Christmas Gift Guide Beauty Lovers

Here's the one that I couldn't wait to share with you! If you're reading this blog (oh hi there!) chances are, like me, you're a bit of a beauty lover. Well, I've got some good news for you! This year the beauty gift sets are better than ever, it seems every brand is throwing together their best products to give you the perfect presents this Christmas. There's a LOT to get through, so I've chosen my absolute favourites to share with you in today's post.

For the drugstore beauty lover - you just can't go wrong with a gift set from L'Oreal. With a best-selling mascara, blush, eyeshadow palette and lippy, this set could make a perfect 'first time makeup' discovery kit, or a top up for any fan of the brand.

For the one that's impossible to buy for - she has it all, she loves her beauty products high end but you  never know what she will love. Sounds familiar? Then she will love you forever if you manage to get your hands on the Swarovski embellished Benefit They're Real mascara. Possibly the greatest mascara in the whole world, and now it has crystals on it. I mean, what more could a girl want?

For the one who loves to try new things - there are so many gift sets from Soap & Glory and this year they've stepped up their makeup game, bringing us crackers, box sets and more! If you're yet to try out their makeup range, then beware - these gift sets will have you hooked!

For the one who deserves a treat - these goodies are luxurious but seriously useful too! I've been wearing my Eylure Lash Edit lashes almost daily now, and these box sets make the perfect stocking filler (hint hint - I'm running out!). The lipstick lover will adore Clinique's new box set, with a lipstick for every day of the week, while Benefit beauty queens will marvel at the carousel style tin of the You're So Party set, as well as the full size treats (including best selling mascaras and bronzers) inside.

For the one who loves to discover new brands - if she hasn't heard of Pixi Beauty already, then she will love you for introducing her to these silky soft eyeliners or the mineral goodness of the powders from the contour kit. A brand that looks good and does good to the skin, the products are all the most beautiful quality and these gift sets make the perfect excuse to try out the brand.

And now for my Vlogmas giveaway! You can see all the prizes in action in today's Vlog, and enter here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Golden Rules for Maintaining your Summer Tan

So you're back from your Summer holiday and you worked so hard to get that golden tan, but just because the sun has its hat on in the UK, you can still ensure that your flawless tan lasts for the rest of the Summer! 

Since getting back from Corfu I've been determined to remain bronzed, and tried every trick in the book to keep my glow, so here are my top 10 tried and tested tips for maintaining your Summer tan!

1. Take Cool Showers. Hot water can dehydrate your skin, so you will be more prone to peeling. By sticking to cool or lukewarm showers and using moisturising shower oils, your colour will be locked in. I love the Nivea In Shower Body Lotion for super shower moisturisation.

2. Moisturise some more. There's no better way to keep your sexy summer glow than by absolutely covering yourself in lotions. Post-holiday you should upgrade to a sumptuous body butter and make sure you apply lotion ever single day. I love Clinique's Body Butter, or The Body Shop's Body Butter for a slightly less-expensive alternative. Just don't use the moisturiser on the day that you apply your self tanning products, as fake tan works much better on clean skin.

3. Exfoliate. It feels like the absolute last thing you want to do when you've got a tan, but it's important to give yourself a full body exfoliation at least once a week to remove the parched skin, and get your skin ready for the upcoming self tan. Make sure you choose a scrub which isn't oil based, as this may prevent your tan from sticking! To be on the safe side, I like to use a body brush like this huge one from Temple Spa which I absolute love!

4. Long Lasting Tan. The secret to extending your tan is to create a simple ritual that's easy to maintain, so a long lasting tan is what you need. Something that's easy to apply, and easy to maintain - so for me there's no competition, it's got to be the Vita Liberata phenomenal 2-3 week tan. As you'll already be bronzed you may need the 'Dark' tan (which is what I used in the images) and you can be confident that the tan will fade evenly so no tell tale patches! The pHenomal tan formula moisturises the skin and conditions with marine and botanical extracts, and the bronzed glow will last up to 4 times longer than other tanning products. 

{ Before & After! }

5. Facial Self Tan. Your face is the first thing that people notice about you, and a sun kissed complexion will give you that fresh from the beach glow. In my experience, gradual tans for the face can be too subtle when you've already got a base tan from  your holiday, so I use my regular self tan on a mitt to give my holiday glow a boost. Because the Vita Liberata pHenomenal tan has no smell and is so incredibly fast drying, it's subtle and you can apply makeup just a few moments after application. 

6. Bronzer. Using a matte bronzer will help you to recreate the fresh from the beach glow, and the trick is to swirl it onto areas where the sun would naturally hit your skin. I apply the Vita Liberata Trystal Self Tanning Bronzer (yep, you read that correctly!) to my forehead, temples, nose and cheekbones rather than all over, and over the period of a few days, those areas will build up to have a gorgeous natural looking tan, even when you're not wearing any product.

7. Baby Oil! Glistening limbs look leaner and more bronzed, so by spritzing baby oil or something like the Nuxe Dry Shimmer Oil onto legs, you're tan will look as brilliant as ever.

8. Eat your Beta's! Scientists have found that a diet rich in beta-carotenes can recreate the glow of sun-kissed skin from within! How fantastic is that! The best sources include carrots (of course!), sweet potatoes, apricots and mangoes.

9. Hydrate! Just because you're no longer cooking on the beach, it doesn't mean you can slack off drinking lots of water! By keeping hydrated, you can help to prolong the life of your cells, including the lovely tanned cells on the surface of your skin, so a real or fake tan will last longer and look it's best.

10. Wear White! It's a tried and tested trick which will flatter your skin tone and give your tan a deeper appearance. Choosing a white or light shade next to your face, as well as a pop of bronzer and pink lippie is the best tan boosting combination you can get!

How would you like to Win a bottle of Vita Liberata pHenomenal Tan?!

I've teamed up with the lovely folks at Vita Liberata to giveaway 5 bottles of their pHenomenal 2-3 week tan, worth �37.50 each! All you have to do to enter is:

1. Follow Vita Liberata on Instagram

2. Regram my Vita Liberata image and use the hashtag #JosieLDNxVLgiveaway

What are your top tips for maintaining a Summer Tan?

xoxo

Win Tickets to Wireless Festival with New Look!

Hands up who else's Instagram feed was filled up with fashionable festival snaps yesterday from the New Look Wireless festival?! Mine most definitely was! And if all of those pictures have got you in the festival mood then you are in luck because New Look have kindly given me a pair of tickets to Wireless Festival on Saturday 4th July to give away to one of you guys!

It couldn't be easier to win, all you have to do, is watch my recent Outfit Diaries video, and choose which New Look piece from the video that you'd most like to wear to the festival, then tweet a screenshot of the video clip including the chosen piece, along with this message:

'I want to #WIN tickets to Wireless! Here's my fave piece from @FashionMumblr's video:' 

Don't forget to register your tweet in the Rafflecopter below, as well as getting some extra points with the additional tasks for more chances to win! You can tweet the message every day between now and Thursday at midnight, to increase your chances of winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The competition closes at midnight on Thursday 2nd July, and the winner will be contacted on Friday morning.

Watch my Outfit Diaries Video here to choose your favourite New Look piece!

For bonus points, you can share the Facebook post about the competition from the Fashion Mumblr Facebook page here.

Good luck!!