Weekly Recap 2 – 8 September 2019

Hi there! Happy Sunday! Today’s post is my weekly blog recap. Scroll down to see what I’ve been up to on my blog this past week. 🙂

Monday 2 Sep – August Empties

On Monday I told you which products I said goodbye to in August. Click here to read the post.

Tuesday 3 Sep – Nail Of The Day
Wednesday 4 Sep – Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser

Tuesday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
And on Wednesday I reviewed a cleanser. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 5 Sep – Nourish Protect Cooling Toning Mist

On Thursday I reviewed a face mist. Click here to read the post.

Friday 6 Sep – The Body Shop Italian Summer Fig Shower Gel, The Body Shop Polynesian Island Tiaré Shower Gel

Friday’s post was about 2 shower gels. Click here to read it.

And this is already it for this week. Thanks for stopping by! By the way, next week’s going to be face mask week! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser.

This product is aimed at people with sensitive skin, and it contains shea butter, cocoa butter, pro-vitamin B5, as well as marshmallow (?) and allantoin.

It promises to remove makeup, impurities and oils gently and effectively. In addition, the product claims to hydrate and soothe skin, and to restore skin’s natural ph balance.

This is a regular creamy cleanser that you’re supposed to massage into your skin. Once done, just remove it with a damp cloth or flannel.

According to the instructions on the back of the tube, this product should be used mornings and evenings.

I’ve been using this product on and off for a few months now, and I think it’s not great. I don’t agree that it’s suitable for sensitive skin. I’m only using this product once a day (when I remove my makeup in the evening), and I’ve noticed that, when I’ve used it for more than 3 days in a row, it stings a little and it makes my skin feel dry and uncomfortable. I’ve never had this problem with any other creamy cleanser, so based on this I’d say this is the least skin-friendly cleanser I’ve ever used!

I’m now doing my best to finish it up, and I’m pleased to report that it doesn’t cause me trouble when I use it every other day only. However, this creamy cleanser is only OK at dissolving makeup, so I won’t be sad to see it go once it’s finished.

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser is available as 150ml. I paid £4 (TK Maxx).

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – December 2018

Hi there! Happy New Year, everyone! 🙂 Since it’s the 1st of the month, this post is about everything I finished last month. I’ve used a few single-use face masks. Whilst I don’t keep the empty sachets, you can read about my latest face mask finds if you click here. Onto the empty bottles, tubes and tubs!

1 Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Body Butter – this is, without doubt, one of the best body butters I’ve ever tried. I have a few back-up tubs in my stash!

2 NYC Expert Last Nail Polish 138 Classy Glassy – this is a lovely clear polish. I love to use it as a top coat when I do foil manis. I have a few more bottles in my stash.

3 Orly Nail Lacquer Clear – this is the best quick-dry polish ever. I have 10+ back-up bottles.

4 Enliven Mango & Papaya Shower Gel – this is a nice shower gel that I can see myself buying again. My husband used this shower gel too, so it’s a shared empty.

5 Yves Rocher 3 Min. Cranberry Cooling Effect Mask – this is, without doubt, one of the most useless “beauty” products I’ve ever come across. It doesn’t do anything at all.

6 Boots Garden Collection Rose Body Wash (travel size) – this is a great little shower gel. I have one more bottle in my stash.

7 Max Factor Pan Stik 12 True Beige – my holy grail foundation!

8 Palmolive Aroma Moments So Vibrant Shower Gel – this is a fantastic shower gel that I would love to repurchase.

9 Herbal Essences Bio Renew Whipped Cocoa Butter Strength Conditioner – I thought this conditioner and the matching shampoo were not bad, but I’ve changed my mind. They were bad! For weeks, I thought my hair needed a trim, but I realised how incredibly flattening these 2 products were just after I had finished this conditioner (which was the day I passed the matching leftover shampoo on to my husband). I started a new shampoo and conditioner combo (Gliss), and those new products made my hair look big from day 1. Thank you Gliss! Goodbye and good riddance Herbal Essences Cocoa Butter products.

10 Boots Extracts Sweet Mango Body Spray – this stuff smells gorgeous! It’s the best mango fragrance out there! I have another bottle – which is already in use!

11 Enliven Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel – another great shower gel that I would like to repurchase. My husband helped with this one, so this one’s a shared empty.

12 Imperial Leather Thai Fusion Bath Moments – if this one hadn’t been discontinued, I’d buy it again.

13 Classics Nail Polish Remover – I will continue to buy this nail polish remover for as long as it’s made.

14 Simple Pleasures Winter Woodland Frosty Delight Body Lotion (travel size) – I found this half-empty bottle in my stash, so I made an effort to finish it. Success! This one was alright, but I wouldn’t buy anything from this brand again.

15 Garnier Pure Active Fruit Energy Daily Energising Gel Scrub – I liked this gentle scrub, but I didn’t love it. I don’t think that I’ll repurchase it.

16 Wonder Woman 2 In 1 Shampoo / Conditioner (travel size) – this is a nice shampoo. Very clarifying! But it doesn’t replace a conditioner. I might pick up another Wonder Woman toiletries set in the future.

17 Elizavecca Milky Piggy Kangsi Pack – this is another product that didn’t do anything for me. I won’t repurchase it.

18 Ciaté Amazing Gracie – another low quality polish from Ciaté that I am happy to say goodbye to.

19 Super Facialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C + Brighten Sleep & Reveal Night Cream  – this night cream isn’t the most suitable product for dry skin. And I think it didn’t do anything for my skin. I won’t buy it again.

20 Superdrug Treat Me Salted Caramel Shower & Bath Soak – this is a nice shower gel that I would repurchase. Since my husband used this shower gel too, this is another shared empty.

I did well again in December, didn’t I? I’m glad I finished all these shower and bath products. Some of them have been sitting by the shower – in various states of empty – for much, much longer than I’d care to admit. But (with a little help from my husband) I finished them – one by one. I’m actually a little proud of myself!

Since this is also the last Empties post for last year, I thought I’d let you know that I emptied 239 products in 2018. This figure includes the single-use face masks I’ve used. Whilst I don’t keep the empty sachets for my Empties posts, I do count them in my overall empties.

Again, Happy New Year! I hope it’s going to be a great year for everyone!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 12 – 18 November 2018

Hi there! It’s Sunday again (time flies…), so it’s time for my weekly blog recap. Read on if you’d like to know what I’ve been up to on my blog this week. 🙂

Monday 12 Nov – Super Facialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C + Brighten Sleep & Reveal Night Cream

On Monday I reviewed a night cream. Click here to read the post.

Tuesday 13 Nov – Sanctuary Spa 24H Moisturising Shower Cream & Nourishing Body Butter

Tuesday’s post was about 2 sensational body care products. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 14 Nov – Haul!

Wednesday’s post was about all the products I’ve bought over the past couple of weeks. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 15 Nov – Nail Of The Day
Friday 16 Nov – Pantene Pro-V Youth Protect Rejuvenating Intensive Conditioner

On Thursday I showed you a mani I did a little while ago. Click here to read the post.
And on Friday I reviewed a hair product. Click here to read the post.

This is it for this week. Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C + Brighten Sleep & Reveal Night Cream

Hi there! Today’s post is about my current night cream – Super Facialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C + Brighten Sleep & Reveal Night Cream. This night cream promises to rejuvenate skin, to give skin a radiant glow, and to make skin feel smoother. I’ve been using this night cream since early October, and here’s what I think.

The first thing I noticed about this night cream was its citrus fragrance. I love the smell and taste of lemons, oranges and grapefruits, but this citrus fragrance is not my favourite because it’s not very natural, and it’s too strong.

I find the night cream quick and easy to use. It’s absorbed in seconds, and it feels rather light. Based on this, I think the formula is most suitable for those with normal to oily skin. I can also see that it would work well as a summer night cream. However, I don’t think it’s the best night cream for dry skin like mine – at least not for the colder seasons.

I don’t think that this night cream has had any effect on my skin texture or that it improved the look of my skin. It didn’t make my skin feel smoother, and it didn’t make my skin look rejuvenated or more radiant.

Based on my experience, I would not recommend this night cream if you have dry skin. I won’t buy this face cream again. However, if you have normal to oily skin, and you’re looking for an inexpensive night cream with vitamin C, this one might be worth a try.

Super Facialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C + Brighten Sleep & Reveal Night Cream is available as 50ml. I paid £6.99 (TK Maxx).

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

Major Haul! Awesome New Products / Beauty Stuff I Bought In September And October

Hi there! I forgot to do a haul post last month, so today I’m showing you what I bought in September and October. 🙂

I bought a set of 5 SpaScriptions face masks – the set was £4.99. I also bought a set of 5 panda face masks – this set was £4.99 as well. TK Maxx

I bought a Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Mask (£4), a large 1kg Kallos Multivitamin hair mask (£7.99), and a Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Creamy Cleanser (£4). TK Maxx

I picked up 3 Superdrug items – a Salted Caramel Shower & Bath Soak (£1.47), a Glycolic Tonic (=toner) and another Glycolic Overnight Peel to replace the one I finished. The last 2 products were £5.99 each, but there was a buy 1 get 1 free offer, so I paid £5.99 in total for the 2 Naturally Radiant products.

I got a few more masks – I couldn’t resist those Hunny Bee grapefruit masks (£4.99 for a set of 5 masks), and I bought another SpaScriptions mask set (£4.99 for a set of 5 masks). TK Maxx

I found an Argan & Marula shampoo and conditioner combo (99p each) and a My Little Pony shower gel (99p). Home Bargains

I got another Superfacialist Rose Hydrate product – I bought the Day Cream (£6.99), and I picked up 2 Sanctuary Spa Being fragrances (£3.75 each). And I spent £6.99 on my Superfacialist Vitamin C + Brighten night cream. TK Maxx, Boots

The Zatik Passionfruit Cacao Lotion was £5, the Scinic Vita Ade Eye Cream was £6, and the Scinic Sparkling Pore Toner was £6 as well. TK Maxx

I bought a big It’s True Moisture Cream (£9.99), a Smack Beauty Firming Night Cream (£3), and another Hunny Bee mask set (£4.99 for 5 masks). TK Maxx

I got my hands on a Skin Care Chemist Macadamia Beauty Oil (£3), and I bought a Sukin Chia Seed Oil+ Foaming Facial Cleanser set. The set was £7.99 which is excellent value because the chia seed oil is usually £14.95 on its own! TK Maxx

And I bought 2 big jars of compressed sheet masks. These were £4.99 each. The bamboo jar contained 22 masks, the assorted jar contained 23 masks. TK Maxx

This is everything I bought in September and October. It’s quite a lot, I think. 🙂 Have you tried any of these products? Or would you like to try any of them? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Haul! New Products From Boots, Montagne Jeunesse, TK Maxx, L’Oréal, Sukin, Una Brennan, Alberto Balsam & My Little Pony

Hi there! Today’s post is about the new products I bought in July. Here they are:

Boots Ingredients sheet masks are £2.50 each. But Boots ran a 4 for £3 promotion (Online only!), so I had to buy 4. I would have been stupid not to take advantage of the offer! I opted for 2 Luminous Youth masks (had them before, loved them), 1 Super Hyaluronic mask, and 1 Cleansing & Purifying mask.

I thought Montagne Jeunesse did masks (face, hair and foot masks) only. So I was surprised to find 2 body moisturisers at my local Poundworld store. I got a Buriti Fruit Body Smoothie and a Goji Berry Body Smoothie. £1 each.

I was happy to pick up a L’Oréal Elvive Smooth & Polish Thermo Detangling Spray for £1 (Poundland). And I got myself an Ekél Natural Clean Peeling Gel with Grape (£4.99, TK Maxx) and a Skinfood Mud Masque (£4.99, TK Maxx).

Two more Sukin products moved in with me! Sukin’s Clarifying Facial Tonic was £4.99 and Sukin’s Anti-Pollution Facial Masque was £5.99. The OM SHE Aromatherapy Skin Lift Hydrating Face Serum was £4.99. These 3 products came from TK Maxx.

And these are the last 3 products: Super Facialist By Una Brennan Pore Purifying Clay Mask (£4.99, TK Maxx), Alberto Balsam Colour Bright Detangler + UV Filter and My Little Pony Leave-In Hair Detangler. The 2 detangling sprays came from Poundworld, and they were £1 each.

This is what I bought in July. Lots of masks, I know! I’ll try to review all these products asap. Any comments? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde