I did a post a while back on my fake tanning routine, and now I've given this tan a run through and feel like I can properly review it for you. So here goes nothing.

I originally picked it up because it said "Compare to St. Tropez" on the bottle, and the packaging is really nice. I swear to God I'm a marketer's dream (which is ironic since that's what I'm studying... anyway). Last summer I raved about Banana Boat's Sunless Tanning Spray, but I think that Equate might take the place as far as holy grail status goes.

This applies with a tinge of color which I love because it makes it easier to see spots you've been over, and it makes it easier to see where you still need to rub product in (if I didn't mention it in my routine, I spray, rub in, and repeat until I think I've got a good coverage going). It's a green based tan (very similar to St. Tropez and other high end brands) so you don't look orange at all, which is obviously a huge plus. I've found it applies quite well as a face tan too, when first sprayed into hands and then put onto the face. *Disclaimer: This is not formulated to be a face tanner. However, I do not have sensitive skin and have done this with all my other spray tans as well. Take that advice with a grain of salt.* Within the first two applications, I haven't noticed a whole lot of streaking or patchy-ness. A few here and there in the usual trouble spots (knees, elbows, ankles) but this is quickly remedied with a quick spot spray and some lotion. For now, I don't think I'll go much darker than what the tan has shown to be now (2 applications, 3 days apart) as it develops to be quite dark even after one application. Or maybe that's just me with my ghost skin...

Downfalls of this tan... First off: it's a messy application. I would definitely advise you to use this in the bath tub/shower area so you can just rinse it down after because it will get everywhere. Secondly, you will definitely smell like fake tan - for at least 48 hours. I've found that that's the stretch time, after showering a second time after application I don't notice it anymore.

Other than that, I don't have any complaints about this tan. It's hard out here for a girl like me (aka pale and always streaking with any other tan I've tried) to find a good fake tan. Now that I've got two on rotation, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape for the upcoming seasons.

Have you tried this tan? What did you think?

xx

Tessa

Howdy, y'all. If you're anything like us over here at FBG, you're constantly on the go during the day. I'm always running all over campus to work, class, teaching, studying, whatever it may be. On days when I have to wake up particularly early I'm not interested in putting on a full face of makeup. So what's the plan instead? I'll give you a quick run-down of my on-the-go face these days.

tori
Revlon Color Enamel in 211 Charming
     I think my love of lilac polish goes back to a video I saw where Lisa Eldridge was wearing one (lame, I know). It just looked like the epitome of spring. Even though it's actually snowing right now, I have some pastel love going on. I've had this polish for quite some time and I just keep going back to it because it is just the perfect shade for my skin tone. Like other Revlon polishes, the formula on this is A+.

tessa
Ruby Wing Color Changing Polish in Peony
     I'm not so sure that I'm in love with the color changing aspect here, but I do love the color it applies as, which is a beautiful pastel-neon coral (which changes to a dusty rose with sun exposure, btw). It's a bit more summery than spring, but I'm skipping seasons at this point and don't even care. I'm in love with the whole neon-pastel trend. Honorable mention to Birchbox & Color Club for their collaboration collection last year because that was on point in that regard. My only complaint about this polish is how it applies. It took me about 4-5 coats to get the opacity I wanted and even then it was still streaky near the base of the nail. Setting that aside, I love everything else about this polish, and I think it will definitely be one to live on my nails this season.


jenny
Essie Nail Polish in Sunday Funday
     As most nail polish purchases are in my life, this shade was an impulse buy while in the beauty department of Target. That is a dangerous store, I tell you. I'm not a huge fan of pink as far as wearing it in my clothing (except for scarves) but when it comes to beauty, pink and I are best friends. During the summer and spring I tend to get tan due to my wonderful Italian genes and this nail polish really pops against the darker skintone. As of right now, it's popping against my translucent skin but that's alright. This shade is a bright pink with a bit of shimmer in it and it applies pretty opaque. I would still recommend two coats, however.

I made mention of my trip to Lush and The Body Shop in last weeks post. I thought I would go ahead and quickly review some of those purchases; whether they be the best or the worst. So let's start with the bad and end with the good, shall we?

Worst: Tea Tree Pore Minimizer
Lily Pebbles had mentioned this in one of her posts awhile back. It didn't sound like she was massively impressed with it and she said it had dried her skin out a bit. Surprisingly enough, I didn't really notice it drying my skin out, but it also didn't make my pores appear smaller. In fact, it didn't really do anything. It ended up being just another product to apply and let's face it, I have enough products to apply. I tried this for a couple of weeks consistently hoping that with time I would gain some results, but alas, this product was a bit of waste of money

Middle: Seaweed Clarifying Toner
Before this purchase, I had been exclusively using the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner. I thought I should have at least another product so I wasn't using the Mario Badescu toner day and night. I was pointed in the direction of the Seaweed collection because of my skin type, I took the word of the guy working there when he said this range worked with any skin type. So far, this toner is alright; nothing massively impressing but not disappointing either. I will probably try other products but I can't say I won't ever repurchase this. It doesn't dry my skin out but I haven't noticed any magnificent skin clearing work being done with it.

Best: Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream
I've tried about three eye creams before this and by far, this is the most amazing. It goes on very easily and completely moisturizes around my eyes. I especially love this in the morning because it preps my skin for concealer. After using this, my concealer stays put without looking cakey. I don't really have a desire to try out other eye creams (although I'm sure that won't stop me) but this one is a keeper for sure.

What Body Shop products do you guys have?
xx Tori

     As Tori recently mentioned in her review of Lush Ultrabland, after my short-lived trial of the cleanser I went through an allergic reaction. It was the only new addition to my routine and it seems as if Iris is the culprit. A small bout with contact dermatitis sent me into skincare survival mode, and I significantly pared back my routine. Sticking to cleansing and moisturizing (along with a few over the counter medicated creams) seemed to look after my skin without exacerbating the irritation.

Hey y'all, we had some beautiful weather today, which of course meant I needed to be outside and enjoy it. I had some errands to run and whatnot and I thought I would show you how I did my makeup today. xx Tori

Man oh man, has this semester been the bane of my existence. I didn't really get my ass into gear until after Spring Break and even that was questionable. So here I am, five weeks left, and an absurd amount of work to do in preparation for finals. Joy to the world. Thankfully, I've managed to get my studying down to a science (lolz, get it? Since I'm a science major. I crack myself up). So, here are a list of my top 5 necessities that may help you plow through some work on this beautiful Saturday afternoon.