Review:- St Moriz Bronzing Powder in Dark | #TFWOC

Freeeeedddddoooommm!!!!!!!

We are DONE with the Tans for Women of Colour Project. 

I had NO idea that it would last this long when Laalaa & I put this together in August and while it has been an insightful journey into the world of tanning. I  can’t tell you what a relief it is to be almost done . . .I actually think  I’ll treat myself and take a blog holiday . . . .or not. This week we are focusing on the ‘Best Kept Secret in Self Tanning’ aka St. Moriz.

 

 St Moriz is an affordable range of self tanning mousses, mists and lotions that help you look effortlessly sunkissed. Their formula of English sourced ingredients has helped them win both the Cosmopolitan Beauty Award for Best Body Self Tan 2012 and the Pure Beauty Award 2011, and has been used by X-factor finalist, the cast of Hollyoaks  . . .and the cast of Towie *shudders*

I received two products from St Moriz, the Dark Instant Tanning Lotion and the Dark Bronzing Powder (RRP £4.99), but I am only going to reviewing the St Moriz Dark Bronzing Powder today (because I llllllluuuuuurrrrrrvvvveeee it!) and since this is the last product for the TFWOC project I thought I should sign it off on a high note.

I’m in love with bronzers. Seems like I stock bronzers and MAC’s MSF like they are gold. They just add a bit of a 3d finish to any makeup look that takes it from blah to ‘popping’ *says in a Lil’ Mama’s voice* . The St Moriz Bronzing Powder comes in two shades Light (gold/yellow toned) and Dark (bronze/red toned). I can’t tell you how happy I am that a brand actually has two bronzers with different undertones.

Ladies on the dark skin spectrum tend to have a combination of red and yellow skintones (which is why orange eyeshadow always appears nudish on me) so this red-bronzer is a great add to my collection because its in a shade I can’t easily come across. The best thing about this range is that it is VERY affordable. Doing a quick Google search you can get the St Moriz Dark Bronzing Powder for £2.75 at Fragrance Direct, which is a BARGAIN

The only thing I am not loving this is it’s wear time. Over time I find that the bronze particles become very dull and murky and looks more like a dull shimmer blush than a bronzer, which isn’t really what I’m after but honestly I can just carry this around and reapply to top up the shimmer.

I hope you have all loved the TFWOC reviews from all the Ladies, who have been absolute dulls giving up their blog space and time for almost 7 weeks!!!!

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Review:- MAC #163 Contour Brush from the Face & Body Collection

As there is nothing I despise more than MAC’s Face and Body (click here to read my review/rant on the coloured, watered-down foundation), I already knew that there was no way short of being brain-washed by a psychic alien moonlighting as a MAC makeup artist, that I was going to walk out the MAC store with any Face & Body foundations. I was just visiting to check out the Pro Sculpting Cream in Richly Toned as I had read a lot of lukewarm reviews on the pro sculpting crèmes and wanted to see in person how it worked.  Unfortunately my local MAC store only stocked the lightest 3 pro sculpting crème shades so I had to either go online or to another store to swatch it (how crappy!!!). A bit disappointed I started to play around with the #163 brush which I LOVED!

I felt that the flat-topped contour brush was just sooo soft and despite playing around with the tester, I didn’t experience any shedding. I already knew I didn’t have a brush like this in my collection but once again they didn’t have it in stock!!!! Now the MAC artist (who probably gets the majority of her commission from me and my hoarding ways) saw how crestfallen I was  . . . and how I started inching towards the door with the MAC brush in my clutches, wrote down a list of the stores she thought might still have it as well as told me to go online as she knew there were still some left in stock.

After an agonising 4 day wait. Its finally here!!!!!

The 163 brush has synthetic bristles which are feel, firm, silky and soft to the touch. So far from playing around with this I have learnt than you shouldn’t even bother trying to blend with this brush . . .it’s not a blender, it’s a placer, which does make it a very good contour brush. The main thing I’ve learnt from playing around with this is too be careful how much product you pick up with this brush as the dense, short bristles can make this a nightmare to wash.

Personally I’m super happy with my purchase and I’m waiting for AJ from The Sunday Girl to review the Pro Sculpting Creams so I can decide if its worth a purchase or not.

Don’t forget, I’m holding a giveaway right now so if you want to get your hands on Love Goddess from the Limited Edition MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection , then best get clicking!!!!

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Review:- Nip+Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Skin Body Butter | #Livebloggers

It’s another #Livebloggers Review!!!!! Seems like I’ve been pushing a lot of these at you recently but at least youre getting a reviews with my colourful personality added to it (vain moment *cough cough*) but on a more serious note, I’m really happy that I’ve been introduced to a lot of wonderful brands like Nip+Fab and its pistachio sundae goodness.

Nib+Fab Pistachio Sundae (RRP. £9.95) is 200ml of Clinically tested, smooth and nourished skin, pistachio goodness. Containing Shea butter, mineral oil and a 24 hour moisture-boosting hydraconcept Aquaxyl ™, the Nip+Body Butter Range is scientifically proven to ‘improve the water reserves in the skin, limit water loss and visually improve the surface of the skin’

 



When I first used this I did think the scent was a bit too strong and I wasn’t too sure if I would like it as I felt that the strong scent would give me a headache by the end of the day but after applying it, I found myself sniffing my arms randomly during the day because it just had a warm, homely scent to it, that my subconscious was just so comfortable with.

I have fairly dry skin on random areas of my body (elbows . . .knees downwards etc) so if something claims to be great for Dry skin and my skin turns grey from lack of moisture . . .then I know someone is fibbing.

While this honestly doesn’t work as well on my dry skin as my Jergens Ultra Healing; Consistency wise, the Pistachio Sundae Body Butter has a very rich and thick formula and it’s light green tinge blends into skin very easily and without much effort and wait for it  . . . is actually not bad at moisturizing my skin. My skin doesn’t feel tight or dehydrated and I HAVENT REACTED TO IT YET *sensitive skin problems*!!!!!!

I will use this all til it finishes because it is fast become my favorite part of my morning routine; if a hot shower doesn’t wake up, then the warm scent of this pistachio sundae at least helps to get me out of the door.  The only thing I would recommend is not to use this on your face when you are in a half-awake daze (as I did one rainy morning) loool the smell is intense!!!!!  Woke me right up! Honestly I quite like this and I want to see what else they’ve got in their range *crosses fingers for something strawberry or cherry infused*

Don’t forget, I’m holding a giveaway right now so if you want to get your hands on Love Goddess from the Limited Edition MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection , then best get clicking!!!!

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Review:- Xen-Tan Scent Secure Gold & Dark Lotion | #TFWOC

Only 3 weeks left of the ‘Tans for Women of Colour’ Blogger project, I actually feel elated and sad all at the same time. When Laalaa and I started the idea of the TFWOC I honestly didn’t think it would have lasted right til the end of October (well I didn’t anyway) but I’ve had the chance to try out a lot of great brands that I never even knew about so it’s a win-win.

This week, we have Xen Tan products to review, and as Xen-tan is one of the best-known companies when it comes to tanning (I didn’t tan before this and I KNEW about Xen-tan) we have split up the ladies and we have reviews on different Xen Tan products. I am going to be reviewing Xen Tan’s Dark Lotion and also their Scent Secure Gold.

Xen-Tan is a Prestigious, award winning and cruelty-free American Brand with a unique moisture-rich formula containing Green Tea, Shea butter, Vitamin A & E and also Gingko Biloba. The Xen-Tan products are designed with a time-release ingredient, which allows them to pack more DHA into their products while still leaving your skin feeling nourished, healthy-looking, and with a flawless, non-orange, sun-kissed glow finish. So you are really getting a 2-for-1 deal with this post because I received the Xen Tan Dark Lotion at the #Livebloggers event a few weeks back and thought might as well do them together and give you guys a bit of a comparison post.

The Xen-Tan Dark lotion is very moisturizing and I don’t feel that it clogs up my skin when I slapped it onto my skin. I honestly thought that this would applied turn me a hemp green as the tan had a bit of a green brown tinge to it when I started rubbing it in but when it was all rubbed in, it made me at least 2 shades darker on the inside of my arm and one shade dark on the outside which was lovely!!!!!!

The Xen-Tan Scent Secure gold though . . .is my baby!!!!!!! I am in LOVE with this product!! I am marking this down as a holy-grail product (for me anyway) because this is the only product we have reviewed in the last few weeks that does exactly what I’ve been looking for when we started this project. Its effect mimics that of the Dark Lotion but the combination of brown and bronze/gold specks very closely mimics how my dark skin tan.

After doing these arms swatches, I did slap the Secure Gold Tan all over my legs and it looked amazing!!!! I would have put the pictures only but I’m still a bit  . . .errrm sensitive about my legs at the moment since I hurt myself and had to get stitches on my left leg so I’m not comfortable with posting the pictures online but once the scar fades a bit then maybe I’ll do a second review but with my full sized Scent Secure Gold.

Overall I think the tans actually lasted a while. As I did small swatches on my arm for both these products it was very obvious which part of my arm was tanned and which wasn’t loool. I found that the tan lasted about 2/3 days with just ONE layer and but the gold sparks from the Scent Secure Gold only lasted a few hours which is alright with me as I would only really use this on a night out

I know its only Tuesday but I seem to already be behind with doing this review as so many went up yesterday so check out:

Sophia [Tattooed Tealady] to read  a review on Xen Tan’s  Dark Lotion

Steph [Nerd About Town] to read her thoughts on Xen Tan’s Dark Lotion as well

Laalaa [Dolce Vanity] and her views on Xen Tan’s Scent Secure Gold

Don’t forget, I’m holding a giveaway right now so if you want to get your hands on Love Goddess from the Limited Edition MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection , then best get clicking!!!!

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Review: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

 Estee Lauder’s Sumptuous Extreme Mascara is probably one of most expensive mascara I own but it is also the mascara I would happily beat down someone over if I catch them trying to use this (and seeing as I’ve only been in fight once in my life and that was with my sister, that is saying something).

Why do I love the Sumptuous Mascara? Why on earth would I happily shell out £22 for a mascara? Well apart form being shiny (it’s sooo shiny), its mousse like formula contains gels, pigments,silica, mica,  etc. etc. etc. doesn’t clump. I find that it adds a lot of volume to my lashes without making them feel stiff or break off.

The first thing you will notice is how humungous the wand is; I am warning you now that the mascara wand is quite big, it is roughly 1 inch and a half in length but when you think that Estee Lauder stuffed tri-blend multiplying fibres (Hollow Tube Fiber, Solid Rod Fiber and Micro-Locking Fiber) into this wand, they must have needed the space. Colour wise, there are 4 shades that you can get but I love this mascara in extreme black

The Sumptuous Extreme Mascara brings back a lot of memories for me as it reminds me of my blogging journey and how much blogging has become a central part of life, as it was actually one of the first products I reviewed on my blog more than a year ago.

 The original pictures taken back in March/May 2011 were dark, had sooo much glare and taken on a black throw that I keep on my bed (which honestly made the picture look even darker) , but it just marks how much I’ve learnt and experienced in a year +, so on that note this was probably more of a sentimental purchase than anything but I do love the humongous wand on this as I get that cute little flick in the corner of my eyes.

FYI Boots are supplying the Sumptuous Mascara in a set 

Is it weird to get so sentimental over mascara? What products do you have that remind you of a certain journey in your life? Please Share by leaving a comment below because I’m nosey like that

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