Empties – January 2023

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished in January. The post was meant to go up on the 1st, but work is still crazy. Anyhoo, let’s look at the empties!

1 Essano Rosehip Visible Lift Eye Crème – a decent eye cream, but not the most special one. I wouldn’t buy it again.

2 Boots Glow Pineapple Serum – this serum was nice enough while it lasted, but I don’t think that it’s repurchase-worthy.

3 I Love… Mango & Papaya Nourishing Body Butter – a nice body butter. But I wouldn’t buy it again as the fragrance started to bore me halfway through the tub.

4 Faith In Nature Aloe Vera Hand Made Soap (no photo) – this is an alright soap. Not bad, but not great. It took me a while to finish it as I always have several shower products in the shower, and this soap was never my first choice. I wouldn’t buy it again.

5 Poundland #6 Vit C Toner – this is an amazing toner! Vitamin C, glycolid acid, retinol… what more can you want? £3 for 300ml. An incredible bargain!

6 Herbal Essences Moisture Balance Conditioner – an all-time HOLY GRAIL product. I have plenty of these conditioners and shampoos left in my stash for years to come!

7 Oriflame Believe – such a lovely fragrance! I have another bottle somewhere!

8 Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet – this is a nice fragrance, but nothing I would enjoy wearing all the time. My husband liked this fragrance on me, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

9 Palmolive Naturals Pampering Touch With Coconut & Moisturising Milk – one of my all-time favourite shower gels. Too bad it’s no longer available. I have one more bottle in my stash though.

10 Astonish Bath Soak Soothing Deep Blue – the fragrance is a bit too masculine for me. I might repurchase it, but more for my husband than for me.

11 Westlab Himalayan Salt Cleansing Bath & Shower Gel – another all-time favourite shower gel. I bought 2 more bottles about 2 weeks ago. This shower gel is so special!

12 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Moisturising Facial Oil (no photo) – I liked this facial oil a lot! I wanted to buy it again but it’s been discontinued. What a shame!

I’m glad I managed to finish a few more products in January. The past 2 months have been remarkably bad for empties. Hopefully I can finish lots of products this year. Fingers crossed! And thanks for stopping by today!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Boots Glow Pineapple Sleep Mask

Hi there! Today’s short post is about this Boots Glow Pineapple Sleep Mask. This is a night cream with a fancy name, and it promises to smooth and to hydrate the skin. I’ve been using this product for about a month now, and here’s what I think.

I’ve been positively surprised by this product. While the gel moisturiser from the same range wasn’t a favourite, this sleep mask is much better. I love the thick formula, although I always mist my face before I use this sleep mask to lock in some extra moisture, and to make it easier to massage it into my skin.

I’m very happy with the nourishing formula, although it’s probably not the best product if your skin tends to develop impurities. I’ve also been using product as a day cream during the recent cold spell, and I’m happy to report that it’s a brilliant base for my foundation. Very nice! The fragrance is alright – it’s not annoying, so this is a huge step up from the gel moisturiser.

I’m happy with this product and I would recommend it. If you’re interested, Boots Glow Pineapple Sleep Mask is available as 50ml for £4. I bought 3 items from this range on a 3 for 2 special offer.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Boots Glow Pineapple Gel Moisturiser

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Boots Glow Pineapple Gel Moisturiser which promises to nourish the skin and to prep the skin for the day ahead (that’s what it says on the tub). Accodring to Boots, this moisturiser is suitable for day and night time use.

I’ve been using this moisturiser on most days for well over a month now (maybe even two months), and I think it’s actually alright. I think the scent could be nicer – it’s an old-fashioned fruity mes. It’s not “off”, and it’s not even bad, but it reminds me of fruity teenage “fragrances” from the 90s. I know because those were my teenage years too! Read on…

This moisturiser is hydrating my skin nicely. I’m actually surprised because I find that gel moisturisers are often more suitable for oilier skin types. But I haven’t had a single dry patch since I’ve been using this moisturiser, and my skin feels nice and comfy. I have no reason to complain actually.

However, I don’t love the glibbery formula and the fragrance is starting to get old. I’m now 80% through the tub, and whilst this moisturiser is actually decent, I know I won’t buy it again.

If you’re interested, Boots Glow Pineapple Gel Moisturiser is available as 50ml for £4. I bought 3 items from this range on a 3 for 2 special offer.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Boots Glow Pineapple Serum

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Boots Glow Pineapple Serum.

This serum promises “to smooth and care for the skin.” This isn’t the most specific claim, but I guess they don’t really bother with a £4 product.

Anyhoo… I’ve been using this product for a few weeks now. And I think it’s actually quite alright. The serum I used before (also Boots) wasn’t great, so this one was much nicer from day 1!

This is a typical serum formula. It’s not a gel, but it’s also not watery. I guess it’s something in between. Quite nice. I like it!

The serum sinks into my skin beautifully. It does feel like “product” but in the most non-smothering way. It feels quite good.

Would I say that this serum is smoothing and caring? I guess it is. Don’t expect miracles, but this is definitely a decent serum, especially for the tiny price tag.

If you’re interested, Boots Glow Pineapple Serum is available as 30ml for £4 (I think it’s £3 at the moment for Advantage Card holders). I bought this product when Boots ran a 3 for 2 promotion on their Glow products.

By the way, according to Boots, this product is vegan and cruelty-free! 😍

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Weekly Recap 11 – 17 July 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. I reviewed 3 products this past week, and here they are:

Tuesday 12 Jul – Aussie Mega Shampoo & Conditioner

Tuesday’s post was about a hair care combo. Click here to read it.

Friday 15 Jul – Boots Glow Banana Toner
Saturday 16 Jul – Maui Moisture Body Care Extra Hydrating + Shea Butter Body Lotion

On Friday I reviewed a toner. Click here to read the post.
And Saturday’s post was about a body lotion I’m using at the moment. Click here to take a look.

And this is it for this week. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy what’s left of the weekend! xx

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Boots Glow Banana Toner

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Boots Glow Banana Toner which I’ve been using once to twice a day for the past 3 weeks.

This toner claims to refine the pores and to make the skin appear smoother.

This toner contains niacinamide which is listed as the third ingredient on the back of the bottle. Unfortunately, Boots doesn’t state the percentage.

Alrighty, how’s the toner? Well, it does have a beautiful foamy banana fragrance. However, this toner isn’t the best one for my skin type.

Whilst I like that this toner leaves my skin feeling velvety soft, I don’t find it cleansing enough. Within 2-3 days of starting this toner, I noticed considerably more impurities.

I haven’t started to use any other new products for well over a month, I haven’t taken any new medication, and I also haven’t eaten a lot of junk food. What other explanation could there be? I’ve also noticed that my dark patches (melasma) have become a lot more visible over the past 2 weeks. The only difference in my skin care routine is this toner.

I will continue to use this toner after I’ve cleansed my face in the evening. It’s super gentle, so I’m happy to use it around my entire face – the eye area included – to remove the last traces of make-up. However, as part of my morning routine, I’ll go back to using a vitamin C or glycolic acid toner.

I won’t buy this toner again, but I might try other products from this collection. If you’re interested, Boots Glow Banana Toner is available as 100ml for £4. Boots sometimes runs 3 for 2 promotions across their Glow and Ingredients ranges, so if you’re on a budget, you can try an extra product for free. On another note, on the back of the bottle it says that this toner is vegan and cruelty-free. This is great!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛