L'Oréal Sublime Bronze Gradual Tan

Now, I'm not the greatest fan of gradual tan, I'm too impatient. But being a serial tanner means I have scoured the shelves high and low for the best tans. I've probably brought most of the tanning products ever developed. And the darker the better for me, however, there are times when I fancy using a gradual tan. They do have their benefits. Gradual tans feel a lot more nourishing than strong developer tans, and gives you the chance for a break from intense tanning but still maintaining that natural glow.

There's nothing better, if you're feeling a little overwhelmed with teething babies or troublesome toddlers, than stealing 15 minutes of 'me time' to get a sun-kissed glow. You may not feel like doing it, but trust me, once you've taken the time to pamper you will feel ready to face anything that comes your way. This tan is particularly quick and simple to use; you could even get an application done by the time Peppa Pig finishes. Let's face it your shattered and that's not going to change anytime soon as a mum, but you may as well deal with life's little challenges looking a little bronzed :)

My absolute favourite gradual tan is L'Oréal Sublime Bronze. A 24 hour moisturising lotion for daily use to build a natural looking tan. How dark it becomes is down to you.

I love this tan because it's so pleasant and easy-to-use. The lotion is light and rubs into the skin with ease. It's not too thick or watery, the consistency is ideal for creating streak-free tans. It promises to nourish the skin intensely with added Hydralium, which it definitely does. Once you've applied the tan, your skin is left soft and supple, and all with a light fresh fragrance too - Sublime, it certainly is!

What I dislike about gradual tans, is having good to wait for the colour to develop, but that's just me, impatient by nature. The tan is enriched with Soft-Tan so you can progressively build the tan strength of your choice, without streaks. But what I find with this tan is after say day 3, you'll have managed to build a good, modest sun-kissed base colour, and for the following days, if applied daily, the colour becomes quite dark but very natural. I promise your skin will be so silky smooth too, it's a real treat. I managed to get mine at a bargain cost from a beauty shop near me for £2.99, but in other shops it's priced around £7, depending get where you get it from of course, which is still a great price.

The squeezy tube means you'll be able to get every last drop out, and believe me you'll want to! The packaging has the standard L'Oréal luxurious feel to it and shows the various stages of tan for each day. It comes in fair or medium shades- making it a great option for all skin types, whether you're pale or new to tanning, you're able to use this tan with confidence.

What are your thoughts on gradual tans? How do you find L'Oréal's Sublime Bronze?

Key Summer Trends for Key Kids

From Guest Blogger - Roo Oxley

With the sun finally getting his hat on, it’s time to start thinking about appropriate summer wear for kids. With so much choice, variety and fashionable clothes catered for children on the high street, it can be easy to kit out the kids for the summer.

As a young mum of two myself, and having been in this game seven years, I have some words of advice; do not dress your children in fancy, structured and smart apparel. Children get messy! And dirty! They play! This may seem obvious, but there is a definite trend in parents attempting to dress their children to appear as mini-me’s and dress them as carbon copies of themselves.

Yes, we all want our children to be cool and have them as matching fashion accessories (*joke*) , but parents tend to forget what our own old-skool childhood is all about-playing in muck, sand, chasing outside and soaking everyone and everything with those goddamn water balloons!

In my experience, it is still possible to dress your kids in a casual and trendy way, without making them look like they are constantly attending a garish and over the top wedding. Children need to be free to move, not stifled in too mature shirt and ties or stiff dresses.

Here are a couple of my suggestions:

Boys

For boys, a simple pair of shorts from a shop like Primark will still look cool, but also practical. You can buy a set of two colours for about £7 and you can get them in a variety of on-trend colours, such as bright blue, ginger and aubergine.

Team these shorts with a classic polo, yet buttoned all the way to the top; Gap, Next and Asda all do excellent ranges.

Havaianas!! The coolest, yet most comfortable way for any self-respecting boy to stomp around on his manner; too easy!!

Finally, to complete the look and appeal to your little (dizzee) rascal’s inner rock star- a pair of aviator shades, available for £1 (yes a quid!!) from Primark also.

*Do not spend any more money on items like shades, hats and caps because your boys will lose them FACT! *

Girls

For all the little girls, aim for free moving clothes such as summer dresses as opposed to jumpsuits (they look great but are the most highly annoying and impractical piece of clothing known to mums- have you ever had to quickly undo one in time for the little cherub’s toilet requirement??!).  The girls can still look pretty and fashionable by wearing simple cotton dresses, but with modern prints. Try Next, Debenhams and Gap).

To be extra en pointe when it comes to looking trendy, bring out the girls’ boho side, and pair up gilets with the dresses, or get some flowers and entwine them in their hair (flowers free from garden).

If she is more of a tomboy character, then you can always toughen up her look with some edge whilst remaining pretty at the same time; add a fitted denim jacket to a floaty white cotton dress with some battered Converse.

Alternatively, stretchy leggings and jeggings are the quintessential item of clothing for little girls which you can purchase from literally everywhere. They are even more ideal if your daughter is potty training, as opposed to faffing about with a fancy, petticoat laden dress!!

For all children, the most important item for summer is sun cream. All supermarkets and local shops sell it. I use a factor 50 on my kids all year round (purely to keep their skin as young and wrinkle free as possible, and the added bonus is that I will use it also- great anti-ageing routine and killing two birds with one stone! #improvisation

So to summarise; make your child’s movements free and unrestricted, do not push your own style identity on to them, and most importantly, have fun with them! So what if clothes get muddy or get ripped holes in it; clothes ought not to last forever, your memories should however.

Bronzed Beauty

After a shaky start to the British Summer, we're finally seeing a little sunshine peeking through-hooray! This only means one thing ladies - legs and arms out...The chalky limbs are revealed and it's not a pretty sight. Time for some serious exfoliation and immediate tanning applications. Tanning mitts at the ready.

Now, if there is one beauty product that I know, it's tan. Developer, gradual, instant, dark, medium, sprays, mousses, gels, creams...you name it, I've tried it!

It's something that so many people find a chore or don't feel confident doing, but believe me once you’re used to it, you won't look back. I actually find tanning extremely therapeutic and the feel good factor once you've done it really, makes it worth it. Oh and it's good for your skin too - so no more sunbeds!

If you've not tried tanning, you should bite the bullet and have a try (unless you're a blessed with being a beautiful English rose that is). For the rest of us desperately trying to be bronzed beauties you really must have a go to see how it gives you an instant quick fix when you've not slept all week with teething children etc. I love tan so much that as soon as I had Ava, I went for a spray tan because I truly looked like the walking dead - immediately after I became my normal self again and felt as if I could handle anything that was thrown my way. The drawback to this was after a feed Ava looked a little different, like she'd got a certain 'glow'. It seemed that I'd forgotten I was still developing from my spray tan and she had a tan stained cheek where she'd been resting on my freshly tanned chest and at one week old too...my bad, lesson learned!

The Product

Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to my ultimate tanning companion - meet Vita Liberata. In all my dedicated tanning years I have never come across such a fantastic tan. Trust me, if you're a fellow tanner, then this is for you. It's at the higher end of the tanning range on the market alongside the likes of St Tropez and Fake Bake. For 200ml it costs around £25 but seriously lasts me a month and I tan almost every other day. Definitely get what you pay for with this.

The Application

I like to see where I'm applying tan so I can get all over perfect streak-free tan and Vita Liberata is no exception. In fact, the guide colour this tan leaves is gorgeous. The Vita range is organic and enriched in botanical and marine extracts that interact with your own skin tone to create a natural lasting tan. For me the darker the better so I always choose the darkest shade available and apply numerous times, the range also caters for fairer skin tines or for those who want a light sun kissed glow with its medium and fair range.

The beautiful bronzing gel is luxurious to apply to your skin with a tan mitt and I've never encountered any streaks with this product, none that I've seen anyway! What makes this tan even more wonderful than it already is, is the fact that it's odorless. That's right ladies, no more burnt biscuit smell - you all know what I mean!

It's quick and simple to apply, you'll only need 15 minutes max, maybe longer for those who are just having a try at tanning.

Whenever I use this tan people ask if I've been away because of the natural bespoke shade it provides, for those who know me and my religious tanning habits they compliment the colour and the darkness. Because the formula contains natural extracts it optimises skin conditioning, promoting a natural fade...no nasty patches. It gives instant bronzed glam look and develops properly within 4-6 hours after application. Of course, for darker, richer tans you can continue application daily until you reach your ideal shade.

The tan I always use within the range is Extra Rich Silken Chocolate Gel, sounds good enough to eat doesn't it? Like I mentioned before, there are a number of shades to choose but also a mousse range too, plenty of options to suit a variety of users. I recently spotted a Vita Liberata product that I cannot wait to try out... pHenomenal! It's more expensive than the one I'm currently using, costing around £38, but it promises to last an astonishing 3-4weeks. I'll let you know how I get on.