Best Dressed:
Although it may not be t-shirt weather yet, steal some inspiration from Gigi for those pub nights where you may not want to shiver in a tiny top- layering is key. Now, here she wears denim jeans, denim skirt and a denim jacket, which is not a combo for everyone, so think similar textiles. Knitwear is the obvious choice in these cold months: a tight knit light sweater, paired with a chunky knit cardigan is a stylish look.
Fake Tan Tips:
As much as we love Anne, her sabotaged tan is not tan goals:
These colder months see more and more girls reaching for a bit of the ole’ orange slap that we like to call a ‘natural looking tan’. As a firm fake tan lover myself, I see absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of a healthy glow or a more intense colour that looks like you’ve stepped off the plane from Majorca. To keep your glow more realistic, or worst case scenario, orange, here’s a few tips I’ve acquired over my sunless tanning mishaps.
1) Preparation is key- do not neglect this step at any cost, or you’re better off not tanning at all, as it probably won’t turn out as you want it to. Some gurus advise showering the day before, but on the day works just as well- shave, then exfoliate- salt or sugar scrubs work best, but I have been using a brilliant DIY scrub for years, details of which you’ll find under this article.
2) Once you’ve shaved and exfoliated, use a shower gel to remove any stray hairs or bits of scrub that you may have left behind. Then, towel off and the second most important part comes in- moisturiser. Use as rich a moisturiser as you can, or layer two light ones. I use a coconut oil, but shea butter or silcock’s base, which is inexpensive and can be found in every medicine cabinet, works just as well.
3) Now, for the actual tanning. Make sure your mitt is clean, and if you’re using instant tan, use average amounts of product so it doesn’t gather. Work downwards in circular motions and try to not overblend. With gradual tans, make sure to not use too much product and sleep in light, airy clothing. Shower off the excess the next day and take another shower- no mitts or any exfoliants- if the colour is too intense.
4) To have tan last as long as possible, moisturise every day. This will see the colour fade nicely and in stages. Don’t exfoliate the skin or use shower sponges of any kind- those will result in dreaded patches, trust me, I learned the hard way.
The Best Scrub Ever- And It’s DIY:
As someone who suffers with extremely dry skin, both on face and body, I’m no stranger to a good scrub. There is a lot of great products on the market, but I find that a lot of scrubs are more like shower gels rather than exfoliants. Salt and sugar scrubs, like I mentioned before, are the key ingredients to look for- but if you’re not bothered looking or splurging, here’s a super easy and quick recipe for a DIY scrub- and the ingredients are already in your cupboard.
You’ll need a ramekin to put your wonder of a scrub in, brown sugar or any kind of sugar apart from cane sugar, as it can be too abrasive, coconut oil (shock) or any other kind of oil, including virgin olive oil and a little bit of vanilla essence, if you’re using olive oil or any kind of oil that mightn’t smell as nice.
The rule of thumb is to have two parts sugar and one part oil- depends on what quantity you make, I usually find that two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of coconut oil is enough for one use.
Mix it all together, let the coconut oil melt in and scrub away all that dead skin. Not only will the sugar completely get rid of any dirt and grime, but the oil will leave the skin feeling moisturised and nourished. No other scrub does that- which is why this is my all-time favourite.
And it costs next to nothing to make as well.
Gabija Getavackaite