Monday 24 June 2013

Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser

Hello lovelies 

You may have seen in my most recent beauty haul video I recently purchased the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser. The Palmers gradual tan contains cocoa butter and vitamin E and claims to be "The perfect way to keep your skin beautiful and healthy with a natural looking glow" It claims to have just a "touch of self tanner" and will create a "delicate sun kissed summer glow". I have never really ventured into the whole false tanning routine but have bought many false tans and gradual tans for Alicia who has tried every tan and gradual tan known to man.  After seeing other bloggers review this product and after reading it's claims to give me a sun kissed summer glow I thought I'd give it a whirl. 

Last weekend Alicia and I decided we would try the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser, Thursday is Alicia's prom and she wanted to try it out before hand to see if she was going to use it for prom or not. Like I said Alicia has tried many false tans and usually uses the Garnier Summer Body if she is using a gradual tanner, she has tried other brands such as Dove and Nivea to mention a couple, but Alicia knows her stuff when it comes to tan and since I was a total novice I decided that whilst Alicia was trying out the Palmers natural bronze gradual tanning moisturiser for prom it would be a good time for us both to review it and share our thoughts with you all. 




Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser rrp £5.35


Alicia and I applied the gradual tan at around 10.30am, we followed the instructions on the back of the bottle which basically said to apply the tan and wash our hands afterwards and to avoid putting a lot of tan where we might have dryer skin for example elbows and knees. We applied the tan and then left it around 20 minutes before we got fully dressed. 

My friend Nicola was coming to pick me up and take me to her house at 1.00pm so I wanted to make sure the gradual tan was applied and dry well in advance so I didn't stink of that lovely biscuit false tan smell all afternoon. Now for mine and Alicia's thoughts on the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser. 

Good Points - 

The gradual tan sank into the skin nicely, rubbed in easily and was a nice consistency it wasn't too thick or too runny, it was just right. Alicia said out of all the gradual tanners she has tried this one applied the best. 

It didn't take too long to apply because of the nice consistency.

The price is quite reasonable.

The pump applicator is very handy and stops things getting messy.


Bad Points - 

The Smell, I noticed that this product had quite a strong smell when I bought it, it smelled heavily of chocolate but not a nice smell an overpowering and horrible smell.

The smell lingers and is very strong, Simon said the house smelled as if someone had been baking but not in a nice way and at around 6.00pm so 7.5 hours after I applied the tan my friend Nicola said to me "I'm not going to lie Zo, you smell like a waffle" so not good at all, I could still smell the horrible chocolaty / waffle smell 24 hours later, it was only faint by then but still there. The strong smell lasts for around 12 hours at least.

The fact that my hands and wrists were really patchy and orange by 4.00pm, I had to scrub at them with a baby wipe to remove some of the product it looked so bad, Alicia was the same.


The Results -

The morning after we applied the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser both myself and Alicia had very noticeable colour, we were both quite a lot darker than we expected to be from a gradual tan and we continued to go darker, I took some photographs of my arm and leg at 10.30am on Saturday to show how the gradual tan had developed thinking it wouldn't go any darker but it did.

The colour both Alicia and I were was more of an orange than a brown colour, the colour continued to come out and resulted in a very orange and 'fake' looking tan. 

I had awful 'fake tan' marks around the inside of my ankles, on my toes, the inside of my elbows and Alicia had them on her wrists, feet and upper arms. 



My lower arm 
Pic above without watch before and pic below watch 24 hours after




The inside of my ankle and heel 24 hours after


Overall Opinion - 

Both myself and Alicia were disappointed in the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser, I didn't expect to have so many disasters from a gradual tanning product to be honest, I know all tanning products create some darker patches but this is meant to give a subtle, sun kissed glow to the skin, you can see from the photographs it is definitely an orange based tan and how patchy it went around my foot and inner ankle. The product was rubbed in well, I washed my hands after use and had made sure my skin was exfoliated and moisturised well beforehand as did Alicia. 

Neither myself or Alicia had a delicate sun kissed summer glow as the product claimed. We were orange, there is no other way to describe us, Umpa Lumpa's eat your hearts out. 

The smell is terrible, I didn't need to worry about smelling of the usual biscuit fake tan smell because the smell of this was much much worse. 

I think if you were to use this maybe use a towelling false tan mitt to buff the product into the skin especially around the inside of the ankles and hands, wrists and fingers.

Both Alicia and I won't use this product again and Alicia said she will stick to the Garnier Summer Body for her go to gradual tanner. 

The only place I will be putting this is in my blog sale! 

Have you tried the Palmers Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser? Do you like it? Do you hate it? 



And for a bit of fun........


Me and Alicia 24 hours later 
Photo taken from Google Images 



Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x










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Saturday 22 June 2013

Amie Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser SPF 15

Hello Lovelies

Today I want to talk to you, well write about and for you to read, all about a skin care and beauty products range I recently discovered and love called Amie. 

Amie is a natural skin care and beauty range for sensitive skin created by leading beauty expert Fiona Parkhouse, Amie was originally conceived as the ideal skin care solution for Fiona's own daughter Samantha, and working with leading dermatologist Dr Susan Mayou of London Cadogan Clinic, Fiona created an effective natural solution that really works. 

 Amie products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans and free from Parabens, Mineral Oils, Sulphates, GM Ingredients and Petrochemicals and is dermatalogically tested.

I have been using the Amie Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser SPF 15 for the last couple of weeks both morning and evening as my daily moisturiser and I am very impressed. There are a many things I love about the Amie products, I love the fact that none of Amie's products contain any of the horrible things I don't want in my beauty products, I love the smell of the moisturiser it smells clean and fresh but not overpowering and any scent doesn't linger, and I also love the price of the products, the prices start at £3.49 for their New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes and range up to £5.95 for the Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser, there is also a Perfect Beauty set containing four products for £19.95, so as you can see the products are very affordable and also extremely reasonable for such amazing products that don't contain any nasties. 



Amie Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser SPF 15 rrp £5.95* 


I found the skin shield moisturiser to be lovely to use, the scent is lovely and fresh, the moisturiser applies well and sinks into the skin nicely, I have very dry skin and this was perfect for my skin, I also used this product when my skin was at it's absolute worst, my eczema has been the worst it has ever been recently and I used the skin shield moisturiser throughout the time my eczema was bad and it didn't irritate my skin or make the eczema worse at all, in fact it seemed to calm my skin and help with the sore feeling I had at times due to my eczema being so bad.

Amie Skin shield daily moisturiser contains some amazing ingredients including the super anti oxidant rich fruits Kakadu Plum and Blueberry, it also contains vitamins A and E and uses mineral sunscreens to give broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection from the damaging and ageing effects of the sun. 




Amie Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser SPF 15*
Amie's gorgeous packaging


I highly recommend the Amie skin shield daily moisturiser, it is very hydrating and lovely to use,  the price is amazing for such a brilliant product, most skin care products with fantastic ingredients and results would be so much more expensive and it just goes to show that you can find amazing skin care products for less money.  I would love to try some more of the Amie range and will definitely be checking out their other products, this moisturiser really is fantastic and the packaging is lovely too, really fresh looking and colourful without being over the top.

There are lots of brilliant products on offer from Amie and I think there is definitely something for everyone, I think the products would be brilliant for young people especially with such an affordable price tag but they are also suitable for older people too, I am 40 and wouldn't hesitate to buy the Amie products. There are products to suit different skin types too so if you don't have dry skin like me, don't worry you will find something to suit you and if all their products are as amazing as the skin shield daily moisturiser, they will be brilliant.

If you would like to try some of the amazing Amie range you can buy it online from their website here or from John Lewis online here. Amie products are also sold in John Lewis stores and in Waitrose and on a number of other online websites. 

Have you tried the Amie skin care and beauty range? What are your favourites? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x


*pr sample


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Saturday 15 June 2013

L'oreal Resist And Shine Nail Polishes, A Bargain Find!

Hello Lovelies

Around three years ago when I wore the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara all the time, (before L'oreal changed the formula and it started to 'blob' on me but let's not go there)  L'oreal had an offer on where you got two products for £15 and a free gift, the mascara's were around £10.99 then so I bought two and got the free gift. In the free gift one of the products was a Resist and Shine Nail Polish in the colour 455 a beautiful Coral colour with tiny gold particles in it, I instantly loved the nail polish and it quickly became a favourite of mine and still is.

Even after three years the polish still applies well and hasn't gone at all gloopy as some nail polishes do, I wore the polish a couple of weeks ago and put a picture of me wearing the polish on Instagram, I received lots of compliments and people asking about the colour and brand.



This is the photograph I put on Instagram 

The polish is lovely, I use three coats of the polish and as always use my Orly Bonder base coat and my Orly Polished or Glosser top coat, this polish is amazing and lasts well over a week without chipping, I wore it for nine days the last time I wore it. I was also wearing it in a few of my Youtube video's the same week and got lots of people asking in the comments what the polish was, I also received a lot of emails asking the same question.

I knew that L'oreal no longer sold the resist and shine polishes so I decided to go on a mission to see if I could find the lovely 455 colour or any other colours. 

I googled the polishes and found that the website Fragrance Direct sold them, and they had eleven shades to choose from, but unfortunately not 455. I googled swatches of the shades they did have and fell in love with 151 a lovely pink which if it were a lipstick would be very similar to MAC's Girl About Town, it is a nice fuschia pink perfect for the summer and the best thing about my find was the price, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the polishes were only £1.25 each! What an amazing price for such a fantastic product.



 My original Resist And Shine Polish in shade 455


My new Resist And Shine in shade 151

I was so thrilled to find the polishes and the price was a massive bonus, I ordered three of the shade 151, two for myself and the girls and because I knew my subscribers and blog readers liked my 455 so much I picked one up to put away for a future giveaway I'm going to host. 

The colour of 151 is beautiful it is a gorgeous fuschia pink not too bright or gaudy just right and would look amazing on the fingers or the toes, Lissy has been wearing it on her fingers since it arrived earlier this week and loves it and the colour is so pretty, I have gel polish on my nails at the moment so haven't tried it but can't wait to do so. 


L- 455 and R- 151

Both colours are lovely and perfect summer colours, it is such a shame I haven't found 455 but I will keep trying and of course let you know if I do find it or something very similar. The resist and shine polishes are brilliant, they apply beautifully and with ease, the colours are lovely and they don't chip for over a week on me when I use my Orly base and top coat too. I have used 455 without a base and top coat and it did last for a long time so they do have brilliant staying power and they look lovely too. Once I have had my gel polish removed I will paint them with 151 and put up an Instagram photograph.

If you would like to purchase the L'oreal Resist and Shine polish in 151 or any of the other ten colours available, you can get them from Fragrance Direct. I ordered my polishes on a Monday and they were delivered on the Wednesday using the express delivery option priced at £2.99 you can choose standard delivery option priced at £1.99 the estimated time of delivery for standard delivery option is five to seven days. I was happy with Fragrance Direct, the site is easy to use and my products arrived quickly, I also picked up an Essie polish for £1.99, they have lots of brands and the site is definitely worth a look. 

Do you have a beloved nail polish or beauty product that has been discontinued? Have you spent time trawling the internet looking for it like I did?

Thank you for reading, much love as always 

Zoe x






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Wednesday 12 June 2013

La Roche Posay Serozinc - Where to buy?

Hello Lovelies

As you will already be aware if you have been following my blog or watching my Youtube channel for a while, I get all my skin care advice from the amazing skin care guru Caroline Hirons. Caroline is THE only person who I go to for my skin care advice, I started to read and follow her blog around 12 months ago after my skin decided to become extremely dry, full of eczema and just generally vile due to the medication I take, I have always had dry skin and eczema but it had become much worse and no matter what I tried nothing worked, I had spent a fortune on products and was at the end of my tether. 

I emailed Caroline and she kindly helped me and I have never looked back, I consult her blog at least once a week and always when she puts a new post up, and my whole skin care routine is down to Carolines advice and it has worked, I do still have dry skin, like I said I always have had but it is much better, Caroline is lovely and if I have any questions about anything and tweet her she always replies and helps me, she's a superstar and I would love a one to one consultation with her. 

Anyway I digress as always, one of the products Caroline recommends and uses is the La Roche Posay Serozinc, a spray toner and Caroline recommends to use on top of an exfoliating toner such as  Pixi Glow Tonic which I use to give a little hydration before serum or moisturiser, I will use my Hydraluron after the Serozinc, Caroline also says it helps her from breaking out, I have dry skin like I said but it is also suitable for oily or combination skin.

I have wanted to buy Serozinc for a while but it isn't available in the UK, on Sunday night I decided to search for the much coveted Serozinc and found a Belgian online pharmacy called Farmaline who stock the Serozinc, and even better it is £8.05 which I was surprised at and thought would be more, I also found it on a French website on offer for £5.03 but it was sold out on Sunday when I ordered but is back in stock now (typical) their shipping charges were very similar to Farmaline but without ordering from them I can't comment on how fast their delivery is but if I do order from them I'll let you know how the shipping was and service etc. Farmaline charged £6.85 shipping and you can also pay via Paypal which I find so much better, no searching for the debit card!

I ordered 2 bottles of Serozinc late on Sunday night and it was delivered this morning, I was so impressed with the delivery time especially as it came from Belgium, some UK companies take longer to deliver things than that. As soon as my parcel came I was very excited at the speed it arrived I took a photograph on my iphone and then as you do I put it on Instagram.


Instagram photo
 Not the best photograph I know but I was very excited at how fast it arrived.

I cannot wait to try this product and of course once I have been using it for a couple of weeks I will be doing a full blog post on my thoughts, I think I will like it though, so far I have loved everything Caroline has recommended, she has made such a difference to my skin, well her advice has not her personally so I am really excited to try this and let you all know my thoughts, let me know if you'd like a first impressions blog post on it, I'm happy to do one for you.

It is also available from Escentual for £8.50.

A French pharmacy, Le Guide Sante also sell Serozinc, it is £4.97 (excluding shipping) on their site.

I am more than impressed with Farmaline, the communication has been amazing, they have emailed me with every step of my transaction from ordering to my parcel leaving them to it arriving in the UK and I also received a text message and an email giving me a time slot between 11.29am-12.29pm today for delivery. I am thoroughly impressed with their service and will be going back to their site to see what other goodies they have.

Let me know if you order some Serozinc, and keep your eyes peeled for a blog post coming soon!

Thanks for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

My Instagram - mammafulzo




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