MY CURRENT FAV TANNING PRODUCTS!!!! :-)

So naturally I'm a very pale person, which to be honest I hate, I struggle to get a tan naturally and also I get all flustered when out in the sun for too long! I don't want to be super orange, just a nice bronzed look that looks natural. Over the years I've tried soooo many different fake tans, from cheap ones to expensive ones. Back in the day self tans used to stink to high heaven and also leave your bed sheets a nice orange colour but as time goes on most of the tanning products have been re-formulated so the smell is minimal and the rub off of colour whilst developing has become minimal.

What I want from a self tan, and I'd like to think this is what most people want, is a self tan that is..
1. Quick and easy application. I don't want to be spending ages trying to blend in the self tan and I don't want a self tan that takes so much effort to rub in.
2. A quick trying self tan. There is nothing worse than having stand around butt naked for up to an hour while you let the tan dry, having to be careful how you stand, move, bend your body with the fear it might go patchy. I want to put my self tan on and be able to put loose clothing on after 10 minutes.
3. A self tan that doesn't smell. I'm sure no-one wants to stink and also I'm sure no-ones other halves want to be around someone who reeks of self tan! I can accept a slight scent, but nothing too strong and one that disappears after application.
4.NO RUB OFF ON SHEETS! I used to always self tan at night, let it develop and rinse it off in the morning. I would always put on old sheets cos I knew, especially on my pillows that in the morning there would be a slight colour on my sheets! I want to be able to sleep in nice sheets and not get them ruined by self tan!

So I have the self tan products, that I personally feel tick all of those points!

Fake Bake 60 minutes self tan liquid, St Tropez Dark Bronzing spray, Fake Bake Beyond Bronze wash off tan, Soltan Beautiful Bronze self tan mitt

 So starting left to right ....

Fake Bake 60 minutes self tan liquid £24.95 for 236ml available from www.fakebake.co.uk and www.johnlewis.com and multiple retailers

Firstly this is the first time I've ever used a Fake Bake self tan, I always considered Fake Bake to be too expensive but I got this at 10% off when John Lewis were price matching Debenhams the other week so decided to give it a go. I work full time and sometime struggle to find the time to self time in the evenings, so thought a 60 minute self tan would be ideal for the days when I have little time. Firstly how it works in such a quick time is that it has ingredients dihydroxyacetone (known as DHA) and erythulose which are apparently activated as soon as it has contact with skin, they basically are the main ingredients than dye (tan) your skin. These ingredients are found in most off the shelf self tanning products but from what I've read, they tend to not activate immediately and work over time, but they have added accelerators to speed up the development time. It says on the packaging that after an hour you should get "a beautiful golden tan, after 2 hours "a bronzed tan" and after 3 hours "a dark tan" they also recommend NOT leaving it on for longer than 3 hours, why? I don't know. This sounds to be good to be true right? Well it is....

I left mine on for 3 hours and rinsed it off, you get a guide colour like most tans, so when I rinsed it off the guide comes off, although not as much as other brands, what I was left with was a very light natural looking tan. Now I am very pale so possibly for people with darker skins the tan may be darker for you, I can only base this on my skin colour. I was a bit annoyed to be honest BUT I did reapply this 2 days later and again left it on for 3 hours and the colour was deeper, yet still very natural looking. Next time I use this I'm just going to leave it on over night as several people I know do that and find the colour to be deeper.

The reason this is listed here is because OMG it's soooo easy to apply! You get with it a pair of black latex gloves and a self tan mitt. I wasn't sure why you needed both, but they recommend wearing the gloves and then using the mitt over them.Wearing both of these meant that by my wrists I didn't get the build up of colour that I normally get, there are no harsh lines and it blends in naturally, which I think is great! The mitt is AMAZING and really buffs the tan into the skin literally effortlessly which is a big plus for me! They say you should spray the tan on to the mitt and then rub it in, normally I spray direct on the skin and then rub it in but sometimes I'd find I sprayed too much, by doing it this way I found I didn't use too much product. It's also super easy to rub it, it's literally so lightweight that you can just quickly rub it in and not worry about having to over rub in certain areas. It literally took me 10 minutes to do my whole body!!!!! It dries so quickly, I was dressed within 10 minutes! and there is no scent, well i couldn't smell any! It also lasted me 7 days (after the second application) and didn't go patchy as the days went on!

So dependant on how light/dark your skin is, I do recommend leaving this on longer than the recommended time frame, but application wise this is the best self tan product I've ever used! let me know if you have tried it and how deep the colour was for you!

St.Tropez Dark Bronzing Spray £26.00 for 200ml available from www.st-tropez.com and www.boots.com Right this also sounds a bit pricey BUT when I bought this from Boots there was money off, think I got it for around £19! They often have special offers and self tanning products during the summer especially go on offer frequently.

I have always used St.Tropez, it was my first ever brand I tried years back and the smell was disgusting! I originally used the lotion which took forever to rub in, tried the mouse which I personally hated and then moved on to the normal spray which I preferred. A few years back the re-formulated the whole range and the scent wasn't as strong but I noticed they brought out a dark range, and me being pale and self tan not going to the colour I want straight away thought I'd try it! This does give me a nice tan on the first application, still natural looking but darker than the original range, so it means I don't need to reapply the following day! I can put this on in the morning and rinse it off 5 hours late and have a tan (although not a really dark one) if I need it for that evening and didn't have time to apply it the previous night. I do prefer to leave this on over night as I just feel all tans give you the full colour. I spray this directly on to the skin (but will try it on the mitt like the Fake Bake one) and it rubs in easily, although the Fake Bake one rubs in easier and quicker. It doesn't take too long to dry, but there is still a slight stickiness after 15 minutes so I tend to wait 20 minutes before putting on loose clothing just to be on the safe side. I haven't noticed any colour on my sheets which is a plus. There is still a scent and it being a spray I do find I get the scent in my mouth when I spray it on me, which doesn't taste too great ;) Although I'm hoping spraying it on to the mitt will stop that! I do find that I look ridiculously dark when it's fully developed (before rinsing it off) but once I rinse it off it dies down. A lot of the guide colour runs out after you wash it off, unlike the Fake Bake one. It wears off well too, but after 5 days I need to exfoliate well to avoid any patchiness and then reapply, if I want to.

I do really like this, it does give me a great colour and is easy to apply. I'd say if you like a dark self tan then this would be a great one to go for. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the special offers at Boots.

Fake Bake Beyond Bronze Wash off Tan £9.99 for 125ml. Available at www,fakebake.co,uk and www.boots.com it says it's available in superdrugs but I've never seen it in there and also can't find it on the website.

Ok so strictly speaking this isn't a self tan, it's an instant wash off tan, which are still hugely popular. They are ideal for those people who don't like self tan but who want to add colour and then to just rinse it off! Its great for people who are self tan virgins and who are scared their self tan will go wrong and patchy so they can practise with an instant tan knowing they can just rinse it off it goes wrong!

Normally I don't like to self tan my legs, I will in the summer but during the rest of the year my legs are always covered up in tights, so it's pretty pointless and also a waste of money to self tan my legs when I'm not getting them out! BUT when we get an unexpected day of sunshine, for those in the U.K will know that we don't get a proper summer and can go from wind and rain to beaming hot rays, so this is ideal for those who have been caught out by the sudden change in weather and want to get their pasty white legs out!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!! The colour is super dark, but not a orange shade, it's relatively easy to rub in. You get a lovely sheen to your legs with this, even though I use the matte one, it still gives a gorgeous glossy moisturised look to my legs without shimmer. If I'm going on a night out, I use this on my legs as it comes up darker than any self tan I've ever used. the consistency is quite thick (I think most instant tans are) but it looks lovely once rubbed in. If I used this during the day I will add some moisturising cream with it so it dilutes the colour so it's more natural looking, you can also do this on nights out if you like too. By adding a moisturising cream it gives an even more glossy finish and can make legs look gorgeous! I apply this with a self tanning mitt so I can really buff it in to the skin, I feel like this helps it dry quicker than using gloves and gives a more even, streak free finish. I do find that it takes a little while to dry though, especially if I've added moisturiser to it but I pop it on and then brush my teeth, finish off my hair (standing up) pack my bag, and then will get dressed about 15 minutes later, I will be careful when sitting down for 30 minutes after applying, but after that its fine and doesn't rub off on clothes and it will stay there until I wash it off! LOVE LOVE LOVE this soooo much!

Again in boots they have this on offer quite a lot and I've bought this for around £7, I will normally buy it when I see it on offer and just keep it aside for when I'm ready use it.

There are other products in the line that I haven't tried but probably will now it's summer so will review them when I get them http://www.fakebake.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d157_beyondbronze.html

and finally....

Soltan Beautiful Bronzing self-tan applicator mitt £3.99 available only at www.boots.com as soltan is a boots own brand.

Ok so this isn't a tanning product but it's a vital tool to your tanning application. I used to use latex gloves but found they didn't rub in tan very well, more effort was needed to rub the tan in and found the general look not great after. With tanning mitts they really buff it in to the skin and also aid in the drying time, you get a more airbrushed finish and I found them quicker and easy, plus you can just wash them and allow to try and re-use instead of having to keep buying new gloves.

St.Tropez do their own one but it's priced at £4.49 and in my opinion this is just as good and cheaper. Again, like I've already said boots often do offers and Soltan is ALWAYS going on offer, especially inn the summer so you can get this for like £2.99 or less. I always buy a new one when I see them on offer and keep as a back up/spare for when I'm ready to change. They last a long time, depending on how frequently you tan.

This is a key accessory to your self tanning and I highly recommend people buy a mitt! Your tanning experience will be so much better and easier and you will never look at another pair of latex gloves again!!!!

Let me know what self tanning/wash off tanning products you use and what you have found to be the best ones. What do you look for when buying a self tan?

Until next time....

Julie
xoxo

CURRENT HAIR FAVS!! :-)

So my hair has been through a hell of a lot throughout the years, I've been having bleach highlights throughout my whole hair since I can remember (I'm naturally a manky brown... I think?!) and have been to multiple hairdresser, slapped bleach on my own hair but have always gone back to a certain hairdresser because she knows how I like my hair and I've discovered it's well worth the money. I also have naturally curly hair (more wavy now) and have been straightening it for yeeeeeeears! Full whack temperature of 230 degrees, no heat protection on my hair and, straightening EACH section a minimum of 5 times every single day, sometimes twice a day for at least 12 years... so yeah it's been through a hell of a lot and it doesn't seem to grow at all!
I currently wear clip in extensions (I will do a blog on extensions) and trying to treat my hair, so have been investing in some good hair products, it's been a bit hit and miss but I have finally found the products that LOVE my hair and what I LOVE also!

Kiehls Sunflower Colour preserving shampoo, Redken all soft heavy cream, Ojon Restorative hair treatment, ghd Heat protection spray, Redken all soft argan-6

I have only been using all but two of these products very recently within the past few weeks and the shine on my hair, texture and general health of my hair has improved massively! So I thought I'd share my current hair products!

So starting from left to right...

 

Kiehl's Sunflower Colour Preserving Shampoo £15 for 250ml (also available in 500ml for £26) www.kiehls.co.uk or johnlewis.com

I LOVE this it's Sulfate, silicone, and paraben-free formulation so this shampoo unlike most supermarket brands is actually going to clean your hair and moisturise its at the scalp and NOT put a silicone film on your hair to make it feel like it's actually helping your hair when the reality is they don't treat your hair they just put a film over it to make you feel like it is...this will help your hair in the long run as not only will it preserve your colour as well as condition and moisturise it from the inside out as opposed to doing just the outside of your hair. I've noticed that my colour isn't stripping like what had been happening, it looks brighter and also it feels like it's really cleansing my hair. You don't need much of this at all. I recommend washing your hair twice and really lathering it up! I did notice that the Kiehl's website only had the 500ml in stock but you can get this from John Lewis in the 250ml. I really recommend this for anyone with colour treated hair.

Redken All Soft Heavy Cream £13.90 for 250ml www.redken.co.uk or www.lookfantastic.com

OMG when I got recommended this at the hairdressers I just had to get it! It's a deep conditioning treatment enriched in avocado oil, proteins and amino acids so it not only really nourishes your hair but the amino acids will help produce more hair fibres and aid the hair in growing. It's great if you have chemically damaged hair as the mixture of conditioning ingredients and protein will help strengthen and repair your hair! You really don't need much of this, I use this after I shampoo and rub it all in my hair and then leave it for anywhere between 15 mins to an hour! If you want a deeper treatment then leave it on over night, but in my opinion an hour is long enough. It does say to condition your hair after rinsing it off but honestly I have just replaced my conditioner with this!  This should last awhile as like I said you really don't need to use much! You can buy this direct form Redken or go to the website and find which of your local salons stock this. I go to Look Fantastic and their website stocks this.

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative hair Treatment £32.50 for 100ml. http://www.ojon.co.uk/ or www.johnlewis.com

Ok The one I have here is just a 50ml, I'm not sure if or where you can get this size from, but one of my friends works for the Estée Lauder group so she got this for me as they had no 100ml. The website says "This clinically proven cult classic is fortified with pure Ojon™ oil, nature’s powerful golden elixir, a rare powerful natural ingredient that’s rich in essential lipids similar to those found in healthy hair. After just one treatment, this rich, velvety balm dramatically helps restore vibrant health, strength and shine to even the most damaged hair." All of the ingredients used in Ojon are completely natural ingredients so you won't be getting any added crap in here. This is AMAZING!!!! I've used this twice and OMG after the first use my hair felt AMAZING!!!! Soooo silky and soft! I'd heard it was good but this actually blew my mind at how good it is! You take a scoop of the product and rub it into your hands until it turns into an oil (literally take 30 seconds to turn) then you drench your hair in it. It recommends leaving in for 20 minutes but the longer you leave it the more it will work through your hair, I know people who have left this on over night and then rinsed this off, but you don't need to leave it in that long if you don't want to go to bed in it but I do recommend leaving it on for an hour, as the first time I left it for 20 minutes and then the next time for just over an hour and I noticed an even bigger difference the second time. I'm debating whether to invest in the conditioner also, but will see how my hair goes.

I currently wash my hair twice a week so I'm going to use this once a week as a deeper treatment. They do a  lighter scented one which is nicer (smell wise) than this one, this actually reminds me of orange coffee revel sweets when you put it on, but I assure you that the smell goes once it's on and doesn't remain on the hair after you have rinsed it off! Something to be aware of DO NOT USE THIS AT LEAST 5 DAYS PRIOR TO GETTING YOUR HAIR COLOURED AND AT LEAST 5 DAYS AFTER COLOURING as Porous and white hair may be susceptible to temporary discolouration. I highly HIGHLY recommend this for anyone with damaged hair, but any hair type would benefit from this an occasional deep treatment.

ghd Heat Protection Spray £9.95 120ml You can buy this at www.ghdhair.com, various salons across the uk, selected John lewis's and also www.johnlewis.com

As I said earlier I never used to use any form of heat protection on my hair when straightening it, I had always tried various brands but never got on with them, they either left my hair feeling hard, weighed down, greasy and left my straighteners feeling sticky afterwards so it put me off. I will be honest right now, I do work for ghd as Brand Manager within John Lewis, a role I've been doing for the past 8 months. I had never owned a pair of ghds prior to my employment with them and I seriously have learnt so much about hair, styling, technical side etc since I started with them and my knowledge of hair has actually aided in the repair (along with great products I've been using) I don't get products free, I do get them discounted, but I do have to buy them myself. Just wanted to get that out there now.

Anyways.... I actually do love this spray, it's my number one styling product sales wise. It's a light mist that you really don't need to use a lot of, spray from a distance and then comb through, it doesn't leave my hair feeling hard or greasy like other brands did and definitely doesn't leave my ghds feeling sticky. It really has put a barrier between the heat and my hair and I have noticed a change in my hair, it doesn't look frizzy after styling it used to and a bottle lasted me 6 months, which I think is great. So many people don't use protection on there hair and I tell my customers about my experience and how my hair has been damaged by not putting any protection on my hair (as long as the over straightening) One thing I will ask is, what would happen to your clothes if you left an iron on them for 30 seconds? Now imagine what straighteners will do to your hair with no protection over a length of time? A tip also is to spray your hair after you washed it, before you blow dry your hair, why? because it's still heat going on to your hair, it may not be direct on it but it's still heat blasting your hair, also by doing that you will literally barely need to spray any on your hair before straightening it as it already has a barrier on it! Also this smells lush and good to spray lightly in your hair on the in-between days of washing to refresh it!

And finally Redken All Soft Argan-6 £17.42 for 90ml.
By the prices for the redken products were from www.lookfantastic.com but I think they have a saving on the redken line so it may be different when you check but again check out the redken website www.redken.co.uk and also salons around you for prices.
I've been using this since last October and it's nearly run out, so that's 8 months, which I think is great! Combined with the all soft heavy cream this is an amazing treatment. Enriched with argon oil (alternative to Moroccan oil) it really deep conditions your hair, it's super light weight and won't leave your hair feeling greasy or weighed down afterwards. It's great for dry, brittle hair, it enriches the keratin in your hair for a renewed elasticity and strengthens the hair. My hair feels super soft after using this. I use it every time I wash my hair! It also has heat protection in it also so will protect from heat damage from electrical appliances. What is so great about this is that there are 6 DIFFERENT ways to use this!
1. Use it before shampooing, rub a few drops through your hair and leave it in for half hour before washing it, this will really help moisturise your hair. 2. Again heat protection in it so will protect from blow drying. 3. After blow dryer add one or 2 drops through your hair to really smooth down an frizz you may have. 4. It's really good as a booster to any hair treatment that you may use additionally. 5. Adds shine to your hair, which is great for dull lifeless hair. 6. Use as an overnight treatment, like with the Ojon hair treatment this can be used overnight to really allow it to penetrate deep in to your hair!

I LOVE it and will be purchasing another this week as I have like 2 uses left! I use this before I wash my hair every time (except when using the Ojon treatment) and also after washing my hair. It may sound pricey but to last me over 8 months, I think it's well worth the money.

All of these products I bought myself, I'm not sponsored by anyone, which I think is clear as this is a brand new blog page! I have tried so many different brands and nothing has helped my hair at all and decided it was time to actually invest in some good brands and I'm lucky that I found some great ones quite soon. I will be posting a blog about my current fav tanning products ALSO will be posting advice and tips about how to curl/straighten your hair in the best, most efficient way!

Please subscribe to my blog, I'm new so could do with a bit of support, also let me know what hair products work for you? What disasters have you been through with your hair?

MY NEW BLOG!!!!!

Hello, Hello, Helloooooooo! And welcome to my beauty blog and also my first post!

I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE all things beauty, from skincare to make-up to hair and buy so much stuff on a regular basis and as a typical woman I have opinions on what I buy, I like to voice those opinions and am kinda a no holds barred person! I used to work in make-up for 8 years, then left it 4 years ago and moved on to fashion and now I work in electrical hair/styling products which I LOVE!

I like a mixture of high end make-up to high street make-up. I believe that if a product is good then I will buy it, cheap or expensive. I don't buy into this whole thing about buying from a brand because of it's name, I think that's total bull.... BUT I do think on certain things that sometimes you do get what you pay for!

I have recently discovered the world of youtube beauty gurus, which I'm totally addicted to and will do a separate blog on those shortly! 

What will you find here then? Reviews on new products from anything in the beauty industry, hauls (I LOVE HAULS) tips and advice and a bit of banter too ;-)

Just a warning for the grammar police out there I tend to type how I talk, always have and always will!!!!

Oh also, I may start up another random blog later on. I do love to share my views and opinions on a lot of things and love to embark in a debate on certain subjects. I'm also a HUGE TV addict and LOVE my American TV shows which I just love to discuss so this subject could be another blog I do or I'll just throw it into the random one if I do one (which I no doubt will).

Please get involved, tell me your opinions on what I have talked about, products YOU love and what you think of my blog, tips on how to improve it ect! Oh and please subscribe!!!!!!

Julie xoxo