Empties – May 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished in May 2017. I threw out a konjac sponge (I am now using a cellulose sponge which I’ll review soon). And as always, I’ve used quite a few single-use face masks. I haven’t kept those empty face mask sachets, but let me show you what else I managed to finish. 🙂

1 Boots Extracts Luscious Vanilla Body Spray – I’ve been using this fantastic body spray on and off since February. This is the 2nd small 70ml bottle that I’ve gone through this year. I’ve already stocked up – I have two big bottles in my stash!

2 Sanctuary Spa Mela Rose & Pistachio Body Butter – this is heaven in a tub! I think I started to use this body butter in September – maybe October – last year. I’ll review the Sanctuary Spa Mela collection shortly. 🙂

3 Olay Regenerist Regenerating UV Lotion – this is a fantastic moisturiser! I started to use it in March last year (!) but then I decided to focus on finishing all those part-used skin care products I had in my stash, and then this fantastic moisturiser became of those ‘to be finished’ ones… well, I managed to use up the last oldie about 6 weeks ago, then I’ve been using this moisturiser again. And two weeks later it was finished. But I’ll buy it again, no doubt.

4 Kenzo Amour Le Parfum – this is a lovely fragrance! It’s sweet, warm and incensey. This is an old limited edition fragrance that sold out years ago – so I can’t repurchase it. However, I don’t think I would repurchase this fragrance because a little goes a long way and bottle number 2 would probably last me for another 10 years or so…

5 Boots Extracts Marshmallow & Peppermint Body Scrub (75ml travel size) – this is an okayish scrub. I’m not a fan of the fragrance, though. This scrub was a limited edition product, so I couldn’t repuchase it even if I wanted to. I started to use this scrub in March.

6 Palmolive Chocolate Passion Shower Cream – this is nice! My husband and I used this shower cream on and off for 6 or 7 weeks. This is a shared empty. Yes, I will repurchase this shower cream!

7 Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Conditioner – this is the best conditioner that was ever made. I will continue to buy it. This conditioner lasted for almost 5 weeks (I wash my hair every day). If you’re wondering what happened to the matching shampoo… I passed the leftover Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine shampoo on to my husband (I always do that once I finish a conditioner) and now I’m using a different shampoo and conditioner combo. 🙂

8 Baylis & Harding Blueberry Donut Glaze Shower Crème – this is a decent shower cream. I started to use it in early May – and now it’s finished. Whilst this shower cream was nice while it lasted, I don’t think I’d repurchase it.

9 Calcot Manor The Perfect Day Rich Body Butter – not a favourite. The strange fragrance started to annoy me halfway through the tub. I’m glad this body butter is gone. It took me about 8 weeks of on-and-off use to finish this body butter. I won’t repurchase it.

10 Superdrug Red Colour Conditioner – this product is completely useless. Fortunately it was just a small 50ml bottle (which contained just enough product to “condition” my hair 3 times). I won’t repurchase this product.

11 Simple Pleasures Winter Woodland Snow Flurries Body Lotion (120ml travel size) – I’ve been using this body lotion since early March. It was nice while it lasted, but I don’t think I’d buy it again.

12 Olay Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturiser – this has been my night cream for 10 weeks. Awesome stuff! I already bought a back-up!

13 Boots Extracts Luxurious Coconut Body Butter (50ml travel size) – this body butter is nice. I wouldn’t purchase it on its own, but if it’s in this year’s Extracts Christmas set again, I won’t complain.

14 Boots Extracts Luxurious Coconut Body Wash (75ml travel size) – this is a nice body wash. In regards to repurchasing it… see my comment on the matching body butter. 🙂

I think May was another good month for empties. I’m not sure how many items I can finish this month, but let’s hope I’ll continue to make progress! Have you tried any of the products I finished? If so, how do / did you like them? What did you finish this month? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – March 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I emptied in March 2017. I used a few face masks (what else is new…) but I haven’t kept the empty sachets. So let’s get to the (more or less) big empties right away! 🙂

1 L’Oréal Youth Code Luminizer Serum – this serum is very good! It’s been discontinued, so I don’t think I’d be able to repurchase it at a reasonable price. I have, however, started to use a new L’Oréal serum just a few days ago, and I think the new serum (which I’ll review soon) is very good too!

2 B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – fantastic stuff! I only discovered this product in December 2016 – but it became a beauty staple and an all-time favourite in a matter of days. I have four back-up bottles! 🙂

3 Superdrug Clearly Youthful Retexturising Glycolic Peel Off Mask – this mask is the most effective spot-fighting product I’ve ever used. Unfortunately this product has been discontinued. But I still have two back-up tubes.

4 Olay Total Effects CC Cream Complexion Corrector Fair To Medium – I liked the rich and nourishing formula, but the shade fair to medium (which is the lightest shade) was way too dark for me. Because of this I won’t purchase this moisturiser again.

5 Pacifica Vanilla Hibiscus Color Quench Lip Tint – this is a really nice tinted lip balm. I might repurchase it again at some point in the future, but for now I have more than enough lip balms and glosses in my stash…

6 Miss Sporty Dr Balm Gossip Kiss SOS Lip Balm – this is a decent lip balm, but I wouldn’t buy it again. I finished one of these before and I must say that the melon flavour has been annoying me for quite some time…

7 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Radiance Balm – I’m glad this product is finished. It didn’t do anything for my skin, it wasn’t hydrating at all, and the chunky shimmer particles weren’t great either. I wouldn’t buy this product again.

8 Boots Botanics Quenching Body Lotion – another oldie that’s been sitting in my stash for ages. I found this body lotion very hydrating. However, it was also quite sticky. I wouldn’t repurchase it (but it’s been discontinued anyway…).

9 Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Toner – this toner is fantastic. Too bad it’s been discontinued – otherwise I’d buy it again and again and again… However, I do have another small 75ml bottle of this toner in my stash! 🙂

10 Maybelline Color Sensational Luscious Lipgloss 410 Peach Sorbet – a decent lipgloss! It’s never been a true favourite, but I did enjoy using this lipgloss. I have several of these Maybelline lipglosses – another peach-flavoured one, a cherry-flavoured one, and several pink ones (not sure about those flavours though).

11 Rimmel Pro Super Wear Ultra Shine Topcoat – a nice top coat! I think this one’s been discontinued, but if it pops up in some bargain store at some point in the future, I’d repurchase it!

12 Markwins Orange Shimmer Nail Polish – I’ve had this nail polish in my stash for ages but it seemed to have dried out over the years. This polish has never been a favourite of mine, so I didn’t mind letting it go.

13 Possibility Raspberry Pavlova Shower & Bath Gel – I liked this one in the beginning, but the sweet raspberry fragrance started to annoy me half-way through the huge 500ml bottle. I wouldn’t buy this one again.

14 Boots Marshmallow Peppermint Body Butter – I didn’t like the fragrance, so I’m glad this one is gone. I hope Boots won’t repeat this fragrance for this year’s limited Christmas edition.

15 Essence Nail Art White Stampy Polish – the best white stamping polish you can find for £1.50. I have two back-ups, but I’d like to stock up because this one’s sold out online at the moment. I’ll see if I can still find it in store… Fingers crossed!

16 Superdrug Vitamin C Boost Body Scrub Mango & Papaya – a really nice scrub. I will buy it again! This one’s a shared empty. My husband used this scrub a few times too.

17 Superdrug Raspberry Bubblegum Shower Gel – this is a decent shower gel, but it’s not special. I wouldn’t buy it again. This one’s also a shared empty.

18 Classics Nail Polish Remover – this is one of my nail care staples. As long as Poundland, Poundworld and the likes stock this product, I’ll repurchase it.

19 Radox Passionfruit Splash Shower Gel – this one is very nice. I’ll repurchase it, no doubt.

20 Daily Defense Moisturizing Conditioner With Keratin – I think this conditioner is fantastic. I already bought another bottle. 🙂

I think March was surprisingly good for empties. I’m very proud of how many ‘small’ products I finished! Right now I’m thinking I won’t be able to finish anything this month, but I’m sure I’ll have a few empties. For now… feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 27 Mar – 2 Apr 2017

Hi there! And welcome to this week’s blog recap. If you read on, I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to on my blog this week!

Monday 27 Mar – Elizavecca Gold CF-Nest White Bomb Eye Cream

Monday’s post was about this Elizavecca eye cream. Click here if you’d like to read the post.

Tuesday 28 Mar – Boots Botanics Marshmallow & Peppermint Toiletries

On Tuesday I reviewed these Boots Extracts Marshmallow & Peppermint limited edition products. If you’d like to read the post, click here.

Wednesday 29 Mar – 7th Heaven Manuka Honey Peel-Off
Thursday 30 Mar – Nail Of The Day

Wednesday’s post was about Montagne Jeunesse’s 7th Heaven Manuka Honey Peel-Off face mask. If you’d like to read it, click here. And Thursday’s post was another Nail Of The Day post. Click here, if you’d like to know how I did this mani and which products I used.

Friday 31 Mar – March Favourites

On Friday I told you about my favourite products in March. Six products made the favourites list! Click here if you’d like to read this post.

This is for this week. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Boots Extracts Marshmallow & Peppermint Body Wash, Body Butter & Body Scrub

Hi there! Whilst it’s been 3 months since Christmas, I still have a lot of Christmas-themed products to try and review. I’ve already taken a closer look at the Winter Woodland shower gels and body lotions, and today I’m reviewing Boots’ Extracts Marshmallow & Peppermint Body Wash, Body Butter and Body Scrub.

The Body Wash is gentle and not drying. And it’s not tingly! I think that’s nice. The Body Butter feels rich and nourishing – but it’s not sticky. In terms of quality it’s just as good as all the other fantastic Boots Extracts body butters. The Body Scrub is nice enough. I’d have liked it more if it were a little grittier. However, this scrub is better than the sticky Boots Extracts sugar scrub!

Whilst these Boots Extracts Marshmallow & Peppermint products are of good quality, I have to mention that I dislike their fragrance. These products smell like peppermint tea – so to me they basically smell like ‘flu remedy’. I hope Boots’ 2017 Christmas LE will be better. Boots, please just stay away from peppermint and cranberry!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Major Boxing Day Haul – 80 New Products (Sanctuary Spa, Boots Extracts, My Little Pony, Pusheen And More)

Hi there! I know I did a haul post only 2 weeks ago. But I also said I’d be doing some serious bargain shopping on Boxing Day. I ordered lots of stuff online, and I also went to a few stores (Boots, M&S, Poundstretcher, B&M). Here’s what I bought!

I found this My Little Pony Lip Balm Trio at B&M Bargains. I don’t know how much it was because…
1. I didn’t care, and 2. I lost the receipt. I guess it was £2.99 – the My Little Pony nail polish set which I bought recently was £2.99, and I just assume these sets would cost the same.

My local Poundstretcher had a few different Daily Defense hair products. I bought the Keratin shampoo and conditioner, and the Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner. These are huge 473ml bottles – and they were £1 each. I’ve never seen these before, and my guess is they were discontinued ages ago. But I sniffed the products before I decided to buy them – and these 4 products smelled excellent! And something else – these products were made in Canada – and they’re cruelty-free!

Boots Extracts Vanilla House Of Treats was on top my Boxing Day wish list – because my husband loves Boots’ vanilla fragrance very much. I ended up buying 2 of these vanilla sets, each of which contains 200ml shower gel, 200ml body lotion, and 150ml body mist. The Vanilla House Of Treats was half price on Boxing Day – so I only spent £5 per set.

Another half price bargain I got my hands on was this cute Pusheen plush cosmetic bag. It was £4 only (Boots). The cosmetic bag is quite big – it’s the biggest cosmetic bag I’ve ever owned. I’ll take measurements… I promise.

The next awesome half price set is I Love…’s The Takeaway Trio. It contains 3 chocolate truffle scented products – 500ml bath & shower cream, 200ml body butter and a big 150g bath fizzer. Priced at £4 (Boots) this set is amazing value!

Then I spent £2.50 on this Garden Collection Mini Indulgence set (Boots). It contains 5 products – a lavender body wash and a lavender body lotion, a rose body wash and a rose body lotion, and a magnolia body wash. The bottles are 100ml.

I found 2 cute Winter Woodland toiletries sets. The first set contains 3 shower gels and 3 body lotions.

And the second Winter Woodland set contains 5 body mists. These sets are from Poundstretcher.

I also bought a Boots Extracts Body Spray trio. For £3 I got Vanilla (My husband’s favourite!), Strawberry (I’ll give it a sniff, but I think I’ll have to pass this one on to my teenage relative), and Mango (Yummy!). The body sprays are 70ml.

My local Marks & Spencer store had a few Pusheen sets for half price too. I bought a nail polish set for £5 and a lip balm duo for £3.

Up next is the My Little Pony Cutie Beauty Bath Set. It was £3.99 at B&M Bargains. It’s that cute that I don’t even care if any of these products are good. 🙂

I also got the big Boots Extracts House Of Treats – which contains several shower gels, shower scrubs and body butters. All of these products are travel-sized. This set was £10.

And here’s what’s in the House Of Treats – 4 shower gels, 4 body scrubs, 4 body butters. The fragrances are Marshmallow & Peppermint (limited Christmas edition), Coconut, Vanilla & Mango.

I was glad that I Love…’s Pamper Me Essentials set wasn’t sold out by Boxing Day. So I got this set for £5.

The Pamper Me Essentials set contains a 200ml Raspberry & Blackberry Shower Gel and the matching hand cream, and it contains 2 chocolate Truffle products – a body butter (which I already had in a different set) and a body mist (which was the reason I bought this set – I really wanted this Chocolate Truffle body mist).

I bought the Sanctury Spa’s Escape And Let Go set which contains an exfoliating mitt, a 100ml body butter, a full size shower gel and a full-size body scrub. All these products have the same fragrance – White Lily & Damask Rose.

I think this Sanctuary set was good value. It was £8! The shower gel and the shower scrub are usually £5.50 each, so I’m really happy with this set.

I Love…’s The Big Tub Of Fun was £7.50 only. Yes, I only bought it for the Chocolate Truffle products… anyhoo, this set contains a 500ml Chocolate Truffle shower cream, a bath fizzer, a body puff and three Raspberry & Blackberry products – body butter, hand cream and body mist. I think this set is fantastic considering the low price!

I also bought the huge Sanctuary Spa Make A Wish And Let Go box. It was £22.50 and it’s packed with awesome products!

What’s in the box? Heel balm, mini shower gel, bath soak, face mask, body butter, shower gel, salt scrub, body scrub and hand cream.

And here are two non-beauty items – I bought a My Little Pony ringbinder. It was £1.99. And I got myself a foam sticker set for 99p. I found these items at B&M Bargains. 🙂

So this is what I got myself on Boxing Day (in store and online). It’s quite a lot, I know. But it’s nothing compared to what I’ve bought in the past. This Boxing Day (well, technically it’s last boxing Day already…) I managed to ignore all those half-price make-up and nail polish sets. Well, I got the Pusheen nail polish set but that doesn’t count because it’s Pusheen!

I also spent just over £106 for all of this. And whilst I don’t know where to store all these sets and products, I don’t think I spent too much. I do think that I’m a reasonable Boxing Day shopper because I’ve never been someone who’d spend hundreds of £ on ‘impulse items’ (aka stuff you’ll regret buying – like those 5 evening dresses, or those 9 pairs of red high heels…). Yeah, I had to get that out of my system because I know people who still pay off their 2012 Christmas shopping…

Feel free to comment if you want to. Oh, and congratulations if you’ve made it to the end of the post. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde