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

Empties – July 2018

Hi there! It’s the 1st of August, so it’s time for my monthly empties post. Before I show you the big bottles and tubes I emptied, let me add that I also used a number of single use face masks – but I didn’t keep the sachets. I never do! Now, onto the big empties.

1 Kenzo Madly Kenzo Eau De Toilette – this is a lovely fragrance! It’s fresh, youthful and happy. Great stuff, Kenzo!

2 NSPA Luscious Fresh Clementine Fragrance Body Mist – I enjoyed this body mist quite a bit. I think the fragrance is fresh and tangy, and the body mist felt really cool on the skin. I’d like to buy it again, but NSPA replaced the clementine products with a different fragrance.

3 Sukin Purifying Shampoo – this was a nice enough shampoo. I don’t think it was very purifying, but if you don’t get your head & hair dirty, this is alright for daily use. I won’t buy it again.

4 Aussie Colour Mate Conditioner – this is a below average conditioner, and I wouldn’t buy it again.

5 Boots Luscious Vanilla Body Spray – this is a nice vanilla fragrance. I have 2 back-up bottles, I think.

6 Imperial Leather Foamy Banana Shower Cream – I love it! I have another bottle in my stash!

7 Sukin Oil Balancing Clarifying Facial Tonic – this is a nice toner. It’s really powerful, so I couldn’t use it every day, but I can see myself picking it up again!

8 NSPA Lemon Shower & Bath Gel – this is a very refreshing shower gel. My husband used it too, so this one’s a shared empty. I’m happy to repurchase this shower gel!

9 Tesco Pro Formula Fresh Skin Brightening Facial Scrub – this was nice while it lasted, but I wouldn’t buy it again. There are much better face scrubs out there.

10 Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree Shower Gel – this is a nice shower gel. It’s one of my summer staples. I have a few more bottles in my stash, and I think there might be another empty bottle next month! By the way, this is a shared empty because my husband used it too.

11 Daily Defense Moisturizing Argan Oil Body Wash – this is a very nice shower cream. I’ve been using it on and off since November! I wouldn’t repurchase this huge 946ml bottle, but I would buy a normal size.

12 L’Oréal Elvive Triple Resist 60 Second Saviour – this is a lovely deep conditioner. I’d love to buy it again, but I can’t find it anywhere. 😦

This is what I emptied in July. Have you tried any of these products? Or would you like to try any of them? What have you emptied this month? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – August 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished last month. Like always, I’ve used a couple of single-use face masks, but I didn’t keep the sachets (I never do). So let’s focus on the big empties – the real empties!

1 Givenchy Ange Ou Démon – a lovely fragrance! I would buy it again, no doubt. However, I think I’d like to try the purple version first (I’m sorry, I can’t be bothered to look up the exact name).

2 Boots Extracts Luscious Vanilla Body Spray – this is such a wonderful all-over body spray. The vanilla fragrance is sweet and dreamy – awesome stuff! This one is a shared empty. Yes, my husband used this body spray too! I have 2 back-up bottles.

3 Boots Extracts Sweet Mango Body Spray – I love it! This is the perfect mango fragrance. I have 2 large back-up bottles!

4 Max Factor Pan Stik 25 Fair – my holy grail foundation. Yes, I have several back-up Pan Stiks. 🙂

5 Superdrug Vitamin C Boost Mango & Papaya Body Butter – this body butter is really nice. It smells natural and authentic. I will buy it again.

6 NYC In A Minute 001 Evil – this is one of the nicer black polishes I had / have (I have several back-up bottles). And this is also one of the black non-stamping polishes that I used for stamping. This polish was only about 1/3 full, so I poured the leftovers into another half full black polish bottle. Tadaa!

7 Montagne Jeunesse Buriti Fruit Body Smoothie – this is a fantastic moisturiser. I already bought a back-up!

8 The Body Shop Moringa Body Butter – my husband and I used this one as a foot butter. It was OK. I have another tub which will also be used as a foot butter…

9 Original Source Skin Quench Cherry & Jojoba Oil Shower – this is a nice shower gel. It has moisturising oil beads that burst on the skin, and I like the fun fragrance. I have a back-up bottle.

10 Radox Revive Mandarin & Lemongrass Shower Gel – this is one of the best summer shower gels ever. It’s so refreshing! I will buy it again, no doubt. My husband also enjoyed this shower gel. So this one’s a shared empty.

11 Superdrug Extracts Aloe Vera & Mango Conditioner – this conditioner is the definition of average. I won’t buy it again. My husband is using up the leftover shampoo – he doesn’t care for it.

12 Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree Shower – this is another shower gel that my husband and I like. I have at least 2 back-up bottles. This one’s another shared empty.

And this is all the stuff I finished last month. It’s not much compared to what I’ve finished over the past few months, but that’s OK. I know that I’ll finish a couple more products very shortly. Anyhoo, have you tried any of these products? Which products did you finish recently? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree vs. Sainsbury’s Lemon Body Wash

Hi there! Today I’m doing another product comparison. Not too long ago I told you how Superdrug’s lime & ginger shower gel fared against the classic Original Source lime shower gel. Now it’s time for the Battle of the Lemons! 🙂

Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree is loved by many people. So it’s not surprising that most supermarkets and drugstores now sell their own cheaper alternative. One of those cheaper alternatives is Sainsbury’s Lemon Body Wash.

Both lines are vegan; Original Source’s products are approved by the Vegan Society, whilst Sainsbury’s shower gels are BUAV-approved and carry the Leaping Bunny logo

Let’s start with Original Source Lemon & Tea Tree. This shower gel has been a favourite of mine for many years. I love the cool and zesty lemon fragrance, especially in summer, because it’s very refreshing on a hot day. I also think that this shower gel brightens my skin – it must be the vit C from the lemons.

Sainsbury’s Lemon Body Wash smells fresh and zesty as well, but the scent is much weaker and considerably less natural. It’s not unpleasant, though. In summary, Sainsbury’s did an OK job with its lemon body wash. However, it can’t compete with the original.

In my opinion, Original Source is the clear winner of the Battle of the Lemons. Original Source’s Lemon & Tea Tree shower gel (250 ml) is available for about £2.20, but it can usually be found for £1 somewhere. Sainsbury’s Lemon Body Wash (250 ml) can be yours for 90p or even less if it’s on special offer.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde