Review: Skinny Tan tried and tested with before and after pictures

by leighvdb

A relatively new self-tanner to the SA scene, Skinny Tan’s differentiating factor is that is also promises to help improve the look cellulite. It does this in two ways, the first being by the very fact that it’s a self-tanning product. We all know that tanned flab will always look better than pale flab. I know I wouldn’t dare rock a bikini without a (faux) tan these days. And to hell with all of you that still can.

The second way Skinny Tan wants to help you out is with its eco-friendly, naturally derived guarana. Most products that claim to bust cellulite contain caffeine and Guarana contains just that. Now, to be honest, I have no clue how effective the caffeine in guarana is VS pure unadulterated caffeine. I’ve also yet to find a cellulite cream, containing caffeine, guarana or anything else that has ever made a visible difference to my ass. Still, if I had to pick between using a plain old body lotion and one that contained ingredients promises to fend off the wobblies I’d end up opting for the latter and keep my fingers crossed.

Anyway, I’m putting the cellulite issue aside as I haven’t used Skinny Tan long enough to attest to its long-term results but I can chat to you about the tanning bit. I got to try two of the brands products, the 7-Day Tanner and Gradual Tan and both are rather nice. (Thanks Pierre!)

Skinny Tan 7-Day Tanner (R395) and Gradual Tan (R320).

The 7-Day Tanner is a tinted self-tanning crème-gel that develops after five hours. I applied it using a self-tanning mitt and it initially made me nervous as goes on a bit streaky and got caught in all my arm hair. (For this reason, it’s not the kind of self-tanner I’d apply before leaving the house so I’m glad I put it on at night.) The next morning, I realised I needn’t have worried about the streakiness. As it turns out, it’s only the colour guide that doesn’t smooth out evenly. The actually ‘tan’ that had developed on my skin was lovely – an even, very natural-looking, golden glow. No orange. No yellow. Just a flattering tan.

Skinny Tan Gradual Tan on the left and 7-Day tan on the right. In my mind, the 7-Day tanner looks like what you’d get after two coats of Gradual Tan.

I also liked that, while it was developing, it smelled downright delicious – a yummy caramel scent that reminded me a lot of Xen-Tan and ModelCo’s products. The only negative is that the tan fades rather quickly and was pretty much gone within three days. Maybe if I’d reapplied the next day (‘for a deeper tan’) as the tube suggested, I’d have made it through the week looking bronzed.

Pale (and so hungover I could die) on the left and bronzed (and so hungover I could die) on the right. For the record, I’m also wearing my favourite facial self-tanner on the right; Clarins Liquid Bronze.

As for the Gradual Tanner, this applied like a dream due in that there’s no colour guide so it feels like you’re just using a caramel-scented body lotion. Again, there’s no yucky developing smell, making this the kind of thing you could easily slap on in the morning and then go about your day. In fact, the day I had it on my arm at work, I had boys telling me I smelled good that day. Always a plus.

Colour-wise, the Gradual Tanner’s colour is much the same as the 7-Day Tanner – natural and golden bronze – but half as intense. You can reapply it every day, however, to deepen it to your desired intensity. Also, the fact that it’s something you’d use every day makes its cellulite-targeting ingredients more viable. (If you’re attempting to treat cellulite topically, the theory’s that you’d need to do so every bloody day if you’re to see an improvement.)

Oh! Another thing I liked about Skinny Tan? It’s a lot less drying than other self-tanners out there as its jam-packed with hydrators like sweet almond, grapeseed and sunflower oils. These aren’t just tossed in somewhere at the bottom of the ingredients list – they sit right up at the top.

In all, if you’re looking for a skin-lovin’ self-tanner and using one that contains an eco-cert tanning active that delivers a light to medium tan, Skinny Tan could be your new bestie.

To learn more about the brand, visit their Facebook page over here and follow them on twitter @SkinnyTanSA. The former will also give you a list of stockists. For now, it’s mostly independent pharmacies and salons as well as online via SkinnyTanShop.com.

Love, love

Leigh

29Apr2014

So Revlon SA invited me to a private screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2

by leighvdb

Last week I attended a private screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 3D as a guest of Revlon. One of their faces, actress Emma Stone, is one of the movie’s stars, playing Spider-Man’s girlfriend.

Is a Color Burst lip butter on her lips?

Hey chica, is that a Revlon ColorBurst balm on your lips?

Revlon have also created a limited edition ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Electric Chrome’ collection that features, among other things, a selection of bright metallic nail polishes.

(I’m not 100-percent sure when or even if the collection’s being sold in SA, but will let you know when I find out.)

Revlon went all out for the event, treating guests to a free-flowing champers bar; yummy canapés, mini make-overs and a nail bar.

Up top: Ogilvy’s Jana van der Spuy (who’s a dead ringer for Selma Blaire) getting made up amid nail bar madness. Below: AndLollipops.com’s Clouds Drummond and I grinning through clenched teeth while hissing ‘Don’t make us look fat!’. (Thanks for trying, Jana!)

After you’d received a Spider-Man mani you could walk your nails down a mani cam. (I’d never heard of a mani cam before but apparently it was inspired by one the E! entertainment channel uses to show off celeb manis on the red carpet. The things you miss out on when you choose uncapped internet over Dstv…)

Cleverness.

After getting our fill of bubbles, my hot date Jocelyn and I had fun getting up close and personal with Spidey.

This is the last time I take Jocelyn out on the town. Girl doesn't know how to share her toys.

For the record, Joce has always been the ‘possessive psycho’ type. I’m merely defending myself.

We then each grabbed a Coke Zero and popcorn combo and I immediately doused the latter with so much bloody butter salt that the peeps around me started choking. Yumness!

I'm totally taking one for the team here; using a shot where I look kak 'cos my friends looked worse in the others.

Those 3d glasses are hiding the fact that Clouds and Joce are crying.

Movie-wise, The Amazing Spider-Man was pretty decent but I’m admittedly more of an X-Men/Avengers meisie. Still, there’s a surprise death in the movie that I totally didn’t see coming. That was a bit of a surprise and I’m not going to say anything further in case you plan to watch it yourself.

Anyway, let me get back to you on what’s happening with that Spider Man collection. In the meantime, if you’d like to create your own Spider-Man-inspired mani, Revlon SA’s nail queen, Chi Chi (she of Nails by Chi Chi), has created a tutorial to show you how.

Four steps. Got it?

Love, love

Leigh

11Mar2014

Fragrance review: Galliano Parlez-moi d’Armour EDT, EDP, Eau Fraiche and …encore

by leighvdb

John Galliano’s Parlez-moi d’Amour fragrances are finally available in South Africa. I’ve been aware of these scents for a while, having spotted them in a French airport a while back, and remember thinking how cute the bottles were. Each one looks like a little love letter which is pretty apt though considering Parlez-moi d’Amour means ‘Talk to me about love’. While there are several PMDA scents available off shore, those available in SA include the following; the original EDT, the original EDP (each smells very different), Eau Fraiche and …encore.

Galliano’s pretty new scents get the unicorn stamp of approval.

Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen is the face of the EDT.

Taylor doing her best Courtney Love impression.

While the scents are inspired by ‘young love’ and intended for a younger audience, I think any woman could appreciate them with the exception of EDP which is very sweet and that makes me think it’s a bit more ‘girlie’.

Notes-wise, the EDT is all about blueberry, ginger and bergamot top notes, a floral heart of jasmine, lavender and Turkish rose and a musky patchouli base. When I sniff it, however, I get the zesty top notes followed by an immediate rush of patchouli that smells almost exactly like those teensy pink cachous sweets. It reminds me a helluva lot of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please which I wore quite a lot last summer and is definitely my favourite of the lot.

Galliano Parlez-moi d’Amour EDT

The EDP is super sweet and all about blueberries, pink raspberry, a floral heart and a bed of patchouli, vetiver and vanilla. I can only really pick up the raspberry note. To me, it smells like one of those flat red lollipops that came in white and red animal-bedecked strip packet back when I was a kid in the 80s? Anyone remember those?

Galliano Parlez-moi d’Amour EDP

As for the Eau Fraiche, this is a lot more grown up. A refreshing zingy mix of grapefruit, ginger, white flowers, cypress and musk, it reminds me a bit of Armani’s Acqua di Gioia Essenza or possibly even Clarins Eau Des Jardin’s grapefruit-infused treatment fragrance and is my second favourite of the lot. In fact, there are days where I’m pretty much torn between this and the original EDT.

Galliano Parlez-moi d’Amour Eau Fraiche

Last of all, we’ve got the latest Galliano scent, Parlez-moi d’Amour …encore. This is the most demure of the four and is supposed to open with mandarin and blueberry, reveal a rose, gardenia and iris heart and dry down to a mix of sandalwood and patchouli. Still, my nose only really picks up on the citrus, iris and a bit of powder.

Galliano Parlez-moi d’Amour …encore.

Staying power-wise, with the exception of the EDP, these scents don’t really go the distance but as they’re so subtle, you could happily keep them in your desk drawer, cubbyhole or tote and top up throughout the day. I reckon using the Eau Fraiche scent would be a lovely sensory ‘pick me up’.

Keen to give them a sniff yourself? You’ll find all four of the new Galliano’s sitting in Edgars and Red Square stores going for R775 for 50ml.

Love, love

Leigh

L’Oreal Lumi Magique foundation review

Do any of you girls remember L’Oreal Translucide? That was my ‘go to’ foundation in college. I loved that stuff so much that I used to buy it off eBay years after they discontinued it. When my last bottle arrived and its contents where an ashy-coloured sludge I knew it was time to give up the ghost, but DAMN I missed it. This is why I’m thrilled that L’Oreal are launching another skin illuminating foundation; L’Oreal Lumi Magique:

L’Oreal Lumi Magique foundation, R189,95

Aside from offering up to 12 hours of light to medium weight coverage, Lumi Magique has an SPF of 18. The real awesomeness, however, lies in the fact that it’s infused with a zillion light-reflecting particles to help lend a healthy-looking glow to your skin, regardless of how many Jagermeisters you threw down the night before.

I was given Lumi Magique in Golden Beige to play with. I like that it evens out my skin tone and adds a bit of colour. If, however, you want to hide imperfections like an old acne mark of iets, you’re still going to have to reach for your concealer. I see this as a plus, just so you know. It’s generally best to use the ‘lightest’ foundation you can get away with in regards to coverage and then add more only to the places you really need it.

See the sublte shimmer? On your face it makes your cheekbones pop!

Glow-wise, I adore that L’Oreal’s shimmer is beautifully blended throughout the foundation and there a no teensy ‘glittery’ particles that you can actually discern on your face. This way, it’s not going to draw attention to things like large pores.

I also like the pump bottle packaging. No air can get in and degrade the efficacy of the sunscreen and it’s easy to squirt out just the right amount.

The only negative? It’s not as good at controlling oil as Translucide was. I find it can get quite ‘glowy’ (and not in a good way) on my forehead if I don’t give it the odd blitz of MAC Blot Powder. I think this could be due to the new inclusion of sunscreen. (If have a quick look around, you’ll see many oil-controlling moisturisers aimed at young people don’t include sunscreen as it makes the formula a lot heavier. Still, you CAN find a good non-greasy moisturiser with an SPF, you just have to shop around. Personally, I consider Neutrogena’s Oil-free Moisture SPF 15 a real gem.)

Anyway, because of the oil-issue, this doesn’t trump my darling (dead) Translucide, but it’s nice ‘drug store second’ to the other insanely expensive light-reflecting foundations in my make-up bag. (Here’s looking at YOU Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk…) However, if you’ve got a slightly drier skin type than mine, this could be your liquid gold. If you do give it a bash, please let me know your thoughts.

Love, love

Leigh