Review: St. Tropez Bronzing Gel With Before and After Photos

So a little history lesson, St. Tropez makes some of the best fake tanners on the market. Their products are loved by celebrities, bloggers and makeup artists alike. Normally I'm not a fake tanner kind of gal, but I got tired of being the awkwardly pale one at all the pool parties I went to. Here's a quick beauty and fitness hack- want to look INSTANTLY more toned and slender without actually losing any weight? Try a fake tan.

Here's the thing that sucks about being pale- you can be ripped with low body fat and you still won't look as tight or lean as someone with a tan. Even if they're in worse shape than you, as long as it's not a significant difference in weight they'll probably look tighter and stronger. That's why bodybuilders drown themselves in the bronze stuff- it really makes your body glow and ooze "fit".

I saw the St. Tropez Bronzing Gel on sale at ROSS for $10.99 (down from $35.00) and couldn't help but purchase it on the spot. I haven't seen it in on sale since so I'm glad I snagged it up when I did. Not going to lie, I was pretty scared to rub it in when I saw how dark it was out of the bottle but this stuff blends effortlessly in to the skin as long as it's prepped correctly.

Here's a quick run down of how to apply fake tanner:

1. Take a shower! Exfoliate all rough patches like knees, elbows etc.
2. Moisturize the rough areas so they don't pick up too much product. It'll settle in to the cracks of your skin if you're not careful so you should be sure to apply moisturizer on those areas.
3. WEAR DISPOSABLE GLOVES. DO IT! It'll stain your hands and and get under your nails if you don't. Spare yourself the trouble and buy a box of spare gloves.
4. Try to give the fake tanner at least 4 hours to completely dry before showering.

Before and After I applied the Bronzing Gel

Overall I LOVED this product. I'm curious to try the Self Tan Bronzing Mousse now since I know that's the star in their fake tan lineup. The bronzing gel was easy to apply, surprisingly natural and easy to blend in. It seemed to dry pretty quickly although I didn't put a whole lot on- just enough to give me some color. I put a glob this size (photo above) on each leg, so pretty subtle but it is buildable. Hopefully I can also use this on my legs during the winter months so I don't look so sickly and pallid all the time.

I'm happy to say I highly recommend St. Tropez's bronzing and tanning products if you're looking for a sunless tanner. They smell clean and sweet, are easy to apply and surprisingly natural. Only cons I can think of is this is a higher end brand, so expect to pay anywhere from $32 to $44 for their full-size products.  

Nail Polish Review- Essie's Lollipop

I bought a bag of tiny fuji apples at H-Mart...aren't they cute :)

Lately I've had a lot of fun experimenting with bright, vibrant nail polish. I think part of it is my affinity for Instagram (yes, I'm being serious). Having bright fun nails really makes all your photos look so much more fun :)

I love the deep red of Chanel's Lotus Rouge, but wanted something a bit more bright and playful. Enter Essie's Lollipop, a bright candy apple red that leans a bit orange but is definitely a red. I've already received so many compliments wearing it- and I love compliments. Application is almost completely opaque with one coat, and with two it's perfect. I'm starting to reconsider my dislike of Essie but as with most brands, their polishes can be very hit or miss. Lollipop was first released as a part of the Winter 2009 collection but is now part of Essie's permanent collection.

Essie's "Lollipop" in indoor lighting. Sorry for the paint smudges hehe.

Application was easy and neat, and I've had it on for 4 days now with no chips (although I'm starting to see feathering at the tips). Win!

Here's one last photo I snagged while walking to lunch. This is "Lollipop" in the day light! The ivy tendril midi ring is from Urban Outfitters. I believe it was $7.50. It actually fits me as a midi ring. Success! 

You can buy Essie's Lollipop here on Amazon, or find it at your local nail polish supply store.

Midi Rings, Necklaces and Imomoko's LA Event :D

Generally speaking i'm not big in to trends - but I LOVE midi rings. Midi rings sit on the top half of your finger, and are also called above the knuckle rings and little finger rings. I love how cute and dainty they are and how they draw attention to your nails :)  So I wanted to show you guys some up close pics of the midi rings I've acquired recently. Also wanted to note Nordstrom's BP section, Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville had some as well but none of them fit me as midi rings. I have REALLY small ring fingers (size 3.5 and a 4) so it's a bit difficult to find ones that fit.

It all started with the ring below which I shared with a few of you on Instagram:

The little golden wire midi ring Jen gave me. The start of an addiction!

So then I went on a hunt to find other midi rings...

Bow midi ring (which isn't a midi ring on me) and gold spiral midi ring on my pointer from Daily Look

Gold wire midi ring from Style Nanda (Korea)

Both from Forever 21 $2.50 each

The silver love midi ring trio from Forever 21. I think this was about $3.50?

The "love" script midi ring that was part of the Forever 21 trio. See what I mean now about it looking super "Instagrammy"? It looks good in photos and is fun but I think it's kind of tacky IRL.

 ReFa's U.S. Launch Event in Los Angeles, CA

In other news I got to attend Imomoko's ReFa event. In case you don't know what ReFa is, they're a super luxy face roller that enjoys a lot of popularity in Asia. Think of it as the Bentley of face rollers. Face rollers help to tighten and firm the skin around the face by improving circulation and dispelling bloat caused by water retention. For their U.S. launch ReFa teamed up with Imomoko, a U.S. based retailer of Asian skincare and cosmetics.

 Endless coffee, cookies and butter pound cake! One of my fave parts of hotel events haha.

Lots of dirty jokes for obvious reasons. April was having tons of fun rolling her face LOL.

 I think this was the fragrance tester? I don't know but it was cute so I wanted a pic :)

And my favorite part....goodie bags!

Other things in the goodie bag besides the ReFa Carat. A foaming cleanser, knee and elbow brightener, various bodycare samples, face masks and rose gummies.

Supposedly they're supposed to act as a non-minty breath freshener to, "Instantly freshen breath allowing your breath to smell like roses". I tried to ration myself and eat only one at a time but ended up eating the whole bag in one sitting ._. The gummies are made by Minami Healthy Foods and are called "Rose Fragrance Berry Gummy".

A peek inside the bag! Nommy getting hungry now.

 The gummies are super soft and sweet. Similar to the texture of other asian gummy candies :) I thought the rose would be overpowering since I usually don't like rose flavored anything but these tasted delicious! Definitely kiss-friendly haha ;] .

 3 Lululun Face Mask packs. Review to come! These are gaining a lot of popularity over MBD these days. Each pack has 7 masks inside so they're not individually wrapped.

 Some of the products they had on display, the CO2 masks are really popular I hear.

And my favorite part- photos against the cute pink backdrop! Poor Sam flew out all the way from VA again but it's so good to see her :) especially since she's so busy now with that mommy life.

And that's all :) more posts to come! (I promise or you can troll me, seriously)

How to (Quickly) Become an Elite Yelper

Some how...bloggers share some similarities. Besides having serious shopping problems we seem to share a love of food and a unhealthy love of our pets and animals. Yes, all you people with social media accounts for your dog, cat etc. I'm calling you out LOL! Anyways so although this is random, it's something I get asked about quite often. How do you become an Elite yelper? My first boss ever, cool dude that he was, made a bet that I couldn't become an Elite Yelper faster than his other employee. Ahem, self-entitled foodie that I am set out to prove him wrong. I had to start from scratch because I deleted my old Yelp account and was significantly behind my coworker at the time, but I was still hell bent on winning.

So here are my tips on becoming an Elite Yelper in only a few weeks.

• Create a Yelp account (der)
• Use a real name (maybe not yours but it needs to be a name) and a real photo. They want actual people reviewing things since it feels more authentic and trustworthy...so stop posting pics of your cat. Stop it.
• Add at least 35-45 GOOD solid reviews. What did you like? What did you not like? How was the service? Would you come back? These are thing things that help people decide where to go, what to order and manages their expectations. Make sure your review has value. Add pictures if you can (good ones, mind you)

Now here's the secret sauce: befriend the Yelp ambassador in your area. Literally type in:

Your city + Yelp Ambassador and you'll find them.

Then, you innocently send them a friend request. This gets rid of the wait time for them to discover YOU. The Yelp ambassador is the liaison between the Yelp community and Yelp, and as such decides who gets to be Elite and who doesn't. So by befriending them and having a ROBUST, active Yelp profile that fits what they're already looking for, you get rid of the time it would have taken them to organically find you. Don't even mention that you want to be Elite, just say hi or friend them. If your account looks good, you'll get it. 

Normally they'd have to go and organically find you- but let's be honest, ain't nobody got time for that! This is why it's helpful to be active in the "Talks" section of Yelp where you can see and be seen...but this way is really much faster. I know I know it's kind of like cheating...but all is fair in love and food. 

And there you have it. Elite Yelper status.

What not to do: Now it's important to make sure again, that you genuinely have something to offer the Yelp community. Funny, cute and short reviews don't do it. Here's an example of my friend's review on a clothing store...who is still not an Elite LOL.

Don't do this. 

You're welcome. Don't send all those friend requests at once now :-p

Blog Sale stuff

Crazy news- I'll be moving to LA soon. Part of me is ridiculously excited and the other part is dying of anxiety thinking about parallel parking and parking structures LOL. My new car really isn't that much bigger than the old one, but somehow I've convinced myself that it's impossible to park.

To make my move a bit easier, I'm going to be blog sale-ing a ton of stuff :) All prices as listed or OBO
Prices INCLUDE shipping to the contiguous US. No international orders please. Extra $1.50 for insurance (but I've never had a package get lost yet *knocks on wood*

First come, first served. Please send emails to mszjackiechu@yahoo.com with the subject BLOG SALE. In the email, leave your paypal and i'll send the bill over!

Please note: I will send out packages on WEDNESDAY. I need to get my car window fixed ;_; so won't have time to run to the post office until I drop my car off. Thanks for the understanding!

Free people cream colored sweater dress
Worn twice
Front is boatneck, back is a deep V. Fits more between A XS/S
Size XS
$25

Shiseido White Lucent Anti-Dark Circles Eye Cream

New in Box 

$37 (Retails for $55)

Jill Stuart Blush Compact
Comes with an attached goat hair travel brush with rhinestone detail
Swatched maybe 1-2 times
$35

MAC lipstick in Pervette

$9

Rock & Republic blush in "Call Me"

Swatched 1 or 2 times, like new 

$80 (Others are selling for $120-160)

Chanel Cinema nail color - New in Box

Cinema is the middle color in this photo, very true to real life

Photo from Beautezine (was too lazy to take a photo haha)

$22

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

Used about 10times...not a fan personally. No box

Color: Nude

$17

Brand new sand grey Havaianas

Size 6

Run a little big, more like a 7

$19 (MSRP is 32)

Rock Republic jeans in "Roth"

Size 24

Purchased at a sample sale (before the sell out) and only worn 2x

$25

White Joe Jeans - New with tags

Size 25

Provocateur petite slim bootcut fit

$45

J Brand Audrey Jean Leggings

Size 25 black - New with tags

$47

Stella & Jamie Romper

size x-small

brand new with tags

$35 (MSRP is $120+)

Runs a bit big, you should be more of a size 2 than a 0

Elizabeth & James 
Boyfriend Blazer
Size 0 New without tags
One of Kim K's faves...not sure if thats a good or bad thing ;]
$68

(MSRP is $300+)