Empties – January 2022

Hi there! It’s the first day of a new month, and this means that today’s post is about last month’s beauty empties. And here they are!

1 Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Lip Balm – a decent lip balm! I have another one in my stash.

2 Mugler Aura Eau De Parfum Sensuelle – this is a nice fragrance for sure, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to buy it again.

3 Rimmel Lycra Pro 421 Clearly Clear – one of my favourite clear polishes. I should have a few more of these in my stash.

4 Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Well-Being Shower Gel With Lavandin – this is a decent shower gel in many ways, but not a favourite, so I won’t be buying it again.

5 Dove Go Fresh Revive Body Wash With Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena Scent – I don’t think I’ll buy this shower gel again. It’s just not repurchase-worthy.

6 Palmolive My Fresh Splash Shower Gel – such a lovely shower gel. Too bad it was a limited edition, otherwise I’d buy it again.

7 Agent Provocateur Aphrodisiaque Eau De Parfum – nice enough while it lasted (my husband liked this fragrance on me), but I wouldn’t buy it again.

8 Garnier Skin Active Soothing Botanical Toner With Rose Water – this is an OK toner. I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

9 B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – a beauty staple! I have a few more of these!

10 Gliss Liquid Silk Shampoo & Conditioner – I love Gliss’ liquid silk hair products. A definite repurchase!

11 Radox Essentials Soft Care Bath Cream with Milk – one of my favourite bath products ever. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, so I can’t buy it again.

12 Classics Nail Polish Remover – my go-to nail polish remover!

13 Prada Infusion D’Iris Eau De Toilette – a really nice fragrance. Repurchase-worthy!

14 Patisserie De Bain Orange Crush Hand Cream – a decent hand cream, no doubt, but I don’t think that I’ll repurchase it.

15 Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel – one of my all-time favourite eye products. I have at least 2 more in my stash.

I also used 11 single-use face masks. And all in all, I’m happy with what I managed to use up in January!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

2021 Beauty Awards – Part 1 – Face & Fragrances

Hi there! Today’s post is about my favourite beauty products in 2021 – well, this is Part 1, and it’s about fragrances and products for the face. Part 2 will follow tomorrow with hair and body products and my favourite manis of 2021. Alrighty, let’s start with Part 1 now!

FACE

Danielle 2 In 1 Jade Dual Sided Facial Roller

This facial roller is my favourite beauty tool of 2021! It changed my life!

Superdrug Vitamin C Detox Skincare Brightening Vitamin C Tonic
Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic

These 2 toners are total game changers. I love them both so much, and I cannot imagine my skin care without them!

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless Flexi-Hold 3 In 1 Foundation 30 Porcelain

I’m glad I tried Max Factor’s Face Finity foundation. I love it!

Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel

Olay’s eye gel is one of my all-time favourite eye products.

Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Ageing Regenerating Night Cream

Olay’s Regenerist night cream is soooo good!

Cellio It’s True Honey Moisture Cream

I enjoyed Cellio’s honey moisturiser very much!

Poundland #6 Anti-Ageing Retinol Day Cream With SPF 25

Poundland’s £3 retinol day cream is absolutely lovely (just like the matching serum and night cream).

Primark PS… Revitalising Cucumber Peel Off Mask
Montagne Jeunesse Cosmic Rose Quartz Peel-Off

These 2 peel off masks are very effective! I love them!

Global Beauty Care Anti Aging Collection Glycolic Acid Spa Treatment Mask
DearBoo Collagen & Canola Flower Everyday Mask

And these 2 sheet masks made a positive difference to my skin care. Highly recommended!

Jayjun Pollution-Proof Refreshing Mask
100% Cruelty-Free – Primark PS… Vitamin C Revitalizing Bubble Sheet Mask

2 more face masks which worked amazingly well for me!

Mitomo Retinol Facial Essence Mask
Esfolio Hyaluronic Acid With Peach Essence Mask Sheet

And here’s another 2 face masks I’d highly recommend.

Astor Rouge Couture 301 Nude Silk

Astor’s Nude Silk lipstick is so beautiful! I love it!

FRAGRANCES

Nina Ricci L’Extase Eau De Parfum

L’Extase is such a beautiful fragrance. It’s in my all-time top 40 from the past 25+ years.

Antonio Banderas Her Golden Secret Eau De Toilette

Who would have thought that Antonio Banderas fragrances are actually very good? I was surprised (almost shocked) to find such a quality fragrance at a drugstore price. Wow!

Agent Provocateur Fatale Eau De Parfum

Fatale EdP has blown me away! I already bought another bottle – this time I bought a big 100ml!

Superdrug Layering Lab Blossom Body Mist
Superdrug Layering Lab Paradise Body Mist

Superdrug’s fantastic Layering Lab body mists resemble some of the most popular designer fragrances. Blossom is a dupe for Mugler’s Alien, and Paradise is a dupe for Olympéa.

Have you tried any of these products or would you like to try any of them? Which products do you love the most? Feel free to get in touch via the comments. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

December Beauty Awards

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I loved the most in December. As usual, I picked my favourites from all the products I’ve reviewed this past month. Let’s start with the TOP 3, and there are a few honourable mentions below!

3rd place – Daily Defense Advanced Deep Conditioner With Argan Oil From Morocco
Runner-Up – 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic

Daily Defense’s deep conditioner with argan oil is sooo good!
Superdrug’s glycolic toner has done wonders for my skin!

WINNER – Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel

Olay’s Anti-Wrinkle eye gel is out of this world. One of the best eye products I’ve ever used!

Onto the honourable mentions! Superdrug’s Vitamin E Moisture Boost Facial Serum is amazing. It would have made the TOP 3 in most other months but I had too many awesome products to chose from this past month.

I like Asda’s and Sainsburys’ purple foam baths. Repurchase guaranteed! And there were a few great masks too – Global Beauty Care Anti Aging Collection Retinol Spa Treatment Mask is a great and effective face mask, Skin Treats Manuka Honey Revitalising Facial Sheet Mask was lovely to use, and Skin Treats Spirulina Renewing Sheet Mask was very enjoyable too!

Have you tried any of these products or would you like to try any of them? Which products have you been loving lately? Feel free to comment, and thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 20 – 26 December 2021

Hi there! I hope you’ve enjoyed Christmas so far. Today’s post is my weekly blog recap, so read on if you’d like to know what I’ve posted about this past weeek.

Monday 20 Dec – Nail Of The Day
Tuesday 21 Dec – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic

Monday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
On Tuesday I re-reviewed a toner with glycolic acid. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 22 Dec – Baylis & Harding Skin Spa Rose, Ylang Ylang & Patchouli Steam Shower Body Cleanser AND Rich Intensive Body Butter 

Wednesday’s post was about 2 body products. Click here to take a look.

Thursday 23 Dec – Ciaté Liquid Velvet Delight, Ciaté Bamboo Bronzer Palm Island (12 Days Of Ciaté London Calendar)

On Thursday I reviewed 2 products from Ciaté’s advent calendar. Click here to read the post.

Friday 24 Dec – Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel

And on Friday I re-reviewed Olay’s wonderful eye gel. Click here to read the post.

And this is already it for this week! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy what’s left of the holidays! x

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Revisiting Old Favourites – Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel. This product promises to reduce fine line and wrinkles and to help fight puffiness and dark circles. Use the eye gel twice a day, and expect results within 21 days – that’s what it says on the box. I haven’t used this eye gel for quite some time, but I was very happy when I found a few of these in my stash!

I’ve been using this eye cream for a few months now, and I love it just as much as I used to love it back then. This eye gel is at least in my all-time Top 3 eye products – it maybe even be the best eye product I’ve ever used. It kills lines and dark circles, and it makes me look well-rested even if I slept less than 4 hours. A true 11 stars product!

Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel has been discontinued and replaced with another eye gel with a very similar ingredients list – Olay Eyes Deep Hydrating Eye Gel. However, the original eye gel can still be found online for a decent price!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – August 2019

Hi there! It’s the first weekday of a new month, and this means that today’s post is about all the toiletries and beauty products I finished last month. I’ve done very well again (yes, my husband helped), and for the first time in what feels like a million years I managed to use up a mono eyeshadow! YESSS! 🤣💪 Now, onto the empties!

1 Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel – of all the eye creams / gels I’ve tried so far, this is my favourite! Yes, I have a backup.

2 Manhattan Multi Effect Eyeshadow 92W Caramel Fudge – I enjoyed this eyeshadow a lot! Great quality and colour. Repurchase? Nope! I’d never repurchase the same eyeshadow because of how long it takes to finish such a product.

3 Radox Scent Touch Feel Free – this is a good shower gel with a pleasant and long-lasting fragrance, and I might buy it again. This is a shared empty because my husband used this shower gel too.

4 Herbal Essences Bio Renew Rosemary & Herbs Moisture Conditioner – this is a great conditioner, and I will buy it (and the matching shampoo) again, no doubt!

5 Original Source Lemon And Tea Tree Shower – this is a summer favourite and another shared empty. Repurchase? Yes!

6 – 7 Hello Kitty Lipstick & Lipgloss – these products aren’t empty, but they’ve been living in my drawer for far too long. I’m not going to use them at this point, so bye-bye!

8 Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer – another product I’m throwing out because I won’t use it. This is a lip lacquer in an insanely bright neon-raspberry kind of shade. I don’t know why I bought it because I can’t wear such shades.

9 Essence Eyeliner 02 Blue – I tried to get some use out of this light blue eyeliner, but it’s just not me, so I’m binning this one too. I have green eyes, and this shade of eyeliner just doesn’t work for me.

10 Baylis & Harding Beauticology Pink Grapefruit & Raspberry Fragrance Mist – I enjoyed this body mist while it lasted, but I don’t think I’d repurchase it because I’ve grown tired of the fragrance.

11 Good Things Spa Acai Berry Daily Essential Body Wash – I enjoyed this body wash, but it’s been discontinued, so I can’t repurchase it.

12 Carex Moisture Plus Shower Cream – this is another shared empty and another nice shower product that I might buy again!

13 Original Source Hydrating Water Infusions Apple & Melon Shower – this is one of 2 hydrating (!) shower products that helped me stay on top of my dry skin and my eczema when it was almost 40C in July (I just couldn’t bring myself to use body lotion for 3 days). But I don’t think I’ll buy this particular fragrance again; the grapefruit & mint shower gel was nicer!

14 Sleek Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette – this palette isn’t empty, but it’s as near-empty as it can possibly be. I’ve now decided to throw it away because I haven’t used it in ages, and I’m not going to use it anymore. But I DID empty 9 of the 12 pans! Anyhoo, before I took the photo, I gave the palette a quick wipe – but then I dropped it and the lid broke off.

15 Superdrug B. Vitalised Vitamin Facial Spritz – this is another amazing face mist from Superdrug. I enjoyed it very much, and I will buy it again!

16 Boots Botanics All Bright Gentle Cleansing Cream – one of the best cleansers I’ve ever tried. Repurchase? Yes!

17 Superdrug B. Hydrated Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – I love this face mist! This was the first Superdrug face mist I’ve ever tried, and I loved it from day 1! Superdrug repackaged this one but the ingredients are 100% the same! If you’re wondering why I emptied 2 face mists, this was the one I had in my handbag.

August was a good month for Empties – I said goodbye to small items and big bottles, and I even threw out unloved stuff that I won’t be using and can’t repurpose. I do hope I can say goodbye to just as many products in September. Fingers crossed!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel

Hi there! Here’s another Olay post; this time I’m reviewing Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel. This product targets wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness and it claims to give you a ‘firmer looking eye contour in 21 days. So does it work? I’ve been using this eye gel for a few weeks now, and I’m not only happy with it, I’m blown away. If you read on, I’ll tell you why.

Thanks to Olay I haven’t had any real wrinkles to begin with. However, I have noticed a few lines which resulted from a recurring angioedema which I battled a couple of months ago. At first I thought it would take months go get rid of these lines, but at some point I realised I would have to make peace with them.

But after using this eye gel twice a day – morning and night – for ten days, the lines disappeared. Completely. I can’t believe how easy it actually was – all it took was the right product from my favourite skin care brand. I couldn’t be happier!

I’ve also noticed that my dark circles have improved a lot in the past few weeks. All my life I’ve had dark circles and I didn’t think anything could be done. However,  this eye gel helped a lot. I can’t tell you exactly how much the dark circles have improved, but I wouldn’t even call them dark circles anymore. The skin under my eyes is still a bit darker than the rest of my face, but it’s no longer a purplish grey area that needs lots of concealer. Again, I couldn’t be happier!

If you look for an effective, yet affordable anti-wrinkle eye product, look no further! Seriously, I cannot recommend Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel enough. The 15 ml tub (which will last you for several months even if you use the product twice daily) is usually £10, but there’s always a BOGOF or half price offer at some drugstore or supermarket. (At the time I’m writing this post, this eye gel is £5 at Wilko’s and £4.95 at Superdrug’s.)

Mrs Strawberry Blonde