St Tropez - Gradual Tan

Over the past few weeks I've been trialling the many fake tan products I have in my cupboard and will be sharing them all individually this month before hitting you with a monster tan post where I unveil my top picks, hopefully in time for some nicer weather.

First up is the St Tropez Gradual Tans for body and face. This is one of the only facial tanners I have and I've been wearing it with other tans I've tried so I feel fairly confident about reviewing it for you guys.

I decided since I was going to be trialling so many versions I would devise a marking scheme to ensure I was looking for the same things in each product . I will be looking at application, colour, longevity, wear and scent!

Application

As you'd expect with a gradual tanner this is a lotion formula. Great for drier skin types but be prepared to stand around a while waiting for it to dry. I think gradual tanners across the board have this same problem, it's easy to smudge before it's developed leaving you with a less than perfect streaky finish (see above). Other than that it wasn't unpleasant, it just doesn't really set on the skin. The facial tanner would be the same but I personally find it easy to keep my face clear long enough for the lotion to do it's stuff.

Colour

This might be one of the best I've tried for a natural colour. It's generally accepted that St Tropez develops in to the least orangey looking tan but it's going to be different from skin tone to skin tone of course. Although this is a gradual tan the medium/dark formula gives me as much colour as I would expect from a regular self tanner in one application.

Longevity

One application with no top ups lasted around 3 to 4 days and that's with daily exfoliation.. I was actually trying to get it to fade faster as it was pretty streaky on my arms so if you wanted to prolong it I reckon you could push to a week with the right care.

Wear

It wore off nicely but again I was exfoliating daily.. there was no patchiness (other than from the initial application) and had I been 100% happy with the finish I'd achieved I'm sure it would have looked very natural fr the duration.

Scent

The trademark fake tan smell is present after about an hour of applying but once you've showered (after the tan has developed) it's not noticeable.. I find as you sweat the scent returns so providing you shower daily you shouldn't have a big issue.

Summary

The finish I achieved was streaky but that's 99% application. I always apply gradual tan with my hands which are notorious for creating streaks in your tan, had I used a tanning mit I'm sure I could have avoided them. The colour and wear were really nice and it's really hydrating for a tanning lotion.

Would I Repurchase?

Yes, but I'd consider the Light - Medium shade for a less dramatic difference in skin tone. I've only use its 3 times in all but I think I have 3 or 4 applications left in the bottle and the facial tanner could last even longer so it's pretty good value for money dependent on where you purchase from. The cheapest stockist I've found is Beauty Bay where each is currently £9.80 but there are so many deals, shop around and make sure you get the best one at the time. I believe Boots are currently running buy one get one half off also.

I'm not done testing yet so if there's a self tanner you'd like to see featured let me know!

Miss BB

NOTE:

From 1st July my blog will redirect to missbudgetbeauty.co.uk 

This is no longer a blogger blog therefor GFC will no longer pick up my posts.

To stay up to date you can follow me via blog lovin' or hello cotton

My NEW HAIR!

I don't know about you but vanity wise my hair is very important to me. It can absolutely make or break my mood and a bad haircut can be disastrous to my state of mind. You may think this awfully shallow but look where you are.. beauty bloggers are nothing if not superficial. After my hair nightmare (see here) I knew a chop was inevitable but I was nervous, I haven't had a really short cut in a long time but it turned out nicely, I hope you'll agree. I will film a new video tomorrow to show you guys but in the meantime I thought I'd share these instagram snaps as I know some of your were waiting to see how it turned out. I'm actually really happy with it and although I haven't quite cut out all of the damage it feels a lot healthier. Stay tuned for better pictures in the morning!

Miss BB

Esty - Book Of Shadows

A couple of weeks ago an etsy seller named Lynn contacted me regarding her handmade magnetic makeup palettes. Having obviously seen my love for custom palettes all over my blog she asked me to review hers for my readers and I was more than happy to accept. Prior to agreeing to receive them, however I did do a little research to make sure they were good value for money and I can confirm that they are cheaper than the Z-Palettes on an inch by inch basis and in my opinion better quality. What I really love about them is how many designs are available. You can see for yourself here. They come in both regular and waterproof coverings and prices start at £8.57 (they're priced in $s hence the random pence it converts to)

I chose to try one of each, a regular paper covered palette and a waterproof as Lynn suggested the waterproof was more hard wearing but I wanted to see the difference for myself. I can definitely see what she means as the paper version is already getting a little scuffed (I play rough) so I would recommend you choose the waterproof however you sacrifice a huge library of designs so it's really down to personal preference. When comparing it directly to the Z-Palette - which you can't avoid - the overall product is equally as sturdy, it doesn't have the perspex lid but that doesn't bother me as I would rather have the pretty pattern and the lids and both are held shut with magnets. My only qualm with the book of shadows is that I don't think the magnetic surface inside is quite as strong but it still does the job.. just don't tip it upside down and you'll be fine lol.

I've swapped out all of my favourites shades from my mac and unii palettes in to my two new ones and am finding them so much more convenient. They're slim and space saving, easy to open and as I got two different designs it's not hard to remember what's in each. I actually prefer them to my unii palettes and I never thought I'd say that about anything!

I now have a colour and a neutral palette on my dressing table and am considering purchasing a couple of extra's for my depotted blushes. The designs I have are Exspresso (the chevron pattern) and the other I can't find so I assume is sold out. Like I said earlier the water resistant line is going to look pretty for longer but the design choices aren't as vast and they're a couple of pounds dearer.

Lynn kindly offered to run a giveaway which I will put up here and on my YouTube channel very soon but in the meantime you can check out her etsy shop here and like her facebook page here

Miss BB

NOTE:

From 1st July my blog will redirect to missbudgetbeauty.co.uk 

This is no longer a blogger blog therefor GFC will no longer pick up my posts.

To stay up to date you can follow me via blog lovin' or hello cotton

FYI

I anticipate some questions about shipping..

I obviously didn't pay for the products or shipping but shipping time was around a week and I had no customs charges to pay. They were packaged well and there was no damage when I received the palettes.

Where's The LOVE?

When I started out on YouTube and in blogging I had no idea about the beauty community but was pleasantly surprised to discover a whole world of support online from people who had never met each other but had a common interest. I was less thrilled to find the hateful forums where the people who dislike you go to trash you. When anyone asks my advice about starting a channel or a blog the first thing that pops in to my head is hate. It's not something that everyone is equipped to deal with, in my opinion, and to be honest I'm probably someone that falls in to that category but by the time I had my first experience with trolls I was already fairly invested. The worst mistake I made was revealing too much, I talk about everything! Unfortunately when you let people in to your life like that they feel they have the right to judge the way you live.. and maybe they do.

Vlog channels especially are like reality TV and people talk about them like the person filming isn't real.. much the way as we all do with the Kardashian clan and Big Brother contestants. We're all guilty of hate on some level whether it be tweeting something snarky about a celebrity or gossiping about your work colleagues.. you just don't see it when you're doing it yourself.

So I say we leave the forums and gossipers to do their own thing.. if that's what they need then let them have it. I for one feel wretched whenever I slip up and open the page but I only have myself to blame.. I went looking for it, it didn't come looking for me. While they stay in their pen it's fine but when they come out and directly attack you.. that's something else entirely and dependant on the content of the message, it could be illegal! I personally have got a little click happy when it comes to blocking people these days but I've done my time letting them upset me. People can dislike me all they want but once they send me a personal message or leave a comment on a video or blog post they've crossed a line. They can no longer claim to be unaware of the effect their words are having, quite the opposite, they are intending to cause distress. I'm not some kind of internet terrorist you can't escape from.. I upload videos that you can watch.. if you want. I'm pretty sure I don't get paid enough to deal with that s*t but dya know what? I do get paid and that's the problem.

These are people that don't make videos and hate the people that do and can get paid for it. A common comment I get is that since I became a YouTube partner I churn out videos like they're going out of fashion. Now I do make a lot of videos, that's true but I always have! From starting my channel it took my 5 months to be accepted as a partner and in that time I made over 100 videos. Most of the people that leave me these comments weren't watching me before I was a partner so it's a great example of 'haters gonna hate'. A lot of the time there's no sense to it but it's their hobby. Unfortunately for them there's no money to be made in it whereas my hobby could prove to be quite lucrative down the line and they can't stand that.

So it would seem there's very little love left online - I personally think eHarmony took it all - but the love that is left is so much more appreciated as a result. We have probably all had moments when we should have chosen our words more carefully but there will always be those people that love to hate. I would tell you to ignore them but I know that's hard, just remember the irony, they're still watching.. they're always watching!

Miss BB

NOTE:

From 1st July my blog will redirect to missbudgetbeauty.co.uk 

This is no longer a blogger blog therefor GFC will no longer pick up my posts.

To stay up to date you can follow me via blog lovin' or hello cotton

Hair Miracle In A Bottle?

So you guys know I recently f**ked up my hair royally by using an at home relaxer (see here for more details) and I've been searching for wonder products to restore my hairs health. Well.. this was recommended to me by someone I chat to on twitter and having looked it up myself it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Everyone raves about it, it's supposedly a miracle in a bottle so obviously I had to try it. I finally got to give it a go at the weekend and I have to say I was distinctly underwhelmed by my results. Here's my hair before...

Bare in mind this is after I'd chopped off a couple of inches myself and deep conditioned round the clock. It's still pretty fried. I had read a lot about protein treatments and was a little worried as you can apparently 'overdose' your hair on protein so if you apply it to hair that doesn't need it (ie healthy hair) it can actually have a negative effect and cause damage and breakage. I'd already come this far so I knew I was going to try it but I only applied it from about half way down my head as I didn't want to ruin my still healthy roots.

The packaging directs you to wash and blot dry your hair before saturating it with the protein treatment (step one). The treatment was watery and difficult to apply so I'd recommend doing it over the sink as I did or better still decanting it in to a spray bottle. That would have been much easier and I'd have been likely to get a better coverage.

Although my hair looks saturated in hindsight I don't think I used nearly enough. If I was to use it again I would towel off my hair til it was almost totally dry rather than 'blot dry' as it directed. It was hard to tell where my hair was wet from water and where I'd applied the treatment. Anyway.. once it's on you can't touch it.. no combing, nothing. You now have to blowdry it until it's 100% dry. I was warned it would set very hard but I didn't really experience that.. another sign I may not have used enough product. It was very tacky and the remnants on my hands and shoulders were irritatingly sticky but I blowdried away.

It took maybe 30-40mins before I considered my hair totally dry. I was left with this which looks wet but it's just crispy, kind of like I'd applied a ton of gel.. you know that old school 'scrunched' look? I rinsed thoroughly and then applied the balancing moisturiser. Protein adds strength to weak hair but it doesn't add any moisture, if anything it dries the hair out so adding the moisture back in is an integral part of any protein treatment. I had seen a lot of reviews that advised the use of any extra intensive conditioner after this though so I also used my Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor.

Unfortunately as I mentioned earlier the results were disappointing. Considering that I always add a hair oil before styling (I think I used Moroccan Oil that day) this is what I was left with.. a frizzy mess. It may look smooth but the ends of my hair are about 3x as thick as the rest of it. I'm not sure if I did something wrong and I'm considering giving it another go but I'm a little concerned this may actually have made the damage worse.

I've tried almost everything to restore my hair and even though I've cut it once I think the time has come. I have a haircut booked for Wednesday and it has until then to shape up or something short and bobby this way comes I'm afraid.

Have any of you tried ApHogee hair care?

From what I gather it's popular among those with afro hair types so perhaps I'm just the wrong demographic altogether but I expected such awesome results after reading the amazing reviews. Once thing I do want to mention for any of you finding this looking for reviews of the product, I didn't find the smell of the treatment to be too terrible at all. Everyone complains that it smells horrendous but to me it just smelled a little of vinegar.. I think they may be a little oversensitive!

I bought my ApHogee 2 Step Protein Treatment on eBay here for £8.50

Until next time hair lovers...

Miss BB

NOTE:

From 1st July my blog will redirect to missbudgetbeauty.co.uk 

This is no longer a blogger blog therefor GFC will no longer pick up my posts.

To stay up to date you can follow me via blog lovin' or hello cotton

All Used Up #3

James Brown

Rich Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

These claim to ‘deeply hydrate and cleanse hair’ but honestly they left my hair dry and limp. Given that they are supposed to have a particularly moisturising formula I was underwhelmed. They’re expensive, I believe they were £7/8 when I bought them and I really thought they were going to do something special but they were just rubbish for my hair.

James Brown

Photo Fabulous Intensive Treatment

I bought this at the same time as the shampoo and conditioner – good old Boots and their 3 for 2′s eh? Again.. Given that this was an intensive treatment I expected more.. My hair didn’t even feel as nourished as it would after using a regular conditioner. I read somewhere that you could use it overnight to get the best out of it but even then it really did nothing.

MOP

Extreme Protein

I’ve actually only recently learned about proteins and moisturisers and this did what it was supposed to do but I didn’t really understand it when I had it. I again thought it was some deep conditioner when in fact proteins provide no moisture whatsoever. They make weak hair stronger and need to be followed by a good conditioner. I got this for a super bargain price but would consider buying something similar again now I understand how it should be used.

Superdrug

Nail Polish Remover

This is my regular remover, nothing spectacular but it does the job and I always repurchase. I don’t find that it dries out my nails or my skin and I don’t look for much else in a nail polish remover.

Rituals Yogi Flow

Foaming Shower Gel

I got this in a Glossy box..it might have been Christmas I’m not sure. Either way it works like a shaving foam in that it comes out in a gel consistency but expands to a frothy, foamy texture to lather up. It’s a nice scent and a fun gimmick but I’m happy with my Soap & Glory body Washes, they last me a really long time and I prefer the fragrances.

L’Oreal 

Youth Code Serum

This is a tough one for me. I had a few other serums to use up once this ran out but I’m still n the fence as to what I’ll repurchase once I’m out altogether. I’m using a S&G one, a Superdrug one and a few other samples and nothing it absolutely blowing me away. I like my S&G but it’s more moisturiser than serum whereas the Youth Code sinks in to your skin straight away. I love the applicator and the glass bottle, it all feels very luxe and although I can’t see evidence of real change in my skin I think it’s a preventative step in my skincare and it’s the front runner for repurchase at the moment.

Lee Stafford

Shampoo for hair that wont grow past a certain length

Again this was what I consider to be an expensive shampoo for what it is. It’s just as good as anything you’d find at the supermarket and the packaging is terrible. It’s a squeezy bottle but it’s not squeezy.. The plastic is too hard, more designer for a pump action type application, if you’ve used this you’ll know what I mean.. design flaw.

The Body Shop

Coconut Body Scrub

I got this in a gift set I think for Mothers day last year so I’ve had it for a considerable amount of time before breaking it out. It didn’t look grainy enough in the tub to make me want to use it and when I did.. it wasn’t impressive. It was okay but I like more grains than anything else in a body scrub, otherwise it’s just like a scratchy lotion, do you know what I mean? Overall I wasn’t expecting to love it and I didn’t. I wouldn’t repurchase.

I have been using up SO much recently, I’m doing really well getting through what I have before shopping for more stuff so you can expect these posts to be frequent. For those that would rather watch that read, here’s the video version..

Miss BB

NOTE:

From 1st July my blog will redirect to missbudgetbeauty.co.uk 

This is no longer a blogger blog therefor GFC will no longer pick up my posts.

To stay up to date you can follow me via blog lovin' or hello cotton

I'm moving!

I am in the process of moving my blog from blogger to wordpress. I like to think of myself as fairly IT savvy but my recent foray in to web hosting and html has proven that to be quite untrue. It's probably going to take me a while and I will of course update you all once the move has been made but please take this opportunity to follow me on hello cotton, blog lovin' or even via email (link in the sidebar) to ensure you don't miss my new posts once I've migrated. For those wondering my new address will be missbudgetbeauty.co.uk

 

I hate change, so this is me right now!

Miss BB