UTan and Tone's Coconut Tanning Water : the fastest and easiest way to tan your face!

 I cannot be the only person out there who is a total wimp when it comes to using fake tan on my face. I'm good with tan, I like it, I love it, but there's something about wiping the mitt all over my face that makes me ever so nervous.
So nervous in fact that I'll let you into a secret.... I hardly ever fake tan my face (unless I'm desperate.). I'll tan up to my neck/chin and then pop on darker foundation when doing my make-up! 

Summer Body Essentials

Summer 2017 has HIT the UK and for once I (nearly) feel ready! 
As someone who has never been overly body confident, Summer can be a bit of daunting premise for me....... and my thighs! 99% of the time my legs are pale, hairy and severely un-ready to see the light of day, especially in public, so when warm weather approaches I like to prep like a pro to ensure I'm not caught out when it comes to baring all!

As I was just at the Isle Of Wight Festival earlier this month I had already started my summer body ritual before this crazy (yes I'm melting) heatwave began. It's only a few extra products to add into my daily/weekly routines but they really are life savers.

1. NSPA Coconut Daily Refresh Shower Scrub*
First things first, before all that tanning and creaming malarkey I need my skin to be fresh, clean and smooth - so a body scrub is a must.
This creamy daily scrub from NSPA at ASDA smells bloomin' incredible - if you have read my blog for a while you will know that scents are a big thing for me. If a product doesn't smell good, I wouldn't and won't purchase it or use it. Coconut is one of my all-time favourite scents for products too so this is a winner.
I use this a few of times a week all over my body to prep my skin for fake tanning (or to get old fake tan off) and for only £2... yes £2 - it is WELL worth it!

2. St. Moriz Advanced Pro Formula Tanning Mousse*
All hail my all-time favourite tan.
St. Moriz has been in my life for years now and I totally swear by this brand. They were kind enough to send me a bottle of their new advanced pro formula to keep me going this month/Summer. This is the medium shade which I like to layer on for a few nights before I have an event, super easy to use I just use a mitt to apply all over before I go to bed and then wash it off in the morning. It gives a super natural and long-lasting colour (my mum even commented on it last week!) plus right now you can win a trip to Miami with St. Moriz's Baywatch comp right - here. (Totally non-spon... I just really love them)

3. Bondi Sands Everyday Tanning Milk
Gradual everyday tanners have been in our life since the early 00s when Dove & Johnson's bought out their famous moisturisers - which, if you didn't use, were pretty life changing. 
My high school years are a blur of me covered in this stuff thinking I was super sassy... but clearly not sassy enough to use real fake tan. I'm a big Bondi Sands fan and their products are up there with St. Moriz for me, I love the scent and the shade is always really natural looking. This is the perfect product for me to use to keep my skin moisturised plus keep my tan long-lasting and topped up.

4. Tropic Mineral Sun Protection*
Sun cream. The number one product everyone should be using in this weather. 
My skin, unfortunately, does have a slight problem with some sun creams. As I am a sufferer of the dreaded heat rash I can only use sun creams that are non-pore blocking which believe me... aren't that common!
I usually use Boots Soltan Sensitive cream which is a god send for me but when Tropic asked if I'd like to give their Skin Shade Mineral Sun Protection and I read it wouldn't block pores I jumped at the chance!
I chose the 30SPF as 15 didn't feel enough for me and my sensitive skin and 50 felt unnecessary for me on the IOW! I've been loving this suncream and so far... no heat rash wahooo!

What are your favourite products to keep you increase your body confidence leading up to the Summer months?

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A Tan In 2 Hours? : Tan On Demand Tanning Mousse

Fake tanning is something I love but I am so so lazy with.

We all want to be a bronzed goddess but sometimes the thought of stripping off, covering ourselves head to toe and waiting all night to change colour is a bit daunting. 
Alot of the time by the time I'm home after a long day it's the last thing I want to do.

So when I heard about the 2 hour tan, my ears pinged up and I was ready to see, hear and read all about it.

Tan On Demand 2 Hour Tanning Mousse*

Tan On Demand is a product from the lovely people at Diamonds on Demand. Known for their professional spray tans Diamonds On Demand have branched out to create a salon worthy product for us girls (and boys) who maybe don't have the facilities or the time to have a spray tan done.

This mousse can give a natural looking tan in just a couple of hours. Whilst the colour develops over 8 hours like a regular fake tanner this stuff can be washed off sooner and still achieve great results.

2 Hours = Light

3 Hours = Medium

4 Hours = Dark

It is literally that easy - you can choose your tan and have a different shade each time you use it depending on what you want and how you feel!

For me this is a fabulous idea for a product, something I can put on maybe in the morning before I get in the shower or when I have a few hours extra before I'm off on a night out! Much easier than waiting around 8 hours or sleeping in it... which I hate doing, it feels so clammy!

The mousse itself is classic brown shade which works as a colour guide, great for seeing where you need to apply and making sure you don't have any patches. I think I could only used a tanning mousse that's coloured - I'd be sooooo patchy otherwise.

First of all I decided to try out a small test patch, to see how well it worked. I popped it on and waiting probably just over 2 hours, I think washed it off and was impressed to see a nice light tan had been formed.

So I gave it a go and was really happy with the results! I have to say though, products like this only really work if you just wash it off with water, if you start using shower gels and things it does take it off - just to warn you!
Tan On Demand contains no parabens or alcohol which is fab as I know alot of you out there look for things like that in a product. 
It is said to last 5-7 days but with the amount I shower for me it didn't last that long. This stuff would be perfect for helping keep a nice holiday tan too.
For only £16 I think this is a fab product, cheaper than St. Tropez and works just as well - if you are in a hurry or lacking time this is a tanner to own!

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BeautyCrowd.com

Why hello there new online outlet of beauty goodies!

Yes, there is once again another place for us beauty addicts to head to on the internet to discover new and unique brands and products and it's called Beauty Crowd!

 This marketplace is a cave of wonders when it comes to interesting and 'hard to find anyway else' kind of products and after having a long look through the site myself I can see there is definitely something for everyone.

Beauty Crowd recently surprised me with a fabulous box of beauty treats for me to check out and see what their new site is all about! 

I was overwhelmed by the great choices they had sent me and wanted to share with you guys the sorts of things you can expect from them and what I got sent! I am slowly trying them all one by one so no doubt you will be seeing them in future posts and reviews!

Lay/N/Go Cosmo* - £20

A product from a Mum who needed an easier way to clear up clutter in one easy move has proven to be the ultimate beauty accessory!

 This cosmetic version of the lay/n/go is the easiest and tidiest way to keep your make-up and products on a daily basis! A quilted and washable drawstring clutch which opens up into an easy mat to keep your products all in one place  while you use them before simply pulling the drawstring and returning the bag to normal with all your bits and bobs inside! 

For me this is perfect for travelling or if I'm going somewhere in a rush. It's so easy just to chuck a hand full of items onto the sheet and be on your way - I can't wait to take this away with me!

BeauBronze Bronzed Goddess Tanning Mousse* - £26

I love a tanning mousse and am always trying more ... even though I do have my favs! This one is said to be fragrance free so I'm really looking forward to giving it a go and hopefully not smelling of "biscuits".

Teen-Skin Actives Anti-Shine Balm* - £11.99

This time of year my skin goes to a bit of a combination and my T-zone gets a nasty unattractive shine about it and even though I'm not a 'teen' anymore (sad times) this product is still right up my street! IT has a lovely floral and fresh scent about it and this week I have started to use this balm as a primer under my make-up - so far, so good!

Lola's Apothecary Rose & Neroli Body Oil

As I've got older the thought of oils has become more and more intriguing to me and this year I have tried out a few. This body oil contains essential rose oil which is great to reduce redness and inflammation of the skin. For me, I have found using a small bit of this in the evening on my skin has been very soothing and calming especially when I'm feeling super tired. The rollerball is so handy and I can take it everywhere! The full size of this product is 100ml and is priced at £32.

Flint+Flint Everyday Wash - £27

This product I am still yet to try as I am currently just finishing off another daily wash! I am really looking forward to giving it a go though, for the price being for just a 100ml bottle I'm hoping it works wonders!

So there's a little look at a few things you will find on the BeautyCrowd site! I have been having a good look through of the different sections of the site and there has been so much that has caught my eye! Plus they have some great video features on there too - always great for a bit more information on everything!

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My Winter Essentials : Fake Tanning

Sad (or exciting) as it is, Winter is nearly upon us! The clocks have gone back marking the official end to British summertime and our wardrobe's are slowly changing from flip-flops and shorts to jumpers and coats!

BUT just because summer is gone doesn't me can can't still be fabulous and glamorous. Winter is one of my favourite times for beauty, warm tones, seriously amounts of shimmer and glitter plus the perfect time to use that trusty old fake tan!

Over the next month or two on the lead up to Christmas and the New Year I have decided to start a new small series of posts on here named "My Winter Essentials" I'll be sharing the products and items I can't live without and maybe a few cheeky wishlists too!

First up today I'm going to be talking about Fake Tan - the stuff that keeps us looking slightly healthy and un-casper like through the dark and cold months before Spring arrives again!

In my time (we'll say the last 5 years) I have been through my fair share of different tanning products to change my dodgy pale complexion to a half decent bronzed glow but there is always one that sticks out to me and one that I have always recommended to friends and family alike and that is St Moriz.

Now I first stumbled across this brand when doing a bit of bargain hunting on Fragrance Direct back in 2010! I purchased a couple of bottles on a whim as they were only £2.99 and back then there was noway I could really afford to splash out on things like St. Tropez and Fake Bake.

I remember it arriving and being slightly dubious and applying it initially but once I had a mitt in hand I thought I'd give the mousse a go and if it went wrong I'd just wear jeans and long sleeves!

But it never really did go wrong, I so pleased with the results, it was so easy to apply and the results were just what I was looking for.

That was with the Medium shade and I have ALWAYS used the medium shade until recently when the awesome people at St. Moriz contacted me!

St. Moriz Instant Shimmer, Dark Mousse & Applicator Mitt*

 Dark shades of fake tan have always made me a little nervous. Naturally I'm pretty pale (having a red headed mother will do that for ya!) so I've always stuck to the middle of the road medium tones which I knew I could always build up if I wanted to make it darker.

After years of this though I have now felt more confident to try out things a little more bold. So when St. Moriz sent me one of their 'dark' mousses I was excited to give it a go! I haven't been back from Florida long so it was also good to use to try and keep the slight tan I got there!

The mousse has always been my favourite product, alongside the mitt provided this is, for me, the easiest way to tan my body and gives the best results!

The dark shade left me with a great natural bronzed look, perfect for a night out with my girls!

 The instant shimmer isn't something I would use as much just as the weather here isn't always great I would be nervous of t running if I was to get caught in the rain! 
It works great though to give the legs a subtle shimmer and dewy shine - much better than my usual dull wobbly calves, shins and thighs! 

Tanning is the best way to get your body looking slimmer and more toned without actually having to do anything plus you can even get your limbs and abs looking naturally defined and strong with a bit of contouring if you feel brave enough. 

A Few Fake Tanning Top Tips from Myself & St. Moriz

• Always exfoliate before tanning, Getting rid of those nasty dead skin cells will help your tan sit better on your skin, avoid patchness and also make sure it lasts longer!
• Moisturise your skin! Keep it hydrated and soft - another way to prevent patchiness across yourself and to help prolong your tan!

• Always shave at least 24 hours before tanning - there's nothing worse than getting a saving rash from tanning!
• Start from your feet and working your way upwards! It's the best way to get an even tan when doing it yourself. It helps you avoid those creasing marks from bending over!
• Always use a mitt - a mitt is a tan's best friend, especially when using a mousse! It helps you blend it evenly and also saves your hands from getting in a horrible stained mess!
• Tan in front of a mirror if you can! You can always see then if you have missed anywhere or if anywhere needs more blending!
• Don't tan on carpet - it's not the easiest things to get out but if you have no choice when either stand on a towel or even do it when stood in the bath or shower!
• Pop your mitt on the end of a wooden spoon! If you struggle to get those hard to reach places on your back an don't have a helpful sole around who could do it for you then just grab a wooden spoon and attach your mitt to it! Easy peasy!
• Wear loose clothing to bed! 9 times out of 10 your going to fake tan over night so you can let it develop while you sleep - make sure you wear loose clothing that way it hopefully won't interfer with your masterpiece tanning job too much!

St. Moriz is by far the best value for money tan I have ever used! Their products range from just £4.99 and the results truly are as good as higher end products which I've tried!
 The mousse is a product that I will repurchase again and again and for less than £5 I urge you all to give it a go!
 You can find St. Moriz is soooo many places now Boots, Asda, Feel Unique, Tesco naming just a few so there's got to be some near you wherever you live :)

Have you tried any St. Moriz products?

What's your favourite fake tan?

What are your Winter Essentials?

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Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan Dark Mousse Review

I love a good tan and I've been known to dabble with a fair few products in my time. Gradual tanning moisturisers, mousses, instant sprays and most recently a professional spray tan done! I love the confidence you gain with a tan, it makes you look healthier and of course I love the fact it makes me look slightly smaller!

Today is a product I had been so so excited to try out - it is the Cocoa Brown (by Marissa Carter) 1 Hour Tan Mousse. (*)

Now although I am always chopping and changing what tanning products I use - from LW Tan to St. Moritz I have always gone for the sort of 'medium' shades. 
Where I have a fairly pale skin tone I've always been nervous about going the whole hog and getting the dark dark shades but after having a dark spray tan recently it's made me a little more confident with embracing my inner TOWIE.

I had heard alot of Cocoa Brown - lots of bloggers have raved about it, twitter is full of recommendations and I recently noticed it in my local Superdrug, so I was super excited to try it out!

Mousse's are my favourite type of tan to apply because well... I find them the easiest! Pump onto a mitt and away you go!
After just 2 or 3 pumps I had completely covered my leg (yes just the one - I wanted to capture the difference for you guys.... the things I do for this blog!)

"Easy to apply this first-of-a-kind formulation combines hi tech accelerating agents, which are activated upon contact with skin and speed up the tan’s absorption and development, to deliver a rich, cocoa brown tan."

The first thing I noticed about this stuff was the scent. There was not a hint of the classic 'biscuit' smell at all! There are lots of brands that say they don't have the smell but there is always a slight hint of it but with this - not at all!
Also, the colour of the mousse was so much lighter than I was expecting! Seeing as this is a dark, fast developing tan I honestly thought the product would be alot lot darker than it is!

So tanned up I pottered around my flat for the next hour or so - thankfully this stuff dried more or less instantly and isn't sticky in the slightest so there was no trouble with needing to get on with things!
Before I knew it is was time to wash it off! No shower gel or soap needed just rinse it off and the tan will continue to develop for up to 3 hours afterwards (crazy!)

A great tanning product with great results! I love the gorgeous golden shade this has left after just 1 hour!
 A fab product perfect for when you're in a rush and want a great tan quickly that's going to last for longer than 1 night! I can't quite believe that it's only £7.99 - what a bargain!

Have you girls tried this stuff out? I'm definitely more confident with going for darker shades now!

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Lauren's Way Self Tan Mousse & Glam Tan Review

So, winter is upon us. Not only does this mean chapped lips, freezing cold fingers and toes and tights become a staple in the wardrobe but we all get a bit...well.... pale.
I, myself, look like a total ghost in the autumn & winter months so fake tanning is normally key to me looking half normal.
So when the fabulous ladies at Lauren's Way contacted me after I had been raving about their rollers on twitter (seriously they are amazing!) and asked me whether I'd want to try out some of their tanning products I jumped at the chance - seriously who wouldn't!

I had heard so many amazing things about this tan so I jumped straight in and whacked it on as soon as the postman dropped it through the letterbox.
Because I'm fairly fair skinned and not an expert tanner I went for the 'Medium' shade in the mousse - I think this was the safest option for me to start off with!

I do have a confession to make - I normally only tend to tan before a big night out - 1. because I am lazy and 2. because I'm always scared I'm going to totally muck it up.
 There is nothing worse than seeing someone with horrific streaks or who is clearly the same colour as a tangerine -I do NOT want this to be me!

I've been using this tan alot over the last few weeks as I have had lots of partys, night outs and general fun-type things to go to!
 But for these photos I thought I would just show you the difference from just ONE application!
I found this mousse so easy to use (thank you for the free mitt aswell LW!) Just 1 pump from the bottle goes a long long way and I think the smell is slightly better than the other tans I've used but of course there is still that slight "biscuit smell" that everyone has grown to know and love haha! (although I've never really got that... what biscuit to you people eat?!)

It doesn't take me long to cover my whole body with this stuff and streak free I must say! One thing I was super impressed with is the drying time. 
Normally I'm flapping around the bathroom trying to get my tan to dry and feel less sticky before I get dressed again but the LW tan dries so quickly - I was so shocked! Massive brownies points for that one girls and boys!

As you can see in the photos there is a huge difference for just one quick once over with the mousse AND this is a developing mousse so you leave it on for approx. 8 hours and then wash it off for the best results - so pop it on before bed and this tan develops while you sleep - easy peasy!

The mousse is priced at £17.95 and the Glam Tan spray (mentioned below) is £18.95 and that comes with a FREE tanning mitt worth £3.99! To me these are total bargain prices, cheaper than St. Tropez and Fake Bake and for, in my opinion, a better product!

With the LW mousse tan I was also sent one of the "Glam Tan" spray bottles! When I fake tan I normally use Fake Bake or St. Mortiz and always go for a mousse, I find it so much easier to use than anything else so this is something that initially scared me a little to try out but I am actually am so impressed with how easy it has been to use!
Where it is quite a bit darker than the 'medium' mousse it took me a lot of courage to try it out but with the mitt the spray technology makes it so easy to apply evenly! So, thank you LW for helping me get out of me mousse comfort zone!

Fake tan has so many benefits - it makes you look healthier, it makes you look skinnier, it makes you feel more confident,  it isn't harmful to your skin and body unlike sunbeds and sun-bathing, you are in control - want to go darker? Do it again tomorrow and the next day! If you need a pick me up with all this gloomy rain and cloud - hit the bottle and you won't regret it!

I can honestly say now - hand on heart - that the LW is the best at-home fake tan I have EVER used and will 100% be purchasing when these bottles have run out, because with the weather as it is and no holidays booked as of yet ... I'm going to need it!

(***Disclaimer : This product was kindly sent to me by the lovely people at Lauren's Way. . All thoughts, opinions and ideas are always my own and I would never include an item or product on A Yellow Brick Blog that I didn't truly believe in.)