Oh Barbie, you visual learning tool and eastern suburbs wannabe!

In the course of writing this blog, that other one, and the freelance bits I also do, sometimes lovely brands send me products that they think I might like to write about. Occasionally they send a little treat with it too - not exactly ipads and designer handbags, but something little to demonstrate a point - think minties accompanying mint flavoured lip gloss or fairy floss for a lipstick called Fairy Floss.

Sometimes though, they send a visual aid for learning purposes, and yesterday was one of those days.

I laughed out loud, a lot, when I pulled this baby from LeTan out of the mail bag. How many times have you seen some poor girl wandering around your local Westfield rocking the Eagle - brown body, white head. This Barbie looks like she's straight out of Sydney's eastern suburbs, with her LBD and her awkward lean. LOVE.

She sends a serious message though - body tan should always match your face. I will admit that when I do get around to faking it, I use three different tanners - one for legs, one for torso and one for face (my bathroom cupboard is packed tight). The skin on your face is different to your body though, so you need a different formula - duh. I can't tell you about the LeTan product that came with Barbie just yet (it's out October) but if you're going to tan, then get a specific face tanner. I'm going to keep Barbie on my desk as a reminder.
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Santorini Sun Tanning Lotion - the Greek Island tan without the jetlag

 Fake tan is one of those things that everyone is on a never-ending quest for. The amount of SMS’s/tweets/phone calls/morse code messages I get from girlfriends (and the odd malefriend) asking me for the best brand for bronzing/best brand for staying power/best brand for non-stinky is crazy. My answer is always different depending on who I am talking to for one reason – skin tone.

Let me start by saying that I only use fake tan on my legs. I am far too uncoordinated to use proper fake tan on my torso, so I use gradual tan moisturiser. Specifically, Garnier Body Summer. It works for me, is the right shade for my skin and it’s klutz-proof so I can’t mess it up too much. Legs are a whole other ball game. I desperately love Garnier Amber Solaire Gloss Bronzer gel, but I’ll try anything.

Enter Santorini Sun Organic Tanning Lotion. I think they sold me when they said I would get a natural Greek Island sun-kissed glow, so I gladly accepted the sample on offer. I tried the liquid and it sprays on brown so you can see where it goes but disappears as you rub it in. My tan developed over about 8 hours and was just the right shade of golden brown with one coat (and not a trace of tandoori to be found!). Two weeks in a row and my legs had a perfect tan. Kapow! Shame about the weather.

It’s infused with Cecropia Obtusa Bark, which is a slimming and anti-cellulite ingredient. To be honest, I don’t think spraying it on once a week is going to be enough to get rid of my cellulite, but the colour is good and it gradually faded rather than doing that horrible patchy thing some other tans do. This is a total win in my book because I hate having to scrub tan off. I’ll be using this one until the bottle is empty and recommend it for my fellow fair friends. It would probably also be good for those who have olive skin, but maybe not for anyone fairer than me or with yellow undertones.

Price: $29.95
From: Diva Society
Why you need it: So you don’t get frightened of your own reflection when you’re trying on swimsuits in David Jones. OMG there’s a ghost in my change room! Oh wait, that’s just me.


This product was offered to me for consideration

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