From white to whoa that's tanned | St Tropez First Impressions

My uni friends will tell you, I'm not a fake tanner. I went through my uni years without the tactile tanning sessions to make sure the body glow was at the optimum level for nights out, I never understood what all the fuss was about. That was, however, until a couple of months ago. I was going to my cousins wedding and wanted a little bit of a tan so I didn't look like a ghost up against my other family members. I read reviews and it looked like St Tropez Express Tan was the way to go, a natural tan that develops in three hours and means I won't have to sleep feeling sticky. On my trial run I didn't go overboard and I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't looking much darker than I did when I was going au natural. So the next time, I went all out a smothered myself in the stuff. This is when everything changed. I think I like the compliments I get more than anything. Like, 'ooh you look tanned' or 'have you been away'. No I have not, it was all done in the comfort of my own bathroom!

Anyway, since this revelation I've still not delved majorly into the world of fake tan but there are two products I've found work for me so I thought I'd share them. The first is the above mentioned St Tropez Express Tan. So easy to use, you just have a shower, tan yourself, wait one to three hours, shower it off, go to sleep and wake up in the morning to find yourself a golden goddess. If, like me, you're quite new to the tanning world I'd recommend getting this little kit. It's £15 and you get a bit, a mini exfoliator, a mini moisturiser and a mini Express Tan. It means you can try out the tan without having to shell out £33 on something you might not like. Plus I've had three applications from the mini and I reckon it could do another so there's plenty to give it a good test! I'd read reviews that the St Tropez In-Shower Tan was good but not great and that it worked best as a top up for a pre existing tan. So after my recent holiday I thought I'd get it to give it a whirl. Cue an email from Beauty Bay saying St Tropez was 20% off and I was soon the proud owner of another money saving (well sort of) minis set. This set (which I can't seem to find on the website anymore which is a shame seeing as I only bought it a couple of weeks ago.) features the Classic Tan, In-Shower Tan and Gradual Tan. I'm yet to use the other two products (but I'll let you know what I think if I like them) but I quite liked the shower tan. After I got over the fact that I have no idea how much to apply or where I had already applied it, it worked quite well. I can understand that there would be next to no colour had I not had a 'base layer' but I can see this as a good product to top up my holiday glow.

What's your favourite tanning brand and product. Obviously I'm still new to the world of tanning so I'd appreciate any recommendations!

How to: Not Panic in Sephora

As you'll know if you read my sephora haul post (if not why not and still if not click here) I recently had my first ever american sephora experience and it was amazing! But I needed to make sure that I had sorted myself out and made sure that when I got there I didn't get overwhelmed and end up buying anything and everything that I ended up wasting my money. So, here are some tips on how to not panic and make the most of sephora shopping, especially if you're from the UK and this is a rare opportunity!

1. Make a list // I've said this multiple times, making a list is what will keep you on track when you're getting in a fluster over all the new products and pretty packaging. Try and keep your list realistic, look at what budget you have and try and keep to things you really want.

2. Do your research // For a fair few weeks before I was on YouTube and sifted through blog posts to see what people bought in their Sephora hauls and what products were their favourites. This meant I'd be buying products that people already like so they would be less likely to be a waste of money.

3. Get a basket and take your time // Do. Not. Rush. Wander around the store taking your time to look at everything because it can be easy to think "I'll have this and this and this...". If you have a scope around first then you can make a mental note of things to go back to rather than picking it up and filling your basket straight away.

Now you have these handy tips you can shop to your hearts content! Have fun!

Favourite Friday: Shopping the Stash

Following on from Monday's post I thought I'd put some of the things mentioned onto my face. It was a really weird experience because it was like they were new but they're not (so comprehensive in my speech). First up was the Rimmel BB Cream in the shade Light. This is the wrong colour for me straight off. It looked okay upon first application but throughout the day it just got more and more orange and more and more greasy. The fact that it made my skin oily was the reason why I stopped using it in the first place but I thought the coverage was nice and when I first put it on it on my skin it was nice and light. Next up is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 20. My mum gave me this because it was too light for my her. It's a good shade match for me and when I used to use it I really liked it because it was good at highlighting. However I remembered that as soon as I put it on why I stopped using it, the separation. Halfway through the day it made me look as if I had a serious skin disease, not a fan. Shadow time! I used the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze as a primer as I moved on to the shade Rose Gold and then my Mac Painterly paint pot. Still love this, great application, doesn't crease and love the colour and shimmer. Now, onto the MUA Heaven and Earth Palette. I was obsessed with this back in the day and when I put them on I understood why. I used the highlight shade on the inner lid, the gold on the rest, the second to darkest in the crease and the darkest shade in the outer corner and underneath. They are so well pigmented, great colour payoff and really easily blendable. The problem lies a the end of the day, because all of the colours seem to blend into one. I have no idea why this happens but there is no difference between shades like there was at the start of the day. Lips. In the first photo I'm wearing the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in Nothing but Nude. Love it. Love the shade, lasts all day, doesn't feel uncomfortable, just great. Finally its the Orange No7 Lip Crayon. I really like the shade but it's very heavy and sticky on the lips so I'm not that big of a fan, might have to say RIP to this one.