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 💙💛

Weekly Recap 14 – 20 June 2021

Hi there! Happy Sunday! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’re wondering what I’ve been up to on my blog this past week.

Monday 14 Jun – Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Smoothing All Over Body Cream With Acacia Collagen

Monday’s post was about Superdrug’s amazing vegan collagen body cream. Click here to read it.

Tuesday 15 Jun – Herbal Essences Moisture Balance Shampoo & Conditioner

On Tuesday I revisited some of my holy grail hair products. Click here to read my review.

Wednesday 16 Jun – Nail Of The Day
Thursday 17 Jun – Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator

Wednesday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
On Thursday I reviewed a powerful micro-dermabrasion product. Click here to read the post.

Friday 18 Jun – Poundland #6 Anti-Ageing Retinol Facial Serum With SPF 25

And Friday’s post was about the facial serum I’m using at the moment. Click here to read my review.

And this is already it for this week. Thanks for stopping by. x

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 19 – 25 April 2021

Hi there! Happy Sunday! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’re wondering what I’ve been up to on my blog this past week.

Monday 19 Apr – Nail Of The Day
Tuesday 20 Apr – Skin Treats Ginger Radiating Sheet Mask

Monday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
On Tuesday I reviewed a face mask. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 21 Apr – Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

Wednesday’s post was about my all-time favourite hair products. Click here to take a look.

Thursday 22 Apr – Superdrug Layering Lab Fresh Body Mist, Superdrug Layering Lab Sorbet Body Mist

And on Thursday I reviewed 2 body mists from Superdrug’s Layering Lab collection. Click here to read the post.

I didn’t post on Friday, so this is it for this week. Thanks for stopping by! x

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Revisiting Holy Grail Products – Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 holy grail hair products – Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Shampoo & Conditioner. These products are aimed at all hair types, and they promise shiny hair that’s soft and silky.

The shampoo is my all-time number 1 – it is very clarifying (even my husband loves to use this shampoo after a sweaty 90-minute workout), but at the same time it’s not drying at all. It actually feels hydrating – but it’s hydration only, no grease! This is THE perfect shampoo. 11 stars!

The conditioner is also my all-time number 1 – it detangles my hair like it’s nothing. I’ve got long and curly hair that I NEVER brush or comb. I only go through my hair with my fingers once a day – and that’s when I wash and condition my hair = every morning in the shower. This conditioner makes my hair feel soft, silky and bouncy. It’s not weighing my hair down. This conditioner is perfect in every way!

What else? These hair products smell incredible. I can’t describe the scent. It’s sweet, floral, fresh, transparent… it smells like paradise!

Unfortunately, Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Shampoo & Conditioner have been discontinued. But they can still be found online or in bargain stores that specialise in end-of-line products. I saw Herbal Essences products (400ml bottles for £2 each) at Poundstretcher not long ago – but I didn’t buy any. I have plenty of back-up (dozens of bottles) which will last me for years. And I also had to promise my husband not to buy any more of these… But if you see these products (pink or yellow – doesn’t matter), go and grab a few bottles!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Passion Flower & Rice Milk Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about the hair care products I’m using at the moment – Herbal Essences Bio Renew Passion Flower & Rice Milk Shampoo & Conditioner with botanical ingredients from Kew Gardens in Surrey! I’ve been using these products for about 3 weeks now, and here’s what I think.

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Passion Flower & Rice Milk Shampoo is a creamy white shampoo. It smells of passion flowers, and it’s gentle. I think it would be good for dry hair types.

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Passion Flower & Rice Milk Conditioner detangles my hair with ease. Just like the shampoo, this conditioner would be perfect for dry hair types, and it should also be ideal for stand-offish hair (mine’s like that more often that I’d care to admit).

However, I’ve noticed that these products make my hair go greasy much quicker than usual. I wash my hair daily, so this shouldn’t happen. What I’m doing now is… use these Herbal Essences products for 3 days on and 1 day off. On the “off” day I use Alberto Balsam hair products which suck the grease (or rather product residue) right off of my hair and scalp!

All in all, I think Herbal Essences Bio Renew Passion Flower & Rice Milk Shampoo & Conditioner are nice products for the right hair type or hair care routine. I can definitely see myself buying these products again. If you’re interested, these hair products are available as 400ml for about £6, but I paid £2.97 each (half price offer).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Herbal Essences Bio Renew White Grapefruit & Mint Volume Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about the hair care products I’m using at the moment – Herbal Essences Bio Renew White Grapefruit & Mint Volume Shampoo & Conditoner. I love all things grapefruit, and I Iove big hair too – so I thought I need to try these products asap!

I’m pretty sure that Herbal Essences Bio Renew White Grapefruit & Mint Volume Shampoo & Conditoner is volumising when used on its own. It feels like it’s roughing up my hair with every wash. The shampoo smells nice from the bottle, but it’s rather bland once it hits the palm of my hand. The fragrance isn’t bad, it’s just… unspectacular.

Herbal Essences Bio Renew White Grapefruit & Mint Volume Shampoo & Conditoner detangles my hair with ease, but it also seems to undo the volumising effect of the shampoo. And the fragrance is too boring for my taste.

Based on my experience, I wouldn’t buy these products again. I’ll finish them, but I’ll happily move on to another shampoo and conditioner combo. If you’re interested, Herbal Essences Bio Renew White Grapefruit & Mint Volume Shampoo & Conditoner are available as 400ml each for £5.99 each. I spent £2.97 each (half price offer).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – June 2020

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I said goodbye to in June. As always, I used a number of single-use face masks, and if you’d like to read about my latest face mask findings, you can click here. Now let’s focus on the big bottles and tubes.

1 Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Refreshing Toning Mist – this is an amazing face mist which I’ll buy again for sure!

2 Nivea Clay Fresh Deep Cleansing Shower With Hibiscus & White Sage Scent – this is a nice shower gel. I’ll buy this again in the future.

3 Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Body Wash – I love this stuff! I might have a few more tubes in my stash – I certainly hope so because the entire Extracts collection has been discontinued. 😢

4 Beauty UK 76 Jade – this is a good quality polish! I won’t repurchase it though because I have at least 15 very similar shades in my stash.

5 CND Creative Play Top Coat – this is an amazing top coat. I found it at Poundland! I’m glad I have a few more of these in my stash.

6 Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum – this is a lovely serum. I have one more, and I’m halfway through the second tube as well. I will repurchase the current version of this serum, no doubt!

7 Manhattan Colour Loop Lipgloss 52S Soft Nude – I love this lipgloss! This is already the 2nd one of these that I’ve gone through. I have one more, and I aim to finish it this or next month.

8 Sukin Nourishing Chia Seed Oil – this is a very rich facial oil. It has served me very well. However, I didn’t care for its strong smell, so I won’t repurchase this one.

9 The Body Shop Frosted Berries Shower Gel – I liked the sweet berry fragrance, but the formula was just too drying.

10 Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Conditioner – this is my HOLY GRAIL conditioner. It has been discontinued but I’m sitting on a significant stash of original Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners. 😁

11 Imperial Leather Narwhal Always Love You – I loved this one! I think I’ll buy it again!

12 Sukin Foaming Facial Cleanser – this cleanser is good but it’s not in my all-time favourites, so I don’t think that I’ll buy it again.

13 Scinic Vita Ade Eye Cream – This is an amazing eye cream. I hope I can find it again.

14 Boots Extracts Luscious Vanilla Body Lotion – I loved this body lotion. Too bad it has been discontinued.

15 Boots Extracts Luscious Vanilla Body Spray – another sensational Boots Extracts product that I’ll miss dearly!

16 I Love… Raspberry & Blackberry Refreshing Body Spritzer – this is a lovely all-over body spray. I have at least 1 more of these in my stash.

I think June has been another amazing month for empties. I hope I can continue the streak! 😂

Which products have you said goodbye to recently? Feel free to get in touch via the comments, and thanks for stopping by! 😊

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about a hair care combo I’m using at the moment – Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. And here’s what I think…

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Shampoo is a dream come true. Whilst the creamy white shampoo is boring to look at, it feels amazing on my head and hair. Wow! And then there’s the fragrance which is… unbelievable! 🥰

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Conditioner is just as amazing. It’s really effective, and I don’t need much product at all. And again, there’s this insanely beautiful fragrance…

All in all, I think these products are some of the best hair products I’ve ever tried. I didn’t think Herbal Essences would do anything that would come close to its fabulous originals but this shampoo and conditioner combo comes pretty close in terms of quality and fragrance.

My husband also fell in love with the fragrance of this shampoo. He found these for half price at Sainsbury’s a few weeks ago, and he bought himself 3 bottles! Well, what can I say… if you’re not trying these lovely products, it’s your own fault really!

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Shampoo and Conditioner are available as 400ml for £5.99 each. I paid £2.99 each (special offer).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! Today’s post is about Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Shampoo & Conditioner. It appears that these products are exclusive to Asda, which is where I picked them up when they were on special (2 for £5 offer). Onto the review!

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Shampoo is quite nice. It’s boring to look at (it’s one of those creamy white shampoos), but it feels cleansing without being harsh. The cocoa fragrance is pleasant, although I would have preferred a more chocolatey fragrance. It’s not Herbal Essences’ fault, but I just expect something chocolatey whenever I read cocoa (am I right, Anne Brooke?)…

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Conditioner is good, but not great. I love Herbal Essences’ original hair products, so I’m expecting this brand to be better than the competition. Whilst this conditioner helps me detangle my hair, and whilst it does make my hair feel soft, I do need quite a bit of product to achieve the desired result. The conditioner smells a bit “darker” than the shampoo. It smells like cocoa powder with a hint of incense. It’s not bad at all, but I really wanted a chocolate-scented hair care combo.

Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Shampoo & Conditioner are available as 400ml for £4.50 each. I don’t think I’ll repurchase these 2 products, but I wouldn’t mind recommending them to people with normal hair.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – August 2016

Hi there! It’s the 1st of September – this means it’s time for the monthly empties post. Again, I managed to use use up quite a few products (I’ve done well this summer!), so here’s what I’ve said goodbye to in August.

1 Jennifer Lopez Live EDP (100ml) – I’ve worn this fragrance on and off for about five years. It’s one of my favourite fragrances and a guilty pleasure because in real life I try my best not to tell people that I’m in love with a J Lo fragrance. However, I’m happy to recommend this fragrance on my blog (Try it!) and I’m just as happy to tell you I have another 100ml back-up bottle!

2 NSPA Passionfruit Fragrance Body Mist (200ml) – I’ve used this body mist on and off since last summer – as a body and scarf spray. 🙂 It’s a decent fruity body mist. But I won’t buy another bottle because I’ve got too many fragrances and fragrance mists, but if you’re looking for a budget-friendly, simple, fresh, fruity and tropical body mist, I’d definitely recommend you try this one.

3 Alverde Grapefruit & Kiwi Body Spray (100ml) – I bought this body spray in 2010 and I’ve finally used it up. I actually liked this body spray. The fragrance is (well, was) 95% kiwi – very fresh, a little sweet and a little tangy! This one was a limited edition, so it’s no longer available. But I wouldn’t repurchase it anyway because I’ve got other fragrances that want to be used up!

4 Original Source Extreme Deep Clean Liquorice Body Scrub – I’ve used this one on and off since mid-July. If you love liquorice, you need to try this shower scrub. It’s brilliant. My husband likes this scrub too. And since he’s also used it a couple of times, this one is a shared empty. And yes, I have a back-up bottle. 🙂

5 I Love… Raspberry Vanilla Shower Cream – I’ve used this one on and off since May. It’s very nice! It’s sad that it has been discontinued. 😦

6 Imperial Leather Revitalising Grapefruit & Pomegranate Shower Cream – I’ve used this one on and off since mid-June. It’s a super refreshing shower cream that’s perfect for those summer days when it’s too hot to use a body lotion after the shower. Unfortunately this product has been discontinued and I can’t buy it again. But I’ve got at least two back-up bottles.

7 Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Deep Clean Gel – one of the best face washes I’ve ever tried. I’ve used this face wash on and off since mid-May and I’m very happy with the results. But I’ve used this face wash before so I knew how brilliant this product is. Unfortunately this face wash has been discontinued, so I can’t buy it again. But I have three tubes left, so there’s no need for me to panic.

8 Rimmel 60 Seconds 740 Clear – one of my favourite clear polishes. Applies like a charm, dries quickly…. I have several back-up bottles and I’ll continue to buy this polish for as long as I can find it.

9 Dove Intensive Nourishing Hand Cream – my go-to hand cream until it was almost empty and I forgot about it. But I’ve made an effort to use it up now. I really liked this hand cream. Too bad it’s been discontinued.

10 Herbal Essences (Rainforest Flowers) Sensuously Smooth Conditioner – one of the best conditioners ever made. It made my hair feel incredibly smooth and soft. This conditioner mops the floor with comparable drugstore conditioners that promise smooth hair! Whilst I have a few back-up bottles of the shampoo and the conditioner, I think it’s very sad that the wonderful Rainforest Flowers collection has been discontinued. 😦

11 Radox Brazilian Fusion – a decent shower gel that’s actually more of a shower cream. It smells of white flowers which is nice, but not very special. This empty is another shared empty (my husband used this shower gel a few times too last month). This shower gel has been discontinued – but I wouldn’t rush out to repurchase it anyway.

12 Bronnley Lemon & Neroli Body Lotion – a light moisturiser that’s perfect for summer. This lotion doesn’t feel sticky at all – and it’s paraben-free! Whilst I don’t think I’ll repurchase this particular body lotion (it’s £12 for 250ml), I would recommend it to anyone who loves the classic fragrance of lemon and neroli and who doesn’t mind spending a little more on a body lotion.

13 (no photo) – I’ve used several face masks (Superdrug, Montagne Jeunesse) – but as usual, I didn’t keep the empty (=messy) sachets.

So this is what I emptied last month. Not too bad, eh? This month is going to be awesome for empties as I’m making it a priority to use up several travel-sized products and to empty a few half full bottles, tubs and tubes which I have plenty of!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde