Empties – November 2022

Hi there! Today’s post is about the products I emptied in November. I’d usually post on the 1st of a new month, but thanks to a ridiculous workload, I haven’t found the time to do a quick Empties post any sooner… Anyhoo, here’s what I finished in November.

1 Hugo Boss Pure Purple Eau De Parfum – this is a very nice fragrance. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I’d buy for myself.

2 Maui Moisture Body Care Extra Hydrating + Shea Butter Body Lotion – sadly, this body lotion wasn’t for me. I wouldn’t buy it again.

3 Superdrug Fruity Vanilla Ice Cream Shower Gel – a lovely shower gel! My husband enjoyed it too. This was a limited edition shower gel which has sold out, but I have another bottle.

4 Boots Extracts Luscious Vanilla Body Wash – simply lovely! Too bad the entire line has been discontinued. I have a few random Extracts products left in my stash, and I’ll use them here and there.

5 Boots Glow Pineapple Gel Moisturiser – this was alright while it lasted. Not a bad moisturiser at all, but I didn’t care for its scent.

6 I Love… Chocolate Truffle Nourishing Body Butter – this is one of the best body butters ever. Too bad it was a limited edition. But I have a few more tubs.

7 MakeUp Gallery Time To Shine Completely Clear 1 (no photo as my husband binned the empty product) – this is a decent clear polish from Poundland. I finished a few of these, and I bought 2 more.

8 Dove Purely Pampering Almond Cream With Hibiscus – an oldie from my stash. I fell out of love with this fragrance, so I wouldn’t repurchase this shower gel any time soon.

9 Revisiting Holy Grail Products – Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Conditioner – holy grail stuff! I have plenty more (shampoo and conditioner) in my stash.

10 Imperial Leather Indulgence Rich Moisturising Body Wash Irresistible – this was lovely, but unfortunately this shower gel has been discontinued.

And this is everything I finished in November. Another so-so month for empties. I hope I can finish a few more products in December. Let’s see…

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Nail Of The Day – Christmas Nail Ideas / Ciaté Play Date & MakeUp Gallery 39 Rainbow Sparkle

Hi there! This week’s going to be nail week. I’ve done lots of christmassey manis, and I’d like to share all of them with you!

For this mani I painted my nails with Ciaté Play Date. I never liked this polish because it’s something between an unattractive pink and an ugly red.

However, this polish is also a low quality polish. It’s not well pigmented, and I had to apply 4 coats for a semi-acceptable finish.

Then I applied 1 coat of MakeUp Gallery’s 39 Rainbow Sparkle. This cute and christmassey top coat from Poundland contains gold micro glitter, gold and green hex glitter, and green and red bar glitter.

Whilst I didn’t love this mani, quite a few of my co-workers told me they loved my nails. I can only guess they liked this mani because of its simplicity. I’m not complaining! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Battle Of The Base Coats – Nails Inc. Caviar Base Coat vs. MakeUp Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 base coats I bought a few months ago. I’ve never reviewed a base coat or a top coat before. However, since I bought and tested these base coats at the same time (well, almost), I thought I might as well just do a product comparison. 🙂

Let’s start with Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat! This product claims to be nourishing, smoothing and anti-staining. But it does the exact opposite! First of all, this base coat made my nails feel brittle. As soon as the base coat had dried, my nails felt like they lost their natural flexibility. Scary!

I also didn’t find this base coat to be smoothing. I had to apply 2 layers of base coat but that didn’t help. Actually, applying 2 layers of this base coat was the worst thing I could do because the base coat has a strong red tint which didn’t go well with the colour polish I applied on top of it.

When I took off my mani a few days later, I noticed that the base coat did stain my nails. However, a pinkish stain isn’t the end of the world. But I also noticed that the top layer of my nails seemed to start to peel. I was quite shocked because this only happened to me once before – back then I tortured my nails with acetone-free nail polish remover…

To sum it up – I found Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat to be awful. I took the 2 bottles (yes, I bought 2 bottles) back to Poundland where I exchanged them for 2 clear Rimmel polishes. 🙂

I picked up Poundland’s Makeup Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener for 50p (closing down sale). I didn’t know if it was any good, and I had no expectations. So I was happy when it turned out that this nail hardener makes quite a difference to my nails. It doesn’t have any lasting effect, so when I take off my mani, my nails are super soft again. But I’m glad this product doesn’t make unrealistic promises. And I really like how strong my nails feel when I’m wearing this nail hardener instead of a base coat or a regular clear polish.

Now let me compare the prices. I paid £1 for the Nails Inc. Caviar Base Coat and 50p for the nail hardenener from Poundland. However, the Nail Hardener is usually £1 (which is excellent value), and the Caviar Base Coat – which has been repackaged but otherwise seems to be the same product – is £15 (I just checked Nails Inc.’s web site). Wow! The difference in prices is almost comical! I know I will buy Poundland’s nail hardener again, but I wouldn’t buy Nails Inc.’s Caviar Base Coat again even if it were 15p! 😀

Well, the winner of this comparison is – obviously – Poundland’s Makeup Gallery Well Polished Nail Hardener! Try it yourself, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Poundland Make-Up: MakeUp Gallery Colour Story Eyeshadows

Hi there! When Poundland launched its own make-up collection, women all over the country rushed out to grab a bargain. And just like almost every other woman I too was interesting to find out how Poundland’s own brand make-up would fare.

The products at my local Poundland sold out almost immediately every time they were restocked, but at some point I was finally able to get my hands on three single eyeshadows and a lipstick.

I’ve now tried these MakeUp Gallery Colour Story Eyeshadows – and I don’t like them at all. I’ll tell you why in a minute, but let me tell you which shades I tried.

From top to bottom, the shades I’ve got are Nude 2, Smoke Screen 13 (matte) and Galaxy Grey 16 (shimmery).

I tried my best to do proper swatches, but the eyeshadows didn’t let me. They’re chalky, they’re not very pigmented and they’re not buildable because they’re so very chalky. Is this a vicious circle or what?!

I applied eight (!) layers of Nude, but the eyeshadow is hardly visible. I also tried to apply this shade with a bit of water and on top of a little lotion, but it hardly made a difference. I encountered the same problem with Smoke Screen and Galaxy Grey. However, I didn’t make as many attempts to present them as favourable as possible.

In all honesty, I really don’t understand why so many women seem to love Poundland’s own brand make-up. I think these eyeshadows are rubbish. I won’t buy them again and I won’t be trying any other shades. Anyway, if you’d like to try these MakeUp Gallery Colour Story Eyeshadows, they’re £1 at Poundland.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde