Laurens Way Darker Than Dark Glam Tan

Laurens Way are releasing a new Tanning product called Darker Than Dark Glam Tan* which you will be able to get your hands on in March 2014. I have been a big fan of Laurens Way tanning products for the past year now, I used to use Xen-Tan Moroccan Oil Tan, but since they put the prices up on their website I couldn’t justify the price tag when I can get a similar result for cheaper.

I am a big fan of a really deep, dark olive tan which I have found the Darker Than Darker tanning range by Laurens Way to be fabulous at achieving so when I received the Darker than Dark Glam Tan I couldn’t wait to pop it on!

 

First of all I prepped my skin my exfoliating in the shower with the LW body polish, this product isn’t too harsh that it will make you red, but ‘gritty’ enough to get rid of your dead skin (lovely!). Once I had dried, I then sprayed the Glam Tan on my body and blended it into my skin by using my tanning mitt. For my hands, feet, elbows and face I sprayed the tan onto the tanning mitt first instead of directly onto my skin, so it wasn’t so dark on these areas – for a more natural look.

          (Picture of before and after)

 

The results of this tan are exactly the same as the other tan’s in the darker than dark range – so dark! After just a few hours too, this is going to be my summer tan as it really looks like I have just got back from the Mediterranean! (I can dream..) I love the formula of this tan, it’s so easy to work with because it doesn’t dry too quickly or take ages to dry because I managed to get dressed after 10 minutes of tanning. The smell is also fab – no signs of the typical fake tan smell. To prolong my tan, I have been using the LW Moisturiser, which had defiantly helped keep my colour as well as keeping my body moistured with a light scent.

 

Laurens Way have announced that they are going to be launching their tanning range in Superdrug as of the 9^th March 2014, making easier to pick up this tan instead of having to order it online. Karly Oranin, Cosmetics and Bronzing Buyer at Superdrug said: “2014 is the year for home tanning, and here at Superdrug we are really excited to be a stockist of LW Tan. The brand really resonates with our customers, whether they are looking for an everyday glow or a deeply bronzed look.”

 

You will be able to pick the Darker than Dark Glam Tan* up for £19.95 from Superdrug and www.laurensway.co.uk as of March 2014.

Rituals - Hamman Body Mud & Night/Day Cream

I came across Rituals whilst I was in House of Fraser and thought their brand looked so lovely, especially the Happy Buddha range and gift sets. I headed over to their face cream range section and fell in love instantly with the packaging and after trying the creams out on my hand I realised they ticked all the boxes I was after in a face cream! I have been looking for a really good hydrating day and night cream that is good with sensitive skin, smells fresh, doesn’t feel oily or greasy, sinks in to your skin quickly and has nice packaging so it looks lovely sat on my dressing table.

 

When browsing Rituals Website I came across the hamman shower mud I thought this sounded like an interesting product as I love having mud baths and being pampered at spas and this product claims to ‘bring the spa into your home’ so on that note, I knew I had to try it out!

 

This shower mud is so fun to use, I left it on for 10 minutes to let it really work its magic. I noticed straight away when I was washing it off how silky smooth my skin was, it also left my skin feeling quiet hydrated after I got out of the shower, when usually my skin feels really dry and in need of a deep moisturise. I love this product so much, I’m only going to use it once a week to try and make it last longer – it’s my weekly pamper treat! This product is also really gentle to your skin, gentle enough that you can also use it on your face as a face mask.

 

Rituals is a quirky natural brand, which sell the most gorgeous products and gift sets.  You can purchase their products from www.rituals.com the day and night creams* retail for £29.50 each and the Hamman body mud* retails for £14.

Blogging Stationery - Vista Print

Lately I have attended a few PR events, which has meant I've needed some Buisness cards with my blogs details on. I visited vista print where they had a wide range of templates and I found one that fitted the "fairytale" pink and white theme of my blog just perfectly.

These cost me £9.99 for 250 cards which is an amazing price seen as I also received a free business card holder. For an extra £6.79 I received a matching pen and note pad - I thought these would be brilliant for my blogging notes and details.

I paid for the 14 day delivery and I received them within 7 days, it's always a lovely surprise when you receive parcels early! 

You can purchase your own Buisness cards and various matching assesories from vista print :-). 

Bath Teabag - My 'me' time

    

I am really enjoying my baths lately, I’m sure it’s something to do with this miserable weather! After having a full day of meetings all I want to do is have a long bath and really chill out.  

I recently came across a fabulous bath product – a bath teabag! I thought this sounded like a brilliant idea and something a little bit different. The Funky Skincare bath tea bags* are little tea bags full of natural and nourishing ingredients that are going to give your skin a good ‘pick me up’ after a long day.

 

If you would like to purchase your own bath tea bag, you can pick this one up from www.funkyskincare.com These ones smell lovely, like a spa is the best way I can describe it. These are defiantly my guilty pleasure!

 

When I have had a busy/stressful day, this is how I fully unwind and what you should try too! :

-           Run yourself a hot, bubbly bath and prepare your ‘pamper products’ – every girl has these!

-          Pour yourself a glass of wine or hot drink (depending on how stressful your day has been!)

-          Prepare a yummy fruit salad or a few chocolates

-          Put some relaxing music on or get yourself a magazine/book to read

-          Leave your mobile/tablet out of the bathroom (so you can fully unwind and give yourself some real ‘me’ time)

-           Take your tea bag out of the packaging, get in your bath, and dunk your tea bag into the bath – leaving it in there to really work its magic!)

 

This is just how I unwind after a busy day, if you have any other tips and tricks for really unwinding then please let me know. :-) 

LW Press Launch/Party!

After receiving an invite from Laurens Way asking me if I would like to attend their Darker than Dark Glam Tan Press Launch, I jumped at the opportunity. I am already a fan of Laurens Way Tan’s and when I saw they were releasing a new product I got rather excited and couldn’t wait to be a part of it!

 

The Press Launch was held at ‘Dirty Martini’ in London, this is quiet an exclusive cocktail bar just off of Liverpool Street. It had a very luxurious feel to it because everywhere was candle lit with the lights dimmed – their cocktails are also Fabulosa!

 

I was looking forward to meeting Lauren Goodger as I loved her whilst she was on Towie, she was the only character I felt I could really relate to whilst watching it and she was absolutely lovely – she thanked us all for attending and she was mingling among as all evening whilst enjoying the endless amount of cocktails, cupcakes and champagne!

 

There was about 15 other bloggers who attended, it was so lovely to finally put a face to some of the blogs I read as well as meeting newbies, everyone was so friendly! Superdrug and a few press companies had a presence there too – it was also good to speak to these and get an insight in to what they do!

 

Laid out were various pink sweet treats created by Vanilla Chilli – she is so lovely, I was speaking to her most of the night and her creations were so yummy! We had Cupcakes, Popcorn, pretzel biscuits and Oreo biscuits – each of these were all covered in pink chocolate and sprinkled with glitter – so pretty!

 

The LW Angels were also present. They pampered us by doing our hair and eyelashes as well as talking us through some of the products Laurens Way offer and offering Demos - a lovely added extra!

Before we left, we were all given a goodie bag each which I wasn’t expecting so it was a lovely surprise! Within this we received the new LW Darker than Dark Glam Tan, LW Tan Enhancing Moisturiser, LW Body Polish, LW Eyelashes and some LW hair rollers – how amazing! I will review these products shortly for you. :-)

 

All in all, I had a Fab evening with great people! Thank you to Lauren Goodger and the Team at Laurens Way for having me and my goodie bag. I really enjoyed myself. It was lovely to meet other bloggers as well as the people behind Laurens Way!

Fragrance Direct Haul

So recently I came across Fragrance Direct which is an online store (very much like Boots and Superdrug) I was first drawn in by their amazing discount on Essie nail varnishes, these are all a bargain at £1.99 each, however, I have sooo many nail polishes so I decided to stick with products that I have been wanting to try for a while now.

 

So here is what I received:

 

W7 Honolulu Bronzer* - £2.25

This is an amazing dupe for Benefits Hoola bronzer, you honestly cannot tell the difference. I love the fact this is a matte bronzer, meaning its perfect for contouring. The packaging is also super cute and travel friendly because it comes with a cute little brush.

 

W7 Candy Floss Blusher* - £2.50

This is a dupe for Benefits blush, Like the Honolulu bronzer, this comes with the cutest packaging and a little brush. It’s a gorgeous baby pink colour, which is so versatile. I have worn this after fake tanning and on my natural pale skin and both times it has given me the most lovely colour - I think it's more light a very pale pink highlighter, I like it use it over a seperate blusher to give me a dewy finish! 

 

Elizabeth Arden Colour Intrigue Cheek Colour in Berry Blush* - £4.50

I have been after a dark berry blush for a while as I think it looks just beautiful with a pale complexion.  I was thinking of getting one of the sleek blushers, but after seeing an Elizabeth Arden blush for only £4.50 I thought I would give this a go. I’m so glad I did, the packaging is so travel friendly because it has a brush within it. It also feels like butter, so it blends and applies really easily. 

 

Carmex Flavoured lip balm in Cherry* - £ 2.25

My lips have been really dry this winter and Carmex seems to be the only brand that is keeping them well hydrated. I love the taste of this lip balm, it’s like them cherry drop sweets – yum! It’s also super moisturising without feeling thick and gloupy. I couldn’t recommend this product enough is you are a dry lips sufferer!

 

Carmex Moisture Plus in Pink Tint* - £3.99

I thought I would give this product a try because it has a pink tint within it and I love how moisturising Carmex products are. The pink tint is a light baby pink colour, it looks so lovely on its own and gives a lovely wash of colour to your lips without it sticking to your ‘dry chapped bits’. It’s also perfect for days when you don’t want to wear a lot of makeup.

 

Real Techniques Powder Brush* - £9.99

Just look how big this brush is? I have wanted this brush for a while now, as I think it’s going to be perfect for applying my face powder evenly and quickly. I love real techniques make up brushes, They are so dense and easy to clean because they are synthetic. Dare I say it, I actually prefer RT brushes over my MAC ones!

 

Real Techniques Blusher Brush* - £8.99

How beautiful is the shape of this brush? I’ve not seen any other brushes that are this shape! I thought this would be great for applying my blusher to the apples of my cheeks. This brush has different length bristles which will make it fabulous for easily blending your blusher out.

 

Gucci Guilty 30ml Perfume* – £31.95

Who doesn’t love a little bit of Gucci?! I absolutely love this perfume, I was trying to pick some up in the January sales but nowhere had it on offer, when I saw this for £31.95 it had to me mine! I love how luxurious the bottle looks with the gold finish and Gucci logo. If you like the smell of Lady Million then you will love this, whenever I wear it my Mum always compliments it – it’s her fav! The lasting power of this fragrance is fantastic too, I can still smell it after wearing it all day.

 

Paco Rabanne Black XS Potion for Her 50ml* (includes a free clutch bag) - £33.99

This is a new limited edition scent for 2014 so I was really excited to try this as I love Paco Rabanne scents. The bottle looks like some sort of love potion, so I can understand where the name came from! This scent is gorgeous and is now my ‘go to’ every day scent because it lasts for ages and smells gorgeous, you can defiantly smell the grapefruit extract within it. This perfume would also be perfect for the evening if you like more of a fruiting refreshing smell. I didn't actually receive the free clutch bag for some reason, but you are supposed to receive one. The free clutch bag you receive is black and has a picture of a skull on the front, it’s such a quirky clutch bag which will be perfect teamed with some big silver costume jewellery and a little black dress.

 

Overall, I love every single item from my Fragrance Direct Haul, i’m so pleased and cannot wait to purchase some of their Essie and OPI nail varnishes. Please check out Fragrance Direct by visiting www.fragrancedirect.co.uk the discounts they have on products is amazing, I cant believe I haven’t come across them sooner!

Dirtylooks - Hair Extensions

So recently I went back to a dark blonde colour which means I needed new hair extensions! I normally go for the Beauty Works synthetic volumizer as this is mega thick and I can never find any real hair extensions that are really thick without having to wear two full heads until I came across Dirtylooks. I am very optimistic about buying hair extensions online because 1. I want to get a perfect colour match and 2. I want to ensure they are the right thickness. 

Dirtylooks fix these two "online hair extension worries" by offering a free colour match service, all you have to do is send them a photo of your hair and they match it up for you. This is what they did for me, and they got it spot on by just a picture, I was so surprised! They also have a video on their homepage which shows the thickness of the HK full head hair extension set* - I was sold at how thick they looked!

First of all, I received my hair within 2 days after ordering and when I did receive them, they came in a gorgeous lilac box - a lovely added extra. I also liked the fact that Dirtylooks have separated a section of hair into a seperate wallet, meaning you can colour match your extensions first before opening the big section as once you have opened the big section you cannot return or swap the hair. A perfect added bonus to reassure you online hair buyers.

Within the box you receive a "how to" guide, each hair extension strip is labeled with a number and within this booklet it shows u where each section is meant to go on your head. There is also further information on how to care for your hair, style them and wash them (Perfect for beginners).

I went for the full head set in lengh 24" - 26" in colour manhattan highlights which retail for £142.49, currently on offer at £124.99. I know this seems a lot, but trust me the quality is there, the hair is super smooth due to being real Remi hair and VERY thick. I have straightened my set, curled them and backcombed them in a hair up style and they have hardly shredded at all so I know they are going to last. 

Normal full head sets of hair extensions are usually around the 100 gram mark, Where as this set is 180 grams of real Remi hair (wow!) Just look how thick my hair looks... my hair is shoulder length so anything from the bottom of my neck, downwards, is all extensions. I had so many compliments on how natural my hair looked and no one could believe they were clip ins, one of my friends actually asked if I had easy lock hair extentions fitted (which really made my day as these are the ones Katie Price and various other celebrity's have!!) 

Overall I am really impressed and would definatly repurchase these. If you want thick hair and are fussy with the quality and thickness of your extensions but want really long hair, then have a look into Dirtylooks as I am all of the above and have found my match! 

You can view Dirtylooks hair range by visiting - www.dirtylooks.com if your still having doubts, check out their video on the homepage as to how thick these sets actually are. 

Heart shaped bun - valentines hair do

So here is a quick post on how to get a beautiful heart shaped bun.

All you have to do is:

-get an oversized standard bun ring, tye 3 hair bands to the hair bun in the shape of a curvy triangle (as seen above)

- Tye all your hair back into a high ponytail

- insert the triangle shaped bun ring over your pony tail

- section your hair over the bun ring so you cannot see the bun ring

- secure with a hair band over the bun ring

- tuck any sections of hair that are sticking out with a kirby grips 

- mould the bun into a shape of a heart 

- then finally, use plenty of hair spray to secure it in place! 

Whaler! Perfect, easy, valentines hair!