2021 Beauty Awards – Part 2 – Hair, Body & Nails

Hi there! Today’s post is Part 2 of my 2021 beauty favourites. Yesterday, I focused on fragrances and products for the face. And today is all about hair and body products and my favourite manis of the past year. Onto the favourites!

HAIR

Herbal Essences Silk N’ Shine Shampoo & Conditioner

Holy grail stuff!

Herbal Essences Moisture Balance Shampoo & Conditioner

More holy grail stuff!

Revisiting Old Favourites – L’Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Caring Shampoo & Conditioner

Elvive Colour Protect is an all-time favourite combo. Great stuff!

Alberto Balsam Exotic Mango Shampoo & Conditioner

These mango-scented hair products are simply amazing!

Harmony Hair Indulgence Herbal Shampoo & Conditioner With Ginseng Extract

It’s a shame that the Harmony collection has been discontinued. This particular hair care combo was a delight.

Daily Defense Advanced Deep Conditioner With Argan Oil From Morocco

This deep conditioner is simply fantastic!

BODY

Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Smoothing All Over Body Cream With Acacia Collagen

This body cream with acacia collagen has been my favourite body moisturiser this year. I love it!

Palmolive Aroma Therapy Morning Tonic, Sensual, Absolute Relax

If I could only use 10 different shower gels for the rest of my life, these 3 would be in my top 10!

Radox “Shell Yeah” Sea Mineral Scent Shower Gel, Radox “Donut Mind If I Do” Vanilla Bean & White Chocolate Scent Shower Gel

These Radox shower gels were one of the most delightful beauty surprises this year.

Sanctuary Spa Mestizo Acai Rain Shower
Westlab Himalayan Salt Cleansing Bath & Shower Gel

2 more totally fabulous shower gels!

Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak
Soap & Glory The Scrub Of Your Life
Palmolive My Fresh Splash Shower Gel

And the final 3 shower and bath favourites from this year.

NAILS

Marble Nails
Purple Nails
Blue & Red Nails

Some of my favourite manis from 2021. In no particular order!

Foil Nails
Gold & Magenta Nails
Lilac Nails

Here’s another 3 manis.

Marble Nails
Purple Nails
Red Nails

The last set of my favourite manis from 2021.

Thanks for stopping by today! And I hope you have a great start into the new year. Happy 2022! 😘🥂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak, Sanctuary Spa Ultra Rich Wet Skin Moisture Miracle

Hi there! Today’s post is about Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak and Sanctuary Spa Ultra Rich Wet Skin Moisture Miracle. These are travel sizes which were part of a gift set I bought for myself.

Alrighty, let’s start with Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak. The 75ml bottle is sufficient for 1 bath. I took a cool bath the other day, and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the foam and the bubbles, the gorgeous Sanctuary Spa fragrance, and I’m happy that the product didn’t dry out my skin. I would definitely buy the full size (on a 3 for 2 special, of course).

Sanctuary Spa Ultra Rich Wet Skin Moisture Miracle is meant to be used as an in-shower moisturiser. Take your shower as usual, then turn off the water, then apply the product all over your body while the skin is still wet. Then towel your skin dry as usual.

I think this product is really good. I’ve used it about 9 or 10 times now, and I’d say there’s enough product left in the 50ml tube for another 5 uses. It’s not as nourishing as an actual body lotion or body butter, but if you don’t have much time, this stuff is really helpful. Also, the lovely Sanctuary Spa fragrance is an added bonus.

Sanctuary Spa Foaming Bath Soak is available as 500ml for £12. Sanctuary Spa Ultra Rich Wet Skin Moisture Miracle is available as 200ml for £10. Boots often runs promotions on the Sanctuary Spa line. It’s 25% on most Sanctuary Spa products right now. Also, on the back of the bottles, it says that the Sanctuary Spa products are now vegan-friendly.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Sanctuary Spa Hand Cream, Sanctuary Spa Heel Balm

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 products which were in one of the Sanctuary Spa gift sets I picked up for half price on Boxing Day – Sanctuary Spa Hand Cream and Sanctuary Spa Heel Balm.

Let’s start with Sanctuary Spa Hand Cream with shea butter and sweet almond oil. This hand cream promises non-greasy hydration – and it delivers exactly that! My husband and I are enjoying this hand cream so much. It feels amazing, and it has the beautiful Sanctuary Spa fragrance! This hand cream is £3 for the tiny 30ml tube or £6 for the bigger 75ml tube.

Onto Sanctuary Spa Heel Balm with shea butter and wheatgerm oil. I’ve had the heel balm before, but that was the old formula. The new formula is really good too. This product works wonders on dry feet. Priced at £7.50 for a 75ml tube, I won’t buy it, but I’d love to find it again in another half price gift set on Boxing Day!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub. This is a single-use scrub, and it was part of one of the Sanctuary Spa Christmas gift sets I bought for half price on Boxing Day. This salt scrub contains Dead Sea salts and a blend of jojoba, coconut and almond oils. It promises to exfoliate and nourish skin in one go.

There are 2 ways to use this scrub. If you use it in the shower, rub the scrub into wet skin. But you can also use it in the bath. In this case, rub it over dry skin, then carefully (!) step into the bath and let the warm water melt away the salts!

I’ve given this scrub a try, and I think it’s excellent. It’s a typical salt scrub – it’s a very effective exfoliant, but it also nourishes the skin. I enjoyed it very much! The fragrance is the typical Sanctuary Spa fragrance. So whilst this scrub contains coconut oil, I’m happy to report that it doesn’t smell of coconut at all.

What else? Of course, this type of products leaves the shower or bath slippery, so please be super careful and get your partner, child, house-mate, etc to clean the shower or bath tub. 😁 Hey, this is a spa treatment. You’re not supposed to clean your own bathroom right after!

If you’re interested, Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub is available as 650g for £14.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Sanctuary Spa Mestizo Acai Rain Shower

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Sanctuary Spa Mestizo Acai Rain Shower gel which I’ve been using on and off for a few weeks now.

This is a limited edition Sanctuary Spa shower gel with an interesting subtitle – “bursting Brazilian vitality”.

This shower gel contains a number of fabulous extracts and oils – apple, acai berry, argan oil, citrus essential oils, mangosteen, pomegranate and passionfruit.

It’s also packed with small oil pearls which burst on the skin and give a little extra hydration. Lovely!

And what’s this shower gel like? It’s paradise in a bottle! It smells absolutely amazing – like a tropical rainforest, exotic flowers and fruits, and despite this, it smells like nothing I’ve ever smelled before – and there’s no cheap coconut or pineapple.

I think this shower gel is simply amazing, and I find it unbelievable that this sensational fragrance was wasted on a limited edition while, at the same time, Sanctuary Spa keeps making these forgettable lemon and orange blossom products.

I also used to have the matching body butter – and I forgot how amazing it was. I hope this fragrance will eventually be recycled for a future limited edition. If so, I’ll make sure to stock up on shower gels and body butters. Fingers crossed!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

HAUL! New Products From Boots, No 7, Sanctuary Spa, Marks & Spencer, Fragonard, Olay, Westlab, Radox, Dead Sea & More

Hi there! Today’s post is about most of the stuff I bought since the post-Christmas sale started. I’m saying most of the stuff because I always forget a lot… OK, let’s take a look at the goodies!

Boots Skincare Treats The Discovery Collection – this was £10 on Boxing Day. I bought 3 of these. The 2 moisturisers are worth £25 alone! The set would have been great value for full price = £20, but it was the most amazing bargain for half price on Boxing Day!

I bought more face masks – but what else is new? Some half price Disney masks, some £1 masks from B&M Bargains.

The Sanctuary Spa Celebration Hamper – this was £20 on Boxing Day and it had the following goodies:

These look amazing!

And these too!

I bought a few more products from Boots’ discontinued Live + Be range. The cheapest item was £1, the most expensive item was £1.75.

A few more Live + Be products.

I also bought fragrances from M&S. The first 2 were £9.50, the third was £12.50. All of them are repurchases.

I bought a number of different Westlab bath salts, the one above was £2.99 at Boots.

I also bought more Radox bath salts. The one above was £2.25 at Sainsburys.

2 more Radox shower gels – these were about £1.30 (or so) each at Superdrug.

Fragonard Belle De Nuit fragrance – £20 at M&S, the Olay Face Wash was £2.09 at Boots, the the Botanics Face Scrub was 33p (£2.33 plus 200 Advantage points for buying a Botanics product).

I also rescued 2 Dead Sea Natural Mineral Soaps from the clearance bin.

And this is it! Quite a bit, eh? Well, what can I say. I’ll always be a bargain hunter! Thanks for stopping by today! 😊

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – April 2020

Hi there! Happy Friday! Today’s post is about all the products I finished in April. Read on if you’d like to know which products I said goodbye to.

1 Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Day Lotion – another amazing Olay product. I’ve already repurchased it!

2 Olay Essentials Refreshing Face Wash – one of the best pure and gentle face washes out there. I have a backup!

3 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic – this is an amazing toner. It’s brightening and exfoliating, and my skin tolerates it perfectly well. I’ve already repurchased this one.

4 The Sanctuary Spa Body Lotion (travel size) – I love this stuff! I have lots of Sanctuary Spa products in my stash.
5 Nivea MicellAIR Skin Breathe 2 In 1 Rose Water Cleanser & Toner – this is a terrible cleanser. Good riddance!

6 Kirstie Allsopp Nerolina Orange Blossom Shower Gel – this is a nice shower gel. It has been discontinued, otherwise I’d buy it again!

7 Palmolive Pampering Clay Body Wash – this shower gel is lovely, and I will buy it again!

8 Spa Premium Epsom Salts And Eukalyptus – these bath salts were great, and I’ll buy them again next time I’m at Poundstretcher.

9 Calcot Manor The Lazy Evening Moisture Soufflé – this is a nice body butter, and I’d like to buy it again!

10 Beautifully Scrumptious Cocoa & Vanilla Body Butter Fusion – my husband and I used this body butter as a foot butter because we didn’t like its “fragrance”. So glad this one’s gone!

11 Alberto Balsam Zesty Orange Conditioner – I enjoyed this one very much, and I will buy it (and the matching shampoo) again.

12 Carex Sensitive Bath Soak – I won’t repurchase this one. I didn’t care for the fragrance, and I found the formula to be drying.

13 Palmolive Purifying Clay Body Wash – this is a lovely shower scrub that I’ll buy again.

I’ve also used quite a few single-use face masks. If you’d like to read about my latest face mask finds, click here. All in all, I’m happy with what I emptied. And I know May is going to be a good month too because I have a few near-empties which I will focus on.

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

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – January 2020

Hi there! The first month of 2020 is already over (What? How?), and I’ve got quite a few empties to report. Yes, I used a few single use face masks. No, I still don’t keep the empty sachets. But if you’d like to know if the masks I used recently are any good, click here. Now, onto the big empties!

1 Gliss Hair Repair Magnificent Strength Conditoner – this is a great product, and I’ll buy it (+ the matching shampoo) again!

2 Rightguard Shower + Elixir Black Orchid Shower Cream – this is a great shower cream! I already bought a backup! This is a shared empty because my husband enjoyed this shower cream too!

3 Treacle Moon Her Mango Thoughts Shower Gel – a nice enough shower gel, but I won’t repurchase it. The 500ml bottle was plenty!

4 Radox Cherry Blast Shower Gel – this is a nice shower gel. I might buy it again if I find it for cheap.

5 Classics Nail Polish Remover – my go-to nail polish remover. It’s £1 at Poundland!

6 Yves Rocher Nutritive Végétal Velvety Cleansing Milk – this is a lovely product that I’d like to repurchase!

7 Balance Active Formula Instant Effect Wrinkle Filler – this stuff doesn’t fill lines or wrinkles at all, but it’s a decent moisturiser. I won’t buy it again though. There’s better stuff out there.

8 My Little Pony Bath Bubbles (travel size)- this one was nice. I might purchase another MLP toiletries set!

9 + 10 99p Stores Wood & Forest Body Lotion AND The Red Forest Body Lotion (travel size) – I bought these ages ago, and because of this, I used these body lotions as foot moisturisers. These are shared empties because my husband used these too!

11 Yves Rocher Baies Des Merveilles / Marvellous Berries Bath & Shower Gel – a lovely shower gel that I’d buy it again if it hadn’t been a limited edition.

12 Yves Rocher Baies Des Merveilles / Marvellous Berries Perfumed Body Lotion – same thing here – I wish this hadn’t been a limited edition…

13 Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner – a great toner! I’ll repurchase it for sure!

14 Sanctuary Spa Classic Eau De Toilette – I love this fragrance! I’ve got several bottles from years of picking up half price gift sets on Boxing Day! 😁

15 Rightguard Shower Oils Pink Jasmine Shower Gel – a nice shower gel that I might buy again.

16 Superdrug B. Comforted Camomile Facial Spritz – this is a decent facial mist, but I dislike the fragrance, so I won’t buy it again.

17 Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care All Over Body Cream With Moonstone Extract – an amazing moisturiser. Too bad it was a limited edition. This is the 2nd (and unfortunately the last) tub I had. If Superdrug ever decides to bring this product back, I’ll stock up!

18 Boots Botanics Luxurious Coconut Body Wash (travel size) – a nice enough shower gel. I have more minis from this range!

Wow, I emptied quite a lot in January! But to be fair, I had to get on top of all the half-full bottles and tubs before the move. And I have high hopes for February as well, so I’ll keep going! 💪 Which products have you said goodbye to recently? Please feel free to comment! And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Major Haul! Yves Saint Laurent, Thierry Mugler, The Crème Shop, Patisserie De Bain, Soap & Glory, Sanctuary Spa, Boots No.7, Valjean Labs & More!

Hi there! Since I’ve been shopping a lot lately, I thought I’d let you know what I got my hands on. It’s mainly stuff from the bargain stores and discounted gift sets from the post-Christmas sale. OK, here’s everything I picked up!

Thierry Mugler Aura gift set –£32.66. Debenhams.

Max & More No. 4 Nude Eyeshadow Palette – £2. I haven’t heard of Max & More, so I looked up the brand… apparently it’s a cruelty-free brand from the Netherlands. Fantastic stuff!

Max & More No. 1 Forest Eyeshadow Palette – £2. I found these palettes at Poundland.

Primark Holler And Glow Nails Before Tails Nail Polish Set – £4.
Patisserie De Bain Raspberry Roulade Hand Cream, Orange Crush Hand Cream – £1 each.
Patisserie De Bain Sweet As Cherry Pie Body Mist – £1.
The Patisserie De Bain products are Poundland finds!

Lisseau Cocoa Body Butter – 80p.
Liseau Vanilla Body Butter – 80p.
These body butters are from Poundstretcher!

YSL Cinéma Eau de Parfum – £31.50 (half price offer, Debenhams).
Malki Dead Sea Natural Sulphur Soap x2, £3.75 each and a 3 for 2 offer, so I am pretty annoyed that Boots forgot the 3rd item – but I have dropped them an email, and I hope they send me the missing Dead Sea soap asap.

The Crème Shop Santa’s List Charcoal Sheet Mask (pack of 5) – £4.99.
The Crème Shop Pumpkin Spice Fusion Sheet Mask (pack of 5) – £4.99.
These masks are from TK Maxx!

The Crème Shop Last Christmas Naughty & Nice Sheet Masks (pack of 6, 3 Naughty and 3 Nice masks) – £5.99.
TK Maxx, again.

The Crème Shop Holiday Cheer & Clear Sheet Masks (pack of 6, 3 Naughty and 3 Nice masks) – £5.99.
Yup, they’re from TK Maxx as well.

Valjean Labs Revive + Renew Day Serum And Sleeping Mask Duo – £9.99.
Another TK Maxx find!

Sanctuary Spa gift set – £7. Boots.

Another Sanctuary Spa gift set. This one contains a shower gel, luxury bath float, body butter and hand cream. These are all full sizes. I’m sorry I haven’t opened this one yet. 1 at a time! This set was £12.50. Boots.

Sanctuary Spa gift set number 3 – £10. Yes, Boots again.

Soap & Glory Clean On Me and Scrub Of Your Life. These came in a gift set with…

… Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter, Hand Food and 2 bath bombs. I am not going to use the bath bombs. They’re glittery. I’ll give them to the first person who wants them. The gift set with all 6 products was £10. Boots.

Creightons Hand Creams – Argan Oil, Cocoa Butter, Manuka Honey. I am not sure how much these were, but I’ll check the next time I swing by Home Bargains.

2 more Patisserie De Bain Hand Creams – these were £1 each. Poundland.

Boots No.7 gift set – this set contains all sorts of goodies. It was £39 (better than half price offer before the sale even started). Boots.

And finally… I bought 2 more George at Asda duvet cover sets. They’re king size, and they were £14 each. I love these designs! However, I need to stop buying duvet cover sets. I bought 6 over the past year, and even though I got rid of all the old (very old, actually) duvet cover sets, I have more than enough now.

*** By the way, please remember not to dispose of unwanted textiles of any kind (clothes, towels, bedding, etc) with your household rubbish. Your local charity shop will gladly accept items in good condition, H&M and other high street stores run textile recycling schemes (H&M accepts clothes and household textiles like towels and bedding), and animal shelters are usually happy to accept towels and duvet covers (but not duvets as they’re difficult to clean and they can’t be recycled). ***

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Reducing My Oldies Stash – Sanctuary Spa Kyphi 24-Hour Moisturising Shower Cream & Nourishing Body Butter

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 products which I’ll miss dearly when they’re gone – Sanctuary Spa Kyphi 24-Hour Moisturising Shower Cream & Sanctuary Spa Kyphi Nourishing Body Butter.

Sanctuary Spa Kyphi 24-Hour Moisturising Shower Cream is one of the best shower products I’ve used all year. It cleanses my skin, but it also makes my skin feel super soft. I love it! The oriental fragrance is simply gorgeous – it’s dark, feminine and positively addictive. This product deserves 11 stars!

Sanctuary Spa Kyphi Nourishing Body Butter with sweet almond oil, shea butter and argan oil is a perfect 11 too! This body butter is one of the richest body butters that I’ve ever tried. However, this body butter is absorbed quickly, and it doesn’t feel sticky at all. The fragrance is 100% gorgeous and longlasting. This body butter is simply perfect!

Unfortunately, Sanctuary Spa Kyphi 24-Hour Moisturising Shower Cream & Sanctuary Spa Kyphi Nourishing Body Butter have been discontinued and replaced with lesser products. 😦

Mrs Strawberry Blonde