St. Moriz - The Results

So as i said i would last night, i applied my newly purchased st. moriz. I showered, exfoliated and then moisturised. I've been using fake tan since i was 16 but i have never used a mousse formation so i was a little scared!!


A few people had told me it was quite hard to work with so i only left it about an hour after mositursising before i started applying it. This seemed to work for me because my skin was still moist so the tan worked in really smoothly and evenly.


I used the st. tropez soft mitt and found it was a really easy way to apply the mousse. You can cover a large area at a time which is good with this fake tan because it dries pretty quickly! I would say however that the mitt isn't that great for the more intricate places such as round the collar bones because you have less control over where the colour is going. So i just used my hands to rub it any bits i felt looked a bit patchy.

For my face i used a make up sponge. I find this helps to get a precise and even finish... no one wants a patchy face!! And for my hands i mixed a pump of tan with some moisturiser and lightly swept it over my hands with the sponge.


I've tried some fake tans where the application process has just been really messy however this seemed like less hassel and less mess. It dries really quickly aswell so i wasn't walking around like a zombie for half an hour waiting for it to dry!


So this moring after i was all showered i was really impressed with the result. The colour didn't come out too dark on me which for some people may be a downfall, but with me being so pale it's definately a good thing because it looks more natural. There's also not a single streak in sight, the finish is really smooth and even. I'm pretty impressed with the lack of fake tan 'smell' aswell. There was a slight smell last night after i'd applied it but today i can't smell it anymore.


This is the finished result...




So over all i'm really impressed, and for £2.99 you can't go wrong!!
You may also have noticed i've had a little trim. I went and got it cut yesterday because i was so sick of it being in such bad condition. I probably had about two inches off which isn't loads but it's a big deal for me because in the past four years i've never had more than half an inch taken off! I was amazed by how much healthier the ends look and feel. I'm definately going to be going to more regular trims!!
Laura xXx

Burts Bees Review

So those of you who have been following my blog will no that I got the burts bees essential body kit a few months back now. It is a kit full of sample sizes of some of their products. I’ve had chance to try them all out and I have mixed feelings about the products, some were hits, but unfortunately some were complete misses and there were a few products in between.

*warning* this could turn into a really long post but I’ll try and keep it brief.

The Hits:

Repleninshing lip balm with replenishing pomegranate oil:

‘replenishes moisture to reveal smooth, healthy lips while coating them with a hint of colour for e even toned appearance’

Retails for £3.42

I love this lip balm. It feels super moisturising on my lips without being greasy. Because of it’s non-greasy nature I think it makes the perfect base for lipsticks and have been using it every day for that purpose. I also love the fact that’s in a stick form, I haven’t bought a stick balm in years but it’s so much convenient and less mess. As for the hint of colour.. it seemed to be pretty clear to me but that’s even better because my lips are quite pigmented anyway.

Lemon butter cuticle cream:

‘nourishes and moisturises nails with a hint of lemon oil which makes nails smell incredibly clean, healthy and beautiful.’

Retails at £5.86

This wasn’t in my august favourites for no reason... I LOVE this. It smells divine to start with; lemon is one of my favourite scents and actually smells like fresh lemons. It’s really nourishing and mosisturing for the nails and cuticles and sorts out any dry skin or ragged cuticles. The texture is like a thick creamy butter which feels really luxurious.

Peppermint Foot Lotion:

‘peppermint oil and menthol invigorate tired, overworked feet while sunflower, wheat germ and coconut oils nourish and moisturise rough, calloused feet.’

Retails at £11.26

This foot cream has a strong peppermint scent which I love it feet products. It just smells really clean and fresh and personally I don’t want anything other when it comes to feet. I put this on a night and then put cotton socks on and my feet feel refreshed and moisturised by the morning. It’s definitely moisturising and makes your feet look and smell great!

The maybes:

Hand salve:

‘our most intensive hand treatment is packed with botanical oils, herbs and beeswax to moisturise hard working, rough and dry hands’

Retails at £8.31

I only really suffer with dry skin on my hands when it gets really cold so it’s hard for me to evaluate this one just get. It seems to be really moisturising but it also feels a bit greasy which is something I don’t really like. It also has a bit of a funky smell that I’m not too fond of.

Radiance Day Creme:

‘light weight natural moisturiser which is specifically formulated with royal jelly and botanical oils to help enhance skins radiance.’

Retails at £18.59

This would probably be a great moisturiser with someone with normal or combination/oily skin but my skin is dry and I need something more than a light weight moisturiser to help my skin keep hydrated. As for the radiance... personally I didn’t notice much difference but then I wasn’t really expecting anything drastic.

Citrus and ginger root body wash:

(don't have a picture... totally forgot and threw it away when i finished it)

‘blends essential citrus oils and ginger root extract with a gentle plant based cleansing complex to leave skin feeling clean, smooth and soft.’

Retails at £11.74

Don’t get me wrong this body wash smells absolutely gorgeous but I can only get soo excited about a body wash and I’m not sure I can justify spending over £10 for a bottle of shower gel...

The misses:

Naturally nourishing milk and honey body lotion:

‘Naturally nourishing, lightweight lotion feeds your skin with milk to soften and honey to deeply moisturise’

Retails at £11.24

I found the smell of this to be far too overpowering. The smell stayed with me all day and started to make me feel a bit yucky after a while. Its great that this body lotion is light weight because it doesn’t feel too sticky throughout the day but personally I prefer something thicker and more luxurious feelings for my body, such as a body butter.

Peach and willowbark deep pore scrub:

‘natural penetrating scrub with finely ground peachstone to gently exfoliate, willobark to remove oil and Hawaiian ginger to increase circulation and replenish essential moisture.’

Retials at £9.78

‘This product smells divine! I really wanted to love this product but it felt far too harsh on my sensitive skin. My skin felt baby soft after I used it but it brought me out I red blotches because the granules were too harsh. I love my skin to feel soft but red blotchy patches isn’t usually a look I go for.

Well done if you made it this far! So this was my honest review of all the products I tried from the burts bees. Some products I’m sure I will be repurchasing over and over again, however some products I won’t.

Laura xXx

Ciate Paint Pots

I’ve wanted to try this brand of nail polish for ageeess so I was so happy when I was sent some to try! I was sent four of the ciate paint pots to try... isn’t the packaging just adorable!?

I was really impressed with these nail polishes, they are really easy to work with and have great coverage. You get the colour in the bottle with two coats and they are really long lasting. They have a long and pretty flat brush which I found made application really easy. They retail for £9 for 13.5ml and I think they are well worth the money.

Knickerbockerglory:

This is pretty much as hot pink as hot pink gets. I was super excited when I saw this colour and it didn’t disappoint when I got it on my nails. It’s a deep, rich, almost red hot pink and I absolutely love it. I have lots of hot pinks in my collection but this is totally unique to any of them. I couldn’t stop looking at this colour when it was on my nails.

Plastic Fantastic:

This colour is a purpely pink berry colour which looks gorgeous on the nails and I think it would suit any skin tone. It’s not too bright so I think it would be perfect to take you into the autumn/winter months.

Refresher:

This is a pastel, powder blue. I’m not usually a huge fan of blue’s on my nails but I like this because it’s so light it still looks really feminine and pretty. I was really impressed with the consistency of this one because I find sometimes light colours don’t provide opaque coverage but this was totally opaque in two coats.. brilliant!!

Shaken not stirred:

When I saw this colour in the bottle I thought it would be my least favourite. But it was a different story once I got it on my nails. It’s a purple with pink tones and blue running though it and it looks just gorgeous when the light hits it. It doesn’t look much in the bottle but it really comes to life once it’s on the nails. It’s totally unique to anything else I have in my collection and it’s gorgeous!

I will definitely be purchasing some more of the ciate paint pot range, I have my eye on a few colours already, I love that all the colours are really unique. Cookies and cream looks like a great colour and I need to have it just because of the name. Cookies and cream is my favourite ice cream flavour... yum!

Laura xXx

REVIEW: tresemme 24 hour body

Tresemme very kindly send me their 24 hour body hair range. These products are perfect for me because my hair is naturally as flat as a pancake so I’m all about creating volume!

I currently use john freida luxurious volume, click here for review.

From left to right – Amplifing mouse, finishing spray, root boosting spray

I put the amplifying mouse into my hair after towel drying my hair and then just before I blow dried it, I applied the root boosting spray. I then blow dried as a I normally do with a big brush, lifting up my roots as I go.

This was the result...
(Excuse the no makeup, I hadn’t got round to putting it on and was too eager to take photos of my big hair!)

So I think the photos pretty much speak for themselves. I achieved some SERIOUS volume! The products felt light on my hair. There were a few places that were a bit sticky where I had concentrated too much product but overall it didn’t feel weighed down by the product at all.

After I had tamed it slightly, I applied the finishing spray to keep it all in place. Now I’m not usually a hair spray person because I hate that horrible crunchy feeling you get. However, this felt really light, my hair still had movement but it helped my volume stay all night. Totally impressed.

So will I repurchasing these products? Definitely. I was really happy with the amount of volume they created and how light they felt on the hair. It lasted all night and even today I still have volume left.

If I could only repurchase one of the products? It would be the finishing spray. Just purely because I find it hard to find a light feeling hair spray and this has fulfilled it for me!

Have you tried any products from this range? What did you think?

Laura xXx

REVIEW: Seche Vite Top Coat

I’ve been using the seche vite top coat for about three weeks now. And despite my good first impressions I’m not impressed...

Let me explain...

I bought this top coat to prevent my nail polish from chipping because my nail polish always chips soo quickly and it frustrates me. However, it just didn’t fulfil this purpose.

I painted my nails with OPI’s done out in deco on Monday evening at about 5pm, and this is what my nails looked like at about 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon! That’s just under 24 hours!!

(There were more chips on my left hand but i just couldn't get a clear photo)

This isn’t the only time this has happened, I change my nail colour all the time (mainly because it chips quickly) and it’s never really lasted longer than 24 hours without chipping!

I have read some really good reviews about this product so I think my nails are just incapable of holding nail polish on for any length of time!! I know a lot of people swear by this product but I just wanted to give you all my honest opinion based on my experience.

In some ways it’s the best top coat I have ever used. It creates the most amazing shine which doesn’t fade after an hour! It also dries really quickly so it’s good for if you are in a rush when your painting your nails!
But unfortunately it doesn’t prevent my nails from chipping, therefore it I’m still on the search for my HG top coat!

If anyone has any tips on how to prevent chipping, where I might be going wrong or any recommendations for a good top and base coat they would be greatly appreciated!!

Laura xXx

REVIEW: John Frieda Luxurious Volume

My hair is naturally fine, flat and lacks volume. I started using John Frieda luxurious volume products about 7 months and they have transformed the way I wear my hair. I have so many compliments on my hair since i started using these products.

Before and After:

Thickening Mousse:

Claim: ‘The alcohol free formulation helps boost volume and fullness to even the finest hair. With added heat protection the mousse builds volume by lifting hair from the roots, making hair feel fuller and gives a flexible, natural hold that it perfect for hair that’s difficult to style’.

Verdict: I actually think this is the pivotal product in creating volume. I never thought I could achieve volume in my hair but this product is really great. The volume lasts all day and even into the next day. This product doesn’t feel too heavy however, I’d say the only downside to this product is that if you get too much concentrated in one area it can feel a bit sticky, but as long as the product is distributed evenly it avoids this problem.

Thickening Blow Dry Lotion:

Claim: ‘ Thickens the hair shaft to boost volume and give fullness on even the finest hair. Contains a unique heat shielf technology that products the hair from heat styling.’

Verdict: This is great blow drying spray. I would say if you are looking for a product that won’t make your hair feel like it has loads of product in it but you still want to achieve some volume, this is the product. The fact that it has heat protection in it is an added bonus for me because it means I don’t have to worry about adding an extra product to my hair. I think this and the mousse work perfectly together.

Thickening Texture Paste:

Claims: ‘Helps hold onto style by allowing you to achieve great texture and definition for short or long layers. Helps sculpt the hair and protects against fly-aways and contains sunscreen for added protection.’

Verdict: This is my most recent purchase of the range. The paste is thick enough to create definition and volume but light enough to keep your hair looking natural. This is a product I don’t use every day, I usually use it if I feel my hair is lacking volume or when I’m going out. You can create a really messy and voluminous style if desired or it can just be used to help define layers.

Would I re-purcahse the products?
I have already re-purchased the mousse and spray at least three times so I would definitely recommend them both. If you were going to buy one product from the range I would probably say the mousse. I am still on my first pot of the texture paste; I will see how I feel about re-purchasing it when I have finished it because it's not a product i use all the time. If you really like texture or a messed up style I would definitely recommend it.

Stay Beautiful xXx