My Mission to Tan - Naked Tan Goddess Bronze Self Tanner

My latest toe-dip into the world of self tanning was with Naked Tan Goddess Bronze Self Tanner cream.

What the packaging claims:

'Naked Tan Goddess Bronze Instant Tan is a self tan that ensures skin is radiant and bronzed. The fake tan contains organic shea butter and aloe vera for their moisturising properties and washes off in 2 hours.
Top tip: Wear gloves to apply the Goddess Bronze to avoid tanned palms.'

Well, firstly I must sheepishly admit that I failed to see that last little line there that recommends wearing gloves to apply, ooopsie! This resulted in me being super panic stricken when I finished tanning and my hands were a lovely chocolate brown that WOULD NOT come off!! Oh boy!! I was so embarrassed to go anywhere the next day with my brown palms. I can laugh at it now but at the time it was definitely not funny!

Anyway, moving on from this silly little bout of stupidity, I can truthfully say that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this tanner.

LOVE:
I love the colour it gave me because being a pale girl I'm always scared I'll either turn out orange or some ridiculous shade of brown but this was actually a lot milder in colour that I thought it would be. I was actually contemplating each time I used this to apply another coat the next day just to see how that would result but just never got around to it.

I also love the fact that the cream is a dark bronze kind of colour so you can see exactly where you've applied it and can therefore make sure you've got an even coverage all over.

It's also not too offensive scent wise which is nice as this is something that seems to be a major problem with a lot of other tanners.

HATE:
I hate the fact that you supposedly have to wash it off two hours after applying. Truth be told, I never did this. I usually just put it on at night after my shower and washed it off the next day. I don't think this made any difference to the colour as I certainly didn't go too dark for not washing it off and I didn't really notice any stains on my clothes or sheets by not washing it off either. I just don't see the point in needing to so this. If anyone knows the real reason as to why this is suggested it would be great if you could let me know :-)

I also obviously hated the fact that I had beautiful chocolate hands after applying. The colour does not budge at all once it dries and no amount of scrubbing, pumicing, exfoliating my hands would do any good. This tan does not come off until it's good and ready to. Fair enough it warned me to wear gloves but hey, I have never worn gloves when applying a tanner before and have never had any issues like this. Still, I learnt a valuable lesson on making sure I read instructions in full no matter what they are for from now on.

So, has anyone else used this tanner and want to share any major likes/dislikes they have about it?

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - Hard as Wraps

On one on my latest Priceline trips I picked up some Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - Hard as Wraps in an attempt to give my fragile nails a bit of help.

                                              

What the packaging claimed:

'Powerful acrylic protection instantly seals and hardens nails in 1 EASY STEP! Patented breakthrough formula provides an instant, long-lasting, wrap-like surface for fragile, soft, torn, chipped or cracked nails.'

Sounds pretty impressive right? Well, I tend to think that statement needs one extra addition in there, and that's the fact that it will only last on your nail without peeling off for about 24 hours. Yep, that's as long as I can get this stuff to stay on my nails after normal daily activities.

This of course was quite disappointing as it was very frustrating going to the trouble of applying it and then not even getting more than a day out of it.

I even attempted to try it as a base cost for my regular nail polish which did last an extra day or so but still not as long as what the polish would have lasted if I had just applied it on its own.

In the time that it does stay on my nails, I don't really feel that it makes them any stronger or less prone to chipping either. Also, the smell almost knocks you out of the room while you try to apply it. I've never smelt anything so strong and chemical like other than in an actual nail salon. My husband always has to leave the room when I'm putting this on so if you want something that will guarantee to give you some alone time, this is the product for you!

Has anyone else had any issues when using this product? Are there any other nails strengtheners that anyone has tried and tested and can recommend?

November Empties

Yeah, this post is a little late but we have had almost a week without internet at home and I am only just catching up on everything that fell behind because of that.

This month has been a huge month for using up products, mainly because of the amount of samples I receive now because of the monthly beauty sample boxes.

See below:

1) Marc Jacobs 'Oh Lola' Sample - I really loved this perfume and have been using it quite a bit. It's surprising how much use you get out of those little spray bottles.

2) Palmolive Naturals Shower Gel with Almond Oil & Vanilla - I can't even remember when I bought this shower gel as it literally lasted forever. I swear there were some little Palmolive elves coming into my shower every week and refilling this bottle. Talk about a good value shower gel. This is maybe one to keep as a backup in your bunker for when the world ends and you won't be able to make it to the shops for a while :-)

3) John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo & Conditioner samples - These were nice products to use but nothing to really rave about. I think I only got about three uses out of each one so not really enough time to come to any real conclusion.

4) Sunsilk Super Shine Shampoo & Conditioner travel sizes - I originally purchased these to put in my hospital bag when I was going in to give birth to my son and then completely forgot about them when I got home. I eventually found them again when looking through my bathroom cabinet and decided to just use them up. This is a nice no frills shampoo and conditioner.

5) QV Bath Oil - I love this stuff and put a little into every bath no matter what else I've put in there too. I've also put a small amount into my son's bath now and then if he had any skin flare ups. It leaves you feeling so soft and really helps with any eczema or dry patches you might have.

6) MOR Body Butter samples in Belladonna and Italian Blood Orange - It is no secret that I have a MOR fetish and I received these samples with my last full size body butter order. The Italian Blood Orange is just delicious.

7) Clinique Clarifying Lotion - This was a great toner and made my skin feel super clean and seemed to really help my moisturiser sink in. I think I received this as a gift with purchase many moons ago and was another product I found in my bathroom a while ago and decided to finally use up.

8) Kerastase Shampoo & Treatment samples - These sachets just didn't contain enough product to adequately cover my hair. I could manage to work in the shampoo all over but the treatment was nowhere near enough. I don't even have very long hair (it's only a few centimetres past my shoulders) and it's very fine so there's no way these would be enough for anyone with normal hair.

9) Erborian BB Creme and Elixir Au Ginseng samples - I was surprised at how many uses I got out of each of these samples. I think I got about 3-4 days out of the BB Creme because it was so thick and about 3 uses out of the Elixir. This BB Creme was thicker than most foundations I have used and was a little hard to rub into my face at times. A little really goes a long way and it covered everything! The Elixir was a gorgeous consistency and made my skin feel so super soft after use. I also liked the way it didn't make my face feel sticky after applying like some of these creams have a tendency to do.

10) ROC Complete Lift samples - I am in love with this cream and have been using it every day in the mornings before applying my makeup. It makes my skin look awake and feel super soft. I had a bit of raw red skin around my nose a week or so ago after having a cold that just wouldn't go away and this cream has healed this skin perfectly without any stinging or irritation.

11) Gatineau Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate sample - This sample was teeny weeny tiny and I think I only got 2-3 uses out of it so really not enough to tell whether it was much good or not. I did like the smell, I can at least say that much.

So that's it for November.

I hope everyone is looking forward to Xmas this year? This will be our first Xmas with our little man as a family so it should be super fun!

Nails of the Week - Essie 'Smooth Sailing'

I received this nail colour in the latest Glossy Box and decided to give it a try today.

This polish is a really pretty purple with a hint of silver shimmer. It almost looks blue in some light too.

I took these photos out in the sun in an attempt to highlight the small glitter particles that shimmer in this polish. They are so very fine though that it was quite hard to capture them. (Sorry, for those of you that may not remember what the 'sun' is after this horrid weather we have been having, it's that big round yellow thing that is normally residing in the sky during the day this time of year).

I haven't used this brand of polish before and it was actually really nice and smooth to apply and was pretty much dry enough for me to keep going about my business in around 15 minutes with two coats being applied. It gives a nice even coverage too.

What colours are everyone else sporting on their nails this weekend?

MOR Lip Sync Trio Gift Pack

This is to be a really quick post as we have no internet at home at the moment so I'm having to write this on my phone. Not the easiest thing to do!

Anyway, I recently purchased this MOR lip sync trio gift pack as a Xmas present for a good friend (who luckily doesn't read this blog) and I just wanted to share it with you guys as I think its one of the most adorable things ever.

It comes as a cute Xmas bauble and there are three Lip Macarons inside in the flavours French Vanilla, Rosebud and Peach Nectar and I just want one of these for myself now (hint hint to hubby).

I have a bit of an obsession with MOR products and don't think you can ever go wrong with anything from their range.

I really hope my friend likes this!

What does everyone else think of MOR? Do you have any favourite products from this brand?