I bought a bottle of Gatineau gradual tan because I had read good things about it and Kat Farmer off Instagram was promoting it with a 30% off code. I have been using it for a few weeks now and while it is a perfectly okay self-tan product, it is nothing new. It does smell, it does sometimes go patchy around the feet, it is a bit orange.
Like. Every. Fake tan. Product. Ever. Made.
What I will say for it is that it is tremendously long-lasting and I do love that it comes in a giant family-sized pump bottle. Up-ending a slithery bottle of sticky fake tan while your hands are already slimy is bloody annoying. Who was it who said that applying fake tan in the summer is like a part-time job? Extremely true.
Hair Story is a hair care range that promises no oil-stripping detergents or sulphites, for the ultimate in modern new-dawn hair care. I was sent the shampoo, an air dry cream and a hair oil to try. The shampoo comes in a pouch and has the feel of a conditioner. You spread it throughout your hair, then give yourself a good scrape across the head with the supplied scalp massager. Then you rinse it out well and carry on as normal.
I love the idea of this and I really wanted to like the product. The problem is that I was just unable, on the three times I used it, to rinse it out properly - especially at the back of my head. I rinsed it like mad, too. I really tried. In the shower I turned my head upside down and semi-waterboarded myself to get at the back of my head. I really wanted to give this a rave, but I can’t. Every time I used it, there was a tell-tale patina of something on my hair, like it just wasn’t 100% clean.
Having said that, if your hair is fine, short or on the less-thick side and you like the idea of this, give it a whirl, it may dislodge from your hair more effectively than from mine. I wasn’t into the hair oil, but I absolutely loved the Hair Balm. Now this bitch I can give a rave to.
I have tried a lot of this sort of caper, including the much-promoted Jonathan Van Ness one and they’re never very good. This balm is the absolute business, though. Wash your hair, comb through with wide-toothed comb. Rub a pea-sized amount of balm into your palms and then apply to your hair from the bottom-up. It gives very nice texture and shine and cuts down on frizz, without making your hair slithery and flat. 10/10.
On the subject of shampoo, I have also been trying Hello Klean and while it very hard to say if it’s been stopping my hair from falling out, (by counter-acting the deleterious effects of the hard water in my area), I have certainly got no complaints.
I bought some Azaleic Acid from Beauty Pie in the form of this Happy Face cream on the recommendation from a newspaper and it is extremely good. I have been using this every morning for about two months and it’s brilliant, giving a very excellent brightening and clearing effect. I moved on from the Beauty Pie 10% formulation to the Dermatica 15% formulation and haven’t looked back. I use it in the AM after cleansing and before The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid and SPF and my skin hasn’t looked this good in years. If ever! At first it will slightly sting and cause mild redness but this will stop happening after a day or two. If you want to give this a whirl, make sure you use it every morning for at least 6 weeks in order to see the benefits.
On another note, I tried these under-eye patches, also on a recommendation from a newspaper and they did literally nothing. You would be better off just keeping a couple of teaspoons in the fridge and passing them under your eyes in the morning while you wait for the kettle to boil.
Over to you. Are there any new beauty items you have tried recently that you would like to recommend to the group? Please leave an instructive and amusing comment in the handy box below. First time commenters are especially welcome! Come out of the shadows and into the light.
Once you have exhausted yourself, please do consider tapping the heart button with whatever energy you have remaining, as you leave. You are very generous to do so and it makes a huge difference to the reach and visibility of this post.
I think people our age, and by that I just mean not teenagers, don’t automatically “heart” things because we think it’s ridiculous or pointless. I include myself in this. But it matters hugely and young people do it as a matter of course: if I am watching IG reels with Sam and laugh at something he is appalled if I don’t tap the heart. It’s a whole other mindset.
And I have - yet again - been influenced by this annual beauty post. Last year it was SPF, this year a reminder of the joy of the Body Shop Grapeseed Hair serum.
My latest fake tan discovery are Tuscan Tan tanning drops, add to moisturiser and apply. They work best with a thick body butter and don’t smell gross. The colour is nice and you can build it up gradually.