Declutter & Swatches Part 1 – Rimmel, Essence, NYC, Manhattan, Astor, Beauty UK & W7

Hi there! I’m in the process of going through my almost bottomless stash of cosmetics – and will throw out what I don’t want anymore or what has gone off. A few products will be kept. Lots of swatches too – all swatches were done on a well moisturised forearm! OK, let’s take a look!

1 Manhattan X-Treme Last & Shine Lipstick 94P

What a beautiful lipstick! I wish I tried it sooner! I will keep this one and start using it asap!

2 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 330 Sloane’s Plum

This lipstick looks almost black. But when applied, it’s a medium plum shade.

3 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 860 Auburn Breeze

A reddish brown in the bullet, but a sheer brownish red on skin.

4 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 680 Precious Brown

Precious Brown is a bit too pale and too sheer for me.

5 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 840 Burgundy Shine

Not a bad colour, but too vampy for me. I’m very pale, and this shade gives me an unwanted goth look.

6 NYC Cityproof Twistable Intense Lip Color 050 Park Slope Peach

Now this is one ugly colour! Binned right away!

7 Astor Rouge Couture 301 Nude Silk

Nude Silk is a beautiful shade. I will keep this one too.

8 Astor Colour Last VIP 344 Classy Red

I like this one! It’s a nice, wearable red. I will keep this one for now.

9 Beauty UK Eye Shadow Palette No. 4 Earth Child

This is what the eyeshadows look like.

Top row swatches – decent shades and pigmentation!

Bottom row swatches… yikes!

This palette will be binned!

10 Essence All About Nude Eyeshadow

Not sure if this is mould (top right), but this eye palette is not only new and unused – it is still sealed! 🤢

And the last two for today… Essence Silky Touch Blush 20 Babydoll. It was my go-to blush until March 2020. But I haven’t touched it since – because I work from home permanently, and whenever I don’t have to be on camera, I don’t bother with make-up. Anyhoo, I’m now saying goodbye to this pretty blush.

I’m also letting this W7 Silky Eyes Bare It All eye compact go. I haven’t touched in since March 2020. I loved the 2 brown shades so much! But it’s goodbye now!

I’m happy that I started to go through my stash. It’s not always easy to let things go, especially when there are hidden gems which I never even tried… but it has to be done. By the way, I’ve also binned about 20 products which I didn’t find swatch-worthy – not too bad!

Thanks for stopping by! x

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

June Beauty Awards

Hi there! Since I ‘m having so much fun doing monthly empties posts, I thought I’d try monthly favourites as well. I’ll call these posts beauty awards and I’ll pick three favourites and throw in a few honourable mentions. 🙂 This month I’ve used quite a few new products. And a few of them have won me over completely.

3rd place – My New Favourite Blush- Essence Silky Touch Blush 20 Babydoll

This is an amazing blush. It goes with almost every make-up look and it’s highly pigmented. Absolutely brilliant!

Runner-Up – My New Favourite Face Serum – Olay Anti-Wrinkle Instant Hydration Day Serum

This serum is absolutely amazing. It even tames my moody semi-permanent eczema patch. 11 stars!

WINNER – 100% Awesome AND 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Renewal Face Mask

This face mask is exactly what I wanted – a product that makes my complexion look brighter and more even. The difference after a single use was incredible. And it’s easy to use and dirt cheap.

Like I said earlier, I loved more than three products this month, so I’d like to throw in a few honourable mentions.

At first there’s Boots’ Sweet Mango body care range. The mango fragrance is absolutely gorgeous. Other (more expensive) high street brands’ comparable offerings can’t compete with Boots’ mango-scented products.

I also loved the Montagne Jeunesse face masks I tried this month. The Mud Pac and the Lemon Zest Peel Off Mask were brilliant!

So this was my first ‘monthly favourites’ post. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I certainly enjoyed writing it. 🙂 Have you tried any of these products? Or have you discovered any new beauty favourites recently? Please feel free to let me know what you think. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

My New Favourite Blush- Essence Silky Touch Blush 20 Babydoll

Hi there! A couple of weeks ago I spotted the most amazing blush on my friend Jodi’s blog. So I bought it – for £1! Now let’s have a closer look at this beauty – Essence Silky Touch Blush 20 Babydoll.

I love the texture of this blush. It really is silky. And it applies like a charm! The blush is also highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way – and the blush will last me for quite a while. Excellent quality, amazing value!

I’m also in love with the colour. It looks a bit brownish in the photos, but in real life it’s more like a fresh and lively rosey shade with hints of pink, coral, red and terracotta – I think my swatch captured it well. This shade is incredibly beautiful and I love how it makes my pale skin glow. 🙂

I would recommend Essence Silky Touch Blush 20 Babydoll to anyone who is looking for a lovely and longlasting spring & summer blush. So if you like this blush, swing by your local Wilko store (in the UK Essence is exclusive to Wilko) or check Wilko’s web site (the blush is £1 only online).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde