Empties – March 2019

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished in March. As always, I used a number of single-use face masks. I don’t keep the empty sachets for my monthly empties posts, but you can click here if you’d like to read about my latest face mask finds. Now… onto the big bottles and tubs! 🙂

1 I Love… Chocolate Truffle Nourishing Body Butter – this is one of my favourite body butters. It smells like chocolate ice cream! I have a few more tubs of this body butter.

2 True Skin Hydrating Facial Water – I’m glad this stuff is finished. I didn’t like it at all. Good riddance!

3 Palmolive Naturals Pampering Touch Shower Milk With Coconut – this is a lovely shower cream. And it doesn’t smell of coconut at all! Great stuff! I will repurchase this one, no doubt.

4 Palmolive Aroma Moments So Luminous Shower Gel – this is a nice shower gel that I can see myself buying again.

5 Super Facialist By Una Brennan Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Pore Purifying Clay Mask – this is a great mask. Very effective! At the moment I have too many face masks to even think about repurchasing any of them, but this is definitely one I would be happy to have again.

6 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish – this is a great product. I had it before, and I’ll buy it again.

7 Daily Defense Moisturising Conditioner With Keratin – one of my all-time favourites. I have 2 more shampoo and conditioner combos in my stash!

8 Dolly’s Mixtures Candy Floss Sweetness & Light Shower Gel – this is a cute shower gel. It’s very sweet! I might buy it again.

9 Yves Rocher Vanille Blanche / White Vanilla Bath & Shower Gel – a lovely shower gel. Too bad it was a limited edition.

10 Yves Rocher Vanille Blanche / White Vanilla Perfumed Body Lotion – another nice YR product. Limited edition as well.

11 Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter – good but not great. I wouldn’t repurchase it, but it were part of a gift set, I wouldn’t mind using it again.

This is what I used up in March. It’s not much compared to the past few months, but I’m not unhappy. As long as I finish at least 10 products per month, I won’t complain. 😎

What have you used up recently? Feel free to get in touch via the comments. 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

March Beauty Awards

Hi there! And welcome to Mrs Strawberry Blonde’s March Beauty Awards, a.k.a. my monthly favourites post. As always, I selected my favourites from all the products I’ve written about this month. And I’ve also thrown in a few honourable mentions. 🙂 Now, let’s get to the actual favourites!

3rd place – Daily Defense Keratin Shampoo & Conditioner

Since I paid £2 in total for a shampoo and a conditioner, I wasn’t expecting too much. However, these Daily Defense Keratin products are actually very good!

Runner-Up – Boots Extracts Rosehip Body Butter

Boots’ Extracts Rosehip Body Butter is an old favourite. This body butter is just amazing. It makes my skin feel sensationally soft, and the fragrance is fantastic.

WINNER – Boots Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish

I can’t believe I’ve never tried this Boots Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish before! Why didn’t I? I loved Boots’ old Botanics collection, especially the brightening toner and the brightening face wash, so at some point I should have tried Boots’ new (=current) collection…

Well, I’m glad that I’ve finally picked up a few Botanics products recently. The first product I tried was the Microdermabrasion Polish – which is excellent!

Thanks to this product my skin is brighter and my skin tone is more even than ever. I’ll definitely continue to use this product, and I can’t wait to try the other Botanics products!

If you want to read my review of this fantastic Microdermabrasion Polish, click here. 🙂

Now onto the honourable mentions: Whilst Boots’ Luminous Youth Sheet Mask isn’t perfect, I must say that I do like it very much and I will buy it again.

I also liked Montagne Jeunesse’s Manuka Honey Peel-Off Mask. And I think Superdrug did a great ob with their Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser.

Which products did you like best this month? Have you tried any of my favourites? If so, I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 20 – 26 Mar 2017

Hi there! Happy Sunday everyone! This post is my weekly blog recap. If you’ve missed a post that you might have liked, this is your chance to catch up.

Monday 20 Mar – Nail Of The Day / Nail Art Challenge
Friday 24 Mar – Nail Of The Day

I did nail posts on Monday and Friday – if you’d like to know how I did the print nails, click here. If you’d like to know which products I used to do the floral mani, click here.

Tuesday 21 Mar – Daily Defense Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner With Keratin

Tuesday’s post was about Daily Defense’s Keratin hair products. They’re really good! If you’d like to read the post or find out where you can pick up these hair goodies, click here.

Wednesday 22 Mar – Simple Pleasures Winter Woodland Shower Gels

On Wednesday I reviewed the Winter Woodland shower gels that I picked up on Boxing Day. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 23 Mar – Simple Pleasures Winter Woodland Body Lotions

And on Thursday I told you how I liked these Winter Woodland body lotions. If you’d like to read the post, click here.

This is it for this week. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Daily Defense Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner With Keratin

Hi there! A few months ago I bought 2 Daily Defense shampoo and conditioner combos, and I’m revieweing one of those combos today. Now meet Daily Defense Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner With Keratin!

To be honest, I’d never heard of this brand before – but I was interested because the products were made in Canada (Hello blogging buddies from Canada!) and they’re cruelty-free! 🙂 I’ve been using these two products for a few weeks now, so I’ve had the chance to form an opinion. Now let me tell you how I like these hair products!

I think the shampoo is really nice. It’s a little runnier than L’Oréal or Pantene shampoos, but that’s OK. The shampoo claims to be low in sulfate, but it still lathers up well. However, the shampoo is really gentle, and I’m sure it would be amazing for people with dry hair and / or sensitive scalps. The conditioner is very nice too. It helps me detangle my hair in the shower and it makes my hair feel very soft. I love it!

And now, let me compare these Daily Defense hair products with other brands! I think this shampoo & conditioner combo is even better than my favourite Pantene combo (= Breakage Defence), and it’s almost as good as my two favourite L’Oréal combos (= Colour Protect and Triple Resist). On top of that, these two Daily Defense hair products smell absolutely fantastic! Scent-wise they’re in my all-time top 5!

If you’d like to try Daily Defense’s Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner With Keratin, swing by your local bargain stores! I bought these two big 473ml bottles for £1 each (Poundstretcher), and I’ve also seen the shampoos in jumbo bottles (probably around 900ml) for £1.49 at Home Bargains! Now go, buy and try! I’d love to hear what you think about these Daily Defense hair products! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Poundland Clearance Haul – New Stuff & 50% Off Everything!

Hi there! A week ago I mentioned that one of the local Poundland stores is closing down and that I might stock up on stuff… well, I did! The store is closing this Saturday, 11 March, and as of now everything’s 50% off! So let me show you what I bought. 🙂

Poundland had 2 eyeshadow brushes and 2 foundation brushes left. They’re mine now. I think Poundland’s make-up brushes are really good. I’ve been using all sorts of different make-up brushes from Poundland for years – and I have yet to come across a dud. I also bought 4 nail art brush sets, and 2 sharpener & eyebrow brush sets. I wanted the sharpeners, but I don’t need the eyebrow brushes. But I can see that these eyebrow brushes might come in handy for nail art…

Whilst almost all the shampoos were gone, the store had lots of conditioners left. I picked up 3 Gliss conditioners (I can pick up the matching shampoos elsewhere). They had all sorts of different conditioners, but I only bought conditioners that I actually like and use. The ones I got for myself are Ultimate Volume, Ultimate Colour and Liquid Silk.

I got myself another Daily Defense Keratin conditioner (bought at Poundstretcher) and Alberto Balsam’s Mandarin & Papaya shampoo and conditioner.

And there’s more hair stuff! I bought another Alberto Balsam conditioner – this one’s Stunning Shine. And I picked up another Harmony Hair Indulgence shampoo and conditioner combo. And I found one more L’Oréal Deep Conditioner.

I found a Wonder Woman shower gel and shampoo set – and the matching fragrance as a roll-on! And I bought 5 nail products – 2 L’Oréal polishes, 1 Poundland glitter topper, 1 Poundland cuticle oil and 1 Poundland nail hardener.

This is what I bought. I paid £14 in total for all these goodies!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde