I received the Avant Moisture Surge Overnight Treatment free via an Avant-Skincare Instagram post, I only had to pay postage and packaging.
What does this cream do?
According to avant-skincare.com, this overnight moisturising treatment “aims to treat and intensely re-hydrate for a healthy appearance.”
How to use the cream
I used this cream every other night after cleansing my skin. The cream is a thick consistency, but you only need a small amount as it spreads nicely.
My final verdict
I have been using the Avant Moisture Surge Overnight Treatment for about 6 weeks now and have definitely found that my skin feels much more hydrated. Even though the cream is thick, I never had any problems with clogged pores or breakouts whilst using this cream.
Where to buy this cream
You can buy this cream directly from the Avant-Skincare website or from LOOKFANTASTIC.com.
One of the things I don’t like about my skin is old acne scarring. I have spent so much money on products that claim to reduce the appearance, but nothing seems to work until I started using the Murad InvisiScar Resurfacing Treatment!
Why start using Murad?
I saw a video on Instagram where someone was doing either a day-by-day / week-by-week update of using this stuff. You could see the improvement to her skin, so I decided I would give it a go.
What’s the claim?
The Murad InvisiScar Resurfacing Treatment claims to “minimises the look of post-blemish scar size, depth and discolouration in 8 weeks.”
Final verdict
The before and after photos are about 3 weeks apart, and I know the lighting differs, but you can see that the resurfacing treatment does appear to work.
Skinny Tan sent me their Self-Tanning Express Mousse which is a product that is completely new to me, as I have only ever tried gradual tanning products!
The Express Mousse Claim
An express tanning mousse that develops in as little as 1 hour but can be left longer for a deeper colour tan.
How to Use
After showering and exfoliating my skin, I applied the Express Mousse to the Skinning Tan Velvet Tanning Mitt and gently rubbed it into my dried-off skin. After about 1 hour, I jumped back into the shower, rinsed off my legs and then patted them dry!
My Final Verdict
I find myself saying this a lot with Skinny Tan but… I loved this tanning mousse. It was so amazing. I could see where I was applying the mousse and it rubbed in really well using the Skinny Tan tanning mitt.
Originally, I had ideas of leaving the mousse on for the full 6 hours but decided to wash it off after 1 hour, which gave me a nice tanned colour that suited me. But developing time didn’t stop there! Apparently, it keeps developing for another 8 hours – which it did and still looked FAB 😃!
Where to Buy
This was gifted to me by Skinny Tan, but you can purchase it from their website (SkinnyTan.co.uk), where they often have some amazing offers, and the delivery service is second to none!
There is no need to purchase separate tanning face creams – just add a few drops of the Notox Face Tanning Drops to your current moisturiser for a customised glow that suits you!
Why Notox Face Tanning Drops?
As part of the Skinny Tan Social Squad, I was gifted the Notox Face Tanning Drops. These drops are an excellent way of building up a beautiful, natural, tanned glow without having to swap out your favourite moisturiser which was a real bonus for me as I have been very specific in choosing my moisturiser. The other great thing about the Notox drops is that you can control how subtle or deep you want your glow to be just by altering the number of drops you add into your moisturiser.
According to the Skinny Tan website, the recommendation is “4 drops for a subtle glow, 8 drops for a medium tan or 12 for a deeper result”.
What are the key benefits of these drops?
Looking at the Notox Face Tanning Drops product page on skinnytan.com, some of the key benefits of the Notox Face Tanning Drops include:
Develops over 6-8 hours
Customisable glow
Aloe vera to soothe and hydrate skin
Guarana extract to invigorate and revitalise
Vegan collagen to help regain skins firmness and tone
Non-pore blocking formula
Transfer proof and long-lasting.
How did I use the Notox Face Tanning Drops?
I used the Notox Face Tanning Drops with my Jan Marini Transformation Face Cream, mixing in about 3 or 4 drops using the drop applicator. I then just massage it into my face and neck like any normal moisturiser. I did this as part of my usual morning and night-time skincare routine.
Skinny Tan do offer a ‘Miracle Brush’ to help you apply the products to your face, if you didn’t want to use your fingers, but I prefer to use my fingers – just made sure my hands were thoroughly washed afterwards (and before, of course)!
Final verdict of the Notox Face Tanning Drops?
I thought the Notox Face Tanning Drops were brilliant and gave me a lovely tanned glow. It was also great to have something that I could just add to my current skincare routine without having to replace anything!
The drop applicator made it easy to add the required number of drops to my face cream. The Notox drops and my Jan Marini face cream mixed together very well.
I used this for a few days continuously, as part of my morning and night-time skincare regime, and didn’t have any bad reaction to the Notox product. Nor did I come out in spots, so clearly it is a “non-pore blocking formula, as it doesn’t usually take much for my skin to have a break-out!
My 70-odd year old Mother also gave the Notox Face Tanning Drops a try, and the results for her were fabulous! She looked glowing and healthy, which also made her feel great! Again, there were no bad reaction and she absolutely loves the Notox Face Tanning Drops.
Removing an old tan whilst exfoliating the skin, making it feel softer and smoother, ready for a tan refresh!
Why did I buy a self-tan eraser?
REMOVE OLD TAN • EXFOLIATE • TAN-PREP
As the Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner is such an amazing self-tan product, you will need something to remove it when you’re ready to refresh your tan. Otherwise, your old tan will fade and go patchy!
This is where something like the Skinny Tan Miracle Tan Eraser comes in. It removes your old tan ready for a fresh, new coating of self-tan.
The Miracle Tan Eraser isn’t just about removing an old tan. It can also be used to just simply exfoliate the skin, getting rid of dead skin, making your skin feel softer and smoother.
What does the Skinny Tan Miracle Tan Eraser claim to do?
According to the Skinny Tan website, the Miracle Tan Eraser “gently and effectively removes old tan, corrects mistakes, and exfoliates the skin to create a soft, smooth finish – ready for fresh application“, within just 5 minutes. And because of its “unique combination of manual (natural gentle Pumice) and chemical exfoliation (Salicylic Acid) with added moisturising skin smoothing ingredients (Glycerin and Urea)“, it gets to work whilst also caring for your skin, leaving it feeling smoother and looking brighter.
So, what’s the word online about the Skinny Tan Eraser?
Looking at the Boots.com website, there are a few comments from people stating that the Miracle Tan Eraser didn’t completely remove their old tan, didn’t work on stubborn areas or that they had to really scrub elbows and feet!
But there are a lot of positive reviews, most of which make the same claims: easy to use; minimal effort; their skin felt soft and really smooth; great base for applying new tan; makes the new tan sit nicer on the skin; didn’t aggregate sensitive skin; no irritation; great exfoliator.
One reviewer suggested making sure that you use the Miracle Tan Eraser for the recommended time, if not more, so the tan is easily removed.
How did I use the Tan Eraser?
Using my hands, I applied the Skinny Tan Miracle Tan Eraser to dry skin and left it for approx. 5 minutes. I then dampened the skin in the shower, buffed it into a bit of a lather using the Skinny Tan Exfoliating Mitt and then rinsed off.
Did this self-tan product meet my expectations?
I thought the Skinny Tan Miracle Tan Eraser was a great way to remove an old tan or even just to exfoliate the skin ready for a new tan. It didn’t make my skin sore and worked brilliantly with the Skinny Tan exfoliating mitt to remove the old tan.
The only criticism I have is the waiting time, but then that’s just because I am such an impatient person! For some reason, I had the idea that I could apply the tan eraser and that the old tan would just melt away – not the case! I don’t actually think there is anything out there that actually does this anyway!
Don’t neglect your lips, keep them hydrated and nourished by including lipcare within your daily skincare routine!
Why did I decide to test the lip scrub and oil from Superdrug?
I’d regularly use a lip balm to keep my lips moisturised throughout the day but have never thought about my lips when it comes to my daily skincare routine. If my lips were feeling clumpy, dry or flaky I would have previously used Vaseline and a face cloth to scrub my lips but this usually left them red and feeling very sore.
Being offered this opportunity by Superdrug to test and review their lip exfoliator and lip oil made me wonder about my current lip care and that maybe I needed to try something less harsh for my lips!
What do these lipcare products claim to do?
The Superdrug Exfoliating Lip Scrub claims that the “shea butter and argan oil helps to smooth dry lips and leave them feeling nourished” whilst the Lip Oil Treatment “hydrate and nourish lips, leaving them feeling soft with a glossy finish“.
So, what’s the word online?
Looking at the Superdrug website there are a fair few reviews saying that the lip scrub made their lips feel nice, soft and hydrated but surprisingly, there were some (not many) reviewer who felt that the lip scrub wasn’t very exfoliating!
There were also a lot of positive reviews about the lip treatment oil, with reviewers saying that the oil made their lips feel nourished, moisturised and hydrated, and that this lip oil is their go-to product rather than lip balms.
What was my initial thoughts of the lip scrub and the lip oil?
I loved the cute colours in the packaging and the products were so easy to apply. Neither product felt heavy and both had a subtle but lovely smell to them.
How did I use these products?
I used both of these products as part of my morning and evening skincare routine. So firstly, I’d apply a good amount of lip scrub to my lips, rub them together, and then gently wipe the lip scrub off using a damp face cloth. After dabbing my lips dry, I then applied the treatment oil and wallah – nice, soft, and hydrated lips 💋!
Did the Superdrug exfoliating lip scrub and lip oil treatment meet my expectations?
I didn’t know what to expect as before this trial, I wasn’t really aware of specific lip exfoliating products.
Personally, I thought both the lip scrub and lip treatment oil from Superdrug were great at what they were designed to do – “smooth dry lips and leave them feeling nourished” and to “hydrate and nourish lips, leaving them feeling soft”!
I will continue to use both the lip scrub and lip oil and would definitely recommend these to others.
The moisturising gradual tan cream without the usual tacky afterfeel, providing the perfect tan colour on first application!
Why did I decide to buy this gradual self-tanner?
TAN • MOISTURISE • NO RUB-OFF
My legs are lily white, so I’ve always loved the idea of a tan in a bottle but all the self tans I’ve tried have felt tacky after application, they’ve had an odd smell about them and they end up rubbing off on my clothes or bedding! So I just avoid them and instead, wear trousers or maxi dresses / skirts so I don’t show my legs.
What does the Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner claim to do?
Here’s a short extract from the Skinny Tan website about their gradual tan product:
“Our original colour-free lotion is the best gradual tan around (in our humble opinion) as unlike other gradual tanners, it’s formulated with 99% naturally derived ingredients and a subtle gradual tanning agent to build up an everyday natural bronze glow!“
So, what’s the word online about the Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner?
Looking on the Boots.com website, there are a few reviews and most are positive – with people claiming that the product: gave them a nice colour; was easy to apply; was streak free; didn’t have any nasty smells. Then there were a small number of negative reviews claiming that the product: did smell horrible; was streaky; was hard and time-consuming to spread into the skin and; wore off in patches!
What was my thoughts of the Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner?
LOVED IT! Loved that this is a cream base rather than lotion, as it was much easier to apply to the skin and also made my skin feel moisturised.
Application of Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner
There was a smell of coconut which was very subtle upon application but none of the usual nasty self-tan smells. And, I loved the colour of the tan the next day (8 hours later) which lasted a few days without having to reapply.
Before & After Applying Gradual Tanner
I have noticed that the gradual tanner does fade / wear-off in patches after a few days, but this is without any re-application and to be honest, I expect most self tans do this!
Did the Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner meet my expectations?
No, because I was expecting the usual tanning lotion which, by the way, this is NOT a negative comment! So, to add to this, would I buy it again? 100% YES, and I have already recommended it to my friends, family and colleagues!
A facial oil to help hydrate, sooth and replenish skin for a much more healthy and radiant looking complexion!
I got a small sachet sample of the OSKIA London Restoration Oil with my last skicare purchase from ‘Face the Future’ and figured I would try it out and include it within my current skincare regime!
The smell of the facial oil reminded me of pamper sessions, where they’d use aromatherapy oils – so the smell was really nice. The oil itself, you really didn’t need to use very much, a little really did go a long way.
How did it make my skin feel? Super soft and glowing. It also worked really well with my current Jan Marini skincare routine – I needed even less of my current moisturiser.
Of course, I only had a very small sample of this oil, so I can’t really give this a proper review! But it did smell lovely, made my face feel hydrated and I didn’t need to use much.
So, for me, this seems to be a good facial oil and does appear to live up to its claim:
“A beautiful, delicate blend of nutrients, floral oils & extracts to help restore the skin’s youthful vitality. High tech natural actives and oils, from African Acmella, Lupin, Sea Fennel, Heart Seed Vine, Turmeric, Starflower, Rose Hip Seed & Evening Primrose, help soothe, hydrate and replenish, improving elasticity and reducing the appearance of fine lines for a healthy, radiant complexion.“
A natural, creamy moisturiser with a subtle sweet fragrance to help hydrate and moisturise dry skin.
Why did I decide to try out this type of product?
DEHYDRATED • ITCHY • DRY SKIN
Occasionally, my skin gets very dry and itchy, especially on my sides and chest. I’m not great at remembering to moisturise daily, so my skin was probably a tad bit dehydrated. After receiving this moisturiser from MooGoo, as a free gift with my last order, I thought I’d give it a go!
What are the claims of the MooGoo Full Cream Moisturiser?
Here’s a short extract from the MooGoo website:
“We made this delicious moisturiser full of natural oils that are high in the types of fatty acids that healthy skin needs. These help to hydrate, moisturise and pamper dry skin. We also chucked in some Milk Protein to help increase skin elasticity which keeps skin looking young, supple and s-MOO-th, and everyone loves that.“
So, what’s the word online?
After looking on the Holland & Barrett website, I found a fair few reviews with people saying that it worked great for their eczema, the moisturiser soaked into their skin really well and it helped with their dry, sensitive skin. Then there was a small handful who thought the moisturiser was really greasy and that they didn’t like the smell!
What was my initial thoughts?
The packaging is clean and clear, which reflects the company’s image of having a very natural and gentle product range.
I absolutely love the smell of this moisturiser. It has a very natural, creamy, coconut smell to it and felt really nice on my skin.
Did the MooGoo Full Cream Moisturiser meet my expectations?
Yes. This moisturiser smells lovely. It was easy to apply to my skin due to being a nice creamy cream rather than a lotion, and it soaked in really well – making my skin feel silky and hydrated.
The Creamy Cream Moisturiser
I did try applying this moisturiser to “damp skin after washing“, as suggested by the directions, but that really didn’t work for me. Maybe I should have towelled off a bit more, who knows, but I would rather stick to applying it to dried skin than damp!
I have used the Jan Marini Bioglycolic® Face Cleanser on and off for the last few years, after a skin clinic recommended it to me for clearing up my stubborn acne. The cleanser has always done such an amazing job of clearing my acne, but then I’d stop using it, and slowly, my acne would return!
About 2 months ago, I started using the cleanser again after other premium skincare products failed to work, making me feel like a complete mess on school runs, and I just wanted to hide away at work.
As expected, my acne has massively reduced but the redness was/is still apparent! This being why I decided to try out the Jan Marini Skin Care Management System for normal / combination skin.
With the exception of the Antioxidant Daily Face Protectant and the Bioclear Lotion (for the 1st week of using the system), I use the Jan Marini products in the morning and the evening and so far, have been using the system for less than 1 week. Already, I have noticed that any spots that do appear are small and go just as quickly as they appear and that the redness on my face is slowly fading. Another positive is that you don’t need to use much of the products as coverage is brilliant with just a small amount!
I know it’s early days, but I expect to see improvements accelerate when I start using the Bioclear lotion day and night and I look forward to feeling more confident and not have to wear so much foundation.
Reviewed by Hanna 