TrendLife Beauty

Back in 2004, Kelly Holmes imported a bling-tastic Gold medallion to the UK, Sharon Osbourne became the nation’s feistiest female on TV during the first season of The X Factor, and the Real Orange County, ‘Laguna Beach’, aired for the first time in the land of star spangled banners.  In the year that Peter Andre’s re-release of Mysterious Girl propelled him and his abs to nationwide fame; I also waved ta-ta to homework that required no more than a 12 pack of Crayola. Aged 15, I was in my first year of GCSE study; an education milestone proving that Teenage Kicks through the night and into Period II,III and IV. 

As I sat learning about coastal erosion, osmosis and algebraic fractions; our American brethren were sunning themselves on the Californian coastline. A reality television series charting the life and times of loaded lads and lasses Stateside; Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County was the life I longed to lead. Indeed, the show’s star, Lauren Conrad, was an all-American girl with a sun-kissed glow who embodied everything that I wanted to be. Sadly, I couldn’t have been further removed from the teenage celebutante. After a brief flirtation with fame after My Mother’s Day Poem came 3^rd place in The Epsom Guardian, my dabble in celebrity ended there.

Eight years on, I’m no longer in a school daze with my eyes on the GCSE prize. Sadly, Laguna Beach saw its final episode aired on November 15^th 2006, but Lauren, Lo and co’s tan’s will forever be a skintone that I emulate. Thanks to Nars’ ‘Laguna Bronzing Powder’, I can channel my inner Lauren to my heart and hue’s content.

A must-have in any make-up bag, Laguna is a diffused bronzing powder with golden shimmer to create an all-over warmth and contour for the entire face. Unlike other bronzing powder’s that I’ve used in the past, Nars’ Laguna creates an overtly natural looking glow, which works well if creating the illusion of tanned skin, but also against an existing tan. It fills in lines and pores for smoother looking skin, and importantly, can be used with any skin tone. The large mirror is useful for on-the-go application, and the slim line design means that it’ll fit snugly into an evening bag for a night out on the tiles. Long-lasting Laguna serves up a tanned visage to both the Lauren’s and Lo’s of this world, as well as the likes of a (Basing) Lawson, and best of all – it doesn’t cost the earth.

www.spacenk.co.uk

£25

My colleague Roxanne is currently holidaying in vice central, Las Vegas. Whilst Rox is in Sin City, tomorrow evening, I’ll also be on my travels as I pack my bags and make my way to Sun City. I will not however be taking the 12-hour flight to Johannesburg to stay in one’s of South Africa’s most coveted resorts; instead, my destination is right here in the UK. I am going to Brentwood, Essex, made infamous by ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ television series, it is home to key stakeholders in the UK’s £100m self-tanning industry. I thus undertook the necessary self-tan vaccinations for my trip at the Basing-Lawson Travel Clinic in order to pass the strict entry restrictions.

I am a self-confessed tanaholic. Christina Aguilera take note - you may have a genie in yours, but I prefer summer in my bottle. For years I have battled with the bottle; lathering brown sauce onto my bod often resulted in an unsightly tangerine complexion and as a sixth form student at an all boys grammar school; I’d be met with bouts of laughter as I walked into French class looking like a Calippo. The boys and I both knew that England had not experienced an overnight heat wave in mid-November, nor had I returned from a month-long jaunt in the Caribbean. I longed to be a golden goddess, honey-hued and tan-tastic.

Christina’s genie answered my prayers. My wishes came true thanks to the Sunkissed self-tan collection. Sunkissed has the all-important golden touch; providing a natural glow versus the dreaded fence sealer paint look. A natural looking olive-skinned tan can be achieved with the Sunkissed Self-tanning Mousse. Lasting for days on end, its lightweight formula left my skin feeling soft and smooth and importantly, did so without the telltale signs of a false tan.  For times when lastminute.com is both the travel agency and the tick-tock of the beauty clock, Sunkissed Self-Tanning Souffle gives a beautiful shimmering tan in an instant. Indeed, so “revoluTANary” is Sunkissed, that it has been nominated for a Pure Beauty Award under the ‘Best Artificial Tanning Launch’ category. Their Sunkissed Self-Tan ‘How do you apply yours’ youtube video is a funky, feisty and fabulous tan dance, proving that rain dancing is old news.

When I rock up at the launch party of Minnie’s Boutique tomorrow; spreading the word about Sunkissed will be first on the agenda. Come Thursday, the City’s most powerful Traders are sure to have the brand on their lips, and possibly on their hips too if they’re keen to immerse themselves in the booming self-tan culture.

Sunkissed Self-Tan Air Pump Mousse 250ml- £3.99

Sunkissed Self-Tanning Souffle 75ml - £2.99 

Available nationwide in Bodycare, Savers, Semichem and online retailers www.perfumeplusdirect.co.uk, www.fragrancedirect.co.uk and www.littlewoods.co.uk

For years I have holidayed with the glitterati, with the rich and with the famous. Bi-weekly, we jet off to sunnier climes and return with a sun-kissed glow. A bargain break away, we'd return from none other than the South of France looking radiant. Our destination? St Tropez!

A fake tan advocate, I've long been searching the tanning market for a better bottle of bronze than St Tropez, and in St Moriz, I have found the answers to my prayers.

On Thursday night, I packed my hand luggage (tanning mitt) and made my way to the departure lounge (casa de B-L bathroom). Unlike other tanning mitts, the St Moriz mitt does not allow tan to seep through and leave fingertip fake tan marks. Due to its mousse formula, St Moriz application was a stress-free check in to destinaTAN. Overnight the colour develops into an overtly streak free, natural looking glow. Come Friday, my bank holiday weekend was therefore set to be a tan-tastic one. 

My (fake tan) passport, once loyal to one saint only, has now moved on to another; St Moriz. I'm sure that I'll be holidaying alongside this godly gift to girlkind forevermore, and my passport has seen its last St Tropez stamp. Don't worry San T, next time me and Saint M jet off together, we will send you a postcard.

St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse - £4.99

St. Moriz Self Tan Applicator Mitt - £2.99

Available from:

Amazon, B&M, Bodycare, Co-op, Gordon's the Chemist, Morrisons, Savers, Semichem, Tesco and independent pharmacies nationwide.

After seeing Pippa Middleton at the Royal Wedding all glowing and brown, its makes you want to reach for the fake tan. Sun-Believable Tan is a tan that sets itself apart from the crowd because it has been created by beauty guru Leighton Denny – a self proclaimed ‘tanaholic’, and tan king James Harknett, with the help of other industry experts. 

The self-tan, in two shades of medium and dark, has a guide colour, is virtually odourless, instant-drying, and develops in two-four hours to give a tan that lasts for up to ten days, while being kind to the skin. 

£30 for 200ml tan mousse and mitt

www.sun-believable.com