Fake Bake Flawless Darker

As a tan addict, finding a great fake tan is essential to my beauty regime. I've always sworn by St.Tropez and Fake Bake tanning products as they do exactly what they say on the tin and produce a great, dark tan that looks natural. 

When I was given this Fake Bake Flawless Darker tan for my birthday I got very excited, mainly because any tanning product that says "darker" on it is the one for me!

The first time I tried this I fell in love! (After discovering I had been using my mitt the wrong way round!) I found it went only smoothly blending well with my skin without leaving any streaks. The colour, as it was applied, was a lovely dark bronze which helped as it meant I could see where I had applied and where needed more adding. It also meant that I could layer up the tan without going overboard. Also, unlike some tans I’ve used, the tan doesn’t go funny or patchy after being on for a few days. It does fade, of course, but its coverage remains the same and has yet to go patchy.

I always fake tan over night to let it develop without risking it getting wet and becoming streaking etc. The results when I woke up were incredible. It was like I had woken up after being on holiday for two weeks! I was very impressed with the colour and the overall coverage. I had no streaks, patches or smudges, just a gorgeous glow! 

The only negative I would say is that, because you have to wear gloves underneath the mitt, I found it difficult blending the tan into my hand so there was no line. It just meant I had to take the gloves off to blend it down the hand, but other than that, this product is spot on and is definitely my new favourite tan!

Holland and Barrett Apple Cider Vinegar and Nutrition Headquarters Fat Metaboliser Tablets

In this day and age, looking thin and toned has become more and more important, especially for the younger generations. Being a young 22 year old and a size 12/14, I am constantly worrying about how I look and trying to find new fads that will help me shed a few a pounds the easy way!

When I was at University, diet pills were one of the fad's I turned to. Now, I'm not talking full on powerful fat busting tablets and replacing meals for them. I'm talking supplements that are, supposedly, meant to speed up your metabolism and melt fat. During my "desperate measures" research, I found a lot of articles suggesting that Apple Cider Vinegar, in large quantities, burned fat and aided weight loss. So, I thought, why not!

I had been given £20 worth of Holland and Barrett vouchers so, as well as my Holland and Barrett Apple Cider Vinegar tablets, I invested in some Nutrition Headquarters Fat Metaboliser pills, mainly because the word "metaboliser", to me, means weight loss and well a pill that metabolises fat sounded good! 

So I bought these pills with my vouchers and started giving them ago. It says on the bottles that with "healthy eating and an active lifestyle" (or words to those effect) the pills can help aid weight loss. Well, being a student, my diet was terrible and I spent most days lying in bed watching TV eating cake. (Sounds bad but that’s genuinely what I did!). Don’t get me wrong, not all students are like that, but I was the typical student stereotype.

So, let’s be honest. The pills did nothing. I noticed no difference in my weight or the way my stomach looked. With the Vinegar tablets, I didn’t take as many as they suggested as, well, the smell and taste of the tablets was very strong , obviously because they’re pure vinegar, so I struggled to swallow them which could have contributed to the lack of effect they had. I do feel the pills could aid weight loss when used properly, in conjunction with a calorie controlled diet and exercise regime as they suggest. I still have half the pills left in both bottles, and I’ve recently decided to better my health and work on my fitness, so I’ve been thinking about trying them again. If I do, and notice a difference, I will be sure to let you know! 

M&S Organic Green Tea with Lemon

I've always been a fan of green tea, mainly for its health boosting qualities. After trying different types and flavours of green tea, I came across this lemon infused tea in Marks and Spencer and decided to give it ago!

Apart from the fact that the box is really pretty, this citricy, fresh tea is absolutely divine. Green tea itself has quite a fresh flavour and with this added zing of lemon, it becomes amazingly refreshing.  Unlike some flavoured teas, the lemon is no way over powering. It’s not sour, like I expected it to be, it’s more of the freshness of lemon than the acidic quality of a lemon that the tea is infused with. I’m a big tea drinker as it is, and this is just what I need in the afternoon to freshen up my day!

The green tea means I still get the many health benefits but with a much nicer taste! Green tea itself doesn't have a great taste, I can still drink it and enjoy it but I much prefer a flavoured green tea, and this is my new favourite! I just love how refreshing it is, and at 99p a box, it’s a bargain!

Once again I’m lost with finding a negative. However, I feel with a food/drink product, it’s hard to find a negative. You either like it or you don’t. Simple as and this I love! So much so that I want to go back and try out some other M&S teas! Two thumbs up from me! 

Wella Silvikrin Classic Maximum Hold Hairspray

 I have a bit of an obsession with my hair. Dying it, styling it and cutting it. I've recently gone from having a middle parting with no fringe to having a full side fringe cut in. It’s been a while since I had a fringe and I remembered that last time, I used hairspray to keep it in place, if there’s one thing I can’t stand is having fringe in my eyes!

So the first thing I did the next day was went out and bought some hairspray! Usually I’m a bit of a Tresemme fan when it comes to hairspray, but they were having a deal on Wella’s Silvikrin so I thought I would give that ago (I had also forgotten that it was Tresemme I usually use as it had been so long since I had used hairspray). I bought the maximum hold spray hoping it would keep my fringe in place for the whole day, which it sort of did. The problem I have is that I touch my hair too much through the day which loosens the hold of the spray. I’m constantly pushing my fringe to the side as I’m not used to it yet, which, really, makes the hairspray pointless!

However, on a whole, it does what it says on the tin. It does hold my fringe in place (when I don’t touch it!) and when I've styled my hair a certain way (curled or waved etc) the spray does keep it in for a majority of the day. It doesn't leave my hair rock solid like some sprays, unless I've sprayed too much in one area which I often do as I use a lot, and it does brush it quite easily.

 I’m not sure I would class it as maximum hold as, even when I've sprayed a lot, it doesn't keep my hair in place until I go to bed. I’m not suggesting it says it will do this on the tin, but that’s kind of what I expect from a maximum hold spray. Maybe I’m asking for too much? Anyway, I would recommend this hairspray for anyone looking for a good hold. Personally, I need a higher strength as I just play with my hair too much through the day!

Soap & Glory Hand Food

As my job means my hands are in water all day, I quite often get very dry, sore hands, and applying hand cream on the job is pointless as it just washes off. I needed to find a cream that I could use after work that soothed the soreness and re-hydrated my skin within one or two applications. I’m a bit picky when it comes to hand creams because, I’m sure like most people, I hate having greasy hands for hours on end, which is often what you get with hand creams. Soap and Glory, however, have created a magical hand cream that seemed to fix my hands within one application, and was absorbed completely within half an hour!

S&P’s hand food with its Shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow claims to be a non-greasy hydrating hand cream, and it is! I was a bit worried when I squeezed a dollop into my hands to find it quite watery and thin. However, I rubbed it in and found it was actually quite luxurious. It rubs in quickly leaving no greasiness only soft hands. It’s exactly what I needed. One of the first things I do when I get in from work is apply the hand cream and pop the kettle on. By the time I’ve organised myself (taken my coat off, gone to the loo, you know all that sort of stuff) the hand cream has soaked in and I feel safe enough to hold my cup of tea without it slipping out of my hands.

I do, however, have a few negatives to say about this cream. Firstly, although it contains Shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow, it has quite a weird fragrance. It’s quite hard to explain but it sort of has a producty smell, like the cream before all the ingredients are added, if that make sense? Whether that’s the aroma all the ingredients create when mixed together, I don’t know, but it wasn’t what I expected. Secondly, the product itself is quite watery and liquidy, more like a lotion than a cream. Don’t get me wrong, it works incredibly well for a lotion, but I do find myself having to shake the tube before squeezing into my hands so I don’t get a handful of half water, half cream. (This could be because it’s out of date, I was given it as a Christmas present and you never know whether the present has been bought for you or whether it’s something that they’ve had for years but never used, who knows!) I was also going to add that the tube is quite big and not very practical for transporting, however, soap and glory do have a travel size version of the cream, so this is no longer a problem!

Overall, I am very impressed with the work of the cream and its soothing qualities! It does exactly what I wanted from a hand cream and is precisely what I need for my hands after a day’s work I just wish it smelt yummier! “The most astonishing hand cream ever?” I would definitely say it’s up there at the top!

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Conditioner

Conditioner. Probably one of the most important products in a girl’s bathroom, well for me it is anyway! Finding the right one for your hair is difficult. I’ve tried so many to find some too heavy, others too light, and very often, ones that do absolutely nothing to the health of my hair. There is nothing worse than getting a new conditioner, using it and drying your hair to find it still feels as dry and brittle as it did before! (Well, I’m sure there are much worse things but you know what I mean!)

A few months ago I decided to try a new conditioner from a well known brand, Herbal Essences. I’ve used their products before to find they have worked really well but, being a bit of a beauty geek, I like to mix it up a bit and try different brands and products.  I had seen this new Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening conditioner advertised by the gorgeous Nicole Scherzinger and, normally I don’t give in to the power of advertising, but her locks are so luscious I just had to try it, and I’m so glad I did.

Apart from the fact that the conditioner smells absolutely divine due to its honey and apricot extracts, it also works incredibly well. The thick, creamy conditioner deeply conditions (ironically) and strengthens the hair. After the first use, my hair felt beautifully soft and silky and I noticed a difference in its strength. As I mentioned before in my Moroccan Oil post (http://www.layingitbare.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/moroccan-oil.html) the ends of my hair have been repeatedly bleached leaving it broken and damaged. Quite often, when brushing, the ends break off and leave me with lovely broken strands all over the floor. However, since using this conditioner I’ve noticed a reduction in the breakage of the ends! When styling, my hair definitely doesn’t break as much and I don’t have as much hair to clean up once I’m ready! It leaves my hair smelling gorgeous and looking much healthier, I’m definitely a fan!

The only bad thing I would say is that, because of the design of the bottle, it becomes hard to squeeze out the product when the bottle is half empty. The front and back bends in meaning there’s nothing for me to squeeze in to get the product out. I generally have to squeeze the outer edges to get some air into the bottle, give it a shake and then squeeze the conditioner out. I have no idea if any of that makes sense, but that’s the simplest way I can find to put it!

Other than that small design issue, the product itself is definitely one of my faves, so much so that I went out yesterday and bought two more bottles of the conditioner and two of the matching shampoo! (Currently on a half price deal at boots!) Definitely a keeper. 

The "Hair-Raiser" Grooming Tool

Any pet owner will know that looking after your animal is important, especially man’s best friend. Since starting work at the groomers, my eyes have been opened to the importance of grooming and maintaining your dog’s coat. There are a variety of different dog coats that have to be maintained differently. Dogs that moult, like my 8 year old black Labrador, often benefit from a good old brush with a clever little de-shedding gadget, which paw-things.com has named the “hair-raiser”.

 The “hair-raiser” (or furminator as it’s more commonly known in the grooming industry) is a tool that removes all the undercoat (dead hair) which your pooch sheds, generally, all over your house!  It’s simple to use and very effective! The head of the tool can be flipped revealing two different sized combs, one being a wide-set, rake teeth, comb which can be used on dogs with longer coats, such as golden retrievers, to loosen and free any dead hair. The second comb has more narrow-set teeth to de-shed shorter haired breeds.  To use, run the combs over the fur of your pup in short strokes, much like you would with a normal brush, to release any dead fur, leaving less for your dog to leave around the house!

After using this quite frequently at work I would highly recommend it. Dogs usually have 2-3 major moults during one year. They moult in spring when the weather gets a bit warmer, shedding their winter warming coat. They also moult in the winter. The cooler weather in the autumn causes the dog to grow in their winter coat. However, the central heating that gets clicked on in the colder months simulates summer to the dog’s fur, causing them to moult their new coat. They just can’t win! During these times, 10 minutes or so every few days of brushing with the hair-raiser really helps to keep on top of the moulting to remove the dead hair before it naturally drops all over your carpet. You will be amazed with the amount of undercoat this gadget gets out in one go!

I feel this post is more of a sharing of knowledge than a product review, so I will leave this one without a negative comment (there really isn’t one anyway!). I highly recommend this to any dog owner struggling to keep on top of their dog’s mammoth coat.