Summer Tanning Essentials

Bikini Top and Bottom : OYSHO

Summer is here - nobody can deny that with 38°C roaring outside - and although I'm still city bound, I'm practising the old "a girl can dream" moto and I'm thinking of sandy beaches and gorgeous tan lines!

Unfortunately I'm the kind of person that is more likely to spontaneously combust under the sun, than get a magical sun kissed look, so this summer I'm getting a little help from my friends.. Carroten and Hawaiian Tropic that is!!

They are both tested and well-loved, so the recipe is pretty much guaranteed. Let's start by saying that if you are fair like me, then you have to pass through a phase of SPF 30 and 20 before you move to this particular Carroten product - unless you like burned skin, so in that case ignore what I just said!

So after you've elluded burning and you're in the first stages of tanning, enter the lovely Carroten Sunsations intensive exotic tanning gel SPF 10. It has been my favourite since last year, as it helps speed up the tanning process, while it protects from the sun - which most tanning oils and gels don't. The formula is moisturising and not at all sticky and it gives a nice glow when applied. Another great plus is the scent of this product. Although it says exotic flowers fragrance on the tub, it really smells like summer and exotic beaches without any hint of floral in it! I cannot really describe it as you can tell, but I guarantee that it's a really addictive scent.

Now let's skip to the part when you're back from the beach, all bathed and dolled up.. all you need is an after sun product and here comes the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter. Long story short, I swear by it and I have all my friends hooked on it too!! It's not only a great after sun product, it's also the best body butter formula I've ever tried. It's really moisturising but after applied it gets completely absorbed, leaving no residue on the skin whatsoever. As for the scent, I have the exotic coconut one and once I've found it, I haven't used anything else layered under my perfume.

The Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream

So as I said in the previous post, the gift my friend gave me contained two lovely coconuty products from The Body Shop. This is the Coconut Shower Cream and it's the one I was most excited to try out from the two.

This product has a thick creamy consistency, much like a body lotion, and it reminds me greatly of coconut milk, mostly because it smells exactly like it!! The scent lingers on the skin for a little while and for someone obsessed with scents with coconuty notes, like me, this is a must have product! I really like it layered under my body lotion and perfume - which of course have coconut in them!!

One thing that is a little bit tricky about it, is that it doesn't foam up easily. Because of how thick it is, this needs a lot of water to create a decent foam. Something to be expected, as it is a shower cream! And that's the only con about it.

Putting this little downside aside, this product provides another thumbs up for The Body Shop. It has a luxurious feel to it and with the virgin coconut oil that it has, it is actually good for your skin!

The Fight Of The Yummies

One thing you should know about me, is that I'm a massive addict as far as sweet scents are concerned. Either it is vanilla, chocolate or plain old sickly sugary ones, I'm all in!! If it reminds me of anything edible, then it gets even better for me.

That been said, I have two shower - lotion combos to present, compare and contrast. So, let's get to it!!

PRIORITIES Sugar Babes Creamy Praline Foam Bath and Body Cream:

This comes from the Sugar Babes line of Priorities and can be easily found at Sephora. The scent is definitely sweet though not excactly praline-like. The body cream is very moisturising and has the consistency of a gel rather than a body butter, while the foam bath leaves the skin clean with a slight sugary scent to it (though it takes a good amount of product to create a nice foam).

BODYFARM Sweetline Cocoa Cookies Shower Gel and Body Milk:

The favourite of the two combos, this is a greek product I found by chance while strolling around at a local beauty store. It has a strong scent of cookies with hints of vanilla, cocoa and cinnamon. The shower gel needs only a tiny amount to create all the foam you need and the body milk leaves the skin moisturised and soft. Using both of them will leave the scent lingering on you for quite a while.