My Monthly Favourites - June 2014

Hi guys, it's that time of the month again to talk about the products I have been loving throughout the month of June! I did not do a favourites post last month as I wasn't really enjoying any new products and I decided to do a two part birthday haul instead (you can check out part one here and part two here.) However, since receiving lots of lovely gifts last month, I have been using a ton of new products and I have fallen in love with a lot of them. So, without any further ado, here are my favourite beauty products that I have been using over the last 30 days. Enjoy!

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion - £5.10
First up is a product that I did a full review of on my blog last week, Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion. This lotion is a really lightweight gradual tanner which gives your skin the most amazing sun-kissed colour. I have never been into fake tanning too much as I find it quite laborious but this is a great alternative for me. I love the end result that this product gives, plus it is so simple to use. I love how quickly it sinks in, so I do not have to wait ages for it to dry before getting dresses again. I highly recommend Summer Body to tanning novices like myself and what's even better about it is that the lotion smells like apricots instead of your typical fake tan biscuit-y smell too. 

Benefit That Gal Brightening Face Primer - £22.50 (for full size)
Next is this amazing primer from Benefit. This mini version is part of the 'Do The Bright Thing' beauty kit that my brother bought me for my birthday. That Gal is a brightening primer that gives the most gorgeous glow to the skin. I apply this product underneath my foundation and it just makes my entire face look illuminated and radiant. Whenever I have worn this so far, I have always received compliments on how good my skin looks - which instantly makes it a winner in my books! A little goes a long way with this product but when my tiny tube does run out, I will definitely be purchasing the full-size version of this!

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser - £6.95
After going on a spontaneous trip to Lush last month, I found myself buying the Ultrabland Facial Cleanser. Up until then, I had only ever used bath products from Lush but a lovely assistant showed me this cleanser after I said that I wanted to treat myself to something new. Since then, I have been using Ultrabland every evening on my skin to remove all traces of dirt and make-up - I'm on my second tub now! Although the cleanser itself is very thick, it has very gentle and natural ingredients (such as almond oil and rose water) in it which help to soothe, nourish and soften my skin. It's safe to say that I am not a huge fan of this product and I can see myself using it for a long time to come.

Urban Decay All Nighter Make-Up Setting Spray - £9.00 (travel size)
I have always been a little dubious of make-up setting sprays and thought that they were a little gimmicky. However, after using this one from Urban Decay, I have been converted - this spray is seriously amazing! I purchased the travel size version as I didn't want to buy the full size one in case I didn't like the product but I think this bottle should last me for a long time anyway. I simply spritz a little of it over my face after I have completed my make-up to lock it in place all day. As I have oily/combination skin, my foundation seem to slip off of my face throughout the day but this spray keeps everything where it should be. Even after a long day, my make-up looks like it has just been freshly applied. From time to time I might be a little shiny on my T-zone area but it is very minimal. I would 100% recommend this product to anybody, especially now the weather is heating up!

Lush The Comforter Bubble Bar - £4.50
Last but not least is the amazing smelling bubble bar from Lush, which is another gift that my brother got me for my birthday at the end of last month. The Comforter is one of Lush's largest bubble bars and so you can definitely get quite a few uses out of it. I adore it's blackcurrant scent (it reminds me of Rowntreee's Fruit Pastille ice lollies) and it makes the whole bathroom smell heavenly. Not only this but it turns your bath water a beautiful colour and produces a lot of bubbles so that you can enjoy a nice, long soak in the tub!

I hope you enjoyed reading all about my June favourites and the products that I have been loving lately. Have you used any of the above products before? What are your favourites this month? Please let me know by leaving a comment below. Thank you!

Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion

Hi guys. I have never really been a fan of fake-tanning before because I find the process so laborious and time-consuming, plus most products that I have used have never lived up to my expectations. Either the end result is too light or too dark, or from time to time, patchy. However, I am a big fan of moisturisers like this one from Garnier, as it builds up a natural colour over time rather than you going from a milk bottle to a bronzed goddess overnight. This product is also a great alternative for beginners or fake tan novices, as it is less daunting to use and gives a more subtle finish. So today, I thought that I would do a little review of this product sharing what I think of it. Let's get started!

Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion is a mix between a body lotion and a gradual tanner which leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturised for over 12 hours. Summer Body comes in two shades so that it can cater for all different skin tones. The light lotion is suitable for those with pale to fair skin and claims to leave you with a light sunkissed look, whereas the darker version gives a deeper colour and is best suited to those with medium, olive or darker skin tones. The great thing about this product is that you can control how often you use it and therefore, you can control the end result too. Using the lotion for a day or two will enable you to get a noticeable colour and a healthy glow, or alternatively you can use the lotion for longer if you want to build up the intensity of the tan.

I opted for the lighter version as my skin tone is fair and even after one application, I got amazing results. My skin had a noticeable light tanned colour to it which was not overly orange (something that I know a lot of people worry about!) The colour was perfect for me and so I decided that I did not need to bother with a second application the following night! Although you would usually use your hands to apply lotion, I would suggest using a tanning mitt instead like you would if you were applying a proper fake tan product. Not only will this give you a much more even result, you will also avoid getting orange hands. The only thing you will need to bear in mind is that the lotion does go on clear, so take care not to miss any patches!

The other great thing about this product is that it does not have your typical fake tan smell, which can often have a 'biscuit-y' scent. Summer Body contains natural apricot extracts which means that the lotion is fruity and a lot more pleasant to apply than the likes of St Moritz and so on. Even though the moisturiser has a fast absorption and drying time, I still like to wait a little while before I get dressed just to be on the safe side. I usually apply this at night time too, so that I can then throw on some loose pyjamas to go to bed in. I have also applied this to my face (mixed in with a bit of my normal moisturiser) and have never encountered any problems whether it be clinging to dry patches or clogging up my pores/causing spots. I know that there are tanning products that particularly targeted to tanning your face but this method does the trick for me - and it's cheaper!

Overall, this is a great product to use if you want to gradually build up colour until you are happy with its intensity. It is both moisturising and simple to use, which means it is fuss free and does not take too long to apply. Plus, it smells divine so this lotion is an absolute winner in my books and I would highly recommend it! What do you think of this product? Have you tried it before? Please let me know by leaving a comment below!

Garnier Summer Body retails at around £5.10 for a 250ml bottle and is widely available from drugstores and supermarkets.