He - Shi Tanning Review

He-Shi have developed a unisex tanning range for him and her (as we all know that men secretly like to tan – they just don’t admit to doing so!) that promises no streaks, no patches, no chemical smell – just ‘quick + easy’ natural looking tanning. Sounds good doesn't it?

Ireland’s leading self-tanning range has just landed in UK shores last month so I was excited to try this brand out, being a self-confessed Fake Tan junkie, I have tried pretty much every brand of fake tan out there. I like St-Tropez and even more so the cheaper dupe St Motriz (£2.99) but don’t like how when it fades it becomes patchy. My perfect tan would be quick + easy to apply, no streaking, natural looking tan (no orange!), no heavy biscuit smell and no fading in patches.

I have been using the He-Shi tanning range for a good few weeks now, and I absolutely LOVE it, it is without doubt the BEST tanning range I’ve come across! It is quick and easy to apply, simply glides on and it tans instantly on contact so you can see where you have applied it, doesn’t streak and the colour is so natural looking. It lasts really well (a good week) and tends to fade like a natural tan does and not in patches! I have to admit that I haven’t been exfoliating or moisturising regularly as I should but haven’t found the He Shi to become patchy at all. The most amazing thing is the He Shi smells slightly fruity when applied but not overpowering and there is no biscuit smell whilst developing, yes you heard right NO biscuit smell! :)

Clever Play on words for the brand's name made from the founder, Hilary McMurray and her daughter Shelley names - He Shi (tanning range suitable for both men and women). I really like the simple chocolate coloured packaging.

Step 1.He-Shi exfoliating Body Wash (for him + her) with micro-dermabrasion crystals (£10.50 for 150ml)
This luxurious face and body exfoliator contains fruit AHA’s and scrubbing particles to gently remove dead skin cells whilst micro-dermabrasion crystals smooth the skin in preparation for tanning, it also contains olive oil for moisturising the skin. I have used this wash on my body (would prefer to use my normal facial wash and scrub on my face) and it smelt good enough to eat as its deliciously strawberry scented and left my body feeling squeaky clean, smooth and ready for tanning.

Step 2. He-Shi Quick + Easy Express Liquid Tan (£20 for 150ml)

This tan liquid is fool-proof, paraben-free and the secret to my fabulous natural looking streak free tan! I applied this using my new best friend the He-Shi Tanning Mitt (£3.99). It tanned my skin instantly on contact giving an instant lightly-bronzed finish and I even applied some on my face which didn’t break me out. I like how I can see exactly where I have applied the tan so no risk of streaking or those tell tale white patches due to missing bits. It dries quickly and doesn’t feel sticky and gave me a lovely natural looking tan. The most remarkable thing to mention is it does not give that awful biscuit smell! I usually tan on an evening and leave overnight but due to this tan not leaving me smelling like biscuits I applied some of this through the day which worked well and didn’t stain my clothes. The tan lasted over a week and I found that it fades gradually like a natural tan, and doesn’t leave patches.

He-Shi Quick + Easy Facial Tanning Gel (£12.50 for 100ml)

A light moisturising gel which refreshes the skin and delivers a fresh, natural glowing tan that dries in a couple of minutes without feeling sticky. The gel contains moisturising ingredients such as vitamin B5 and Omega 9 rich castor oil. I applied this using the tanning mitt to ensure an even and flawless looking tan, and found I didn’t need to wear as much foundation whilst using this tan!

The tanning mitt is super soft and smooth and helps to blend the tan into the skin evenly to give a natural, streak-free perfect tan. The mitt is machine washable and ensures that your hands remain stain free and no giveaway orange palms!

Step 3. He-Shi Quick + Easy Souffle Moisturiser (£12 for 150ml)

Light Hydrating Super-moisturising with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E is a lovely body cream. It ia a strawberry scented, daily face and body moisturiser (personally I would just stick with this for the body) is easily absorbed into the skin providing a low shine matt finish which helps to protect your tan and prevent flaking when your tan is starting to fade.

Have you tried the He Shi range? What are your thoughts on men fake tanning?

For more information and to buy He Shi you can visit http://www.he-shi.eu/

NOTD - Mavala Paradise Blue

Today's Nail of the Day is 'Paradise Blue' from the new Summer 2010 Mavala Paradise Collection. It is a very lovely mermaid-like sea blue metalic colour. These polishes are creamy and easy to apply, leaving a streak-free flawless glossy finish.

These exotic shades in the Paradise Collection are blended with tiny flecks of irredescent shimmer and have been inspired by the beauty of magical holiday destinations and provide a high gloss manicured finish that will certainly have you nails standing out this summer.

The cute and dinky 5ml pots of colour are an affordable way to buy into key trends retailing at £3.95 each. Unlike traditional nail colour, Mavala's unique formula delivers microscopic air pockets to allow nails to breath, ensuring your natural nails are cared for. All Mavala's colours are free from parabens, formaldehydes, toluene, camphore, cellophane, animal ingredients and heavy metal.

Are you a fan of Mavala's Nail Polishes?

Liz Earle Summer Essentials - Footcare

As you will know from my previous posts I am a big fan of natural skincare. At the moment I am really enjoying using Liz Earle products especially the hot polish cleanser, as well as the Liz Earle Superbalm (review coming soon) and the Eye Bright.

After hibernating in UGG boots and socks during the winter months, we tend to forget about our feet and keep them covered up. As summer is fast approaching and we shall be baring our feet once again, we need them looking in tip-top condition. You may be surprised to hear that i’m guilty of neglecting my feet and I’ve only just recently had my first pedicure!
 

Liz Earle’s divine foot trio promises to quickly transforms dry and neglected soles into fabulous flip-flop ready feet. From my experience of ordering from Liz Earle their customer service is brilliant and everything is wrapped up so beautifully in tissue paper. I was sent their new Foot trio which came with a Summer Tote Beach Bag, would just like to say although I was sent these products to review they are my own honest opinions. 

Step One: Smooth

One of Vogue magazine’s footcare favourites, this foot scrub gently yet intensively exfoliates hard, rough skin on your feet to leave them ultra-smooth and buffed to perfection. With avocado oil to help soften skin and wheatgerm oil rich in vitamin E plus natural pumice, use it every day to keep dead skin cells at bay.

Step Two: Soften

Get Ready to bare softer, smoother soles with our deliciously scented Foot Repair moisturiser. Made with a luxurious blend of West African shea butter, avocado and wheatgerm oils, it sinks in fast to quickly quench the driest of skins. Bursting with peppermint, rosemary and seven other essential oils, this heavenly cream will leave you feeling like you’re walking on air.

Step Three: Refresh
The new special edition Foot Spritzer is filled with nine invigorating essential oils including rosemary, spearmint and peppermint to refresh and revitalize hot, weary legs and feet. This fast drying spray instantly cools while fighting odour-causing bacteria to help keep feet smelling sweet. Exclusive for summer, use it any time you need a refreshing boost.

My Thoughts:

Last night I gave myself a quick pedicure using these 3 Liz Earle foot products. First of all the scrub, it had a nice fresh minty scent, not too harsh but felt like it was exfoliating my terrible dry soles and also removing some patchy remains of fake tan from the week before. When I rinsed the scrub off in the bath, it did completely remove all my old patchy tan and my feet did feel more soft and smooth. There are still some dry patches around my heels, however, it is recommended to use this product every day so I shall continue to use and see if it makes an improvement.

The moisturiser is a very rich, thick cream but did sink into the skin quickly; the moisturiser has a very overpowering clinical smell which I am not a big fan to be honest. It did leave my feet feeling soft but there are still dry patches on my soles around my heel area and the balls of my feet. I would expect that by continuing to use both the scrub and the moisturiser daily this should improve my skin condition. The foot spray is cooling and refreshing but has the same strong clinical hospital smell as the moisturiser which I’m not a fan of maybe they remind me of hosptials? If these products smelt as good as the Superbalm they would be perfect for me!

These products are priced at: Foot scrub (£10.25); Foot Repair Moisturiser (£12.25); Foot Spritz (£7.00) and are available from http://www.lizearle.com/

What are your favourite Liz Earle products?

NOTD - OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Hello everyone!

Hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine this weekend - apparently it’s going to be 27 degrees today, hotter than some parts of Spain!! Today’s Nails of the Day are bright Barbie doll Hot Pink OPI adeptly named for the weather today ‘Feelin Hot Hot Hot’!

This shade is one of my favourites for the summer and is one of those rare colours that looks both amazing on the toes as well as the fingers!

What are your fav shades for the Summer?
 

♥

Nails of the Day & OPI Giveaway!

Today's Nail of the Day is OPI Dim Sum Plum - adore this colour! Its a lovely plummy pink, if you also like this colour please enter my giveaway here for your chance of winning.

Make sure you are following my blog and leave a comment here to enter - there are extra entries if you re-tweet the link on twitter or post a blog with the link.

Good Luck everyone!

x

NOTD - Access all Areas by Ciate

Todays Nail of the Day is a Nail Paint by Ciate 'Access all Areas'. Its a lovely bright coral red/orange from their Spring/Summer 2010 Festival Fever Collection.

I used the Ciate Speed Fasting Drying Top Coat which is lovely and leaves the nails with a super glossy finish, quick drying and makes them look flawless and smooth. Far superior to the quick drying drops by OPI.
If your a fan of nail polish dont forget to enter my giveaway to win OPI Dim Sum Plum!


Access all areas is available from http://www.ciate.co.uk/

♥

Models Own New Summer Collection

Models Own’s purse friendly makeup range is set to launch in Boots this week. Known for their fast moving, trend led colour collections, you’ll find a whole new selection of products to get excited about! The collection includes lipsticks, face paints, false eye lashes, blushes, mascara, bronzers, duo eye shadows and nail paints.

The new summer collection consists of bright neon coloured face paints, eye shadow duos, lipsticks and nail polishes to name but a few. Here is a sneek preview of a few of the new products that I was sent :

Face & Lip Paint in ‘Neon pink’ : This isn’t a product I would normally pick up, but I am pleasantly surprised at how wearable it is! I dotted a little on the apples of my cheeks today and blended well to create a subtle pinky blush which I really liked. I found the paint easy to blend, creamy texture and highly pigmented: a little goes a long way! Also experimented by applying to my lips using a flat brush this evening and found although it is very bright pink it is also very wearable (although you need to apply a lip balm underneath and a gloss over the top)

Lipstick in ‘coral’ - have to admit this is not a colour I would normally ever pick up – looks too bright orangey for my liking and I wouldn’t of thought it would suit my skin tone. When applied on the lips its more of a lovely sheer coral shade than bright orange. These lipsticks would look fabulous with a tan! Have to say the packaging lets it down - the plastic case doesn’t close properly (or maybe its just mine?).

Duo eyeshadow in ‘Woodland’, lovely colours a brown gold shade and a shimmery dark greeny brown. These shadows are nicely pigmented yet very glittery they blend well but expect alot of fall out! Perfect for parties and night-time.

To check out the full range visit https://www.modelsownit.com/

Are you a fan of Models Own?

Instyle Nails Inc Polishes

Thought I would share this brilliant offer with you....as we all love a freebie! InStyle Magazine have teamed up with Nails Inc again this year to create three exclusive summer shades. The three Nails Inc. polishes are the accessory to be spotted wearing this summer. Especially as Victoria Beckham, Agyness Deyn and Kim Kardashian have all been papped wearing identical colours. The partnership launches in the magazine's June Issue, which shall carry a free nail polish in a choice of three bespoke Instyle colours:
InStyle 'Beach', as seen on Kim, is a bright hot coral and perfect for showing off with a pair of peep-toe sandals.

InStyle 'Candy', as seen on Agyness, is a scrumptious on trend pastel pink;

InStyle 'Mink', as seen on Mrs Beckham, is a chic 'greige,' a combo of grey and beige, the colour of the season. Wear on short, 'squoval' (square with rounded edges) nails for instant wow.

I really rate Nails Inc polishes they are great quality and these colours are perfect for summer, I have my eye on 'mink' but i'm sure I will end up buying all three! Nails Inc polishes are normally £10.50 so for the cost of the £3.50 magazine it really is a bargain.The June Issue shall be out on sale on 28th April; in addition, readers will be entitled to 20% off all nails inc. online purchases, plus 20% off manicures and pedicures.

http://www.instyle.co.uk/news/instyle-and-nails-inc-collaborate-to-create-this-seasons-hottest-nail-colours-22-04-10

Which Nails Inc shade will you be sporting this summer?

Nail of The Day - Festival Fever by Ciate

Todays Nail of the Day is a paint pot by Ciate called 'Main Stage' from their Spring/Summer 2010 Festival Fever Collection. I used the Ciate Speed Fasting Drying Top Coat which is lovely and leaves the nails with a super glossy finish, quick drying and makes them look flawless and smooth. Far superior to the quick drying drops by OPI.

I absoutely adore the colour - perfect plumy dark pink shade and a very good dupe to OPI Dim Sum Plum as seen in my previous NOTD post. The Ciate polishes are in such cute pretty bottles that look fabulous displayed on my dressing table.

If you love this colour then dont forget to enter my giveaway to win OPI Dim Sum Plum!

Main Stage is available from http://www.ciate.co.uk/

H&M Garden Collection Haul

Hello Ladies,

Hope your all enjoying this nice weather this weekend. I went shopping last week to H&M and picked up a few pieces from their new Garden Collection. There were so many nice pieces I was spoilt for choice....lots of nice florals, dresses, tops perfect for spring/summer!

The collection consists of garments made with environmentally adapted materials such as 100% recycled polyester; organic cotton and organic linen. By choosing these garments we are contributing to a more sustainable world and helping the environment. I love the whole concept of the collection and hope this is going to become popular amongst other stores and we will be seeing more collections in the near future.
I purchased the following:

A really lovely pale peach nude lightweight dress (£14.99) looks fab with gold accessories and gladiator sandals - could also be worn with leggings on a chilly day.

A floaty simple blue dress which ties and pulls in underneath the bust - very flattering on (£14.99)

This really pretty maxi dress which fits perfectly - sorry for the crap pic was taken with iphone colours are much brighter in real life (£34.99)

These cream shorts which fit perfectly and made from a gorgeous soft material (£9.99)

I also picked up a couple of other items from H&M that werent part of the garden collection.

A Lovely burnt orange dress with detailing. (£19.99)

Gorgeous nude pale peach dress with fab detailing and sheer top panel (£19.99)

A bright coral pink boyfriend cardigan - really comfy to wear with jeggings or jeans and a white vest top great colour with a tan! (£9.99)

I also have spotted these on the H&M website from the garden collection and fancy getting these although i didnt see them in store- i believe this collection is selling out quick!!

Hope you enjoyed this haul - look out for more and dont forget to enter my giveaway here