Empties – May 2023

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I said goodbye to in May. And here they are.

1 Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum – a wonderful serum. A definite repurchase!

2 Yves Rocher Oui A L’Amour L’Eau De Parfum – a really nice fragrance. I would buy it again, but unfortunately, Yves Rocher withdrew from the UK market.

3 Max Factor Pan 25 Fair – my holy grail foundation!

4 Herbal Essences Fruit Fusions Moisture Splash Conditioner – this was the last of its kind. Unbelievable quality! So sad that these amazing Herbal Essences products are gone.

5 Westlab Mineral Bathing Recover Epsom Salts With White Willow & Eucalyptus – these are really nice bath salts, and I can see myself buying them again.

6 Palmolive Naturals Almond & Milk Shower Cream – unfortunately, my stash of these is dwindling. One of the best shower gels ever! I’ve used it since the 90s, but it looks like it’s going to be gone for good very soon.

7 Superdrug Fruity Vanilla Ice Cream Shower Gel – unfortunately a limited edition shower gel which is sold out now. If it weren’t, I’d buy this beauty again.

8 Superdrug Clearly Youthful Triple Action Cleanser, Mask & Scrub – I liked this product a lot! Such a shame that it has been discontinued!

9 Astonish Bath Soak Refreshing Golden Glow – a nice bath gel. I will buy it again.

10 Westlab Salt Shack Mango Moods Bath Salts – these bath salts were such a lovely surprise. Unfortunately, these have been discontinued.

And this is it for May which was a decent month for Empties. June has started more than OK as well with 3 products finished since the 1st. So fingers crossed June will be a good month for Empties as well. 😀 Thanks for stopping by today! x

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Empties – November 2021

Hi there! It’s the first day of a new month, so this means that today’s post is about last month’s beauty trash = November’s empties. I used a bunch of single use face masks, and you can read about my latest face mask finds if you click here. Now let’s look at the big bottles and tubs and…

1 Radox Blueberry Scent Bath Bomb (no photo) – this was a single-use bath bomb, hence no photo. I enjoyed this bath bomb, and I might buy it again.

2 Original Source Green Banana & Bamboo Milk Moisturising Shower Milk – this is a really nice shower gel! I’d buy it again, but unfortunately, it was discontinued.

3 Radox Muscle Relax Bath Salts With Peppermint Scent – I used them twice and didn’t care for them. My husband used most of these salts, but he also didn’t love them. I won’t buy these bath salts again.

4 Max Factor Pan Stik 12 True Beige – my all-time favourite foundation! I have a few more of these!

5 Superdrug Layering Lab Paradise Body Mist – I liked this one a lot, and I will buy it again.

6 Valjean Labs Restore Facial Serum – a decent serum. Not groundbreaking though. I won’t repurchase it.

7 Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator – this is a very nice product. I will buy it again, no doubt.

8 Patisserie De Bain Mango Sorbet Hand Cream – a decent hand cream. Repurchase-worthy.

9 Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream – this is the US version of the cream, and I didn’t like it as much as the UK version. This one isn’t very moisturising, unfortunately.

10 Palmolive Aroma Therapy Absolute Relax – an all-time holy grail shower gel. I have a few more of these.

11 L’Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Caring Conditioner – a very nice conditioner! I have another shampoo and conditioner combo in my stash.

12 Westlab Dead Sea Salt Soothing Bath & Shower Gel – a nice shower gel. I can see myself buying it again.

November wasn’t a bad month for empties. I hope I can keep the streak going and finish the year with at least 12 more products (aiming for a few more, though…). Fingers crossed!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – December 2020

Hi there! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today’s post is about all the products I emptied in December. I’ve done much better again, and I’m happy to report that I’ll be returning to a normal blog schedule soon – and this includes catching up with all of my blogging buddies. 🥰

So what kind of stuff did I finish last month? I used quite a few single use face masks, but let’s look at the big bottles, tubes and tubs.

1 Boots Extracts Sweet Mango Body Wash (travel size) – unfortunately discontinued. 😢 Otherwise I’d buy this amazing body wash again.

2 Alberto Balsam Mandarin & Papaya Conditioner – this is an old favourite, and I have no doubt that I’ll buy it and the matching shampoo again.

3 Garnier Skin Active Refreshing Botanical Cleansing Milk– not bad, but also not a favourite. I won’t buy this cleanser again.

4 Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Non-Greasy Lotion – this is a very good body lotion, and I’ll buy it again for sure!

5 Classics Nail Polish Remover – my go-to nail polish remover. Already repurchased.

6 NSPA Green Tea & Aloe Vera Bath & Shower Gel – a lovely shower gel that I can see myself buying again.

7 Max Factor Pan Stilk 12 True Beige – unfortunately, this HOLY GRAIL product has been discontinued, but fortunately I stocked up on original Pan Stiks as soon as I read that the Pan Stik would be relaunched with a “new and improved” 🙄 formula, so I’ll be OK for a long time.

8 Patisserie De Bain Raspberry Roulade Hand Cream – this is a nice hand cream. I would repurchase it.

9 Essence Plumping Nudes 07 So Heavy – what a wonderful lipgloss! Too bad that this shade is no longer available.

10 Rimmel 60 Seconds 740 Clear – a nice clear polish. I’d buy this polish again, but I think I have a few more of these. 😁

11 Yves Rocher Jardin Des Nymphes Eau De Toilette – not my favourite type of fragrance, so I wouldn’t buy it again.

12 I Love… Chocolate Truffle Bath & Shower Crème – this is one of the best shower gels I’ve ever used. Too bad it was a limited edition.

13 Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Cream Wash – this is a very good face wash, and I can definitely see myself buying it again.

And this is everything I finished in December 2020! Which products have you used up recently? Feel free to let me know via the comments.

And below is a breakdown of all the products I said goodbye to over the entire year (256 products in total).

Single Use Face Masks 86
Shower + Bath Gels, Bath Salts 54
Body + Hand + Foot Moisturisers 23
Conditioners 14
Fragrances 12
Nail Polish 12
Facial Cleansers, Toners, Pads 10
Lip Products 10
Facial Serums, Oils 8
Facial Moisturisers 7
Face Washes 5
Face Mists 4
Nail Polish Remover 3
Multi Use Face Mask Tubes or Tubs 2
Pan Stiks 2
Eye Creams 2
Eyeliners 2

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Max Factor Pan Stik 12 True Beige, 25 Fair

Hi there! Let’s talk foundation. I’ve been using many different foundations over the years and I’ve always been on the hunt for something better – until I discovered the incredible Max Factor Pan Stik. I’m using two different shades at the moment – 25 Fair and 12 True Beige. (Scroll down for swatches – unblended and blended.)

25 Fair is my go-to shade for most of the year. It’s supposed to be the lightest shade, but it can look orange if you apply too much. 12 True Beige is a beautiful soft beige and I use it as my winter foundation.

The Pan Stik has the most incredible coverage. It covers everything – redness, sun spots, acne… you name it. But it’s no surprise since the Pan Stik was originally developed as a stage make-up almost 100 years ago.

Some say ‘it’s a concealer’, but it’s not. You can use it as a concealer if you want to, but the Pan Stik is a foundation.

I apply the product by ‘drawing it on’ my face. A couple of strokes on my cheeks, chin, forehead, under my eyes… and then I blend it with my fingers.

Two minutes later my face looks basically flawless. However, I then use a sponge to give my foundation the perfect finish and to make sure there aren’t any fingerprints on my face.

My skin is very dry, so I don’t need to apply powder. Ever. This foundation simply lasts all day on me.

I would recommend to use powder if you have normal skin, but I wouldn’t really recommend the Pan Stik if you have oily skin.

Still, if you have dry skin (even with several dry patches) and want full coverage, the Pan Stik is for you.

I also don’t think that the Pan Stik looks cakey at all if it’s applied the way it should be (with fingers, then blended out with a sponge) on dry or normal skin.

While it’s obvious that I am wearing make-up, my face looks simply flawless. I don’t look airbrushed, and I don’t look like I ‘towelled it on’. Thanks to the Pan Stik, I look like someone who has great skin and only needs a light foundation – even though my skin is not great at all and the foundation is very rich. 🙂

And I love that my faces looks dewy. Yes, I have dry skin with dry patches. For years I’ve envied other women whose faces looked dewy because I thought my skin could never look like theirs no matter which foundation I’d use. But thanks to the Pan Stik, my dry skin looks dewy!

The incredible Max Factor Pan Stik is available for around £7.99, but there’s usually a 3 for 2 offer at the two big drugstores.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde