BeautyLab Peptide Tanning

Due to my fantastic blogging skills I forgotto schedule this post for last Friday, so here it is today instead. Now we all know how I love my fake tan however I'm not going to bore you again with my raving. Now when the lovely ladies over at BeautyLab asked if I would like to try their new peptide tan I jumped at the chance. They also kindly sent a bottle of their skin polish exfoliator.

BeautyLab say that the product is "A deeply hydrating tanning lotion formulated with a tan inducing peptide to provide a golden sun-kissed and streak-free tan. Blended with rainforest cocoa, rose petal, jasmine and passion flower, it has a hint of guava and melon for a delicious aroma. Loved by all skins".

Now you all know that when I test a fake tan I always test it on my legs first. The days leading up to the weekend I used the skin polish, and considering its not as "gritty" as I like my exfoliators it did a bloody good job in getting rid of all my dead skin/remains of fake tan. Also if you occasionally use it on your face, your face feels REALLY clean afterwards- just don't use it all the time or you'll scrub your skin off.

Tan and Body Polish

Onto the tan, now what amazed me was the colour- look how light it is. Now for a more experienced tanner I don't think this would put you off, however for a newbie, I think this would be a bit worrying. The colour of it reminds me of Toffee Yoghurt, however instead of smelling like toffee infact it smells very citrusy- no horrid smell of curry/digestives.

After tanning- note no guide colour.

I applied this with my tanning mitt, and it felt like I actually used more product than I should have, as the mitt absorbed quite a lot. However if you used bare hands or latex gloves, you wouldn't have this problem. I should warn you now, that when this is rubbed into the skin there is NO guide colour and it is basically clear. If you are in doubt whether you have missed a spot, I recommend just going back over it. However don't let this put you off, as if by magic...

We have tan!!

Now I have to admit I would use a couple more coats of this on my legs if I was going on a night out, but for work, one coat of this is more than enough for a hint of colour. I would definately recommend this to people who are a fake tan newbie, or who just want a bit of colour, not for the hardcore bronzed goddesses out there.

Beauty Lab is avalible online for £17 here

*this product was sent for review, all opinions are as always 110% honest*

Hawaiian Air, Hawaiian Air

Looking in my drafts, I have a 1001 beauty posts which I have never gotten around to posting, so for one week only "Who is She" is going to be a beauty blog to see if I can start to clear this backlog of posts. So to kick start the week off, I thought I would share with you my little secret which keeps both fake and if your lucky to have been on holiday your real tan looking good.

Hawaiian Tropic Coconut Body Butter.

Ever since I can remember Hawaiian Tropic has always been the suntan lotion of choice in my house, so any time I smell this it always reminds me of holidays. I initally started using this about 6 years ago when I went away with the girls (Moho was one of them) to Zante as an aftersun.

As you can see the cream is very thick and a little goes a long way. However don't be fooled/put off by the consistency of this as your skin will absorb this super fast. Also the smell lasts all day..nom. I use this every day without fail and a tub will last me on average 6-8 weeks. For some reason Boots sell this for £10.99 a tub, however.. get yourself to Home Bargains and its only £3.99 a tub. It used to be £1.49, then £2.99 but still £3.99 is better than paying over a tenner for it.

I honestly could rave about this product all day, however if you want more proof about how much I love this..just look at this

Yup I have a stash of 5 tubs.. You never know when HB may stop stocking them...

If you love the smell of HT suntan lotion- you definately need to try this!!

Bucks Fizz

So today's post is a review of Superdrug's Nail Whitening Tablets which I mentioned in my beauty haul post on Monday. I've seen quite a lot of reviews of these on the net, and I thought I would give it a try. Now since my false nails have been off, my nails have actually been in quite good condition, however due to the dreaded fake tan (even though I only put it on when I'm wearing nail polish) and on occasions "forgetting" aka couldn't be bothered to put a base coat on my nails before going out on a Saturday night. The other week while in Superdrug I thought I would pick a packet up to try.

So for £2.99 you get a pack of 6 tablets which I don't think is bad value. The packet states that you should use one-two tablets per hand, however I used two tablets and just dunked my hands in the bowl for 15 minutes. The package warns that your nails and skin may be dry afterwards and to use handcream. Mine weren't however I used handcream to be on the safe side.

So this is what my nails looked like before- with no traces of nail polish. As you can see there is discolouration towards the tip of my nails. I also have deposits of Opi Lincoln Park After Dark on my ring finger, which will not budge.

Ready for the dunk

And these are my nails afterwards- any difference?? Nope nothing at all. In all honestly I think these tablets are a waste of money. It actually looks like I'm using the same pictures as my before, but I can assure you its two seperate lots of pictures.

Would I recommend them? Nope use the £2.99 to buy yourself a Barry M nail polish instead.

Have you used these tablets before? How do you get rid of discoloured nails?

The Beat Goes On....

You do the math..

Nature + Fragrance + High Quality Perfomance = Tommyguns hair products.

Tommyguns haircare products are quite new to the market, and have already recieved critcal acclaim from the Beauty Industry. I was lucky enough to review a selection of their products to review- you may have seen their intensive conditioner for coloured hair which I have mentioned many times on here (review still to come I know). However todays review is on their Pomegranate and Orange Flower Shampoo and theie Pomegranate, Orange Flower and Hemp Conditioner- these products are aimed for all hair types and can be used daily.
 

The packaging itself is very minimalistic, and actually look like expensive body lotions instead of shampoo/conditioner. All the products in this range are in similiar shaped/sized bottles so would look fab in your bathroom. If you read how I keep my red hair red post here you will know I prefer to use shampoo/conditioners especially for coloured hair, however I have at times been using this instead of the John Freida shampoo mainly towards the time when I'm due to get my colour done. What I like about this product is how a little goes a very long way and how soft my hair is after using it.

I think the reason why I've had such fab results with this product is due to the fact that I use it sparingly- is it an old wives tale that if you chop and change your haircare products its better for your hair?? Anyway to test this I had passed this over to JEM to try constantly for a couple of weeks to see how this affected her hair (hers is uncoloured), and I can report that JEM really rates the product. She did comment that a couple of times her hair has become greasy quickly- however she blames having to run around after her new born and her husband and the warm weather we've been having, not the shampoo.

The shampoo and conditioner both retail for £5.50 each which for the amount of product you use is excellent value.

Tommyguns haircare products are avaliable online here (check out their bundles).

John Lewis also stock this.

*Item provided for review, all opinions are both mine and JEM's, and as always are 110% honest*

Batiste does it again...

Where do the talents of the inventors of Batiste end??

Sweet and Spirited Boho is the newest batiste fragrence on the block, and its replaced Blush as my all time favourite. Believe it or not, even though I swear by batiste in keeping the greasy mop top at bay, I'm not keen on the fragrence of the original or tropical, and will only use blush. However since recieving this in the post a fortnight ago, I've been prefering to use this instead.

What do Batiste say??

Boho is "the must-have product when touring this summer’s hottest festivals. Perfect for girls who like to rock a “live-permanently-in-a-tent-but–still-manage-to-look-fabulous-even-without water” vibe!"

What I have noticed about the "newer" Batiste products is the fab step by step instructions on how to use the product on the back on the bottle.

Very impressive!!

You all know how Batiste works and I know that a lot of bloggers swear by the product. I would be lost without it, as I use this to prolong the colour in my red hair. Also I have noticed that after using batiste on my hair, there is never any residue/powder left- shame this can't be said for other brands.

I will let you in on a little secret- my brother swears by Batiste. He claims he doesn't use it, however on a morning you can hear him sneaking into my room and then him spraying it, before running out and denying all knowledge of using it. I've also noticed that my bottle of boho is going down quicker than my blush, so its safe to say that the boho scent is popular with blokes too!!

Batiste is avaliable from all supermarkets and chemists rrp £2.99 for 330ml.

*this product was provided for review purposes, all views and opinions are my own (its Batiste- everyone loves it)*

Aftersun of doom..

I think the title of this post gives the game away. I am not a happy bunny with this product at all. Its actually since gone in the bin since these photos have been taken.

I've been staring at the bottle of this on my desk at work since the week after I came back from my holidays- so that would have been say April?? And I've finally gotten around to reviewing it. Now my all time favourite aftersun/moisturiser is Hawiian Tropic Butter which you can get from Boots or Home Bargains (£3.99). However after burning (we all know what happened) and peeling I decided to get a cheap bottle of moisturiser to keep on my desk at work.

Garnier Ambre Solaire Aftersun was on offer, and as I've always liked the scent and this brand, I thought I would give it ago. Now look closely at the writing on the bottle.. does it mention any additional products in it?? Nope.

So after showering I lathered myself in this (excluding my neck/face) and the scent and colour/consistency is exactly the same as any Garnier product. It absorbed really quickly into my skin and really hydrated my dry flakey skin. Off to bed I went... thinking everything was fine...

Next morning, I woke up to the stench of FAKE TAN. Half asleep and confused, I thought I must be imagining it. Cue getting out of bed and finding myself half fake tanned/half natural tan!!! Looking very closely on the back of the product I found that it contained the dreaded fake tan!!

Cue a not very happy and half oompa loompa Ray!!

In all honestly, would I recommend an aftersun with fake tan in it? Should aftersun actually contain fake tan?? Imagine slathering yourself with this, when your burnt on holiday- what a lush sight that will be the next morning. After this experience, I won't be buying this again, and checking in minute detail as to whether fake tan is secretly hidden in it!!

Glossybox- An Alternative Review...

.. in 3 easy steps.

Step 1.

After getting over the inital disapointment of the contents of the box.

Step 2.

Remove the contents of the box and put the bastiste and opi to one side. Bin the rest of the tack (sorry but you get better samples from counters in departmen stores).

Step 3.

Use the box to store all your bits and bobs.

Bish bash bosh.

Glossybox- I am dissapointed, sorry but thats not worth £10.

What happens when you combine He-Man and She-ra

You get He-Shi tan!!

Ok very lame joke from me there, but it amused me...

I think I may have found my new HG fake tan with He-Shi. Recently I recieved a bottle of their new dark foaming mousse along with their facial tanning gel to review, and so far I am LOVING the mousse. Normally when I test fake tans I always test them mid-week on my legs (so they can be covered at work if it goes wrong/easily scrub off ready for the weekend). I haven't had chance to try the gel facial tanner yet however I'm hoping for some time off work in a few weeks so I will be trying that then.

Normally for a night out, I like to look quite tanned (not orange) as my natural skin colour is very pale. So when using St Tropez I normally have up to 4 coats on my legs and 2 on my upper body to look tanned. As you can imagine at times this is a right pain in the backside. With the He-Shi dark mousse, I only need one coat to be dark. Now I would recommend using this tan when you have no tan on at all, as I made the mistake of having this on my top half at the weekend, after wearing this the weekend before and I have a teeny bit of holiday tan left, and I was way too dark.

What sets this product apart from any of the other tans is the colour of it- now I was a bit shocked when I saw it on the mitt, but it looks like honeycomb. Also the product is very watery- a little goes a long way. Normally with St Tropez or Xen Tan I use 3-4 pumps for the bottoms of my legs and then the same for the top of my legs. However with He-Shi a little goes a long way (4 pumps for my lanky legs). One thing which I will mention if you are used to using Xen Tan or St Tropez is that the guide colour of the He-Shi is very light. You can see where the product is, however its not as dark as the other tans.

The tan itself is a bit of a sneaky bugger as the colour appears to be taking ages to develop (ie after 3 hours) but then BOOM your legs are dark. So if you use this product don't be wary. 

Some before and after shots...

Check out how dark my legs are.

You know that I love to leave the tan on longer than I should as I like to fully develop. So...

Cue bronzed pins!!

How fab is this tan!!

Also its worth noting that once you get in the shower/bath to rinse this off, very little of the guide colour comes off. So what you see is what you get. I would recommend that if you are using this for the first time on your upper body to leave the tan on for no longer than 6 hours, as it might be a bit too dark for you.

The tan lasted I would say a good 4-5 days before it started to fade, however it doesn't go patchy!! It fades gradually. All in all I am really happy with this product and will definately be repurchasing as I've nearly used all the bottle up!!

He-Shi dark foaming mousse retails for £27 for 150ml and can be bought here.

Have you used He-Shi tan or done any reviews on it?? Link me up below and I'll check it out.

* Item provided for review. All opinions are my own and are 110% honest*

JEM and Sigma sitting in a tree...

Ray passed this on to my for my comments as I'm the powder/mineral makeup fan between us, and I wanted to give it a go with my much loved mineral powder base...  this is my first crack at sigma brushes but I am tempted to say it won't be my last, especially if the hubby is any good at taking hints :)  

Imgae via sigmabeauty.com

I won't go into it too much, as there are many reviews out there already but suffice to say, I really loved this as it's soft, dense, spreads the powder better than the brush that came with the product and also looks uber cute in my handbag for retouches.  Another huge advantage is, with it being retractable, it won't get wrecked/mucky/dirty the inside of my bag if I take it out. I have also put some mineral makeup on the end of the bristles, put the cover back on and popped it straight into my handbag for going out - it's so portable! 

It's currently on the list of "Things I need to take to hospital with me when I go to have babyJEM" along with Batiste dry shampoo, my birth plan, and the TENS machine :)  (I know, a girl's got to have priorities, right?)   No photos of me I'm afraid as I'm blotchy and spotty as hell (pregnancy glow my royal foot) at the moment but as a soft brush for powder foundation I would give this a good 8/10. 

The only thing marking it down is that I prefer a long handle on my brushes normally so would normally chose a full length brush, but that's just personal preference and as I've said, it's brilliant for travelling/keeping in handbags as it keeps clean and I can't get over how soft the bristles feel against my skin!  The other thing is, I've only been using it a week but so far have yet to see any moulting occuring even tho I've washed it already.  

I have yet to try it with a liquid but so far it gets high marks for all powders - mineral base, blusher and bronzer.  If I ever head back to a liquid foundation I'll give this a go and get back to you :)    

Remember if you want to order any sigma goods click here and get ordering!!!

  xxx JEM

* This brush was provided for review purposes. All views are JEMs own and are as always 110% honest.

Going Hoola over Betty Hula

After reading reviews about Betty Hula on so many blogs, I was quite surprised when I had an email asking if little old (key word at the grand old age of 25) moi would like to try some of their products. After some careful consideration (and chatting to JEM) I decided to accept the offer as their products do fit in with the style of  the blog.

Betty Hula state that their products are “handmade using traditional techniques and the finest quality, fairly traded natural ingredients” and the scent definitely reminds me of holidays.

Here’s what I received.

First up is the “Secret” Anti Aging Oil. As I don’t really look my age and so far (touch wood) don’t have lines, I have decided to pass this over to someone older to try… Hi JEM. However even though JEM doesn’t look her age (she’s 75 in case you were wondering), she’s very keen to try this.  I’ve tried this on the back of my hand and even though it’s a “oil” under no circumstances does the product feel greasy. What’s in it- according to the website it’s a secret- who am I to argue with.

I have to admit I love the consistency of the moisturising creams, is very different to anything which I have used before (normally soap and glory/hawaian tropic). Its quite hard to explain- but its “light” if that makes sense. It absorbs right into your skin and the scent lasts all day. Personally my favourite out of the two is “Champagne and Spice”- probably cause it reminds me of Christmas. “Rum and Blackcurrant” is more of a summery scent- not my cup of tea at the moment in -4 freezing temps in Durham.

Would I buy a tub of this in future?? Yes as a treat I would- the packaging is kitch and cute and very girly (I’m a sucker for girly packaging). Price wise £14.99 for a 120ml tub- not too bad.

You can buy Betty Hula online from their website at www.bettyhula.co.uk and if your lucky enough to live in Leeds you can buy the products from Rose & Co.

Please note I was kindly sent these samples from Betty Hula, myself and JEM are not in any way affiliated with this company and/or paid for this review.  All opinions like everything else on the blog are our own.

JEM's Mineral Make Up Review

While Ray is away, JEM will play. Ray has left me in charge of the blog while she is in Manchester and I thought I would share with you my first experience of mineral make up while shopping with the hubbie last week.

Before this, I had never used or even considered mineral makeup. But last week saleslady showed me how I could use this powder with a large, loose brush all over as a base, and then use a smaller brush (An eyeshadow brush) to dot on a bit extra where I need the additional coverage - under eyes, spots etc.  By the time she'd shown me the blusher (applied to cheeks it lasts about 5 hours, mix with vaseline and it becomes a lipgloss, use it as an eyeshadow too and finally mix a little with clear nail varnish and get a very nice pinky-brown coloured nail polish) I was sold. 

I'm a big fan of multi-purpose  products, if for no other reason than it's less to lug about in my bag every day!  The bronzer, too, can be used in different ways - over the cheeks and chin to give a sunkissed glow, mixed with body lotion and applied to the skin for a sheer shimmer to, and layered over the top of the blusher on eyelids to give a slight glittery look.  Cost was £43.00 for over a year's supply of the 3 products and included a free repigmentation should my skin colour change dramatically (however I'm told that they are self-adjusting naturally anyway)

So... that's the hype.  What's it really like to use this?

The answer is, for my skin, this is amazing.  I have normal skin with occasional oily/spotty patches, and for me this is second to none for coverage and wearability.  It now takes me approximately 1 1/2 minutes each day to put a full face on for work, and if I am going out again straight from work I just top up with a little more powder and a bit more bronzer before going out - so we're talking another 2 minutes here.  It lasts all day, doesn't rub off on clothes (The white shirt-collar test proved this on the first day!) and looks so natural it's like I'm not wearing makeup.  Also, it's hypoallergenic and non comodogenic, which means it won't irritate sensitive skin or block pores up.

At £21 for the foundation only, it looks like the price of this is coming down from what it was at first (over £40 in shops) and this is an excellent buy.  Word of warning though, a friend who's skin tends to be on the dry side said she can't use it as she needs the extra moisturisation of a liquid base.  Also, if you do put it in your bag like me, be VERY careful when you open the top up again cos it gets everywhere!!

Any questions- leave in the comment box. JEM xxx

Follow me on twitter @mountaindew_jem.