No7 Quick Dry Tinted Lotion - Self-tanner

Oh yes, it's that time of year again - tan time! I'm sick of looking at my pale winter skin so I'm now on a mission to find my new favourite self-tan, and the first one to undergo the test is No7 Quick Dry Tinted Lotion. I really do love the look of a healthy-looking tan, complimented nicely with some metallic eyes or brightly-coloured lips.

As far as I'm aware, this product has actually been around quite a while - 10+ years - but this is the first time I've ever come across it and seeing as Boots had a discount on tanning products (yay for discounts in Boots!), I decided to give it a try. I have my usual tanning products that I always come back to; St. Tropez is fail-safe, but I'm always willing to try new things I haven't seen before. I also liked the fact that this particular tanning lotion was suitable for the face as well as the body - most brands will have a separate product aimed specifically for use on the face, maybe it's because the skin on the face is different from the skin on the body, or maybe it's just a gimmick! Either way, I never bother with face-only tanners and therefore don't apply self-tanning lotions on my face (my boyfriend loves a tanned body and white face, ha ha!). Don't worry, I don't leave the house looking like that, I just apply a slightly darker foundation and a bit of bronzer!

My current favourite - Clinique True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sunkissed

So, of course I did my usual pre-tanning routine, which basically consists of a good exfoliation with exfoliating gloves in the shower - I actually switch the shower off and spend a good 5 minutes doing it. I  generally don't bother with any moisturiser whatsoever, not even on my elbows, knees or feet as I don't tend to suffer from dry skin in these areas, plus the the fact that the product was a slightly tinted lotion/cream rather than a gel or spray made me think that it would probably provide some moisture anyway.

Now, me and this tanning lotion did not get on very well at first. I read the instructions, which told me to apply the lotion with either my hands or a cotton wool pad - I thought the cotton wool would be too fiddly so I applied it with my hands. BIG MISTAKE! As you'd expect, my hands were a mess the next day when I rinsed it off (more on that in a minute), they were so brown and dirty-looking in comparison to the rest of me and the tan sat in the cracks and crevasses of my skin, making them look far wrinklier than they are.

I applied it after showering and before bed so as to give it the best chance to develop, but you don't have to wait that long, apparently you can rinse it off after 2 hours (I'd imagine it wouldn't come out very dark though); I showered it off the next morning. The lotion itself is a bit unusual; it's slightly tinted, creamy and light but thick, if that makes sense. It's a dense consistency, but not a thick or heavy lotion. I know I'm not explaining that very well, it's hard to describe! The bottle has a pump that you push down to get the lotion out; this was a pain in the bum as it was a bit stiff and had no grip so my lotion-covered hands were slipping off it, plus it only dispensed a small amount of lotion per pump so it took quite a few pumps to get a substantial amount - but this is actually good for when you're doing the face as only a small amount is needed. I also found that it wasn't very dark - I got the medium to dark shade (it comes in light to medium too) - so that was a bit disappointing. I decided I'd be best to just let it wear off, as it says it does on the bottle, and try again the following week. But it faded off horribly and patchy, especially on my hands (my own fault, I should've known better), and I ended up scrubbing it off.

So round 2, and I was slightly better prepared - although not that well prepared as I intended to buy a tanning mitt to apply it with this time but I completely forgot! However, I did have latex gloves in my beauty kit, so on they went. This time I spent a bit more time massaging the product into the skin to make sure I didn't end up with any streaks or patchiness like last time. This and the latex gloves seemed to do the trick, as this time the tan came out a little bit darker, far more even and my hands weren't destroyed! I tried the wear-off test again and this time it did wear off evenly and gradually, so 3-4 days after applying it I still had a light but even, natural-looking glow. Even when my hands and face lost their colour (as they do - we wash these areas more!), it wasn't drastically noticeable.

So we ended up co-operating with each other and it worked out well. Like any relationship, just a bit of time and difference made a nice bit of difference! What I will say is, I'm not sure that I'd buy this product again - it was a bit of a pain to get the right result, and I've used products in the past that I've put a hell of a lot less effort into but got equally good or better results. So my mission continues, I've lots of products on my list - I'll be sure to test some more out and let you know how I get on!

Happy tanning!

Suzie

xx

How I deal with my Skin Type and Issues

I've mentioned it a few times now but my skin type is very oily, which has caused me no end of problems since I was about 10 years old. I'd nearly go as far as saying that having issues like spots, blackheads, large pores and oiliness have lead me to my passion for makeup - I began using concealer to cover my blemishes at the age of 12 which gradually moved on to foundation, powder, eyeliner and so on, and by the age of 16-17 I was wearing a practically full face of makeup, even to school. Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't going all out contouring and winging my eyeliner or anything like that, that has only come in the last few years, but I was certainly wearing a full daytime-look makeup, often focusing on my skin to make sure it looked clear and wearing a bright colour on the eyes with lots of mascara!

In a way, I can appreciate the fact that I've learned a lot about makeup over the years from trying things out and discovering what I like and what suits me, but I still wish I never had to deal with the skin problems I had so I didn't have to wear makeup to school, I really was only a child and I was always assumed to be older than I was, which is great when you're 17 and getting served in a pub, but not really great when people thought you were 10 years older than you are! Strangely enough, the tables have turned now and I'm often assumed to be slightly younger than I am, which is very nice! But getting back to my skin problems; here's how I've dealt with them over the years, and what I do on a daily basis to try and combat these issues.

• Contraceptive Pill - I'm going to get this one out there straight away because if you're a girl and your skin problems are really getting you down, the contraceptive pill is a godsend. It all comes down to hormones; girls who suffer from acne may have slightly more male hormones in their system and the point of the contraceptive pill is nearly like tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant, which means more female hormones come into the body and the male ones are lessened - acne symptoms disappear quite rapidly! Now I'm not a doctor and I don't claim to know the ins and outs, all I know is that it worked for me for years and it works for most girls, so if this is viable for you, definitely go and see your doctor. There are different types and your GP can recommend some and talk you through the pros and cons. I also think that it's not a bad idea to be on the contraceptive pill at the age of about 16+, for obvious reasons, but that's just my personal opinion!

When I was 24 going on 25 I decided to come off the pill, having been taking it for about 7 years, for mostly health reasons, and because I was now older I thought that maybe my previous skin issues would have subsided, at least a bit - not a chance! The oiliness, spots, blackheads all came back in full force and within a month I had the same spotty oil-slick skin of my teenage years, which was very frustrating to say the least! It was nearly worse because I had just completed my makeup course and wanted to put all my new skills to use, but I had to spend more time focusing on getting my skin in good shape. Somehow, I've managed to get my skin in good nick now, so this is just a little bit about what I do every day, and for me it obviously worked:

• I wash my face in the morning and evening, even after a night out, without fail. Even if I'm not going anywhere and won't be applying makeup, I still do my full routine. I use Dove soap because it is mild and causes no irritation, just the normal one, although I have found that the sensitive one has a slight drying effect with can be good for drying up any spots.

Don't bother with any of the fancy-pants fruity smelly ones, just go for the original or the sensitive (I love the smell of the original one anyway). I just use it once in the morning but I'll use it twice in the evening when removing my makeup (once to remove the makeup and once to clean my face). I use an oil-based eyemakeup remover to remove my eye makeup, I find they dissolve eyeliner and mascara better if applied to a cotton pad and held over the area for a few seconds. I'm currently using the L'Oreal one but I have used the Johnson's one and the Boots Botanics. I use a toner after removing makeup in the evening; it should be all gone but running a cotton pad that's damp with toner will just make sure. I don't use a toner in the morning as I don't feel it's necessary for me. I follow this with an eyecream in the eye area and moisturiser over my face and neck. I am in need of a good eyecream, I've been using the Simple one for ages and it was fine but I feel I need a bit more of a specialised one - I'm 26 now and I'm really getting into wrinkle-prevention and looking after my skin, so I'll let you know if I find a good one! The moisturiser I use varies between the Boots Botanics oil-free one to the Monu Revitalising moisturiser which I got in my Glossybox and actually really like - it's rich but not too heavy and my skin does feel soft and healthy after using it, so I may stick to just that one for a while.

So that's what I do to look after my skin on a daily basis. My skin has cleared up quite significantly but I'm not sure if it's this routine that did it or my skin is just changing as I get older. I'm just going to give a quick run-through some of the things I've tried in the past year - some which have worked, some which haven't and one or two that have made things worse! Just a quick note before I start - I've found that a harsh, chemical approach doesn't work for me, mild and gentle is better, and you do need to persevere with treatments as you generally won't see improvements straight away.

• I have used HRI Clear Complexion Tablets, which I got in Boots and are probably quite widely available. You take these tablets 2-3 times a day and after about 2 weeks of using them I definitely noticed a difference. They didn't clear up my skin completely but they stopped me getting spots so often and cleared up the ones I had a bit quicker. There are pretty much no downsides to using this product - they're herbal and work from within the body, so you may need to check if you're allergic to any of the ingredients but I was happy to take the risk and had no problems. I only stopped using them because my skin seemed to be clearing up by itself anyway (I forgot to take them the whole time I was home in Ireland in February but my skin stayed clear).

• I have used Sudocrem since I suffered from acne in my teens and I still go back to it; I find that if I apply it before bed, the spot is dramatically reduced in the morning. It has a drying effect and it's antibacterial so it can literally dry the bacteria out of the spot and help it to disappear quicker than if you just left the spot alone. If you're applying a spot treatment such as Sudocrem or any other gels or creams, apply them to the whole area around the spot as it will be infected too and spots may appear there later from bacteria spreading - nip it in the bud!

• Witch-hazel, tea-tree oil and other spot-fighting remedies - I have used gels and other types of products that are well-known for their antibacterial and healing properties, and I'm sure they do work for some people but I've found they have little effect on my skin. The problem with some of these products is that you may need to apply them several times a day in order to get results, and if you're out and about with any sort of makeup on, it's not really feasible. They need to be applied to clean skin, which for me is first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If you don't wear makeup very often then they could work but I know myself I wouldn't have the time or patience to dedicate to them.

This product is actually not bad, the night-time part of it does have a half-decent healing effect!

• Scrubs are a no-no for me, at least physical ones (the ones that have grainy rough particles inside). I don't understand how these products can be aimed at people/teenagers with oily skin and spots, if anything they make the problems worse, at least for me they did. Another issue I have, albeit on a smaller scale, is sensitivity in some areas. It's not that I'm sensitive to lots of products but I have broken capillaries in small doses on my cheeks and around my nose, and scrubs do nothing go help. Scrubs also cause irritation to spots as they constantly take the heads off them, preventing them from healing and possibly causing them to become more infected. Anything rough, whether it's a facial wash or even a facecloth, will not help you - stick to a gentle approach and it'll serve you better; this goes for all aspects of skin care from removing eyemakeup to applying moisturiser. Gently does it!

• Definitely do use moisturiser! I felt for years that my skin just didn't need it as it was producing enough of it's own moisture, but I've recently come to find that applying moisturiser actually counter-attacks oiliness. The theory is that all skin types require moisture, from within (as in drinking water and staying hydrated) but also from a topical level (as in applying a suitable moisturiser). If you don't apply moisturiser because you think it'll make things worse, the oil-glands in your skin will over-compensate by producing excess sebum and actually making your skin oilier, so it has the opposite effect of what you wanted! Oily skin types may find that an oil-free one works best for them, but I recommend using a richer one at night at least.

• Oil-absorbing sheets are a definite must for me, they are very widely available  and you don't have to pay a lot of money for them, although MAC does them so you can if you want! The ones I use are just Superdrug's own brand and I keep them in my handbag all the time. Say you get oiliness around lunchtime every day - resist the urge to powder as you'll only be applying product in top of oil, the oil will get onto your brush or applicator and will then go back into the product, sealing the top of it and ruining it! Save your skin and your makeup by using an oil-absorbing sheet to soak up the excess moisture before it starts breaking down your foundation, it has a mattifying effect and helps your makeup last a heck of a lot longer and really is the best thing to use to combat oiliness in the day, or even on a night out!

I've also talked before about the mask I use, Soap & Glory The Fab Pore Facial Peel, so I won't go into that again. This is just everything I've been trying, I'm still going to try out different products because I'll never be 100% happy with my skin; I still have to deal with oiliness and the scars of old spots which aren't fading too quickly. But I'm much happier with my skin now, it doesn't rule my life like it once did. I really feel for anyone who has skin problems, it's not nice and can be a bit depressing, but just know that you're not alone and you can do a lot to help. Hopefully someone will have learnt something by reading this and can try out something that works for them, but all I can say is to keep trying because different things work for different people and you will find something to suit you eventually! Please leave comments if you have any more tips or questions.

Thanks for reading!

Suzie

xx