Melvita Pro-Sun Gradual Self-Tanning Moisturising Gel-Crème Review

The natural, DHA free and super moisturising self tanning crème by Melvita!

Whether you struggle to get a tan naturally or just want to acheive a beautiful gradual tan safely; Melvita have the answer to every pasty girl's prayers...

Let me introduce the Melvita Pro-Sun Gradual Self-Tanning Moisturising Gel-Crème which i was fortunate enough to win from one of my favourite online beauty and skincare sites - Feelunique. This little beauty, unlike many of its contenders, contains NO DHA and still leaves you with a lush sunkissed face and body... sans the nasty biscuit smell! Perfection, right?!

In fact, the formula smells absolutely delightful; think of the scents and products you usually opt for when at the beach, very summery indeed with the fragrance of coconuts and creamy vanilla...It's not at all overpowering but just enough to be able to transport your mind to a beautiful tropical beach and back! I digress, but the scent of this product is just divine and well worth a mention. The tube contains 150ml and will cover the body a good few times from head to toe I'd think but I've been using it mainly for my legs so it should last me much longer. As you can see from my swatch above, the formula is quite thick and creamy - ideal for when smoothing over your body as it glides effortlessly and is intensely nourishing which is essential for achieving an even gradual tan. Although it's very creamy and thick, I found the product took no time in sinking in to my skin and didn't feel greasy to touch after; just super soft skin was left in it's wake. 

As for the results, I must say i'm hooked! The tan is quite light to start off with but builds up nicely with time if you apply it each day or until you get to the colour you like. I went a very gorgeous shade of golden olive and I loved how natural the finish was. You can use this on both face and body but I personally found this a little too moisturising for my oily/combi skin but it will work wonders on normal to dry types. The most important factor for me with this product is the fact that it's natural and uses organic ingredients such as buriti, safflower, coconut and sunflower oils to give a long-lasting, even and skin friendly tan ALL year long!

You can buy this Melvita Pro-Sun Gradual Self-Tanning Moisturising Gel-Crème to try for yourself from Feelunique for £20.00 inc free delivery.

Dr Bragi's Marine Enzyme Intensive Treatment Mask

Thirsty Skin? Look no further...

Yesterday I flew long haul to Florida for around 9 hours and anyone who has ever flown before will know that your skin gets really dehydrated and sore during and after a flit, even short ones. I was actually planning on testing the Dr Bragi Marine Enzyme Mask over the weekend but I'm so glad that I saved it for a post flight pick me up back at the hotel!

This mask is very intensive as it states on the packet and delivered a real shot of moisture to my parched skin last night allowing me to get my glow back and be ready to hit the pool looking fresh again today... The mask is a made from fabric with cut out sections for your eyes, nose and mouth area; you apply to the face by smoothing it around your eye contour and then the rest of the face should follow suit. This mask aims to "rapidly target redness, dehydration, loss of firmness and premature ageing" and once used your skin should look and feel more radiant and plump. It is recommended for stressed or fragile skins but this mask is definitely fab for all skin types too that need a little boost from time to time.

The mask looks a little scary but you can see there's plenty of room for your mouth and eyes etc. I left my mask on for the full amount of time, around 10-15 minutes and before I went to bed for optimal results. I loved how nourishing it felt whilst on - the fabric was soaked and clung to the skin but didn't drip. Once I was ready to take the mask off I found that I needed to tissue off some excess product that had accumulated around my lower cheek/chin area but I left it quite moist to really give my skin the moisture it so desperately needed. It's now the morning and my skin feels super soft again... Phew!

You can purchase this Dr Bragi Treatment Mask over on the Dr Bragi official website for £8.33 for a single packer £20.83 for a triple pack.

Review: Sampar Glamour Shot Matte Perfection

The 6 Hour Mattifying Transparent Concealer...

Glamour Shot Matte Perfection, £26 for 15ml

I recently reviewed the Sampar So Much To Dew Day Cream and since then I've had the chance to try a product that i'm always on the hunt for; a long lasting skin mattifier. Sampar's Matte Perfection boats being able to keep my skin shine-free for 6 hours whilst also helping to conceal enlarged pores. I've used a wide range of serums and gels to help me deal with any shine I accumulate throughout the day and none so far have lasted me any longer than 2-3 hours before i've needed to blot. 

Sampar's pretty packaging...

Again, Sampar's packaging is really feminine and pretty with the powder pink tube and Parisian skyline   encasing the product within. Glamour Shot Matte Perfection is £26 and the tube holds 15 ml - you only need to apply to your problem areas, not the whole face unless you really feel you need it, so it should last a decent amount of time before running out. I'm quite excited about the fact that Sampar describe it as a concealer and state that "over time, skin texture is refined" and that it "unifies the complexion"... This product is definitely quite the multi-tasker!

Potent formula

As you can see, the gel is milky and transparent. When applying to my T-Zone, it almost instantly dried upon blending and felt very dry at first; not tight just smooth and slightly like a dry coating/film where I had used it. I had just cleansed my face so I was very shiny in places but once applied the shine nearly vanished completely! It doesn't erase 100% of my shine but it certainly conceals the majority of it and leaves me with a very lovely shine-free finish. It just looks natural. I'm not keen on the scent and it's very pungent and strong. I can't describe it to you as there's no florals in there, a little bit strong for my liking. 

Swatch of a pea sized blob

The question you've all been dying to ask: did it last the full 6 hours?!

It certainly provided me with 6 hours shine fighting time but after about 4-5 hours I was slowly starting to feel the need for my blotting tissues. That said, it is still the most powerful mattifier that I have tried so far and you have to bear in mind that my skin is VERY combi/oily so keeping the sebum under control which causes shine is pretty damn hard for even the most potent mattifiying potions... 

This is also a product that gets to work on your skin over a period of time, balancing sebum production, so it should slowly last longer and give more dramatic results over time. My pores definitely looked like they had shrank and when I applied my usual foundation over the top my skin just looked so much more flawless. I think this would last possibly more than 6 hours on someone with normal skin that has a few shiny areas or milder cases of combo/oily skins. 

If you want to try this for yourself, take a peep at Sampar.co.uk or Marks and Spencers... 

Tried this product? Did it last the full 6 hours for you? I'd love to hear x

Chanel L'ete Papillon De Chanel Summer 2013 Collection - Azure Le Vernis, Jade Shore Stylo & True Blue Eyeliner Review

"The dazzling colours of butterflies inspire a joyful look for face and fingertips with the enchanting Summer collection" - Chanel.com

Lilis, Azure & Bel-Argus Le Vernis

I'm a total Chanel beauty junkie and I get very giddy at the announcement of their new seasonal collections! The Chanel L'ete Papillon De Chanel gave me plenty to get excited about, I mean, just look at those nail jewel-like nail polish colours! The  Le Vernis nail colours were the main products that really caught my eye about this collection and in my head I was already picturing myself wearing the metallic blue 'Bel-Argus'... I've been searching for the perfect deep blue nail polish for what feels like forever!

Precious Parcel...

So I ended up making a few key purchases from the Chanel counter in Debenhams, Meadowhall, which had 10% off and £5 bonus points (for £40 spend) promotions on at the time so it was just too good to pass up! Read on to find out what I bought...

To my surprise, I didn't end up purchasing the 'Bel-Argus' Le Vernis! The Chanel assistant swatched the polish on her nails for me and it just didn't have that sparkle or intensity of colour like the 'Azure' Le Vernis I opted for instead. It just didn't end up looking as bright as it did in the bottle and it disappointed me a little. The 'Azure' however looked exactly the same on the nails as it did sat in its bottle - no difference whatsoever! So in all I made 3 purchases but I'm tempted to buy another 2... I also got some free samples on the day - Hydra Beauty Gel Yeux which isn't released until the 14th June and is a creamy eye gel to help with puffyness and dark shadows. The second sample was the Sublimage Essential Comfort Cleanser which smells heavenly! 

1. Azure Le Vernis - metallic blue-green £18.00

2. Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadow - light shimmery sea green £23.00

3.True Blue Stylo Yeux Waterproof - turquoise blue £19.00

Azure Le Vernis

As you can see from the very first picture in my post of the three polishes together, the lighting plays an important role on how the polishes look. The Azure shade I went for is very bright and definitely makes me think of a beautiful butterfly's wings. In my pics when taken at home (the next two) it looks a little duller but I couldn't get the lighting right. You can still see the metallic blue-green shades playing against each other; it looks so magical. Unfortunately I haven't been able to use this yet as I started my new job today and opted for Chanel's 'Frenzy' shade instead... This will be on my nails in a week's time though when I shall be jetting off to Florida! Perfect for summer and will look fab agains a tan, like all of the range, to be honest.

True Blue Stylo Yeux

This is a close up of the waterproof eyeliner; 'True Blue'. It's mega intense and when it says waterproof... it means waterproof! I tried getting this eyeliner off with my usual face wipes and it barely budged! It calls for some pretty heavy duty makeup remover or an oil based cleanser. It was on the same day that I purchased this that I was tweeting my fellow beauty addicts for suggestions for waterproof eyeliners perfect for the beach. I had totally forgotten the launch was that day! So I went shopping intending to get the Clarins Turquoise eyeliner but i'm so glad I managed to get  this instead. 

Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadow

The stylo eyeshadow pens are seriously amazing to apply! They actually seem to have a cooling effect on the lid, not sure if this is intentional or not but it feels lovely on. I only got the 'Jade Shore' as this was my favourite from the range and I was going for sea greens for my beach look but i'm now wishing I had picked up the 'Pink Lagoon' stylo too. I swatched it below under 'Moon River' whilst in the store with the rest of the products I purchased; it's a very warm fresh pink with lots of sparkle.

From top: Moon River, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadows & True Blue Stylo Yeux

I didn't end up going with the 'Moon River' shadow as I've got plenty of similar shades. All are super shimmery but this doesn't mean they compromise on the colour payoff... All are very bright and eyecatching. 'True Blue' is at the very bottom and I wish I'd not rushed and done more of a swatch of that in their lighting as it's seriously lush.

Have you purchased anything from the range yet? Only a matter of time until the nail polishes sell out as usual but I'm really hoping to maybe purchase the 'Pink Lagoon' eyeshadow and the 'Blue Note' electric blue mascara. I was worried I wouldn't get my money's worth of use from the mascara as I can only imagine wearing it on holiday or very rarely on a sunny day in the UK but it looks great on from what i've seen in other blogs.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this collection lovelies! xoxo