Lauren's Way Dream Rollers

Evening All

I'm feeling great this evening after a great workout. I love the feeling after a good workout. After I've done spin tomorrow I expect I'll be complaining!

A few weeks ago I went to the launch of the new Lauren's Way Darker than Dark Glam tan launch, you can read reviews on it here (I'm currently sat with it on ready for a night out for L's birthday on Saturday!)

I already own the Lauren's way rollers but have never got around to reviewing them. L is a big fan of them and when we go on nights out I quite often take mine to hers for her to use as we are getting ready. You can see the result of them being in L's hair from this old post.

When I saw the dream rollers in the goodie bags I was so pleased as I only got the set of 8 when I originally purchased them and needed more.

You can see from the picture below the one on the top right is an old roller. These are over 20 months old and still in great condition and the foam is still bouncy.

Dream rollers are squishy so they can be comfortably slept in. I'm not going to lie and say you can't feel them in your head because you can! I find if you sleep on your back or stomach you'll be fine. If you sleep on your side I'd recommend putting your hand between head and pillow to initially squish the rollers and then remove your hand. 

Once you get used to the fact you have an extra pillow around your head and find a comfy position they are fine to sleep in. I didn't wake up through the night and even though I'm a fidget they stay in perfectly well and don't need grips in (when I only had 8 I used grips as the rollers had more hair on them and in L's hair I use grips)

When I only had 8 rollers I bought the boots version as they were cheaper thinking they'd be just as good. They aren't don't consider the cheaper alternative as they don't compare. The boots version the foam hasn't held up as well, are slightly smaller, don't grip the hair as well but the hair they do grip they seem to rip out (I'm sure you can see all the hair around the red one! I always felt bad getting these out of L's hair and tugging at her hair!)

Rollers in all ready to sleep. I put them into clean dry hair and just slept!

The result the next morning! Hello huge hair. This was after just pulling the rollers out and no moving the hair around. The rollers give such root boost and also add a lush curl. If you have long hair they would give a gorgeous curl! Apologies for the dark photos on the last two but it was late at night and early morning and my room has crap lighting!

Hair all styled out! I love the subtle wave and the messy look it gives to my long bob. This is the result of them being put in my natural hair (which is a curly frizzy mess!)

If I have straight hair I like to add the rollers in for an hour when I'm getting ready and showing etc as I love how it just adds soft volume and curls my ends under!

I'm so glad I've now got the full set it's much easier! I'm sure L will be wanting these for Saturday too!

Have you tried dream rollers? They are great to sleep in but you still get great results from popping them in for an hour!

Love M

xxx

Lauren's Way Glam Tan Darker than Dark. *

Hey All

Hope you've had great weekends! Mine has been one of mixed emotions. L and I met up with a friend and went out to watch the rugby yesterday. With both of us being rugby fans and myself being English and L being Welsh we knew it was going to be an interesting match!! A very happy result for me with England beating Wales and us winning the triple crown. Now if France could beat Ireland next weekend so we can win I'd be happy! On the downside my brother was in a pretty bad accident when doing jumps on his bike the hills near us back home and has currently spent the last 3 days in and out of hospital dosed up on morphine! It times like these I hate that I've moved away from home!

Anyway on to happier stuff. With the lush weather we've been having this weekend I've been layering on the tan. I feel so much better with a tan. I feel like I look healthier (A lovely work colleague this week told me I looked like death on a day I'd decided not to wear make up to work!), thinner and just a bit better with a tan.

I was lucky enough to go to the Lauren's way launch a few weeks back. After trying the Darker than Dark lotion first probably over 18 months ago I was excited to try the glam tan version as I had loved the first so much.

The event was amazing and I mentioned it a bit more here.

Glam tan is a formula that was available in the other shades but darker than dark is a new release. Glam tan is like a spray tan. It has a spray nozzle and the tan itself is a very thin liquid. I'm someone who normally prefers lotions to mouse so I was excited to try a liquid,

Even though I'm pale I do still like to use darker than dark as I find with light tans it takes ages to build the colour up and to be honest I'm a little lazy. There is always the worry that you'll go orange but with this tan I didn't! (with the exception of my hands but that's my fault as after forgetting to tan them I thought it would be a great idea to do it after drinking a bottle of wine and was a bit too liberal with the tan! Thanks L for the photographic evidence of it!! She was gutted England were winning!)

Due to the fact Glam Tan is a liquid it can be used on the face and body. I find sometimes tan will either accentuate my pores of block them. With this on it doesn't seem to be the case and my face matches by body without being spotty as a result.

To apply Glam Tan you spray it onto the mitt first, then rub in, in circular motions. As it's a thin liquid it dries really quickly. I was also impressed that it didn't rub off from wearing a bra leaving marks. It was also streak free.

Pre tan

After Developed

Once Washed off (I do think the sun was a bit bright for this photo as I'd say it's darker in real life!)

Although this photo was taken pre wash off I think it's more true to the colour I am now!

It also fades really well without leaving patches. I am someone who uses a shower puff and I definitely think if you apply fake tan this is good as it helps keep the tan from fading off patchy.

I'm really loving glam tan. For me I prefer the formula to the lotion as it's thinner it's easier to apply and sinks in quicker. As for smell. It doesn't have that biscuit scent at all which noone ever wants with fake tan. As it develops it does get a slight smell but once washed off it's gone again.

I'm already converted. My plan is now I've started is to top up every three days so I stay tanned! I much prefer being brown.

Glam Tan is £19.95 for 250mls and can be bought from Lauren's Way or Superdrug. If your local store doesn't stock it you can have it sent to store and save on delivery costs!

Have you tried Lauren's Way? Would darker than dark put you off if you were pale?

Love M

xxx

Life Lately!

Morning!

I came on here with the intention of sharing with you a mascara I've been loving lately but my head just isn't feeling like wanting to write it and I feel more like a life post!

Is it me or is this year speeding by! It's started well for me and I hope it just keeps getting better. A week ago I was lucky to be invited to an event in London for the launch of a new Lauren's way tan. We got to meet the Lauren who couldn't be nicer or more friendly. We were totally spoiled with cocktails, cakes and goodie bags and it was such a good night. I will be sharing the tan with you guys soon. I'm already a huge fan of the darker than dark lotion.

Last Wednesday I was tired and bored and decided to be impulsive and get another piercing (the 4th since last July!). It's becoming addictive. I finally got my nose pierced after wanting it for ages. I thought I'd hate the big bar but I actually quite like it and I'm in no hurry to change it now. It wasn't painful but did make my eyes water!

Lots of coffee and catching up with friends has been happening which I love doing. It's great to gossip over starbucks! I'm such an addict. Hello gold membership and free shots and syrups.

I'm also totally hooked on a new series! Game of Thrones has literally taken over since I started watching the TV series with a friend last Monday. In just over a week I'm 300 pages into the 1st book and 3 episodes down. For me I find it really slow to read but it's really good. I think it was much easier to watch a few episodes then read the book!

I've been absolutely loving playing with my Naked 3 palette that I couldn't resist treating myself too. It's got such gorgeous colours and is so wearable. I also can't believe how long lasting it is. This photo was after it had been on for 18 hours!

I've enjoyed playing around with make up lately and trying new looks even if it's not wearable! Sometimes it's fun to just pile it on.

On Friday I went out with my lovely housemates for drinks and to watch the rugby! I love watching rugby and it was such a great atmosphere in Cardiff. It was a great weekend for rugby especially with England winning too!

I keep day dreaming in work at moment. I'm lucky I work at the top of a hill and have the most amazing views across Cardiff! I can see right across the city centre and the landmarks. On a nice day it's so distracting to just stare out of some of the lab windows!

The most amazing dessert place from Red Hot Buffet! I love red hot buffet for when I want to pig out!

I finished off that evening with Mia wine! It had mine now on and was sparkling so would be rude not too!

It seems I've also finally got my fitness motivation back which is well overdue. I've been riding, kickboxing, pump classes, pilates, running, weights, HIIT and punch bag training. In 3 days I've done about 5 hours. If I can move in the morning I'll be surprised haha. 6 months till tough mudder!

That's my past week and a bit! I hope you've all had good weeks. Here's to the next one being better. L is coming round tomorrow and I'm cooking. Can't wait for a girly gossip!

Love M

xxx

Spring Series: Tanning!

We're back with our last but one installment in our Spring Series.

We've already covered fitness, hands, feet, facal skincare and body care.

This weeks topic is tanning, and I will be referring back to Pinterest for the obligatory pictures of tanned and toned bodies.

 

So that's enough to get me laying off the pizza for a few hours...

As we all know tanning can help to make your skin appear more uniform, hide scars and make you look more toned and slimmer. As far as I'm concerned this is a pretty damn good thing so I try and do this every time I go out (which sadly is getting a more rare occasion!).

To do this I normally have been keeping up with my scrub and moisturise routine so my skin is in good condition.

Then I start with a few days tanning 'prep' by using Dove tanning moisturiser.

I find that I'm so pale I need a few layers of this to get my skin to a relatively normal colour.

After this when my skin is super moisturised and a few shades darker than it was before, my first choice for application would be Vita Liberata's Extra Rich Silken Chocolate lotion which I have previously posted about.

I just haven't found anything else like it that is so easy to apply, gives a great even colour and fades more evenly than anything else also. It's a lotion in a pump that seems to last such a long time before you need to buy another, I'm a huge fan!

Having said that, if you're looking for a mousse option I am a fan of St Tropez's mousse which is great for your weekend tan as well. It's easy to rub in and control how much you're applying for an even colour.

If you're looking for a spray option then I recommend Garnier's Ambre Solaire which is also a great budget buy and always on offer. It dries pretty quickly but I do recommend covering your flooring before hand, don't cover your blue carpet and make it a brown colour like I did.....

I like to make sure my tan is done before the day it needs to be done so I can apply some sort of shimmery stuff but this isn't always possible and i find they don't mix together too well!

So as for wash off tans, I absolutely love Rimmel's Sun Shimmer Instant Tan range. There's everything you want from a mousse to a lotion for some instant even colour. 

After this I do like to apply some shimmer to the middles of my limbs and collar bones.

Mixing High Beam with your facial moisturiser can be really good to apply to your collarbones and chest area.

I find a spray such as Soap and Glory's Easy Glistening super easy to use as you can just hold it a fair distance away for a sheen and closer for a heavier coating. It's made from almond oil so its more of a dry oil and gives a subtle sheen which I prefer to an all over glitter look!

What are your favourite tanning products?? Do you prefer mousse or lotions or sprays?

L xxx

I'm naturally very pale, if I'm not the palest shade in a foundation it's a surprise. Being naturally blonde I have very freckly skin too so during the summer I get a little tan if I sunbathe but my skin doesn't tan particularly well (50 degree sun in Ibiza and I still came back with white legs despite using factor 8 on them, it's like they repel the sun).

I love fake tan. I've mentioned before I'm naturally very pear shaped, hello huge bum, this does mean I have cellulite towards the top of my thighs which never looks great with a dress. I always tan for a night out as it does help improve the appearance, and I prefer the way I look with a tan.

I'm like L and start with a good exfoliation (favouring Next Spa scrub or a Soap and Glory one) followed by  lots of moisturiser and shaving 24 hours prior to tanning.

My tastes in tan has changed over the past 18 months. It started with me absolutely loving Fake Bake Mouse. It gave an even colour, was a reasonable price and was easy to apply.

After trying a sample set of St Tropez lotion I was totally converted to lotions. I find they are so much easier and I think they last longer so are therefore better for value. I loved St Tropez but as I'm so pale I was finding I needed to apply it for 2 or 3 days in a row to get a good colour pay off from it after washing off. The other thing with St Tropez was that it has the typical fake tan smell. Which results in my Other Half complaining I stink.

After much deliberation I decided to try Lauren's Way. Something about celebrity endorsed products always puts me off and makes me doubt how good they are. This product received so many rave reviews I wondered if it could be that good. Plus lets face it Lauren has sported more than one bad orange tan and no one wants that look. I ordered the darker than dark lotion.

Firstly if you are pale don't be worried about darker than dark. It gives a gorgeous natural glow, it's green tinged before being washed off which does help it not turn orange. Another bonus it doesn't smell typical fake tan straight away. I find when it's developed it does have a slight smell but nothing as bad.

Overall I love this tan. It's even colour, gives a great colour pay off after one application, smells better than others and is cheaper than St Tropez.

My favourite tan at the moment is Glo Tan Tan in a Can. Since receiving this product it has now been released for public sale and the packaging looks a lot better. Much more sleek.

I'm so glad we were lucky enough to try this (original review here), I've been totally converted. My can has now done three full body applications and still has around half left. It gives the most natural result (once you've mastered application which I had by the second attempt). Due to being a spray it gives a light coating all over the skin so no streaks are left. I tend to use a clean mitt and slightly buff it in. I do still think it's harder to apply than other tans but for me I wouldn't use any others now.

I favour Glo Tan over others still because with this I can tan on a Friday night and wake up on Saturday with a good colour. Other tans require two coats on my pale skin. It also really doesn't smell. I find other tans that claim not to smell do after they've developed. Literally can't say enough positive things about this tan. It is slightly more expensive at £26. But it does last a long time.

In 18 months I've gone from mouse to liquid to spray. What's your favourite tan? Will you pay more for a better product?

Love M

xxx