Carex Vitamin Fresh Shower Gel & Carex Nourishing Shower Cream

Hi there! I picked up two random shower products – Carex Vitamin Fresh Shower Gel and Carex Nourishing Shower Cream. These were £1 each at Boots. Now let me tell you if these shower products are any good.

Carex Vitamin Fresh Shower Gel for hair and body with vitamins A&E has a fairly random marine scent. The scent is not bad at all – it’s actually pleasant – but it’s just not very imaginative. I thought I’d end up squeezing this shower gel into the hand wash dispenser in the kitchen. However, this shower gel leaves my skin feeling amazingly clean but also hydrated, so I’m happy to continue to use it in the shower. All in all, this is a really good product!

Carex‘s Nourishing Shower Cream for dry skin has a random creamy scent – it’s pleasant enough, and it fits the colour and the formula of the product. This shower cream cleanses my skin gently. It’s not the best shower gel to use after a work-out, but it’s definitely more than just good enough for day-to-day use. It feels nice on my dry skin, and it even lets me get away with not using body lotion after a shower. Another positive surprise from Carex!

Based on my experience, I’d recommend these products. They’re much better than comparable gentle shower products from Dove and other such brands. Carex Vitamin Fresh Shower Gel and Carex Nourishing Shower Cream are available as 250ml and 500ml. I picked up these two 250ml bottles when they were on special (£1 each).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Simply Pure Leave On Water Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about Superdrug‘s Simply Pure Leave On Water Mask. This product is fragrance-free, and it promises “lightweight, cooling hydration to uncomfortable and sensitive skin”.

On the back of the tub it says the mask should be applied to cleansed skin. Leave the mask alone for 5 to 10 minutes, then rub in the excess – gently!

I’ve used this mask a couple of times now, so let me tell you what I think. 🙂

When I tried the mask for the first time, I didn’t like it at all. I was sure I’d return it for a refund. Why? Well, this mask has a strong menthol smell. I understand that this is what causes the cooling sensation. But I found it scary. I thought I might have a problem if I get this stuff anywhere near my eyes. So I took extra care when I applied it – and it was fine. No redness, no weird tingling sensations on my face. No issues. After a few times I started to use the mask everywhere on my face – that includes my eyelids and the delicate skin under my eyes – and everything’s 100% fine.

However, the mask (which is pretty much a thick jelly) feels super tacky. If you apply too much product, you won’t be able to rub it into your skin. Once this mask sits on the skin, you can’t do anything with it. So it’s best to apply a reasonable amount in the first place, that way you don’t have to deal with it again. Just leave it alone, and it’ll be fine. 🙂

It took me a few weeks to make peace with this product. Now I’m happy that I didn’t return it. The first few times I found the mask awful, but then I started to appreciate it. Now I actually like it! At the moment I’m using this mask once a week (on stay-at-home days only). I apply it right after my morning shower. I leave the mask alone for a few minutes, and then I apply a normal day moisturiser on top of it. Yes, my face will still feel tacky all day, but I’m being rewarded with incredibly plumped up skin. Great stuff!

Superdrug‘s Simply Pure Leave On Water Mask is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. The 75ml tub is £3.99. Superdrug runs promotions frequently. I paid £2.99 (buy 1 get 2nd half price offer).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask

Hi there! Today’s post is about a face mask that I picked up for £4 – Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask.

This mask is aimed at people with dry or sensitive skin. And it promises to boost skin moisture levels and radiance.

The mask contains white willow extract, vitamin E, urea and marshmallow extract (!). And apparently these ingredients have hydrating, calming and replenishing properties.

How does it work? You’re supposed to apply the mask to your face and neck after cleansing and leave it on for 5 minutes. Then rinse with warm water. Done!

Is the mask any good? Yes and no. If I stick to the instructions, the mask leaves a residue on my face. It’s awful. I have to admit that it makes my skin feel soft to the touch, but it feels fake and the residue seems to dry out my skin.

However, I’ve been experimenting with the product, and I found a way to make it work for me. 🙂 I apply the mask first thing in the morning (usually on a Sunday), and I leave it on for 30 minutes. Then I follow with my regular morning routine, which means that I wash my face with a foaming cleanser and a sponge.

The result is… properly cleansed skin that feels sensationally soft. Whilst I wouldn’t say that the mask makes my skin feel more hydrated, I’ve noticed that the products that I apply afterwards seem to be absorbed faster and better than usual. And that’s actually quite awesome! 🙂

All in all, I’m happy that I found a way to make the mask work for me. If you’re interested, Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask is available as 125ml for £4 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Zatik Beauty Essentials Passionfruit Cacao Organic Lotion Moisture Recovery

Hi there! Today’s post is about a product I started to use a few weeks ago – Zatik Passionfruit Cacao Organic Lotion Moisture Recovery. Zatik is a cruelty-free brand from Glendale, California. Zatik uses fresh herbs cultivated on USDA-certified organic farms.

This moisturiser (which is not only certified cruelty-free, but also vegan) was formulated with a blend of organic herbs, flowers, fruits, and essential fatty acids from oils which encourage skin softening and daily moisture protection. This product contains a number of awesome ingredients, such as caocoa butter, shea butter, safflower oil, jojoba oil, passionflower extract and vitamin E!

On the back of the box it says that, if you have normal skin, you’re supposed to use the moisturiser in the morning. And if you have dry skin, you’re supposed to use it mornings and nights.

This moisturiser doesn’t contain sunscreen. This means that, if I were to use it in the morning, I would have to apply a moisturiser with SPF on top of it. Since this wouldn’t make sense at all, I decided to use this moisturiser as my night cream.

Now that I’ve used this product for almost 3 weeks, I’m ready to review it. The first thing I noticed was the product’s smell. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s that kind of ‘meh’ smell that you somehow accept because the product is all natural and doesn’t contain any artificial fragrances. But there’s good news because the scent doesn’t linger! 🙂

In terms of hydration I would say that this product is alright. I think that it maintains the current state of my skin. However, I doubt that this product would help with dry skin. And I doubt that using the product twice a day would make a difference. Why? Well, it’s simply not that hydrating. Having said that, I think this moisturiser would be a lot more suitable for people with normal or normal to oily skin.

Whilst I am happy to finish this moisturiser, I don’t think that I would buy it again. However, I am very interested in trying more products from this brand!

Zatik Passionfruit Cacao Organic Lotion Moisture Recovery is vegan and cruelty-free. The product even carries the Leaping Bunny logo! The product is available as 50ml for $26 (Zatik’s web site). I paid £5 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Cruelty-Free – Montagne Jeunesse Raspberry Smoothie

Hi there! Today’s post is about this “exclusive” Montagne Jeunesse Raspberry Smoothie face mask (Primark, 90p!).

This face mask promises an antioxidant boost for fresher and softer skin. Does it work? I think this mask is OK. It’s like a regular clay mask.

I think this mask cleansed my skin well. However, I didn’t like its fragrance at all. The mango & raspberry fragrance smells like a cheap multi-vitamin juice.

There’s nothing wrong with the quality of this face mask, but I won’t buy it again because of its smell.

Montagne Jeunesse’s Raspberry Smoothie face mask is certified cruelty-free. It carries the Leaping Bunny logo and it’s approved by the Vegetarian Society.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Reducing My Oldies Stash – Boots Extracts Olive Body Butter

Hi there! And welcome to today’s episode of ‘Reducing My Oldies Stash’. 😉 Today I’m reviewing an old favourite, Boots Extracts Olive Body Butter.

This product promises to moisturise and to soften skin with the help of olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and sweet almond oil. In addition, this body butter promises nourished and healthy looking skin. If you read on, I’ll tell you more! 🙂

First of all, this body butter smells amazing. No, it doesn’t smell like olives or olive oil. It smells fresh, green, joyful and feminine. It’s perfect – I love it! And I’ve never come across any other ‘green’ fragrance that smells this lovely.

Now let’s get to this body butter’s actual job – skin care! This body butter is definitely nourishing and moisturising. It makes my skin feel soft and supple. It’s perfect for dry, very dry and flaky skin. However, this body butter isn’t sticky at all because it’s easy to massage into the skin, and it’s absorbed quickly. I think the formula is perfect.

Because of this it is very unfortunate that Boots discotinued this body butter. And it’s even worse hat they replaced it with a cheap smelling strawberry body butter. I’m glad that I still have a few tubs of this olive body butter. I’ll be enjoying them very much, no doubt.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde