Tanning Tuesday: Bronze Ambition 'Glow & Go'

This Tuesdays featured self tanner brings us into the realm of wash off tan. I have never been a fan of this sort of fake tan as the memory of using Rimmel's instant tan has put me right off - transfers like hell, icky shimmer, difficult to get even (if you were wondering).

When I was sent this product, I was skeptical to say the least!

For a mere £1.99, you get 100ml of product. Unlike in my past experience of wash off tan, this is a sparkle-less, gel formula. 

It glides on really nicely and has a nice coconutty/fruity scent- no biscuit scents with this baby! The colour payoff is good and a little goes a long way. 

 As I am sure you can tell, the colour isn't super dark, however it is buildable and pretty much foolproof if you are a tanning newbie!

Also, I can confirm that this really does not transfer. Once it has sunk into your skin it stays there and is easily removed in the shower.

I really recommend this for experimenting with tan, or even just to deepen up what you have on already if needs be. For such a bargain price, this is a fab product.

Available here!

xxx

Tanning Tuesday: Garnier Summerbody update

 I am sure you will remember my fiasco last Thursday with my bad reaction to Garnier Summer Body lotion, a product I intended to review for this series.

**If you haven't read my original post, click here!!**

I emailed Garnier that day with a link to my blog post and they tried ringing me the next day, however I was at work. Anyway the head of the customer advisory department sent me an email and I rang them yesterday. She was very sympathetic and actually offered me a consultation with a dermatologist to help me determine what might have caused the problems, so I could avoid such ingredients in the future. Also I have been offered a refund on the price of the lotion and my medication.

All in all I cannot fault their customer service, however the fact that so many of you have told me you have had similar reactions leads me to believe that there has been a bad batch made or something. Even if you just google "garnier summer body rash", loads of results come up of people on forums etc all talking about similar symptoms.

Quite a few of you told me that you had no problem with the product but you were using the old shaped bottle, I asked the Garnier rep and she couldn't tell me if the formulation has been changed. 

f you have had any reaction to Summerbody, I really encourage you to contact Garnier - the more of us that let them know about this, the bigger difference it will make.

Click here to contact Garnier!

Note your batch number also as I do feel it could be a batch issue, so note your number:

Also, Hayley has posted about her experience with the product too - Check it out here!

Thank you all for your lovely words regarding my last post on this, my skin is feeling much better now, however I still have little white bumps all around the affected areas, and my skin is much drier than usual so I am applying E45 lotion twice a day still. If you were wondering, the pharmacist (who looked horrified when I showed her my rashes, btw!) gave me these:

Topical cream & Allergy tabs for skin allergies

Thanks everyone!!

H xxx

Tanning Tuesday: Facial Tanning

Yay! It's time for another Tanning Tuesday! This time I am going to talk all about facial tanning, something that really needs to be considered when getting into your summer false tanning routine. Sure you can use the tan you use on your body on your face, but the chemicals do break me out (I have very sensitive skin) so a facial tanner is a must. I have been using and repurchasing L'Oreal Sublime Bronze for face for nearly two years now and I definitely think it's the best I have ever used.

It has a really clever dual pump system, one of which is the tanning gel, the other a moisturizer. When pumped out and applied it is very subtle yet instant, and the next morning (how long I like to leave it for) it results in a nice glow. This is actually my summer holiday must have, with this I am more than confident to go out in the daytime and sometimes evenings with just this, a dusting of bronzer and some mascara. 

I am not the hugest fan of the actual L'Oreal sublime gel as a false tanner on the whole, I went through a phase of using that about four years ago and it is a little hard to apply because of the gel consistency. However with the moisturiser it is absolutely perfect!

Best part of all = it has never broken me out. Woohoo!

Alternatively... a DIY facial tanner is necessary (ie. when I run out/forget the good stuff). Using the same theory as the L'Oreal, I just add some moisturiser and some tan.

Here I have used some E45 lotion and some St.Tropez spray.

However, be warned! This may break you out. I tried it with Xen Tan last week and believe me, I am still dealing with the consequences.

Also, don't expect face tanners to last long once applied if your cleansing routine is as complex as mine, I do have to reapply every couple of days with this, whereas my body tan would last about 4/5 days. It is worth it though, I do find that when I have a facial tanner on beneath my foundation, it gives me a sort of 'glow' and makes the tan look a whole lot more natural!

If you have any questions feel free to comment below or tweet me @hannahbanana661 :o)

Happy Tanning!

H xoxo

Tanning Tuesday: Xen Tan

Hello my lovelies! Today I am bringing you the very first installment of my new series: Tanning Tuesday! In this series, you can expect spotlight posts on different self tanners, preperation products and tips and tricks to achieve a year long glow! :o)                                             I adore false tanners, and have worn them almost every day since I was about 16/17 years old. With that kind of experience I feel fully equipped to let you guys in on all I know about tanning- the safe way, of course!                   

Today I bring you Xen Tan!

This is the Dark Lotion - a formula adored by several of my favorite celebs; Holly Willoughby, Gok Wan and Mollie from The Saturdays, to name but a few. 

The formula when it's right out of the bottle is a dark chocolatey brown, slightly scary looking but very blendable to a gorgeous instant tan finish.

L-R Straight from the bottle, slightly blended, fully blended.

I absolutely love the instant colour that this gives. I often apply my tan in the mornings, before I get ready for my day, so instant colour is a must-have! Also, any of you that have used tanning wipes (the horror!) will know all about the streaky mess that blind tanning (ie. with no guide colour) delivers, so this is a must.

L-R tan applied, no tan applied

Scent isn't something that bothers me as much as it does with some people, I usually find a perfumed lotion underneath or a few spritzes of perfume can fix this, however the Xen-Tan scent is quite honestly out of this world. It is a sweet, rich - yet not overpowering marzipan scent that I honestly believe anyone would be delighted to have on their skin. 

The Xen-Tan tanning mitt is also worth mentioning, most tanning mitts are sponge topped, which can become pretty scratchy and dry over time. However this one is actually made with velour, that soft terry-ish material. I am not going to go on about it too much, as mitts are set to be the topic of another Tanning Tuesday post. For now, all you need to know is that they are super luxe- and reasonable too at just £3.99 here.

So you want to see some before and afters? Please be warned that I like my tan dark, and this lotion is very adjustable if that isn't your personal preferance. However, this is how I like it on an everyday basis!

Also, to kick off 'Tanning Tuesdays', I am posting a supplementary 'reviewtorial' on my YT channel, using Xen Tan. This video includes tips and tricks of mine for application, as well as more info about Xen Tan itself!

Available here!

Have any of you tried Xen-Tan? I would love to hear your opinions!

Love H xoxo