So this is my first post in a long long time! I've been extremely busy since the summer sorting my life out for uni, and of course moving and settling in to the good ol' sunny Brighton. Hoping to get back into the swing of things, I recorded a little tutorial for a simple but striking make-up look that is perfect for the start of the colder weather. (Scroll down past photos for video) Enjoy!x

So since seeing all these gorgeous-sunkissed-golden-glowing-bronzed babes all over Instagram I was dying to try Bondi Sands tan, as this was appearing all over my feed. When I saw the slogan was 'The Australian Tan' and that the majority of people promoting the tan were, well.. in Australia, I was truly gutted. However, to my surprise, I picked up a bottle from the one and only Superdrug! (£14.99) After doing some trusty research, I decided the 'Light/Medium' would without a doubt be the most suitable colour for my British born pasty skin. I also saw a lot of good reviews on the 'Self Tanning Foam', so I opted for this (there are also mists, lotions, creams etc).  Reading the instructions on the back, I realised it probably best to pick up a tanning mitt, as the application says so.

Here is my skin, freshly exfoliated and free from any moisturisers (instructed in Step 1)

Step 2 instructs you to apply the product to a tanning mitt (remember to shake the bottle first), followed by using a long sweeping motion and using remaining residue for face, elbows and knees.

The first thing I noticed when using this tan was the fantastic you-could-eat-it scent. Instead of that classic fake tan biscuit like smell, this stuff smells like a thousand coconuts. Even after I had applied it, my bedroom smelt like coconut for days. 10/10 for the scent,

So here's what the foam looks like on the mitt. Being a usual gradual tan girl, I was quite scared when I applied this foam to my leg which was 10 shades darker than my skin. But don't fret, you wash it off. I started on my legs, using the residue for my feet, then I worked my way up my back, tummy, chest, arms and neck and finally a tiny bit on my face. I would say the foam is easily spreadable if you're quick with it, however if you notice a streaky patch a few minutes later, it can be quite difficult to blend, requiring more tan to even it out.

Step 3 says that skin may be washed after one hour, but for a longer lasting darker tan, leave on for up to 6 hours. The first time I tried this I left it on for one hour then rinsed it off in the shower (using body wash as normal). This gave me a really lovely light tan which lasted a good few days.

Washed off after 1 hour. Light tan.

The next time however, I tanned before bed and slept in it, washing it off the following morning. This gave me a much more deeper tan. I love the fact you can adapt the tan to your own preference, having a light glow to a deep tan with the same product.

These photos above were the next morning after application before washing off. As you can see, the product goes very dark. One thing that I also noticed was whilst the tan was settling, it wasn't totally dry. When I sat on the toilet seat I left marks from my tanned backside (it did come off the seat), and a bit on my bedding. This isn't too much of a problem because the whole point is to rinse it off, but I would recommend wearing loose clothing after applying the product. On the upside, the product isn't at all sticky, and you can pretty much carry on as normal.

After washing the tan off.

And finally, I have a tan! To be honest, I think all the faff is worth it for this beautiful outcome! It's very even, no funny smells, not too orange, and even looks natural. I can finally see what all the fuss is about. Another factor I love is that this lasts a good few days, possibly even a week without re-applying. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a salon quality self tan, and I would say the price is worth it. I will definitely carry on purchasing the Bondi Sands tan.

Thanks for reading!

x

So my natural hair is darkest brown. I've tried having highlights, dying it purple, red, and medium brown, which all lasted about 2 weeks before I dyed it back to my natural colour (due to dislike). Naturally my hair is curly, thick and unfortunately dries out very easily meaning that if I do want to go lighter, I have to face the fact my hair is going to be soo damaged after. After having the same colour for a few years now, I decided that with the warm weather sticking around I wanted something more light and beachy for the summer, so I decided on ombre. (Photo: Natural Colour)

After watching a few DIY ombre videos on YouTube, I thought "well, what have I got to lose?" Little did I know this was quite literally:
1. Money
2. More money
3. Some of my hair
4. A normal appearance
5. All hope.

Firstly, I picked up 2 highlighting kits (Bblonde by Jerome Russell), Wella developing creme and a pearly blonde toner (not knowing much about toners at this point.)

So, as you do, I copied what I'd seen on YouTube, gradually blending the bleach upwards for a natural two tone look. I wrapped the bleached hair in foil and left it for 60ish mins. I then took off the foils to discover my hair had only lifted to a lovely bright tone of orange. Washing it out, I was hoping that once it had dried it would look somewhat lighter. It didn't. It was a mix of dark brown, orange, strawberry blonde and yellow. YUCK!

(The photos are quite dark, they don't emphasize the grossness)

 But there was still hope. Stupidly, I thought the toner would sort the whole thing out. The toner did absolutely nothing. This is because I bought shade 10/8, and in order for this to work, I needed shade 10 hair which is a very light blonde. I then went to work and got laughed at.

The next day, I tried to solve the copper hue by going over the bleached bits with a blonde box dye. I bought 2 boxes as I have thick hair, covered the bleached parts, and then had a bit of dye left in the bottle. Now, I really don't like to waste things. Idly, I slapped the rest of the dye on the top half of my hair (the dark part) because I thought it wouldn't do anything, as my dark hair has never taken to any lighter dye before.

DISASTER!

I now had patches of gingery blonde from my roots, which then went into a strip of dark brown around my head, which then went into a BRIGHT orange, a strawberry blonde and yellow. I went to work and got laughed at even more.

By this point I knew something seriously had to be done to my tragic mop of hair sat on my head. I went to an actual hair salon.. Best decision I have ever made in my life!!!

The hairdresser dyed the top half back to my natural colour, bleached the part I originally wanted ombre, and then put a toner and a lovely treatment on. I was SO pleased with the outcome. The colour is still quite a warm blonde, however she said to go back in about a months time, and one more go should lift it to the blonde I desire to be. Unfortunately my hair is pretty damn dry, so I will have to have quite a lot chopped, but it will definitely look and feel so much healthier.

So ladies.. ALWAYS go to a professional when bleaching hair, unless you've done it before and know what you're doing!!! 

P.s Watch this space for more updates on going lighter and repairing highly damaged hair.

            Click here to watch the tutorial.

So I haven't posted in ages, but I've decided to start a YouTube channel! I'm always watching people do their makeup, hair and share beauty tips so i thought why not, and I set up a channel! This tutorial is a look I use quite often as its perfect for casual looks in the daytime, or a smokey look for night which isn't too heavy. Would very much appreciate it if you could take the time to watch, and if so let me know what you think. P.s please subscribe! :)

Also if anyone has a YouTube channel, comment the channel name and I'll subscribe to you!

Before I begin with this post, I would like to say that I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Thankfully I get 2 weeks off from work over Christmas, and as I'm not allowed to wear nail varnish at work, the first thing I did was book my nails in! I wanted something that was festive, so I went for 'rockstar' Shellac. I grew my own nails quite long for this, and because Shellac is so thick it helps your nails grow super quickly. There were SO many colours and glitters to choose from, but I went for red because its bright and suits my skin tone. Shellac last for 2 weeks, and I paid £23 for mine.

Unfortunately, I only have one more week left with these extremely sparkly nails :( What I can say is that I will definitely be getting these done again in the future!

What were/are your festive nail ideas?