A night with Dave

Are you often proven wrong by your first instincts? We're all attracted by packaging but does the  name of a product put you off purchasing it? Admit it, the name 'Dave' is not very glamourous, is it?  At some point in my life, there was this man called Dave I couldn't quite accept his name and  changed it to David. He didn't mind. Why would you need to call a tan 'Famous Dave'. Do you hear  lots of people talking about Famous Dave? In my small experience and pretty sheltered life really, no one  talks about Famous Dave but then as soon as you mention the name someone says 'Oh yeah, I know the  brand, they're really good'. Why don't people talk about it if it's good?



I will always remember the day I was approached by Famous Dave. They knew I loved my fake tan,  they approached me in a very friendly manner which at the same time oozed confidence and pride in  what they do. I was very excited. Both my friends Cat and Ellie were had been raving about it but  deep down I was thinking that there is no way that Famous Dave could be better than my Xen Tan. Xen  tan changed my tanning life, you see, I am emotionally attached to it. But I wanted to give Famous Dave, the gold edition a fair chance to impress me.






This is what they say about the product:

"Famous Dave's New Luxurious Gold Edition Tanning Mousse is a new and more refined version of our  original Tanning Mousse formula that quickly became our best-selling product and scored 5-star  ratings from the beauty industry. Developed as an all-natural luxury self tanning product that is  paraben-free and has no added fragrance, we use a carefully selected blend of anti-ageing  ingredients, natural antioxidants, moisturisers and EHA (a natural agent that tans a deeper layer  of the skin for a more realistic and longer-lasting tan that fades evenly) to deliver a self  tanning mousse works with all skin tones. The result? A flawless, natural looking tan that now  lasts even longer and cares even more for your skin"

I am so glad I went beyond my very quick judgemental first impressions (The font of the logo is a little bit too cartoonish and nothing good can come out with a relationship with a Dave) as I  would have definitely missed out on a great product. They were really not mincing out their words  when they described this gold edition product as a luxurious self tanning experience. Luxurious is  definitely the operative word here. The mousse was very light and an absolute dream to apply and I  couldn't even notice the scent. They did such an amazing job at locking out the smell of fake tan,  I am absolutely blown away.



Whenever I have tried self tan mousse before, I've always tended to be a little bit of a daredevil  and go for the dark version. The Famous Dave Gold Edition perplexed me as it only exists in one  colour and claims to adapt and work with all skin tones. I realised I worried for nothing and the following  morning (I usually apply my colour overnight you see) I woke  up to a perfect deep tan. No streaks  in sight, and I got even darker than with my Xen-Tan Luxe in dark. I am so overwhelmed, this stuff  is amazing! As far as durability, I found that it lived very well on my skin and faded out superbly.






So, will you ask, which one is better? Xen Tan or Famous Dave? Famous Dave lasts 5 days on me, Xen Tan around 7 days, but in return Famous Dave gives me a deeper tan. I find it hard to choose. I am all about emotions and feelings: Xen tan was the first one who rocked my boat (yes, Dave, turned out that you were not the first one after all) and I will never be able to forget the experience. Price wise, they are very similar but famous Dave wins the battle of accessibility. I love the fact that I can save up my boots advantage cards to get some Famous Dave, something which is not possible with Xen tan. You know how Boots discount all their left over Christmas gift sets on boxing day? Well, I am trying not to think about the possibility to have a Famous Dave Christmas Set discounted to half price because I will get too excited for words.


Price wise, they are roughly very similar and both Xen Tan and Famous Dave retail at £28.99 for a  big tube/bottle. Famous Dave however, for me, wins the accessibility card hand down. I love the  fact that I can go to my small local Boots and get some when I run out, something which I will  never get with Xen Tan. I love the fact that I can save up my boots advantage card for it.


Famous  Dave: your name might not the most exotic tropical sounding name out there (not as japanese feng  shui as Xen tan, not as Italian sounding as vita liberata, not as French Côte d’Azur as St  Tropez) but you have completely won me over.


what: Famous Dave Tanning Mousse Gold Edition, 200ml
how much: £24.50 (from online store, free delivery, kerching) or £28.99 at Boots
Disclosure: Product was offered for review purposes. Views expressed are my own.

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Loopy over Lilac

The most sumptuous shade of lilac and the golden sun shining in the middle. You dreamt it and Marks and Spencer nailed it. Forgive me for this giddy post as I am having a hard time containing my emotions. It's called 'Lilac' and it's part of the 25 shades Marks and Spencer has released in their quick dry collection. 'Lilac' reminded me straight away of OPI 'It's my year' but in a more beigy variation of purple.











I expected the polish to be sheer, I had already one of my 'millions' of purply nude nail polishes at the ready to apply as a coloured based to layer Lilac over. But Lilac doesn't need bases, lilac laughs in the face of coloured bases and gave me perfect opacity in 2 coats, coats which dried super fast, like it says on the tin.








No streaks, no bubbles, a smooth and very forgiving formula: just pure undiluted golden lilac wonder polish, not tested on bunny wabbits (scientific term) at the sweet price of £3.50








This is not a lilac polish, this is … a Marks and Spencer extra special, taste the difference, chosen by you Lilac Polish.



what: Marks and Spencer Limited Edition Quick Dry Lilac Polish
how much: £3.50. That's Three Pounds Fifty Pence
where: Selected Marks and Spencers (my local one didn't have any) or online.
disclaimer and credits: bought by me. Seen it first on emma's blog (imagination in colour)

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Freebie Fursday: Mon petit bonbon

It is not without an intense feeling of awkwardness and shyness that I went to work today with my wonky slaughtered brows. (catch up on brow gate here). Fortunately, I was busy with a conference and that helped keeping my mind off my brows. However, I just couldn't help thinking about another thing: the free Ciaté nail polishes in the July edition of Marie Claire magazine (£3.70) out today, and I couldn't wait till my work day was over to check the 3 shades of polishes on offer: Jelly Bean, Purple Sherbet and Bonbon.



I am not sure how much the word bonbon is used in everyday conversation in standard English but in French we use it all the time, and it is the most commonly used word to mean 'sweets'. The name certainly helped, but ultimately, it was not my memories of sweets eating times in France which led me to buy Ciaté Bonbon: it was its delicious shade reminding me of Smokey Lilac (BeautyUK), Innocent (ELF) and Steady as she rose (OPI). I am not the best at describing colours. For me it's a dirty nude lilac, and it's right up my street.











Unlike My Fair Lady, the Ciaté freebie we got a year ago, Bonbon's coverage was much better and I achieved the opacity you see on my pictures in 2 coats. The formula was a dream to play with and the flat brush made the application even more dreamy. This polish is such a good quality, it's worth its £9 retail value and more. So you can imagine how chuffed I am to have managed to get it for a mere £3.70.










If I listened to my heart, I'd rush to the shop to get a back up. However I must stay sensible. I have nowhere finished the nail polishes in my collection that Bonbon reminds me of and having a back up of bonbon would just be pure gourmandise. I wish it had been sunny today, I like photographing my nail polishes using natural sunlight you see and I can only apologise for these indoor snaps, and inability to wait for a sunny day to capture and share my impressions on Bonbon. I like it so much, I want to frame it.

Check out Purple Sherbet beautifully captured by Nic (Strawberry Blonde) here.  

What: Ciaté nail Polish, in shade 'bonbon'
Where: a decent place which sells Marie Claire Magazines
How much: £3.70

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Palm Beached Nails

Do I mention the twitter drama which caught my attention last night, while my intention was to write about this little pink number? Nah… Let's just go right ahead and dive into nail polish world. Today, I am happy to show you 'Palm Beach', the latest irresistible offering from 17 Cosmetics, as part of the Limited Edition Miami Pop Collection.





Palm Beach gives you the most amazing bright and feel good blue toned pink colour on your nails despite a formula which was a little bit on the thick side for my liking. Had the formula been a bit thinner, I think I would have felt a little bit more in control and not left such a huge gap around the cuticles. That or I've been waiting for so long for my nails to grow that I've lost the knack of applying nail polish - if I ever had a knack that is.





My photos show just 2 coats of nail polish. In retrospect, and looking back at the pictures, three coats would have showcased this polish better and given a more even finish. That's one more coat that I usually apply but with the most gorgeous pink colour, a cuter flamingo on the bottle and an even cuter price tag (£2.99 or £3.99, I honestly don't remember) I can't possibly complain. My toes can't wait to have a little taste of Palm Beach too!




As usual, it's the photos under the artificial lighting of my camera which show the most accurate colour. The ones above make it look like a bit neon, I blame the lovely glow from summer evening sunlight.





I believe you can't buy this polish anymore in the shops. But fear not, I've grabbed a spare one which one of you can have, along with a few bits in a modest giveaway, open to all you, my dear readers, wherever you are in the world. And hell, I'd even send it to Miami if you happen to live there, you jammy thing.

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