Amanda Harrington Face Illuminating Bronzing Mist

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There are so many bronzing and tanning products on the market right now and while formulas have vastly improved overall, it’s still a pretty hit and miss market.

I recently tried a new collection from a very well known Australian tanning brand and couldn’t quite believe how exceptionally orange the products left my face – in contrast I couldn’t have had a more different experience with the Amanda Harrington Face Illuminating Bronzing Mist.

For a bit of background info, Amanda Harrington is a Makeup and Body Artist, with plenty of experience on film sets and photo shoots sculpting bodies using painting and contouring techniques. With more than 10,000 faux tans under her belt, the tanning expert went ahead and launched her own brand, which features gradual tans, luxury brushes, glycolic exfoliating products, bronzing mousses and the facial mists. While the gradual tanning products are one-size-fits-all, the facial Illuminating Bronzing Mist and Illuminating Bronzing Mousse are available in three variations, depending on your natural complexion and undertones. Natural Rose is designed for fairer skins with a cool undertone – perfect for redheads and classic English Rose complexions. Natural Honey is good for medium skin with yellow or peach/golden undertones that may still be fair in Winter but warms up in Summer. If you tan easily but also burn if you’re not careful, Natural Honey is for you. Natural Olive was developed for darker skin tones, think Mediterranean and black skin. If you don’t burn/very rarely burn and go beautifully deep in the sun, this shade has your name on it.

I knew straight away that I would be a Natural Honey girl, but Natural Rose would probably do the trick too. The colour leans brown, rather than orange, and looks really impressively natural. To use the mist, either spray it onto your hand (wear the included gloves if you can, though it does rinse away easily with soap and water – just don’t leave it too long or it will start to develop!) and dab the colour onto a brush or spritz directly onto a brush. You want to use a brush that is fluffy with a bit of density to it, so you can use it to buff and contour. You can buy a couple of special brushes from the Amanda Harrington brand, which I hope to invest in eventually, but for now I’m just using a Real Techniques multitasking brush. Once you’ve got some of the mist on the brush, you can either buff all over or contour/ focus on specific points like you would with your regular bronzer. I like to apply it on the high points of my forehead (blending into hairline), my cheeks, nose and just under my jaw, the go in again and sort of buff and blend all over. I'm wearing the mist in all of these images - in the last one you can see the colour on the top of my hand after I've used it as a makeshift palette!

You’ll be left with a natural, pretty and healthy looking instant glow while a gradual colour builds underneath. In terms of scent, the Illuminating Mist smells a bit like frangipanis, and I honestly don’t detect any of that tell-tale fake tan scent at all! 

The light-reflecting bronzing mist is actually good for the skin too as it contains collagen, green tea and CQ10. It also has a bit of Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) in the mix, which I wasn’t aware of until researching for this article – something to bear in mind if you are pregnant and consciously avoiding Vit A.

I also have the Amanda Harrington Perfect Face Ultimate Gradual Tan which is a good base to apply before the Bronzing Mist. It’s also got a cooling, minty scent and feel to it which I find very refreshing. It’s probably the most subtle gradual tanner I’ve tried – often gradual tanning products are just regular fake tan in disguise – so I definitely recommend it, along with the mist, if you would like a truly buildable, natural colour.

The Amanda Harrington Face Illuminating Bronzing Mist is £28 for 75ml (I use around 3 sprays each time) and the Ultimate Gradual Tan is £23 for 75ml.

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion Review

You know when you come across a product that not only exceeds your expectations but also kind of blows your mind a little bit? It doesn't happen often but it's happened here- in the form of St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion.

When I purchased this, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but since my first shower with the blue and white bottle, a little bit of tanning magic has happened. 

The concept of the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion is bizarre to say the least. A tan you apply in the shower? Say what now?

To use this, you just shower as normal, turn off the water and rub the lotion all over your body, as you would if you were giving yourself an exceptional once over with shower gel. The lotion combines with the water, making it very easy to spread and therefore more difficult to end up with streaks. As there is no guide colour with this, you do need to be slightly meticulous in making sure you cover every inch but if you just go to town with it and apply quite generously, it's virtually foolproof. 

It has a slightly floral scent on application- quite delicate and inoffensive, so if you're not keen on that heady fake tan smell, you should like this one.

Once you've positively smothered yourself in the lotion, you need to wait 3 minutes for it to react with the water and start doing its thing. You could use this time to apply a face/hair mask or brush your teeth, or just do what I do and stare at the plug hole contemplating your past mistakes and thinking about what you might make for dinner. 

Once the 3 minutes is up, it's time to rinse it all off then pat yourself dry. 

I've done this every night for the past 3 nights and have built up a sun kissed, natural looking tan. I've used it all over my body, besides my legs as they are still recovering from a reaction from a different fake tan (thanks for that Garnier Ambre Solaire Summer Body, you jerk) and there is not a streak, nor patch in site. It's like a miracle, I tell you- though a soft, subtle miracle. If you're after a gentle glow, this could be your new best friend for summer but if you're in the market for something more dark and dramatic, it's probably not the one.

Besides the tanning factor, the thing I like most about the product is how soft it makes my skin feel. It leaves skin feeling super hydrated and silky, with zero stickiness. 

Overall, a great innovative product that I will be repurchasing. St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Lotion is £14.50 at Boots.

Fake Tan Files: Tan Organic Tanning Oil

After reading a few reviews of Tan Organic Tanning Oil I decided to give it a go myself and can tell you straight away that I reckon it lives up to its fairly good reputation!
 Even if I hadn't read about it, I think I would have grabbed it anyway had I seen it on the shelves just because the packaging is just so gosh darn appealing. The heavy glass bottle with wooden lid is just so different to what you usually find and would look perfectly sophisticated on any dressing table.

But I'm sure you're not reading this to hear about the bottle so let's get down to the actual contents.

The name is a bit of a giveaway really- the Tan Organic Tanning Oil is an oil formula, obviously. The tan has a dry oil feel that doesn't feel too slippery on the skin and absorbs pretty well and contains a bevy of natural ingredients including Sweet Orange Peel Oil and Aloe Leaf Juice which nourish the upper layers of skin while the DHA gets to work and gives you the faux glow.

Despite claims that it is odourless, it is not scent free by any means. That said, it certainly smells different to more conventional faux tan products as this has a sort of fresh, citrus scent that I quite like myself though I have read a few reviews from people who weren't keen on the scent at all. Still, it's better than smelling like a wet dog/ biscuits/ wet-dog-biscuits, right?

To use, you just apply it as you would any other body oil, slather it on and rub it in, making sure you don't miss any bits. This part can be a bit tricky because the oil doesn't really contain a guide colour but I've found its best to just coat yourself with reckless abandon to be on the safe side! I use my hands when applying the oil because it just absorbs into my tanning mitt, so obviously just take care to scrub my palms with soap afterwards. It does feel a little bit clammy on the skin for the first hour or so - just exactly like most body oils do, but it does sort of dry down after a little while.

The colour the tanning oil produces is quite subtle- I'd say light to medium but it is buildable so if you want to go deeper just pop on another coat or two.

I thought the best way to show contrast between the fake tan and my normal skintone is with this photograph of my wrist. I have a habit of wearing hairbands on my wrists even though my hair isn't long enough to really put up at the moment and I had a bit of a beauty fail by failing to make my wrist hairband-free before applying. For this purpose though, it worked out for the best!

Tan Organic Self Tanning Oil Result

Overall I think Tan Organic Tanning Oil is a genuinely lovely product that does what it says on the bottle and is particularly nice on the face - though it doesn't last long on my face because I'm such an exfoliation enthusiast these days! I'll continue to use this as it (eventually) warms up to maintain a subtle glow when I can't be bothered doing a full on fake tan routine.

I picked up my bottle from lookfantastic.com for around £21 though it has an rrp of £24.99.

Heavily Discounted Fake Tan at Superdrug

So something ridiculous just happened. I was having a quick look in Superdrug tonight and came across a load of fake tan products with some very puzzling price tags.

At first I spotted the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze One Day Tinted Gel for Face priced at £1.25. I took it to the counter and asked if it was a mistake so the shop assistant scanned it and then informed that it was a mistake and it's actually 50 PENCE. That's right ladies and gentleman - 50p for a product that usually retails for £12.99. I haven't tried it yet but at 50p it won't be a complete tragedy if I don't get along with it.
The other product I picked up was Famous Dave's Spray Tan for (wait for it) the minuscule price of 10 PENCE. I've got the gradual tanner by this brand and I'm pretty chuffed with it so I'm glad I got the spray to go with it.

There were also a load of other brands at really, really cheap prices and I was informed that this is going on at Superdrug stores everywhere at the moment due to re-branding, re-packaging and discontinued lines. If you're a bit of a fake tan junkie or a complete novice wanting to try a few brands out, I suggest you run down to Superdrug at your earliest convenience!

Sunjunkie Sunless Bodymist Review

I usually steer pretty clear of talking about self tan products. I'll often go out and buy the latest mousse/ spray/ liquid in spring and summer, plan to write about it and then discover that the results are so devastating that there's no point! It's not that the products I've tried have been particularly bad - this is a definite 'it's not you, it's me' situation. The truth is I am so uncoordinated and often impatient that I end up streaky, blotchy or weirdly speckled - and nobody wants to see that!
The reason I'm writing about the Sunjunkie Bodymist 'tan in a can' is this: This product is good. It's user friendly, the colour is great and I've had a good self tan experience with it (for once).

The Sunjunkie Bodymist comes in a white and gold aerosol can that sprays continuously from virtually any angle- I was holding the can upside down at some points (don't ask) and the flow of the spray was completely uninterrupted.

The mist is quite fine overall, though I did experience a couple of 'spurts' that I easily rubbed in with Sunjunkie Tan Application Mitt. The Bodymist applied impressively evenly and dried within ten minutes, which made me extremely happy since I was applying it late at night when it was 4 degrees outside so I was glad to put my clothes back on so soon! It's worth mentioning that the Bodymist has quite a wearable guide colour to it so in theory you could use this in the morning and go to work etc then wash it off in the evening - just make sure it's dried before you get dressed and maybe steer clear from wearing white! Scent-wise, the Sunjunkie tan has a tropical, coconut type scent that lingers for a while before the fake tan smell takes over, though I have to say that the 'fake tan smell' is virtually non existent compared to others tanners.

I slept in the tan, washed it off the next morning and was really happy with the colour - a rich golden brown that made me look deceptively healthy and weirdly 'pepped me up'. I suppose it's a bit like popping on a red lipstick to make you feel happier and more confident, a decent fake tan has a similar effect on me!

My Sunjunkie Bodymist tan maintained its colour for about 5 days before I topped it up the other night and I must say I'm rather enjoying having a cheeky faux glow underneath all my layers! If you're going to try this (and I really think you should), one piece of advice I have is that less is definitely more with the Bodymist. Don't hold the can too close while your spraying and moisturise the heck out of your feet before you start as I found that the mist fell and settled on my feet, making them considerably darker than the rest of me. Rookie error!
I'm incredibly impressed with the Sunjunkie Sunless Bodymist (£12.79 for the mist and exfoliator) and I'm looking forward to trying out the self tanning mousse from the range next.
To find out more about Sunjunkie, click on over to the site here and find them on twitter @SunjunkieUK.
Do you faux tan in Autumn?

*PR sample - however I have used most of it up and will be purchasing this!

The Fake Tan Files: Spray Tan at Artistic Monkey

Growing up in Australia I practically had a permanent tan. While my time in London has seen my skintone adopt a much pastier pallor, I think for now I've had enough of sporting the 'pale and interesting' look and it's high time I get my Aussie kid colouring back.

Throughout spring and summer I'll be testing out a variety of fake tans in an effort to find my perfect, go-to faux glow.

First off the bat is an organic Spray Tan I experienced last Friday at Artistic Monkey salon in Kilburn.

An oasis among the general drabness of Kilburn High Road, Artistic Monkey sticks out like a sore thumb in the best possible way.

The salon is glamorous, modern and clean with really lovely staff and to top it off, there's even a cheeky bowl of miniature cupcakes for snacking on while you wait!

There can be few things as mortifying as stripping off and having a virtual stranger spray every inch of your body with a fine brown mist, but beauty therapist Lili is so friendly that I nearly forgot I was standing there in nothing but a thong and stick on soles (to prevent dying the soles of my feet).

The whole process took under 15 minutes yet it was the most thorough, enjoyable spray tan I've experienced (and I'm from the Gold Coast, the fake tan capital of Australia so that's saying a lot).

Lili made sure it was even and wiped my palms with baby wipes to avoid any tell-tale signs of fakery (not a word but it is now) before leaving me to get dressed.

Immediately after the spray tan - looking a little dirty!

The next day - after the tan has developed (and two showers!)

Tan line day 3

Tan line day 3

When you go for a spray tan, the key is to wear the loosest, darkest clothes you can find and skip the bra if you can. Make sure you exfoliate really well the day/ night before and don't skimp on the moisturiser!

After the tan, wait at least 8 hours before showering, allowing the tan time to develop properly and treat water like the enemy - that means no washing dishes!

The formula they use at Artistic Monkey is top secret but they did tell me a few things about it:

• It's organic
• It's Australian (yay)
• It contains a load of skin loving ingredients
• It contains anti-ageing components
• It's a 'green based' formula, therefore there is 0 chance of looking like a fanta can

This formula is so good in fact that it was given a 5/5 rating by More Magazine :0

I really can't recommend this spray tan enough - even the boys at work thought it looked great and they would be the first to tell me if that wasn't the case!

The spray tan at Artistic Monkey left my skin looking glowy, healthy and naturally tanned - literally like I'd been lazing about in the sun for a few days. The tan lasts about 7 days if you take care of it properly (don't have really hot baths and slather on the moisturiser). I had mine on Friday and it's now Wednesday and I'm still quite tanned! If you're interested in a healthy looking olive tan rather than an orange one I recommend you give this a go.

The spray tan at Artistic Monkey is £28 for full body or £15 for half body (waist up) with packages available for courses of 6.
You can call Artistic Monkey on 020 3638 3616 or check them out here. Make sure you have a browse of their other beauty treatments and hair services while you're at it!

Thanks for reading!

Tan on Trial #2: Beautisol Summer Glow

As a bit of a clumsy pants, I usually steer clear of  fake tanning lotions, because I tend to end up either covered in the stuff or with legs so streaky I'm confined to jeans for the next week.
My technique needs work so far as lotions go, so I was apprehensive (yet extremely thankful) when I received a bottle of Beautisol Summer Glow in my iFabbo goody bag a couple of weeks back.

As Susan Jeffers says, one must feel the fear and do it anyway, so I pulled on the latex gloves that came with the tanner and off I went.

Check out the before and after:

What does Beautisol Summer Glow do?
Summer Glow is a long lasting fake tanner with a built in bronzer to instantly glam up your skin and provide a guide colour for easier application. The guide colour/ bronzer reminds me a little of Saint Tropez tanners in that it's a very deep, reddish brown colour. Summer Glow is packed with nourishing antioxidants and moisturisers so the skin feels soft and gorgeous even after rinsing.

The Packaging:
This tanner is encased in a 236ml white plastic bottle with a pump top. I think pump bottles are great for dispensing liquid tanners because it makes things a little less messy and means you can easily control how much product you dispense. 

The Scent:
One of the major selling points of Summer Glow is the fact that it's virtually fragrance free! Beautisol have cleverly developed the Pure Scent odour eliminating technology that neutralizes that telltale old biscuit smell that so many fake tanners have. Nifty!
When I first applied it, I did notice a very light, fresh scent that dissipates as the tan develops.

The Consistency:
Summer Glow is a liquid/ cream hybrid (or lotion even) that is pretty easy to spread across the skin. Just make sure your skin is well exfoliated before application, because I did notice that it really 'grabs' any dead bits of skin and could leave you patchy if you don't have a good scrub beforehand ;)

The Price Tag:
29 USD.  I've searched far and wide and it looks like Beautisol products aren't widely available in the UK just yet, but in the meantime you can order from www.beautisol.com.

The Verdict:
I wasn't sure at first, but after taking Summer Glow for a test drive on my legs, I'm definitely inclined to use it on the rest of my body too!

 It's fast absorbing (work quickly when applying!), doesn't smell gross and leaves you with a pretty convincing tan. What's not to love about that?

Have you tried Summer Glow by Beautisol?

Thank you for visiting :*