Empties – October 2016

Hi there! Today’s post is about the products I emptied last month. As always, I’ve enjoyed a few face masks. And now, let’s see how many empty bottles, tubs and tubes I’ve thrown out last month.

1 L’Oréal Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Conditioner – I liked this conditioner. It detangled my hair nicely, and it made my hair feel soft and smooth. I will probably buy it again. In case you’re wondering what happened to the shampoo… my husband is using it up because every time I empty a conditioner, I pass the matching shampoo on to my husband.

2 Radox Eastern Spirit Shower Gel – a nice shower gel. I like the feminine and exotic fragrance. I have another bottle.

3 Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Soothing Gel Cream – a very nice, non-sticky gel-cream. Unfortunately I can’t repurchase the product because it’s been discontinued.

4 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Eye Cream – I didn’t find this eye cream to be brightening. However, it’s still a decent eye cream that moisturises nicely and sits well under make-up. I might buy it again.

5 Boots Extracts Mango Body Scrub – a nice body scrub. I prefer grittier body scrubs, so this one isn’t my favourite. But the mango fragrance is 100% delicious. I might buy it again.

6 Superdrug Simply Pure Smoothing Face Scrub – a very decent face scrub for dry or sensitive skin. The best thing is that this scrub doesn’t contain crushed walnut shells or apricot stones, so it won’t harm your skin! I’ll repurchase this one as soo as there’s another half price or BOGOF offer.

7 NYC Expert Last Nail Polish 138 Classy Glassy – another great clear polish from NYC. I have several back-ups, but I’ll continue to buy these anyway.

8 Revlon Colorstay 270 Stiletto – my favourite black nail polish. It stamps perfectly, and when I use it to actually paint my nails, it never stains. I have several backup bottles. 🙂

9 Yves Rocher Apple Star Anise Refreshing Fragrance Mist – I really liked this body mist. The apple fragrance is very pleasant and authentic. Take note, Donna Karan, this is what an apple fragrance is supposed to smell like. Unfortunately this one was a limited edition fragrance and I can’t buy it again.

10 Olay Essentials Cleansing Milk – I love this cleansing milk. It’s gentle, but it’s effetive. I have a back-up bottle (I might have more than one…) and I’ll continue to buy this product. It’s a beauty staple.

11 Rossmann Rival De Loop Clean & Care Refreshing Toner With Ginkgo & Cucumber – this is a very nice toner. I bought it in Germany ages ago. I have another bottle somewhere around the house. If I go to Germany again at some point, I will definitely buy this toner again.

12 Palmolive Thermal Spa Mineral Massage – I love this shower gel! I’ll buy it again, no doubt! In case you’re looking for it, it’s been repackaged and its new name is ‘Feel The Massage’. My husband used this shower gel a few times too, so this one is a shared empty.

13 I Love… Sugared Cranberries (100ml travel size) – this one is quite nice. If this shower gel becomes part of I Love…’s permanent collection, I’ll buy it again for sure.

14 I Love… Lemons & Limes (100ml travel size) – it’s a decent shower gel, but nothing special. I wouldn’t buy the full-size product.

15 Palmolive Thermal Spa Ocean Vitality – another decent shower gel from Palmolive. I think this one has been discontinued, but if I come across it again, I’ll definitely repurchase it. This is another shared empty.

This is it for October. I’m happy with what I’ve emptied. I’m glad I finished another clear nail polish – but I still have at least 20+ half-full clear polishes. But I’m getting on top of them! 🙂 And I’ve emptied a few more shower gels. Yay! But let me tell you a secret – I’ve bought a lot of stuff over the past few weeks. I’ll show you my loot tomorrow.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

L’Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner

Hi there! I wanted to try these relatively new L’Oréal products for several months now. But whenever they were on special, the stores were out of the shampoo. But since I had (and still have) other hair care products to use and to review, I could wait.

Just a few weeks ago being patient paid off – I found L’Oréal’s Elvive Extraordinary Clay Shampoo & Conditioner (for half price) at my local Boots. Success! I’ve now used these two products for over two weeks, and I’ve reached my findings.

First of all, both the shampoo and the conditioner smell nice and pleasant. I can’t describe the fragrance, but it’s a typical L’Oréal fragrance. The shampoo feels nice on my head. It cleanses my scalp and my hair well. The conditioner is definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried this year. It detangles my hair easily and it doesn’t weigh it down. Nice!

Now, these two products claim to ‘break the vicious cycle of oily roots and dry ends” and to maintain “purified roots and hydrated ends” for up to 72 hours. If you know me, you know that I wash my hair every morning (and I don’t have greasy roots or dry ends) and that there is no chance that I’d go without washing my hair for three days. I was tempted to try to go without washing my hair for a day and a half. But guess what – my hair felt like it wanted a wash after 24 hours.

So I don’t think these two products are miracle products that would prevent greasy roots. In the not too distant past I have used shampoos and conditioners that made my hair look and feel awesome 24 hours after washing it (= immediately before washing my hair again). These shampoos and conditioners are the original Herbal Essences products, Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers, Alberto Balsam hair care, and Harmony Hair Indulgence products.

All in all, I’m happy to use these clay products, and I’ll buy them again for sure. But I’ll stick to my daily hair wash routine! L’Oréal’s Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner are available as 400ml for about £4, or 250ml for about £3. The large 400ml bottles are often on a half price or BOGOF promotion.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde