Beau Bronz Spray Tan A.K.A the best fake tan for pale skin EVER

Confession: up until recently I had never had a spray tan. I've tried gradual self tanners like THIS but a professional tan? No way! When it comes to fake tan I am of a very nervous disposition, so when I was offered to try a Beau Bronz tan, I approached the salon with serious jitters and a never ending list of worries such as:

1. What if it looks too orange?
2. What if it is streaky/ blotchy?
3. What if my palms/ ankles/ knees/ elbows turn dark tangerine?
4. What if my face colour no longer matches my body?
5. What if my foundation is now too light for my face?
6. What if I get a patchy face?
7. What if the tan blocks my pores?
8. What if it rains as I'm leaving the salon?
9. What if I sweat off the tan? 
10. What if the tan stains my clothes/ bed sheets/ towels?
11. What if it starts to flake off in patches?

I was thinking of all these questions on my journey to Fulham to meet B for the tan, so by the time I arrived at Pure Beauty I was almost mute with apprehension. Luckily, Abi O led me downstairs to the tanning booth before I had time to back out of it, and I am pleased to say that the answer to all of the above is a resounding 'NO'!

Beau Bronz is a blessing for anyone like me with a fair complexion. Tanner to the stars, Abi mixes all her formulas by hand to ensure that the tan will complement and enhance your skin tone. As I'm an 'English Rose' type, she whipped me up a colour with pinky undertones and no hint of orange in sight.

Standing in your knickers and posing whilst being sprayed is strange to say the least, so I'm still not sure how exactly Abi put me at ease, but she managed it, and we chatted away as she misted over the tan with a super fine spray gun.  My face was lightly coated and she elongated my legs with some careful shading.

The result? A natural looking glow that was mistaken for good health by colleagues. It didn't look at all fake, even though the tan was several shades darker than my usual pale skin. Abi explained that she's worked with girls who are usually pale as paper- the end aim is not to look 'tanned' but rather to lose the translucent white skin in favour of a golden glow. Seriously amazing! Next year I will be seeing Abi before I hit the beach, I think she could save me from the usual Italian insults.

I rarely use stock images, but in this case it is the best way to demonstrate the results (I'm not going to photograph myself in a bikini any time soon!). See below, if viewing the 2nd 'after' pic alone you'd never guess the model was wearing fake tan, but when teamed with the 'before' pic the difference is startling.

 

Abi also specialises in tans for darker skin types (more on that soon), so no matter what your skin type a Beau Bronz tan will work for you.

Visit the website here: http://beaubronz.co.uk/

Or book a tan through Pure Beauty salon here: http://www.purebeautyfulham.co.uk/

TONI & GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe Event

I recently attended an event to launch TONI&GUY Hair Meet Wardrobe, a new concept that unites fashion and hair.

From Saturday 1st September to Friday 14th September (just before LFW) TONI&GUY will team up with style blogger Facehunter, and challenge you to take a photo a day documenting your personal style through Instagram and Twitter, just include @hair_wardrobe and #hairmeetwardrobe...

Eager to begin my Hair Meet Wardrobe challenge, I arrived at an East London location to find a large warehouse space, decked out with exciting bulb trim mirrors and racks of clothes. It was an incredibly hot London day and I was inappropriately dressed in a black lace frock and leggings- definitely in need of some glamour.

I was lucky enough to have my hair styled by Cos Sakkas, Art Director of the TONI&GUY International Artistic Team and requested a look I have lusted after for some time - symmetrical, mermaid style waves as seen in the Gucci AW12 campaign dominating the glossies at the moment. My understanding of this style was that it needed to be set in to the hair with rollers, clips and abundant time, so I fully expected to be rebuked and directed towards something a little more event friendly- not so.


Cos had the TONIE&GUY Deep Barrel Waver to hand, an innovative heat tool that has a 2 barrel base and single barrel top (see below). This creates a perfect set in wave, straight and horizontal. He began with under sections, working round toward my ears. The left-hand side of my hair was backcombed and pinned, as Cos explained that this style is not flattering if practiced on the entire head. Each row of waves was fixed with hairspray, and a mist of shine spray completed the look. I was amazed at the outcome, and the whole look was created within 30 mins. I know that I had a lot of expert help, but with some practice and the acquisition of this specialised electronic tool, I  feel confident that I could recreate...


Hair done, I swapped seats and had my lippie reapplied (pale pink of course) before heading to the accessories table which was laden with some very interesting eyewear. I know that my hairstyle was elegant and perhaps required a prim finish, but I really took to the Tatty Divine eye lash sunglasses, so decided to wear then for the final shoot.

Check out the results below, I think the glasses work with the hair in some strange way?

Thanks to all the TONI&GUY team for a wonderful evening- it really opened up my eyes to the difference a hair style can make to your look. I arrived scruffy and down trodden, but on leaving with fancy hair felt quite dressed up as I walked back down the streets of Shoreditch! The curls lasted well in to the next day, and softened overnight for a relaxed surfer-chic feel.

Visit www.hairmeetwardrobe.com for hair inspiration and styling tips, and do join me for the Hair Meet Wardrobe challenge.

Review: Braun Silk-Epil 7 Epilator

I've already reviewed two epilators, so I decided to pass the the new Braun Silk-Epil 4 on to my sister Sian. Here's what she found:

Sian Says...

Attachments
The Braun Silk-Epil 7 Epilator comes with a number of different attachments, which is very useful for epilating harder places such as under arms. It comes with a charger to plug into the mains, however you need to purchase a special adaptable plug, which is compatible with the lead. Once its charged it does last for a long time, and has a useful light, which flashes when the battery is low. Its also useful that it doesn’t need to be plugged into the mains to be used (which I had to do with my older Braun epilator) and you can easily pop it into a bag and quickly remove any hair when ever you need to.

Efficiency
The epilator was very efficient in hair removal although to be honest I wouldn’t say it removed hair as small as a grain of sand, which it claimed to do. However it did remove a majority of hairs including most of the shorter ones. It can be used both wet and dry, I tried it in both situations and found that in the shower it was less painful with the heat of the shower especially for sensitive places such as underarms.

Verdict
I previously had an older Braun epilator , and I found this new Braun Silk Epil 7 was much more efficient in both hair removal and pain. My legs were noticeably smoother, and stayed like this for just over a week. I then began to notice some hair re growth which may just have been a different hair cycle. It did leave my legs red for an hour or two after epilating so if your goin out you may need to plan to epilate an hour or so before you want to leave in order for your legs to clam down. It also came with epilation preparation wipes which was a nice touch and did make me feel as if I was really epilating professionally.

I would say this is definitely worth the money if you think about the cost long term. It is quick and easy to use and relatively okay pain wise compared to other hair removal methods such as waxing. What I really like is the compactness and mess free way of hair removal. If you are going on holiday you can charge it up before you go and pop it in your case, if you spot any hairs just quickly remove them. I have now been epilating for over 2 years and have definitely noticed my hairs are much lighter, thinner, and sparse and as someone with pale skin and dark hair this is very good progress. So overall I would give the new Braun Silk Epil 7 four stars!

Read a review of the Braun Silk Epil 7 Dual Epilator HERE

Read a review of the Remington Smooth and Silky 3 in 1 Epilator HERE