St Tropez Bronzing Face Sheet Mask Review & Photos

st tropez self tan express sheet mask 

The St Tropez sheet mask is the first I've ever seen in this format before. Now I'm already a big fan of the st tropez bronzing face lotion as it gives a great natural looking glow, that sinks in straight away, so when I heard that st tropez had released a face tanner in a sheet mask form, I had to give it a go! So here are my thoughts...

Price
This retails for £14.99 here in the UK, although prices vary from store to store. I have linked where this is available both in the UK and US.

- Boots £15 (on offer for £9.99 at the moment)

- Feel Unique* £8

- Beauty Bay* £6.25 

- Sephora* $9

- Ulta* $9

Packaging
The mask is from the ever popular Self Tan Express Line and inside you'll find two sheet masks, conveniently sealed in separate packages. On the back of both the outer packaging and foil packaging, is easy to follow step by step instructions.

Application
Upon application, it is recommended you cleanse your face beforehand, then you can go ahead and apply the face mask for the desired time. The mask itself is protected with a plastic film as it is quite delicate to handle.

Here are some pointers and tips for ease of application,

1. Choose the desired time you want to leave the mask on for...
 - 5 mins is a Light Tan
- 10 Mins for a Medium Tan
- 15 Mins for a Dark result.

2. Smooth out the mask on the face ensuring you covered your whole face with the sheet.

3. Wash hands straight after application and set the timer.

4. Once the required time is up, remove the mask and blend in the serum, ensuring you go down the neck and chest, and up onto the hairline etc. (I made the mistake of not blending the product out into the hairline, which resulted in an attractive line around my forehead!)

5. Wash hands again immediately.

6. Leave for the recommended 8 hours for the tan to develop properly.

I've linked the complimenting video above if you would like to see a live step by step demo also.

Immediately after my skin did look more glowy and the product did sink in really quickly, which was good. The next day I woke up to a lovely medium tanned face, I really like the intensity of the colour, despite the hairline error!

I left this on for 10 minutes for a medium glow.

Longevity

I'm now on day 3 and my tan still looks as good as the day I put it on so, so far so good!

Overall Thoughts

I have to say I really loved the concept of this, however, they're not the best value for money compared to how much you get in a bottle, and how many times you can use a tube of St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion. 

Time wise this is a little more time consuming and I would consider this more of a luxury, pamper face tanner if you have a bit more time to spend of an evening. Overall I loved the fact that this sunk straight into the skin, giving me a beautiful glow and a lovely tan the next day. (just remember to blend into that hairline and down the neck!)

I award the St Tropez Bronzing Face Sheet Mask a 4.7 out of 5

Other Sheet Mask related posts you may also like:

Four Drugstore Sheet Masks Put to the Test... 

Korean Animal Sheet Masks Review and Photos 

Sephora Sheet Masks Review and Photos

Benefit Hoola Zero Tan Lines Review & Photos

Benefit Hoola Zero Tanlines

To finish up my Benefit reviewing trio, I have the new Hoola Zero Tanlines to try out. This caught my eye of course because of the stunning packaging, but also because I am partial to a quick fix if I haven't got time to tan and I'm in need of an instant glow for a night out. Rimmel Instant Tan is usually my go to saviour, but with the release of this Benefit version, I wanted to see if a higher end version worked just as well as my affordable one, so here's my thoughts.

Price
This retails for £19.50 for 147ml of product, which is expensive for an instant tanner, but I have to be honest the packaging alone sold this to me!

Packaging
As I mentioned above the packaging is gorgeous as not only is the box stunning, but the tube inside is also packaged beautifully too. This also has a neat application sponge tucked away in the top for non messy tanning application.

Application
Upon application this instant tan has a light gel texture and a lovely fresh, tropical smell. It's also fairly easy and non messy to apply because of the added sponge included, but it can be hard to blend seamlessly in places with the sponge only, so I would recommend using your hands to finish blending, making sure to either wear disposable gloves or washing them thoroughly after.

I was quite surprised at how light this looked initially, especially on my pale, freckly skin, but the colour is buildable so I ended up applying two coats which gave me a subtle matte, natural glow.

 

After application I had to wait a fair few minutes for this to dry properly and it did feel slightly sticky to touch in places, so if you are doing more than one coat, which I would recommend, I advise waiting a little in between coats.

Longevity
The colour overall did stay on throughout most of my day until I was ready to wash this off.

Overall Thoughts
As I mentioned above this is expensive for an instant tan that only lasts until you wash it off, but the packaging did reel me in hook, line and sinker because of the gorgeous design, fresh tropical smell and nifty sponge applicator concealed in the lid.

The formula is nice if not a little a sticky and therefore I do recommend waiting for it to dry in between layers, as well as using a combination of the sponge to initially apply and your hands to finish, nevertheless this does last well throughout the day.

Overall I did like this for a more subtle quick fix, but I do think this is best suited to either paler skins who are only after a hint of colour or for anyone who wants to further enhance an existing tan. So if your hoping this will give you a deep, dark instant tan then the Hoola Zero Tanlines may disappoint you and therefore something like the Rimmel Instant Tan would be more suited as it has a great selection of darker shades, plus it's half the price!

 

I award the Benefit Hoola Zero Tan Lines 3.8 out 5

Fake Tanning Tips - The Ultimate Top 10 Hacks

Top 10 Fake Tanning Tips & Tricks

Now I don't know about you but I love my daily dose of Vitamin D, although I do try and avoid the sun these days especially in peak hours, as well as ensuring I wear a high factor daily. But like most of us I do love a good tan because of the way it makes me feel and look and we all know fake tanning is defiantly the safer option overall.  However with so many on the market, as well as endless ways to apply self tan, it's hard to know, how and where to start. So today I wanted to share with you my Top 10 Fake Tanning Hacks, that hopefully have you covered whether your a first time tanner or you just want that instant glow.

1. TANNING TOOL KIT

Create your own 'Tanning Tool Kit' with all your essentials in one bag, that way you have everything to hand when you go to tan each time.

My tanning essentials include,

- Baby Wipes
- Tanning Mitt
- Moisturiser
- Vaseline
- Disposable Gloves
- Makeup Brush
- Tanning Sachets
- Face Tanner
- Gradual Tan Lotion
- Exfoliator

 

2. EXFOLIATE & MOISTURISE

Be sure to exfoliate, moisturise and de-fuzz the day before you plan to self tan, so that way your skin is fully prepped and your tan is more likely to go on evenly. Make sure you also pay special attention to your elbows, hands, knees and ankles when exfoliating too.

3. LOOSE DARK CLOTHING

While the tan is developing, it can sometimes transfer onto clothing, so ensure you wear either loose dark clothing, a onesie or anything old that you don't mind getting dirty.

 

4. INSTANT TAN

If you haven't got time to tan then try using an instant tan for that on the spot sun-kissed glow. My favourite is the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Medium Matte as this gives great intense colour that stays on until you wash it off, it's also mega affordable too. 

 

The Benefit Hoola Zero Tan Lines is also a nice option if you want to enhance an existing, fading tan or you have paler skin that doesn't tan well and you always long for that subtle glow.

 

5. FACE TANNERS

Face tanners have defiantly come a long way with so much more choice as well as added benefits. Two of my top picks are the Fake Bake The Face Anti-Aging Self Tanning Lotion because of it's anti-aging properties and the St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion for it's quick drying, non-pore blocking benefits.

 

6. GRADUAL TAN 

If you just want a subtle tan that's buildable too, then try mixing plain moisturiser with your favourite tanning lotion for the perfect radiant, gradual tan.

7. BACK APPLICATION

Let's face it tanning the back can be slightly tricky when you don't have anyone to help you out! But don't panic I have a quick and easy DIY Back Applicator that will help you tackle that back with ease! All you need to do is place a tanning mitt over a long handled body brush and secure at the bottom of the mitt with an elastic band, then your good to go.

 

8. MOISTURISE, MOISTURISE

Just before you go to tan, make sure to moisturise over the areas that your tan is more likely to take to, including the elbows, hands, inner arms, knees, ankles and feet, then moisturise again in the same areas to create a natural looking coverage.

 

9. FACE GLOW

If you prefer not to self tan your face, then there is plenty of alternative options to help you achieve that bronzed perfection. Some of my favourites and recent discoveries are the L'Oreal Cushion Bronzer for an affordable option or the Benefit Dew the Hoola which is a beautiful liquid matte bronzer.

10. BARRIER CREAM

If you have dark hair or you tint your brows, then sometimes applying your tan can slightly lighten these areas, so try using Vaseline around and on these parts to act as a barrier against the tan.

St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion Review and Photos

St Tropez Bronzing Lotion Face

Now we are hopefully getting into the warmer months, it's time to whip out the fake tan and prepare for the bikini season. But as you all know it's important to look after your face and neck area especially in the Summer months and this is something I've become especially conscious of as I get older. So now I pay even more attention to my face by protecting it from the elements on a daily basis with an SPF 50. (I will talk more about this in my updated skincare routine in my next post.)

With all of this taken into consideration I now only like to fake tan my face in the Summer and so I wanted to try out a few self tanners, that are especially designed for this area. First up is the St Tropez Untinted Bronzing Face Lotion, so here's my thoughts.

Price
The bronzing face lotion retails for £22 for 50ml, for me this is a lot for a fake tanner just for the face, but this is St Tropez, so this sort of price point is to be expected. The plus points are this does claim to be hydrating, non pore blocking and quick drying, plus this is a nice size too.

Packaging
The packaging is simple, sleek and reminiscent of all St Tropez products. I also like the fact that the tube itself has a hygienic pump dispenser and lid.

Application
Although this is untinted, it actually applied really easily to the skin, just make sure you've covered the whole of your face and neck evenly and you shouldn't have any real problems with patchiness. Upon application I also found this to be non-greasy, pleasant smelling and it sank into the skin right away, which was great as this does mention you can apply the lotion under make-up, like a primer.

Longevity
This lasted about 4 days on my face, which was good considering what I tend to use on a daily basis on my skin. The colour is also buildable, but I would say one application is ampules to give you that sunkissed glow.

Overall Thoughts
I did like this fake tan, as it left my skin with a subtle sunkissed glow, that gave me just that hint of colour to liven up my face for the summer. Overall this was easy to use and it sank in really quickly, which is always a must for me when using face products.

The only thing I didn't like was the price because your not getting as much for your money, like you would with a normal body self tanner, that potentially you could use on your face too. Despite this I thought the lotion had a lovely holiday smell to it and it didn't block up my skin either, I also love the fact that you could wear this under make-up too. So if you are in need of a natural, but safe self tanner, that's especially designed for the face, then this could be worth a try, if your not to bothered by the expensive price tag.

I award the St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion 4.5 out of 5

First Impressions Update - Primers, Teeth Whitening, Tanning and Brush Cleaning

 

About a month ago I did a First Impressions Week on my channel, where I put to the test some new launches and discoveries, covering everything from Tanning to Teeth Whitening and Brush Cleaners to Mascara's. I wanted to give you an update on all five products that I road tested, as I feel the more you use a product the more you form a solid opinion on what you really think of something, which is why I like sharing with you my product empties videos. So here's my final thoughts on all five products.

1. Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama
I'm still loving this mascara, but I can see why people really don't like this, as it can be quite a clumpy mascara, especially if you add more than two layers. But that being said, I personally love this because it gives me that false lash effect, it lengthens my lashes nicely and it stays put throughout the day.

2. Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm
This really is a genius beauty hack, thanks to Nikkie Tutorials, as it's amazing at helping your make-up stick to your face all day long and I actually find it look's even better when I don't use a moisturiser prior to priming. It's also replaced my beloved Benefit Porefessional, which I used to use all the time.

3. Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette
I can defiantly say this brush cleansing palette has helped make washing my brushes an overall more enjoyable experience! This palette, has different sized nodules on it to cater for every brush size, but for me I've actually been swishing my brushes over all three. As I mentioned before the only brush that doesn't clean as well is a long haired duo-fibre brush, but apart from that, this helps clean all my brushes thoroughly.

I've also been enjoying the brush cleansing gel, that came in a sachet as a free sample with the palette, as it has a beautiful pleasant smell and does help clean my brushes well too. So keep posted as I may just do a full review on this as well.

4. Rimmel Sun Shimmer In-Shower Self Tan
This was honestly a total miss for me, I really wanted to love this, as the whole concept sounds great, but really in reality it's not so great. The thing that made this not work for me was as your applying this in the shower, you have no control on being able to add more or less to some parts of your body, resulting in the tan building up in all the places you don't want it too, i.e. knees, elbows and feet. When I usually do my tan I add moisturiser to the problem areas where tan is more likely to grab on to, then after application, I add a little more moisturiser to these areas to help blend them out naturally, but obviously with this you can't as your doing applying it in the shower. I also think that one layer is enough as anymore can make you look orange, although this can be used as a gradual tanner.

So overall after my ramble, I feel this is more suited to experienced tanners, if you really are short of time and you need a slight glow to the skin for a night out or special occasion.

5. Colgate Max White Whitening Pen
I absolutely loved this whitening pen as not only is convenient for travel, it really does work! I used this day and night for two weeks after brushing and overall my teeth looked whiter and brighter.

On the packaging is does say you should use this for up to three weeks, but my pen only lasted two, as I think you do need to use quite a bit to be able to cover the teeth adequately. But overall for the price you cannot beat the value and results you get from this whitening pen.

Drugstore Makeup Haul - NYX Cosmetics, Crown Brush, Makeup Eraser and More

Makeup and Beauty Haul

Last Sunday I attended the Professional Beauty Trade Show and thought it would be a great opportunity to pick up some bargains, so here's what I managed to find. Let me know if you've tried any of theses products and what are your thoughts?

NYX Cosmetics

While I'm a big fan of NYX Cosmetics I haven't bought anything from them in a while now, as I do find in the past NYX hasn't been as accessible as some other drugstore makeup brands. Thankfully I have heard NYX will be opening some stand alone stores within the UK soon, which is exciting and they have also started selling on Boots.com and Feelunique.com.

It was great to see NYX at the show again and this time they where bigger and better, meaning I managed to pick up some exciting new products to review including.
> NYX Brush Cleaner
> NYX Micro Brow Pencil
> NYX Eyebrow Gel
> NYX Wonder Stick - Vegas Nay
> NYX Lip Liner Mahogany
> NYX Matte Lipsticks in Natural, Whipped Caviar, Nude & Tea Rose
> NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops & Snow Cap

Make Up Eraser

Having already reviewed the amazing Make Up Eraser, I was keen to grab a couple more, meaning I can alternate between a few, while the others are in the wash. I picked up three including a black one and the new baby blue release, so I'm defiantly well stocked up now!

Blank Canvas Cosmetics and Crown Brush

I've been wanting to try out some new make-up brushes for a while now, in particular ones I don't already own and also back ups of some I use on a daily basis. Excitingly I discovered a new make-up brand that reminded me a lot of a cross between Morphe and Sigma. Blank Canvas Cosmetics stocks an affordable range of synthetic brushes to cater for any make-up enthusiast. I picked up a E32, F15 and F21 to try, so I'll keep you updated on my thoughts!

I also grabbed a MAC 217 dupe and a few eyeliner brushes from Crown, so I can perfect my winged liner skills, which I mentioned about in my New Years Beauty Resolutions.

St Tropez and Fake Bake

Face Tanning is something I wanted to try more of this year, as this is an area I've never really delved into properly. I grabbed a few face tanning lotion's to try and review for you including, St Tropez Bronzing Face Lotion and Fake Bake The Face Anti-Aging, Self-Tanning Lotion with MatixXL-3000.

Rimmel In Shower Self Tan Review and Photos

Rimmel In-Shower Self Tan

Self Tanning is one for my favourite past times, as it always makes me feel complete when I have a nice glow to my skin. Of course fake tanning is the safest option, but with so many different types on the market it can be a mind field out there.

Last year came the release of the in-shower self tanner from St Tropez and although this intrigued me, I couldn't justify the price tag if this new, innovative product didn't work out for me. Thankfully Rimmel have come out with a more affordable option, so I thought I would give it a go and share my thoughts on this interesting concept.

Price
This retails for £9.99 for 200ml, but this can be found in Superdrug on offer for £6.59 for a limited time only.

Packaging
The packaging is lovely, bright and eye-catching. it's also a great size for a all over fake tanner. This is also packaged in a squeezy tube for easy application.

Application
At first this seemed like a very bizarre way to apply your fake tan, but the idea is you shower with your normal shower gel and then you apply the tanner while in the shower. It's then advised to gently rinse your skin, step out and gently pat yourself dry. I did exfoliate and moisturise the day before to prep my skin.

At first, this serum like tanner felt as though I was rubbing a kind of grease or oil into my skin and I did think how on earth is this going to take effect! But the lotion instantly sunk in and when I went to rinse the remainder off, the water just glided off where I had applied it. Surprisingly the self tanner dried quite quickly after I had patted myself dry and I was able to step into my pj's without any problems, but don't forget to wash the palms of your hands to avoid any fake tan mishaps after you get out the shower. This also left a lovely fresh, perfumed smell on my skin.

It does mentions that the colour develops within a few hours, but I would recommend doing this at night to give it a nice amount of time for it to develop properly. It also does say that this may stain your clothing, so again this is better to do in the evening.

The next day I showered and moisturised as normal and discovered I had quite a pleasant glow to my skin. But this was only a glow, so if your after instant darker results, I don't think this could be for you. One thing that did stand out the most for me the next day, was the smell. Gone was the lovely perfumed smell and in it's place the good old biscuity scent, which ended up lingering for the whole day, even after I had showered.

I ended up applying two coats of the tanner to my legs to see how deep the colour would get, as I do think this is more of a gradual tanning product. The results were not to my liking as I feel I looked slightly orange, so I do think one application was enough for me to achieve the shade I was happy with.

Longevity
With the two layers of tan, this lasted just under a week which was good going and I guess you could reapply this after the 3rd or 4th day to top up your tan. But I would recommend trying out two applications first just in case the colour isn't for you.

Overall Thoughts
Overall the Rimmel In-Shower Self Tanner did work great and defiantly gave me a lovely glow initially, but I do think anymore applications and it tends to look a little less natural. I also found that because of the in shower application process you couldn't customise how much colour you applied to certain areas, especially the parts that tend to take to self tanner more, like the knees, feet, hands and elbows.

This tanner for me is a great convenient, gradual self tanner, if your a mum and you don't have time to fake tan usually, but you do like to pamper yourself now and again.This is also perfect if you have a special occasion to go to and you've ran out of time to go through the whole fake tanning process a few days before. But if your after a deep, dark instant tan, then this may not be for you.

 

I award the Rimmel In-Shower Self Tan 3.8 out of 5