Poundland #6 Vit C Toner

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Poundland #6 Vit C Toner. Poundland is not the first shop that comes to mind when you think of skin care. But their #6 range is actually quite good. I tried a bunch of their products, and I don’t remember a single stinker.

When I saw this vitamin C toner, I had to have it. I love vitamin C in skin care, and this toner is a ridiculous £3, so why would I leave it on the shelf?

Looking at the ingredients, glycolic acid is the 2nd ingredient, and vitamin C is the 3rd – this is really amazing! This toner also contains aloe vera leaf juice and a bit of retinol. Wow!

I’ve been using this toner for about 2 months now, and I’ve loved it from day 1. It’s quite a powerful toner. It exfoliates and brightens the skin. I use it every morning, and I can feel its exfoliating power. This toner has made a visible difference to my skin, and I love it very much!

With respect to its strength, I think this toner is comparable to Superdrug’s Naturally Radiant toner. However, you should still patch test this toner before you use it. Glycolic acid is powerful stuff, so make sure your skin tolerates it.

If you’re interested, Poundland #6 Vit C Toner is availabe as 200ml for £3. On the back of the bottle is also says that the product is vegan and cruelty-free!

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 💙💛

Nip + Fab Renew Retinol Fix Tonic Extreme

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Nip + Fab Renew Retinol Fix Tonic Extreme.

This is a toner that promises visible anti-ageing results – but it doesn’t say how long it would take for you to see any results. 🤷‍♀️

The toner contains retinol which is known for its skin rejuvenation properties, an amino acid derivative to improve skin clarity and to even out the skin tone, and panthenol to deeply hydrate the skin.

You’re supposed to use this toner 2-3 times per week (evenings only) on your face and neck. The toner comes with a few warnings: Overuse can lead to dry skin or skin irritation, don’t use the toner on irritated skin, and consult your doctor before use if you’re pregnant! 😮

Wow, this sounds exciting and scary at the same time!

I’ve been using this toner once every 5-6 days for almost a year (10 months?), and I can safely say that it’s one of my favourite beauty products ever. I’m also still on my first bottle! 😍

Alrighty, let’s start with what I’ve learned… I couldn’t use this toner 2-3 times per week. It will irritate my skin, especially the skin around the eyes, quite a bit. How do I know? Because I tried to use it once every 3 days – but this was too frequent for me.

Then I tried to use this toner once every 4 days. Still not it. Then I went on to using it once every 5 days – this works well, and this is what I stick to. Occasionally, I give my skin an extra day, and that’s usually when I have to be outside the next day. That’s because retinol treatments and sunlight are not meant to go together.

What’s the toner like? It’s a clear toner, and it smells OK. I can’t describe the scent, but it’s definitely nothing natural. It does smell like “product”, but it’s not bad or unpleasant at all.

Onto more important things now! This toner feels amazing on my skin. I love using it. I can feel a bit of a pleasant tingle every time I use it. The toner feels very cleansing, and I can feel that it penetrates my skin to work its magic. I love it! I also love how quickly I can see results. Within minutes of using this toner, my skin looks more even in tone and texture. Amazing!

I know that, with all the different products I use, it’s sometimes not easy to tell which product does what, but having used this toner for almost a year, I know what it does, and I know that it helps me look refreshed and youthful.

If you’re interested, Nip + Fab Renew Retinol Fix Tonic Extreme is available as 100ml for £24.95. I paid £10 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Scinic Aqua All In One Ampoule

Hi there! Today I’m reviewing Scinic’s Aqua All In One Ampoule. I bought this product because I loved the look of it. However, I had to google to find out what it’s supposed to do!

Alrighty, this product promises to revolutionise skin care because it can be used as… a toner, an essence, a serum, a moisturiser, and, apparently, even as a sleeping pack. All you need to do is apply the product to your face.

I’ve been using this product since November 2017 (the current routine is shower, ampoule, eye cream, day cream), so here’s what I think…

I’ve been applying a generous amount of product to my face and neck every day (mornings only) for over 3 months now, and the bottle is still more than half full. I think that’s impressive! However, this is the only thing that’s impressive…

… This product cannot replace a toner because it just doesn’t work. It’s not a serum because it’s nothing like a serum. It can’t be a moisturiser because it’s not hydrating. And it’s certainly not a sleeping pack because no matter how much product you apply, it’ll always dry down to the same dry and dull (yet slightly tacky) mess.

I wanted to love the product, but it’s not working for me. I can’t use it on its own or in conjuction with any of my regular moisturisers because it makes my skin feel dehydrated.

Having said that, this product gives me the chance to use (and hopefully finish) some of the richer (well, greasy) moisturisers that I own – because it manages to suck the oil right out of those greaseball face creams. So… I guess I could say that I did make this product work! 😉

I wouldn’t repurchase Scinic’s Aqua All In One Ampoule. However, if you’re interested, it’s available as 250ml (I believe). I paid £9.99 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Olay Anti-Wrinkle Facial Cleansing Products – Cleansing Milk, Face Wash & Toner

Hi there! A few weeks ago I bought a few new Olay products – they were on a better than half price offer (£2.95 each instead of £5.99 each), so I had to have them. Now meet Olay Anti-Wrinkle Cleansing Milk, Olay Anti-Wrinkle Face Wash and Olay Anti-Wrinkle Toner.

Olay’s Ani-Wrinkle cleansing products promise…
– to help reduce the appearance of fine lines,
– to improve dull skin,
– to make skin look and feel smoother,
– to maintain skin suppleness,
– to promote the renewal of skin cells,
– and to “fight signs of ageing as you cleanse” (that’s what it says on the back of these three products).

I’ve now used these products for three weeks. And if you read on, I’ll tell you what I think of Olay’s Anti-Wrinkle cleansing products.

I think the cleansing milk is quite effective. It removes my make-up very well, and it doesn’t cause any problems when I use it to remove my eye make-up. I think this cleansing milk makes my skin feel and look smooth and supple. Nice!

I really like the face wash. It reminds me very much of Olay’s Total Effects Face Wash – the texture and the fragrance are the same! I think this face wash makes my skin feel great. It’s creamy and it exfoliates my skin gently. It’s perfect for dry skin and for everyday use.

The toner is very nice too. It removes make-up and cleanser residue without problems, and it makes my skin feel clean and refreshed. Whilst I prefer the fragrance of Olay’s blue toner, I can’t find any issue with this toner.

I don’t think that any of these products have made a difference to my fine lines. But I really enjoy using these cleansing products because they make my skin feel great. In addition, I’m 35, so I can accept that the fine lines aren’t going away. 🙂

Olay’s Anti-Wrinkle cleansing products are available for £5.99 each. The toner and the cleansing milk are 200ml, the face wash is 150ml.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Rossmann Rival de Loop Refreshing Toner with Ginkgo and Cucumber

Hi there! Normally I’m using Olay products for all my facial needs. However, I’ve also accumulated quite an impressive stash of other drugstore products, some of them even from different countries.

Now that I’m working my way through products which have been stashed away for ages, I’m using Rossmann Rival de Loop Refreshing Toner with Ginkgo for oily, normal and combination skin. I bought this toner years ago, so I’m not 100% sure how old it really is, but it contains alcohol, so it keeps. 🙂

Alcohol is also the keyword. I should have remembered it before I swept a make-up remover pad drenched in toner around my eyes. Whilst this product works absolutely fine and without problems (no burning or stinging sensation or redness) around the eyes, it was a bit painful when I got it in my eyes.

However, now I’m more careful and I haven’t had any problems since.

I think this is a really good toner. It smells fresh and clean and despite it containing alcohol, it doesn’t make my skin feel dry or tight. I would definitely recommend it and I’ll certainly pick up another bottle the next time I’m in Germany. I’m not sure how much this toner costs, but it’s a drugstore own-brand product, so it’s definitely very affordable.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde