heart note) and warm woody notes (base note). I would have loved to know the actual fruits, flowers and woods. But Yves Rocher wasn’t more specific. Ah well…

So what’s the fragrance really like? It’s the dreamiest blend of marzipan, oranges, bubblegum, honey and sunlight. It’s sweet (adult-sweet, NOT sugary), tropical, warm, cuddly, exotic and happy. It smells like… the most beautiful relaxing summer holiday. Well done, Yves Rocher!

Yves Rocher Retropical is a limited edition fragrance from 2013. You won’t find it in YR stores or on YR’s web site anymore. So if you’re interested in this fragrance, look online. I see YR’s older limited editions popping up on that auction web site all the time. 😉

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – MUA White Wash, Rimmel 60 Seconds 622 Boy You’re So Fine, Orly Basket Case & Nails Inc. Bow Street (Nail Fail)

Hi there! Today’s post is about another mani I wanted to do for the A-Z Nail Art Challenge. However, the mani didn’t really ‘work’.

For this mani I painted my nails with MUA White Wash (white base), Orly Basket Case (pink base) and Rimmel 60 Seconds 622 Oh Boy You’re So Fine (milky purple).

The glitter topper is Nails Inc. Bow Street.

I also did some stamping, and I used my QA 88 stamping plate, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri 370 Uptempo Plum, and Essence’s White Stamping Polish (which, unfortunately, has been discontinued).

I think this mani is not very special, and it’s definitely not one of my favourites. It was just about OK for a weekend. Feel free to comment if you want to. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 430 Black Satin, Barry M Bubblegum, MUA Whitewash & Revlon Colorstay 170 Coastal Surf / A-Z Nail Art Challenge F – Fuzzy Topper

Hi there! Today’s post is about the first mani I did for the A-Z Nail Art Challenge. This challenge is called Fuzzy Topper. Cute, eh?

I have quite a few ‘fuzzy toppers’. But, unfortunately, I rarely use them. So this challenge provides the perfect opportunity to sport one of those fuzzy toppers!

And these are the nail polishes that I used:
Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 430 Black Satin (base colour, pinkies, index fingers, thumbs),
Barry M Bubblegum (fuzzy topper),
MUA Whitewash (base colour, ring fingers),
Revlon Colorstay 170 Coastal Surf (base colour, middle fingers).

I also stamped! I chose an ornamental floral image for my middle and ring fingers. The stamping plate I used is Pueen’s 74 plate (which is part of Pueen’s Buffet Leisure collection). The black polish I stamped with is Rimmel I ♥ Lasting Finish 080 Black Cab.

How do you like this mani? I think it looks quite nice. And I think I did a good job with these 3 colours! Feel free to comment if you want to. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Bourjois Sunset A Rio 47 & Stamping With Pueen 72 / A-Z Nail Art Challenge C – Coral

Hi there! After yesterday’s Battle Of The Base Coats I’ve got a regular Nail Of The Day post for you today.

For this mani I painted my nails with Bourjois Sunset A Rio 47 (2 coats). This polish is amazing. It goes on like a dream, it dries quickly, and it’s opaque in 2 easy coats!

The stamping plate I used is Pueen’s 72 plate (which is part of Pueen’s Stamping Buffet collection). The black polish I stamped with is Rimmel 60 Seconds 820 Hot Black To Go.

I’m happy with this mani. I know the image on the middle finger doesn’t look perfect, but this is an issue with the plate, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

In any event, I like this mani a lot! Do you agree? Feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for reading!

PS: Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I’ve done this mani for my very own A-Z Nail Art Challenge. This mani is for challenge C – Coral. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Battle Of The Base Coats – Nails Inc. Caviar Base Coat vs. MakeUp Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 base coats I bought a few months ago. I’ve never reviewed a base coat or a top coat before. However, since I bought and tested these base coats at the same time (well, almost), I thought I might as well just do a product comparison. 🙂

Let’s start with Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat! This product claims to be nourishing, smoothing and anti-staining. But it does the exact opposite! First of all, this base coat made my nails feel brittle. As soon as the base coat had dried, my nails felt like they lost their natural flexibility. Scary!

I also didn’t find this base coat to be smoothing. I had to apply 2 layers of base coat but that didn’t help. Actually, applying 2 layers of this base coat was the worst thing I could do because the base coat has a strong red tint which didn’t go well with the colour polish I applied on top of it.

When I took off my mani a few days later, I noticed that the base coat did stain my nails. However, a pinkish stain isn’t the end of the world. But I also noticed that the top layer of my nails seemed to start to peel. I was quite shocked because this only happened to me once before – back then I tortured my nails with acetone-free nail polish remover…

To sum it up – I found Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat to be awful. I took the 2 bottles (yes, I bought 2 bottles) back to Poundland where I exchanged them for 2 clear Rimmel polishes. 🙂

I picked up Poundland’s Makeup Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener for 50p (closing down sale). I didn’t know if it was any good, and I had no expectations. So I was happy when it turned out that this nail hardener makes quite a difference to my nails. It doesn’t have any lasting effect, so when I take off my mani, my nails are super soft again. But I’m glad this product doesn’t make unrealistic promises. And I really like how strong my nails feel when I’m wearing this nail hardener instead of a base coat or a regular clear polish.

Now let me compare the prices. I paid £1 for the Nails Inc. Caviar Base Coat and 50p for the nail hardenener from Poundland. However, the Nail Hardener is usually £1 (which is excellent value), and the Caviar Base Coat – which has been repackaged but otherwise seems to be the same product – is £15 (I just checked Nails Inc.’s web site). Wow! The difference in prices is almost comical! I know I will buy Poundland’s nail hardener again, but I wouldn’t buy Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat again even if it were 15p! 😀

Well, the winner of this comparison is – obviously – Poundland’s Makeup Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener! Try it yourself, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Color Club Blossoming, Rimmel 60 Seconds 820 Hot Black To Go, NYC 019 Perfect Day & Stamping With Pueen 73 / A-Z Nail Art Challenge W – Whatever I Want

Hi there! Today’s mani is another one I did for the A-Z Nail Art Challenge. This challenge is called “W – Whatever I Want”. It’s my ‘joker’ challenge. 🙂

Onto the mani! I used these nail (art) products:
Color Club Blossoming (base colour pinkies, index fingers, thumbs),
Rimmel 60 Seconds 820 Hot Black To Go (base colour ring fingers, black stamping colour),
NYC In A Minute 019 A Perfect Day (base colour middle fingers),
Sally Hansen Salon Manicure 310 Gilty Pleasure (golden stamping colour),
Pueen 73 stamping plate (from Pueen’s Stamping Buffet collection).

I think this mani looks awesome. I love it! And I’m actually proud of it because I had no idea what to do with my nails, so I just grabbed a few random nail polishes and I started to paint my nails… and all of a sudden my nails looked great. 😀

How do you like this mani? Feel free to let me know via the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – L’Oréal Collection Exclusive By JLo – JLo’s Delicate Rose & Stamping With Pueen 77 / A-Z Nail Art Challenge R – Red

Hi there! I’ve got another nail of the day post for you today. This mani is another mani that counts towards the A-Z Nail Art Challenge. The actual challenge is R – Red.

For this mani I painted my nails with L’Oréal Collection Exclusive By JLo – JLo’s Delicate Rose (1 coat).

This polish is amazing – the colour, the formula, the brush… well done, L’Oréal!

Then I used Pueen’s 77 plate (which is part of Pueen’s Buffet Leisure stamping collection) and Essence Wave Goddess 01 (which is a really old limited edition polish) to stamp these pretty and delicate images onto my nails. Job done!

I really like how this mani turned out. The vampy red base colour is gorgeous, and the images are beautiful and subtle. How do you like this mani? Please let me know via the comments. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde