Cream Bronzers: Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel v. Bourjois Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil

For a more soft and natural day-time look, I would favour the sheen of a cream bronzer instead of the powder versions. Cream and liquid bronzers tend to be more translucent than powders, meaning that you can achieve a sheer, pretty look without looking muddy. They are also easier to blend in comparison to powder bronzers and can be applied using duo-fibre or synthetic hair brushes or even with fingers for an even finish. 

So which is the best one to go for? The luxurious, yet ridiculously expensive Chanel 'Soleil Tan de Chanel,' (often referred to as 'Bronze Universel') or the cheaper alternative, Bourjois 'Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil?'

Left: Chanel 'Soleil Tan de Chanel.'
Right: Bourjois 'Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil.'

Chanel is owned by Bourjois, so in theory, these products should be quite similar, right? Well not exactly. Chanel's consistency is a fairly solid cream whereas Bourjois offers a lighter, whipped mousse texture. With the Bourjois mousse it easy to go overboard on application, so a little goes a long way. However, with Chanel's cream, you have to work your brush extra hard into the product in order to pick up enough. 

Left: Chanel 'Soleil Tan de Chanel.'
Right: Bourjois 'Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil.'

Both are designed to be used under foundation but I prefer to apply them after, just before blush and highlight. Both give an alluring, bronzed glow to the skin.

Left: Chanel 'Soleil Tan de Chanel.'
Right: Bourjois 'Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil.'

Chanel is a few shades lighter than Bourjois and appears to have very fine micro-shimmer particles which are virtually non-detectable on the skin. It has a velvety smooth texture and is more orange-based than Bourjois, making it perfect for sallow skin tones. Bourjois is more golden than Chanel and is a shimmer-free, matte product, allowing you the option of adding shimmer for extra dimension.

Chanel 'Soleil Tan de Chanel' retails at £31 for 30ml from available from Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges and Boots. For US customers, this retails for $48 and is available from Macy's and Chanel

Bourjois 'Bronzing Primer Base Lissante Soleil' retails at £9.99 for 18ml. Available from Boots, Asos and Superdrug. For US customers, this can be purchased through the same websites. 

Bourjois is not a dupe for Chanel but it is great alternative. You get less product, which is handy for travel purposes as the Chanel one is so huge, it takes up a good chunk of space in your make-up bag. I find that Bourjois ticks all the boxes in order to make a healthy bronzing choice: Price ✓ Availability ✓ Colour ✓ Consistency ✓ Longevity ✓ so Bourjois, you win this one. 

Fibre Mascara Review: Love Atti Python Cheats

My eyelashes are straight and mid-length, so false eyelashes are a must for times when I want to cheat my way to long, full lashes.  Despite how deceptively beautiful they look, applying them is a chore at times especially for those, like me, who prefer drag queen eyes above anything that remotely resembles the natural look. In reality, long lashes, whether they are individual or strips, are not a part of my everyday make-up routine. They are usually reserved for special occasions or days when I leave the house after days of hibernation. Fibre mascaras are an everyday alternative to false lashes as they provide volume and length. They are the happy medium to creating thick, fluttery lashes as they give a false lash effect whilst minimising the risk of damaging natural lashes. 

Love Atti is a brand I have never heard of before until I seen a friend sporting the fullest, most voluminous eyelashes I have ever seen without the use of false lashes. Intrigued, I bought one to try from an eBay seller based in Asia. For just over £5, including postage & packaging, it was less expensive than many high street and drugstore mascaras both regular and fibre ones. 

Love Atti Python Cheats.

The full name of this mascara is Love Atti Python Cheats and it arrived less than three weeks after I purchased it. The alternative packaging is very appealing as the product is stored in a python print case - something that can be re-used for eye-wear and stationery. 

 A multifunctional product as you get a re-usable case for glasses, pens etc. 

Once opened, you'll see that the case contains two tubes of product. The larger one is the mascara and the smaller one is the fibre-coated wand.

Embossing detail on the mascaras.

It also comes with (what I assume are) instructions. Another language - don't understand - useless to me. 

Moving on from Mandarin instructions.

The mascara wand is made of plastic bristles and the mascara itself is simply a wet, black consistency. The fibre wand contains tiny fibre hairs that resemble lashes once applied. 

Left: mascara wand.
Right: fibre wand.

The application method is simple and I have divided it into three easy to follow steps:

1. Apply a generous coat of mascara, from root to tip.
2. Immediately apply a coat of fibres, wiggling the wand from the base of the lashes all the way to the ends, ensuring all natural lashes are covered. 
3. Seal in the fibres with a final coat of mascara.

Above: Both eyes together showing difference of no product and using Love Atti Python Cheats. Yes my nose looks like I've been on the whiskey all my life but I can't help being cool-toned.
Below Left: Eye free from any product - how my lashes are naturally.
Below Right: Eye after using Love Atti Python Cheats.

To allow the fibres to cling to the mascara, do one eye at time so that the mascara is still tacky. Using a fibre mascara is more time-consuming in comparison to regular mascaras. For some, the novelty may wear off after using this a handful of times, especially if you are a busy mum who only has five minutes in the morning to do your entire make-up. Of course, fibre mascaras are quicker and easier to use than false lashes so this may be reason enough to invest in this product. 

Overall, this is fantastic product for ease of use, price and effect. One annoying thing is that the baby fibres tend to drop down on to the lower lash line throughout the day, inevitably making you continuously sweeping away unwanted hairs, which can be a pain. But here, no product is bullet proof, right?

They make a great addition to any beauty lover's collection and can often be bought as wholesale joblots, meaning Christmas stocking fillers are sorted for all of your female relatives. Love Atti is available in to buy via eBay and Amazon. Prices may vary depending on the seller and where you are globally (shipping cost etc). FYI, prices tend to rise as popularity increases (W7 'In The Buff' palette, Urban Decay 'Naked' palette - to name but a few) so ensure you purchase from a reputable seller before buying.  

Has anyone else tried this or the very similar Love Alpha or even a well-known brand version? 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms

Revlon's latest lip offering is their Colorburst Matte Balms which are velvet textured versions of the popular crayon lip lacquers sported by many cosmetics brands including Clinique, MUA and Bourjois. There are ten shades available, seven of which I have to review. 

From left to right: Elusive, Showy, Shameless, Standout, Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous.

The concept behind these lip crayons is to have the appearance of a matte colour with the moisturising comfortable wear of a balm. Like most lip crayons, the product twists up to reveal the colour, making it easy to apply. For those who want their lips to look more precise, use a small detail brush to create the perfect line. For me, I like the worn-in look that tinted balms offer and these are no exception. 

From left to right: Elusive, Showy, Shameless, Standout, Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous.

In terms of longevity, these balms last up to four hours but can last a lot longer when primed with MAC Lip Prep & Prime. If I don't use the Prep & Prime, I find they apply quite patchy and cling to any small area of dryness so preparing your lips is essential to make these crayons look better. Each colour is richly pigmented, making them perfect for any occasion. Their three-butter infusion with shea, coconut and mango keeps lips feeling hydrated during wear. 

From left to right: Elusive, Showy, Shameless, Standout, Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous.

The colours shown here are Elusive, Showy, Shameless, Standout, Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous. 

From left to right: Elusive, Showy, Shameless, Standout, Striking, Unapologetic, and Mischievous.

Elusive - warm toned vintage pink. 
Showy - blue based bright pink.
Shameless - deep purple.
Standout - blue based red. 
Striking - orange based red.
Unapologetic - coral pink. 
Mischievous - peachy orange. 

The remaining three from the collection are Complex (flat neutral beige), Sultry (deep raison), and Audacious (vibrant neon orange).

UK - £7.99. Available from Boots and Superdrug.

US - $8.99. Available from Ulta and Target

Tanya Burr Lips & Nails

Tanya Burr is one of the most popular beauty gurus on YouTube, so it comes as no surprise that she has now collaborated with Eye Candy Beauty in order to create her own bespoke and hand-picked cosmetics range, indulging her subscribers on her favourite colours for lips and tips. I have been following Tanya's tutorials ever since she started Pixi2woo, a baby sister channel to Pixiwoo's resident make-up artists Sam & Nic. When Pixiwoo released their Real Techniques brushes, I had to try them, so by that very logic, I immediately wanted to try Tanya's lip glosses and nail varnises. I chose three shades of each product. 

The nail varnishes I chose are 'New York Night', 'Penguin Chic' and 'Mini Marshmallows.' The names of these products hint towards Tanya's favourite things as well as significant events from her life. The packaging for these polishes are so elegantly simple. The rectangular design is the perfect shape to delicately display as part of any beauty lover's rotating stockpile. 

Tanya Burr nail polish collection. 

'New York Night' is a dark aubergine purple with a crème finish. This opacity took two coats.

'New York Night.'

'Penguin Chic' is an aptly named grey, reflecting the colour of a baby penguin. This has a crème finish and this opacity took two coats.

'Penguin Chic.'

'Mini Marshmallows' is a sheer but buildable marsmallow pink with a crème finish. This opacity took three coats. 

'Mini Marshmallows.'

The lip glosses I chose are 'First Date,' 'Champagne Toast' and 'Afternoon Tea.' I usually favour lipstick over lip gloss but these are some of my favourite lip glosses. In fact, I have hardly worn anything else on the lips since I bought them. These lip glosses come in two finishes; crème and shimmer. The crème finishes remind me of the Chanel Levres  Scintillantes glossimer lipgloss as they wear off during the day without feeling uncomfortable or looking patchy. Tanya's lip glosses are long-lasting, richly pigmented and easy to apply with the doefoot applicator designed to hug your lip shape. 

Tanya Burr lips.

From left to right: 'First Date,' 'Champagne Toast,' and 'Afternoon Tea.'

'First Date' is vibrant candy pink in a crème finish. 

'First Date.'

'Champagne Toast' is neutral pink-bronze with fine shimmer particles.

'Champagne Toast.'

'Afternoon Tea' is a terra cotta with a crème finish. This is my favourite gloss and I will be wearing this as my chosen lip product for when I get married in just under seven weeks time - excitement. 

'Afternoon Tea.'

There is something to suit everyone despite age and preference as there is so much colour variety in the collection . Tanya's range is made up of a further nine lip glosses and  another seven nail polishes. They include: 

For your lips...

Lets Travel The World (bright tomato red, crème finish).

Exotic Island (fandango purple, crème finish).

Picnic In the Park (pretty brink pink, crème finish).

Chic (vintage pink, crème finish).

Vampire Kiss (deep, intense blood red, crème finish).

Smile, Dream, Sparkle (sparkling red-violet, shimmer finish).

Heart Skipped a Beat (lava red, shimmer finish).

Aurora (tea rose, shimmer finish).

Just Peachy (coral pink, shimmer finish).

For your tips...

Peaches & Cream (peachy orange, crème finish).

Be Bright, Be Happy, Be You (hot pink, crème finish).

Little Duck (pale eton blue, crème finish).

Bright and Early (coral pink, crème finish).

Mischief Managed (lust red, crème finish).

Riding Hood (deep auburn red, crème finish)

Midnight Sparkles (night sky blackened navy shot through with multi-faceted sparkles of gold, pink and blue) 

Available from Feel Unique and Superdrug. Tanya's range is purse friendly as they retail at £5.99 for 12ml per nail polish and £6.99 for 8ml per lip gloss. 

Simple Spring/Summer Make-Up

If you are from the UK or Ireland, you'll know how temperamental the weather here is. It has been known to snow in April and have glorious sunshine on the most freezing of days. So if you are in need of a bright pick-me-up, follow my latest tutorial on how to get easy, bright spring/summer make-up. 

This look keeps the eye base quite matte and neutral, allowing the blue liner to be the main focus of this look.

Blue on Blue. 

Blue liner with a barely there lip.

Product List:

Eyes

Too Faced Chocolate Bar - White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Champagne Truffle, Creme Brule

Sleek dip it eyeliner - Sky Blue

Maybelline big eyes mascara

MUA mascara - shade 4 (brows)

Complexion

L'oreal nude maqique eau de teint foundation - Porcelain

Collection lasting perfection concealer - Light

Rimmel stay matte powder - 001 Translucent

Illamasqua cream blush - Rude

Barry M blusher - Peaches & Cream

2 True bronzer

MUA undress your skin highlighter

Lips

Stila lip glaze - Passionfruit

MUA matte lipstick - Peachy Keen

Tanya Burr lip gloss - Afternoon Tea

Nails

Revlon - Impulsive

Products used for this look. Too many or not enough?

Balance Active Formula Snake Venom Eye Cream & Wrinkle Freeze Serum

Due to extensive investigative scientific processes, it has been proven that rattlesnake venom has anti-coagulant properties. From this, researchers gathered that the venom could potentially prevent and treat strokes including reversing the side-effects of a stroke. The venom has subsequently been developed into drugs known as Ancrod and Viprinex which are yet to be pharmaceutically approved and be made available to patients worldwide. 

The rattlesnake: a wonderfully misunderstood carnivorous creature. Photo courtesy of Gary Nafis.

A recent study has shown the effects of a new painkiller in the pharmaceutical market to be more powerful than morphine. The painkiller has been discovered by French scientists who have carried out extensive research on the African Black Mamba snake. This snake produces analgesic proteins known as mambalgins. These proteins were tested on mice and the results demonstrated painkilling without the side effects that come with taking morphine. This research is still very much in the early stages but imagine the possibilities if this painkiller was suitable for human consumption. It could potentially be introduced as part of the palliative care for service users going through drug rehabilitation or chemotherapy. (Gallagher 2012).

Not a pretty sight but can radically alter modern medicine and even inspire current beauty regimes.

Sounds incredible doesn't it? That snake venom can have qualities that can both take and improve life. It comes as no surprise that beauty manufacturers realised that the idea of snake venom's ability to freeze the face (effectively making you look younger), would appeal to the masses. But whilst we're waiting for the FDA and and the EMA to approve such scientific advances with the real deal, we beauty lovers what will have to settle for a manufactured ingredient known as Syn-ake, nicknamed 'botox in a bottle.' Sounds like an expensive treatment designed for the rich and famous, right? Well actually, an inexpensive version is available for me, you and your 70 year old neighbour hoping to look like a younger Jessica Lange. These are from Balance Active Formula, a brand that I have seen in discount stores which offer good quality skin care products for just a fraction of high-street prices. Of course, like many expensive predecessor treatments, the active ingredient is the Syn-ake peptide, which has the ability to freeze muscles, just like real snake venom could. 

Balance Active Formula Snake Venom Eye Cream & Wrinkle-Freeze Serum.

Admittedly, I only picked up these up because of the 'Snake Venom' label. The first of the the Syn-ake duo is an eye cream which claims to do the following:

• Relax tired eyes.
• Moiituries and illuminate.
• Minimise dark under eye circles and bags. 

I once read in a beauty magazine that putting under eye cream on at night defeats the purpose of how it works (something about the cream dragging the area down blah-de-blah), so instead I use eye creams, including this one,  every second morning. I wouldn't say that my eyes feel relaxed, but they do feel as if little diced up cucumbers have been placed there, giving a cooling effect to the eyes. I do believe that all eye creams are  essentially re-labelled moisturisers and so this cream does a good job of keeping the eye area hydrated. I cannot comment on whether it reduces dark circles and bags as I do not particulary suffer from these complaints - I don't even need to wear concealer most days - long may that continue - tangent. In summary, I like it as it makes my delicate little eye sockets feel refreshed and more awake. 

Rejevenating eye cream. 

The second product is a wrinkle-freeze serum claiming to be a needle-free way to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. As part of my personal skin care routine, I like using serums twice a week after moisturising for added nourishment. This particular one feels drier than my usual serum and feels almost like it is tightening my skin upon application. I don't think I have produced enough wrinkles in my 27 years to warrant a wrinkle-freeze serum so I haven't noticed a difference in my skin's appearance at all. Perhaps it may be beneficial for the more mature ladies (and gents) to try this one out if they have creped skin. 

Tightening skin serum.

Below is a price comparison of brands that offer similar products.

Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum (25ml) -  £130.

Nip + Fab Viper Venom Face (40ml)  & Eye (15ml) duo set - £24.95.

Transformulas Wrinkle Block Line Restriction Creme (15ml) - £35.

What I do love about this particular Balance Active Formula Syn-ake duo is the price tag. I got mine from Home Bargains which cost £1.89 for the 15ml eye cream and £2.99 for the 30ml facial serum. If Home Bargains is not accessible to you, try Amazon where prices start at £5 per product. You can't argue with those prices, especially when testing out new products. 

Barry M Aquarium Nail Effects Collection

Barry M have recently added to their SS14 nail paint range with their Aquarium collection with four duochrome polishes and two large particle glitter shard topcoats. These polishes seem to to be a tropical twist to their existing Chameleon and Confetti nail effects ranges. I have two from the collection including Arabian and Mediterranean. 

'Arabian' and Mediterranean' from the Barry M Aquarium collection. 

This collection is inspired by the multi-faceted tones and textures of the ocean. The pearlescent duochrome finish allows nails to appear as two different colours in one, making them glisten in the light from every angle.The finish of these two-tone polishes reminds me of Model's Own Beetlejuice collection from 2011. 

'Mediterranean' manicure with an Arabian' accent.

'Mediterranean' is a pink hued copper colour whereas 'Arabian' is a golden green chrome. Note that Arabian is a similar colour to many polishes from other brands such as Chanel 'Peridot,' China Glaze 'Rare & Radiant' and Model's Own 'Golden Green Beetlejuice,' so if you admired these colours and didn't manage to find them, 'Arabian' may be for you. 

The rest of the collection are:

'Mermaid' - clear topcoat with blue, green and gold confetti glitter pieces. 

'Treasure Chest' - clear topcoat with gold and pink gold confetti glitter pieces. 

'Caspian' - golden lion with hints of pink gold.

'Pacific' - metallic carolina blue.

Barry M never fail to impress me when it comes to nail polishes and I may just have to purchase the entire collection. 

RRP - £3.99. Available from Barry M, Boots and Superdrug.