GAGA ABOUT BEAUTY: MAINTAINING A GORGEOUS SUMMER GLOW

If you didn't know already, I'm a slave to the fake tan when it comes to summer. Although in winter I can be a bit on/off with it, I just don't feel right without a tan in summer, and getting a real one is time consuming, probably not gonna happen anyway, not to mention not good for you! But a constant summer glow is also hard to maintain. Here I thought I'd share my routine that keeps my tan going and going right through the sunshine...

Day 1

In the shower : Give your skin a good scrub. This is either to remove any remaining stubborn patches from when you last tanned, or simply to give a smooth base. Whether you have tan on already or not, you need to scrub before reapplication to avoid a multi-coloured effect! Although it might seem like you're just rubbing it away, exfoliating WILL prolong tan in the long run.

After the shower: Moisturise all over, but with a very light moisturiser, concentrating on the dry bits like elbows, wrists and underarms, so that you're not too slippery but wont turn out like patchwork. A great option is The Body Shop's lotions.
Then Tan! I recommend letting the moisturiser sink in for ten minutes for the best results then slap on the good stuff with a mit.

Day 2

In the shower: You want to prolong your tan, so rather than scrub I just use a flannel or hands to wash, no scrubby loofa! This way you won't be seeing all your hard work running down the drain before it has chance to stay. This also applies if you rinsed your tan on the first day (usually I leave mine overnight).

After the shower: On the non tanning days you want to up the moisturing game with a luxurious body butter so keep dry patches at bay and lock in that tan.

Day 3

 Okay so today you can go back to normal loofa scrubbing to gently exfoliate and carry on buttering up. Continue this until you feel ready to tan again, then go back to day 1. I like to tan about once or twice a week, but really it will depend on what fake tan you use. Even if you use a daily gradual tan, I would follow a similar routine of gentle exfoliation and lots of moisturiser.

And that's it! Writing this up it seems a bit long and tiresome, but I promise it's not. It's really just tweaking your shower routine and committing to a bit of extra moisturising, which we should all do really anyway (but don't)!

What are your top tan-prolonging tips? What are your favourite tan brands?

Charlotte xx

GAGA ABOUT BEAUTY: THE ULTIMATE IN BODY SCRUBBING

Now summer's in full flow and us girls start baring our limbs more and more, our beauty regime obviously has to up it's game too. Keeping on top of tanning, shaving and attempting that last minute bikini diet, we're busy busy busy beautifying ourselves to the max. If you'll be shaving those legs and fake- tanning yourself in the coming weeks, having smooth skin is mega important to ending up looking more golden goddess than streaky wotsit. Trust me, I learnt the hard way. Apart from moisturising, body scrubbing is fab for getting smooth skin, and who doesn't want that anyway?

I've been a massive body scrubbing fan for years, buffing my skin a couple of times a week, and I've tried a lot a lot of products. And this Sanctuary Salt Scrub is easily my favourite of the bunch. It's really grainy which means you get a really good scrub, and the oils are really moisturising and lovely. Plus it has that gorgeous sanctuary scent. But what really does it for me is that unlike a lot of other scrubs this one is really concentrated, basically just a tub of oily salt, which means it doesn't just run off the arms in the shower if a little water splashes. The salt really sticks to your skin, meaning you can scrub and scrub and scrub as much as you like (which also means a little goes a long way). Afterwards, I have soft skin like never before, plus it's nice and supple from the oils too.

I realise I'm not the best at describing scrubs here, but this is one you need to try, and I promise you won't regret it. It's not going to break the bank, will 100% last you agessss, plus how gorgeous is the glass jar? I've declared it my all time favourite, and that's saying a lot from me!

Sanctuary Salt Scrub is £11.50 and available here.

What's your summer essential body bits? Let me know!

Charlotte xx

GAGA ABOUT BEAUTY: ANYONE FOR ORANGE-AID?

Orange is definitely the it-colour this summer. Clothes, accessories, lips and blush, tangerine shades are popping left right and centre. But orange is a daunting shade to rock, even for a bright lip lover like me. I've been putting many different offerings to the test over the past couple of months and I've come up with four gorgeous products that can rock that orange trend whether you want to be subtle or bold.

For a barely-there pop of orange, if you don't wear much makeup or just want easing in, Benefit's new Cha Cha Balm is the most subtle orange I've come across, but isn't very buildable, so more pigmented lipped ladies should probably steer clear. Still for the tiniest pop of orange this is a really lovely moisturising balm too that's fool-proof in application too. Next up is another sheer offering but something that packs a little more punch. Topshop's Sheer Lips in Play With Fire is a more muted orange, more like a salmon meets coral, so more wearable than a more true orange shade. However, this will still give a shot of colour. Another good option, and one with a little more orangeness, is Topshop's Infrared, a bright orange with a glossy, wearable finish. Finally, for anyone who fancies going all out on the orange lip trend, Mac's Morange is the most obvious choice. Slightly red toned, this is easier to wear than it looks, plus has a really brightening effect to the face. If you're worried about whether you can pull off an orange, a reddy toned one like this could be your best friend, and with a semi-matte finish it can be blotted to matte for more impact or left slightly glossy for less bang!

 (left to right: benefit chachabalm, topshop play with fire, topshop infrared, mac morange)

What are you're favourite oranges? I would love to try more so let me now what you love...

Charlotte xx

two eyeliners you MUST try this month...

 

For me summer is all about a bright lip. Forget dark smoky eyes, a pop of orange, pink or red is where it's at. So naturally a simple eye also becomes a daily staple. A thin liner or subtle cat flick is perfect for this but liquid and gel eyeliner isn't all that easy, even if you've been lining your eyes for years. Benefit's much hyped They're Real Eyeliner promises the easiest application yet, and I have to agree. You simply click the bottom to release the perfect amount of product, and the angled tip makes it super easy to draw a line across or stamp a cat flick on the outer corner, making the angling so so much easier than ever before. I admit before I bought this I thought it would be all talk, but this really is fab.

Another liner which I've been loving, and one which you can pick up in Glamour at the moment for on £2 (much less pricey than the £18.50 Benefit option) is Eyeko's Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I accidentally picked this up in Navy rather than Black, but now I am so so glad that I did as I LOVE it. It stick comes across almost black unless close up, but adds a little something something to the look. Blue eyes would look amazing in this, plus it makes a bright pink pout really really pop. It also comes in black too, and for just £4 why not pick up both. However, what really stood out to me about this eyeliner above other is it's staying power. I've worn this though a whole shift of work, a shopping afternoon, and then went to bed with it on (shame on me I know), and woke up with two catflick perfectly in tact. That's nearly 24 hours perfect wear! Through the hot and sweaty months this might just be your staying-put best friend.

These are two eyeliners that I totally recommend this summer, whether you're a liner lover or new to the trend. A quick flick and go is just what you need to stay glam this summer without the effort, and is a perfect look which you can build up with lippy for a beach to bar look. Have you tried these liners? Do you have any recommendations I should try?

 

Charlotte xx