MY TOP 5 MUST HAVE FASHION PIECES THIS SEASON (A/W 2012)

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The Autumn/Winter season is here!!!! My favourite time of year. The colours, the chill setting in, dark nights and it means Christmas is just around the corner!

Beautiful Autumn colours

So as we all know along with a new season comes a whole load of new fashion trends!! Hard to keep up, I know.

But not to worry, I have put together a list of the things you really must have. Which also happen to be my favourite trends of the season (so far) :-)

1. Skinny Sparkly/Coated Jeans

I can't tell you how much I am in love with sparkly and coated/wax jeans. They are so glamorous. Wear them during the day with biker boots and a plain tee and dress them up in the evening with some stilettos.  Amazing!!

2. Burgundy... Everything!

It is official, burgundy is the colour to be seen in this Autumn/Winter.  Everything from bags to tights. I love it because its warm deep tone reminds me of the trees and fallen leaves at this time of year. And it looks fab with my other favourite Autumn/Winter colours. (creams, vintage greens, golden yellows, muted browns)

Skull & Heart print snood £12 @ASOS | Belt £9 @ASOS | Burgundy Tights £6 @ASOS

Elizabeth & James Cardigan £405 @Net-a-Porter | Penfield Jacket £140 @Selfridges | Louis Vuitton Alma GM in Rouge Fauviste £1,420

3. Fur Gilet
Something practical, gorgeous, stylish, chic and keeps you warm. Even better you can continue to wear your summer jackets and slip a gilet over the top... perfecto! And for those of you who aren't in to fur there are plenty of faux fur options all over from Anna Sui to Topshop.

4. Dark Nails

For those of you who, like me, love a manicure you will know how much the must have nail colours change through the seasons just like fashion. Sooo make sure you get yourself a deep and dark mani. Purples, bordeaux's, blues, olives. Gorgeous!

5. Colour Pop

With all the dark colours being worn. It can make you feel and look really depressing (Imo). A lot of people head straight for black when the nights draw in. But just because it is dark outside doesn't mean you have to feel and look dark and dull. 

Add one of the seasons most fun trends to your look and bring some colour back in to your wardrobe. Everyone is doing it... the colour pop!! 

Lots of love A xxx

REVIEW - UTAN ULTIMO SELF TAN MOUSSE Brazilian Bronze

It's that time again when I review a new fake tan. A very scary prospect as I never know how it will turn out.

The one I chose is Ultimo Utan.

First of all i have to say the bottle design is very nice. I like the silver on the bottle and the box. very chic.

Ultimo Utan in self-tan mousse Brazilian Bronze

 So lets take a look at what they say it does...

Utan Claims 

For a warm and exotic tan. Gives a warm and exotic bronze tint upon application as the deeper, sensual colour develops over 3-4 hours.


• Deeper, richer long-lasting colour
• Streak-free
• Guide colour for ease of application
• Moisturising with skin enhancing benefits Plus Body Sculpting Technology.


Our advanced formulation contains; Ultimo Tanning Complex, Wild Indigo Flower and Rainforest Extracts. Designed to deliver an even, longer-lasting colour, improving the appearance of the skin for smoother, firmer contours, plus assists in re-shaping and re-sculpting the body.

The application

 
After bathing and exfoliating, I was ready to apply. I decided to apply Utan with this gorgeous black velvet mit I got from Harrods.(it actually directs you to use gloves)

The texture on the mitt of the mousse is much like St Tropez but the colour is much more even (make sure you shake the bottle well before hand).

It doesn't smell much at all. In fact you wouldn't know it was fake tan you were applying, unlike most brands which tend to have at least a smidgen of a fake tan smell, this really doesn't.

So I began applying starting with my face and working my way down to my feet. Another point to mention is that I had read online Utan graps to dry patches so I made sure I applied a small amount of moisturiser on my elbows, knees, feet, ankles and to my hands before applying the tan.

My first impression was that on my face it looked very dark and I was very worried about how it would look in the morning.  The colour was a light brown everywhere else. Because of the colour on my face I wouldn't recommend applying it and then going out for the day, however if you wanted a bit more colour on your legs or arms it is a totally acceptable colour post application to go out.

One thing I noticed is that when using the mitt it is actually quite difficult to blend, if you rub it too much it crumbles very slightly.  This may be why they direct you to use gloves, I will make sure I do next time.

So off I went to bed, slightly concerned. After about 15 minutes I totally forgot I had applied it. It wasn't sticky or smelly... very smooth and absorbed incredibly well.

Straight after applying Utan

8 hours later...

Lets see how it did

I woke up in the morning expecting to look very brown and I was disappointed when the colour wasn't as deep as I thought it would be. But after showering I am really pleased with the colour. It is actually nice and dark and very even. Unfortunately I do have an uneven patch on my leg where I slept with my hand on my leg. Luckily it is a horrible day so I am wearing trousers.

Day 4 and it has faded quite a bit, I am going to stretch 1 more day out of it before I re-applying.

Day 5 and it hasn't faded much more than yesterday so I will wait till tomorrow evening to apply. I am really pleased with how evenly it has faded. No patchy parts. Normally I find fake tan comes off my chest and face first but this is about the same all over.

So lets review the claims

For a warm and exotic tan. Gives a warm and exotic bronze tint upon application as the deeper, sensual colour develops over 3-4 hours.- I would agree with this. The tan is warm and not orange at all. I wouldn't know if it developed fully after 4 hours because I kept it on for 8.

• Deeper, richer long-lasting colour

- Not sure I would call it long last at 4-5 days.
• Streak-free

- I am a seasoned fake tan wearer and I would say I found it a bit of effort to get it even but now I know how it goes on it will be easier the second time.
• Guide colour for ease of application

- Yup
• Moisturising with skin enhancing benefits
- My skin felt soft after I had applied and it has soaked in

Plus Body Sculpting Technology.

- I am not sure what this means to be honest.


Our advanced formulation contains; Ultimo Tanning Complex, Wild Indigo Flower and Rainforest Extracts. Designed to deliver an even, longer-lasting colour, improving the appearance of the skin for smoother, firmer contours, plus assists in re-shaping and re-sculpting the body.

- Surely you could 'sculpt' the body with any fake tanner by applying more in certain areas so I am not sure about this. I would say it does improve the appearance of the skin.

Summary 


Overall I am impressed and I will buy it again. A very nice colour, even and natural looking.

Next time I will deffinitely apply it with gloves like the directions stipulate.

I normally use Xen Tan or St Tropez dark mousse but I think the more I use this the more I will love this Utan Mousse!!

8/10

*** Update ***

I wanted to do an update as I have now re applied using gloves... it is a whole lot better and easier.  I also put moisturiser on my face before applying and it was a fab colour so I went out for the day and felt.. well very brown!  I met up with a friend who told me she had never seen me so tanned (I took it as a compliment)

So with this in mind, I am now upgrading Utan to a 9/10!!!

Ashly xx

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