Battle Of The Tans

Hello Ladies,

Hope you're all well, I for one am loving the fact that the weather is starting to pick up and the sun is starting to shine! I've started going for bright lips, bright nails, bright clothes and of course fake tan!! I love the confidence that a tan gives me but this year I have vowed to stay away from the sun beds! So in a bid to be a beautiful bronzed goddess (yeah I know it's going to take more than a bit of fake tan) I've recently being trying out lots of tans, some where not so good and on occasion I did look like an oopma loopma, If' you'd like me to do a post on the tans that I had bad experiences with let me know but for this post I'm going to share my favourites. Enough blabbing on, I'll get down to business!

Academie Bronz' Express

This tanning liquid is my all time favourite and I always go back to it no matter what other fancy bottles catch my eye. It gives such a natural looking golden brown tan, it's not too dark and not at all orangey which means its perfect for milk bottle ladies like myself! It definitely needs to be applied with a mitt as it dries incredibly fast so you have to be quick when applying it, I love the fact that it dries fast though as it means your don't have to sit around starkers waiting for it to dry. It has a nice smell to it, not biscuity like a lot of other tans and the smell fades in a matter of hours so you don't have that tell tale whiff! It has a gradual fade so it doesn't go patchy when its on a few days and it doesn't come off in the shower either, an application lasts me for about 5 days. It costs around €15 (£13) for 100ml and is available from boots and I get about 5 full body applications from a bottle so I think it's really good value for money!

bBold Tan Liquid

bBold Tan Liquid is a new tan to hit the markets so obvs I had to try it! It promises to give a natural colour, be non-streak, fade evenly, nourish your skin with Aloe Vera extracts, be anti-ageing with Vitamin E and to refresh with the scent of Calla Lily, Pink Peony and Vanilla Orchid. Thats a lot of promises from one little bottle that only costs €12.99 (£10.98) for 150ml! I got it in Medium/Dark as I wanted a really deep tan and I can honestly say it's lived up to all the promises it made! Like Bronz' Express it also dries really fast so is best applied with a mitt. It gives a really even deep gold tan and leaves skin smelling divine! It develops for upto 8 hours so it's best applied the night before. It says on the bottle that you should get 10 full body applications from one bottle which would be great value if thats true!

Marissa Carter Cocoa Brown

When I saw that this new tan promised to give beautifully bronzed skin in just one hour I had to try it! For those of you who aren't yet acquainted it's a mousse that you apply and leave on for between 1 - 3 hours and then wash off (don't use shower gel, I done this the 1st time and was so disappointed when I was still pale as a ghost, just plain old water). I've varied the time I've left it on for each time and with the 1 hour I find that it gives a very subtle tan, not a deep colour but just takes the paleness away and makes me look a bit more healthy. When I left it on for 3 hours it still wasn't as deep as others I've used but it was lovely and natural and would suit those who just want a hint of colour as opposed to a full on bronzed tan. I'd say this will become my winter tan. I'm not a fan of the smell when it's first applied but once it's rinsed off the smell fades considerable. At €7.99 (£6.76) for 150ml it's a bargain, I've already gotten 4 uses out of the bottle and theres still plenty left!

Tan Organic

I just got the tester bottle of this for €7.99 (£6.76) as the full size 100ml bottle cost €19.99 (£16.90) and I didn't want to spend that much money on a product when I'd never tried it before. The fact alone that they have tester bottles is fantastic! I got a full body application out of the tester bottle and still about 1/3 left over. I really like this tan, it gives a lovely sun-kissed look that lasts nearly a week and it smells fresh and citrusy.It dries fast and doesnt streak, as well as that it's completely 100% certified organic, no nasties!! If I was super-rich this would be the tan that I'd buy however right now I just can't justify spending that amount of money on a bottle of tan. 

What's your favourite tan? Have you tried any of these or do you have any recommendations for me? I'd love to hear from you!

Zara

xx

Soap & Glory 'No Clogs Allowed!' Face Mask

Soap & Glory 'No Clogs Allowed' Super Self Heating Deep Cleaning Face Mask

Hello Ladies,

I just couldn't resist sharing this with you! My skin's been a big groggy lately as I've been chopping and changing a lot with my skincare regime and I'll admit I even used baby wipes to take my make up off last night (shudder) but in my defence there was vino involved!! My poor skin was so congested and icky and dull and then this miracle in a tube came to my my rescue and showed it whos boss! 

My favourite thing about this mask is that you only need to leave it on for one minute but you can leave it on for upto five minutes if you want a deeper clean so it means you don't have to walk around the place looking like an alien for 20 minutes. The mask is white when applied to dry skin and then you wet your fingers to massage it in and it acts as an exfoliator too and two things happen, one it turns blue and two it heats up (hot, hot, hot), I don't know which is more alarming! But I could literally feel my pores opening in the heat. So, I basked in the smell for a few minutes which comes from a beautiful blend of  menthol, eucalyptus, orange, palmarosa, rosemary and geranium and then I washed it off using the sponge that it comes with.

Wallah! My congestion was no more! I couldn't believe the difference it instantly made to my skin, I've used it before but my skin wasn't so bad then so although I liked it I didn't realise just how good a job it does! As promised my pores were unclogged and there wasn't so much as an inkling of a blackhead in sight. Another bonus for this mask is that it leaves my skin feeling really soft and not at all tight. I followed it up with L'Occitane Essential Water Spray and Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream (see what I mean about my chopping and changing), my skin was back in all it's glory! It cost €12.87 (£11.00) from boots, usually I'd think thats slightly steep for a face mask but considering the amazing job it does I'll definitely be making a repurchase when needed!

I think this may have just become my holy grail face mask! Have you tried it?

Zara

xx

Aveeno Bath & Shower Oil

Aveeno Bath & Shower Oil

Hello Ladies,

Hope you're all keeping well, once again sorry for my absence, I've been having a hectic few weeks!

I've been meaning to share this with you all for a while now as I'm totally smitten with it (and on bottle number 3 may I add!!). I first bought it in boots as I'd been looking for a nice bath oil and I'm already quite well acquainted with the Aveeno range and so far I've always been impressed with it. I don't particularly suffer from dry skin but the difference this has made to me is unbelievable! 

The oil contains colloidal oatmeal which is known to moisturise, soften and soothe itchy skin, I've done a bit of research into it and it's meant to be great for sufferers of Eczema and Psoriasis as well as being good for sunburn, chicken pox and other itchy rashes. It's also suitable to use on babies and young children suffering from dry skin.

The oil itself  is amazing as it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy and 'coated'. To use it in the bath you simply add 2 tablespoons to warm running water, the oil appears as a sort of gloopy brown liquid but once it  comes in contact with warm water it turns white and milky, I love that it turns my bath water white, it makes me feel like Cleopatra in her milk baths! Hehe! To use it in the shower you just massage the oil into your skin and rinse it off. The oil itself cleanses so theres no need for harsh shower gels or soaps. The oil smells amazing, I think it smells like babies (minus the poop), and I can smell it on my skin for the rest of the day yet its not over-powering. My skin is left feeling super soft and pampered and without the need to moisturise so its definitely a time saver!

It costs €9.74 (£8.19) for 250ml from boots and I have to say that it's well worth it, I'm definitely going to keep buying this again and again! Have you tried this? If so, what did you think?

Zara

xx

Shopping Haul

 

Hello Ladies,

I hope you all had a great weekend! We'll not talk about my escapades! ;) However on Friday I did have a great day shopping! I got some lovely vouchers for Boots and Benefit for Valentines day and I couldn't have been happier skipping off to the shops, there have been so many lovely new products released recently that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, I even got one of the items on my wishlist!! :D

I hit Benefit first and I was like a child in a sweet shop, all those pretty colours and the shiny packaging, but I knew exactly what I wanted so I put the blinkers on and headed straight for it! There it was in all its glory, Benefit Fine One One. For any of you who don't know about it (which I'm sure isn't many) it's a gorgeous blusher, lipstick and highligher in one. Its a sheer, cream product and gives a really natural, dewy finsh. Ohh its sooo beautiful!! One swatch and it was love! It's quite pricey at a staggering €34 but seeing as I had a voucher I got it guilt free!! As there was still money left over on the voucher I had to spend it so I also picked up Benefit Eye Bright. Its a light pink pencil with a really creamy texture for brightening the inner corners of the eyes. I havn't used it yet but I have high hopes for it!

Next stop was boots! There were a few thing's on my boot's list already and another few impulse buys! The first thing I ran for was Rimmel Apocolips, I'd be hearing so many people ranting and raving about them and I just had to see for myself. I picked up Nude Eclipse and Celestial. I am so impressed with these! The pigmentation is amazing, One swipe gives full coverage and it's got a lovely texture too, no stickiness!! As Boot's had a 3 for 2 offer on Rimmel I also picked up a Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in Perpetual Plum. I'm yet to try this but I'll let you know how it goes! Bourjois also happened to have an offer on, Buy 1 get 1 half price so I picked up a Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Fraise Remix (unfortunately I already left it in a friend's house so it's not pictured) and I got a  Blush Pot in Rose Ambre half price.

I already thought I was doing pretty damn good when I noticed that Soap & Glory also had an offer on 3 for 2! I've only ever used Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker and Scrub Your Nose in it before and I really liked them so now was my chance to grab a few new products. I picked up Hand Food and I literally havn't put it down since, it smells AMAZING but then again all of their products do! I also got Flake Away and Righteous Butter, I havn't tried them yet but I'm really looking forward to putting them to the test!

If you read my Wishlist post you'll know that I was keeping an eye out for Burt's Bees Bath Oil, unfortunately I still havn't managed to get my mitts on it however when I was in Boot's I came across Aveeno Bath and Shower Oil. I bought it on a whim and I'm sooo glad I did! I've only used it once in the bath so far and I honestly felt like I was in a Spa! It turned the water a milky white colour and it smells fab! Its not an over powering scent, it's quite mild and smells slightly sweet but the best bit was how soft it left my skin, I couldn't get over it and I'd definitely recommend it. I will most certainly be repurchasing this! I urge you to try it!! Another product I bought on a whim is Boot's Botanicals Instantly Hydrating Conditioner. I havn't tried it yet so can't say much about it other then that it smells great!

The next stand to be hit was the Maybelline stand. I really wanted to try out The Rocket Volum Express so that was lovingly placed into the basket along with Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H and the Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. I havn't tried the gel liner or the concealer yet but the mascara is in a league of it's own!! After 2 coat's my lashes were practically touching my eyebrows! I've been wearing this everyday since I got it and don't plan to stop! I can tell you now you won't regret buying this!

Last but not least I was drawn it by the products they have sitting on the counters beside the tills, I really have absolutely no will power at all!! Haha! They had a deal on that you could pick up both the No.7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Eyeliner and the Extreme Length Extend Fibre Enriched Formula Mascara for €11.50! It would have been rude not to! I've really wanted to pick up a felt tip eyeliner anyway and boy am I glad I did!! It's just so handy! It glides on so easily and you don't have to be constantly dipping brushes into liquids or gels, it's pretty much fool proof! I havn't tried the mascara yet because I'm so impressed with the Maybelline one that I just keep grabbing that one. Also I felt that a Nivea Lip Butter wouldn't hurt so I threw one of them in too for good measure! It smells so good that I've been pretty tempted to eat it, really.. It's lush though, its really moisturising and has a lovely texture, It doesn't feel greasy or sticky at all, it's now a new handbag staple!

Well that was my massive haul and I have to say that I'm thrilled with all I got! I can't wait to get to know all the products a bit better and once I do there will be reviews to come! Have you tried out any of these products? If so, what do you think of them?

Zara
xx

 

D.I.Y Beauty Products

All natural D.I.Y beauty products? Yes pleease!! I'm definitely one for rading the kitchen cupboards in search of a hair mask or a lip scrub or exfoliator! I've made quite a few in my time and am nearly always impressed with the results, however I will admit that they don't always smell that great! I'll share a few of my favourites with you and you can let me know what you think!

Yummy Lip Scrub:

This lip scrub is so easy to make, its great for exfoliating away dry skin and leaving your lips feeling soft and nourished. It doesn't hurt that it tastes great too ;)

I use about 2 tablespoons of Biona Organic Coconut Oil, About 1 tablespoon of Caster Sugar and 2 drops of Vanilla Extract. Mix it all together into a paste, try not to eat it and transfer it into an old lip balm or vaseline tub. It keeps for ages!

Just use your finger to massage the scrub into your lips and rinse off, Wallah!

Nourishing, Shine Enhancing, Frizz Taming Hair Mask:

Ok ill be honest, this does not smell good at all, Its one of those things that your better off doing when there's no one around to witness it! But i think the results are worth it! It leaves my hair so soft and shiney.

I only make enough of this for one application as I dread to think what it would be like after a few days! I use 1 raw egg, I tablespoon of natural yoghurt, I tablespoon of honey, 1 table spoon of lemon juice and I tablespoon of Mayonaisse. Mix all the ingredients together, apply to dry hair and leave it on for as long as you can stick the smell for! I usually put it on, cover with a shower cap and leave it for an hour.

When you've had enough of smelling like a dodgy salad sandwich rinse it out, shampoo and condition!

Calming Face Mask:

I have really sensitive skin and find that it gets irritated really easily, after trying many different combinations of ingredients I find that this helps to calm my skin down everytime. It leaves my skin feeling really soft and nurtured.

I use a quarter of an avocado, about a 2 inch piece of cucumber, a tablespoon of manuka honey (manuka honey has anti-bacterial properties but regular honey will do fine too), a tablespoon of oats and half a tablespoon of aloe vera gel. Put all the ingredients into a belnder and blend until smooth. If you need to add more liquid just add water. Apply to your face and neck, Hide away from the world for 15 minutes and rinse off.

If you have sensitive skin I'd really recommend trying this because it completely natural and won't aggrivate your skin any more.

If you have other DIY beauty products of your own please do share! If you try out any of mine let me know what you think :) Happy Friday Everyone!

xx