how to prep your legs for summer

I've teamed up with Vaseline to write a couple of posts on getting your legs ready for the hot weather and today's post will be on my tips and tricks to achieve perfectly smooth and soft skin for your legs so that they are worthy of any Summer dress.

WAXING - The first step to achieving super soft legs is always hair removal, I've never been a fan of shaving as my legs are quite sensitive and I hate how quickly the hairs grow back so these days I opt for waxing using an at home wax kit most of the time.

EXFOLIATING: Removal of dead skin cells and patchy fake tan is also key to having great looking legs and for that I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub and this body polishing sponge which works absolute wonders. If you don't already have one of these sponges you most certainly need to check them out, this one is by Velvotan and costs a mere £1.99, available here.

MOISTURISING: I have really dry skin on my legs down to the days when I shave them so a good moisturiser is always a must have in my routine, I can't stand having to spend ages with application so hate using thick creams. This moisturiser by Vaseline is a lightweight lotion and literally sinks into the skin instantly and feels lovely on the skin, it includes oat extract too.

TONING: The final step in ensuring my legs are ready to show off in Summer shorts is toning up my thighs using this cellulite-scrubber by Bliss whilst in the shower. It's super easy to use, you just scrub over your thighs for a couple of minutes (whilst using shower gel) and it works to drain excess fluid and eliminate cellulite, in my opinion it really works and I can always feel my thighs are more toned after a few weeks. Another favourite of mine is the Rodial Crash Diet Gel which I apply at night before bed and find it slims down my thighs with regular use.

Sponsored post.

What are your tips and tricks to prep your legs for the Summer time?

new launch: chanel l'ete papillon collection

Chanel and Summer. What two things could ever combine to rival the concept of such a dreamy new make up collection. Chanel is the ultimate in luxury make up as far as I'm concerned, the packaging is always beautifully chic and rarely does something disappoint. Call me a sucker but I'd happily fork out a small fortune for any beauty product stamped with the CC logo. I'm head over heels for the L'ete Papillon (meaning Summer butterfly in French) collection and have added many products to my lust list, the nail polishes look incredible. I've had the privilege of being able to feature a couple of products before the launch date and have been so excited to put this post up.

First up is the Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in '457 Idylle', which in basic terms is a super hydrating peach shade of lippie. I find peach lipsticks usually quite tricky to wear as they don't go well with my skin tone but I'm in love with this as it's so sheer and just gives a hint of colour.

I'm not shy of bold make up looks that's for sure so when I spotted the coloured mascaras the make up addict voice in my mind told me that I needed to try one (or two) out. These mascaras are the first of any colour than black that I've ever tried, and they really are quite brilliant. You'd think that using a bright colour on dark lashes probably wouldn't show up all that well or manage to thicken the lashes and work as a proper mascara, but both of these work in every way that you'd hope. I was pretty shocked at just how good the colour pay off was on my dark lashes and was equally impressed that my lashes were just as thick and defined as when I use my favourite mascara. I'm so excited to work with these for lots of different eye looks for Summer, I will be making the most of them that's for sure. As they are waterproof they can be a little tricky to remove but on the plus side it means that they last all day long. Inimitable Waterproof Mascaras in 57 Blue Note (left) and 47 Aqua Blue (right).

And last but not least we have the Levres Scintiallantes in '437 Eden' - a shimmer free bright pink shade of lipgloss. As most of you will know I am no lipgloss fan and pretty much hate the stuff unless the formula is just right. By just right I mean doesn't feel sticky and lasts long on the lips thankfully this one ticks those boxes (Chanel packaging always sweetens the deal too) but the colour comes out clear on the lips and if asked would I repurchase it I'd have to say no.

Overall I'd recommend checking out the nail polishes and coloured mascaras from the collection, I predict that they will be the most popular and sought-after due to being unique shades. The L'ete Palillon collection launches in stores and online tomorrow (31st May). What are you loving the look of from the collection?

new launch: nivea in-shower body moisturiser

I'm aware that near enough every beauty blogger has wrote about this product in the last few days, but here I am to let you all know about it too. Nivea have just launched an 'in-shower body moisturiser' which you use after your shower gel and acts as a moisturiser, think of it as the conditioner and the shower gel as your shampoo. It's a bit of an odd concept and you'd expect most of the product to wash own the plug rather than benefiting your skin, but it does actually seem to work. I turn off the shower for a few moments, slather my body with the product and then wash it off as instructed. After I've dried off my skin once out the shower it definitely feels more hydrated and dewy than usual, not quite to the same extent as if I'd applied a normal moisturiser but it's still impressive. I'm super lazy when it comes to moisturising my body (who isn't?) so I'm hoping that using this with every shower will help towards keeping my skin looking and feeling tip top for Summer time.

NIVEA IN-SHOWER BODY MOISTURISER FOR DRY SKIN - £3.56

how to: pinstripe nails

1. APPLY TAPE STRIPS AND SMOOTH OVER THE NAIL 2. PAINT ON TOP COLOUR OVER WHOLE NAIL 3. GENTLY PEEL OFF STRIPS STRAIGHT AFTER 4. TIDY AROUND THE NAIL AND APPLY TOPCOAT

 NAIL TAPE WHEEL - EBAY | COLOR CLUB TOPCOAT | KONAD WHITE | MODELS OWN BETH'S BLUE | NAIL SCISSORS AND TWEEZERS

Most of my free time seems to be spent on creating nail art and scouring the internet for endless inspiration images at the moment. I recently came across a tutorial using striping tape and upon noticing how cheap they are on Ebay I instantly ordered a set, 10 for just over £2 including delivery no less! It does take quite a while to do two hands using this method (around an hour in total) but it's so worth it as the effect is neater than anything else, though you could always just do an accent nail instead. A few tips that I have are to make sure your base colour has been drying for a few hours before you go ahead with striping, also use nail scissors to trim the tape to size and lastly use tweezers to pull of the tape from one side to the other. I decided to paint the stripes on in opposite directions for each hand which I think turned out really well, I will definitely be trying out more designs using striping tape. Let me know if you are going to try this out!

pastel vintage floral nails

COLOR CLUB TOPCOAT | BARRY M MINT GREEN | MODELS OWN UTOPIA & PEACH FUZZ | KONAD WHITE

I've been having a go with nail art again and this time steppd away from anything I had done before and ventured into trying out a floral pattern. I created little blobs with the peach shade and then added white detailing and polka dots and finished with mint coloured leaves. They don't look perfect that's for sure but I quite like the shabby chic feel to them and adore the colour combination. I've just ordered some nail brushes online meaning I will be able to add much more detail to my future designs. Toothpicks can work really well for designs like this too as you can draw thin lines and shapes with them. If you want to have a go at this yourself just have a browse on Youtube for tutorials, but I will probably post one up soon. Just be sure to use a thin polish that hasn't gone gloopy as you will find it impossible otherwise, my Konad white shade was perfect for that reason. 

cosmopolition blog awards

So this is usually something that I'd never write a blog post about and I was most definitely in two minds whether to do so or not. Cosmopolition are holding their yearly blog awards once again and are currently asking for nominations, which is where I need your help! I've seen these awards come and go for the past few years and unfortunately have never been lucky enough to get involved but this year I decided I'd try my best for some nominations. I love blogging and everything about it and never in my eyes does it feel like a chore or a job but it would be amazing to have some form of acknowledgement for all my hard work. I've never felt in the past that my blog was worthy of any kind of award until more recently that I've been posting pretty much every day and have spent much time researching what would be interesting to blog about, it aint easy being a full time blogger! Anyhow, if you enjoy catching up with my blog every now and then or never miss a post and read daily, please bear me in mind when nominating for the Cosmopolition blog award, just be sure to send me a tweet or leave a comment so that I can say a special thank you!

http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blogs/cosmo-blog-awards-2013/enter-the-2013-cosmopolitan-blog-awards-nominate-now

scents for spring

ANNA SUI FAIRY DANCE EAU DE TOILETTE - This is a really lovely light scent with a twist of sweetness and warmth. It's a combination of Rose and Vanilla that come together to achieve a fresh and radiant balance.

MISS DIOR EAU FRAICHE - Pretty much the freshest and uplifting perfume that I've ever smelt, this couldn't be more suited to Spring time. It's beautifully delicate and reminds me of a bright and breezy Summer's day.

THIERRY MUGLER ALIEN AQUA CHIC - I have been in love with the original Alien perfume for as long as I can remember which is why I love this lighter more toned down version just as much. Review here.

CHANEL CHANCE EAU TENDRE - One of my favourites scents to reach for is this fresher version of Chance by Chanel, it has a hint of White Musk which settles the Grapefruit notes down really nicely.

What are you favourite scents for Spring?

selfridges summer beauty box

Selfridges are launching another beauty box and this time it's Summer themed! The products included have a total value of £70 and all boxes will be the same to avoid disappointment. I'm really excited by this box as I know that I will be using everything in there, which makes a change to most other beauty boxes. The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is already a firm favourite of mine so it's great to have a handbag sized version of that, along with the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, and the Molton Brown Bath & Shower Gel has a beautifully fresh scent perfect for Summer. I'm excited to have the Models Own Bubblegum polish from the Ice Neon collection too as I haven't tried it out yet, and you can also check out my review of the Aqua Splash Tangle Teezer here too. The box also includes a gift voucher offering a free St. Tropez Beach Bag with any spray tan treatment, I'm not too sure as to whether it includes free products or not though!

ST. TROPEZ INSTANT GLOW FACE LOTION 50ML | LANCASTER AFTER SUN 40ML | AQUA SPLASH TANGLE TEEZER | JANE TRAN HAIR CLIPS | MOLTON BROWN AQUA SHOWER GEL 100ML| MODELS OWN NEON NAIL VARNISH | BUMBLE AND BUMBLE SURF SPRAY 50ML | ERBORIAN BB CREAM 12ML | CAUDALIE BEAUTY EXLIR 30ML

A release date for the boxes hasn't been announced yet but you can sign up for an alert of when the box is available here: http://style.selfridges.com/whats-in/summer-beauty-box. Do let me know your thoughts on this Summer themed beauty box!

ren glycolactic radiance renewal mask

If you regularly read lots of different beauty blogs then this mask undoubtedly will look very familiar to you and chances are that you've been lusting over it just like myself. When it comes to skincare, face masks have always been my favourite type of product to use. Ever since I was in my early teens and regularly used peel off masks (mainly for the novelty factor) I've always enjoyed treating myself to one at bath time, these days usually a clay based version to balance out my skin. 

So a couple of nights ago I finally got round to using this mask by Ren for the first time, it's different to any other mask that I've tried in that it has a sticky texture yet doesn't peel off, after 10 minutes or so you simply rinse it off using the muslin cloth provided. Although it's built to remove dead skin cells using fruit acids, I experienced no uncomfortable sensations whatsoever and was barely aware that I had it on my skin. It has a light orangey scent which is fairly pleasant and uplifting once on the skin. Once I had removed the mask I noticed that my skin looked so much more radian, however it usually looks glowing anyway after a bath so I applied my usual moisturiser before bed and waited until the next day to look for results. The first thing I noticed was how even my skin tone looked and much more dewy than on a usual morning, secondly my face felt much softer to the touch and lastly my foundation ended up looking much nicer and less cakey than normal on my skin. Overall, I'm hugely impressed by this little miracle worker, I can best describe it as a professional facial in a bottle. I will certainly be repurchasing it once I run out and would recommend that everyone consider trying it out, considering that you only use it once a week the price tag isn't too hefty.

REN GLYCOLACTIC RADIANCE RENEWAL MASK - £30

models own indian ocean + barry m prickly pear

Models Own Indian Ocean has been one of my favourite polishes for quite a while and even more so now that I've found the perfect colour combo using Barry M Prickly Pear as the base colour. Using them together results in a beautiful pearlescent lilac shade that glimmers pink and violet in the sun, such a great colour for Spring.

MODELS OWN INDIAN OCEAN - £5 | BARRY M PRICKLY PEAR - £3.99

sisley express flower gel mask

We all have those god awful moments where we wake up and take one look at our dull skin and want to jump straight back into bed. These are the moments that no ordinary face creams will do the job and your skin is crying out for a little miracle worker to give your skin a radiant glow. I have a lot of these kinds of days which is why I'm forever on the lookout for products that will give my skin that much needed boost. Recently I have been lucky enough to have been trying out the Express Flower Gel mask by Sisley and have been enjoying doing so. It applies to the skin as a thin watery gel and although it's marketed as a mask you leave it to absorb into the skin fully rather than washing it off. It's the best product that I have found to give my skin an instant hit of hydration and leaves my skin looking as if I've just had a facial. It's a great product and one which I would definitely repurchase if I had the budget, my skin is generally very dry which is why it works out to be the perfect solution for me.

SISLEY EXPRESS FLOWER GEL MASK - £74.50

revlon nail art moon candy in 'moon dust'

Beauty brands are certainly keeping us all busy with all of their new nail polish launches at the moment, it seems to be the year of nail art and nail polish inventions! With that in mind I had a go with the new Revlon Nail Art Moon Candy in 'Moon Dust' (quite a mouthful) nail polish lately and had to let you all know about it. The nail polish bottle is double ended, with the base colour on one end and the nail effect glitter topcoat on the other, pretty clever huh? I really like both of the shades and can imagine using them on a regular basis, the glitter was surprisingly easy to apply and after just one coat my nails looked as if they had pieces of a shattered mirror stuck to them. The only issue I found is that due to just having 3.5ml of product in each end (you get 14ml in a regular Revlon polish) I had used up 1/3 of the glitter after just one use for both hands. They are a great idea but I'm not too sure as to why the price is more expensive than of a regular Revlon polish that has double the amount of product in.

REVLON NAIL ART MOON CANDY IN 'MOON DUST' - £7.99

nuxe huile prodigieuse golden shimmer dry oil

The days are getting warmer which means that if you are anything like me you will be out in the garden trying to catch a tan in the first rays of sunshine. However since my skin is currently looking rather pale and lack lustre thanks to the Winter months it needs a little helping hand before I manage to get a proper tan. I don't like to sunbathe if I'm wearing fake tan as I don't like the heavy feeling on my skin and ending up with patchy sun tan lines so at the moment I've been opting for this Nuxe dry oil with built in shimmer particles. I love how it gives my pale looking skin a natural looking radiance and also keeps my skin feeling moisturised in the hot weather, it's definitely become a favourite product of mine. The bottle has a spray pump meaning that the oil is sprayed in a fine mist onto your skin so you don't even have to rub it in. The smell is really lovely too and reminds me of being on holiday somehow, it's fairly delicate as to not clash with perfume though. All in all I seriously recommend investing in a bottle, if it looks this good on pale skin I can't wait to match it with a tan!

NUXE HUILE PRODIGIEUSE GOLDEN SHIMMER DRY OIL 100ML - £37

tutti-frutti dotted nails

NAIL DOTTING TOOLS - EBAY | AMERICAN APPAREL NEON GREEN & NEON ORANGE | MODELS OWN PINK NAIL ART PEN | MODELS OWN SNOW WHITE

I've been playing around with my nail dotting tools again and have created this bright neon dotted effect. I started in the bottom left corner of each nail with a bright pink shade then moved onto the green and lastly the orange to created diagonal stripes of each colour. I absolutely love the overall effect and it's definitely the brightest that my nails have ever looked, which can only be a good thing. Nail dotting is unbelievably easy to do once you get the hang of it properly and that's coming from a very clumsy person, it's really worth giving a go.

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sisley california soul: the products

For Spring/Summer 2013 Sisley have combined these products to create their 'California Soul' look, I love how when everything is used together a beautifully bright yet sophisticated make up look can be achieved. I will be putting together another post on creating the 'California Soul' look but for now will be giving an insight into each of the products.

 

PHYTO-OMBRE ECLAT EYE SHADOW IN LINEN - £27.50 - This shade is the perfect natural matte nude colour with a hint of pink, I wouldn't say that it's a must have but it does create a nice base colour if worn alone with liquid liner for example.

PHYTO-OMBRE ECLAT EYE SHADOW IN VELVET - £27.50 - This shade is a lovely light smoky purple that works well when used for a daytime look. The pigmentation is rich so it has good colour pay off too, it's a good option for anyone who likes to avoid shimmery shadows.

PHYTO LIP SHINE IN SHEER CHERRY - £27.50 - Now here is something that you can get excited about, a beautiful bright sophisticated red lipstick with ever so chic packaging to match. I have an absolute addiction to red lipsticks and I can certainly imagine this becoming my new favourite.

PHYTO KOHL PENCIL IN KHAKI - £31.50 - Eyeliners aren't something that I ever tend to use on a regular basis meaning that I wouldn't spend a small fortune on one such as this but that being said it does match my green eyes really nicely and is very soft and easy to work with.

L'ORCHIDEE HIGHLIGHTING BLUSH WITH WHITE LILY - £60 - Last but not least is my favourite product of the lot, for obvious reasons! This blush is truly a little piece of art and puts all of my others completely to shame, the outside packaging is mirrored and once opened up reveals an elegant shimmering orchid. Obviously it costs a bomb (we are talking Sisley here) but it's truly magical in it's own right, and the colour looks stunning once on the cheeks too.

no takeaway may

So I figured it's been a long time since I went on any sort of healthy eating plan and even worse actually bothered to monitor what I eat or do any proper exercise. It's not that I'm particularly lazy but sometimes I fill my life with unimportant tasks and things to do rather than focusing on myself. Summer is well on it's way which means I'm aiming for that bikini body once again and have decided to push myself into a healthier lifestyle, I even caught myself putting away the takeaway menu in favour of poached eggs and avacado on toast yesterday. Speaking of takeaways I've set myself a little challenge to avoid them completely for the whole month of May. I figured that it's the perfect month as it's just the time that we all want to start toning up again and always 'no takeaway may' has a nice little ring to it, so there we go. I have no idea if anyone has come up with this challenge before but nonetheless if any of you fancy giving it a go then I'd love to check out how you get along so use the hashtag #NoTakeawayMay on Twitter. This post was supposed to go up on May 1st so apologies that it's a little late but if you have already had a takeaway over the last few days then just extend the rule into the first few days of June so that it makes up a month, but have no slip ups as it defeats the purpose.

I'm going to be cutting out bad foods and will be rejoining the gym too but I figured the best place to start was cutting out pizza that is over 200 calories per slice and other greasy foods for at least a month. I will be updating my blog with tips and tricks along with slimming and toning products soon too. Let me know if any of you decide to give #NoTakeawayMay a go!

nourish skincare products

 NOURISH PROTECT COOLING TONING MIST - £8.95

Being the lazy person that I am I absolutely love products that come in the form of mists and that you can just quickly spray on your skin before bed or to wake your skin in the morning. This toning mist is really lovely to boost the hydration of my skin and give instant radiance. This will be great to use in the Summer time and would be great to take on holiday as the bottle is so lightweight.

NOURISH BALANCE HAND LOTION - £12.95

Another product that I've been impressed with is this hand lotion, it comes in a light plastic bottle and has a pump which dispenses the lotion which I've found to much prefer to squeezy tubes of cream. The lotion feels ever so light and sinks instantly into my skin and leaves a delicate apple scent whilst hydrating my hands.

colour club wish upon a rock-star nail polish

One of the polishes that came with my Color Club set from TK Maxx (blog post here) was this intensely sparkly shade. It has a base of green, red, gold and silver glitter which is topped off with chunky violet hexagonal glitter, pretty crazy but results in a really eye catching polish. I was really impressed with how easily the polish applied, it only took two-three coats to get the glitter to look even and to cover the whole nail properly. It's such a unique shade and looks like a glitter party on my nails, making it the ideal shade to wear for evening wear. I just wish that Color Club polishes were easier to get hold of in the UK as they are amazing, especially the topcoat!

victoria's secret fragrance mists

Whilst strolling around Westfield shopping centre a couple of days ago I spotted the huge Victoria's Secret store and spent far more time in there than I probably should have. It's filled with beautiful lingerie, colourful bikinis, nightwear and even beauty products. I could have literally spent a fortune in there and even though I ended up buying quite a lot I considered if refrained considering the amount of items that I was lusting over. I will feature everything that I bought over on my lifestyle blog, but for now I'm going to let you all know about the fragrance mists.

The fragrance mists are body sprays that come in a huge range of fruity and fresh scents to try out, there are so many to chose from that there is literally something for everyone. They are £11 each, £24 for three or £30 for five making them a great deal if you want to try out quite a few. All of the scents also come in body butter, body wash, body scrub, body lotion, and hand cr

eam versions if you have a liking for one in particular.

FOREVER PINK - PINK TUBEROSE AND PEAR

This is my favourite of the bunch that I have tried so far, it has a sharp and musky twist as to stop it from smelling too sweet, probably thanks to the pear. I've already been wearing it pretty much everyday and will be continuing to do so throughout the Summer months.

LOVE SPELL - CHERRY BLOSSOM AND PEACH

Love spell is the sweetest of the scents and at first can appear to be slightly too sickly but I do find that it settles down and becomes less strong after it has settled on the skin. 

ENCHANTED APPLE - RED APPLE AND WATERY HYACINTH 

In terms of sweetness this probably lands in the middle of the two other scents, the apple scent is strong and sweet but slightly sharp in a way which results in a nice blend, as with the others it becomes milder and more wearable once on the skin.

All in all I'm loving the idea of swapping my heavier perfumes for these light and fruity fragrance mists throughout the Summer and already have my eye on a couple more scents, Coconut Passion will most certainly be my next purchase once it's back in stock (I hear it's very popular).