Weekly Recap 12 – 18 September 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’re wondering what I’ve been up to on my blog this past week.

Wednesday 14 Sep – A’kin Sensitive Calming Day & Night Cream

Wednesday’s post about a face cream. Click here to take a look.

Saturday 17 Sep – NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream SMLC 30 Seoul, NYC Smooch Proof Liquid Lip Stain 320 Unforgettable Fuchsia

And on Saturday I reviewed 2 lip products. Click here to read the post.

This is already it for this week. Thanks for stopping by! xx

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

A’kin Sensitive Calming Day & Night Cream

Hi there! Today’s post is about this A’kin Sensitive Calming Day & Night Cream. This face cream doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, silicones, ethoxylated cleansers, PEGs, phthalates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, artificial colours and animal derivatives. According to the manufacturer, this face cream is vegan and cruelty-free. 😍

This face cream promises to nourish the skin and to enhance the skin’s appearance. Infused with chamomile, shea butter and vitamin E, this face cream also promises long lasting hydration that leaves even the most delicate skin feeling great.

I’ve been using this moisturiser on and off for a few weeks, and I don’t like it. Its not necessarily a bad product, but it’s just definitely not right for me. And here’s why. First of all, this moisturiser has a strong scent that reminds me of a kale-based skin care line that I tried (and hated) a long time ago. The scent is definitely botanical, but it’s not the most suitable scent for a cosmetic product.

Then there’s the formula. This face cream leaves white marks all over the face unless you go over it again and again. I would say that it takes about 15 swipes to work the white stuff into my skin. The formula feels overly rich, but it doesn’t seem to penetrate the skin. It just sits on top of the dry patches. Weird.

Lastly, this face cream doesn’t play nice with my foundation. It makes my foundation ball up. I tried to give it longer to absorb, but it didn’t work. I tried extra facial oil – but using facial oil in addition to a rich moisturiser AND an oil-based foundation is just ridiculous.

I think I will continue to use this face cream as a night cream. But since its richness appears to be superficial, I need to dig up the facial oil again. If you’re interested, A’kin Sensitive Calming Day & Night Cream is available as 50ml. The RRP is £24 but I paid £3 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Empties – July 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is my July Empties post – so it’s about all the products I used up last month. Let’s take a closer look at them!

1 Prada Infusion D’Iris Hydrating Body Lotion – this is an alright body lotion for spring and summer. Basic hydration but a long-lasting and powerful fragrance. I wouldn’t pay full price for this body lotion, but I wouldn’t mind picking it up as part of another reduced price fragrance gift set! 😋

2 A’kin Brightening Vitamin C & Niacinamide Correcting Eye Gel – a basic eye cream. I wouldn’t buy it again.

3 Giorgio Armani Armani Code Summer Eau Fraîche – an elegant and pretty summer fragrance. I’d repurchase it.

4 Olay Anti-Wrinkle 2 In 1 Firm & Lift Anti-Wrinkle Booster + Firming Serum – a very nice serum! I’d be more than happy to buy it again!

5 Max Factor Pan Stik 12 True Beige – my holy grail foundation! 🥰

6 Boots Botanics Refreshing Toning Spritz – not my favourite face mist. I won’t buy it again.

7 Aussie Mega Conditioner – this conditioner is one half of one of my all-time favourite hair care combos. A definite repurchase (along with the shampoo).

8 Cussons Creations Peace Bottled Apple & Elderflower Shower Gel – a decent shower gel. Definitely refreshing. It was nice enough while it lasted, but it wasn’t a favourite, so I won’t buy it again. My husband used this shower gel too – quite a few times actually – so he helped me use it up!

9 Nivea Refreshing Face Wash – a basic face wash. I won’t buy it again.

10 Imperial Leather Awakening Mango & Papaya Infusions Shower Cream – a lovely shower gel! Unfortunately, this one has been discontinued, so I can’t buy it again.

11 Boots Extracts Sweet Mango Body Wash – another discontinued beauty. I have a few more products from this range in my stash.

I also used a few single use face masks. You can read about my latest face mask finds if you click here. All in all, not a bad month for empties. I love to finish skin care, but I also love to finish big shower gel bottles and tubes. So based on that, I’ve done pretty well!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Weekly Recap 28 February – 6 March 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’re wondering what I’ve been up to on my blog this past week.

Monday 28 Feb – February Favourites

Monday’s post was about all the products I loved the most in February. Click here to take a look.

Tuesday 1 Mar – February Empties

On Tuesday I wrote about everything I emptied in February. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 3 Mar – A’kin Brightening Vitamin C & Niacinamide Correcting Eye Gel

No post on Wednesday, but on Thursday I reviewed an eye gel. Click here to take a look.

Friday 4 Mar – Pantene Pro-V Minerals Grow Strong Biotin + Bamboo Shampoo & Conditioner

And Friday’s post was about the new new hair combo I’m using. Click here to read my review.

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

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

A’kin Brightening Vitamin C & Niacinamide Correcting Eye Gel

Hi there! Today’s post is about this A’kin Brightening Vitamin C & Niacinamide Correcting Eye Gel which I’ve been using for a few weeks now. This eye gel also contains pro-vitamin B5, vitamins C and E, hyaluronic acid, bisabolol, Australian jojoba oil and other botanical extracts. According to A’kin, this eye gel is vegan and cruelty-free! 😍

This eye gel promises to do a lot – to reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eyes, to brighten, even out and tone the skin, to soften fine lines and wrinkles, to sooth and hydrate the skin and to fight signs of premature ageing for firmer and more luminous skin.

Since I’ve been using this eye gel for a few weeks, I think it’s not great. Definitely not repurchase-worthy – especially not for its usual price of £24. I paid £3 for this eye gel (TK Maxx), and I think that price is more in line with what the product does – which is to provide basic hydration (although I need to use a lot more product compared to other eye gels or creams).

With respect to its other claims, this eye gel is actually quite a letdown. I have to compare it with Olay’s eye gel which I’ve used for a few months right until I started to use this eye gel. The difference in quality is quite remarkable. Olay’s eye gel had a visible positive effect. This A’kin eye gel can’t maintain what Olay’s eye gel did for me.

All in all, I will use up this eye gel, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re interested, A’kin Brightening Vitamin C & Niacinamide Correcting Eye Gel is available as 15ml. The price will depend on where you shop.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛