Empties – January 2022

Hi there! It’s the first day of a new month, and this means that today’s post is about last month’s beauty empties. And here they are!

1 Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Lip Balm – a decent lip balm! I have another one in my stash.

2 Mugler Aura Eau De Parfum Sensuelle – this is a nice fragrance for sure, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to buy it again.

3 Rimmel Lycra Pro 421 Clearly Clear – one of my favourite clear polishes. I should have a few more of these in my stash.

4 Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Well-Being Shower Gel With Lavandin – this is a decent shower gel in many ways, but not a favourite, so I won’t be buying it again.

5 Dove Go Fresh Revive Body Wash With Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena Scent – I don’t think I’ll buy this shower gel again. It’s just not repurchase-worthy.

6 Palmolive My Fresh Splash Shower Gel – such a lovely shower gel. Too bad it was a limited edition, otherwise I’d buy it again.

7 Agent Provocateur Aphrodisiaque Eau De Parfum – nice enough while it lasted (my husband liked this fragrance on me), but I wouldn’t buy it again.

8 Garnier Skin Active Soothing Botanical Toner With Rose Water – this is an OK toner. I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

9 B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – a beauty staple! I have a few more of these!

10 Gliss Liquid Silk Shampoo & Conditioner – I love Gliss’ liquid silk hair products. A definite repurchase!

11 Radox Essentials Soft Care Bath Cream with Milk – one of my favourite bath products ever. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, so I can’t buy it again.

12 Classics Nail Polish Remover – my go-to nail polish remover!

13 Prada Infusion D’Iris Eau De Toilette – a really nice fragrance. Repurchase-worthy!

14 Patisserie De Bain Orange Crush Hand Cream – a decent hand cream, no doubt, but I don’t think that I’ll repurchase it.

15 Olay Anti-Wrinkle Firm & Lift Eye Renewal Gel – one of my all-time favourite eye products. I have at least 2 more in my stash.

I also used 11 single-use face masks. And all in all, I’m happy with what I managed to use up in January!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – January 2021

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished last month. I used 11 single use face masks, and you can read about my latest face mask finds here. But let’s look at the bigger bottles and tubs…

1 Cellio It’s True Acai Berry Moisture Cream – a lovely moisturiser! I’d recommend it!

2 M&S Discover Fresh Lychee – this is a beautiful fragrance! I might buy the 30ml again – or I might even buy the 100ml.

3 M&S Discover Soft Iris – this was nice while it lasted, but it hasn’t wowed me, so I won’t buy it again.

4 Cutex Quick ‘N Go 100 Clearly Speeding – a decent clear polish. I would buy it again.

5 Imperial Leather Shake Your Bambootay Luscious Bamboo With A Fruity Twist Icons Shower Gel – I liked this shower gel. I might buy it again.

6 Gliss Total Repair Shampoo & Conditioner – this is a very good conditioner, and I will buy it (and the matching shampoo) again!

7 Boots Live + Be Awakening Glow Shower Cream – it’s too bad that Boots has discontinued the entire collection. I would have loved to have this (and other items from the same collection) again.

8 Makeup Revolution London Lip Hug Love Can Set You Free – one of my favourite lipsticks ever! This collection has now been discontinued, and I’m sad to see it go. I bought a few different shades from this collection, and I’ll try these asap.

9 Essence Plumping Nudes Lipgloss 05 Bold Love – I liked this lipgloss, and I can see myself giving other shades from this collection a try.

10 Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss 1 Baby Doll’s Favourite – not my favourite shade, but I liked the rich formula and the cute vanilla flavour.

11 Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – one of my holy grail products. I have a few more bottles in my stash.

12 The Body Shop Amorito – one of TBS’s best fragrances – of course discontinued. This little fragrant gem smells like white chocolate and vanilla. I know I’ll miss it!

This is everything I managed to finish in January. I’m happy with how many products I was able to use up, and I think February will be a good month for Empties too.

Thanks for stopping by today! 😊

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – November 2018

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I emptied in November. First of all, I used a number of 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. Now, let’s have a closer look at the big bottles and tubes!

1 Balance Active Formula Dragon’s Blood Eye Lift Balm – this eye cream hydrates skin nicely, but that’s about it. I don’t think I’ll buy it again.

2 Positively Fruity Smells Like Wild Cherries Body Lotion – this is a shared empty. My husband and I used most of this body lotion as a foot lotion. I wouldn’t repurchase this product.

3 Boots Garden Collection Rose Body Lotion (travel size) – this is a decent body lotion. I have one more tube!

4 Derma V10 Mango Body Butter – this is a nice body butter. I might buy it again.

5 Superdrug Hand & Nail Cream – this is another shared empty. My husband and I used this hand cream as a foot cream. I wouldn’t repurchase this product.

6 Possibility Amber & Lavender Bath and Shower Body Scrub – this is a great product. I’d love to buy it again, but this lovely fragrance is no longer availble. 😦

7 Daily Defense Pomegranate And Vitamin E Moisturizing Conditioner – another awesome hair product from Daily Defense. I’ll repurchase it, no doubt! If you’re wondering what happened to the matching shampoo… I like to use matching hair products, and whenever I finish a conditioner, I pass the leftover shampoo on to my husband.

8 Imperial Leather Invigorating Mango & Papaya Shower Cream – this is a great shower cream, and I’ll repurchase it soon. My husband used it too, so this is another shared empty!

9 Sanctuary Spa Kyphi Nourishing Body Butter – this is one of the best body butters I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued. 😦

10 MUA Blusher Shade 2 – I liked this blush. Good pigmentation, east to blend, lovely shade. I wouldn’t buy it again, but that’s only because I have way too many blushes…

11 Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – one of my holy grail products!

12 Garnier Pure Active Anti-Imperfection Cleansing Gel – this is a very effective face wash. This is another shared empty (my husband enjoyed this face wash very much). If you’re looking for a simple product that gives your skin a proper deep cleanse, look no further! I can see myself buying this face wash again.

13 Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser – this is a nice and effective cleansing cream. I’ve been happy with it, but I won’t buy it again any time soon because I have a few similar products in my stash, and I need to get on top of those cleansers first.

14 Boots The Garden Collection Lavender Body Lotion (travel size) – I think this is a great little body lotion. I have a back-up!

15 Boots The Garden Collection Lavender Body Wash (travel size) – this shower gel was really lovely. I have one more bottle!

16 Baylis & Harding Mango & Mandarin Fragrance Mist – I enjoyed this body mist while it lasted, but it wasn’t special enough for me to buy it again.

I’m happy with what I finished in November. I said goodbye to a blush, I emptied a few travel-sized products, and I managed to finish several skin care products. Not bad, eh? 🙂 What have you finished last month? Feel free to comment. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – January 2018

Hi there! It’s the 1st of February, so it’s time for my January 2018 Empties post. So let me show you which products I finished. 🙂

1 Elizavecca Gold CF-Nest White Bomb Eye Cream – I enjoyed using this eye cream, and I would recommend it to everyone who’s looking for an eye cream that hydrates well and that plays well with make-up. I won’t buy this eye cream again – I just have too many eye creams in my stash!

2 Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Body Wash – this is a lovely body wash. I’ll buy it again, no doubt!

3 Zatik Beauty Essentials Passionfruit Cacao Organic Lotion Moisture Recovery – I didn’t love this product because it’s not the most suitable product for my skin type. I wouldn’t repurchase this particular product, but I’d like to try other products from this brand.

4 Olay Anti-Wrinkle 2 in 1 Instant Hydration + Radiant Glow – a lovely moisturiser! I have 1 or 2 back-up bottles, so I don’t need to stock up any time soon.

5 Palmolive Aroma Moments Feel Glamorous – I loved this shower scrub – and so did my husband. So this one is a shared empty. I’ll repurchase this product again, no doubt!

6  B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – this is one of my holy grail products. It changed my life. I don’t want to be without it. Yes, I have several back-up bottles!

7 Claire’s Meringue Flavoured Lip Balm – this was a nice lip balm. I’ve got more Claire’s lip balms that I can’t wait to try!

8 Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Leave-On Moisture Mask – this stuff is awesome. I will repurchase it soon!

9 Olay Hydration Balancing + Purifying Cleansing 2 In 1 Refreshing Face Wash – a lovely face wash. Happy yo buy it again!

10 L’Oréal Elvive Full Restore 5 Extreme Repairing Conditioner – one of the best conditioners L’Oréal ever made. It appears that, unfortunately, the Full Restore 5 Extreme collection has been discontinued. 😦

11 Imperial Leather Funfair Nostalgia – this is a lovely shower cream. I’ve already repurchased it.

12 Yves Rocher Les Plaisirs Nature Organic Vanilla Eau De Toilette – this is a wonderful vanilla fragrance. If you liked the original The Body Shop vanilla fragrance, you’ll love this one!

13 Sanctuary Spa Crème Soufflé – this moisturiser feels very luxurious. And I love the Sanctuary Spa fragrance! I’ll probably repurchase this product.

14 TRESemmé Renewal Hair & Scalp Nourish & Renew Deep Conditioning Masque – I think this is a good deep conditioner. I would repurchase it.

15 NSPA Pineapple Fragrance Body Mist – I enjoyed the product, but I don’t think that I’ll buy this body mist again because the big 200ml bottle takes ages to finish – and I have too many fragrances and body mists in my stash.

16 Rossmann Wellness & Beauty Mango & Ylang-Ylang Body Lotion – I bought this body lotion a very long time ago. I thought that, after such a long time, I shouldn’t use it as a body lotion, so I used it as a foot cream. Result = happy feet!

17 I Love… Chocolate Truffle Nourishing Body Butter – this body butter smells insanely delicious. This was a limited edition product, and I’m glad I bought several tubs!

18 Sanctuary Spa Intensive Heel Balm – this product is amazing. It really helps with cracked and dry heels! I would like to repurchase it, but the small tube is £7.50 which, I think, is quite expensive. So I’ll keep my eyes peeled for special offers!

19 Essence Black Eyeliner – my favourite cheap eyeliner. I have lots more in my stash. 🙂

20 Manhattan Only Button Baby Eye Palette – I’m incredibly proud of myself for finishing this eye palette!

21 Bourjois Sunset A Rio 47 Nail Polish – I got every last drop of polish out of this polish (thanks to stamping!), and I’m really proud of myself for finishing another colour polish!

I’ve also used quite a few single-use face masks – but I didn’t keep the sachets. If you’d like to read about my latest face mask finds, click here. This is everything I finished in January. I’m very happy that I managed to empty a few more skin care products and a small eye palette! What have you emptied recently? Any product you’re proud of finishing? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Empties – July 2017

Hi there! Today’s post is about all the products I finished last month. I used a few single-use face masks. Whilst I don’t keep the empty sachets, you can read about my latest face mask finds here. Now onto the ‘big’ empties! 🙂

1 Superdrug Clearly Youthful Resurfacing Night Serum – this is a great serum. Since it contains AHA and BHA it doesn’t smell great, but this serum gives real results. Unfortunately this product has been discontinued, but I have one more back-up bottle.

2 Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz – I love this product! I will continue to buy it for as long as it’s made. Awesome stuff!

3 Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Perfume Roll-On – this fragrance is nice. It says coconut nectar, but it’s more like a heavy vanilla with lots of honey and a drop of coconut milk. I won’t buy it again because I don’t love the fragrance.

4 I Love… Mango & Papaya Refreshing Body Spritzer – this body spritzer was a nice surprise. The fragrance is sunny and summery – and it’s very well done. Definitely a lot better than all those £15 celebrity fragrances. I have 1 back-up bottle!

5 Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Deep Clean Gel – this is a wonderful face wash (and I have a back-up). I’d love to buy this product again and again, but, unfortunately, it’s been discontinued.

6 I Love… Tropical Paradise Nourishing Body Butter – this body butter was really nice. Very nourishing, but not sticky. Great for summer! I would buy this body butter again, but it appears that Tropial Paradise was a limited edition that sold out quickly.

7 L’Oréal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal Sparkling Conditioner – this is an average conditioner. However, I might buy it again one more time because I’d like to test if the Nutri-Gloss Luminizer shampoo would be a better prep for this conditioner.

8 I Love… Tropical Paradise Bath & Shower Crème – this is a nice shower gel with a pleasant exotic fragrance. I would buy it again. However, it appears that this limited edition product is gone for good!

9 Nail Polish Remover – quite effective and not too stinky, and dirt cheap (£1 for 400ml)! Yes, I have a back-up.

10 Astor Fashion Studio 221 Cabaret – this was an ugly pearly-white polish with a frosty finish. I used it as a base coat. Repurchase? Nope!

11 Rimmel Lycra Pro 421 Clearly Clear – one of my favourite clear polishes. Great as a base coat or as a top coat. I have several bottles in various states of empty. 🙂

12 MUA Top Clear Coat – yes, its name is Top Clear Coat! This is a reasonable top coat. And I have a few back-up bottles.

13 The Healing Garden JasmineSensations – this is a super sweet jasmine and bubble gum fragrance. Gorgeous! I have a few 15ml bottles!

14 Leafy & Lovely Summer Meadow Hand Lotion – a very nice hand cream! It also looks super fancy but it was £1 only. This hand cream has been repackaged – and I have one more tube in my stash!

15 Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Radiance Boosting Scrub – a reasonable scrub. Effective, but not harsh at all. I’ve been using this scrub every Saturday for 10 months, and it’s finally finished! Whilst I would recommend this scrub, I won’t buy it again because I have countless scrubs in my stash.

16 Garnier Moisture + Protect Daily Protective Moisturiser – this is a good moisturiser. However, I don’t like the fragrance at all, so I wouldn’t buy it again.

This is what I emptied last month. I’m glad I managed to finish another big 500ml shower gel and lots of smaller items! Feel free to comment if you want to. And thanks for reading. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Beauty & Cutie Haul – Boots, Superdrug, Asda & Primark

Hi there! Some of you may remember that I used to buy toiletries, skin care and make-up in bulk. But I’ve stopped doing that a few months ago. Since then my approach to shopping has been 3 out / 1 in, which is going surprisingly well, so I’m sticking to this approch until (at least) the end of the year. 🙂 OK, I haven’t done much shopping lately, and because of that I’ve built up some “shopping credit”. So I decided to treat myself to a few new products. Now let me show you what I bought!

I found this Baylis & Harding Beauticology Donut Shop gift set at my local Asda store. It was £6 and it contains the following full size products: Blueberry Glaze Donut Shower Crème, Frosted Sprinkles Bath Soak Crystals, Vanilla Sugar Donut Body Butter. Yummy!

I also found lots of cute trainer socks at Primark. I bought a set of 3 pairs of Pokémon socks…

… and a set of 3 pairs of Care Bears socks. No, clothes and accessories have nothing to do with the 3 out / 1 in policy / approach / thing. However, I still wanted to show you that I bought these super cute trainer socks. 🙂 OK, now let’s get back to the toiletries and the beauty products that I picked up from Boots and Superdrug!

I bought 2 Carex shower gels. Carex used to do hand soaps and hand gels only, but they’ve recently launched shower and bath products too. These Carex shower gels were £1 each (special offer, Boots). I also bought 3 Boots Extracts Body Sprays – 2 mango sprays and 1 vanilla spray. These sprays are £3.50 each, but Boots ran a 3 for 2 promo, so I spent £7 in total for these 3 fantastic body sprays.

I found this super cute Caolion O2 Sparkling Purifying Soap by accident. I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t need it. But it was £4 (Boots) and it looked cute… I wanted it, and I bought it! I also bought 3 more B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritzes. They’re normally £7.95 each, but they were on special (half price), so they were £3.95 each. However, Superdrug also ran a 3 for 2 promo on selected skin care products, so I paid £7.90 in total for these 3 body spritzes. Fantastic value!

I bought 3 more items from Boots’ Essentials collection – a Cucumber Facial Scrub, a Cucumber Facial Toner and a Cucumber 3-Minute Clay Mask. I’m really looking forward to testing these products!

I also bought several Carex Bubble Gum hand washes (Superdrug, 89p each) and several Carex Bubble Gum hand gels (£1 each, Boots). But these products are essentials, so I always stock up when they’re on special. 🙂

Any comments on my beauty and cutie haul? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

January Beauty Awards

Hi there! And welcome to my first ‘beauty awards’ – aka my monthly favourites – of 2017. 🙂 As always, I’ve chosen three favourites (and a few honourable mentions) from all the products I’ve reviewed this month. So let’s see which products I liked best!

3rd place – NSPA Caramel Chocolate Shower & Bath Gel
Runner-Up – Nivea Q10 Firming Body Lotion

NSPA’s Caramel Chocolate Shower & Bath Gel is a fantastic shower gel. It smells… delicious! Too bad it’s a limited edition. I also really like Nivea’s Q10 Body Lotion. Yes, it made my skin feel firmer within days. I will buy this body lotion again, no doubt!

WINNER – Superdrug B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz

I’ve never used a facial spray/spritz/mist until I tried Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz.

And what happened when I started to use this product? I fell in love with it. Now, just 8 weeks later, I can’t imagine being without it.

I use this hyaluronic acid mist almost every day. And I even have a bottle in my handbag!

On top of that I already bought four back-up bottles – just in case! 😀

If you haven’t tried this product, I’d definitely recommend you buy it right away. It’s great for dry skin (I think it’s probably suitable for all skin types), and it hasn’t caused my sensitive and moody skin any trouble at all.

Now onto the honourable mentions! I really like Imperial Leather’s Effortless and Beautiful shower gels. They’re 100% fantastic.

And Radox’s Mango Mayhem and Passion Fruit Splash shower gels are extremely nice too. These two products remind me of my favourite season of the year = summer!

These are the ‘new’ products that I liked best this month. Have you used any of these products? If so, how did you like them? Feel free to comment. And thanks for reading! 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 9 – 15 Jan 2017

Hi there! And Happy Sunday! How was everyone’s week? I hope you guys are doing well! I had a busy week (what else is new…) and I’m glad I managed to finish my weekly recap post. 🙂

Monday 9 Jan – Nail Of The Day / Nail Art Challenge
Tuesday 10 Jan – Montagne Jeunesse Wild Strawberry Peel Off Mask

On Monday I showed you a manicure I did recently. Click here if you want to read what I used and how I did it. On Tuesday I reviewed Montagne Jeunesse’s Wild Strawberry Peel Off Mask. Click here if you want to read the post.

Wednesday 11 Jan – Imperial Leather Indulgence Effortless & Beautiful

Wednesday’s post was about two heavely shower gels I picked up at the bargain store. If you want to read Wednesday’s post, click here.

Thursday 12 Jan – B. Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz
Friday 13 Jan – Nail Of The Day / Nail Art Challenge

On Thursday I reviewed Superdrug’s B. Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz. I love this product! If you want to read the full review, click here. Friday’s post was another nail post. And I went for blue nails again. Click here if you want to see which products I used for this mani.

But before I finish this post, I’d like to share two brilliant spam comments with you:

How awesome are these spam comments?! 😀

OK, this is it for this week. I hope you enjoy the rest of this Sunday! And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

You Need This In Your Life – 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz

Hi there! I’ve been using Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz for over a month now. So I think it’s time to tell you a little bit about this product.

First of all, this product is certified cruelty-free (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo) and it’s suitable for vegans!

I didn’t know that hyaluronic acid could be obtained from plant sources – but it appears that the humble potato is an excellent source of hyaluronic acid. So keep eating your spuds, OK?

Now let’s get away from the trivia. Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz promises 12 hours of skin hydration and healthy skin with regular use. Sounds good!

In addition, the product claims to be a perfect pick-me-up for tired skin. And apparently this facial spritz is non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t clog pores. Nice!

The directions for use state that you can use this product on freshly cleansed skin, you can spray it over make-up, or you can use it “whenever your skin needs a refreshing boost”. So in summary, you can use it whenever you want. 🙂

As I said, I’ve been using this product almost every day for a month now. And I love it. I have to admit that I rarely use it right after cleansing. But I love to spray it over my make-up. Here’s why…

… I have very dry skin and I have eczema. Of course I also have semi-permanent dry patches, and there is only one foundation (Max Factor’s Pan Stik) that doesn’t highlight those dry patches. Actually, the Pan Stik conceals those dry patches perfectly! However, because of the cold and dry air in our office (I think the air con is set to permafrost…) I usually need to do some serious touching up on my make-up by lunch time – otherwise the dry patches show their ugly… scales.

But since I’ve been using this hyaluronic acid product, I don’t have to ‘redo’ my make-up during the day anymore! Two sprays in the morning after I’ve done my make-up, two sprays at lunch time, and sometimes two more sprays before I leave the office (but this depends on whether I’m doing anything exciting after work, or whether I just head home) – and that’s basically it. The only other thing I still (feel I have to) do is to go over my face with a kabuki brush every couple of hours – just to rearrange my face (that’s what my husband calls it…).

In summary, this product is amazing! It’s the best thing since I discovered konjac sponges (again, thank you Stashy and Kathy). Buy it! And buy konjac sponges! Superdrug’s B. Confident Hyaluronic Acid Facial Spritz is available as 75ml for £7.99. However, at the moment Superdrug is running a buy one get one free promotion on selected B. skin care, so you really have to get two of these face mists (one for at home, the other one for your handbag). 😉

Mrs Strawberry Blonde