100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Sukin Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Sukin Certified Organic Rosehip Oil for dry and distressed skin types.

According to Sukin, this facial oil contains “no less than 70% essential fatty acids”. In addition, vitamins have been added – to soften, hydrate and soothe the skin.

The facial oil claims to help reduce the appearance of scars, to fight the signs of ageing, to reduce redness and dry skin, and to maintain skin health.

How do you use it? You’re supposed to massage 2-3 drops of oil into cleansed skin. Nothing complicated.

I’ve been using this facial oil for almost a month now, and I think it’s average at best.

This facial oil is quite thick, so I always use it in conjunction with 2-3 sprays of face mist, otherwise it’s rather difficult to spread it all across my face and neck.

Despite the thick formula, it’s not as rich as other facial oils that I’ve used in the past.

And yes, I’ve also “watered down” those other facial oils by spraying face mist onto my skin. So I’m using a lot more of the facial oil that what’s recommended on the back of the bottle.

I have an eczema patch and another small area on my face which is healing from a giant spot. No matter how much facial oil I apply at night, I still wake up to scaly skin around those areas. And no matter how much facial oil I apply in the morning, those areas are starting to dry up quickly, so I have to keep applying more oil.

I haven’t seen any other benefits yet. I know I’m just a month into using this facial oil, but it’s not helping with skin healing, and I also dislike its strong smell. It smells like… something you’d mix into salad dessing. I’ve previously had a few products with strong “natural” smells, and it was always a struggle to finish them. I’m not a wasteful person, so I rarely throw stuff away. I’m not binning this facial oil, but I can only continue to use it in conjunction with other scented products, otherwise the smell is just too much.

One more thing – this oil stains! So be careful when you use it!

I know I won’t be buying this product or any other products from Sukin’s Rosehip range again. I’ve now had this rosehip facial oil, the rosehip cleanser and the rosehip day cream, but none of these products wowed me. There is one more product in this range that’s available in the UK – the night cream. But I’m giving that one a pass!

But if you’re interested, Sukin Certified Organic Rosehip Oil for dry and distressed skin types is available as 50ml for £19.95 (Boots). I got this product as part of a £12.99 gift set which contained Sukin products worth over £40.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glow Gentle Cleansing Milk

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glow Gentle Cleansing Milk.

The Naturally Radiant Glow range intends to rebalance the skin and to minimise blemishes and signs of irritation for a calmer, soothed and more healthy looking complexion.

This cleansing milk contains vegan coconut yoghurt and a prebiotic complex which promises to help maintain the skin’s natural microbiome.

How do you use it? Use it as you’d use any other cleansing milk or cleansing cream. Squeeze a bit of product onto a cotton pad, and use it to dissolve and remove your make-up. Then use a toner after and follow with your regular skin care routine.

I’ve been using this product on and off for a few weeks now, and I think it’s quite good. I like the faint yoghurty scent – nice, clean, fresh.

I’m happy to report that this cleansing milk doesn’t smell overly coconutty. This is great because I’m not a fan of coconut flavours and scents.

This cleansing milk also does a reasonable job removing make-up. Granted, I’m not making the biggest effort with eye make-up at the moment, and I mainly wear foundation and lipstick, but this cleansing milk gets rid of almost all traces of make-up. I tried a few different toners to see how much leftover product they’d catch – and it’s always just a hint of beige.

I will continue to use this product, and I would recommend it (as always – just make sure you’re not allergic to any of the ingredients). If you’re interested, Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glow Gentle Cleansing Milk is available as 150ml. The price has recently gone up from £6.99 to £7.99. I paid £3.49 (half price offer before the price went up). Keep your eyes peeled for the very frequent Better Than Half Price and Buy One Get One Free promotions on the Naturally Radiant range. Oh, one more thing, this product is vegan and cruelty-free (it carries The Leaping Bunny logo). 😍

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Marks & Spencer Alphabet Personalised Beauty Gift Set

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Marks & Spencer Personalised Beauty Gift Set. They had a few random letters left on sale (half price = £6.25), and I opted for J over X or Q. This gift set contains 3 items – a fragrance, a hand cream and a lip balm. All of these products are vegan and certified cruelty-free – they carry the Leaping Bunny logo!

Let’s start with the fragrance which contains the following notes: red berries, pomegranate and musk. On paper, this doesn’t sound bad. However, this fragrance is the stuff of nightmares. They forgot to list one major ingredient – cloves! I’ve never smelled such a disgusting mess of cloves and overly ripe fruit.

I sprayed it once, smelled it, then I washed my arm and threw my cardie in the washing machine. The stink lingered for hours despite the window being open. I couldn’t and wouldn’t gift this to anyone. This fragrance is rubbish!

Onto the next product, the hand cream! The hand cream smells like an extremely watered-down version of the fragrance. Fortunately, the scent is very weak and fleeting, so it doesn’t stink up the room. The formula is very rich and nourishing. However, after the fragrance nightmare, I wasn’t too keen on the hand cream. So my husband is using it as a foot cream – and it works well.

And here’s item number 3 – the lip balm. This is the surprise of the month! Wow, what a beautiful lip balm! It’s very similar to Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect Lip Care! This beautiful lip balm has a very subtle vanilla scent, it glides on, it’s very lightweight, and it’s incredibly hydrating. I love it! 😍 One of my favourite products this month!

All in all, whilst the lip balm is the absolute bomb, I had to bin the fragrance and I’m also not using the hand cream. I would hope that M&S will bring back the lip balm next Christmas, or that it will be available to buy on its own!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

Boots Live + Be Beautiful Connection Hand Cream, Boots Live + Be Captivating Pause Hand Cream

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 hand creams I started to use just recently – Boots Live + Be Beautiful Connection Hand Cream and Boots Live + Be Captivating Pause Hand Cream. These are part of Boots’ vegan and cruelty-free Live + Be collection which, unfortunately has been discontinued. But stores still have random stock, and there are quite a few different products available online.

Alrighty, let’s move on to Boots Live + Be Beautiful Connection Hand Cream. This is a rich, almost buttery, and luxurious hand cream with a fresh rose scent – reminiscent of subtle rose fragrances like Stella or Chloé. I like the formula a lot. It’s great for dry hands!

Boots Live + Be Captivating Pause Hand Cream has the same beautiful formula – it’s nourishing and caring. Very nice! The fragrance is a bit random – it’s a sweet, powdery and slightly musky scent. This is a fragrance that, I think, teenagers would enjoy more. However, the formula is what’s important, and I’m happy to use this hand cream!

Based on my experience, I’d recommend these hand creams. I think I paid £1 per hand cream. These were from the reduced to clear shelf.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Moisturising Facial Oil

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Superdrug Naturally Radiant Moisturising Facial Oil with kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts. This facial oil promises to moisturise, brighten, renew and soften the skin.

The instructions state that you should massage 1-2 drops of facial oil into your skin (after cleansing). For a more intensive moisture boost, you should use the facial oil under your night cream.

I’ve been using this facial oil on and off for about 2 months now, and I’m enjoying it very much. I love how it feels on my skin and that it plays well with my other skin care products and with my foundation. And I love how nourishing the facial oil is. At the moment it’s helping my skin heal after an unpleasant psoriasis flare-up.

Based on my experience, I’d recommend this Superdrug Naturally Radiant Moisturising Facial Oill. It’s available as 30ml for £7.99. I paid £3.99 (half price offer at Superdrug). Also, this facial oil is certified cruelty-free (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo), and it’s suitable for vegans!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Sukin Rosehip Hydrating Day Cream

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Sukin Rosehip Hydrating Day Cream which also contains pomegranate, kakadu plum and a bunch of other botanical ingredients. This day cream promises to help relieve dehydrated skin and fight the signs of ageing.

I’ve been using this day cream for a few weeks now and I think it’s not the best product for my skin type. It’s probably better suited to people with oily skin types. I don’t think someone with normal to dry skin would find this day cream hydrating enough. What I like about this day cream is that plays well with the other facial products I use and that it doesn’t irritate my skin. However, this cream is just not enough for my dry skin, and I often end up using face mist and facial oil as a booster.

If you’re interested, Sukin Rosehip Hydrating Day Cream is available as 120ml for £18.95. I got this product as part of a £12.99 gift set which contained Sukin products worth over £40! So far, the cleanser was disappointing, and this night cream is not suitable for my skin type (even though it says it is). Fingers crossed for the facial oil!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Essence XXXL Nude Lipgloss 06 Soft Almond, Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Lip Balm, Malibu Sun Lip Care Vanilla Flavour

Hi there! Today’s post is about 3 lip products I’m using at the moment – Essence XXXL Nude Lipgloss 06 Soft Almond, Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Lip Balm which is 100% vegan and cruelt-free, and Malibu Sun Lip Care Vanilla Flavour.

Let’s start with Essence XXXL Nude Lipgloss 06 Soft Almond! This is a gorgeous lip gloss. It has a subtle sweet flavour and a sheer brownish tint which is a good match for me (pale ginger with green eyes). I also like that the gloss doesn’t slip. All in all, this is a really good lipgloss! I paid £1 for it (Wilko, sale)

Onto Superdrug Vitamin E Skin Care Lip Balm! I’ve been enjoying this lip balm for a few months now, and it’s almost finished. Why is it good? It has a beautiful texture that glides on and provides a real hydration boost. I’ve even used it around my eyes and my nose to heal broken, flaky skin. One word of caution though – this lip balm has a strong ricinus oil scent – if that’s not your cup of tea, you won’t like this lip balm!

If you’re interested, this lip balm is available as a duo pack for £3.49. I paid just over £2 during a Save 1/3 promotion (which Superdrug runs most of the time). Also, this lip balm is vegan and certified cruelty-free as it carries the Leaping Bunny logo!

Malibu Sun Lip Care Vanilla Flavour is a decent lip balm. It has SPF30 – this is great in many ways. However, this also means that the lip balm stings on broken skin. This lip balm is nice for healthy lips, and I would recommend as a summer holiday lip balm. The sweet vanilla flavour is alright too. Malibu Sun Lip Balms are usually available in sets of 3 for about £1.99 (Home Bargains and other bargain stores although the price may be different).

Whilst this post is not a product comparison, let me rate these lip products from best to 3rd best = Essence lipgloss, Superdrug lip balm, Malibu Sun lip balm. But I like them all; there’s not a single stinker amongst these products!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Revisiting Old Favourites – 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! Today’s post is about this Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic.

This glycolic toner is an old beauty favourite, but I neglected using it for a while because I had so many other toners that I wanted to get to. But I’ve started using in again in September, and I’m over the moon with it. But let’s start with what the product promises…

This toner with 5% glycolic acid, kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts promises to exfoliate and to retexturise the skin, to fade pigment irregularities and to reduce discolouration, to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, and to brighten and even out the skin tone. Wow, that’s quite a few promises!

But guess what – this toner keeps all of its promises! I’m using this toner once a day, in the morning, after I’ve showered. I love to start the day with a squeaky clean face, and this toner really makes it happen.

What does it do? It’s the ultimate post-cleansing product that catches all the dirt and gunk that your other cleansers and toners don’t catch. This toner keeps improving my skin tone – my skin is more even and brighter, and, my skin feels and looks smoother as well.

I’m in love with this toner’s exfoliating and brightening powers. It’s just incredible that this toner manages to keep my melasma in check. I know where the dark patches are (one of them is the size of a coaster), but you wouldn’t notice them unless I told you to look for them.

I love this toner so much, and I would recommend it! Since this toner has glycolic acid, please make sure to do a patch test before you use it, and use it gently, at least for the first few days until you’re satisfied that your skin tolerates it. Also make sure to use sunscreen!

If you’re interested, Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Tonic is available as 100ml for £6.99 and 300ml for £11.99. Superdrug runs Buy 1 Get 1 Free or Better Than Half Price off promotions almost all the time. The 2 toners I bought were on a Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal.

Also, this toner is 100% vegan and certified cruelty-free. It carries THE Leaping Bunny logo! 😍

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Boost Facial Serum

Hi there! Today’s post is about this Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Boost Facial Serum which I’ve been using for 4 weeks now.

In addition to vitamin E, this serum contains a blend of natural fruit acids, vitamins A, B, F and H and horse chestnut extracts.

The serum claims to boost the skin’s hydration levels, to care for dry skin, to help stimulate cell renewal, and to shield the skin against environmental damange and premature ageing.

I think this serum is very good! I love the silky and nourishing formula. It’s absorbed almost instantly, and it feels amazing on my skin. It plays well with my eye cream, day and night cream, and with all of my other products, so no complaints here!

I’m also happy with how the serum makes my skin look – so dewy and refreshed! Wow! Definitely a step up from the Valjean Labs serum I finished last month.

Another thing I like is the iconic scent of the Vitamin E skin care range – so warm and tropical! I’m enjoying it so much! This serum is awesome, and I would recommend it!

Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Boost Facial Serum is available as 50ml for £3.99. Superdrug often runs 3 for 2 promotions – which is when I bought the serum (along with 2 face mists). Also, this serum is 100% vegan and certified cruelty-free – it carries THE Leaping Bunny logo!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free – Superdrug Naturally Radiant Refreshing Complete Cleanser

Hi there! Happy Thursday! Today’s post is about this Superdrug Naturally Radiant Refreshing Complete Cleanser.

This product is a foam wash, and it works like pretty much every other face wash.

According to Superdrug, this product contains kiwi fruit and mulberry extracts, and it claims to help revive the skin’s radiance, to effctively remove impurities and excess oils, and to melt away make-up. The promised result is clean, refreshed and comforted skin.

Does this product keep its promises? Well, this face wash is a lot better than the last one I used. However, that doesn’t mean much.

The first thing I noticed about this face wash is its smell. Nope, it’s not a fragrance or a scent. It really is a smell! I can’t describe it properly… maybe industrial strength cleaner mixed with poison? Fortunately, the smell is fleeting, so it doesn’t linger.

With respect to its actual cleansing properties, I think this face wash is just about average. It’s OK. It’s nothing special at all.

I’m satisfied that this product gives my skin a gentle cleanse in the morning, but that’s basically it. I know I won’t buy it again once it’s finished.

If you’re interested, Superdrug Naturally Radiant Refreshing Complete Cleanser is available as 150ml for £6.99. I paid £3.49 (half price offer). Also, this product is vegan and cruelty-free (it carries the Leaping Bunny logo)!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde