Saturday 26 March 2011

Xen Tan Transform

Hi there,

I should probably start off by admitting something quite embarrassing, I am addicted to fake tan, a complete tanorexic! I have tried hundreds and regardless of the time of year will be slathering myself in the stuff, because of this I was ridiculously excited to try a new product. Through out my search to find the best fake tan I have come across what I think is my favourite for the occasional application, what I mean by this is a fake tan that is dark enough and long lasting enough that you only need apply it once every 2-3 weeks ( I will reveal what tan this is and review it in a subsequent post).
My ultimate fake tan search then moved onto finding my favourite everyday, gradual tanner that I could use as a daily moisturiser and not end up orange or mahogany, this search has finally ended with Xen Tan Transform. I had been reading some reviews of this before I purchased and there was a significant difference of opinion, you either love it or you loathe it. I found that most of the negative reviews were to do with the smell, Xen Tan Transform does claim not to have "that fake tan smell", personally I don't think such a tanner exists. This "fake tan smell" condemns so many products and people expect companies to just eliminate it, personally I don't mind it that much, I apply at night time and shower in the morning so it doesn't effect me that much. (or possibly I have become immune to the smell, which my partner says smells like vanilla burgers)  Unfortunately for Xen Tan, they have gone too much the other way and the actual smell used to cover up "that fake tan smell" is pretty acrid, it smells like the sweets Refreshers, but Refreshers on steroids
Lets move on from the smell now, when applying Xen Tan you almost can't put too much on, streaks and stripes appear on areas you have missed so going over the same bit twice won't effect the final result. The consistency is that of a rich creamy moisturiser, I found it quite easy to apply but left me a bit greasy for about 20 minutes. Xen Tan claims it will never go orange as it has olive undertones, I found this to be partially true, granted it didn't go orange but the end result was slightly yellow which as I have pink undertones to my skin worked out OKish. It sounds as if I am critiquing this quite harshly but in all honesty I love this product, if we put the good colour result aside it moisturised my skin so beautifully that I'd buy it again just for that aspect. I have had very bad experiences with gradual tanners and thus am over the moon that I have found one that delivers as promised if a bit too sweet smelling.
The packaging is simple and doesn't leak like so many other fake tan products and it is easy to control how much product you end up with. I would suggest wiping the bottle down after each application as otherwise you will end up with sticky browny green finger prints all over the clean white bottle.
My one real criticism would be that it has no guide colour what so ever and that the white colour you get out of the bottle disappears almost instantly so it is really down to feel alone.
Peace, love and lip gloss

Frank x

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Barry M Nail Effects and Max Factor Lip Tint

Hello there,
Yesterday I popped into Boots and picked up some products that have been getting a lot of reviews and thought I would try them out for myself. I got the Barry M instant Nail Effects and a Max Factor Lip Tint. I wish I knew what the name of the colour for the lip tint is but all it says is number 4, it's a berryish deep pink. I'll start off by talking about the lip tint; I'm going to be honest I didn't have high hopes for it when I bought it, even though it had been getting some good press. I've used lip tints before, being a Benefit Cosmetics freak I have "Benetint" which, sad for me to say, I don't find that good as a lip tint but excellent as a cheek stain. Max Factor, however, surpassed my expectations massively! It's so brilliant. The colour is incredibly intense and almost resembles a full finish lip stick, but much matter and you can still see the texture of your lip. It's fab when you want a splash of colour but not the heaviness of a lip stick. It has staying power like you wouldn't believe! Totally kiss proof, drink proof, food proof, nuclear war proof... (ok, maybe not nuclear war proof, but you get the idea!). The felt tip pen shape makes it almost impossible to mess up application as the tip is brilliant for the corners of your mouth and the cupids bow. If you're not into such rich, bright colour, a nice alternative is to pat a small amount in the centre of your lips for a dash of colour and a bee stung, fresh effect. I would suggest that you would need to prime your lips or atleast put a layer of foundation on your lips before you use it to gets its true colour as it absorbs into your skin and so can appear much darker. I think that would be the only downside, because of this when you test swatches of it on your hand, you end up with a much lighted colour than that which appears on your lips. All in all though I would give this a very high score of 8/10 and I will be purchasing many more. A small warning though, my Mum used this product and had an AWFUL allergic reaction her top lip swelled up so large it was barely recognisable as a lip! So keep that in mind if you are extremely sensitive. Unfortunately as I am writing this at night time I don't have a photo of me wearing the product, I will take one and upload it tomorrow.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Welcome

Hi there :)

Welcome to my new blog. This is all very new and exciting to me as well as being quite scary so bare with me and be patient and hopefully I'll be able to deliver something cool.
So seeing as this is my first ever blog post I thought I tell you a little be about me: my name is Frankie, I'm 20 years old and have a complete obsession for cosmetics and a real passion for make up artistry. I'm hoping to set up a website and start my journey into the world of make up and freelance make up artistry and you will be along for the ride :).
Anyway, this blog will ultimately be filled with my opinions and ramblings and general weirdness that comes with being me. I really hope you enjoy and aren't disappointed I will try my best to cover as many different aspects of make up and beauty as I can. Feel free to email me at frankiewainwright@hotmail.co.uk with any suggestions or if you want me to review a product or be a guinea pig for something you've always wanted to try.
I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and I hope to get to know you all as you get to know me.

Peace, love and lip gloss
Frank x