February Beauty Awards

Hi there! It’s the last day of the month – so it’s time for my February Beauty Awards (a.k.a. my monthly favourites). I’ve chosen my top 3 from all the products I’ve reviewed this month, and I’ve thrown in a few honourable mentions. Let’s start with the top 3!

3rd place – Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 In 1 Foundation Natural 50

I was seriously impressed with this Max Factor foundation! If you’re looking for a full coverage foundation, you should try this one!

Runner-Up – Yves Rocher Les Plaisirs Nature Organic Raspberry Shower Gel & Silky Lotion

Yves Rocher’s raspberry-scented toiletries are simply wonderful. I’m sad Yves Rocher discontinued them. What were they thinking?!

WINNER – Caolion O2 Sparkling Purifying Soap

Caolion’s charcoal soap is a new favourite. It made a huge difference to my skin. I love it!

Onto the honourable mentions! This month I tried 2 awesome new hand creams – The Body Shop’s Almond Milk & Honey hand cream and Vaseline’s Intensive Care Hand Cream + Anti-Bac.

NSPA’s Shea Butter body butter is great too. And I can’t get enough of these cute My Little Pony lip balms. Oh, and Montagne Jeunesse’s Chocolate Mud Masque was awesome fun!

These are the products that I loved the most in February. Have you tried any of these products or would you like to try them? Which products did you like best this month? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Superdrug Optimum Phyto Brighter Triple Action Illuminating Black Moisturiser

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug‘s Optimum Phyto Brighter Triple Action Illuminating Black Moisturiser which I’ve been using as a night cream since late January.

This product promises to reduce age spots and skin discoloration, to help prevent further skin pigmentation, and to boost complexion radiance. It also claims to make skin feel and look firmer and more youthful. Now read on if you’d like to know if this product is any good. 🙂

First of all, this moisturiser is really black! Once it’s massaged into the skin, it’s hardly visible. However, it does leave a slight greyish residue on the skin, and the black pigment seems to act as an eyebrow mascara! 😀

I think this moisturiser hydrates my skin very well. However, it doesn’t contain sunscreen, so I can’t use it as a day moisturiser (which is why I’m using it as a night cream). There’s one more thing – this moisturiser smells awful. I can’t really describe it, but if Etat Libre d’Orange were to make a fragrance with the name of “un air de toxic waste”, this would be it! And yes, I’m sure the product hasn’t gone off!

All in all, I know I won’t be buying this product again. I’m actually glad it’ll be finished soon! Superdrug Optimum Phyto Brighter Triple Action Illuminating Black Moisturiser is available as 50ml for £12.99. I paid £6.45 (half price offer).This product is certified cruelty-free (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo), and it’s suitable for vegans.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 19 – 25 Feb 2018

Hi there! And welcome to my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’d like to know what I’ve been up to on my blog this week. 🙂

Monday 19 Feb – Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 In 1 Foundation Natural 50

Monday’s post was about Max Factor’s awesome Face Finity foundation. Click here to read the post.

Tuesday 20 Feb – Yves Rocher Les Plaisirs Nature Organic Raspberry Shower Gel & Silky Lotion

On Tuesday I reviewed Yves Rocher’s raspberry-scented toiletries. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 21 Feb – Nail Of The Day
Thursday 22 Feb – Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Chocolate Mud Masque

Wednesday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
And on Thursday I reviewed a chocolate face mask. Click here to read the post.

Friday 23 Feb – Haul!

And Friday’s post was about all the products I bought since after Boxing Day. Click here to read the post.

This is it for this week. I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend. And thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Haul! New Products From The Body Shop, Dr. Organics, Sukin, Garnier, Superdrug, Yes To, Skin Republic, Asda & Models Own

Hi there! I haven’t done a haul post since early January, so let me show you what I bought since then. 🙂

I bought 3 The Body Shop shower gels – Frosted Plum, Vanilla Chai and Frosted Berries. They were £2.50 each.

The Body Shop’s Atlas Mountain Rose Body Lotion was £2, the Early Harvest Raspberry Eau de Toilette was £5, and the Fijian Water Lotus Body Lotion was £2. I’ve already reviewed the body lotions – click here.

About 10 days later I placed another TBS order. This time I bought an Italian Summer Fig shower gel (£3), an Italian Summer Fig Eau de Toilette (£6), another Early Harvest Raspberry Eau de Toilette (£5), and a Polynesian Island Tiaré shower gel (£2).

I also picked up 3 Models Own flakie polishes – the names are Golden Shore, Red Sea and Aqua Splash. The polishes were £1.49 each (Superdrug, bargain bin).

I bought 2 Dr. Organic Body Washes – Aloe Vera & Manuka Honey. These were on sale (£1 each) at Holland & Barrett.

I also picked up a Dr.Organic shampoo & conditioner combo – Aloe Vera again! And I bought Sukin’s Purifying Shampoo. These 3 products were £1 each.

I bought Garnier’s Honey Flower Cleansing Milk + Toner. These products were on special (Save 1/3 at Superdrug’s), and they were £2.29 each. Superdrug’s Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Body Scrub was £1. It looks like the entire line is going to be discontinued. 😦

I fell in love with Caolion’s charcoal face soap, and I really want to try more products with charcoal. So I bought this massive 195g Yes To Tomatoes Soap. It was £4.99 (Holland and Barrett). I picked up 3 Superdrug face masks (Manuka honey, charcoal, Dead Sea clay).  These were 99p each, but there was also a 3 for 2 deal, so I paid £1.98 for these 3 masks.

I also got 2 Skin Republic Spoil Yourself With Bubbles sheet masks. They’re £4.99 each, but they were a free gift with purchase (free when you buy 3 skin care products). I received 2 sheet masks because I bought 6 skin care items. 🙂

Oh, I also bought 2 new duvet cover sets. These were £14 each (king size) and I picked them up at my local Asda store (the photos are from Asda’s web site). Yes, this isn’t beauty related, but I’m so happy with the good quality of these sets that I wanted to say… if you’re looking for new duvet cover sets, you need to swing by your local Asda – they have dozens of amazing prints!

Back to the beauty stuff! Have you tried any of these products? Or would you like to try any of these products? Feel free to let me know your thoughts. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Cruelty-Free – Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Chocolate Mud Masque

Hi there! Today’s post is about a face mask that I picked up at my local Poundstretcher store – Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Chocolate Mud Masque.

This mask is a clay mask. All you have to do is apply it to your face, leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes, rinse it off – job done!

I’ve only just tried this mask for the first time – and I could kick myself for not trying it sooner!

This mask is definitely one of the more effective clay masks. It made my face look and feel super clean without drying out my skin. And the chocolate fragrance is… tempting! 🙂

So… you like chocolate? You like clear skin? Well, what are you waiting for?!

Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Chocolate Mud Masque is available as 20g for £1. This mask is 100% cruelty-free. It’s BUAV-appoved, and it carries the Leaping Bunny logo!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Beauty UK Cafe Culture & Stamping With Pueen 63

Hi there! I’ve got a Nail Of The Day post for you today.

For this mani I painted my nails with Beauty UK Café Culture (2 coats). This polish is much older than I care to admit. However, it’s still in great condition!

Since I don’t like this kind of nail colour, I knew I had to stamp. 🙂

So I chose Pueen‘s 63 plate (which is part of Pueen’s Stamping Buffet collection), and I stamped with Rimmel 60 Seconds 820 Hot Black To Go.

This mani looked much better than I expected – and I got lots of compliments from my co-workers which was great.

How do you like this mani? Feel free to comment. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Reducing My Oldies Stash – Yves Rocher Les Plaisirs Nature Organic Raspberry Shower Gel & Silky Lotion

Hi there! Today I’m reviewing 2 products that have been sitting in my stash for quite some time – Yves Rocher Les Plaisirs Nature Organic Raspberry Shower Gel & Silky Lotion. 🙂

The shower gel is simply amazing. It leaves my skin feeling cleansed but not stripped. And the fragrance is the most wonderful sweet and juicy raspberry fragrance. Awesome stuff!

The silky lotion is pretty much perfect as well. It smells just as great as the shower gel. And I love the formula – the body lotion is quick and easy to apply, and it melts into the skin (great for workday mornings). I love it!

I think these 2 products are sensational. Because of this I’m sad that Yves Rocher discontinued the entire raspberry collection. However, it appears that Yves Rocher seems to reinvent the Les Plaisirs Nature collection every couple of months – so I hope they’ll reintroduce the raspberry collection. If they do, I’ll be stocking up! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation Natural 50

Hi there! Today’s post is about Max Factor’s Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 In 1 Foundation which I had a sample of. The shade I tried was Natural 50.

OK, so what does the product do? In a nutshell, this foundation promises to prime, conceal and cover (this is the 3 in 1 bit). And it claims to provide longlasting and flawless coverage. Read on if you’d like to know if it’s any good.

Max Factor Face Finity is a liquid foundation. I’m not the biggest fan of liquid foundations, but this one was quick and easy to apply. The shade Natural 50 was a bit too dark for me, but it wasn’t too bad. It was in the “still OK” range. 🙂

I was very impressed with the way the foundation looked on me because it gave me pretty much full coverage. Despite this, the foundation didn’t look cakey or unnatural, and it didn’t settle into my fine lines. So yeah, I think the finish was almost flawless!

I checked my face numerous times throughout the day, and I’m happy to report that the foundation stayed put. I wore it for 12 hours, and I really liked it!

To make a long story short – I was impressed with this foundation. I know I will buy a full-size bottle in the not too distant future. I would, however, choose a lighter shade.

Max Factor’s Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 In 1 Foundation is available as 30ml for £12.99.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 12 – 18 Feb 2018

Hi there! Welcome to this week’s episode of… my weekly blog recap! 😉 If you’ve missed a post that might have interested you, this is your chance to catch up.

Monday 12 Feb – Nail Of The Day
Tuesday 13 Feb – Montagne Jeunesse 7th Heaven Tea Tree Peel-Off

On Monday I showed you a mani I did recently. Click here to read the post.
Tuesday’s post was about a face mask. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 14 Feb – NSPA Rich Body Butter With Moisturising Shea Butter

Wednesday’s post was about NSPA’s Shea Butter Body Butter. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 15 Feb – Nail Of The Day
Friday 16 Feb – Yves Rocher Secrets D’Essences Vanille Noire

I showed you another mani on Thursday. Click here to read the post.
And on Friday I reviewed an Yves Rocher fragrance. Click here to read the post.

This is it for this week. I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Yves Rocher Secrets D’Essences Vanille Noire Eau De Parfum

Hi there! Today I’m reviewing a fragrance that I’ve been using on and off for about a year – it’s Yves Rocher’s Secrets d’Essences Vanille Noire.

This fragrance contains the following notes: vanilla from different countries (Uganda, Tahiti, Madagascar), mimosa, mandarin, and cedar.

Yves Rocher describes the fragrance as “between sensuality and freshness”, and “between transparency and depth”.

OK, so what’s the fragrance like? I think Vanille Noire is rather unspectacular. It’s not a bad fragrance, but it’s just so unremarkable.

The actual scent is a mix of vanilla, almond and cold smoke. Vanille Noire is also rather faint. And it doesn’t last very long.

Since my husband thinks that the fragrance is nice, I will continue to wear it around the house until I finish the bottle (which will happen very soon). However, I will not repurchase the fragrance.

And if you’re interested, Yves Rocher’s Secrets d’Essences Vanille Noire is available as 50ml for £63. However, Yves Rocher runs half price or buy one get one free promotions frequently, so there’s no reason to pay full price! By the way… my bottle is a 30ml which was free (gift with purchase)!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde