Express treatments at Midland Spa - St Tropez Spray Tan Review

I was recently invited to pop along to the Spa at the Midland Hotel in Manchester for an express treatment during my lunch. It’s a handy 7 minute walk (thanks, Google maps) from my work and I had a couple of events happening at the weekend so I decided to go along for a St Tropez spray tan to perk up my pasty pins.

The spa itself is really pretty, extremely zen and very very relaxing. Unfortunately as I was on my lunch break I didn’t get as much of a chance to explore as I’d have liked but the area I hung around it after I’d had my tan was gorgeous with hanging pods to sit in and a very chilled atmosphere with hot drinks and cucumber infused water which tasted amazing. I can only imagine how fab a spa day would be here!

On to the tan…

I have to say this was probably the most thorough and careful tan I’ve ever had in about 14 years of having spray tans done.  Top marks to Lara, the beauty therapist who did my tan, who did something that no tanner has ever done for me before – she applied moisturiser to my elbows, knees and backs of my feet (notorious  dry, clingy tan areas for me) before applying the tan so that it didn’t look darker on those areas. Bravo! I also had sticky feet, paper knickers and a hairnet on to protect the soles of my feet, er…other areas and my hair.

Lara was really careful about the tan, applying it in a methodical way before checking over to make sure there were no streaks or anything which again is just an extra touch that makes a totally difference. She left me to dry off and get dressed before I headed off to the relaxation room I mentioned earlier.

I went for medium as I had to go back to work afterwards as well as run a few errands in the evening that I didn’t want to be too dark/orange while it developed. I slept in my tan while it developed and I was really pleased with the colour – it wasn’t too dark, orange or unnatural looking, it just looked like I’d had a nice week in the sun somewhere which is exactly what I wanted. There were no streaks, patchiness or tan cling anywhere either…yay!

It’s been over a week since I had my tan now and have to say it’s faded really evenly! No patching off or white hands with tanned arms. Result!

I’d definitely have a tan at Midland Spa again – for a St Tropez spray it’s only £25 which is quite a bit cheaper than where I’ve been previously, and the care that was taken with my tan massively outshone other places I’ve been.

For more info about express treatments or spa days (from £69) visit www.thespaatthemidland.co.uk  

Want to use St Tropez tan at home? Can't get to the salon? Check out the range of St Tropez products on Amazon.*

Candy Coat - gel polish subscription box review

I was recently sent a really exciting subscription box from Candy Coat - a nail box that includes gel polish! I've definitely said before that I wear gel polish 99% of the time these days, I just prefer that it lasts longer and it definitely helps to protect my nails and stop them snapping which is great news.

Anyway, back to the box - the packaging is ridiculously cute and you can tell that loads of thought has been put into the look. The theme of this box is 'Sweet Little Somethings' and this definitely becomes clear later on...

The box I had is the Gel Polish Subscription Box which comes with 3 gel colours and up to 10 additional nail accessories - check out all these goodies:

There's a really good mix of practical things like nail brushes, orange sticks, nails on sticks to practice on, a nail file and things like nail art crystals, a nail emoji badge (my fave!) and sweets. It's so well thought out and was actually totally exciting to open up and have a look around!

So, onto the gel polish. I found it really easy to use, exactly like other brands I've used and it was great that it came with top and base coat as it means you have everything you need (and I'm running out so it was a great little bonus!). Remember you'll need a lamp to use these polishes.

The pink colour was my favourite one, this is just a personal preference though, I'll probably wear the blue colour but maybe not the green just because it's my least favourite colour ever but again, personal preference.

 The colour is lovely and I'm actually going to put it on my toes now too as they need done and it's a very pretty colour, definitely one that would good with a tan which sadly I definitely don't have at the minute.

This is definitely my favourite ever subscription box and is actually one I'll probably sign up for in future as I want to build up my gel polish collection. I've found with more general beauty boxes I'm a bit too fussy or I find a lot of products aren't suitable for me as I know what I like and what works for me, but I feel like I'll always be excited with the Candy Coat one!

You can find out more info about Candy Coat Gel Subscription Boxes at www.lovecandycoat.com - you can also follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

If you're looking for manicure and pedicure products at home, without the subscription - head on over to Amazon!*

Saving money with Groupon Coupons

I've been booking a lot of beauty treatments through Groupon lately, I've just had an absolutely amazing restyle, full head of highlights, treatment and toner for £34 and I've got a hot stone massage that I need to book that I can't wait for.

It's also very very rare that I buy/book anything online without googling for a discount coupon too - I just booked my first AirBnB stay and at the last minute googled and found a discount code for my destination which I was very pleased about!

So, excitingly for those of us that love a bargain Groupon are now doing Groupon Coupons - discount coupons at a massive variety of different retailers, yay! Here are just a small selection of some of my favourite retailers that you can get Groupon discounts on:

Birchbox

Swarovski

Puma

Travelocity

Macy's

Kohl's

Ebay

Victoria's Secret

Sally Beauty

YSL Beauty

ULTA Beauty

That's right - YSL Beauty, people, this is not a drill! There are actually a few pieces I want to buy like new trainers, Timberlands, a leather jacket - all things that don't come cheap so I'm definitely off to Groupon coupons to have a look to see I can save some cash on them.

Dermalogica HydraBlur Primer Review

Dermalogica is a brand I've used in the past but kind of forgot about while I was trying new things - I've recently started using some Dermalogica products (more about that later) and I'm finding it difficult to remember why I stopped using them.

When I was recently sent Dermalogica's new HydraBlur primer I was really excited, I reviewed their skinperfect primer a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. I've since repurchased and still use it today. Anyway, back to HydraBlur.

The first thing that surprises me is that it's clear - it comes out of the tube white like moisturiser and is totally clear on your skin, no pigment, no light reflecting particles or anything like that which really surprised me. In all honesty I didn't think my skin looked any different after this primer bit I carried on putting my make up on and didn't think much more about it.

However, whenever I wear this on my skin I get people commenting on how good my skin is and asking what products I use so...there's definitely something in it!

It's really lightweight and moisturising and doesn't feel caked on or anything which sometimes layers of primer, concealer, foundation and powder can.  I think it's really good for someone that has dry/combination skin like I do.

Overall I liked this primer but to be honest I think I prefer their skinperfect primer as it gives a bit more coverage/pigment which is what I like better.

Here's a little more about the other Dermalogica products I've been using:

• Daily Microfiliant - one of my favourite products ever, it's a really fine exfoliator you mix yourself and it's gentle enough to use every day. It leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and calm rather than like it's been scrubbed really severely.
• MultiActive Toner - a nice, gentle toner, nothing harsh.
• Skin Hydrating Masque - one of the best moisturising masks I've ever used, it's really hydrating but light so I think it would be ideal if you struggle with heavier products clogging your pores.
• MultiVitamin Power Firm - really good under eye gel.

I'll definitely be repurchasing the Daily Microfiliant and the hydrating masque - plus I've got my eye on their pre-cleanse which I haven't used for ages and their blackhead clearing pore control scrub.

For stockist details, please call 0800 591818 or visit www.dermalogica.co.uk

Valentine's Bouquet from Blossoming Gifts and exclusive 33% discount code!

Wow, I feel like last month was the busiest January I've ever had - a wedding, a hen party, travelling to Switzerland for work, a baby shower, friends and family staying with us, my husband had (very minor) surgery along with everything else. Normally nothing happens in January so I don't really know what's going on here!

Anyway, things are a bit more back to normal now it's February and you know what that means...Valentine's Day! Generally we don't do too much for Valentine's but we'll get each other a card and maybe a little token gift such as flowers, so here's a bit of inspiration:

I was sent this Scented Lily & Rose bouquet to review from Blossoming Gifts. It's a really pretty pink bouquet consisting of pink oriental lilies, sweet avalanche roses, greenbell and cinerea eucalyptus.  I love lilies and avalanche roses so this was definitely a bouquet made with me in mind - the only thing I'm not wild on with lilies is the smell but these don't actually seem to smell too strong which is great news!

As Valentine's day is on a Sunday you'll be pleased to know you can get these flowers delivered on a Sunday - mine arrived last Sunday and they still look absolutely great. They were a little closed when they arrived but opened within a couple of days. They also arrived well packaged and when they were meant to which is always what you want, especially if you're ordering them as gifts for other people.

Another great piece of news is that Blossoming Gifts are offering 33% off bouquets for my readers using the following code at checkout:

BGIFTS33

I absolutely love fresh flowers so I might actually order some more once these have faded a bit...

Are you doing anything exciting for Valentine's Day? Or are you more of a pancake day sort of gal?