P20 Once a day sun protection review

I have just got back from a week sunning myself in Menorca (which I can thoroughly recommend by the way!) and an airhostess friend of mine recommended I use P20 sun cream.

Now, I’m a fussy one when it comes to sun cream as I usually get heat rash after the first few days that then goes away and I tan fairly easily. The great thing about P20 is that you only have to apply it the once. Yes that’s right beauties – once! No more lugging the factor 30 around in the beach bag to reapply when your nice and sweaty and giving yourself a self exfoliation because half the beach has got stuck in the cream.

I was sceptical and wasn’t entirely convinced that this miracle protector would work for 10 hours as it had promised especially on my face so I had my boyfriends factor 30 on hand as back up should I feel the burn!

I opted for P20 rather than P10 after reading all the reviews on lots of sites. I have to say the P20 website itself is fantastic and answered every question I already had before going to buy some. It was on offer in Sainsbury’s for 25% off so I only paid £9.99 (I also notice they sell it in savers too so don’t be put off by the expensive Boots and Superdrug prices). I got the small size as I was only away for a week and I still have about a quarter of the bottle left.

My friend had warned me about it staining so said to apply a little before getting dressed and 30mins before heading into the sun. So on my first morning, I used it instead of moisturiser after my shower. I was surprised at the liquid form as I was so used to using cream. It felt a bit strange rubbing it all over and it does have a potent smell which my boyfriend hated! It didn’t sting but I knew it was being applied and I found it a little too drying for my face but I was done and went off on my merry way in the sunshine.

The first day I was a little worried about burning but I didn’t apply any other creams all day and was very pleased with the power of the P20! I had bikini marks on the first day but no burning. By day 3 I did have a slight red nose so started using the factor 30 on my face but everywhere else was perfect. My heat rash was nowhere near as bad as previous holidays with slight red patch at the top of my arms. My sister in law who was using her normal ambre solaire cream got a terrible rash and burnt her back. I truly believe that my previous heat rash is due to the continuous applying of creams throughout the day and blocking the pores.

I was careful to wash my hands after applying and then rub some in just the backs of my hands so my nails didn’t stain however I did notice a slight yellow stain on my toenails which has since been removed with nail varnish remover. None of my clothes were stained. I also had a deeper tan than usual after just one week with no peeling.

I can honestly say I will definitely be using nothing else other than P20 on my holidays in future. If you haven’t been converted yet, try it on your next overseas outing and Id be really keen to know how you found it!

HD brows – 7 steps to the perfect brows

So, after seeing this in various magazines and a few friends rave reviews I decided to give this a go. I’m going on holiday next week so it seemed like the perfect time. Everyone wants to be as low maintenance on holiday as possible!

Ok, so what is HD Brows? Basically, it’s the treatment that defines the natural beauty of your eyebrows through a unique and revolutionary seven-step high definition process.

7 steps include:

1. Assessing your face shape, colouring and natural brows to determine the best result for you.
2. Tinting of the brow hairs.
3. Waxing both above and below the brows using the HD Brow guidelines to achieve the famous HD shape- but tailored to best suit you.
4. Threading of the 'fluffy' hairs surrounding the brows to blend in to the hairline.
5. Tweezing to perfectly fine tune your shape.
6. Trimming of any long hairs so that all of your brow hairs lie perfectly in their newly defined shape.
7. Aftercare. Some clients will need a small amount of eyebrow pencil or powder to fill in any gaps whilst we encourage regrowth of any previously over plucked areas.

I was sent a patch test in the post from my brow technician Samantha which was successful so the first thing we did at the appointment was talk about the kind of shape and colour of brow I was looking for. I have been growing my brows back for about 6 months now after years of over plucking so I didn’t want to lose too much volume. I pencil them in most days so also wanted them a tad darker to save those precious minutes every morning. I thought they were relatively shapely and tidy before the treatment but they are now pruned to perfection!

The actual treatment itself was very therapeutic and took around 40mins. Waxing and threading was not painful at all and the whole thing was so relaxing! It did feel like I was going to emerge with hardly any brows left the amount of work that was going in to them and visions of Spok kept coming to mind but I was genuinely amazed by the results.

I should have taken a before and after shot but you can see lots of those if you good HD brows anyway. They are darker which takes a bit of getting used to when you first get up and look at yourself the morning after. Like a drastic new haircut! I was told not to exfoliate the face for a few days and they should last for 4/5 weeks. I don’t think I will want to pay £30 every month but I will definitely have them done for special occasions and try to look after the shape now I have it.

Have you had this done – how did you find it?

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Tint

This new lip tint from Rimmel comes in 6 different colours and at £3.99 I couldn't resist giving it a try. I'm always looking for new lip tints that last and this one did - at least til lunch!

I wanted to test the tint by wearing it to work so chose the nude shade. The colour comes out very dark, much darker than you expect from the colour of the pen itself. It really is like a felt tip and although it did feel strange applying, it didn't appear to dry out the lips as you would expect.

I had to go over areas a few times before I had full coverage but the tip made outlining my lips easy. I then used the balm end of the pen which seemed to even out the colour but made it even darker!

I was pleased with the coverage but the colour was too dark for work and more suited to nights out. In terms of staying power it definitely lasted longer than any of my other lipsticks and tints, unfortunately I didn't have a boy handy to put the 1000 kisses titles to the test! It did last the 3 morning cups of tea but by lunchtime the colour had almost gone and you would need to reapply. To be honest I don't really expect any lipstick to be able to last ALL day.

I don't wear much lipstick to work so this was a pleasant change and I would definitely use a lighter shade for everyday. At £3.99 I think it's a bargain as long as you choose your shade carefully. Be quick as I think the price will soon go up to around £7!

Have you tried this tint or do you have another favourite? Let me know your thoughts x

How to wear a Summertime Head Scarf

Every girl loves a quick way of disguising a bad hair day and what better way than using a beautiful coloured headscarf!?

I have been wearing these a lot recently and have received so many nice comments I thought it was time to share with you how I tie them!

First things first, get a nice scarf. I have the good fortune to be friends with someone selling vintage designer scarves so have purchased myself a few nice ones...that's for another post!


1. Take a large square scarf  and fold one corner to the other to form a triangle.
2. Fold the corner down to about the middle
3. Fold over again but not all the way to the edge, you want it to be a little thicker.
4. Wrap around your head with the side showing the folds against your head.
5. Tie it in a loose knot at the front, not too tight as the scarf will stay put.
6. Tuck in the ends and hey presto - SUMMERTIME HEAD SCARF PERFECTION x

Top knotch top knot

There are a few ways of creating this look but here is what works for me! Do not try this look on just washed hair – it won’t hold.

If you have long hair like mine you can achieve a top knot or bun without using a doughnut. (See old blog entries if you think I’m talking about a sugary dough based snack).

Simply put your hair into a high pony tail and when pulling the hair through the band for the last time, leave it half in half out so you have a loop.

Push the ends up under the loop and start moving the hair around the sides of the pony tail securing with long Kirby grips as you go until you reach the middle at the front.

(I find I use A LOT of grips for this look but it’s worth it and will hold all day.)

Spray with a little hairspray to set and depending on your look, add some flower clips or perhaps wrap a scarf around the top knot to complete.

GORGEOUS x

Kevin Murphy Color Bug - Dip Dye the temporary way

Dip dying is the latest craze at the moment and will only get bigger over the Summer.

To do this properly you would have to use semi permanent dyes but since an incident in my teens that meant I had pink hair for weeks and the nick name ‘Blackpool’ (illuminations) – I wanted something far less permanent!

Lots of bloggers were using plain old pastel crayons in their hair to achieve the Ombre effect but I wasn’t convinced on this method and then I came across was the Color Bug by Kevin Murphy.

Its £12.95 on Amazon as well as lots of other sites and there are plenty of videos showing how to use it online including lots by Kevin himself on all different hair colours. It comes in 3 colours pink, purple or orange.

It’s essentially a big eye shadow that you rub into slightly damp hair and then spray hair spray in the seal the colour. I noticed it was a bit messy in the video and they tell you to use an old towel around your shoulders and some gloves.

The application was easy but a lot more messy than I thought. Small particles of the powder covered my bathroom floor and sink. The more times you rub the stronger the colour. There is enough powder in one color bug for around 10 applications. Even though I sealed the ends with lots of hairspray it didn’t stop the colour from rubbing off onto my top, may car, my chair, my coat as you can see in the photos.

I’d recommend this for a one off night out or festival but do not wear light colours and make sure you leave it a while before removing towel to ensure the excess has come off already.

I'd love to hear about your own dip dying experiences - I wonder if they were as messy as mine?! x

Have you had your Pinterest fix yet?

If you haven't seen it yet - you HAVE to check out Pinterest.com

It's a virtual pin board for anyone to post their fabulous little tit bits! Whether its a new hair style, recipe or just a cool poster like the below there are different pin boards for each section.

You can browse to your hearts content but to edit you have to sign up and wait to be invited and you can also log on through Facebook.

If you fancy following what's on my pinboards - find me on there Lisa Exall...

...Just be prepared to get side tracked for hours!

The miracle in a tube - Garnier B.B. Cream Miracle Skin Perfector

B.B has arrived!

If you haven’t heard of B.B creams yet then you will very soon. They are quite literally taking the world by storm!

What are B.B. creams? 

A skincare sensation that has swept Asia…..B.B. creams (short for Blemish Balm) are hybrid products which combine the benefits of skincare and make-up in one. Initially developed by a German dermatologist in the 1950s, to soothe skin and provide coverage, B.B. Creams were made famous in South Korea by an actress famed for her beautiful skin. Over the following years, they became a cult must-have product across Asia due to their sheer, flawless finish and their “all-in-one” qualities.

Over the summer all the well known brands are bringing out their B.B. creams. They range from £10 - £50(!) and have a list as long as my arm of benefits.

I decided to try the cheaper end of the scale first with – Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector. A very bold name.

What is Miracle Skin Perfector?

• Light texture that instantly melts into your skin
• The formula with mineral pigments gives an instantly ‘perfect’ skin. The result? Sheer coverage; imperfections look blurred, lines softened. Your skin looks luminous, smoother and more even.
• 24hr hydration. Skin feels more supple, smoother, softer.
• UV protection: SPF15 to help protect the skin.

My first thoughts were – it looks a lot like some tinted moisturisers we have all been using for years and the tube is actually fairly small.

I was impressed when I applied it. The coverage is great and I really can just use it on its own with no other make-up. I opted for the medium shade which I think in the winter when my tan fades, is going to be too dark but for now is just right. A little does go a long way and it does leave my skin moisturised and looking good all day although I would still use a normal moisturiser at night.

It also was a great primer on the occasions that I added makeup over the top, it lasted better and the colours looked better. It leaves a dewey finish on the skin and seems to reflect the light a lot more. (I found I didn’t need as much touché eclait either!). This may not be the one for you if you have more in the sebum department than most.

Am I going to use this everyday – YES. Would I recommend this to others – YES.

For me it’s a big hit as I don’t wear foundation so I’ve replaced my normal tinted moisturiser with something that is benefiting my skin more and it works wonders. If you are a foundation lover then you are probably able to achieve the same affect with a good one but give this a go and you may be able to leave the foundation behind forever!

I’m very keen to try a more expensive B.B. cream next so let me know if you have and tell me what you thought.

X

NEW Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm

Another great thing about holidays is DUTY FREE! I managed to spend almost an hour mooching around the make-up section before boyfriend had enough of checking out the electronics and aftershaves. In that time, I purchased one of these in ‘Whole lot a Honey’. 

My friend had been raving about them before we left saying it was the most moisturising lippy she’d ever had and it made her lips stay soft all day. They are around £15 from Boots, pricey for a lipbalm but not bad for a lipbalm / lipstick / everyday liptint.

Super-nourishing balm is loaded with mango and shea butters. Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth.

There are 8 mouth watering lip tints in all  – I had a hard time trying to decide which one as the colour is fairly subtle.

I have been using mine everyday and I love the colour. It’s very natural but still gives you some colour. I’m a carmex girl and although I tried using this instead, it’s not moisturising enough to give up on your ‘proper’ lipbam but it’s a great alternative to lipstick.

I would definitely consider getting another shade and have one in my bag for during the day top ups and the other at home.

Let me know if you’ve tried it and which colours you liked best.

Argan Oil - Miracle 10 Leave In Spray

Firstly, apologies for the lack of content over the last few weeks, I have been sunning my overworked self in the gorgeous mountains of Andalucia!

However- this has meant a few holiday beauty buys have been thoroughly put to the test and the all time favourite was Argan Secret - Miracle 10 Leave In Spray Treatment - £13.79 from Sallys.

Now that my hair is getting pretty long, my hairdresser mentioned Argan oil to me to keep it in good condition (I'd never heard of it!). I knew the holiday would be the ideal time to try it out as unfortunately I am one of those prone to frizz in the humidity - a certain episode of Friends springs to mind!

I sprayed this on the ends of my hair after washing and left it - hey presto soft, gorgeous smelling, manageable hair! Even boyfriend commented on the softness and 'nice smell' of my hair!

It contains high concentrations of natural ingredients including Argan Oil, sunflower seed oil and hemp oil, all of which are extermely light weight and incredibly nourishing.  It also contains Manuka Honey which seals in moisture and mends split ends whilst increasing the overall shine. Apparently it's been used in Morocco for donkeys years.

MIRACLE 10 deserves its name because it has 10 significant benefits to your hair:

1.  Improves Shine
2. Strenghens damaged hair
3. Smooths unruly hair.
4. Moisturises all hair types.
5. Protects from the Sun and wind.
6. Detangles.
7. Prevents split ends.
8. Seals in your hair colour
9. Eliminates Frizz
10. Great for swimmers

I'm still using it now as a detangler more than anything else! A little goes a long way so if you have long hair - I would thoroughly recommend it, holiday or no holiday!

Ped Egg - Got yours yet?

My lovely sister-in-law told me about this new gizmo. At first I thought it was just another gimmick dreamed up by the people at JML to flog to the older generation who think everything they see advertised MUST work.

I was a little reluctant to spend a hard earned £10 but after the glowing review from said sister-in-law I succombed! And I'm glad I did.

Can I just say - everyone has nasty hard skin on their feet, some are worse than others but it's a fact of life just as we will all get grey hairs at some point - we all have skanky feet! Now that's out of the way we all know what this item does essentially. It's a cheese grater for feet.

If you've been lucky enough to have a proper pedicure at some point then you will no doubt have had some poor therapist scrape the hard (skanky) skin off your feet. Now you can do your own - if you so want to.

The egg is obviously, egg shaped so its easy to hold in one hand and it also collects the dead skin in the compartment below so you can throw it away after every scraping session. It also comes with a buffer to buff the skin once you have scraped it. Here's the JML hard sell bit 'It's precision engineered with 135 stainless steel micro files to gently remove calluses and dead skin.'

I got the girly pink one from Amazon but you can buy one of these everywhere now. It really is scraping the nations feet one pair at a time.

My feet are looking a lot nicer and it really doesn't take very long and isn't at all painful. A word to the wise though - Don't press too hard and repeat too regularly though! Once a week is enough, after a bath when the skin is softer is good too.

Maybelline 24hr Gel Eyeliner

I've never used a gel eyeliner before but I am partial to a heavy cat eyes make up look for the right occasion. I read in a magazine that the best way to get your cat eyes to stay all day was gel eyeliner.

There a lot of more expensive versions from Clinique and Bobbi Brown but I wanted to try something to suit most peoples budget at around £6.

It comes in a box with a screw lid pot and brush. The amount of gel in the pot is actually very tiny but a little does go a long way. As most applicator brushes you get free tend to be rubbish I was surprised that this one is very good. It's nicely shaped so you can easily draw a thick or thin line or flick depending on the style you want.

The gel went on really well and the black was very intense and just as dark as my normal liquid liner. It went on great under the eye which is where my normal liner usually smudges and fades over a few hours and it stayed put for the whole day at work and needed a slight touch up into the evening. (I don't normally make such an effort for work but hey, I was testing the durability!)

I don't think it quite lived up to it's 24hr claim but it was a great product for the price and really does give a more dramatic look than lots of other liners I've tried. It has earned is place in my 'Regularly Use' cosmetics bag and although I'll stick to liquid for everyday, I will use this for going out and evening.

If you haven't used a gel liner before then this is the one for you. Let me know how you get on!

My violated lips update

This is what I wanted to look like!

I finally tried these babies out...

My advice - MAKE SURE YOU CUT THE CORRECT SIZE!!!

Long story short: I cut them to the size I thought was correct and it was way too big and I ended up looking like a transvestite clown! It's not a good look and I was too horrified to even take a photo for you!

They are simple to stick on, wet the back (once you've cut them) hold them on and wait 20 secs. And my god do they stick well in that time! It was only after revealing my new Marilyn Manson look that I realised there are no instructions with the pack that tell you how to remove said transfer should you look like you've been stung my a million wasps on the mouth.

So I resorted to the age old technique of - scraping it all off with my nails!

20mins later (I'm rushing to go out to an 80s festival by the way folks...) my lips are red raw but the transfer is off! There was a moment when I first started when I thought it was stuck for the day!

Half way through the scraping, my boyfriend walks into the bathroom to which I cover my mouth and ask very kindly if he would mind leaving as I'm having a bit of trouble with something and I'm not sure if he may have to call my mum for help and advice.

Anyway, all in all my experience was not a good one but I have to say if I had cut them properly, I think they would have looked great. The pattern looked impressive and I can definitely say you will not have to worry about that baby coming off throughout the day! I may try again. In a year when my mouth has recovered!

Laser Hair Removal - Session 2

Well followers, it was time to go back for another session of IPL. It seems ages ago that I had the first one! I'll be honest I haven't noticed any difference yet but apparently that happens after treatment 3/4.

I had a different therapist doing the treatment this time and she was very nice. It is a very weird scenario hopping onto a bed with nothing on from the waist down and donning a pair of what can only be described as school science goggles but she reassures me that I have nothing to worry about and we get started.

It took a lot longer than the first treatment and she was a lot more thorough, covering much more area! After 5 minutes she has finished the left side which was relatively pain free. We are chatting the whole time and she tells me that a lot of women she sees have pubic hair half way down to their knees and that I am relatively hairless in comparison!

I realise now a lot of women have this done to get rid of embarrassing body hair as well as like me - so they don't have to keep forking out every month and finding the time for waxing.

The machine itself just looks like one of those plastic boxes they have in hospitals to resuscitate people. You know the ones they have on Casualty that they all shout 'Clear!' before they pass a current through the patient - instead of two pads coming off there is just one thinner one.

We then move onto the right side and it hurts quite a lot more. It's like a sharp pin pricking sensation every time she presses the button. I flinch a little and she asks me if I 'can feel that now?'. Well yes, yes I can feel that quite a bit actually! She finds it funny that it hurts on one side and not the other. She tells me she actually likes it when it hurts as it makes her feel like we are burning the hair away and then she proceeds to tell me she likes it when she can smell the hair burning as well! I am now a lot more tensed up, it's still not really painful but I'm relieved when it's over!

The whole session lasted around 20 minutes and we have booked the next 2 sessions in. Despite her masochistic tendencies I preferred my new therapist and hope I get her next time - watch this space!

Put a mit on it!

I've dabbled in fake tans over the years and always struggled with the 'Fake tan hands syndrome' afterwards. It seemed no amount of scrubbing and soaping after application would be enough to avoid the tell tale signs the next morning!

I recently got sent some Ultra Dark fake tan by Xen-Tan which I have to say is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (that's for another entry - this is all about the mit) and Ultra Dark = Ultra Worried about orange hands.

After doing a bit of research online I came across the fake tan mitt. There are lots of different types so I went for the St Tropez applicator mit as it had lots of good reviews (Amazon - £4.30).

Basically its an oversized soft mit with a water resistant barrier to ensure fingers remain unstained as you glide on self tan using the velvety side.

It felt a bit strange using it for the first time as I was so used to using my hand. I used lots of circular motion to apply and I'm sure it was quicker than pre mit too. I changed hands in the mit a couple of times to do my back and the product seemed to go on a lot smoother. Here's a handy hint - when you're done there's enough product left on the mit to use that on the backs of your hands. Make sure you get in between your fingers though as I forgot that the first time!

I woke up in the morning with a really nice colour and no streaks or patches and a very lovely even tan. The mit can go in the wash on a cool temperature and I think I'll be doing that a lot as it looks like Ive used it to clean the oven after the first use!

I will use this every time I fake tan from now on and I don’t know why I put up with tango hands for so long. I'm probably a bit late off the mark with this one and I'm sure lots of you have been using these for years. Well, I know you have - there's even a Fake Tanning Mitt Appreciation Society on Facebook!