ST TROPEZ GRADUAL TANNER

This is the latest gradual tanner that we have been testing out. As we are rather fair skinned and only wanted subtle sun kissed look, we decided to go for the light-medium shade of gradual everyday moisturizer.

We found that this tanner was perfect for us and definitely gave us the bronzed goddess look of being on holiday. This gives a healthy and natural glow to the skin, rather than the tangoed effect with the strong biscuit scent other products provide! This product is great as it can be used for a subtle effect or can be built up for the 2 weeks in Spain look.

While this is a tanning moisturizer the same steps apply as they would for general fake tanning to avoid classic mishaps. We found the best way of applying the gradual tanner to get an even golden look is to exfoliate, focusing particularly on  drier areas such as knees and elbows, and then apply un-tinted moisturizer to these places so that the tan is not as heavily absorbed into on these areas leaving you looking like a brown kneed weirdo….. (We all know these people!) Apply the gradual tanner evenly and preferably using a tanning mitt to prevent streaks and then washing your hands afterwards.

One of the things we loved about this tanner was that the effects were almost instant. In fact, you could noticeably see a difference in skin colour after around 6 hours which is why St Tropez is one of our all time favourite tanning brands. Also, unlike other tanning brands, this cream does not have the notorious biscuit scent so you don’t have to worry about going out smelling like a Mc Vittie!

 

If you are interested in purchasing this fantastic gradual tanner then just click here.

Thank you for reading our blog past and we hope you enjoyed it. For more info and fun things from us make sure you follow our twitter page and be sure to stay in touch.

@The1BeautyBlog

XXXX

ALPHA-H AGE DELAY CLEANSING OIL WITH ROSEHIP & TANGERINE

Once again, the lovely Caroline Hirons has convinced me into buying another skincare product after reading a blog post about cleansing oils. What an enabler!

 

 I am a new convert to cleansing balms and oils, and have tried several but Alpha-H seems to get it right every time. I am a fan of the brand, so I was extremely excited to try their cleansing oil. The Alpha-H Age delay cleansing oil is absolutely B-E-A-U-tiful! This is definitely one of my new found favourite skincare products.

 

I generally wear make up every day, and need something tough enough to remove the products from my skin at the end of a long day without causing redness or dryness to my skin. This product is incredibly moisturising due to the high percentage of oil within the product. When it is emulsified you can easily massage the product into the skin, which acts as a superb cleanser breaking down the longest lasting make up formulas, whilst hydrating my skin. I like to remove the formula with a flannel as I consider it more exfoliating than a muslin cloth. The cleansing oil has the same consistency as most cleansing balms, but with the most fantastic scent, infused with rosehip, citrus and floral like aromas.

 

After using this oil my skin felt incredibly soft and hydrated. It is packed in a simple tube with a flip lid so is definitely user friendly, hygienic and mess free! A little product goes a long way, so is a bargain at Cult beauty for £23.10 with free delivery!

Make sure you follow us on twitter: @The1BeautyBlog and let us know what you think of this cleansing balm, and for more updates xxx

* PARTY TAN BY AMERICAN TAN (ECS LEISURE)

I am always on the lookout for a new product that will give me a sun kissed glow, rather than the traditional oompa lumpa effect. With that in mind I tend to prefer tanning lotions that are gradual and can be built up over time to give a subtle or deep look depending on your preference. This also means that the tan is far more long lasting than the typical wash off fake tan.

I am incredibly picky when it comes to this type of product, as there are always several things across the tanning criteria check list that are always really poor. These include: Easy to use and hygienic packaging, a pump or press top, fragrance, orange tanning agents, natural ingredients, poor skin penetration and greasy residue.....But fear not lovelies, a tanning revelation has finally occurred (hoorah)!

 

Party Tan's self tanning lotion is simply amazing! The best product I have ever come across in the gradual tanning range (and believe me, as a tanning addict I have tried EVERYTHING). A lovely representative from ECS Leisure contacted us and we at TheBeautyBloggers were lucky enough to be able to trial a full size product, and boy, are we happy that we did. This is something to shout from the rooftops. This is a simply and hygienically packaged gradual self tanning lotions made from natural ingredients, without the horrific biscuity scent, absorbs instantly and gives the most beautiful sun kissed glow which is easily buildable for that I've enjoyed a weekend in Barcelona look.

What they say:

 

My experience:

Before applying the tanning lotion I thoroughly prepared my skin by using my body shop peach exfoliator, exfoliating mitt, and a body butter so that my skin surface was free of dead skin cells and ready to absorb the product. This was guaranteed a smooth streak free application with minimal chance of colour catching in bony prominences, such as the wrists, elbows and knees. Once my skin had absorbed the moisturiser I applied the same ratio of tanning lotion onto my body using a self tanning mitt to ensure smooth streak free application. Within a few hours the colour developed into a subtle tan shade. For those of you with paler skin tones this would probably be enough and would last at least a week, but I decided to attempt a deeper look. I used this product every other day totalling 3 days per week which resulted in a fantastic believable, natural looking sun kissed tan. People had asked as if i had a mini break abroad it looked so convincing. And better still the product lasted on my skin for an entire week, so minimal tan maintenance was required.

My favourite part of this product is a) It is made in the UK b) it is relatively inexpensive, retailing at £10.00 c) The scent is to die for and the ingredients are natural! d) I look as if I had come back from a weekend in the Caribbean!

I think this is a wonderful product for so many different reasons, and it is certainly about time a decent tanning lotion entered the market.

Make sure you get in touch with the lovely people at ECS Leisure to purchase one the best gradual tans ever made! ECS Leisure has been established in the tanning industry for over 20 years so you are in safe hands. Make sure you check out their website for more info about them, the link can be found below, also be sure to follow their twitter page which is also listed below J

Website: http://www.ecsleisure.co.uk/index.html

Twitter page: https://twitter.com/ECS_Leisure

Thank you for reading our post, we hope you enjoyed it and we also hope that you found it informative. Make sure you follow our blog with GFC on the side --à

XXX

THE BODY SHOP'S VINEYARD PEACH RANGE

Shower Gel retailing at £4.00 for 250ml is a perfect size, in an easy to transport clear plastic bottle, with a cute yet minimalist peach emblem in the centre. It is also great being transparent as you can see how much remaining product is left. As a shower gel it is great as it is soap free so dehydrates your skin less, is lathers incredibly well on a loofa and only the smallest amount of product is needed, and has the most refreshing and addictive peach scent.

Body Scrub retailing at £12.50 for 200ml is similarly packed in an easy to transport plastic tub with the identifiable peach emblem on the lid. The body of the container is transparent again so the remaining product is visible. The formula is very creamy and hydrating with smaller particles for a gentle body exfoliation, but thoroughly removes dead skin cells leaving you with smooth, hydrated soft skin. The scrub has a mouth watering scent and makes shower time that little bit better.

Body Butter retailing at £13.00 for 200ml is another fantastic edition to the infamous range of body butters.  It has a heavenly smell, and leaves skin incredibly hydrated. The moisturiser is quickly absorbed by the skin, and has a rich buttery consistency which leaves skin feeling soft, smoother and supple.

The few products I have tried from the range are divine, and I can highly recommend them to people of all ages.

Don't forget to follow us on twitter at The1BeautyBloggers, and tell us what you think of the vineyard peach range?

xxxxxxxxxxxx

SCENTED CANDLE ON A BUDGET: SAINSBURYS TU PASSION FLOWER AND MANGO WAX FILLED TIN

We know everybody loves scented candles, and with autumn approaching (the season of scented candles) we thought we should do a review about new exciting discovery. The obvious high street candle is Yankee Candles, but these have been reviewed to death so we looked into something different. We decided to review a low budget candle which smells and looks just as good in our opinion as Yankee. Admittedly it did take us a while to find one that was good enough but we have finally done it!

 

We were looking in the Sainsburys homeware isle and this tin caught my eye.  The tin is so pretty and eye catching; I was tempted to buy the candle purple for decoration even if it didn’t smell that great.  Luckily for me it smells like heaven! I could easily just sit around and sniff this candle, which I realise is extremely sad but hey ho, and the best thing that Sainsburys offer an extensive range of tinned candles which are all beautifully packaged, and beautifully scented.

The candle I bought is Passion flower and mango scented with notes of peach, mango, passion flower, sandalwood and soft vanilla. This was my favourite scent because it smells he scent is strong but not overpowering. Also the candle does not have a chemical aroma which some of the cheaper candles do. Apart from the fact that the candle looks high end and smells better than some of the Yankee candles, another bonus is the price. You can purchase this candle for around £3.00 from your local Sainsburys and often they are on the sale: Mine cost £1.75 which is such a phenomenal bargain for candles! I was tempted to buy one of every scent but then I thought I would ask my sister to get me them for Christmas instead ;)

 

So the next time you pop down to your local Sainsburys, I HIGHLY recommend having a look at their scented candles and buying one for yourself. Don’t forget to let us know what your favourite scent it.

Make sure you follow us on twitter @The1BeautyBlog and we will give you more little messages that you won’t find on here.

xxxx

BALANCE ME PURE SKIN FACE WASH

We bought this amazing face wash after previously receiving a free sample from Glamour Magazine. We had never tried this brand before but we are so happy now that we have tried some of the product line as they are simply AMAZING.

 

Balance Me is a British brand which uses organic ingredients in their products: This face wash has a 98.8% natural origin of ingredients. Now let’s see what the brand themselves say about the face wash:

 

‘’Massage our gentle, yet effective sulphate and petroleum-free wash all over your face and allow our wash to dissolve make-up and daily grime to achieve a balanced, clean complexion without stripping away your skins natural moisture levels. Enjoy the benefits of balancing spruce knot extract, anti oxidant rich rice bran oil and sense-awakening frankincense, grapefruit and ylang ylang essential oils’’.

 

And now here is what we thought about the product:

 

The packaging is very classic and elegant, with a white background layered with a dusky pink rococo-esque pattern which will look great in any vanity. The face wash itself feels rich and creamy, and only a small amount of product is needed for a thorough cleanse. When massaged into the skin, the face wash foams slightly but not and lathers well. For £16.00 and at the higher end of the market this product is well worth the investment as it will last such a long time, and gives your facial cleanse an added touch of luxury in the evenings. Something we loved the most about this face wash is the heavenly scent. There are notes of ylang ylang which is subtly and not over powering, with notes of grapefruit and frankincense giving the face wash a luxurious scent.

 

Consistency from tube

Massaged into skin

Now this is the important part. We think this is easily the BEST face wash that we have purchased and here is why: When we washed our face our skin felt incredibly clean yet still hydrated. Normally we find some face washes suck all the moisture out of our skin which leaves it feeling horrid and tight, but this fantastic face wash doesn’t leave you skin feeling stripped. Also, we found that our skin felt really refreshed and more alive, strange we know, but still true. Steph and I both have combination skin but we found that this face wash was perfect for us and left our skin feeling smooth and not giving us any breakouts.

 

Balance Me have done an incredible job with this product and we suggest that you all jump on the band wagon and purchase some for yourself here: www.balanceme.co.uk.

 

Make sure you follow us on twitter: @The1BeautyBlog and we will keep you posted with more updates

xxx

BACK TO SCHOOL: WHAT'S IN MY SCHOOLBAG?

Okay, so the time is nigh and we will soon all be back to school, but before you go back make sure you have all the essentials that you need in your school bag. To help you out we decided to do a ‘what’s in your school bag’ post so here we go …

 1^st of all we have the most important thing, the school bag itself. Mine is a navy and white polka dot bag with tan leather detailing. It can be used as a shoulder bag or with the attachable strap it can be used as a cross body bag. The bag has one outer pocket on the front and another pocket inside as well as a mobile phone and iPod compartment so there is plenty of storage room. I purchased this bag from Primark for around £15. These are my favourite types of school bag because they are so big and I have a lot to fit in there … as you will see.

 

2ndly I have 4 folders which make up the bulk of my school bag. I have one for each of my A level subjects, I decided to go for cute and girly folders as I find that if the folder is pretty then I somehow enjoy the subject more. I know, it is really strange, but if you are crazy like me or not crazy and just like nice folders then get yourself down to Paperchase, Wilkinsons and WHSmiths to get some cutesy folders which will really brighten up your locker.

3^rd is my pencil case and notebook. I bought both of these both from Wilkinsons while they were in the sale. The pencil case has 3 compartments which I find really useful; In compartment one I store all my pens, pencils, rulers and other stationary which would be used most frequently, in the small middle compartment I have my calculator, protractor and a pair of compasses, finally in the last compartment I store my coloured pencils, glue and scissors. I find it so much easier to work when all of my stationary is organised so then I know where it all is. Why don’t you give organising your pencil case a go? J

4^th I have all my little essentials and bits and bobs that I find useful. I like to carry some lip balm, especially in winter when my lips get all chapped and rough. The lip balm I use is Burt’sBees as I find it much more hydrating than other lip balms such as Vaseline which just add a layer of grease; instead Burt’sBees lip balm actually hydrates my lips. I also have a pack of tissues – they don’t need explaining, a hairbrush for the days when my hair goes crazy or it is windy outside, Soap and Glory Mist You Madly body spray because it smells so good, a pack of mini playing cards so my friends and I don’t get bored during lunch and break times, plasters for just in case, a nail file because isn’t it irritating when your nails breaks at school and you can’t sort it out until you get home! And finally some oil blotting sheets for summer to prevent shiny looking skin which is a bit grim.

 

And last but not least I also carry my mobile and purse because I can’t go anywhere without them. I also have a key ring which I bought from France for my locker keys so fingers crossed I won’t lose them. The very last item in my school bag is a hand sanitizer. I am a bit of a germophobe so I have to carry this around with me, I am hoping that this will reduce the chances of getting ill this winter because whenever we get back to school there is always a cold that goes around to everybody! This has happened every year since year 7 and I always end up catching it, but hopefully this time my hand sanitizer will help to keep me cold free!

 This is everything I carry in my school bag, I realise this has been a bit of a long post but I hope that you have enjoyed it. Why don’t you follow us on twitter @The1BeautyBlog and let us know what you keep in your school bag.

XXX