Free With Instyle UK - St Tropez

Like the rest of the self tan addicts, I was completely enthralled by the premise of an in-shower tanner - talk about the convenience! However when the reviews started rolling, it seemed mostly like St Tropez In Shower Tanning Lotion might be a bit of a gimmick. So I was quite curious, but not willing to part with too much cash. Curiosity got the best of me though, and given that Instyle magazine are giving away a free 50ml bottle on the front, I've no excuse but to finally give it a go. The August issue is in newsagents now... 

Getting Long Lashes and Brows - LiLash and LiBrow Review

The thing about most women is, we want full hair on our heads, lashes and brows... chance is, we weren't blessed with it and instead probably have it adorned on our legs instead. (How many people did I just scare away in one sentence? My bad. But you know it's true.)

LiLash and LiBrow* are hair growth serums designed to encourage hair growth on (you guessed it) lashes and eyebrows. They aren't my first venture into said products, and because of my negative experiences in the past, I was sceptical. Let's get down to business...

The LiLash serum comes with an applicator like that of a liquid eyeliner, allowing precision application to the lash line and brows (if you didn't want to buy both). And so is easy to apply either in the morning or at night. The results which came after about a month were a darker, more voluminous healthy lash, and after 12 weeks, were a much more feathered, lengthened lash with lots of volume. (N.B. I applied the product wrong for a while by applying far too much and had a reaction so my experience was out of the ordinary, but if you were to learn from my mistakes - chill out with the product!)

LiBrow was probably the one I was most excited about. My eyebrows, while pretty full are very fine hairs which can make my eyebrows look more like a shadow than hair (and let's not mention the occasional bald patch). So I was holding up hope for this to thicken and lengthen the hairs to make them look fuller without being uncontrollable. It 100% met my expectations, and as I like such a strong, dark brow the serum worked really well at maintaining the appearance of any dye I put on them to make them *even more* darker!

Both products would be ideal for anyone that's suffered with a bad beautician experience (we've all had bad lash extensions and brow waxes!) to promote regrowth and rectify any mistakes left behind.

I wish I had a before and after to share with you guys but unfortunately my phone broke on me and I lost the before pictures - sob! Although I will say that I've been asked an insane amount of times if I was wearing lash extensions. I love both of these products, and will quite happily rush to repurchase them.

Will you be picking up either of these beauties? They're the best brow/lash growth serums on the market - you won't be disappointed.

Upping Hydration Levels the Luxury Way - Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum

Now coined one of Chanel's "Essentially Chanel" products (which is the 5 most sought after products from their range) their Hydra Beauty Micro Serum is a hydration product which packs an extra elegant punch. Bearing in mind it's still quite a new product, to go down with the infamous Rouge Coco Lipstick, and Tan de Chanel Bronzer is a pretty huge feat. I'd been lusting after it since it originally came on the scene, thanks to the lovely Dave Lackie (you all know that lovely fellow on Twitter by now, right?) I managed to get my mitts on one *swoons*  

So the main question is... how did I get on with such an expensive serum, right? Taking money out of the question for a second, here's the pros of the micro serum;

- It's texture is so lightweight, it sinks in immediately, and a little goes a long way.
- It's watery texture hydrates like no other. Think, the effects of a day of drinking 8 glasses of water and nothing but green tea (yup, that hydrated)
- The hydration benefits go beyond giving skin an even, non-flaky appearance, and seem to plump any fine lines (cough, frowning) 
- The serum makes a perfect base for makeup. Skin is left smooth, plumped and well hydrated for whatever other products will be bombarding your face.
- On a superficial note, have you seen the bottle? It's incredible. And the water droplets suspended in the formula just scream luxury.

And down to the dirty stuff, the price... it's steep at £66 for 30ml. (Debenhams) But we're all willing to pay slightly more for something that works I'm sure? It does work, it's amazing for extra hydration, pure luxury and looking more than beautiful on your vanity. I've been using it just over a month now and don't seem to have used up even a third of the bottle, so chance is this will see me through summer. And when winter comes Winter is Coming I'll quite happily run out to repurchase.

*CLOSED* Lyon Notes Bundle Giveaway! *CLOSED*

I'm not sure why it took me so long to make this post go live, especially given how long I've been stocking up on products to giveaway. I felt like a relaunch of my blog design, etc. warranted a treat for loyal readers! I planned it out with a theme, it was going to be a "get ready for summer" type deal, but that soon when out the window when I went a little crazy in Boots... so I'll let shush and let the pictures do the talking...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms and conditions:
- Open to UK only - sorry, it's pretty weighty!
- If you're under age of 18 ask a parent/guardian's permission to supply me your details.
- Any false entries on Rafflecopter form will warrant your name being removed fully from the draw. (All entries WILL be checked)
- Winner will be emailed after closing date, and if said person doesn't respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen and contacted.
- All items were supplied by myself.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Items included are as follows; Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Lengthening Mascara, Loreal Casting Sunkiss Jelly, Loreal Sublime Bronze Summer Glow Lotion, Lee Stafford Straightening Blow Dry Spray, Soap and Glory Off Your Face wipes, Soap and Glory travel size Clean on Me and Righteous Butter, Buddy Scrub Cacao (Sample size)

-Good luck!

Currently Loving

While I'm lacking a lot in the new makeup department at the moment, (did I mention my HUGE makeup cull? I'm proud.) I've still got a generous amount of rediscoveries and amazing products to share.

Contrary to popular belief, spring/summer does not mean dark colours need to go out of the window. There's something exceptionally beautiful about dark nails in the spring months, especially when you live in such a gloomy country. Chanel Orage Le Vernis is an ideal almost black shade that leans both blue and grey depending on the lighting, and has pretty damn good longevity - I can't take this off my fingers!

Also in the makeup stakes, I've rediscovered the amazing warm gold eyeshadow that is MAC Woodwinked. Ideal to be worn alone and buffed out for a warm, Olsen-esque eye look, this is frequently paired with my new favourite; Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint. This very lightweight coverage tint brightens the complexion without covering up any natural colouring in the face, and it's lightweight texture makes the skin feel as bare as it looks. Naked skin is in.

And cue a beauty blogger cliche; I'm currently enamoured with Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt cologne. It sparks suggestions of holidays and whimsy, which is much appreciated at the moment. *sprays everywhere