Rimmel London Sunshimmer Instant Tan Mousse Light | rrp £7.99

As soon as the sun makes an appearance I start deliberating over which tanning product I'm going to use to help me fake that 'week away on holiday' glow - I mean who wants to bare legs so white they look purple on that first opportunity to wear a dress - after reading a feature on this product in this month's Glamour mag I thought I'd give this a shot.

Ok so what's it all about? It's a lightweight mousse formula which dries in 2 minutes and develops in an hour. This tanner gives an instant tan which means it's great for last minute nights out and makes it easier for application as you can see where it's going and after showering you are left with a golden glow which lasts up to 7 days. As I was so pale I decided to go for the shade Light to be on the safe side and I love the results.

The colour is very natural and golden, when I initially applied it the mousse had a red undertone to it and I was a little concerned that I would look a little orange but I think it looks great. What I love about this tanner is that if you feel the colour isn't deep enough after an hour of developing you can add another layer without looking streaky or patchy. 

Rimmel's Sunshimmer Tan Mousse has pleasantly surprised me, I have bought tanning products in the past for four times the price which haven't performed as well as this. If you're not a fan of that biscuity fake tan smell you get from tanners then you'll love this because it has a really fresh kinda baby wipe smell to it. If you're looking for a purse friendly self tan then check this one out, I got it on offer from Boots for £4.99 but the regular price of £7.99 for 150ml bottle still makes it a beauty bargain.

The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014 Box From Latest In Beauty

I absolutely adore Latest In Beauty's collaboration boxes with Glamour magazine, they are always excellent value and packed with a great variation of branded products that would each get used. Needless to say when they emailed me two weeks ago releasing a new box 'The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014' I ordered it straight away and waited impatiently for it to be delivered. When it arrived on Thursday although I already knew what the contents were I still let out a little shriek as I unboxed it. With a whopping value of over £80 but yours for £15.99 here's the contents...

• Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish  (30ml with muslin cloth) rrp £5.50
• Eyeko Mascara Off Wipes (10 wipes) rrp £6
• Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defense  (60ml) rrp £7.50
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (30ml) rrp £19
• James Read Sleep Mask Tan (25ml sample) rrp £12.50
• Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (fullsize) rrp £9.99
• Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick (fullsize) rrp £6.99
• Annual subscription to Glamour magazine (digital version for iphone/ipad) discounted by 62%

I'm already a huge fan of Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish (although I can't use it everyday due to my temperamental skin prone to hormonal break-out's) and I adore everything by Eyeko. The products I've most wanted to try from this box were the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and James Read Sleep Mask Tan, the concept of an overnight mask that gives you a gorgeous glow in the morning is a winner for me.

I've purchased a few of the Glamour collaborations with Latest In Beauty and this has to be my absolute favorite as I genuinely will use every product! I imagine these boxes will go quite quickly so head on over to Latest In Beauty and buy yours today...you wont be disappointed!

  

August's Beauty Favourites

With August coming and going in a flash and September now upon us, reviewing my favourite beauty products from last month makes me kind of feel like I'm mourning the summer! I discovered some fantastic products throughout August and I'm going to be clinging to those summery buys until those early nights start drawing in. So here's my best buys of August, the products I've been reaching for everyday...

Body Shop Honey Bronzer

This amazing bronzer was also in my July beauty favourites, I did a post a few weeks ago with some swatches if you fancy checking it out for yourself. I've literally worn this bronzer everyday since I bought it, the shade (shade 2) is perfect for my fair (NC15) complexion and just gives you a totally natural, sun kissed look. 

N4 Super Comb Prep & protect

I discovered this gorgeous smelling leave-in conditioner in August's Birchbox. I did a post a few weeks ago about that box and the contents and this was my star product. Not only does it smell amazing but it leaves your hair so soft and more manageable. I loved this sample so much I went on to buy the full-size product and I must admit I now couldn't be without it in my routine.

Bourjois Cream Blush (R) Pink Sunwear

When Bourjois released their Summer 2014 products including these gorgeous cream blushers the blogisphere went nuts! Pink Sunwear was another product that featured in my July beauty picks. This subtle shade gives you a gorgeous glow and completely compliments my bronzer. I'll be sad to see this go in a drawer until next summer!

Essie Sand Tropez

One polish I've been taking off and reapplying straight away is Essie's Sand Tropez. This shade is the perfect greige that I will be wearing well into the Autumn/Winter. As with all of Essie's polishes that I've tried its fantastic coverage and I get around 3 days of wear before any chips appear.

Clarins Radiance-Plus Glow Booster

I did a post on this gradual tan a couple of weeks ago and I still feel now how I did then. This amazing gradual tan allows you do totally tailor your tan by controlling how many drops of serum you use a day mixed in with your regular daytime/nighttime moisturiser. This is one skincare product I will be rocking all year round.

Bobbi Brown Blush In Pastel Peach

I let out a little shriek inside when I saw Bobbi Brown had released new shades of their cult blusher. I hastily purchased two of the shades (post coming soon on those) one of them being Pastel Peach. This gorgeous shade looks great on cheeks for a little pop of colour. This is another shade I will be sporting for as long as the sun stays.

Lush Cosmetic Warrior Face Mask

This face mask is the best spot fighting mask I have tried in a long while. Anyone that reads my blog regularly will know that I suffer from horrible hormonal break-outs from time to time and this mask calms angry skin down and clears up break-outs. This is one mask I will be repurchasing now I've run out.

As much as I will miss the summer and will relish in those last few sunny days we have left, I am really looking forward to Autumn/Winter as there are some great products lined up for release and I can't wait to be sporting my favourite vampy lip and nail colours.

Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster

I've been using this product for around 3 weeks now, long enough in my opinion to give a review. Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster is a self tanner but in a concentrated form meaning you can add it to your usual serum or moisturiser with no nasty streaks or an orange result. 

The concept is simple, you add the desired amount of drops (3 are recommended) to your usual serum or moisturiser, mix in your hand and apply as usual. Once you reach your desired level of tan you can either continue using daily with just a drop in your usual moisturiser or serum or just apply every few days. This is still a tanning product so be sure to wash your hands afterwards.

This product is absolutely incredible! How no-one came up with the idea before is beyond me, the concept is a simple one yet it has vastly improved my complexion. I regularly use tanning products on my body but I avoid at all costs using them on my face as most tend to clog my pores leading to (more!) spots, this has evened out my face and decollate to the same colour as my body with no nasty streaks. What I really love about this product is that you are in control of the development of the tan. If 3 drops didn't give you the depth of colour you were looking for the night before then you can simply add more the next night. 

If you regularly read my blog you will know I have oily skin and suffer from hormonal breakouts. I haven't found my skin has been any more oily or any more prone to spots than usual, intact it's pretty traceless apart from the glowing results you get the following day. Not only does my skin look more tanned but it looks healthier, skin tone more even and it makes my acne scars less apparent.

This product will forever (as long as it's available) be in my skincare routine.

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Gradual Tan

I love gradual tanners. Who doesn't want that subtle all-year-round glow that's fool proof to even the most novice of self-tanners?

For a while I have been using Xen-Tan's Tranform Luxe, I've got it in Light/Medium and it comes out very dark...which is fine if you exfoliate and apply it well, but with no colour guide it's sometimes hard to judge where it's going. Although the colour is great (when applied properly!) and it goes onto your skin with a lovely vanilla scent it soon fades to that yucky biscuity mushroom smell. At last I have found a gradual tanner with NO mushroom smell!

I picked up the Light version of L'Oreal Sublime Bronze in Boots last week as it was on offer for only £4.66, cheap enough to bin if it was naff. I've been using it for a week now so feel I can give it a fair enough review...

I absolutely love it! In fact I popped into town this morning and picked up another bottle whilst it was still on offer! I really feel that the results supersede that of Xen-Tan's Transforme Luxe...and that stuff is like 4 times the price! It goes onto your skin really smoothly and absorbs quickly. There is not a hint of that tanning smell that I have had with all other tanners I've tried, it has a light floral fragrance to it. I have quite dry skin on the tops of my arms and shoulders and this kept them moisturised and didn't cause any weird patchy bits. Even though it's a gradual tanner I still apply with a tanning mitt, I just find you get smoother, less patchy results. After 2 days of use the colour is a lovely, natural olive brown, not at all orange like some other brands I have tried.

I'm actually won over from a high-end product to a drugstore brand!

Jodie

xoxo

March Glossybox Review

Another month...another beauty box. Lets take a look into the box (always highly anticipated!) and contents I received this month...

Mitchell and Peach Body Cream £36 for 180ml

Ok, so I didn't receive the glamorous jar and cute little box pictured, I received and descent sample size tube, which is fine...I would be in awe if I was sent otherwise. So the product description card says "With English honey, organic cocoa, vitamin B5 and shea butter, this Mitchell and Peach body cream is perfect to leave you feeling as though you've taken a walk in the English countryside."

Although it smells very nice, a fresh floral scent, it does nothing for hydration on my skin. I've never really been wowed by Mitchell and Peach products, they always come in sleek packaging but the contents of said packaging do very little for my skin, although they smell luxurious when using them. Retailing at £36 for the full sized product, this won't be on my wish list anytime soon.

Sleek Pout Polish in Bonaire Full size £4.49

When I saw on Facebook that Sleek's Pout Polish would be featured in this months Glossybox I was a little excited...I have an obsession with anything that can be adorned on my lips, especially tinted balms for a quick and easy colour fix. I received the colour "Bonaire" which is a bright orange. It isn't the first colour I would pick from the range but the colour is very sheer and wearable. On the product description card it is described as "Full of nourishment with SPF15, almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E it will leave your pout looking perfect." Now it is a nice product, does what it says on the tin...I probably wouldn't repurchase as there are versions from other brands I prefer and I'm a little disappointed to receive a drugstore product in a beauty box that claims to send you "High-end beauty samples".

Bellapierre Shimmer Powder in Coral Reef Full Size £12.99

I'm not really a fan of shimmery eyeshadows, I mainly own more neutral shades which I use to dab in the corners of my eyes when I'm in need of a little pick-me-up. The products description card claims that this product is "a 100% pure Mica shimmering eye shadow that will provide you with a long lasting vibrant colour without smearing, creasing or fading." The colour is not for me and I really don't enjoy using loose products in packaging like this, I find they are messy and lead to product loss. The website has some lovely looking items to offer but this product is unfortunately a thumbs down from me...

       

       
          Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion £37.50 for 150ml

           I feel I can't give this product the review it may deserve as I was only sent 2 small sachets...what were they expecting me to tan? My ankles? The product description card claims "Cheat with pHenomenal 2-3 week tan lotion which promises a longer lasting and hydrating tan." This will go into my little draw of samples....


Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair 60 Second Treatment Shot £1.49 for 15ml

Yawn, another drugstore brand...
I haven't tried this treatment shot yet as I'm pretty fussy about what I put on my hair so I will save this for a rainy day when I'm feeling more experimental. The product card claims "You don't have to chose between beauty and hair care with this intensive treatment! It's the perfect pick-me-up for haircare in a hurry and you can even take it on holiday to revive damaged hair from the sun."
Available from Superdrug.


All-in-all another disappointing box for me from Glossybox. I feel that if they spent more effort in sourcing high-end samples then the design and quality of the boxes containing them then the boxes would be more exciting to receive. I have redeemed my Glossydots and next month will be my last Glossybox...maybe not ever...but I've just signed up to Birchbox and I'm really looking forward to actually trying some high-end samples.

Jodie

xoxo

Xen-Tan Transform Luxe Gradual Tanner Review

So I thought I'd share with you my first ever experience with Xen-Tan Gradual Tanner in Light/Medium. Now I am a fake tan virgin, I do however use a gradual tanner all year round which is Dove's purse-friendly Summer Glow. Whilst the scent of Dove's Summer Glow isn't the best, just the usual biscuity mushroom smell that you get with all the others, it does give a lovely, even and subtle glow. Back to my experience with Xen-Tan...

I was really excited to try Xen-Tan, before purchasing I had read many glowing reviews from people that were dedicated to this brand for excellent salon quality results. I probably wouldn't have purchased it at it's full retail of £39.95 but as it was in the ASOS sale for £18.50 I thought this was a reasonable price as the gift set included an exfoliator and tanning mitt.

 The products came in very luxurious and informative gold and cream boxes enclosed in a transparent re-usable cosmetic bag. The gradual tanner and exfoliator themselves were very generous sized 236ml bottles with the gradual tanner having a screw top and the exfoliator having a nice and easy flip top.

So that evening I showered, shaved and exfoliated in preparation for applying the gradual tanner. Just touching on the exfoliator, it was a very refreshing and non-abrasive scrub...some scrubs can leave my skin feeling dry and taught but this didn't. Straight after my shower I slathered on E45 cream...I do this every night regardless of applying my usual gradual tanner or not. Now onto my experience with the tanner itself...

Firstly, the scent is delicious! Its got a fresh vanilla scent to it which only slightly changed to that biscuity fake tan smell around 3 hours later and even then it wasn't as over-powering as some other brands I have tried. The lotion itself made my skin feel moisturised and was easy to apply. Now the set came with a tanner mitt...as this is labelled as a daily gradual tan I threw caution to the wind and applied it with my hands...big mistake! Although the rest of my body tanned evenly and streak free the colour was anything but a subtle light/medium. I love the colour, it was a deep olive, I have an olive tone to my skin anyway so the tanner only enhanced this. Although I had washed my hands thoroughly after applying to my body and rubbed a small amount to the backs of my hands using my wrists and the back of the opposite hand to rub in I ended up with a disaster on my hands that I don't usually get!

As you can see from this photo the colour difference is so dramatic! I love the colour it's very natural but I know now why it came with a tanning mitt and will definitely be using it on my next application! My disappointment of this not being as easy to use as my usual drug-store brand gradual tanner has been overshadowed by the luxurious colour and feel of Xen-Tan.

I may be converted....

Jodie
xoxo