My Tan Testing Thursday - Xen-Tan bronze | fake tan | holiday skin | natural | review | self tanner | skin | skin care | tan | tanned | when flowersfall | whenflowersfall | xen tan | xentan

This is the first of two self tanner reviews, the other will be posted tomorrow! :)

On Thursday I went swimming with my girls and I figured it would be the perfect night to try out a couple of new self tanners. 

We had been given a couple of samples from Xen-tan last Saturday at #leedsbloggermeetup2012.

Tomorrows review will be of a self tanner from Make Believe, again of which we received last Saturday.

During my little swimming sesh I snuck into the sauna to give my skin a bit of a treat. When I got home, I jumped in the bath and exfoliated like crazy. My skin felt amazing. 

I then proceeded to smother myself in various lotions and potions to try and achieve a cracking glow for this bank holiday weekend. 

Xen-Tan

I applied the Xen-Tan dark lotion to my arms and décolletage, this is the product I had most faith in. 

Before I did so, I made sure to moisturise my elbows, this is the one area most prone to psoriasis and I wanted to make sure that the product didn't cling to any dry skin that I may have missed. 

The self tanner is very dark in colour. It looks really scary. When applied to the skin the colour isn't as crazy, it gives you a slight colour guide and this really helps with applying the product as smoothly as possible. This way you can avoid any kind of streaking.
The thing that you notice straight away is the very strong scent of marzipan. Personally I love it, but it might not be for all. It does definitely beat the smell of biscuits though.

The self tanner dries very quickly, which I loved, and you are able to put clothes on without them sticking to you. It is advised to steer clear of any light colour clothing though. 

As you can see from the photos above the product starting to develop nicely within the next hour, but I decided to sleep in it and wash it off in the morning. 

In the morning my arms looked amazing. In the above photo it looks rather orange, but I can promise you it was not. The photo was taken before my shower, so afterwards the colour was slightly less in your face. I really did look like I had been lying in the sun for the past week. Another bonus was that my elbows were not dark at all! 

Xen-Tan is a little pricey, this lotion in particular is currently on sale on the Xen-Tan website for £21.74, but I honestly feel it's one of the best tans I have ever tried. It gives the most natural colour, I had no streaks of patches and it is wearing so well. 

I'm trying really hard to make the sample I have last as long as I can, but I would most definitely re-purchase this product. 

You can find out more about Xen-Tan here.

Check back tomorrow for the review on Make Believe tan, which I tried out on my legs, (my harder to tan area.)

Glam Glow Mud Mask - Rave Review exfoliator | face | glam glow | leedsbloggermeetup2012 | mask | mud mask | rave love this product | review | when flowers fall | whenflowersfall | xen tan | xentan

Hi, my lovelies!

If you have already read my post about #leedsbloggermeetup2012 then you will know that we were treated to a talk about Xen-Tan by the wonderful Amy. Not only did she tell use about Xen-Tan, but she also introduced us to the wonders of Glam Glow. 

Glam Glow is a mud mask that can be used on all skin types, dry or oily. It tingles when you first apply it and dries and lightens during wear. 

The Mask claims to 'activate moisturising collagen synthesis, provide gentle exfoliation, tighten the skin, shrink the appearance of pores and leave the skin bright and soft.'

The mask contains volcanic rock minerals, natural French sea clay and green tea leaf pieces. 

MY EXPERIENCE

After being given a sample of Glam Glow at the event, I was keen to give it a go. I followed the instructions and jumped in the bath. 

My first impressions were great, the product smells amazing and clean. The consistency is a little gritty, but I'd expect that from something that boasts exfoliating properties, and it applied nicely onto my skin.

I have to admit, I didn't feel the 'tingle' until maybe 5 minutes of wear, but when I did, my lordy did I feel it. The thing is, I didn't find it to be an unbearable kind of tingle, it felt a little stingy but it was kind of satisfying. I guess that's how you know it's working.

After about ten minutes I started to remove the mask, I used a hot cloth from Washi (review coming soon) and worked it in circular motions. At this point I really did feel it was doing good for my skin. The grittyness of the minerals and green tea were still there. 

 It definitely wasn't a half arsed excuse for an exfoliator and I really did get smooth, clear skin that was literally glowing. 

I cannot praise this product enough. I am in love with it. 

Unfortunately the only downside for me is the price. 

The 7ml sample I was given sells on the website for £2.99 (Of which I got one use, I must have a big face. Either that or I applied a thick layer)

The next size up is 15ml and retails for £19.99, being only double the sample size it probably wouldn't go much further.

The 50ml tub sells for a whopping £49.99, now I don't know about you, but that there is pretty much my whole months worth of food shopping. It would be far to painful for me to spend that kind of money on a beauty product, even though I really do love it! (Plus, I think Liam would never forgive me.)

Photo from glamglowmud.co.uk

If you would like to find out more about Glam Glow, or maybe even purchase some for yourself to try, 

visit www.glamglowmud.co.uk

If it wasn't for the price, I would have already have purchased some more.

Have you heard of Glam Glow before?

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#Leedsbloggermeetup2012 bloggers | event | glamorous | goody bag | leeds | leedsbloggermeetup2012 | meetup | mook bar | mywild | wild | xen tan | xentan

Today was the day of the blogger meetup in Leeds, organised by Ray and Tor. 

 The event was held at Mook Bar in Leeds and it was the most amazing 3 hours I've had in a long time.  Not only did I get to meet a lovely bunch of girls, but we were also spoilt rotten with the most incredible goody bags.

We sat through talks from both Valerie from Wild and Amy from Xen-Tan, each brand of which I am now dying to try out. Luckily, we were given some Xen-Tan samples so I think that'll be used up pretty quickly!

We were also lucky enough to be given a piece of clothing each  from Glamorous, (of which I forgot to photograph), but I was lucky enough to get the infamous disco pant dupes. They are a little squeezy but I'll be most definitely be using them as my goal weight pants! Once I fit in them comfortably, I'll be happy. 

Like I said before, I had an amazing time, met some really lovely ladies and got some absolutely incredible goodies. 

Thanks again to Ray and Tor for arranging it. I'm already looking forward to the next one!!

Bloggers in photos above - Danielle, Sarah, Ellie

I think I've followed everyone who was there, but if I have missed you, just shout at me and I'll fix it at one!