Empties – November 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is the penultimate beauty empties post of the year 2017. So let me tell you which products I managed to finish in November. Before we get to the big bottles and tubs, I need to mention that I’ve also used a few single-use face masks. If you’d like to read about my latest face mask finds, click here. Now… onto the big empties! 🙂

1 Montagne Jeunesse Goji Berry Body Smoothie – I really liked this moisturiser. However, I wouldn’t buy it again because I’ll always prefer Montagne Jeunesse’s Buriti Fruit Body Smoothie (same formula, cooler fragrance).

2 Pâtisserie De Bain Crème Pâtissière Body Souffle – a nice enough moisturiser. Not special. I wouldn’t buy it again.

3 Pâtisserie De Bain Crème Pâtissière Shower Gel – this shower gel was alright, but it’s another product I wouldn’t repurchase.

4 L’Oréal Elvive Triple Resist Reinforcing Conditioner – this is one of my favourite conditioners. I’ll buy it (+ the matching shampoo) again.

5 Sukin Moisture Restoring Night Cream – I think this night cream is very good. I’ll buy it again, no doubt!

6 I Love… Raspberry & Blackberry Nourishing Body Butter – we (my husband and I) used this one as a foot butter because this one’s been in my stash for far too long. I have one more super old tub of this body butter which we’ll have to use as a foot butter as well.

7 L’Oréal Skin Perfection Soothing Gel-Cream Wash – this is a great face wash! I believe it’s been discontinued (I haven’t seen it in a little while) which is a shame because I would have liked to repurchase it.

8 Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Microdermabrasion Polish – another awesome Boots Botanics product! I would definitely buy it again. Saying this, I have a few comparable products to go through first.

9 Beauty Formulas Rejuvenating Glorious Mud Facial Mask – I really liked this face mask. I can definitely see myself picking it up again in the future! Oh, and I’m sorry the tube looks so unfortunate in the picture. I just couldn’t be bothered. And I knew that, once the photo would be taken, I’d be cutting up the tube (to get to the last bits of product) anyway…

10 NYC In A Minute 202 Grand Central Station – this is one of my favourite clear polishes. I have a few back-ups (I’ve already been using one of my half-empty back-ups for a few weeks now, and I’m confident that this one will be featured in my December empties), but I’ll continue to buy this polish for as long as I can find it.

11 OM SHE Aromatherapy Skin Lift Hydrating Face Serum – I think this serum was OK. It smelled lovely, but I won’t buy it again because I would expect a hydrating serum to be more hydrating…

12 Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Toner – this product was discontinued years ago and this was the last bottle I had. This toner was packed with AHA, BHA, glycolic acid, lactic acid… it was super effective, yet gentle enough not to cause any issues at all around the eyes. I will miss this toner dearly!

13 Manhattan Pro Care Nail Repair – this base coat was alright. For 99p or £1 I’d pick it up again.

14 Olay Essentials Cleansing Milk – I love this cleansing milk. It’s been repackaged and the formula has been changed, but the ‘new’ version of this product seems to be just as good. I’m happy to continue to buy and use Olay products!

15 Boots Extracts – Cocoa Butter Bath Cream – this is a lovely bath product. It’s been discontinued, otherwise I’d buy it again.

16 NSPA Pineapple Shower & Bath Gel – this is a nice pineapple shower gel. I might buy it again.

This is everything I emptied in November. I’m pleased that I finished lots of skin care products. Have you tried any of these products? Or would you like to try any of these products? What have you emptied last month? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

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

Olay Essentials Facial Cleansing Products

My first post is about my favourite face cleansing products – Olay Essentials. From left to right: Olay Essentials Smoothing Face Scrub, Olay Essentials Refreshing Toner, Olay Essentials Refreshing Face Wash and Olay Essentials Cleansing Milk.

What I like about these products is that…
*they’re excellent value for money,
*they’re perfect for daily use,
*they’re suitable for dry and sensitive skin and
*they smell nice and clean.
So let’s get started, shall we?

Olay Essentials Smoothing Face Scrub is one of my favourites. This face scrub is a gentle exfoliator, so it can be used daily. I have dry and sensitive skin and I’m really pleased with this product because it does not sting or burn and it doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or dry. I use it 2 to 3 times a week in the shower and I really enjoy how soft and clean my skin feels after each use.

When I don’t use the face scrub, I cleanse my face with Olay Essentials Refreshing Face Wash in the shower. A pea-sized amount is enough to get rid of grease and grime – even around the nose. The face wash is really powerful, yet it feels gentle, refreshing and doesn’t cause redness or dry skin. This is my favourite face wash. Thumbs up!

Olay Essentials Cleansing Milk is my go-to make-up remover when my skin needs a little extra care and attention. I massage the milky cleanser into my skin to dissolve make-up before washing it off. This cleansing milk moisturises the skin whilst it’s being applied, thus preventing redness or irritation. A real super star product that doesn’t aggrevate dry or sensitive skin.

Whatever cleanser I use, I usually give my face a quick wipe with Olay Essentials Refreshing Toner before I apply my moisturiser. This toner is powerful in removing excess oils and all kinds of residue from make-up or cleansing products. However, this toner is also alcohol-free. This means that it’s rather gentle and, again, most suitable for dry or sensitive skin.

If you have normal, dry or sensitive skin, Olay Essentials is the product range for you. In the past my skin has reacted pretty severely to a few other products, but I haven’t had any problems with these affordable cleansers at all.

The face scrub and the face wash are available as 150ml, while the cleansing milk and the toner come in 200ml bottles. All these products are usually around £3, but there’s always some kind of special offer somewhere.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde