Empties – November 2018

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I emptied in November. First of all, I used a number of single-use face masks. Whilst I don’t keep the empty sachets, you can read about my latest face mask finds if you click here. Now, let’s have a closer look at the big bottles and tubes!

1 Balance Active Formula Dragon’s Blood Eye Lift Balm – this eye cream hydrates skin nicely, but that’s about it. I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

2 Positively Fruity Smells Like Wild Cherries Body Lotion – this is a shared empty. My husband and I used most of this body lotion as a foot lotion. I wouldn’t repurchase this product.

3 Boots Garden Collection Rose Body Lotion (travel size) – this is a decent body lotion. I have one more tube!

4 Derma V10 Mango Body Butter – this is a nice body butter. I might buy it again.

5 Superdrug Hand & Nail Cream – this is another shared empty. My husband and I used this hand cream as a foot cream. I wouldn’t repurchase this product.

6 Possibility Amber & Lavender Bath and Shower Body Scrub – this is a great product. I’d love to buy it again, but this lovely fragrance is no longer availble. 😦

7 Daily Defense Pomegranate And Vitamin E Moisturizing Conditioner – another awesome hair product from Daily Defense. I’ll repurchase it, no doubt! If you’re wondering what happened to the matching shampoo… I like to use matching hair products, and whenever I finish a conditioner, I pass the leftover shampoo on to my husband.

8 Imperial Leather Invigorating Mango & Papaya Shower Cream – this is a great shower cream, and I’ll repurchase it soon. My husband used it too, so this is another shared empty!

9 Sanctuary Spa Kyphi Nourishing Body Butter – this is one of the best body butters I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued. 😦

10 MUA Blusher Shade 2 – I liked this blush. Good pigmentation, east to blend, lovely shade. I wouldn’t buy it again, but that’s only because I have way too many blushes…

11 Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – one of my holy grail products!

12 Garnier Pure Active Anti-Imperfection Cleansing Gel – this is a very effective face wash. This is another shared empty (my husband enjoyed this face wash very much). If you’re looking for a simple product that gives your skin a proper deep cleanse, look no further! I can see myself buying this face wash again.

13 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser – this is a nice and effective cleansing cream. I’ve been happy with it, but I won’t buy it again any time soon because I have a few similar products in my stash, and I need to get on top of those cleansers first.

14 Boots The Garden Collection Lavender Body Lotion (travel size) – I think this is a great little body lotion. I have a back-up!

15 Boots The Garden Collection Lavender Body Wash (travel size) – this shower gel was really lovely. I have one more bottle!

16 Baylis & Harding Mango & Mandarin Fragrance Mist – I enjoyed this body mist while it lasted, but it wasn’t special enough for me to buy it again.

I’m happy with what I finished in November. I said goodbye to a blush, I emptied a few travel-sized products, and I managed to finish several skin care products. Not bad, eh? 🙂 What have you finished last month? Feel free to comment. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – July 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished last month. I used a few single-use face masks. Whilst I don’t keep the empty sachets, you can read about my latest face mask finds here. Now onto the ‘big’ empties! 🙂

1 Superdrug Clearly Youthful Resurfacing Night Serum – this is a great serum. Since it contains AHA and BHA it doesn’t smell great, but this serum gives real results. Unfortunately this product has been discontinued, but I have one more back-up bottle.

2 Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – I love this product! I will continue to buy it for as long as it’s made. Awesome stuff!

3 Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Perfume Roll-On – this fragrance is nice. It says coconut nectar, but it’s more like a heavy vanilla with lots of honey and a drop of coconut milk. I won’t buy it again because I don’t love the fragrance.

4 I Love… Mango & Papaya Refreshing Body Spritzer – this body spritzer was a nice surprise. The fragrance is sunny and summery – and it’s very well done. Definitely a lot better than all those £15 celebrity fragrances. I have 1 back-up bottle!

5 Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Deep Clean Gel – this is a wonderful face wash (and I have a back-up). I’d love to buy this product again and again, but, unfortunately, it’s been discontinued.

6 I Love… Tropical Paradise Nourishing Body Butter – this body butter was really nice. Very nourishing, but not sticky. Great for summer! I would buy this body butter again, but it appears that Tropial Paradise was a limited edition that sold out quickly.

7 L’Oréal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal Sparkling Conditioner – this is an average conditioner. However, I might buy it again one more time because I’d like to test if the Nutri-Gloss Luminizer shampoo would be a better prep for this conditioner.

8 I Love… Tropical Paradise Bath & Shower Crème – this is a nice shower gel with a pleasant exotic fragrance. I would buy it again. However, it appears that this limited edition product is gone for good!

9 Nail Polish Remover – quite effective and not too stinky, and dirt cheap (£1 for 400ml)! Yes, I have a back-up.

10 Astor Fashion Studio 221 Cabaret – this was an ugly pearly-white polish with a frosty finish. I used it as a base coat. Repurchase? Nope!

11 Rimmel Lycra Pro 421 Clearly Clear – one of my favourite clear polishes. Great as a base coat or as a top coat. I have several bottles in various states of empty. 🙂

12 MUA Top Clear Coat – yes, its name is Top Clear Coat! This is a reasonable top coat. And I have a few back-up bottles.

13 The Healing Garden JasmineSensations – this is a super sweet jasmine and bubble gum fragrance. Gorgeous! I have a few 15ml bottles!

14 Leafy & Lovely Summer Meadow Hand Lotion – a very nice hand cream! It also looks super fancy but it was £1 only. This hand cream has been repackaged – and I have one more tube in my stash!

15 Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Radiance Boosting Scrub – a reasonable scrub. Effective, but not harsh at all. I’ve been using this scrub every Saturday for 10 months, and it’s finally finished! Whilst I would recommend this scrub, I won’t buy it again because I have countless scrubs in my stash.

16 Garnier Moisture + Protect Daily Protective Moisturiser – this is a good moisturiser. However, I don’t like the fragrance at all, so I wouldn’t buy it again.

This is what I emptied last month. I’m glad I managed to finish another big 500ml shower gel and lots of smaller items! Feel free to comment if you want to. And thanks for reading. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Beauty & Cutie Haul – Boots, Superdrug, Asda & Primark

Hi there! Some of you may remember that I used to buy toiletries, skin care and make-up in bulk. But I’ve stopped doing that a few months ago. Since then my approach to shopping has been 3 out / 1 in, which is going surprisingly well, so I’m sticking to this approch until (at least) the end of the year. 🙂 OK, I haven’t done much shopping lately, and because of that I’ve built up some “shopping credit”. So I decided to treat myself to a few new products. Now let me show you what I bought!

I found this Baylis & Harding Beauticology Donut Shop gift set at my local Asda store. It was £6 and it contains the following full size products: Blueberry Glaze Donut Shower Crème, Frosted Sprinkles Bath Soak Crystals, Vanilla Sugar Donut Body Butter. Yummy!

I also found lots of cute trainer socks at Primark. I bought a set of 3 pairs of Pokémon socks…

… and a set of 3 pairs of Care Bears socks. No, clothes and accessories have nothing to do with the 3 out / 1 in policy / approach / thing. However, I still wanted to show you that I bought these super cute trainer socks. 🙂 OK, now let’s get back to the toiletries and the beauty products that I picked up from Boots and Superdrug!

I bought 2 Carex shower gels. Carex used to do hand soaps and hand gels only, but they’ve recently launched shower and bath products too. These Carex shower gels were £1 each (special offer, Boots). I also bought 3 Boots Extracts Body Sprays – 2 mango sprays and 1 vanilla spray. These sprays are £3.50 each, but Boots ran a 3 for 2 promo, so I spent £7 in total for these 3 fantastic body sprays.

I found this super cute Caolion O2 Sparkling Purifying Soap by accident. I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t need it. But it was £4 (Boots) and it looked cute… I wanted it, and I bought it! I also bought 3 more B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritzes. They’re normally £7.95 each, but they were on special (half price), so they were £3.95 each. However, Superdrug also ran a 3 for 2 promo on selected skin care products, so I paid £7.90 in total for these 3 body spritzes. Fantastic value!

I bought 3 more items from Boots’ Essentials collection – a Cucumber Facial Scrub, a Cucumber Facial Toner and a Cucumber 3-Minute Clay Mask. I’m really looking forward to testing these products!

I also bought several Carex Bubble Gum hand washes (Superdrug, 89p each) and several Carex Bubble Gum hand gels (£1 each, Boots). But these products are essentials, so I always stock up when they’re on special. 🙂

Any comments on my beauty and cutie haul? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

You Need This In Your Life – 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz

Hi there! I’ve been using Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz for over a month now. So I think it’s time to tell you a little bit about this product.

First of all, this product is certified cruelty-free (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo) and it’s suitable for vegans!

I didn’t know that hyaluronic acid could be obtained from plant sources – but it appears that the humble potato is an excellent source of hyaluronic acid. So keep eating your spuds, OK?

Now let’s get away from the trivia. Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz promises 12 hours of skin hydration and healthy skin with regular use. Sounds good!

In addition, the product claims to be a perfect pick-me-up for tired skin. And apparently this facial spritz is non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t clog pores. Nice!

The directions for use state that you can use this product on freshly cleansed skin, you can spray it over make-up, or you can use it “whenever your skin needs a refreshing boost”. So in summary, you can use it whenever you want. 🙂

As I said, I’ve been using this product almost every day for a month now. And I love it. I have to admit that I rarely use it right after cleansing. But I love to spray it over my make-up. Here’s why…

… I have very dry skin and I have eczema. Of course I also have semi-permanent dry patches, and there is only one foundation (Max Factor’s Pan Stik) that doesn’t highlight those dry patches. Actually, the Pan Stik conceals those dry patches perfectly! However, because of the cold and dry air in our office (I think the air con is set to permafrost…) I usually need to do some serious touching up on my make-up by lunch time – otherwise the dry patches show their ugly… scales.

But since I’ve been using this hyaluronic acid product, I don’t have to ‘redo’ my make-up during the day anymore! Two sprays in the morning after I’ve done my make-up, two sprays at lunch time, and sometimes two more sprays before I leave the office (but this depends on whether I’m doing anything exciting after work, or whether I just head home) – and that’s basically it. The only other thing I still (feel I have to) do is to go over my face with a kabuki brush every couple of hours – just to rearrange my face (that’s what my husband calls it…).

In summary, this product is amazing! It’s the best thing since I discovered konjac sponges (again, thank you Stashy and Kathy). Buy it! And buy konjac sponges! Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz is available as 75ml for £7.99. However, at the moment Superdrug is running a buy one get one free promotion on selected B. skin care, so you really have to get two of these face mists (one for at home, the other one for your handbag). 😉

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

20+ New Products – Boots AND Superdrug Haul!

Hi there! It’s almost Christmas. And since I’m planning some serious shopping this Boxing Day, I wanted to show you what I’ve bought so far this month. I expect to do another haul post after Christmas though. 🙂 OK, this is what I bought this month.

I stocked up on Superdrug’s konjac sponges. They’re £1.99 each, but they’re on a 3 for 2 offer. So I bought 3 more. There are only two sponges in the picture, I know. Sponge number 3 is already in the bathroom, it’s ready to be used once I’ve thrown out my current sponge (which will happen in a few days).

I picked up Zoella’s Kissy Missy Lip Balm for £1. And I also bought B.’s Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz. It was £3.95 (half price offer) and I’ve wanted to try it for some time. So I bought it.

I bought two Body Fantasies fragrances – Twilight Mist and Pink Grapefruit Fantasy. I already have Grapefruit Fantasy, but these two were on a 2 for £3 offer, and they’re usually £3.99 each. And since I could have two body mists for less than the price of one, I just bought another Pink Grapefruit Fantasy body mist. By the way, I hate the Twilight Mist fragrance. I think it’s the stuff of nightmares. It smells like a cheaper version of Britney Spears’ Fantasy. My teenage relative will love it, no doubt!

I bought another Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Eye Cream. This eye cream isn’t brightening at all, but otherwise it’s a fairly nice eye cream. And it was £2.95 only. And finally I got my hands on Superdrug’s Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser. This was £2.95 as well.

I also swung by my local Boots store. I bought Boots’ Botanics Triple Age Renewal Day Cream, Night Cream and Super Serum, and Boots’ Botanics Radiant Youth Microdermabrasion Polish. These products were £4 each.

And I bought six products from Boots’ Botanics All Bright range – Radiance Concentrate Serum, Day Cream, Night Cream, Toner, Cleansing Cream and Face Wash. These products were £2.50 each.

I’ve also stocked up on the Hyaluronic Acid face mists. Initially I bought one, but I liked it so much and I knew it would be stupid not to stock up. So I bought 4 more. The price was the same as before – £3.95 per bottle.

Superdrug’s face masks were on a buy 1 get 2nd half price offer. The face masks are 99p each, and because of the offer I paid £2.98 in total for the 4 face masks.

I also noticed that Superdrug had revamped their Extracts hair care collection. The bottle design is new, and they also had a few new fragrances. I liked Grapefruit & Papaya and Aloe Vera & Mango. These were 89p each. Normally the Extracts products are £2.29 each, but there was a better than half price offer.

So this is what I bought this month. I spent just over £71 which isn’t much at all considering I got myself 5 hyaluronic acid face mists! I’m really happy with what I bought (even though I needed none of these products) – but I know I’ll go out hunting for bargains again soon.

Feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it! And Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde