Mini Series: Get The Ibiza Look- Tan

Today is the first instalment of my 'Get the Ibiza Look' series. The reason for this series is today I should be flying out to the White Isle, however, I just sold my house and about to start living on one salary and therefore have had to be sensible with my pennies :(


I was hoping the British Summer would give my tan a boost and make up for not having the Ibizan sun however as always the British Summer has let me down so I am going to have to fake it!!


I must admit I am still a self tan virgin, I have a bottle of St Mortiz waiting to be used but if I am being honest I am still a little scared I will end up looking like an orange mess!


Previously I relied on one sunbed in May/June (I know these are bad for you but I am lucky that my skin is olive and holds its tan. One sunbed lasts me all summer as a base to build on) and Johnsons Holiday Skin (around £7). I  think the formula must have changed as it smells horrible (almost like plastercine) and instead of giving me a 'holiday' glow makes my skin have a slightly orange colour. 


On the trip to Boots the St Tropez section caught my eye ( it was on offer which helped!). I was still a little hesitant on trying a full self tan so decided to try the Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser (Normally £14.30, currently £9.53 at Boots). I was a little unsure if I would end up with the same issues as the Johnsons Holiday Skin but as it was a tanning company I was hopeful for a better result.

WARNING: Bare Legs Shown below!!


Before

After a week of using it every other day

The camera doesn't show the best picture but I am really pleased with the results. My skin looks tanned not faked much better then Johnsons, I also like the fact that I use very little product compared to the Johnsons lotion to achieve this result esp. when it is double the price. The best thing about it is the smell, it actually has no fake tan smell, it smells really nice. I can honestly say I love this St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Moisturiser and it has a permanent place in my bathroom!




Stay Beautiful


Jane xx


P.S If you are are unsure on how to apply tanning products the St Tropez website has some great video tutorials.

My Cupcakes!!

Yes I know another cupcake post!! I do love them!!

This weekend I decided to get back in the kitchen and make some cupcakes of my own. I also decided to attempt to make Oreo cupcakes. I did google for recipes and then gave up and just made normal vanilla cupcakes and added crushed Oreos!


They turned out alright actually so I made one batch of Oreo and one batch of normal Vanilla cupcakes.


Here is what they looked like, I think I may go on a cupcake decorating course as mine never look as good as the professionals!

I would love to say I shared them all with my friends but truthfully the Oreo cupcakes went to a friend and the Vanilla cupcakes went in my tummy!! Shhh don't tell!!!




Stay Beautiful


Jane xx


P.S if you would like me to add the recipes then please comment below and I put them up.

Garnier UltraLift 14 Day Trial

A couple of weeks ago I was sent a 2 week trial version of the new Garnier UltraLift Day Cream. I decided I was not the best person to test it out so set my mum to the 14 day challenge and asked her to be my guest blogger!


Hope you enjoy her first ever blog post,


Jane x


Garnier's UltraLift Day Cream claims to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, leave skin feeling smoother and firmer all after the first application. The cream is said to contain Pro-Retinol derived from nature, however I couldn't find any more information on the packaging or the website that expanded on what that meant.


In the sample pack you are given 14 sachets of the cream and a 'Wrinkle Reader' which is basically like a ruler that allows you to gauge your wrinkle and then see where you end up after 14 days.

The cream feels nice and is absorbed easily into skin without leaving your skin feeling greasy or tight.
At first I was a bit unsure about the cream as it is lighter then my normal day cream from Boots No7 range but after a few days I began to quite like the lightness especially for Summer.

What I liked was that it worked well being worn under makeup. I had tried creams before that made my foundation and eye makeup look cakey or thick but the Garnier UltraLift Day Cream actually created a really nice layer between my skin and makeup.


In terms of results, I am not sure. My skin did feel smooth and I liked the feel of it, I think I may invest it the cream as a day cream for the Summer.
The wrinkles and lines above my eyebrows were my area of concern as they are the most notable. After 14 days of using the cream I didn't see a difference in their appearance.


Overall as a day cream I liked it but as an anti ageing cream I am not so sure.


Stay Beautiful,


Jane's Mummy xx

July's Glossy Box

Today I came home to my first Glossy Box.  I had been a little unsure about keeping my subscription after the dissapointing box last month and the sneaky increase in price from next month (£10 to £12.95). I thought I would wait and recieve my first box and then decide. 


As I had been away I had been reading other people's blogs on the contents and checking the Glossy Box website. I was excited to see there was an Illamasqua product, a fragrance and some lashes so was excited to open my box today!


The box was beautifully packaged as you can see from the pictures

I love the little touch of the ribbon and paper hiding the contents, its like opening a little box of surprises!


The Contents

I was excited to see I had an Illamasqua Pure Pigment. It is my first product from them so am eager to try it!


The Ciate Nail Varnish was a nice surprise too. I had seen this mentioned on other blogs but never seemed to find it on my travels.


Weleda I have never heard of but that is the great thing about these subscriptions you get to try things you never would have before. It was the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil and smells lush. I am going to review this soon as I am going to try this after my shower tonight.


LP Skin Therapy Lip Rescue Gel again I had not herd of. Apparently it is the part of the skincare range from Dr Linda Papadopoulos (the psychologist from Big Brother!!). I tried this today and actually quite liked it. My lips had been really dry and chapped all week and after using it stay moisturised for well over 4 hours and aren't chapped anymore. Surprisingly impressed!


Lastly I had the Ultra Sun Face 30. This is what let my Glossy Box down! Firstly considering there was the option for 2 types of false lashes or 3 types of fragrance I thought my box would be likely to have one of these which I would have been really happy with. Instead the Face 30 is really just a Suncream. Not very special or luxurious but of course that is my opinion.  I guess seeing the other options which included a bottle of Xen Tan  this was disappointing. Maybe I am being harsh but I guess when everyone gets different products and the others would have been more appealing it makes it a little disappointing.


Overall I am happy with my little box of treats so will keep my subscription for a while, but with my first Boudoir Prive box arriving next month it will be interesting to compare them.


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Comparing My Mascaras

While I was writing my last post on the new Boots 17 Faslifeye Mascara I tried out the 4 mascaras I have to see the difference (if any!).


Now I know each mascara should have different formulas, brushes and resualts but the 4 I have are claiming to do roughly the same. 

 'Dramatic 'fake lash' effect and volume'

The pictures below show the effect each had on my lashes from one coat and the difference in the brushes.

Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash (8ml, £4.99)

Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation (9ml, £4.99)

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Ultra Black (11ml, £7.99)

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara (9ml, £6.49)

Before this post my favourites are the Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation and Bourjois Volume Clubbing, seeing the pictures all together I think that is still true. There isn't really much of a difference between them, let me know what you think!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara & Gel Eyeliner

Last week saw the launch of the new mascara from Boots. 17 Falsifeye Mascara claims to give your lashes the 'wow' look of false eye lashes.
I was in need of a little retail pick me up which is difficult where I work as there aren't many shops! As I wondered round the little Boots I saw this and decided to give it a go (plus it looks pretty and pink!). As a launch offer it is currently £6.49 and comes with a free Falsifeye Gel Eyeliner.

The packaging is pretty and pink which always attracts me, the only thing I don't like is that as the tube is chunky it makes it the wand a little harder to use as you can't get as close to the lashes. 
The last thing I really hate, but I guess it is the con of having pink packaging, is you can see inside the tube. This may sound silly but mentally being able to see inside the tube kind of makes me feel a little short changed i.e there isn't alot of product in there. Infact, I did check and there is 9ml which is about the average for drugstore brands.


I like the mascara, it does lengthen and define the lashes but I don't think it gives as good result as Collection 2000 Big Fake Lashes (£4.99) or Bourjois Volume Clubbing (£7.99, see my review of this mascara here). It has a very similar result to the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara (around £4.99).
To see the difference between all 4 mascaras see my Mascara Comparison post. 

Overall it is a good mascara but I think I would pay less for the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara for the same effect or a little more on the Bourjois Volume Clubbing for a more dramatic effect.

I hate to be negative about a product but the gel eyeliner is a bit disappointing. The brush that came with it actually was very good, it was easy to create a clear straight line, however, the product let it down. The colour, as you will see from the swatch didn't stand out on my skin tone and as you will see from the swatch underneath, after 30 minutes smudged really easily and faded.

It was free so I guess I shouldn't moan to much!

Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

The Cake in A Cup Couture Cupcakes

As you all know, I LOVE cupcakes!! At the ifabbo event last week I was very excited to be able to try the Couture Cupcakes from The Cake in A Cup.


The Cake in A Cup was set up early this year by three friends with a mission to produce gorgeous cupcakes that taste and look great. They do not disappoint, their cupcakes are some on the best I have seen and they taste amazing!

This was the one I ate

All the chocolate is made from fairtrade cocoa

Not many left!

Too pretty to eat!

If you want to find out more about The Cake in A Cup visit their website here or follow them on twitter.


Stay Beautiful


Jane xx

NOTD - OPI Light My Sapphire

I have wanted a Navy nail varnish for ages and the nearest I got to it was the Models Own 'In the Navy' which I was so disappointed with it didn't even stay on long enough for it to make a NOTD post!


On a recent nail varnish buying trip I came across this OPI varnish. In the bottle it looks like it is shimmery but actually it gives it a gloss finish rather then shimmer. I also like the colour, the Models Own was quite watery and so the colour was a dull kind of blue but the OPI is a true Navy and I love it!!

OPI nail varnishes are expensive at around £10 each but are worth the money. They last a long time without chipping or peeling and always have great pigments to their colours.

You can get them in most salons and online at ASOS.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

P.S My nails broke on my work trip away so I have fake ones on. They are from Savers and cost me £1! I wish I could remember the name but I have lost the packaging! They are really good and last a long time plus you get a good selection of nail sizes and about 5 of each. I was really impressed considering the price.


P.P.S Ignore my thumb, I run out of my size nail and was desperate. My little finger I glued to far down!!

Liz Earle Must Have Try Me Kit

If you have been thinking of trying Liz Earle but unsure if you'll like it then the Try Me Kits are a great place to start.


Tip: They also make good gifts (this was for someone leaving at work) or for your summer travels.


They do different variations which you can see here on the website. This one I brought in John Lewis and is called the Must Have Try Me Kit. Inside the washbag is a 30ml bottle of the Hot Cloth Cleanser, Muslin Cloth, 50ml bottle of the Instant Boost Tonic, 15ml bottle of Skin Repair Moisturiser and a 15ml bottle of the Gentle Face Exfoliator. The set is £21.45 and I think is great value!

If you have never herd of Liz Earle read my post to find out more about the famous Hot Cloth Cleanser.


Stay Beautiful 


Jane xx