Faking It

On a sunny Sunday the temperature attempts to soar, only to be hushed by the cool breeze; silhouettes are outlined by trimmings of gold and the sky is a wash of baby blue, sprinkled with cotton clouds.
As I walk through parks and busy streets I can't help but smile a little at the beauty of summer.

But the idyllic scene is quickly spoilt by numerous flashes of orange. Streaky, sticky orange, that clings onto ankles, calves and wrists for dear life. Yes, Fake Tan is often the evil culprit of ruining any summer outfit, and decidedly it is my number one nemesis.
Walking around town it is evident that a lot of time and money is invested into hair, makeup and clothes, yet everywhere I look there is orange!
Now by no means am I a fake tan connoisseur, on the contrary, I like to use it as infrequently as possible. However I am a strong believer that if you're gonna do it, do it right, and so below I will describe several ways of achieving a pretty good tan.

The Numero Uno tip and by far THE most important thing to remember is to Exfoliate. A good bodyscrub is your best friend, in my Summer Skin post, I write about my own home recipe that works best for me. But whether you buy yours in a pot or make it in your own kitchen, exfoliating will create and even and smooth surface, which in turn will mean that the colour of the tan will go on evenly.

Another good tip, particularly if you are using anything other than gradual tanner, is not to shave/wax on the same day of application. It is best to do this 24 hours in advanced, because otherwise the tan will seep into all your open pores and you will regrettably resemble a speckled egg.


The Easier (but perhaps not as great) Method:
Using a gradual tanning moisturizer is without a doubt the easiest way to fake tan. If you are new to all this fakery, I suggest you start with this step. They are used in the same way a normal moisturiser is used, just remember to exfoliate, cover the skin evenly and wash your hands (and wrists!) when you're done, and within 24 hours you will see a difference in colour which can then be built up over several days. I prefer to do it every couple of days with a gentle scrub in between, which means that there is no excessive build up of product. There are millions of gradual tanners on the market, the Garnier one for Medium/Dark Skin is really good even if you are fair as I think the colour comes out less orange, their separate gradual tanner for the face is amazing too! Not a big fan of the Johnson's Holiday Skin, as I find it a bit gloopey and it stinks of fake tan, but each to their own.

The Fidgety (but much more natural looking) Method:
If you take your Fake Tan seriously, and are a serial user of tanning mousse/foam/spray, then this post may tell you nothing new. The importance of exfoliating is even greater when using legit fake tan as it is all the more concentrated and all your sloppy mistakes will become all the more visible. There are many many fake tans out there, normally you get what you pay for; St. Tropez or XenTan are cult favourites and are very good quality, but cost a hefty £20 a pop. I guess that doesnt really compare to the cost of a real tan on holiday! St. Tropez has a good reputation, but if you'd like to see for yourself check out their website, where you can shop for products online.
An excellent dupe of St. Tropez, is St. Moriz. This is my choice of fake tan, which is unbelievably good for the £2-£5 price tag, as it can be used on the face as well. They are available in Home Bargains, and occasionally in fancy dress/ costume make up stores. The quality is fantastic, as the tan is a nice brown, not orange, which is the result of the greenish tinge of the mousse. Don't be alarmed it doesn't come out green, but in the same way you can get green concealer to cancel out red spots, this greeny tinge will balance out any orange to make a lovely brown.  It lasts up to a week and wears off evenly (I find gradual tanners can wear off quite patchy, dirty gremlin is not a good look). There are several ways to apply it, everyone has their own preference, but I will describe what works for me. Basically, I do it limb by limb, without gloves, and with a thorough washing of the hands in between each limb. Yes it is a very long process, but I find the results to be better so the extra effort is worth it.

Step 1 - EXFOLIATE. nag nag nag nag nag....but I cannot emphasize how important this is! the better the exfoliating the better the end result will be. trust.

Step 2 - On dry skin, start at the bottom of your body and work your way up, this will prevent creases. E.g. 2 pumps on left lower leg, rub in till no streaks of product are visible, don't forget the tops of your feet, then wash hands. 2 pumps on thigh...etc... wash hands....2  pumps right lower leg...wash hands... etc etc etc....

Step 3 - The last part of my body I do are my forearms, with constant washing of the hands, splashes will streak the tan so I am careful to do this last. Also, after rubbing the tan in, I make sure to wash hands under a gentle tap, then with clean hands just rub all around the wrists  to ensure that there is no abrupt line of brown but that the tan gradual fades into the hands.

Step 4 - After you have allowed time for the tan to dry, wait at least 8 hours before showering.

Step 5 - Moisturize everyday throughout the week, this will prolong the tan you have worked so hard to achieve!

There are many videos on Youtube that illustrate this well, and probably much better than I have done, and there are also many reviews and comparisons of St. Moriz with St. Tropez.  Laura, also known as Lollipop26 on Youtube is a great beauty guru and here she does a comparison of the two as well as a little demonstration.

Freebies!

Just a quick post to inform you all that this months Glamour magazine is giving out 3 sample sized products from Benefit. Woohooooo!
- Bad Gal eyeliner
- It Stick
- Eye Bright Stick

Apparently the total retail value of them all is about £45, so get in there, as I can imagine stocks won't last very long.

 I picked up the Bad Gal eyeliner as picture, which is pretty good, quite smudgey so good for a smoked effect but maybe not so great if you're into precise lines. While purchasing this beaut I had the strength and will power to only buy one magazine, and receive only one freeby....however I think I am going to give in and go get another one...the eyebright... yes I am a weak human being. However I personally draw the line at buying all three...the third is a concealer anyway which probably won't suit my skin tone, or that is what I will try and tell myself when I am next at the newsagents. Saying this, considering they retail at £45 you could, possibly, maybe, justifying buying three identical magazines....so I say if you've got a pair then go for it!

More free goodies that are ongoing, and have been for awhile is with the purchase of two diet coke bottles you will receive a free bottle of Nails Inc polish, available at larger Boots. Most of you are probably aware of this one and if you're anything like me, you're fridge will already be stocked up with Diet coke (it looks like I am preparing for an ice age) but if not, I do believe that there are a few bottles still floating around and the polish itself is very good quality.  My favourite is London, a beautiful purple grey, it's the one on the left, but the photo doesn't do it justice, so here is what it looks like fo reall.

 

Really lovely colour. I also got the red, but seeing as it is a box standard cherry red I did not see it worthy of a swatch, however do not let that discourage you from getting it as it is a lovely staple to the collection and a really nice colour for summer.

Summer Skin for the body

I take the bus to work every morning, and as I stand in line amongst an army of suits and ties I cant help but notice the gigantic H&M poster that lavishes the side of the bus shelter. On it, are two super slim, super toned and super brown super models in their summer bikinis. My bet is that most of it is fake, or at least that's what I try to tell myself...but regardless, it makes me think that in just over a month, I too will have to brave the bikini and in the meantime, as I am unfortunately not a super model, I will try and make the best of what my mother gave me.
I believe good skin is the best beauty secret out there, no matter what size or shape you are, good skin radiates health and beauty.

My mothers skin was buttery soft, she claimed her secret was religiously moisturizing everyday from the age of 15. But seeing as I tried to follow in these footsteps, and have yet to reach the baby smooth finish line, I think good genes have a big part to play, and if like me you were cruelly left out of the good skin gene pool then keep reading.

There is no point neglecting your skin up until the moment you decide you want to wear a skirt, when you hastily slather on some body lotion and hope for the best. Your quality of skin will normally mirror your lifestyle... so if you smoke, drink too much alcohol or too little water, tan too much or eat nothing but junk, then you're not going to get that glow.
So, as boring as this sounds, you need to start from the inside then work your way out. Cut down on smoking and alcohol, down the Evian and stock up on the fruit and veggie. I promise you will notice a difference.

Once the lifestyle bit is sorted out we can attend to more practical methods. Good circulation is a key element in maintaining healthy skin and it can be accomplished in several ways, the best way is good old exercise, anything that gets your heart-rate up will help blood move round your body and in turn help be rid your skin of toxins.
Another way is something called body brushing, also known as dry brushing. Where you 'brush' your skin in round circular motions towards the heart, starting from the bottom of your body and working your way up. It is best to do it daily in the morning,before your shower - think of it as a skin wake-up call. Brushing helps to unclog pores, remove dry/dead skin, and boost cellular exchange to increase circulation; meaning that skin becomes smooth, soft and wonderfully un-wobbly. 

You will need one of these bad boys.  Upon your first encounter, it may seem a little intimidating: the bristles are quite tough and it looks like it belongs somewhere in a horse stable... but they come in all shapes and sizes, from long handles to short stubby ones, to no handle at all, to big round brushes, or thinner longer brushes. It doesn't really matter which one you decide on as long you find it relatively easy to use. Natural bristles are best as synthetic brushes can scratch and irritate the skin. Even with a natural brush dont be too harsh on yourself, don't scrub, but use gentle but firm movements.

If this all seems a little too hard-core for your liking, there are plenty more gentler ways to achieve the same velvety finish.
A personal favourite of mine is body scrub. I like to exfoliate in the shower no more than 3 times a week, using one of my own concoctions. I swear by this recipe as works far better than anything you can buy in store and it is a lot cheaper!
I mix demerara sugar (the sugar with the big granules) with olive oil, just enough so that all the sugar is covered and the oil is soaked in, but not enough to make the oil visible as a liquid. I hope that makes sense, but if not you should be able to trust your own judgment on this one.
The sugar is great at removing dead skin, also onced you've washed it off your body it also melts in a hot shower, meaning that you don't get all those pesty bits in the bath as you do with most other scrubs. Meanwhile the olive oil is incredibly moisturising, a tip I picked up during a summer in Spain, meaning that the sugar doesnt become too harsh on the skin as the oil restores some of the moisture you may have otherwise lost. Once the scrub has been properly washed off, I like to just use my shower gel as normal to get red of any excess. The results are incredible, DIY at it's best!

 If I am exfoliating in this way I find moisturizing straight after to be a bit too heavy, so I aim to moisturize every other night before bed. A thick body butter is way too rich for daytime but before bed my skin has enough night to soak it all up before I wake up in the morning. Whatever you do, do not skip on moisturizing. Even if you are not bothered to buy a brush or concoct some bizarre scrub from the Mediterranean, moisturizing is the most important albeit basic step, and missing out will leave your skin dry and thirsty.

Aside from smooth skin, the DIY body scrub is also particularly good before diving into the realms of fake tan. It gets rid of all your dry bits meaning that tan goes on smoother and streak free. Where fake tan is concerned, gradual tanning moisturisers are the easiest to get right. Even if you are very fair, use the darker/medium skin version as it will come out less orange, and we all know thats a good thing. I like to use the Garnier lotion in medium to dark. However, I do find that the orange tinge still resonates even with the best of gradual tanners and so from time to time I like to go all out and apply proper tanning mousse.
However, because that is a long and laborious process in itself, I will save the fake tan routine for another blog, so watch this space!
If through this post skin maintenance has appeared to be a great chore and hassle remember it really doesnt have to be. Eating right and drinking lots of water should solve most problems, but suggested is a couple of things that can help give your skin a boost, and besides we all love a little pamper don't we?

Alessandra Ambrosio just got even hotter

If you don't know who Alessandra Ambrosio is, then you havent seen anything yet, but in the meantime have a browse of the Victoria Secret website, or walk down the high street and check out the wall size billboard outside your nearest Next shop.
She is a goddess, famous for her pert bottom, caramel highlights and chiseled cheek bones. But let's face it, VS isn't exactly the pinnacle of fashion. Sassy and beautiful, yes, but perhaps a bit commercial in the cool upstream world of the fashion biz. Let's put it this way, if you ever were to find yourself surrounded by fashion fans or elites, and you blurted out that Alessandra Ambrosio was your favourite model, as beautiful as she is, you would get a polite laugh, a fake smile and a drop of the head. The expected answer would lie somewhere amongst the likes of Miranda Kerr, Gemma Ward or Daria Werbowy. However Russian Vogue's May edition begs to differ....This fashion editorial presents Ambrosio away from the scantily clad beaches of Buenos Aires, and embraces the softness of her feminimity. The shoot is not about obvious sex appeal for we all know she is well and good at that; but it captures her natural beauty giving her a heightened sense of sophistication.

Well, I take the sexy back....she is and always will be, but now I've seen her in a new light I think I like her even more.

Old Beauty Favourites

As well as reviewing the new and exciting, I would also like to put to you some of my all time favourite products, whether they be new or old, I have or will be re-purchasing them forever more.

First of all, lets begin with a liquid liner. One of my biggest pet peeves is bloopy blobby liquid eye- liner, and if you struggle to create a sleek cat eye then I understand your suffering....most applicators are too big, or the liquid too gloopey, or simply just too much like hard work, and that smooth line we all covet is just too much of a mission. 
So I propose this solution: no longer will you have to skip the liner due to an early start (such concentration in the morning is painful), no longer do you have to fiddle around with cotton buds as you try and erase the big black splodge on your cheek....enter L'Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss

This, my friends, is a miracle worker. The sponge tip feathers down to a sharp point, meaning that unlike brush applicators you do not get product dripping all over the place and squelching out upon the first stroke, while the tiny end of the tip means that you can get right into the inner-corner. I like to start in the middle of my upper lid, just above the pupil, and with one confident stroke move across to the outer lid. I then use whatever is left over to start the line in the inner-corner. The consistency of the liquid is smoother than most other formulas I have tried and comes out as a smooth line so no need to try and reshape it with a cotton bud. I really do love this and if you are in need of a new liquid liner I highly recommend you give it a shot, it really does make the process a whole lot easier, and it's not that expensive either which is great. 


Next up is not a product as such, but a tip... Waterproof mascara. I unfortunately am not blessed with wonderfully thick and luscious eyelashes. Even after curling, mascara weighs them downs, leaving them looking somewhat like a thatched roof. Waterproof mascara on the other hand, due to its extra hold, also holds the curl a lot better, and lashes are kept wonderfully curled throughout the entire day. It is a tad more difficult to remove at the end of the day but nothing a dabble of baby oil cant fix.
Baby Oil is also another staple in my bathroom cabinet, as mentioned it takes off stubborn makeup and I also like to use it straight out of the shower before drying off as it soaks in all the moisture.

 Mascaras are always a controversial beauty buy, what works for some does absolutely nothing for others.
Lancome mascaras are wonderful, but the £20 pricetag...not so much, and honestly they are not miraculously out of the drugstore league either. My current favourites are Maxfactor Falsh Lash effect or L'Oreal Telescopic, sometimes both at the same time, promiscuous maybe, but they work well together. The Maxfactor has a big fat round brush which is great for volume, while the Telescopic has a bizarre thin and bendy one, which although at first I didn't trust, is great for length and separation. 

On to some skin care. Over the years, I have really struggled to find what works best for my skin. I have tried cleansers, toners, gels, foams, moousse, from all kinds of drugstore products to the widely acclaimed Clinique. ....With no luck, until recently. Having combination skin I get a very oily T zone, yet very dry cheeks, and I could never get the balance right, most formulas were too drying and made my skin feel tight, or they were far too moisturising and left a residue that did not soak in.

There are two methods that really work for me, the first is box-standard cleanse and moisturize. Garnier have released a new line of products for combination skin developed from Grapeseed:

 Here is pictured their face wash and day moisturizer. They are so gentle, yet refreshing and they smell lovely and clean. The wash is great as you only need the tiniest little pea sized blob, but I especially love the moisturizer, as my skin just gobbles it all up, no leftover residue, but a smooth base, perfect for pre-makeup.
However I am incredible lazy with these kinds of things, and have also found that my skin is too. It seems to like it when I hardly use any product, and as it prefers to just take care of itself. So method number two that seems to work, is just good old facewipes and a splash of water (and moisturizing before bed of course). My current favourite is Nivea as it gets makeup off without much effort and is very moisturizing. Simple wipes are also a good one.

.....a brief snippet of my bathroom&beauty staples,  what are yours?

In terms of body moisturizer I have yet to find anything short of average, any suggestions? :)

Spring trends: Shorts

mmeeeehhhhhh....shorts? in the summertime?... really?.....yes really.
As unoriginal as it may sound shorts are in this season, but low and behold they have been given a big revamp in the process. Shorts are the best way to show off legs in hot weather as it means you can run, jump, skip, or as I prefer to do, just lay around in the grassy park without worrying about a rising hem line. For daywear safari and denim styles are the way to go, while leather has made a strong (and rather bold) appearance on many of the runways in either black, brown or tan. Conversely shorts have also made a tailored comeback as seen at the Hussein Chalayan, DKNY and Hermès shows, making them a fresh alternative to a skirt or trouser suit at work. Taking the look into evening styles, Prada, Valentino and MaxMara have all given the look a glamorous upgrade with luxe fabrics.

Daytime & Playtime:

 Denim shorts need no introduction, as seen at Dsquared (Top) try rolling up the hem and pairing them with a baggy t-shirt and some ankle boots for an edgier look. Topshop Unique (Bottom) have shown off the safari look with a khaki knicker skimming number. Despite the midriff also showing, the look stays cute with high socks, a cropped polo and a slouchy cardigan.

Work:

Michael Kors (Top), DKNY (Centre)  and Karl Lagerfield (Bottom) have both shown that the tailored short is wearable in the office, keep the hemline long and the fit loose, we don't want things to get inappropriate.

Evening wear:

Valentino (Top) and Matthew Williamson (Bottom) show that slinky fabrics make shorts instantly sexy, the perfect companion to a floaty chiffon blouse or a structured blazer.

Leather:

This is by far my favourite look of the lot, but also I think the hardest to pull off...perhaps this is why I like it, I personally would never dream of putting anything that tight or shiny on my badunkadunk, however Hermès (Top), Chloe (Centre) and Alexander Wang (Bottom) exemplify that with the right accessories leather shorts ooze a cool and confident sex appeal.

And finally once again, I turn to my trusted Vivi to give examples of how to put together more wearable outfits with the same high fashion concepts...

The last image also puts together the top 2 trends of the minute: Military and Sports Luxe. Amazing!

Hope this has helped inspire you to think about wearing shorts in several more ways than you did before, and if any of you have the courage to buy a pair of leather ones, I applaud you.

Spring trends: Bows

So here we are in the middle of April, and HALLELUJAH spring is here and summer is just around the corner!
Daffodils are in full bloom, while flowers and leaves are beginning to bud on the trees. And isn't the balmy weather glorious too. Curious how with just a glimmer of sunshine, optimistic UK dwellers are out with the shorts and sunnies, finding any grassy spot to bathe in the warmth of the sun (I have even seen a few people  resorting to the small green patch on top of a round-a-bout).
And so hand in hand with good weather, out comes your spring wardrobe that has collected it's fair share of dust over the winter months. During springtime, most people naturally think florals and pastel colours... the high street is currently overflowing with peaches and duck-egg blues and enough variations of paisley and floral print to make you just want to put an end to it all.
However, over the next few blogs I will suggest several ways of incorporating spring trends into your own wardrobe without going overboard, and also several ways of refreshing a trend to make it your own.

Big Bows are always spring fashion favourites. They radiate youth and fun, and easily transform an outfit. Lets turn to the catwalks for some inspiration...

 Moschino, Prabal Gurung and Marchesa all decorated their lines with bows big in size and texture.

These dresses, by Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and Prabal Gurung are all donned with pretty bows to make give more structures items a playful look.

In order to keep bows looking grown-up glamorous, stick to either dark colours or rich textures. This provides a sophistication that contrasts and compliments the youthful image that bows create.
Bows are not only beautiful on clothing but also as an accessory. However the same rules apply.

These high fashion beauties by Milly by Michelle Smith on the left, and Marc Jacobs on the right, are so young and vibrant. However bows this big are for the more bold hearted fashion lovers among us, and if you are looking for a more day to day wearable option,  I have found a couple of examples of a more toned down alternative that still send the same playful message. A winner combo seems to be red velvet.
Dark red and velvet are both heavy in terms of mood and material and so are usually associated with winter or autumn fashion lines.  In this example, Ray Bans and an oversized t-shirt have also been incorporated to add a sense of masculinity in order to stop the look from getting too girly-girly.

This is a cutout from Japanese fashion magazine ViVi, my fashion bible, (I will give it a formal introduction in another blog) and here the bow is used with a floral print, a great look for spring, however colours are kept quite dark to keep everything looking grown up. Although here the model is wearing a fur coat for an autumn/winter look, a blazer or demin jacket is a lighter alternative for cool spring days.

Culture Shot of the day: Photography from around the world

 I have a real love for photography, and although I never get behind the lens myself, I love seeing how a photographer has captured a moment or what message has been put across through a photo.

American photographer David LaChapelle is my all time favourite.  His photos are vibrant, busy, rich, surreal, eccentric, truly bizarre and best of all, very controversial; most of them are quite risqué, hitting the ball way out of the 'cheeky' park, containing heavy sexual innuendo, lots of nudity as well as  implying criticisms of the silly celebrity obsessed society we live in. It's nice to see a photographer with a bit of uumpphh. Ironically, many celebrities are great fans of his work and are often featured in many of his pieces. Here are a couple of examples, I have refrained from featuring the more...ahem... graphic examples of his work, but I hope you get a small taster of the way he does things

Amazing stuff! His pieces are so different from much other photography I have seen, and his unusal juxtapositions of pop culture are facinating works of art . If you are curious to see more, check out his online studio. 

With a similar style is Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa. Dubbed the most popular photographer in Japan, Ninagawa like LaChapelle is heavily involved in fashion photography and magazines and uses bold colours and juxtaposing images for a unique, eye-catching effect, that appeals to those craving a modern more edgier, statement form of photography.

For more examples of Mika's work have a look at her official webpage.

Who are your favourite photographers and why? :)