January Beauty Awards

Hi there! It’s the last day of the month, so it’s time for me to tell you about my favourite products in January. I’ve chosen my favourites from all the products I’ve reviewed this month. And here they are:

3rd place – Sukin Anti-Pollution Oil Balancing + Charcoal Facial Masque

Sukin did an amazing job with this bamboo charcoal face mask. Results after the first use = great stuff!

Runner-Up – Gliss Hair Repair Total Repair Shampoo & Conditioner

This is one of Gliss’ best hair care combos. The shampoo is super soft and gentle, and the conditioner is incredibly effective. I love these 2 products!

WINNER – The Crème Shop Turmeric Face Mask

This mask is simply amazing. Yes, it does brighten skin, it is soothing, and the results are visible almost instantly. 11 stars!

Onto the honourable mentions! Derma V10‘s Cocoa Body Butter is pretty awesome, Treacle Moon‘s Honeycomb Secret Bath & Shower Gel is wonderful, my skin loved Nivea‘s Honey Mask, I enjoyed my Boo Bamboo Face Masks, and The Crème Shop‘s Santa’s List Charcoal Face Mask was super lovely too.

Have you tried any of these products? Would you like to try any of them? Which products have you been loving lately? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

The Battle Of The Unicorns – Carex Fun Edition Unicorn Magic Shower And Bath vs. Imperial Leather Cosmic Unicorn Fantasy Icon Bath Soak

Hi there! I haven’t done a product comparison for quite some time. So when I saw these 2 unicorn-themed products, I thought they would be perfect for a comparison post! And here’s how these 2 products fared. 🙂

Carex Fun Edition Unicorn Magic Shower & Bath is good but not great. The fragrance is best described as a sugared violet sweets fragrance. It’s enjoyable but very fleeting. The formula is nice. I wouldn’t say the shower gel is hydrating, but it certainly doesn’t make my skin feel dry. Like I said, this shower gel is good but not great.

Imperial Leather Cosmic Unicorn Fantasy Icon Bath Soak was a nice surprise! From the bottle it smells terribly bland, and I thought this one might end up in the hand wash dispenser. However, I’m glad I gave this product a try because once it hits the skin, it smells pleasantly floral and soapy. Whilst the fragrance isn’t very special, I do like it. I’m also happy to report that this product doesn’t make my skin feel dry.

Whilst I ended up liking both products, I think Carex‘s Unicorn Magic is the better product. The cute fragrance fits the cute unicorn theme perfectly.

Carex Fun Edition Unicorn Magic is available as Hand Wash and Shower & Bath.I paid £1 for the 500ml Shower & Bath. Imperial Leather Cosmic Unicorn Fantasy Icon Bath Soak is available as Shower Gel and Bath Soak. I paid £1 for the 500ml Bath Soak.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Boots Time Delay Deep Cleansing Facial Exfoliator

Hi there! Today’s post is about Boots Time Delay Deep Cleansing Facial Exfoliator.

I found this product in a bargain bin at my local Boots store – and it was £3 only (it’s 100ml). I’ve used Time Delay products before, and I did like them, and that was pretty much why I picked up this basic looking product.

Alrighty… this product promises to clarify, refresh and exfoliate skin. It also claims to make skin feel softer. Boots recommends the product be used twice daily.

Using this product in the morning doesn’t work for me. This is more of a cream wash than an exfoliator, and I need a truly refreshing face wash in the morning.

Having said that, I love to use this product as a gentle makeup remover. Since the product has a bit of an exfoliating effect, it dissolves and removes makeup with ease, so I am very happy to use it once daily.

Whilst this product didn’t really live up to its promise, I’m glad that it serves me well. And I also like the fragrance (similar to the scent of Gliss shampoos), so I have no reason to complain really.

I can’t comment on whether you’d be able to find this product in your local store’s bargain bin, but I would encourage you to keep your eyes peeled for special offers and reduced price end-of-line stuff. I have found many amazing products this way! Anyway, thanks for stopping by today! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – L’Oréal Collection Exclusive by Liya – Liya’s Pure Red & Stamping With Pueen 106

Hi there! I have a short Nail Of The Day post for you today. 🙂

For this mani I painted my nails with L’Oréal Collection Exclusive by Liya – Liya’s Pure Red (2 coats).

I decided to stamp, and I used Pueen‘s 106 plate (which is part of Pueen‘s cute Make Your Day stamping plate collection). The gold polish I stamped with is Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 819 Coat Of Arms.

I liked this mani very much. The base colour is gorgeous. The images are very pretty (Pueen’s 106 plate is becoming a favourite…), and the dark red and gold colour combo turned out even better than expected. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Primark PS… Brightening Peach Frappe Foaming Bubble Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about a cute face mask that I found at Primark – PS… Brightening Peach Frappe Foaming Bubble Mask.

This face mask promises a deep cleanse and brighter skin. Leave the mask on for about 15 minutes, then simply rinse it off.

How’s the mask? The bubble effect is quite strong. Wow! The product starts to bubble up as soon as you open the sachet, so you have to work quickly!

This mask tickles the skin quite a bit. I found it very difficult not to scratch.

I don’t think that the mask had any brightening effect at all. However, it made my skin feel soft and it smelled lovely of fresh peaches. In addition, my husband and I enjoyed this bubble mask. It was great fun!

Primark’s PS… Brightening Peach Frappe Foaming Bubble Mask is available as 10ml for £1.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

The Crème Shop Santa’s List Charcoal Sheet Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about a face mask I picked up at TK Maxx (pack of 5 masks, clearance) – The Crème Shop Santa’s List Charcoal Sheet Mask. This mask promises to detoxify skin by getting rid of impurities, and to refresh and renew skin.

This mask is supposed to be left on for 15-20 minutes, and the leftover essence in the sachet is supposed to be used on the neck and on parts of the face not covered by the mask. I always leave these masks on until they’re dry. And I always pop a compressed sheet mask into the sachet with the leftover essence, so I have another sheet mask for the next day. 🙂

How’s the mask? I think this mask is pretty awesome! It feels refreshing and I’ve noticed that it calms my skin. I’ve been using it on days when my skin was difficult, and it always had a calming and soothing effect. I also love that this mask feels hydrating. Great stuff! Whilst this mask is one of the stickier ones, I don’t mind this at all because it takes great care of my skin.

This mask smells like candy canes. It’s nice, but to be honest, if I had known that it contained peppermint oil, I wouldn’t have bought the pack. I know I should have checked the ingredients first! However, I’m happy to confirm that the mask did great things only for me. And the peppermint oil is probably the reason the mask feels so refreshing.

The Crème Shop Santa’s List Charcoal Sheet Mask is available as a pack of 5 masks. I paid £4.99.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nivea Nourishing Honey Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about Nivea‘s Nourishing Honey Mask for dry skin.

This face mask contains honey extract and almond oil. It promises to nourish and soothe dry and stressed skin, and to make skin feel hydrated and nourished.

Nivea recommends this face mask be used once or twice a week. Just apply it to your face, leave it alone for 10-15 minutes, and simply remove any leftovers with a cosmetic tissue.

Since this mask doesn’t need to be rinsed off, I’ve decided to use it as a night cream (one sachet contained enough product for a full week). In addition, 7.5ml is a huge amount for a single-use leave-on mask, and I think that removing and discarding most of the product after a few minutes is just wasteful.

Is this mask any good? I think this mask is perfect for dry winter skin. Since I’ve used it for 7 consecutive days I am happy to report that it has temporarily transformed my skin from dry to ultra-nourished. The effect lasted for almost another week after the last application. I’m looking forward to using the 2nd sachet as a night cream as well. I’ll save it for the next cold spell!

Nivea‘s Nourishing Honey Mask for combination skin is available as 2x 7.5ml. I paid £1 (Poundland). I would recommend this mask to anyone with dry skin because it really works! If Poundland still stocks these masks, I will buy a few more!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Boo Bamboo Bamboo Fiber Charcoal Sheet Mask

Hi there! Today I’m reviewing this Bamboo Fiber Charcoal Face Mask by Boo Bamboo. I don’t love coconut-scented products, but on the front it said “with rose water scent”, so I picked it up. 🙂

This mask contains a number of quality ingredients such as rose flower water (which is the 3rd ingredient listed on the back of the pack), sodium hyaluronate (the 5th ingredient), aloe leaf juice, coconut fruit extract, as well as bamboo leaf and stem extracts. It promises to soften, detoxify and hydrate the skin.

How do you use it? This sheet mask is pretty much like almost any other sheet mask. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes, then massage the remaining essence into the skin. I always leave those masks on until they’re dry (this takes about an hour, but I keep myself busy writing blog posts or reading other people’s blog posts).

Finally, the actual review: I think this mask is really nice. Whilst it doesn’t smell like rose water at all, and whilst the essence is a bit sticky, the mask is deeply hydrating, and it makes my skin feel super soft. I think this mask is a real treat for dry skin!

This Bamboo Fiber Charcoal Face Mask by Boo Bamboo is available as a pack of 3. I paid £4 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Sukin Anti-Pollution Oil Balancing + Charcoal Facial Masque

Hi there! Today’s post is about Sukin‘s Anti Pollution Oil Balancing + Charcoal Facial Masque. This face mask contains bamboo charcoal, moringa extract, willowherb, aloe vera, rooibos tea, as well as quince, bilberry and pomegranate extracts, and coconut, avocado and rosehip oils.

It promises to absorb toxins for a deep cleanse, to revitalise and refresh skin, and to tighten pores and reduce shine for a balanced complexion.

This mask is eays to use – apply it your face, leave it on for 15 minutes, then wash it off. I’ve used this mask for a few times now, and here’s what I think. 🙂

I think Sukin did an amazing job with this mask. I didn’t expect much because I couldn’t “feel” the mask doing its magic. However, when I washed my face, I was seriously impressed! My skin looked and felt super clean without being dry, my skin tone looked more even, and my pores were much smaller. I get this effect every time I use this mask, and I can definitely see myself picking up another tub once this one’s finished.

I would recommend this face mask to everyone who wants clearer skin. Since this mask works well for my very dry and moody skin, I would also recommend this mask to people with similar skin types.

Sukin‘s Anti Pollution Oil Balancing + Charcoal Facial Masque is available as 100ml. I paid £5.99 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Primark Holler And Glow Holler Back Hydrating Gold Holographic Sheet Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about Primark‘s Holler And Glow Holler Back Hydrating Gold Holographic Sheet Mask. This mask promises to hydrate skin for a radiant glow. You’re supposed to leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes before wiping off any excess with a cosmetic tissue.
I’ve tried this mask, and I’m not impressed. The sheet mask felt heavy, and it didn’t stay in place. I had to pull it back up several times. Since the serum was very sticky, this wasn’t great.

I also don’t think this mask was hydrating. Because of the stickiness, it actually felt uncomfortable. I had to use plenty of moisturiser to break up the sticky layer that covered my face to make my skin feel normal again.

Based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend this sheet mask. If you’d like to try it, Primark‘s Holler And Glow Holler Back Hydrating Gold Holographic Sheet Mask is available as 25ml for £3. I paid 75p (clearance).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde