faking it

Writing a blog post on post holiday beauty, you would assume I would be talking about your typical skin care routine and hair treatments - well this is one instance where you shouldn't assume anything.

Following a holiday in the sun, you catch up with friends and show off your beautiful tan - wrong! Not everyone has this luxury.. 

So if you are one of the few who would love to be able to show off a tan to your friends or just like me you want to look less like you went away and  spent your time under a tree (which I did) then this tan is for you. The St. Tropez Dry Luxe Tanning Oil is the best tan I have used. Having been through a lot of fake tan I have used most graduals and instants you would find on the shelf in Boots. I have recently discovered what a lot of fake tan really meant when clearing out my bedroom.. 5 half empty bottles later I would still go right back to this tanning oil. However, avoid wearing it when you know you will be sweating a lot as it can rub off in patches - not hot.

I swear by St. Tropez, I find St. Moriz is a good cheaper alternative but I think if you have the money and don't want to worry about how the tan will sit on your skin/fade/blend then get yourself the the St. Tropez stands and shelves. I always thought all tan was the same as a youngster, it all did the same job and as a dancer I applied a lot of the stuff to get that subtle orange glow that goes so well with stage lighting. After switching tans every fading moment from instant to gradual, from mousse to lotion, from Dove to Boots own depending on the mood, or the special half price offer, for the past few years I have finally settled on my favourite brand for all of my tanning needs.

My mum uses the gradual to maintain her sunbed tan she catches so well and it leaves a lovely colour on the skin - no streaks or orange tint. The same goes for the instant mousse which I have been using for the past year, another advantage to this mousse is that it leaves a light colour after a shower. Now some may not want this and feel it stains the skin, if so I recommend using La La Madame Instant Mousse which is fairly resilient against light rain (light being the operative word there) and yet still washes off really well with a light exfoliation (no vigorous scrubbing necessary).

This tanning oil however is totally different, if you want to maintain a gorgeous colour for up to 10 days this is your best friend. Apply a light coat and give 8 hours to develop, it dries really quickly so you don't need to stand around nude yet the oil blends in really well giving the gift of absolutely no sign of streaks. Moisturise daily to maintain an even fade and you are laughing with your friends about how miraculous it is you finally caught a tan on your jolly hols!

Fake Tanning Tips:
1. Always use a mitt, no matter what type of tan - no streaks and no orange hands! And there are no excuses because they are cheap as chips..
2. Create a claw with your hand and brush the mitt lightly over the top to tan your hands with the remainder of the tan on the mitt
3. Let yourself dry...
4. Don't apply to peeling/burnt skin that might peel (without moisturising at least) to avoid patchiness
5. Use the remainder of the tan for your face, try not to use a full blob!

I also recommend the ever affordable options of the St Moriz collection. Alternatively I love Dove Gradual Tan as a daily tan application (I have used this before, during and after holidays before now to give myself a glow) or as a top up that smells divine. Rimmel Instant Tanning Lotion is a cheeky one to apply to legs and arms (maybe even chest ;) ) before a night out in any country and clean away in the morning before a trip to the beach.

get your backpacks out...

Hello boys and girls, I know it has been a long time but I literally got back from my month long adventure in beautiful Thailand 2 days ago. Now the jet lag is waring off and I have all the time in the world so blog my heart out.

My prep for my trip to Thailand involving lashings of fake tan (didn't last), resisting a hair cut (the humidity would just ruin it again!), veeting, shaving, sit ups and my new favourite tinting. I went to Shavata, 3 days before flying, in Harving Nichols and got my lashes and brows tinted. For a student it is a little pricey but they did a really good job - I wouldn't have gone anywhere else for my first tint as I was really nervous I was going to walk out with slugs on my face. They did a gorgeous job and I ended up getting a shape too (which once tinted I realised I needed!). Result? No more invisi-brow and non need for mascara on the beach.

Picking what to put in my rather massive backpack for my travels was quite difficult because I am so used to having piles of beauty products and a sack full of make up with me at all times.. So I had to narrow it down and adjust it to what I needed instead of what I wanted to take (this was very hard for me!). I managed to narrow it down to the above - after lots of deliberating with myself. While I was away my beauty regime changed and adjusted so I brought back some things I couldn't live without out there.

To start I obviously needed my sun cream, Soltan Factor 30 is normally perfect but it seemed it just wasn't strong enough to protect my ginger skin from the Asian sun. So I had to upgrade to Soltan's Invisible dry Factor 50 - (even using this I managed to burn my back red raw... ). When I packed I was determined not to be my milk bottle self and so I found the best and longest lasting fake tan I could find, St Tropez Dry Tan Oil - it (in normal weather conditions) lasts up to ten days. I unfortunately over estimated the stuff though, as it just sweated off in the humidity of Bangkok as soon as we arrived! So I remained pale, now I am back in English weather I have a healthy natural looking glow ;)

Then there is the essential tropical holiday things you need, like Insect Repellent (from Boots) and Bite & Sting Relief Cream (Boots again) that I couldn't have lived without considering the amount of bites we got out there.

Then things I convinced myself I HAD to take, like my long lasting Mitchum 24 hour deodrant (totally essential), and GOSH Forever eyeshadow for Half Moon and Jungle Experience, Super Stay Maybelline Gel Polish in Berry (melted off but I still reapplied it several times before it peeled away a day later) and GOSH mineral powder (again for partying but again sweated off ever so attractively).

While I was out there I got myself Nivea Dry Skin Therapy Serum as my skin was dry from the lashings of insect spray and sun lotion and 2 showers a day. This as well as Nivea After Sun Lotion were must haves for me the past 5 weeks. I also was absolutely fascinated by the amount of whitening make-up, moisturisers, serums and washes there were in the pharmacies in Thailand, it was extraordinary but then when I thought about it look at how much bronzer and fake tan we have over here! So I bought Pond's White Beauty Lightening Facial Foam - I don't want to try it yet given my recent fake tan top up but I will in a couple of weeks and pop up a review with some of the other products that were in the whitening ranges so you can see the extent of it.

As for my hair.. God knows it was a state and still is due to my desperate need for a hair cut.. but for those nights where I kept it down for an hour I smoothed it out with Shauna's Blow Pro Smoothing Spray (it did the job until the humidity kicked in)

So that's basically it! That is what I tried to survive with while out in the jungle (slash in cosy little hostels and cheap restaurants). It wasn't much but it got me through and compacted into the side pockets of my backpack rather well.. that is until the shampoo I got while I was out there burst.. oops.

I have to say it's so nice to be back after a hour long bath I feel clean, freshly blow dried silky hair, a full face of make up to make me feel pretty again and nice clean clothes that I haven't had to wear for 5 weeks. But it was an incredible trip that I could do again in a heartbeat.

Remember all the product names are links to where you can find them and more info about them! :)