Review: Boots Soltan Beautiful Bronze Self-Tan Lotion

As a huge fan of a healthy, year round glow, and the owner of milk bottle pale skin that refuses to tan under any circumstances, I am constantly on the look out for the perfect fake tan. I've tried many, from St. Tropez to St. Moritz, both of which have their good and bad points, St. Tropez more good points... St. Moritz more bad (but still fabulous for a night out... and it's SO cheap!) However, I recently came across the Boots Soltan range of sunless tanners, which really appealed to me, as a middle price range product with a good name behind it. So I purchased this Self-Tan Lotion for £8.99 and gave it a try!

Before I get on to the review, all I can say is EXFOLIATE, EXFOLIATE, EXFOLIATE!!! Fake tan needs a perfect canvas to be applied to, otherwise you're going to have a tan disaster!

Anyway...

It's a thick lotion in a rather alarming shade of orange with shimmer particles... I know what you're all thinking, it sounds horrendous, BUT if you stick to the traditional tan before bed, wash off in the morning principle, then it's alright. If you like to tan in the morning I advise you keep away from this as you will be like a walking Academy Award, try the mouse version as it has no shimmer and only a warm bronzed glow to it.

Moving on from the initial alarming colour, I apply this with a tanning mitt to already moisturised skin, use something that sinks in quickly but leaves your skin soft (I like The Righteous Butter by Soap and Glory) and this means that it applies evenly and does not cling to any dry patches. As this has a colour guide, it's easy to see where you're putting it, and I find as long as you cover everywhere it does not go streaky, i.e. only missed areas will show up, over application does not matter.

As I said before, I apply this before bed, which allows it plenty of time to develop before I wash it off, but I would say it needs between 4-6 hours for the colour to appear. It ends up as a warm, light tan, it is not orangey (if you exfoliate!) and does not cling badly to elbows and knees. If you're looking for a dark tan this is not for you, it does not look so good with multiple coats. One layer, every week is perfect for a summer glow, but it will not make you look like you've had three weeks in the Caribbean. It does however have a fake-tan smell, which is often unavoidable with most products. Although more often with high end products, there are no 'smell' issues, so when using this, I find it particularly noticeable! But if you can handle that then go for it! The mouse version does not smell so I think I'll stick to that in future.

All in all, I think this is a good tanning product for the price, I like the colour that it goes and the smell disappears when it's washed off. It's easy to apply and the colour guide is ideal for beginners.

Have you used this product before? Can your recommend other tans for me to try?! Let me know in the comments below.

Review: Benefit Posie Tint

Recently I've been moving away from powder products to cream and liquid formulations in order to achieve a more dewy, glowing finish to my skin. Last year I received a free sample of Benefit Posie Tint with a magazine and took it away with me on holiday as my sole blush product; a risky move! However it turned out to be a great success as I fell in love with it! As a sister product to the big hit Benetint  I had high hopes for this.

The Posie Tint is a liquid pink stain best applied to the apples of the cheek with three strokes of the applicator, which is the same as a nail polish brush. I then like to pat it in to my skin to blend and it leaves a beautiful soft pink glow to the cheeks. If you leave it too long it will stain your cheeks where you paint it on, but as long as you work quickly it's perfect. The colour is a blue-toned pink, so perfect for paler skin tones. The colour lasts all day long, definitely no need to touch up this product! It can also be used on the lips as a pretty 'bitten lip' pink colour and again, lasts all day!

As a side, it's never caused me to break out, it's not fragranced as far as I can tell. I recommend starting with a small amount as it can always be built up for a brighter effect. It lasts for ages, I've had my full sized one for a year and I use it most days, which makes its £24.50 price tag seem a lot more reasonable. It really is one of my favourite beauty products, and when it eventually runs out, I'll definitely be re-purchasing. I'm interested to try the new Cha-Cha tint and Sun Beam highlighter, so I'll be sure to review those when I try them out!

Top: Blended Bottom: Un-blended (Without Flash)

Top: Blended Bottom: Un-blended (With Flash)

Any more questions? Have you tried this product? Let me know in the comments below!

Review: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm has been an icon in the beauty industry since its release over 20 years ago. It is a cream product that claims to 'brighten and tighten' the skin to allow for perfect make up application.

I first started using this product a few years ago when my mum gave me her free Clarins samples but at the time I didn't really think about how to use it... I used it as a moisturiser, as a cleanser, mixed it with foundation, you name it I tried it! However, after a bit of investigation and my own experimentation, I discovered it is best applied after your morning moisturiser and before foundation.

I find it works best if you pat it in to the skin but do not rub it in, so that a thin layer covers your face. When you then start to apply your foundation it allows for a very smooth application and a bright, natural, glowing finish. I find it helps my make up to last well during the day but I don't tend to suffer to badly with make up waring away. It certainly delivers on the brightening front and I also feel it offers good moisture cover too. I often have dry patches or dehydrated skin and this helps with that massively! I can't really comment on the tightening aspect, I'm thankfully still wrinkle free but I imagine it probably goes towards smoothing out fine lines!

The product is a little pricey for a make up base, £28 for 50ml, but it will last you a while. It also often comes as a freebie in 'Gift With Purchase' offers in substantial 30ml sizes (as pictured above) so if you're a frequent Clarins customer you may not even need to splurge on it alone. The packaging has just changed (along with a lot of Clarins products) and I think it looks great, they've made the dispensing of product easier so volume control will be easier.

All in all I think this is a great product and would highly recommend it for those whole like their foundation to have a bit of a glow about it, even if it is on the pricey side!

Let me know if you've used this product and what you thought in the comments below.