Fake It ‘til You Make it! – Five of the Best Fake Tans

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body, bronzed, bronzing, caffeine, Caribbean, contour, copper, décolletage, deep, DHA, essential oils, exfoliator, face, fake, firm, foundations, glow, golden, gradual tan, hydration boost, long-lasting, magnolia, moisturiser, neck, non greasy, organic, self tanner, skin, South Seas, St Tropez, sun kissed, sweet almond oil, tan, tanner, tanning, tighten, vanilla extract, vitamin A

Whether you’re planning on jetting off for an early holiday or just hoping to get your legs out over the Easter bank holiday, it’s unlikely that you’re still rocking a golden glow from your last jaunt abroad. Here at Pure Beauty, we abide by the “fake it ‘til you make it” mantra when it comes to our tans, so we thought we’d share with you five of our favourite fake tan products for the very best bronzed look which could be straight from a Caribbean vacation. Oh, and as a bonus pro tip; don’t forget to get yourself a St.Tropez Dual Sided Luxe Applicator Mitt for flawless application!:

St.Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Golden Glow Medium Lotion

Anyone who knows anything about fake tan knows that St Tropez is pretty much the industry standard, and this product is no exception. It takes the hassle out of self tan application as it can be applied in the shower to gradually build a golden glow and doesn’t leave you with that typical self tan smell. It only needs to be used for three days in a row for a beautiful deep tan and the formulation contains sweet almond oil to give 24 hour hydration.

South Seas – Tahitian Glow Self Tanner

This self tanner from South Seas is an easy to apply tinted formula which promises a streak free finish and a rich, natural looking tan. It contains organic DHA to give your skin immediate colour, as well as copper and caffeine which will tighten and firm your skin. For best results we recommend using a body exfoliator before application.

Decleor Neroli Bigarade Gradual Glow Lotion

This Gradual Glow Lotion from Décleor is so much more than a self tanner. It contains magnolia essential oils and vanilla extract as well as DHA, all of which combine to intensely moisturise the skin and give you a soft and radiant top to toe golden glow. Should be applied daily until the desired level of bronzing is achieved.

HD Brows Sun Stick

Not everyone likes to use a self tanner on their face but achieving a sun kissed glow on your face can be easily achieved with this Sun Stick from HD Brows. It can be used to contour the face for a subtle sculpted look, or all over the face for a beautiful bronze glow. It can be blended using a brush and is compatible with all foundations and base products. 

St.Tropez Gradual Tan Classic Everyday Light/Medium Face Cream

If you want to tan your face with a more permanent effect then this gradual tan face cream from St Tropez is the perfect product. It is ultra hydrating and doesn’t block the pores, and builds a perfect tan over time with daily application. Once you’ve exfoliated and moisturised your face it can be applied like a regular moisturiser to the face, neck and decolletage and will give you a hydration boost and a long lasting tan.

Fake it at Pure Beauty

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50ml, Abyssinian and elderberry seed oils, ageing, amino acids, Anti-oxidant green tea, argan shell, away, broad-spectrum sunscreen, burning, cancer, citrus scent, clog, complexion, condition, dead skin cells, Decleor 1000 Grains Body Exfoliator, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Dermalogica Sheer Tint, Dermalogica Sheer Tint with SPF20, DHA, dryness, Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion, fake it, fantastic products, glow, gradual tan body lotion, grains, grapefruit essential oil, healthy, home, hydrating hyaluronic acid, impurities, light moisturiser, Light-diffusing Iron Oxides, lightly-tinted hydrating make up, long lasting hydration, looking healthy, luscious, luxurious, Magnolia Essential Oil, massaged, mino acids, narcissus bulb, natural tan, nourish, orange peel, patches, pearl sugar, prolong, protect, protects, Pure Beauty, rays, relaxed, risk, samples, showering, skin tone, smoother, softer, SPF20, streaks, sun, sun exposure, sun-kissed look, super smooth limbs, tan, tanning products, UV rays, vanilla extract, Vegetan™, Walnut Seed extract, wheat

For many of us, having a tan makes us feel good as well as looking healthy and relaxed. However, getting that bronzed body often means exposing our skin to the sun, and this isn’t great as the rays can lead to burning, ageing, dryness and even put us at risk of cancer.

We recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day, but if you would rather not run the risks of getting a full-on natural tan, at Pure Beauty we sell some fantastic products that will give you a glow but without putting in the sun hours.

Before you use any tanning products, make sure your body is free from dead skin cells as this can make products clog and cause streaks and patches, which you do not want. You can get super smooth limbs with the Decleor 1000 Grains Body Exfoliator and the 50ml option means you can do this at home, or away. Three sizes of grains have been mixed to create a product that helps take away not only dead cells but other impurities, so skin is left feeling like velvet. Grapefruit essential oil gives it a citrus scent, while pearl sugar, Argan shell and orange peel come together in a gel that gives you noticeably softer, smoother and more refined skin that is ready for tanning products to be absorbed.

The Elemis Total Glow Bronzing Body Lotion is a luxurious, gradual tan body lotion that moisturises your skin. It contains Vegetan™ which is naturally derived from wheat and this builds colour on the upper layers of your skin, so you have a healthy, sun-kissed look without sun exposure. Anti-oxidant green tea evens skin tone, and red algae extract aids long-lasting hydration, making this a popular product with our clients. Abyssinian and elderberry seed oils have also been added into the mix to condition the skin, which is left soft, smooth and glowing.

When you go out in the sun your skin gets dry but using the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk can prevent this from happening. This a light moisturiser that not only gives your body a gradual tan but helps nourish it at the same time. Magnolia essential oil has been added to protect and soothe skin, narcissus bulb helps prolong your tan, and vanilla extract protects against external irritants. It’s the DHA, a sugar obtained by biotechnology, in this product that reacts naturally with amino acids in the skin that leaves you with a gentle top-to-toe golden glow. This is best applied after showering and exfoliating, and when you have massaged into your skin, let the formula soak in before dressing.

If you want to add a little daytime colour to your complexion, we would suggest going for the Dermalogica Sheer Tint with SPF20. This lightly-tinted hydrating make up product comes in light, medium and dark options and each one offers a healthy wash of colour, but the sun doesn’t need to get involved. The colour comes from light-diffusing iron oxides, and broad-spectrum sunscreens have been added to protect against UV rays. Nurturing amino acids, hydrating hyaluronic acid and luscious walnut seed extract are present and help improve the appearance of fine lines and add hydration.

If you have any questions, would like to try some samples or simply need more details to make the right choice for you, get in touch today and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty

Christmas cooking the fun way

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are easy to make, bake, baking powder, baking trays, caster sugar, cheese, cheese stars, cherry tomatoes, Christmas tree cookies, Christmas tree cuter, cling film, cook, cookies, cream, cucumber, decorate, dough, drinks, eat, eggs, escaping, family and friends, festive fun, fridge, friends, goodness, grated cheese, herbs, homemade biscuits and snacks, icing sugar, jolly, look good, love, messy, mild cheddar, milk, mix, mozzarella, mug, parchment, pens, plain flour, pre-made puff pastry, pretty boxes, recipes, salt, school party, scrubbing, sift, silver balls, silver foil platter, star cutter, stars, super healthy, table salt, tissue paper, tree, tree trunk, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, veggie, winning treats, wrap, yellow pepper

This year, why not impress family and friends with homemade biscuits and snacks, and as well as saving yourself some money, you can have festive fun too? We have several tried and tested recipes we love, and hope you will too!

Christmas tree cookies
These cute cookies look good, taste great, are easy to make and even the youngest members of the family can get involved and help you to decorate them!

For these winning treats, you will need:

470g of plain flour
1 level teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
225g of unsalted butter
300g of caster sugar
Two medium eggs
Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
A Christmas tree cuter
Colouring icing sugar pens
Silver balls

Sift together the baking powder, flour and salt. Cream together the butter and sugar until you have a light and fluffy mix, then beat in the eggs (one at a time) and finally stir in the vanilla. At this point you can then slowly add the flour mix, and when you have a ball of dough, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for around an hour.

When you get the dough from the fridge, pre-heat your oven to 200 C / gas mark 6 /180C fan and line two baking trays with parchment paper – this means the cookies will slide off once cool and you won’t have any nasty pan scrubbing to do.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut out your cookies.

Bake for about eight minutes or until the edges are just turning light brown, and transfer from the baking trays to cooling racks.

Decorate with the icing pens when the cookies are completely cool and put on the little silver balls for an added touch, then either eat them (fast) or put them in pretty boxes with tissue paper and give them out as presents!

Cheese Stars

For the school party, or drinks with friends, these easy to make cheese stars are winners.

You will need:

A pack of pre-made puff pastry
One mug of grated cheese – a mild cheddar / mozzarella mix works well
Flour for dusting
2 table spoons of whole milk
A star cutter

It is best to make these on the day of eating, so when you are ready, preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease them with a little butter.

Next roll out the sheet of pastry and put your grated cheese on half of it, fold it over and then on a floured surface, gently roll to around double the size. At this point just make sure no cheese is escaping from the sides as this can get messy in the oven! Next, cut out star shapes from the folded sheet and place on the baking sheets, brush with milk and cook for around ten minutes. You can add some herbs or salt to the tops of the stars if you like! They will last for a couple of days in a tin, but we don’t think they will be around that long!

Veggie Tree

For something super healthy for the party table, you can’t go wrong with savoury festive tree made with goodness and love.

For this you will need:

Lots of cherry tomatoes – cut in half
Green grapes – cut in half
A yellow pepper with a piece of the flesh cut into a star shape
Half a cucumber
Salsa
A large silver foil platter

Chop a 5cm piece of cucumber and place it at the bottom of the foil platter to make the tree trunk. Then you need to make a row of tomatoes and grapes to make the first part of the tree, and then add more layers, each one shorter than the last so you end up with a cute Christmas tree shape. At the top you can add your yellow pepper star, then serve with the salsa and the rest of the cucumber cut into sticks! This looks fun and jolly and also help to keep up your five a day!

Got a recipe you love, let us know about!

Team Pure Beauty

Don’t Just Wash and Go

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advanced body cream, balm, Camellia, chamomile, Clary Sage, clean, Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk, Decleor Nourishing Body Balm, Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream, drink, dry, Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream, Elemis Salt Glow, Elemis Skin Nourishing Body Cream, Elemis Sweet Orchid Body Cream, essential plant oils, everyday, exotic extracts, fall in love, Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream, Frankincense Essential Oil, gentle golden glow, green tea, healthy looking skin, hydrated, hydroxy acids, Jan Marini Bioglycolic Hand and Body Lotion, jojoba, jump in the shower, just washed skin, lavender, macadamia, massage, mix, moisturiser, nourishing, orange, Patchouli, present, rich oils, rosemary, Salt Glow, Sandalwood, Shea butter, smooth, smoother, softer, supple, Tamanu Macadamia, Tea Tree, tired, unique rich texture, vanilla extract, wash and go

While you might be tempted to jump in the shower, wash and go, we would suggest that for the sake of your skin, you don’t.

By adding a moisturiser into the mix, you will find that your skin isn’t just clean but also hydrated which means it will be softer and smooth too.

At Pure Beauty, we sell a range of fantastic products and are confident that we will have something that is right for you.

The Elemis Sweet Orchid Body Cream is a nourishing, everyday product that intensely hydrates and it smells pretty amazing too. Thanks to a blend of rich oils and exotic extracts brimming with fatty acids, anti-oxidants, and vitamins, just washed skin will drink up the goodness and feel better than ever.

Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream is an advanced body cream packed with Hydroxy Acids and Essential Plant Oils that help to smooth and condition the skin. Sugar Cane and Apple have been combined with Lactic Acid to relieve dryness, while Essential Oils of Sandalwood, Orange, Clary Sage, Patchouli and Rosemary hydrate the skin and lock in much-needed moisture. Green Tea, Lavender, Tea Tree and Chamomile oils have also been added for an extra level of soothing and softening and give this product an amazing scent.

Decleor Nourishing Body Balm is a totally gorgeous product that really does help to soothe skin that is tired and dry. Enriched with Frankincense Essential Oil, Shea Butter, Tamanu and Macadamia oils, skin feels nourished and softer from the very first application. With a unique texture and delicious smell, this luxurious balm is also ideal for massage and makes the perfect present for a friend who needs a boost.

We totally love the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Cream at Pure-Beauty. This luxurious body cream is enriched with the omega 3, 6, 7 and Oleic acid rich Macadamia Oil which is Rich and when applied after a shower or bath, skin is left feeling nourished, deeply hydrated and smelling of Frangipani Flowers. For silky smooth skin, massage the cream into cleansed, dry skin morning and evening and you will be so pleased you did. When you can relax a little longer, try using the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream followed by the Elemis Frangipani Monio Salt Glow and you will fall in love with the beautiful softness of your skin from the very first application.

Best used after the Elemis Skin Nourishing Milk Bath, for maximum results, the Elemis Skin Nourishing Body Cream is a winner in our book. Packed with skin nourishing Camellia, Macadamia and Jojoba oils, this rich lotion helps to revive dry skin, while softening and balancing at the same time. Oat Kernel has been combined with a Sesame and Shea Butter base which ensures even excessively dry skin is left feeling silky soft and healthy looking.

Next week wanted to mention the fabulous Jan Marini Bioglycolic Hand and Body Lotion which is a clever blend of Glycolic Acid, Aminophylline, and Shea Butter. This product improves the appearance of ageing and environmentally damaged skin as well as helping with texture. If you are looking for supple, smooth, healthy-looking skin, apply once or twice a day and we think you will be pleased with the results.

Finally, if you want to add moisture, and colour, we suggest trying out the Decleor Gradual Glow Hydrating Body Milk. The light, melting texture is easily and quickly absorbed into the skin and offers a beautifully natural sun-kissed look from the very first application. Magnolia Essential Oil has been added to soothe the skin, Narcissus Bulb prolongs that ‘tan’ and Vanilla Extract protect the skin against external irritants. As you skin gets a gentle golden glow, it will also look and feel intensely moisturised and soft so it is a win, win.

If you would like more information about these products or would like to try some samples, get in touch and we would love to help.

Team Pure Beauty

Celebrate World Chocolate Day

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baking, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, boiling water, cake, caster sugar, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate hit, clean, cocoa, cool, cream, creative, dark chocolate, delicious cake, double cream, Double Decker, electric whisk, enjoy, enjoy life, firm, fool-proof, free range eggs, full fat milk, good stuff, grease, guilt free, healthy eating plan, hour, ice, ice cream, icing, liquid, low heat, lump free, Maltesers, Mars bar, melted, Minstrels, mixing bowl, mixture, money, pan, plain flour, pour, quality, rack, Rolos, sandwich tins, skewer, smooth liquid, squares, Thornton’s, touch, Twix, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, wash your hands, wooden spoon, World Chocolate Day

World Chocolate Day, also known as International Chocolate Day, is here once again on 7th July and it is a great reason to ditch your healthy eating plan and enjoy the good stuff, guilt free.

With so many bars and brands out there, just where do you start when it comes to chocolate?

‘I love nothing more than a Double Decker and quite like Rolos too.”
Jane

“I love dark chocolate and have a couple of squares everyday.”
Danni

“For me it’s chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce.”
Vicky

“I wish I could stop at one chocolate but no, I can eat an entire tray of Thornton’s in one go.”
Annie

Whilst you can go out and buy a Mars Bar, Twix and family bag of Maltesers to enjoy on 7th July, why not make this amazing fool-proof chocolate cake that is bang on the cocoa money.

For one delicious cake you will need:
225g of plain flour
350g of caster sugar
85g of cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons of baking powder and the same of bicarbonate of soda
2 large free-range eggs
125 ml of vegetable oil
250 ml of full fat milk
250 ml of boiling water
For the top of the cake you will need
200g of good quality, dark chocolate
200 ml of double cream
1 large bag of Minstrels or similar

In preparation for baking, wash your hands then preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 then grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins.

To start making your cake, put all the ingredients, except the water, into a mixing bowl and beat the mixture until smooth and lump free. You can do this using a wooden spoon or an electric whisk.
Next add the boiling water a little at a time, until you have a smooth liquid – don’t worry this is how it is meant to be.

Divide the mix in two and pour into the sandwich tins and bake for around 30 minutes, or until the top of the cakes are firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

When ready, take the cakes out of the over and allow them to cool on a rack before you add the icing.

To make the icing, you will need to put the chocolate and cream in a pan and let them melt over a very low heat. Once they have melted, take away from the heat and whisk the mixture until it is smooth and thick then cover and let it rest for around an hour.

When ready, spread the icing onto the base of one cake, add the second cake then ice the top with the reminder of the mixture.

You can then get creative and add an extra chocolate hit with the Minstrels or sweets of your choice.

Serve as it comes or with ice cream and enjoy!

Team Pure Beauty