April Beauty Awards

Hi there! It’s the last working day of the month, so today’s post is my monthly favourites post. I’ve chosen my Top 3 from all the products I reviewed in April, and I have a few honourable mentions too. It was really close this month! Alrighty, let’s start with the Top 3 now!

3rd place – Revlon Custom Eyes 020 Naturally Glamorous

This small Revlon eye palette is everything! Incredible quality!

Runner-Up – Marks & Spencer Lip Balm
WINNER – Prada Infusion De Fleur D’Oranger Eau De Parfum

Who would have thought that a random lip balm that was part of a random cheap gift set would be this good? Well, I’m not complaining. This M&S lip balm is one of the best lip products I’ve ever used!
Prada’s Infusion De Fleur D’Oranger is something else. Wow, what a fragrance!

Onto the honourable mentions! L’Oréal Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic Moisture Boosting Shampoo & Moisture Locking Conditioner are amazing products. They suit me and my hair routine perfectly. Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil and Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid are wonderful shower products. And Radox Detoxed Bath Salts With Acai Berry are absolutely brilliant. My husband loves these bath salts too!

Have you tried any of these products or would you like to try any of them? Which products have you been loving lately? Feel free to comment, and thanks for stopping by! xo

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

W7 The Naughty Nine Arabian Nights

Hi there! Today’s post is about an eyeshadow palette – W7 The Naughty Nine Arabian Nights. W7 is a drugstore cosmetics brand from the UK. According to W7, their products are cruelty-free (and they don’t sell in China).

OK, let’s look at the palette now! It has 9 eyeshadows, all of them nude shades. Since 6 of the eyeshadows are lighter shades, I would say the palette is more suited to lighter skin tones.

Let’s start with the first 3 eyeshadows – below. The first shade is a matte, poorly pigmented, chalky pink. It hardly shows up on me. It also doesn’t blend well, but you wouldn’t know it because it’s barely there. The second shade is a pale, shimmery peach. Another barely there shade with respect to its (lack of) pigment. Shade 3 is a matte light coral shade. Just like shade 1, it’s poorly pigmented, it’s barely there and it’s also rather chalky. I’m not a fan of these 3 shades.

Onto the second row below! Eyeshadow number 4 is a pale gold. It’s also far from bursting with pigment, but this one looks nice when I use it as an accent in the inner corners of my eyes. Shade 5 is a light-brown-meets-orange kind of shade. Apologies for the pinkish hue on the left. This is a scar which I thought I’d covered. Oops! However, this eyeshadow is also not great. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too dark and too orangey for the inner corners of my eyes. I also don’t like the colour on my eyelids. Shade number 6 is a light toffee colour. Also matte, and also chalky.

And right below is row 3. No, this photo was not taken in a different setting or with different lighting. It’s just that my arm had a bit of a pink colour after I had removed the eyeshadow from the previous swatches. Alrighty, shade 7 is my favourite of the bunch. It’s a classic shimmery rosey light brown. I like it! Shades 8 and 9 are matte browns. Yes, also chalky and poorly pigmented. Not easy to apply.

This eye palette looked promising but once I started to use it, I found that only 2 eyeshadows are worth my time. I’ll make sure to get some use out of shades 4 and 7 over the next few weeks, but I won’t keep this palette for much longer.

W7 The Naughty Nine Arabian Nights eyeshadow palette is available for about £3. I bought it at a local bargain store (I want to say B&M but it may have been somwehere else).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Energising Shower Gel With Grapefruit

Hi there! Today’s short post is about this Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Energising Shower Gel With Grapefruit. I love all things grapefruit, so I didn’t hesitate when I found this shower gel.

How is it? This shower gel is really good. I like the formula; it feels cleansing, but it’s also gentle. The grapefruit fragrance is sunny and juicy. Personally, I would have preferred a slightly more tangy fragrance, but that’s just my preference.

All in all, this is a decent shower gel. Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Energising Shower Gel With Grapefruit is available as 200ml. I don’t remember what I paid but this was a sale item!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

L’Oréal Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic Moisture Boosting Shampoo & Moisture Locking Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about the hair care combo I’m using at the moment – L’Oréal Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic Moisture Boosting Shampoo & Moisture Locking Conditioner. These products are aimed at people with dehydrated hair. My hair isn’t dehydrated, and I wash my hair every morning, so I can’t comment on the “up to 72h moisture” claim. But I can comment on how these products work for me.

Let’s start with the shampoo! I think it’s really nice. It’s a creamy white shampoo, but the formula feels a bit lighter when I compare it with other L’Oréal shampoos. I think it cleanses my hair gently, and I also like the fresh and floral scent.

Onto to the conditioner which is just as lovely. I’m impressed with how quickly and easily this conditioner detangles my hair. It’s really good! I also like how soft and silky it makes my hair feel without weighing it down.

I’m very happy with these hair products. Based on my experience, I’d recommend them, and I will buy them again, no doubt. If you’re interested, L’Oréal Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic Moisture Boosting Shampoo & Moisture Locking Conditioner are available as 400ml each for about £6. I paid £2.99 each (half price offer). I just checked the prices on Boots’ and Superdrug’s websites, and Boots is actually running a half price promotion, and Superdrug has a 2 for £6 deal (no idea when these offers expire though).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Weekly Recap 18 – 24 April 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is about the posts I’ve written this past week = my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’re wondering which products I reviewed over the last few days.

Monday 18 Apr – Home Bargains Cloe Cat Face Mask
Wednesday 20 Apr – Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub

Monday’s post was about a face mask. Click here to read it.
No post on Tuesday, but I reviewed a face scrub on Wednesday. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 21 Apr – Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil AND Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid

Thursday’s post was about these 2 amazing shower gels. Click here to take a look.

Friday 22 Apr – Marks & Spencer Alphabet Personalised Beauty Gift Set

And on Friday I reviewed 3 products from a gift set. Click here to read the post.

This is it for this week. Enjoy what’s left of the weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Marks & Spencer Alphabet Personalised Beauty Gift Set

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Marks & Spencer Personalised Beauty Gift Set. They had a few random letters left on sale (half price = £6.25), and I opted for J over X or Q. This gift set contains 3 items – a fragrance, a hand cream and a lip balm. All of these products are vegan and certified cruelty-free – they carry the Leaping Bunny logo!

Let’s start with the fragrance which contains the following notes: red berries, pomegranate and musk. On paper, this doesn’t sound bad. However, this fragrance is the stuff of nightmares. They forgot to list one major ingredient – cloves! I’ve never smelled such a disgusting mess of cloves and overly ripe fruit.

I sprayed it once, smelled it, then I washed my arm and threw my cardie in the washing machine. The stink lingered for hours despite the window being open. I couldn’t and wouldn’t gift this to anyone. This fragrance is rubbish!

Onto the next product, the hand cream! The hand cream smells like an extremely watered-down version of the fragrance. Fortunately, the scent is very weak and fleeting, so it doesn’t stink up the room. The formula is very rich and nourishing. However, after the fragrance nightmare, I wasn’t too keen on the hand cream. So my husband is using it as a foot cream – and it works well.

And here’s item number 3 – the lip balm. This is the surprise of the month! Wow, what a beautiful lip balm! It’s very similar to Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care! This beautiful lip balm has a very subtle vanilla scent, it glides on, it’s very lightweight, and it’s incredibly hydrating. I love it! 😍 One of my favourite products this month!

All in all, whilst the lip balm is the absolute bomb, I had to bin the fragrance and I’m also not using the hand cream. I would hope that M&S will bring back the lip balm next Christmas, or that it will be available to buy on its own!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Revisiting Old Favourites – Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil AND Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 shower gels I have just rediscovered – Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil and Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid.

Let’s start with Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil which is lovely! I like the warm and exotic fragrance, and I’m impressed with how gentle (and almost nourishing) this shower gel is. I’m enjoying it very much, and I have no doubt that I’ll finish it very soon.

Onto Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid which I adore! This shower gel has a golden colour which is a perfect match for the creamy and luxurious formula and the warm and velvety floral fragrance. This shower gel is luxury in a bottle!

Based on my experience, I’d recommend these amazing shower gels. Rightguard Shower + Oils With Argan, Marula & Almond Oil and Rightguard Shower + Elixir With Black Orchid are available as 250ml each. I paid £1 each.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub with salicylic acid.

This scrub is aimed at people with oily to spot-prone skin. It promises to cleanse the skin, to eliminate impurities and excess sebum, and to help fight spots and marks.

On the back of the tube it says that the scrub is not recommended for people with sensitive or dry skin.

On paper, the scrub is not suitable for me, but I rarely have trouble with supposedly harsher products; instead it’s usually products for sensitive skin that give me a rash or cause my eyes to swell up.

On another note, this scrub is meant for daily use, so how “bad” can it be?

I’ve used this scrub for a few times now, and I think its cleansing and exfoliating powers are average. I would say this product exfoliates skin gently. Based on its name and what it says on the back of the tube, I would have expected a more powerful scrub. Ah well… On a more positive note, this scrub hasn’t caused my skin any trouble, so it’s definitely suitable for me.

I will continue to use this scrub, but I wouldn’t buy it again. Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub is available as 150ml. I think I paid £3.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Home Bargains Cloe Cat Face Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Home Bargains Cloe Cat Face Mask. I like cute things, and I couldn’t help myself when I saw this mask. I had to have it! I think this face mask is aimed at much younger ladies than myself – but I didn’t care.

What kind of mask is it? It’s a regular sheet mask that you use after you’ve cleansed your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then massage the essence into the skin.

I’ve given this mask a try, and I think it was quite nice. It was hydrating without being sticky, and it has a subtle strawberry scent which, I think, younger ladies will enjoy.

I might repurchase this mask, and I would also recommend it! If you’re interested, Home Bargains Cloe Cat Face Mask is available as a 25ml single use face mask for £1.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Weekly Recap 11 – 17 April 2022

Hi there! Happy Sunday. Today’s post is about all the posts I’ve written this past week = my weekly blog recap. And here are the posts:

Monday 11 Apr – Beautifully Scrumptious Kale Face Mask

Monday’s post was about this face mask. Click here to read it.

Tuesday 12 Apr – Revlon Custom Eyes 020 Naturally Glamorous

On Tuesday, I reviewed a beautiful eyeshadow compact. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 14 Apr – Boots Rose Toner
Friday 15 Apr – Prada Infusion De Fleur D’Oranger Eau De Parfum

Thursday’s post was about a toner I’m using at the moment. Click here to read it.
And on Friday I reviewed Prada’s Infusion De Fleur D’Oranger fragrance. Click here to read the post.

And this is it for this week already. Thanks for stopping by! xo

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛