Yankee Candle Blueberry Scone

Yankee Candle Blueberry Scone *Large Jar Candle - £19.99

Weather in the UK can be a bit hit and miss sometimes but one thing we can count on are the new seasonal releases from Yankee Candle.

Blueberry Scone sees a long awaited comeback onto the UK site and one that anyone with a sweet tooth will enjoy. The iconic large jar provides 110 - 150 hours burn time which fills the room and rooms around it with its captivating aroma and means you can enjoy the fragrance without the worry of it running out anytime soon.

"The delicious aroma of English quickbread with sweet blueberries, rich cream and a hint of vanilla." Yankee Candle

The scent is sweet and comforting but not in an overpowering way and reminds me of Hubba Bubba bubble gum (the blueberry kind,.. obviously ;p). You can definitely smell the richness of the cream, and the vanilla softens the sweetness of the blueberry's. The warm comforting fresh bakery scent from the scone adds a homely and relaxing vibe to it that has you wanting to snuggle up into a blanket. To me this is such a comforting aroma, the sort of feeling you get when you smell freshly baked bread or your grandma's cooking, to me this is home in a jar. 

This is the type of  fragrance that can see you through all the seasons and perfect if you're like me and always on a diet, this gives you that sugar fix you need without piling on the pounds! 

If sweet treats aren't your thing there are some other fantastic scents to choose from...

Berry Colada  

 Smooth summer refreshment . . sweet and tangy red berries blended with cool, creamy vanilla.

Juicy Peach 

 Practically dripping with the mouth-watering scent of luscious, crisp orchard peaches.

Greenhouse

A beautiful blend . . . the heady perfume of delicate rose blossoms intertwined with spicy green herbs

Wild Pansies 

  It's always spring with this lush scent of brilliantly hued flowers.

All these and many other scents are available now from the Yankee Candle website.

What's your favourite Yankee Candle scent?

Review | Anastasia Dipbrow and Eyebrow Routine

 Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade £15.00 from Cult Beauty

I've has some comments lately about my eyebrows and thought I would incorporate an eyebrow routine into one of my posts.  My eyebrows are not perfect by any means, they tend to be a little sparse and one eyebrow is a lot better then the other (I'm sure most of us have this problem! lol). But with the art of make up we can make them appear better than what they are whether you use a pencil, powder or just recently a pomade. The Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade is a gel mousse hybrid which I rediculourly pigmented. You only need the smallest amount to define and shape your brows. Because of it's unique formula I find that the mousse also tames the brows, as well as setting them in place without then need for a brow gel. Its comes in 5 different colours ranging from Blonde which I have to Ebony a rich dark brown perfect for black and really dark hair. Another thing that makes this a wonderful product is that the colour and intensity last all day without smudging or fading!

The products I use are.. obvisously the Dipbrow Pomade, a spooly, concealer, angled brush and a flat top eyeliner brush. 

1) Starting off with clean brows make sure to give them a good brush with the spooly, combing them up and across so all the hairs sit perfectly.

2) Using the angled brush lightly dip it to the product making sure to wipe off the excess so you don't overload the brows, I like to tap the brush into the lid and then use what's been tapped off if I need any more. Line the bottom of your eyebrows and follow the natural shape from inner corner to outer.

3) Like we I before, line the top of your brows, starting at the tail and working your way to the start. Try to leave the start of your brow mainly product free, I will slightly fill this in later.

4) Fill in the sections between the two lines your have made. By this point I still haven't used any more product and have just been using what's on the brush and my brows.

5) For the inner corner you just want to lightly brush up the hair and transfer any colour that's left on the brush, this will give them a slight gradient effect.

6) Your brow should look a little like this. Don't worry if it isn't neat, that's where the next step comes in!

7) This step is what really gives your brows more definition - to tidy up the edges and give a more polishes effect apply some concealer, tracing round the edges to really chisel out the shape you have created.

8) Blend the concealer out with a brush or your fingers and then comb through one last time to get rid of any excess product and to make sure they're set in place.

 

And there you have it! Defined brows using my favourite product at the moment, the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade.

What products do you use for your eyebrows? Do you use the Dipbrow Pomade? What are your thoughts on it?

Review |Lauren's Way Solution 60 Rapid Tan Mousse

Lauren's Way 'Solution 60 Rapid Tan' Mousse* £19.95 150ml

Lauren's Way are the lasted tanning company to bring out a rapid tan - Solution 60. A tan that can bronze up your skin in as little as 60 minutes for a subtle golden glow or 3 hours for a more intense  tan.

The tan comes in the form of a mousse (also available in a spray) with a dark colour guide that allows you to see exactly where you're putting it. I think mousses are the easiest to apply as they glide on effortlessly with little to no mess.

"This express self-tan bronzing mousse develops into a gorgeous golden glow from just 60 minutes, allowing you to choose your shade. Apply with a mitt then leave the tan on for 60 minutes before showering for a light tan, 2-3 hours for a medium/dark tan. Solution 60 bronzing mousse is a velvety soft self tan formula which is easy to apply and can be used on face and body to provide a silky smooth glow" Laurens Way

 

As I do like a dark tan I left mine on for 3 hours and then showered it off. The mousse formula dries almost instantly which means you can get dressed straight away. Some may find this a little tricky as you do need to work very quickly with it. I found it best applied in small sections, (ie. the lower arm and then blended, then apply more mousse for the upper arm and so on) this meant I could quickly blend and buff the tan in without it drying and leaving it streaky. If you take your time and apply it probably the colour and finish is impeccable. So natural and golden, the tan didn't stick to dry patches or settle in to pores, it looked flawless on the skin.

The smell when first applied was fruity and a little herby reminding me of Pimms, not a bad smell if you ask me! lol  After some time it did turn a little musky but to be honest this doesn't really bother me as long as the tan is good, which it is!

Like every tan I try I always exfoliate prior to application ( a day or two before) and moisturise after the tan has been washed off for the coming days after, this means the tan wears off evenly, which it did lasting a good 5 days before I felt I needed to top it up ( like I said I do like a dark tan). If you like a subtle glow you would probably be happy with the tan for a good 7 days after and may only need to re-apply once every 7-10 days.  

I have also slept in this over night and the results where not so different then when left on of 3 hours in my opinion ( maybe a tad darker but nothing scary). The colour again was deep and bronzed with not a hint of orange in sight. Showing that if you don't like to wear it during the day or struggle to fit it in it can also work brilliantly used like conventional tanners, overnight.

The price of the tan is £19.95 and I think its well worth the money, the colour is great, it looks natural on the skin and wears off evenly too!.. Perfect!

psst.... don't forget to enter my Marc Jacobs GIVEAWAY!! It's International too! :)

The Face Five Challenge

As any make up junkie will know a TAG that limits you to use 5 and only 5 products is a nightmare. Like many of you reading this I have an abundant supply of make up in my stash, enough to keep me going for a few decades!.. ok slight exaggeration but even still there's loads!

I have Gillian from Purple Gillian to thank for this tag and you can see her video here and find out what products she used.

There rules are as follows..

1. Use Five and only Five products to create a complete makeup look

2. Each different product counts and 1 product (multipurpose products count as 1 product such as Benetint, Bombshell the One Stick, Nars Multiple Stick)

3. No palettes are allowed. No trios, quads or multi-shade palettes

4. Tag Five others to complete the Face Five Challenge

5. Have fun!

Product 1

I can not and I repeat not go without foundation so this is a must for me. My skin isn't perfect so I need something to even it out and create a blank canvas to work on. The foundation I've chosen is Nars Sheer Glow, the coverage is really good meaning I can skip concealer and it delivers a lovely satin finish which makes the skin look healthy with a slight dewy finish so I can skip the highlighting stage too!

Product 2

Like my first step this product is also non negotiable.....eyebrows. I need them, I want them and no make up look is complete with out them in my opinion. I'm using Charcoal Brown from Mac for my brows and I'm also going to use it as a subtle liner on my top lash line to help define them and make them look a little thicker.

Product 3

Mascara. This is a bit of a cheat but I'm including it anyway as I do wear eyelash extensions so don't necessary need to wear it on my top lashes but I definitely need it on my bottom set. The Mascara I'm using is Maybelline's Big Eyes as it really helps to define the bottom lashes without smudging and lasts all day.

Product 4

Contour. Not a must for everyone but I feel my face looks flat without it. I'm using Nars Laguna to define my cheek bones and add colour to my face. I'm also going to use it to define the crease of my eye just to make them stand out a bit more.

Product 5

The last and final product is a multi purpose one and that's in the form of a cream blush which I can use on my cheeks and also on my lips. The blush I have chosen is George from Asda Creme Blush in Coral.* It gives a lovely dewy finish to the cheeks in a pinky coral shade which I love and also works brilliantly on the lips.

That tag wasn't actually too bad after all but I would love to add some concealer and setting powder just to finish the look. I would like to tag these lovely ladies to complete the Face Five Challenge.... 

Vanessa from The Other VW

Rachel from Rantings of Lard

Anna from On The Dressing Table

Gemma from Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Kate from Sugarfixx Beauty

Also if any of you reading this think you're up for the challenge make sure to tweet me your posts so I can check them out! :)

Review | Elemis Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow

  Elemis Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow £36.50 from Feel Unique

I think it's fair to say we all negulate our skin a bit in the winter months. With all that cold weather about there's no need to expose any excess skin so no wonder we can forget about it! I'm guilty of this but when the weather warms up and the layers of protective clothes start falling by the way side its time to get the skin smooth and radiant looking all in prep for the summer and wedding season.

A new exfoliator to me is the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow, this skin glowing saviour is packed full of luscious ingredients like Mineral rich salts and Hibiscus to cleanse and exfoliate the skin, while exotic Tahitian Monoi oil and Frangipani flowers moisturise and hydrate the skin.

"Elemis Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow is a luxurious salt scrub that melts on contact with the skin to leave it beautifully soft and nourished." "Gently exfoliates dead skin cells brightening dull skin, leaving it conditioned and nourished with a Exotic, indulgent aroma" Elemis

The snazzy jar encases the salt and flower extracts which are dense and tightly packed with an almost oily texture. With the mixture of  ingredients as well as gentle circular rubbing motions this effectively exfoliates and buffs all the dead skin away leaving it feeling velvety smooth and hydrated.

With some exfoliators I've tried they can leave the skin feeling a little tender but this does not. The skin is left with a slightly oily residue even after the salts have been washed away and this makes it feel super hydrated and moisturised. The smell also lingers on the skin, a mixture of floral and deep musky tones that remind of holiday and the beach for some reason.

After using this I can honestly say my skin has never felt so soft and smooth. It's great if you get those tiny bumps under the skin on the tops of the arms as this just seems to erase them all away.

If you're a fake tan junkie like me then this is perfect to use a couple of days prior to tanning as it removes all the old tan away and also preps the skin nicely for the new one. ( I wouldn't use this and then apply the tan straight after as it does leave a slight oily residue that can interfere with the tanning formula). Whatever your reasons for using it are I can assure you it will leave your skin glowing. Granted at £36.50 its not the cheapest product in the world but if you're looking for a bath time treat and something that will really make a difference to your skin then this is it!

What's your favourite body scrub? Have you tried this before?

psst.... Have you entered my Marc Jacobs International GIVEAWAY yet?

Blogging and Gossiping.

This is a very different post from me today and one that I would love your input on. There's been a lot of negativity around the blogging community this week. If you're on social media you may have read something about a well known gossip site that decides to mock and pick to pieces bloggers work and more upsetting attacks them personally.
I don't think any blogger out there thought that by starting a blog it then gave people the right to publicly humiliate them. Just because our blogs are 'out there' doesn't mean that's  permission to have someone target you and attack you?... Does it? I write about beauty, not politics, not religion, or other sensitive matters, about beauty. About what mascara I like and the best face cream I've found, I'm not hurting anyone and neither are the thousand other bloggers out there. To me I find it hard to see the justification that warrants the abuse that some bloggers get!

Is No One Safe?

Does blogging about a subject automatically mean that I'm opening up the floodgates to attack? If I tweet something that others don't agree with does that also mean I can be attacked? We all know that if you're in the public eye the media will have a field day when you slip up, so does that also apply to social interaction on the Internet to non celebrities? I think the line between reading gossip about your favourite celebrities has crossed over into the 'normal' world. People aren't satisfied by just seeing stars falling off the waggon and reading about traumas in their personal life, people now want to attack everyone and anyone. We've all seen articles about cyber bulling and the effects it has on innocent people. How is what happens in a forum where people attack others ( some of whom they've  never met) any different from the cyber attacks we read about? Where does it end? Is no one safe anymore? Is freedom of speech being used in totally the wrong way?

Will it ever change?

I don't think for one second that the world is going to change, people WILL attack others,  but do we all do it on a daily basis and not know it? Most women (and men) like a gossip every now and then, but when that turns vindictive and nasty that's the time to stop (and most people do). Just think, in your own life would you attack someone as harsh as you do when you're on the Internet? Surly if someone irritated you so much you would confront them face to face? If you don't then you're a coward, and the same should be applied to the Internet world. If you have nothing nice to say don't say it at all!...and certainly don't use anonymity as a way of voicing your opinions! . Be real, if you dislike something at least has the decency to let the person know who is questioning them. Don't hide behind a user name. Own your opinions just like all the bloggers do on a daily basis on their blogs.

Focus on the positive

The blogging community on a whole is super friendly and there is always someone out there to chat with and ask for help if you need it. We can be the most supportive bunch of people around and I think many would agree with me on this. Lets not forget about the people that are kind and only want to support you. Like most things in life there is good and bad in everything and the most important thing is to not focus on the bad (a lot easier said then done I know!). Focus on the good parts and forget about the rest. Only care about the opinions of the people that matter, the people that know you. After all how can someone really cast their view on you unless they really know you?

What are your thoughts on the blogging community? Is it a case of a few people ruining it for the rest of us? Or is it now the case that we are all subject to attack and have suck it up and deal with it? Is a blog an open invitation to be the subject of ridicule?

First Impressions | Monu Brightening Boost Serum

    

Monu 'Brightening Boost'* £22.50

Monu Brightening Boost is a serum designed to reduce sun damage and hyper pigmentation with an array of skim brightening ingredients. Vitamin C to reduce discolouration. Wild Yam extract to improve skin tone, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide 3 boosts collagen and reduces wrinkle depth, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline has a lifting effect to the skin to help firm and protects elasticity and Anemarrhena extracts plumbs up the skin to reveal a more youthful complexion. With all the ingredients packaged into a 15ml tube I was excited to try it out.

"Suitable for all skin types, the Brightening Boost serum promises to revitalise the complexion, resulting in sheer luminosity and radiance.

Specially created to help smooth surface imperfections and plump the skin to result in a fresh and more youthful appearance.

The Brightening Boost is the ideal product to introduce into any skin care regime to combat signs of premature ageing and result in a brighter complexion and hydrated skin that feels comfortable and protected from morning to night". Monu

On initial inspection of the serum I saw it was designed for 'Mature, Damaged skin' (I may be in my 30's but I wouldn't say I had mature skin at all!), I thought it would be too heavy me and may even break me out or leave a greasy film on my skin. I'm happy to state that I saw non of this and was pleasantly surprised by the texture and formulation.

The serum is water based which means its light and leaves no oily or sticky residue. The serum is to be applied morning and evening under moisturiser and delivers an instant brightening effect to the skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and smooth to the touch. The smell has a faint citrus note to it which I imagine comes from the Vitamin C complex, it's very pleasant and refreshing which is brilliant for adding that much needed boost in the mornings. It also works brilliantly under make up giving a slight radiance to the skin under your foundation but nothing that will interfere with it at all or making it sit unevenly.

As you will know from a pervious post (here), I do suffer from pigmentation marks, the result of those pesky blemishes that seem to want to hang around, and as soon as I've corrected one area I seem to get more in another place thus resulting in more discolouration...very annoying!  I'm interested to see how this will work at reducing them and will report back in the future for an update.

Have you tried this out yet or any other products from Monu?

Review | Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream £9.99 from Boots

Before I start my review I would just like to add that I've never 'got' the whole BB, CC, or even DD cream hype ( I'm sure they'll be bringing out a DD anytime soon!). To me their just a glorified tinted moisturiser and nothing about them appealed to me at all. You can imagine my surprise when I found myself hauling this a few weeks ago, I don't know what possessed me to buy it, but I did.

In my mind I had it falling in the same category as the rest of them, light ( when I say light, I mean barely there) coverage that only someone with perfect skin could wear (which isn't me at all!). ....Anyway I purchased this expecting to hate it, and well, I didn't!

What Bourjois has to say about it...

"Correct and perfect your complexion with Bourjois' 123 Perfect Colour Correcting cream. Its 3 colour correcting pigments give a fresh and luminous result with SPF 15 and 24hr hydration."

What makes Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream different from a BB cream is the colour correcting formula, a hybrid between a BB cream and a foundation. The colour correction properties are said to even out skin tone without looking cakey, and giving a luminous natural finish to the skin, just like you would be from a BB cream or tinted moisturiser. The three colour correcting pigments are...Apricot for anti-fatigue, Green for anti-redness, and White for anti-dark spots.

Don't ask me how it works as I have know idea, but it does!

 

Before, After and then with the rest of my make up on.

I had to eat my words and feel ashamed for judging this on first inspection. After just one use I  was shocked at how good the coverage was! A good light - medium buildable coverage that masked redness and discolouration. My skin looked more even, and yet as if I wasn't wearing anything at all ( a look I am not used to seeing on my face!) It looked natural and skin like,  still covered up my imperfections perfectly and giving the illusion my skin was a lot better than what it was. Of course I still had some marks and spots that it didn't cover but nothing a dab of concealer wouldn't sort out, but in general my face was a lot more even and the discolouration neutralised. As you can see from the before and after photos above the cream delivers excellent coverage, please excuse the horrendous 'before' photo but I just had to include it to show how well it worked at disguising my imperfections.  I find it works well buffed in the skin with a buffing brush and also applies really nicely with just your fingertips.

This to me is perfect for everyday wear and a must have product for the coming season as the finish is natural, oil free and comes with the added bonus of containing SPF15.

The only problem I have with it is the shade range. There seems to be only 4 shades to choose from and mine is the second darkest ( No33 Rose Beige) , I know I use fake tan but I'm by no means dark so darker skin tones will struggle to find a good match :(

Have you tried this out yet? What do you think to it?

Review | Soap and Glory Sunshield Superfluid

Soap and Glory™ Make Yourself Youthful™ Sunshield Superfluid™ SPF50 £15.00

With summer ever nearing and the promise of some sun on the horizon it's time to slap on some sunscreen, especially on our face! We all know the damage the sun can do to our skin and how it promotes premature ageing (something that I'm trying to stop as I am in my 30's!). One thing I hate about sunscreens are their thick and greasy consistency, especially when they're for the face. My skin in combination/oily and the thought of wearing something that heavy on my face under make up doesn't appeal to me at all! This brings me swiftly to the product and why I've purchased this!

 

Soap and Glory Sunshield Superfluid is SPF50, a high factor sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays promises to be "super lightweight" "transulant" and with a "imperceptible texture". I haven't tried any soap and Glory skincare products and thought as I needed something like this anyway is was a good place to start.

The bottle is very Chanel inspired and has a ball inside which needs to be shaken to thoroughly mix the product before application. Now, when I think of sunscreen especially high factor ones I think of a thick dense cream that when applied leaves a white cast over the skin. I can happily say this is not the case with the Soap and Glory Sunshield Superfluid. Its sooooooo light weight it's unbelievable and was love at first sight from the very first application. Think of a light runny moisturiser and this is what it is, it applies beautifully and doesn't leave any film or white cast over the face.

The fluid has a slight peachy tint to it but nothing that offers any coverage, what's really good though is that it contains 'Insta- Matt' "a micro oil-absorbing powder which helps mattify and even out blotchy skin tone for a beautifully natural transparent finish". Since using this I haven't felt the need to powder throughout the day and agree that it does help mattify the skin by offering a satin/semi matte finish. Please don't think that its super drying though, on occasion I have used this instead of my moisturiser and found is does offer some hydration, obviously drier skin type will need to moisturise but my combination skin found it did a fantastic job.

To be honest I can't say enough good stuff about it, I think its brilliant! Its certainly opened my eyes to using more product from the Soap and Glory skincare line. This gets a major thumbs up from me and I recommend trying it out if you're looking for a new sunscreen to protect your face this summer.

 

Have you tried this out yet? What's your favourite sunscreen for the face?

Review | George Creme Blushes

George Crème Blushes in Coral*and Pomegranate* both £3.00 from Asda Direct and in store.

Swatch - Top left -'Coral', Bottom - 'Pomegranate' Top right swatches blended out.

This time of year is when we like to add that dewy healthy glow to our skin and a lot of us opt for a crème as oppose to a powder blush to give us this much desired effect. George at Asda have extended their make up line and released some crème blushes into their collection. I have two to show to you today, shade No2 Coral and shade No4 Pomegrante.

'Coral' a gorgeous stunning bright pinky/peach shade, the perfect coral you could say and even though it does look quite scary in the pan sheers down to the most beautiful flushed finish. This is my favourite out of the two and would be excellent for Spring/Summer.

'Pomegranate' is a muted down pink with hints of warn brown and reminds me very much of  a dusky rose colour. It may not look much in the pan but is very wearable and would  suit  almost anyone's skin tone and a great colour that can be worn all year round.

George Crème blush in 'Coral'

The formula of both of these is super pigmented and you only need a tiny amount to blend for a natural blush look. The blushes are incredible creamy and feel moisturising on the skin, delivering a gorgeous healthy sheen to the cheeks for a dewy finish. These are definitely not a crème to powder blush and can easily been worn on the lips as a lipstick for a hint of colour.

Next time you're in Asda have a little nosey at these as they are well worth the mire £3.00 price tag and come in 4 beautiful shades, they have a bright pink called 'Marshmellow' which looks right up my street!

What are your favourite crème blushes? Have you tried these out yet?

psst....Have you entered my International GIVEAWAY to win a Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer Lipgloss?

Marc Jacobs International GIVEAWAY!!!

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a little sneak peek of some goodies I got from America. One of them was this gorgeous Marc Jacobs Lust for Lacquer lipgloss in the shade 'Boom Boom'. Marc Jacobs make up is a little difficult to get hold of in the UK, with it only being sold at the Marc Jacobs store in London and recently being available from Sephora now that they ship to the UK. So with this in mind I bought it especially for one of you lucky guys to win and enjoy!

"This fully pigmented, plumping formula delivers antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence for a perfect pout with unparalleled shine. A patented applicator with a pointed tip guides lip vinyl into a precise, shiny coat of colour. Fully pigmented gloss, longwearing, hydrating formula which plumps and volumizes." MARC JACOBS

Marc Jacobs champagne-grape infused lip gloss in 'Boom Boom' is a stunning bold berry colour with hints of fuchsia pink and subtle iridescent shimmer running through it. I haven't tried any make up from the line but just from looking at the gloss in it's sleek packaging I can tell it will look stunning and compliment almost everyone's skin tone.

If you would like to win this all you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter below. As I do have some international readers the giveaway is open to everyone, all I ask is that if you're under 16 please seek permission from a parent or guardian as I will need your address if you win.

Good luck everyone! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review and Lip Swatches | Lime Crime Velvetines 'Pink Velvet'

Lime Crime 'Pink Velvet' £13.50

Lime Crime Velvetines 'Pink Velvet' has found its way into my possession thanks to a recent order from Cute Cosmetics. I've always wanted to try out some lime crime lipsticks so I succumbed and bought some along with this velvet matte lip gloss. 

Lip swatches of Pink Velvet.    Bottom left - After 6 hours wear.

There's one thing I love at the moment and that is a matte lipstick. I find they last so much longer than your average lipstick. If I'm going for a bright bold colour they are a must in my book otherwise that tend to inhabit the rest of my face!

Pink Velvet is a bright fuchsia pink which packs one hell of a punch. The finish is exactly what is described, velvety and soft looking and the mattest of matte.

This is the sort of matte lip stain that when you apply it you have to get it right first time or you will spend the next few minutes with Bioderma frantically trying it remove it. Basically once its on its staying on!

I found after a good 6 hours the colour started to fade and go patchy (as you can see from the bottom left picture), but it was still THERE!! The fact that I had been eating, drinking and generally getting on with my day without a thought or care for lipstick at all I think it stood up quite well. Even though it faded the pigmentation was still there and it didn't flake too much or look scabby ( you all know what I mean when you get that horrible crusty matte lipstick kinda mouth, no?... just me? lol)

Have you tried the Lime Crime Velvetines? What do you think to this one?

Review | He-Shi Rapid 1 Hour Tan

 He-Shi Rapid 1 Hour Liquid Tan* £22.50

When the weather warms up one thing that is certain is we all wish for a lovey golden tan, it makes us feel slimmer and generally better about ourselves. Having a sun kissed base can also mean we don't have to pile on the make up to make ourselves look remotely human, embracing the 'natural' look with the little help from some fake tan and fooling people that we just naturally look this good!

I don't limit my fake tan to just the warmer months I like to have a tan all year round but one thing I hate about the tanning process is that it needs to be worn for a good 8 hours which normally means applying it at night and sleeping in it. When sleeping with a tan on you don't want white sheets ( which I have!), my husband is used to sleeping next to a orange/brown stain now, but it still annoys me and means I have to change my sheets every time I apply my tan ( which can be a couple of times a week!).

Thanks to the He-Shi Rapid 1 Hour Tan release my laundry pile can now be dramatically reduced. The tan can be worn for 1 hour for a golden finish, 2 hours for a dark and 3-4 for an ultra dark shade  which means you can apply it during the day and wash it off in as little as 60minutes!.. Brilliant!

The fast drying formula contains 9% DHA ( Dihydroxyacetone, the active ingredient in all tanning products) Vitamin B5, Aloe Vera and Vitamins A&E which all help to hydrate the skin locking in moisture to improve the life of the tan and prolonging it for up to 10 days.

Left -The finished result after 4 hours developing and how the tan looked the next day.

Top Right- Before.

Bottom Right - After 4 hours and washed off

The tan is in the form of a liquid which rubs in really easily and comes with a colour guide which does look quite dark on the mitt but sheers down when applied in sweeping motions across the skin. Because of the fast drying formula you do have to work quickly with it to avoid streaks and is best used with a tanning mitt.  I found if you pour a bit of the liquid onto a mitt first and let it soak in for a second, then apply the tan it won't run off onto the floor and avoids the process of a mass clean up operation afterwards.

Once applied you're left with a subtle stain to the skin with a slight tacky feeling that fades after a few minutes. I like a dark tan so I left mine on for 4 hours. After 2 hours I noticed the colour guide was dramatically darker than when it was first applied but I decided to leave it and see how dark it would go.

The photo's above are taken in daylight and see the difference in my tan after 4 hours. To be honest they don't really show the true depth of colour that the tan delivered and I found that the next day when I woke the tan was darker still like it had continued to work even after it had been washed off (see photo above). The colour is a gorgeous deep bronzed shade which gave my skin a new lease of life. I also found the liquid to be lovely and hydrating, a surprise to me as I normally find that liquids and mousses tend to be quite drying on my skin.

One thing that I was super impressed with was how long it lasted. With every tan I wear I find it fades on my face really quickly as I exfoliate very day giving me maybe only 2 days wear out of it, but with this one it just stayed put and the same has to be said for the rest of my body. After 5 days the tan had faded by 30% of its original colour which is excellent in my opinion. I must have tried nearly every tanning product there is on the market and this one can not be faulted, I'm impressed, really impressed!! 

The tan releases in May and retails for £22.50 for 150ml which is a fair price as the tan will last ages as a little bit goes a long way, and is perfect for those last minute invitations when you need to add some colour into your skin, pronto!

What's your favourite rapid tan? Have you tried any other products for the He-Shi range? What do you think to this one?