Laid Bare Tantastic from My Pure

I was sent a bottle of Laid Bare Tantastic from My Pure free of charge, in return for an honest review.

Tantastic is has no synthetic content and is said to give 'a tan that not only looks natural, but is natural' and 'works with your natural skin tone, with no orange hue' so I decided to put it to the test.

This didn't come with any instructions, so it was pretty much just guess work. First, I made sure my skin was fully exfoliated and I moisturised dry areas such as knees, the day before I used it.

With lid removed

Now, here's where I made my first mistake ......I completely removed the lid and poured what you can see into my hand! I then proceeded to spread this over my legs making sure I had even coverage and being especially careful around my knees and feet. I had far too much cream in my hand and it was way more than enough for both legs. I personally wasn't too keen on the smell as it had a familiar 'fake tan' tinge to it.  I quickly washed my hands, making sure to clean under my nails before replacing the lid. It was at this point I noticed a tiny hole in the very top of the lid which opened when the lid was fully closed .....

I discovered that if you use this tiny hole to disperse the cream, you get a much better amount and alot less waste.

I found that the cream took quite a while to absorb into my skin, but that may well be due the amount I used! I waited for at least an hour before dressing. I didn't notice any real difference until I got out of bed the next morning, although I do wear trousers most of the time so hadn't kept checking progress.

After using Tantastic

I have a medium skin tone and during the winter months, my skin generally looks drained and pale. Tantastic gave me a nice colour, although much darker than I expected .....again, this could be due to the huge amount of the product I used!!
I did still notice a few patches over my knees where the colour appeared a bit deeper, but after a quick scrub, they blended in well with the rest of the my legs.
This is a progressive tanning product, so the more you apply, the deeper the colour, I found that this one application was enough for me and after around 4 days, it had fully washed off leaving my natural pale colour behind.

Overall, I was reasonably impressed with this product, although did find it a little messy and far too smelly. The end result was quite pleasing and I did feel more confident with a bit of colour.

You can purchase Laid Bare Tantastic from My Pure at the reasonable price of £6.00 for 125ml.

MADARA Sunflower - Golden Beige Tinting Fluid from MyPure

I received a bottle of Madara Sunflower Golden Beige Tinting Fluid free of charge, in return for an honest review.

The packaging for this is quite simple, although I wouldn't expect anything else, and there's a small circle on the front to give a rough indication of the colour chosen. Inside you will find your 50ml bottle of tinting fluid which is suitable for all skin types.

Once you remove the outer lid, simply press down and the tinting fluid appears through the small hole as shown in the above pic. The size of the hole is perfect in enabling you to dispense just the right amount, so no need to worry about over doing it!

This particular tinting fluid is available in 2 shades, Moonflower Rose Beige and Sunflower Golden Beige. I chose the Golden Beige as this is the closest to my natural skin tone.

Although I'm a huge fan of foundation creams etc, they do tend to feel a bit weighty on my skin and seem to clog my pores as well as occasionally causing minor irritation. This however was an absolute pleasure to wear. It's extremely lightweight and blends in well to give a nice, even skin tone whilst still allowing the skin to breathe. It covered my blemishes extremely well but didn't leave me with that 'caked in make-up' look at all ....it looked and felt extremely natural! The ingredients help deliver a natural look and give skin a lovely glow as well as keep it hydrated.
Unusually, I didn't need to reapply this throughout the day either as it held in place well which was a blessing as it gave me more time for other activities and still had me feeling confident at the end of the day. It was very easy to clean off using face wipes and didn't require any scrubbing at all.

Overall, I would highly recommend this tinting fluid, especially if you suffer from sensitive skin and are looking for something light and breathable that looks natural whilst hiding any redness or blemishes.

MADARA Sunflower - Golden Beige Tinting Fluid costs £23.00 from MyPure which I think is very reasonable, especially since a little really does go a long way so 1 bottle should last a while!

And now for the lucky winner .....

a Rafflecopter giveaway


A huge congratulations to Jodie H on winning a 10th Anniversary edition of How to Catch a Star and a poster ...well done!!

Many thanks to all who entered and sorry you didn't win this time but do keep a lookout for future competitions & giveaways.

Slumberdown Kids Quilted Waterproof Mattress Protector

My newest review for Slumberdown is this fabulous Kids Quilted Waterproof Mattress Protector which I received free of charge in return for an honest review.

Getting young children out of nappies can be one of the most challenging tasks faced by parents, and bed wetting can often be a problem too. Slumberdown pride themselves on trying to help make things easier for parents with young children, and with the introduction of this fabulous quilted waterproof mattress protector, they've doing just that. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some miracle product which will stop your child from bed wetting, but it does help protect the mattress from any little accidents.

The fabric is made from 65% polyester and 36% cotton, the filling is made from 100% polyester and the backing is 100% polyethylene. It is also machine washable at 40°.

As you can see, the mattress protector is stitched together to guarantee it will last and as it's quilted, your child will certainly be in for a comfortable nights sleep.

I have tested to see if this really is waterproof and can find no problems at all. My niece managed to have a great nights sleep, and although she did have a small accident, it didn't really disturb her and more importantly, the mattress wasn't in need of any attention as the protector did its job! My sister purchased another topper for when this one's in the wash and she now recommends this very one to other parents.
It fits well onto a standard single bed and although it does have a slight 'crinkle' noise to it when new, that soon disappears once it's been washed a few times. The noise wasn't enough to keep my niece awake however it may be a slight problem if your child is a light sleeper. If that's the case, i'd strongly recommend washing a couple of times before use.

Overall I was really impressed with both the fit of the protector and the effectiveness of it so would certainly recommend it myself.

You can purchase this for the very reasonable price from £10.50 from Tesco and even earn yourself 10 clubcard points!!

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum

I was very lucky to receive a bottle of Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum for sensitive skin in return for an honest review.

The serum is highly concentrated in Avene Thermal Spring Water which is said to be soothing and anti-irritating which has been demonstrated by numerous scientific studies. It contains Glycerin offering superior moisturising suppleness and comfort.

 It comes in a glass bottle with a pump action top making it very easy to get the right amount first time.

Sorry my picture isn't too clear but i'm hoping you can just about make out the little hole where the serum is pumped from.

One pump dispenses a small amount of serum ....I personally used around 2-3 pumps to get a good coverage!

Amount released after 1 pump

The Avene serum is extremely light in texture and felt very refreshing when smeared over my skin. My skin is usually really dry and tightens after washing causing discomfort. I immediately felt relief after application of the serum and it didn't feel heavy in the slightest. The recommendations are to use this twice daily after cleansing, then leave for a few minutes before applying day/night cream. My skin had a lovely velvety feel after use and once my regualr day cream was applied, I had the perfect make-up base. I often re-apply moisturiser throughout the day to help calm my skin, but with the serum, I found that I really didn't need to as it provided all day comfort and protection. I've been using this for a couple of weeks now, and although my skin is quite sensitive, I haven't noticed any irritation or allergy marks so would definitely give it the thumbs up!

Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum comes in a 30ml bottle and is currently available for the superb price of £12.75 (RRP £17.00) from Escentual as they currently have 1/3 off French Pharmacy brands throughout March. ....so grab yours quick!!