Girls, Let’s Talk About Our Vaginas

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Frostie

Right girls, we need to talk about something women don’t talk about enough. It’s the ‘V’ word, yup, our vaginas. Thing is, they are nothing to be ashamed of, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be talking about our vagina. (Keep saying it ‘vagina’)

In fact, Vagisil commissioned a survey of 1,000 women and discovered a shocking lack of knowledge amongst British women about intimate health, as well as a surprising reluctance to talk about their intimate area. As the expert in intimate health, they want to end the lack of knowledge, the whispers, the secrecy and the embarrassment. In fact, 42% of women are uncomfortable even mentioning the word vagina in daily conversation and just a quarter know what the plural for vagina is. Even worse; more than half (52%) would still be embarrassed to ask for advice from a pharmacist or other medical professional if they had an intimate health problem. Nearly a quarter (23%) of British women admit they have never even properly looked at their own vagina. Rather shocking statistics.

It is important to know about your vagina. Too many of us don’t know anything about our own gynecological health, or are too shy to seek help if there is a problem. Vagisil have launched a Let’s Do Something campaign. Check out the video above and let’s get more acquainted with our vagina. It is beautiful and amazing after all.

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Cocoa Brown Tanning Range

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Sarah Bacchus

This was one exciting press day for Cocoa Brown who doesn’t love tanning products. I love them so much seeing as I am nearly always behind a computer and I really don’t like to get tanned the usual way. I like to keep my skin in tip top condition, always using the highest factor cream possible. Tanning the natural way has its price…wrinkles. Well being 42 I can tell you young girls don’t do it. Opt for tanning lotions, creams and mousses rather than sunbeds and no factor cream. You will benefit in the long run. I don’t think I have stepped foot outside without factor 30-50 in the last 2 years. I pride myself that my skin is doing well for its age. So when I need a lillte bit of colour I reach into my bathroom cabinet, grab a mitt and some self tanner. One downside normally is the smell…well, keep reading ladies…this is amazing.

CoCo Brown Tanning Range

The main problem with nearly all the tanning lotions out there is the after smell. You know that rather biscuity, cooked chicken odour, and loads of you just don’t even bother with new products due to this fact. Well….hey…These products don’t have that distinctive tan smell one little bit. Not even a whiff, nothing, nada, zilch …you get me right!! It smells fresh and clean and a wonderful floral scent. Could this get any better…Yes, it’s an innovative 1 hour tan too!!

P1130318 P1130295 If thats not great then hear this…The range is so impressively easy and if you are new to self tanning this one will be perfect for you. Seasoned self tanners, this range just has to be purchased as I am sure you will fall head over heals for it.

The range consists of:

Tough Stuff an incredible exfoliator that whips the skin into shape before the products are applied, Its a rather great all round bathroom product too. My skin felt super soft and hydrated after using it the night before I tanned. It will get rid of stubborn old tan that has collected in areas. Your skin is constantly renewing itself so after a week you undoubtedly will always get a small bit of patchiness with any self tanner. Any company that tell you different will be just lying. But if you look after your skin and regularly moisturise and exfoliate then this will be minimal and you will hardly ever see it. Tough Stuff can be used up to 4 times a week so there is no need to ever be patchy girls.

A Tan Mitt that is machine washable and will protect your pinkies from being stained. Make sure you use it with the following products listed below!

Then you have Chocolate Whip, a perfect pre tan moisturiser that is a must have. Now girls I used to be an educator and run a salon. You need to do your prep before you apply any self tanner or even when you have a professional spray tan this should be something that is done. Its the foundations and secrets of getting your tan to look REAL! Apply it on elbow, knees, hands, between fingers and toes. Not forgetting your feet, heels and any dry patches of skin. The tan will penetrate through but won’t cling to it and oxidise darker. Not a good look! Chocolate Whip is also the best product to prolong the life and the look of your tan too. The best part is that it will keep your skin fabulously hydrated and smells glorious.

Now for my favourite product from the tanning range. Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan. This dries in seconds, leaves the skin feeling smooth, non sticky and ultra fresh. I felt like my skin had actually just come out of the shower, you know that fresh feeling, all crisp and clean. This lovely mousse is 1-3 hours in dry time, with 1 hour giving you a nice caramel glow to 3 hours for a deeper richer and naturally darker looking colour. Whats more a great aspect of this product it’s a brown mousse. So you can see where you are applying it, due to it not being sticky its also perfect to apply before you go out and if you don’t wash it off your not going to even notice you have it on. Neither will anyone else, as again it smells delicious. Girls they have a travel size formula too!!

I have tried countless tanning products, trained salons and professionals and write about them constantly, I really feel the next range has very big boots to fill, if at all. I passionate about great products and this may have just encouraged me to clear out my beauty cupboard and have just one set of products.

Could this range get any better? Well yes…2 more superb products are in this range, Gentle Bronze and Lovely Legs.

Gentle Bronze is a gradual tanning product that again smells great and is brown in colour, so no messy, nasty or unsightly white patches that are not noticed until too late. This is a daily bronzer that will keep you looking a beautiful caramel shade if applied every other day or it can be applied each day and it will gradually give you a perfect naturally darker sun kissed look.

And lastly Lovely Legs is a spry on leg perfecter that will hide this nasty little imperfections we all have. How many of you have ever used a darker foundation on your legs before a night out!!?? Come no be honest, I know I have, if I need a quick leg coverage. Even in the summer months when your tan looks nice, the legs always don’t look as great as the rest of you. Shaving and waxing is to blame, so here is the remedy. If you have this in your bathroom cabinet you will have perfect legs all year round too girls or guys!! Even on those rainy days, as it’s water resistant and won’t run if caught in a sudden shower.

Guys reading this, is prefect for you gentlemen too, and no one will know, the scent of this product is universal and will blend in with any aftershave. No horrid tan smell and your secret will be safe as houses.

The 1 Hour Tan sent beauty bloggers wild when it was launched in 2013 selling out 15 weeks of stock in just 2 hours. 3 bottles fly off the shelves every single minute. This baby has also appeared in the gift bags at the Oscars, lucky celebrities.

You need not be jealous as this is the best bit I have kept till last, Cocoa Brown is available at www.feelunique.com, Superdrug stores and now Primark! For …drum roll £7.99

Hurry while stocks last!

Head over to www.slbstyle.com to see the the full day in pictures along with fashion and style info. I will be doing a full article on SLB Style next week with before and after images. Ping me a little Tweet @sarahbacchus and let me know if you be purchasing it soon?

Visit the Cocoa Brown website here and Tweet them @cocoabrowntan

Forget Tattoos, ‘Tantoos’ Are The Safe Way To Achieve Beautiful Body Art

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Frostie

Cancer Research UK announced this week that skin cancer rates have surged, with more than 13,000 people developing a malignant melanoma each year. Exposure to the sun or sunbeds before the age of 25 can almost double the risk of getting skin cancer in later life.

TanOrganic is urging young people to limit their exposure to harmful UV rays, and has teamed up with an aspiring artist to create a form of body art to convey their message. Tantoos are semi-permanent, safe and effective. They use fake tan to create beautifully intricate patterns that last around a week – allowing the subject to express their creativity without regretting it!

This picture shows a design by aspiring tantoo artist, Lucie England, 17, using TanOrganic’s certified organic self-tanning lotion. The tan was applied using a brush, with the tantoo drying in less than 10 minutes. Visible upon application, the design fully develops within six to eight hours.

The tantoo is made from food-based ingredients including caramel, honey, sugar, beetroot and orange peel, and is free from harmful parabens, perfumes and synthetic ingredients. Lucie used TanOrganic’s original self-tan lotion for this particular tantoo, which is aloe vera based and nourishing to skin.

Noelle O’Connor, founder of TanOrganic – who appeared on Dragon’s Den in Ireland and successfully gained investment for the brand – said:

“Tantoos allow people to have a safe alternative to permanent tattoos they may regret later. Using fake tan is a great way to express creativity and adorn our bodies, especially in the summer months when more flesh is on display. We foresee them being popular at festivals and events where people like to express themselves and just be unique.”

“Of course for a tantoo to show up you have to have tanless skin in the first place, which is an important message to convey. If your skin is sun damaged before the age of 25 you are almost twice as likely to develop skin cancer later in life. I devote a lot of time to educating young people about the dangers of getting a real tan; it’s shocking to think that nearly 90% of skin cancer cases can be prevented with simple lifestyle choices. I hope that our work with Lucie on tantoos promotes this message to young people and literally saves their skin!”

Unlike henna tattoos, tantoos are cleaner and easier because they take minutes to apply and dry, and there’s no messy paste to wash off afterwards.

Aspiring tantoo artist Lucie England (pictured left), aged 17 and from Surrey, is currently studying A-level art & design, graphics and psychology and is aiming to be the UK’s first tantoo artist.

Spring is Pastels

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Nakita Grewal

The Pastels are here and they’re gearing up to take to our spring wardrobes. The beautiful feminine style is one to keep your eyes open for this season, the beautiful blues, greens and purples as well as the girlie pinks and the graceful yellows, a trend to really keep up to date with. The pastel power stomped its way down fashions weeks all over the world and let everyone know its here to rock this spring.

High fashion and high street there’ll be no shortage of this absolute fabulous trend. The beauty of pastel colours is the ability to wear them with one another and look as glamorous as ever. There is no fear in wearing pastels head-to-toe so really get creative with your pastels. Mix and match or stick to one colour. Not only in clothing but also in vast ranges of accessories, handbags and even make-up. It’s a total pastel take over!!

These beautiful colours are “the” trend and work well for any outfit, whether it be your casual attire, or for the office and even a special occasion, these are the colour that will be the statement!

What do you think of this spring trend? Will you be wearing it this season?

Sleeping Beauty: Night Time Beauty Products Review Part One

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Frostie

Beauty sleep may be one of those clichés that is actually true. Your body rejuvenates when you are sleeping so make the most of it by upping your game with some great products. We are sourcing the best ones, starting with these three beauts.

Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Nighttime Moisturizer.

Eight hour cream is a classic and this is particularly good as it smells of lavender which is known to help people sleep. Leaves skin soft, plump and smooth. Great stuff.

Available from House of Fraser.

Lotil Foot Care Cream with Aloe Vera.

Absorbs easily and leaves feet wonderfully smooth. It is a rich and hydrating formula which incorporates Rosemary extract, a highly effective natural anti-oxidant that both softens and moisturises the skin. The addition of Aloe Vera helps soothe dry cracked, skin. Cover feet generously in Lotil Foot Cream before bed, then pop on cotton socks and you’ll wake up in the morning with beautifully soft feet. It really works. £5.49 from independent pharmacies.

Dentyl Active Plaque Fighter

Dentyl says this:

Kills up to 99.9% oral bacteria (in lab tests)
Powerfully lifts plaque from teeth and gums
Provides a super refreshing mouth feel
Is alcohol free so it tastes great and doesn’t sting or dry your mouth

We included Dentyl Active Smooth Mint Plaque Fighter because teeth are important for both health and looks. Cleaning them properly before you go to bed is a great beauty tip.

This mouthwash is great, it tastes good (not an excuse to swallow it!) and leaves your mouth amazing clean. It definitely improves oral hygiene.

What nighttime beauty products do you like?

Tan Organic

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Sarah Bacchus

Are you loving being on the pale side at present, embracing the lighter side of life. Not being one for sunning yourself and do you wear factor 50 all year round. Like many you may have found our skin is so much plumper and heathy looking without the Summer sun damage.

So when we do want a little bit of a glow what should we reach for. Well here is a tremendous tanning lotion called TanOrganic Self Tanning Oil.

This Eco certified oil is ultra moisturising and perfectly subtle, you will look astonishingly sun kissed in a very natural way. It contains 8% DHA so this basically means its fairly light and perfect for the face and body. It was voted the best facial tan in 2013 so you can’t really get better than that now can you.

It will last about 4 days on well looked after skin thats been exfoliated and cleansed prior to application. You can focus on your legs to give them a little hint of colour and gradually build on layer by layer. It will last very well and didn’t fade in patches either.

They state you don’t need to apply it with a mitt so I was understandably a little dubious about this…I did 1/2 with a tan mitt and the rest with my bare hands. Just remembering to wash my hands afterwards! I don’t know what on earth I was worried about. No staining and no clothing was harmed during this trial either!

It glided on and made my skin feel very hydrated. It left a nice citrus fragrance behind that I loved as most of my perfumes I am wearing at the moment have citrus undertones. Citrus works so well with all scents, you can’t really go wrong. The oil vanished almost instantly and felt fairly dry to the touch so its a good idea to moisturise your skin a little before you apply it.

The bottle has a little dropper in the top to help with application and spillage issues…I’m a clumsy one so this was a god send!!

Application is recommended every 2-3 days to keep a nice glow and you can re apply it after 6-8 hours to intensify the shade. I loved the little bit of colour this gave me and I was astonished at how little you need to give a nice even, blended and perfect cover of colour. Now I used to teach students to do professional tans and I have to say this is a really easy home tan.

Sunbeds are so bad for you and I think they should be banned. Tan Organic is the Worlds first and only Eco Certified Self Tanning brand and I am loving it. With 64% of what we apply to our skin getting absorbed into our bloodstream, I am never using products that are not certified ever again. Hey ladies if this tan can be applied while your pregnant, yes pregnant then thats incredible!

This is going to be in my bathroom cabinet for a long time!This was a PR sample but I have fallen in love with it. I only share what I love here with you guys. So if I don’t love it you won’t get to read about it. I know tons of you like to hear the bad things, but I feel its way more beneficial to not mention bad products. This is a great product…off to top up right now!

Follow Tan Organic on Twitter @TanOrganic for more from myself Sarah please follow me on Twitter too!! My main website is slbstyle.com go say Hi there too. xxx

Heaven Bee Venom Mask Review

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

When I am tired, dehydrated or run down I get these horrible little lines on my forehead. If I drink some water and get some sleep they disappear but I am getting more worried about them becoming permanent. It’s easy to think aging is okay when you are in your early-twenties or teens (Hello 23-year-old Emma Watson) but I am in my late-twenties now and aging is less fun when it is actually happening to you. I have always been told I look younger than my age and I want to keep it that way.

I would never have cosmetic surgery and I promised my other half that I would never have botox (which may turn out to be a regret), so reviewing nature’s alternative to Botulinum Toxin, Deborah Mitchell’s Heaven Bee Venom Mask, was definitely quite exciting. I also met Deborah and had a nice chat with her, she has great skin and is very inspirational.

Heaven Bee Venom Mask is the first product of its kind. This unique product has been specially created using natural and organic ingredients, combined to work in synergy for an instant anti-ageing effect

Containing Manuka Honey, renowned for its soothing and healing properties, it also contains the magic Bee Venom ingredient that works to control the facial muscles for immediate lifting, tightening and firming, whilst getting to work on frown lines and wrinkles

Bee Venom Mask also contains ingredients of softening and calming Shea Butter, Rose and Lavender essential oils.

I reviewed this in two ways: one: I used it as a proper face mask. On for 20 minutes and then rinse off. Two: I put it on top of my moisturiser and leave it on.

After using it as a proper face mask my skin looks great and feels smooth. I also see a difference when putting it on top of my moisturiser. It doesn’t numb the area you put it on or feel weird, it is just like a light moisturiser and smells lovely too.

I have only been using this for a few weeks and will do an update in another few weeks. So far I am impressed. It smooths out the skin and leaves it radiant. It smells great too. So far, I am a fan.

Available from Heaven

My Skincare Secrets By Nakita Grewal

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Nakita Grewal

I’m going to share a skincare secret of mine, well of my mums. As the teenage years approached me I battled with the dark side of teenage acne, I tried skincare product after skin care product, spending from a few pounds into hundreds but I never found a product I was satisfied with. Not only was my skin breaking out but I also have the great honour of having dry sensitive skin so I have to be very careful with what I put on my face. After another failed battle in my war to control my breakouts, my mum made me a home remedy, a lemon and honey facemask. She never shared this with me before due to the sensitivity of my skin and how the lemon may react but since I tried anything and everything that I could find, there was no harm in trying this.

Get great skin like Kate’s.

It is a very quick and simple mask squeeze the juice of a lemon and mix it with honey in a bowl and apply to your face for about 10 – 15 minutes. After trying this the first time I’ll be honest I wasn’t that impressed but after doing this 1 -2 times a week for 3 weeks I noticed a difference I wasn’t having extreme breakouts and my complexion was starting to glow.

The lemon is the important ingredient in this. Firstly it dries up spots, and helps prevent breakouts as it is a natural cleanser. But it doesn’t stop there it helps in aiding an even skin tone and gives you a beautiful glow. But remember if you are using lemon on your face it is very very important to wear sun block as it does make your skin sensitive to the sun.

The honey works as moisturizer and a healer, as the lemon dries up and cleanses the skin, the honey works it magic to prevent over drying of the skin as well as healing the breakouts. These two natural products work hand in hand and leave you with gorgeous looking skin.

Also you can use the same ingredients to make a super face exfoliator by adding sugar. Use the scrub on your face for about 5 minutes going in circular motions to really scrub away at the dead skin cells and revive a new glow.

These techniques have helped me with my battle to control my skin and have worked wonders even with my sensitive skin.

What do you think? Do you have any beauty tips?

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