Stocking Fillers

I love putting together a stocking or a bag full of small gifts for the two men in my life. The little man usually gets toys, books and some clothes. While the hubby would get shower gel, aftershave and some techie things. I also love receiving small gifts in a stocking or bag. This year there is loads to choose from but I have picked products that I would love to find Christmas morning.

 

EOS Smooth Sphere Summer Fruits Lipbalm (€6.95 on Cloud10Beauty)

 

Cocoa Brown Tan (€7.99 available nationwide)

Chocomania Cupcake Giftset (€9.95 in The Body Shop stores nationwide)

 

 

Roger and Gallet Fleur De Figuier 30ml (€17.00 in selected pharmacies)

What are you hoping for in your stocking?

 

 

 

Christmas Wishlist

The questions from family have started coming in on what I would like for Christmas. To be honest there is only a tiny amount I would like.

 

 

 

 

First up is a new camera, my beloved camera kind of broke while I was on holidays in May. Nothing major but the shutter is broke. I would love a proper camera like the ones photographers use or the new Samsung android one where you can take pictures and upload them straight away to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. It's not exactly cheap at €430 but a girl can dream.

 

 

Being a massive Cocoa Brown Fan, I can ever have enough in the house. I am loving this Cocoa Brown giftset that retails at €19.99 and has Tough Stuff, Chocolate Whip, One Hour Tan and Tanning Mitt plus it's pink and pretty!

 

 

 

I'm getting more and more into Paese cosmetics, already a big fan of their Matte Makeup Base, I would love to try a few more of their products. Everything in the range is under €15 and available from Cloud10Beauty

 

 

 

 

My makeup brushes are in an awful state, completely my own fault but I am feeling like binning them. That's a sure sign I want newbies and the Elite Collection (€105) from Nima Brush would be perfect in a purple cylinder

 

What's on your Christmas wishlist?

 

 

 

 



Cocoa Brown Night and Day

I'm completely obsessed with Cocoa Brown from the gorgeous and really friendly Marissa Carter.

I first tried it in December last year and am currently on my 5th bottle. Since it's initial launch,Cocoa Brown is doing brilliant. Available in practically every pharmacy and now Penneys,global domination is not far off.

There is a new sister tan out called Cocoa Brown Night & Day.

Since hearing about it,I knew it had to be mine.I finally got my mitts on it a few weeks ago, when Marissa treated some bloggers to lunch.

Night and Day is genius! You know when you're heading out for the night and want a lovely dark tan but the next day, you wish it was just a natural glow? Tricky, isn't it?Not anymore,Night and Day gives you a gorgeous dark tan and the next day, after rinsing off, you are left with a natural tan.

Here are a couple of pics featuring the beauty

The tan features the same tahitian gardenia scent and no biscuit pong as Marissa has put on the packaging.

How did I get on with it? I was a little anxious at first thinking I would be really dark but I need not have feared.The tan was dark but it wasn't unbearably so and when washed off it left a gorgeous golden glow.

 

No doubt about it, Im in love with this innovative product. I can't wait to see what other lovelies Marissa has planned.

This lovely retails at the same price as the original Cocoa Brown (€7.99). This beauty has hit shelves now so grab yourself a bottle

Are you a lover of Cocoa Brown? If so, will you be trying Night and Day?

 

Holiday Beauty Prep

It's exactly one month until I leave the Emerald Isle for sunny (hopefully) Spain. When it comes to just a few weeks before a holiday, I start beauty prep. Here are the beauties on my prep list.

I never ever tan while I'm away. Its something that really bothers me. I know its completely unreasonable and somewhat vein of me but I can't help it. In order to boost my tanning possibilities, I have started taking Pharmanord Tan Care. This cost me €18 in work and you take 1 tablet daily for one month before heading away.

A couple of days before I go, Ill start applying Dove Gradual Tan in Medium/Dark to give me a glow. Swimming Pools and false tan don't mix well but further investigation with Cocoa Brown, I've discovered that the tan fairs quite well with swimming pools once you leave it on for the one hour only. If need be I can top it up at night.

I have KP, it annoys the bejaysus out of me and makes me really self conscious. I picked up Neostrata Glycolic Lotion in work a few weeks ago and have been applying it religiously. I've definitely noticed an improvement in my skin so am continuing use up until I go away.

If I'm going to be living in flip flops, I'm going to need lovely looking feet. I've heard great reports on Soft Sole Exfoliating Peel so two weeks before I go, I'll try it out and see if it's as good as I've heard.
 

When you're in the sun, skirts and shorts along with swimming togs are a must. A few days before I go,  I will be breaking out the Dimples to defuzz myself. Dimples will also be coming with me.

** I may also head to the salon for an eyebrow tidy and some tinting, depending on what time I have before I go away. If you have any suggestions where I should think about heading for these let me know**

What way do you beauty prep for hols?

Fighting the Dreaded Cellulite

Cellulite is extremely common and everyone who suffers from it hates it. I'm in the club, having a bit on the back of my legs and bum. In my mission to get fit and ready for my holidays in May, I've decided to tackle cellulite head on. I'm the type of person who needs to know everything about somethings I'm fighting head on so wanted to share with you some information on Cellulite and two products, I have been using that seem to be working a treat.

What is Cellulite?

Cellulite is fat accumulation that forms a bumpy appearance under the skin. The bumps are created when the fat collects and pushes against the connective tissue found directly under the skin. Cellulite is found most commonly in women, and is located in the thighs, buttocks and stomach. The amount of cellulite a person has depends on body fat percentage, thickness of skin, and age.

What can I do about it?

•  The best treatment for cellulite is diet and exercise to reduce the amount of body fat and increase muscle tone. Limit sugar and salt to assist with weight loss and water retention in the body. Drink at least 2 litres of water a day ( If you struggle with water like me, pop a multivitamin or vitamin c effervescent into a 2 litre bottle of water)Exercise wise walking is really good or you could take a trip down memory lane by breaking out a skipping rope.   
• You can disguise cellulite with the use of a false tan, my personal favs being Cocoa Brown and Decadence Tan , (the tan eliminator from Decadence Tan can help reduce cellulite too)Tanning in the sun or in a light bed will worsen cellulite as sun damages the elastin and collagen in the skin. 
• Body Brushing can break up the toxins. Brush each area of the body for 3-5 minutes.
• Cellulite looks worse when skin is dehydrated. Use a decent moistuirser like La Roche Posay ISO UREA or Neostrata Lotion Plus daily.

Treatments You  Can Buy

For the last few weeks, I have been trying a budget and high end cellulite treatment to see if they provided any improvement to my problem areas. Since there is two I used them for two weeks at a time

Budget - Pixy Cellulite Body Oil (€9.95)

Cellulite Body Oil is made from avocado oil which is good for troublesome skin conditions and sweet almond oil which soothes and reconditions the skin. Cypress essential oil is used to improve circulation, grapefruit essential oil to smooth cellulite and fennel essential oil is known to cleanse the body of toxins - an uplifting combination of scents as we help you in your battle to conquer the dreaded cellulite.

I really liked this oil, first off it smells gorgeous and because you only need a small amount, the bottle lasts for ages. Because it is an oil and takes a while to soak in, I used it in the evening time before I went to bed.After two weeks of using this, my skin definitely felt softer and more supple. Even more impressive is that cellulite was significantly reduced.In comparison to other high end cellulite treatments, this lovely holds its own. Well done Pixy!

High End - Clarins Body Lift Cellulite Control (€46 available on Clarins counters this month)

The new Body Lift Cellulite Control contains 8 plant extracts to aid skin’s hydration, tone & texture thus improving the over all appearance as well as working on problem areas. Clarins reccomend following their Body Contouring method, which involves applying the cream from your ankles up to you thigh and massaging it in a specific way. same goes for when applying it to your bum.

When trying out this cream, I would recommend allocating a bit of time as the massage can take a while to do. Again this lovely smells beautiful,no doubt thanks to the plant extracts. On instant application, my skin looked smoother and the tone majorly improved. The cream soaks in quickly so youre not left waiting to get dressed. After the two weeks on this, my cellulite improved even more so.

It's hard to say which I would recommend, as both did a good job at controlling my cellulite. I was impressed with how Pixy improved my skin and how Clarins improved my skin tone. I think anyone would be happy with either, but if it's down to budget, then Pixy is the one.

Salon Treatments

There are heaps of Salon treatments available for cellulite.  One I recently heard of is Vela Shape II, which is apparently a fav of celebs like Kim Kardashian. Velashape II is non surgical and uses a combination of radio frequency, infrared light and vacuum suction. It claims to address cellulite and firm your skin. This baby aint cheap with prices currently €499 (gulp!) for 5 sessions in Pink Beauty Emporium Dundrum

xxx What are your tips for fighting cellulite? xxx