The New BonnBeauty.com

I have exciting news!

The reason I've been a bit quiet recently is that I'm working on a brand new BonnBeauty.com.

It's going to still have a blog element, but it is going to be so much more than that.

I'm hoping that it will be one of the world's biggest beauty destinations (well that's the dream!)

So....watch this space.

The all new, sparkly and fabulous BonnBeauty.com is coming soon........

The answer to your fake tan disasters

It is still so unbelievably hot in London. Smelly people bump into other smelly people as they race for the hot and smelly tube. The only respite is the air-conditioning in the office, which invariably doesn't work as well as it could because all the windows are open. In fact, I reckon Heart Radio is inadvertently cooling the whole of London as the precious air-con flies out of the windows.

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of women seem petrified to get their legs out, even though it is so very hot. It breaks my heart when I see women in floaty little dresses with black tights on. You see I can totally relate to what they are going through. Before I had laser treatment my legs were always hairy and it didn't matter how often I shaved or waxed, those pesky hairs seemed to sprout back almost instantaneously. I also suffer from ghostly white legs and with all the pressure to look bronzed, this could be another reason why so many women choose to hide their legs.

My main advice in this situation is to do your best with the hair removal situation. Waxing is better than shaving, apart from the fact that you have to wait for the  hair to grow sufficiently before your next wax which takes us back to the black tights predicament. If you can afford to have laser/IPL then please do it. It is the best thing that I ever did for my body and I am now almost hair free.

The other thing that I have found to be my saviour this week is Hi-Shi One Day Tan. I find normal fake tan really annoying. I never get it quite right and always end up with streaks and white bits. I also hate waiting for it to develop, getting it on my sheets and the biscuity smell. (You can see an example of my awful fake-tanning application in my post on Xen-Tan.)

Hi-Shi One Day Tan is incredibly easy to apply evenly. You literally squeeze it onto a tanning mitt, rub it in in a circular motion, wait two minutes for it to dry and hey-presto, a lovely, natural looking tan that doesn't budge until you have a shower.

If you hate applying traditional fake tan because if always goes wrong, then this is the product for you.

Xen-Tan Luminous Gold Gel

It is hot hot hot in London at the moment and last night was spent celebrating my dear friend Darren's birthday. We spent the evening eating INCREDIBLE dim-sung and sipping Ginger Martinis at Yauatcha in Soho. This place isn't cheap but it is the best Chinese food I have eaten bar-none.

If you do go, I highly recommend the soft shell crab which comes covered in chilli roasted almond flakes and the jasmine tea infused spare ribs. Heavenly!!

Anyway, I decided to slip into my newest LBD from my favourite shop of the moment & Other Stories. Being all pale and pasty I knew I had to fake tan and due to the fact that Chris and I were running late (as usual) I had to do it quickly.

I squirted a healthy does of Xen-Tan Luminous Gold Gel on my tanning mitt, rubbed it over my body and within ten minutes was dressed and out of the door.

Now I really love this Xen-Tan gel , mainly because it smells of holidays, has sparkly gold particles in it and dries really quickly. The colour is also very natural and olive in tone.

However, my speedy application led to a very uneven tan....

As the night went on I got progressively browner and the bits that I had missed looked paler and paler. I have decided that fake-tanning is an art form and takes experience, time and patience.

If you have never tried Xen-Tan, give it a go though as it really is gorgeous when applied properly. x

Beautiful Brows Kit

My eyebrows have got me into trouble quite a few times.

When I was young they were big, bushy and highly unattractive. Then, as a true 90's teenager, I had a tweezer epiphany moment when I changed my entire face by plucking them to within an inch of their lives.

Following my initial tweezer attack, I kept going and now as a woman in my 30's they are suffering from a life of over-plucking. They are overly thin, patchy and lacking in shape.

I am constantly being told off for what I've done to my eyebrows by make-up artists. My most memorable ticking off was in the middle of Boots, Piccadilly where a woman from the Benefit counter rolled her eyes in disgust and lectured me for about five minutes in the middle of the shop-floor.

Anyway, I'm relieved to say that I have recently been trialling a total eyebrow life saver  kit from Beautiful Brows. This gorgeous little compact comes with an eyebrow powder in the colour of your choice, application brushes, three different eyebrow stencil shapes, a highlighter, tweezers and a mirror. 

You choose a stencil of your choice (I have been going for natural), stick the top of the stencil to the highest point of your brow and then fill it in with the powder and brushes. The result is perfectly shaped, beautiful brows.

This is a great little kit of you find it hard to get your desired brow shape with a pencil and will have you looking glamorous in no time.

Fredericks, Islington

Yesterday was my two year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how quickly it's come around!

Chris and I were planning on having a nice meal at home to save money but that all changed when he won £1000 on a lottery scratch-card. Can you believe that? I NEVER win on those things and our friend Leif (who's very good with numbers) worked out that the chances of winning a grand are something like 1 in 14,000 so Chris was very lucky.

Anyway, we decided that instead of having a slap-up dinner at home we'd go back to our amazing wedding venue Fredericks and have the meal of our dreams, no expense spared.

It was so special to revisit Fredericks. It holds so many incredible memories for us and the food is exquisite. I started with the most succulent, juicy scallops I've ever eaten, followed by dover sole meuniere and strawberries three ways. We drank champagne and wine and had the most amazing night filled with beautiful memories and laughter.

As it was such a special occasion, I wanted to make sure that I was looking my best and after my shower I rubbed Thalgo Huile Sacree Polynesia all over my arms, legs and decolletage and was so excited with the results. This beautiful body oil smells of holidays, is wonderfully nourishing but best of all, it leaves your skin with an amazing golden sheen. My legs in particular looked all smooth and sparkly.

This stuff would look incredible with a tan!

If you're thinking of having a London wedding, then do check Fredericks out. We had the wedding of our dreams there.*

*This post is not sponsored and we paid for our meal :0)

How to look your best after a long haul flight

Being on a plane for a hours on end can be very dehydrating and leave your skin looking dry and dull.

Here are my top tips to help you look refreshed and beautiful after a long flight:

1. I never wear makeup on a long haul flight but wait until just before I land. I personally like to apply a good face oil before take-off which will hydrate and leave your skin glowing. My favourite is Nude Progenius. It contains omega 3, 6 7 and 9 and instantly absorbs. This miracle-oil is also great for reducing scars and leaves your skin looking incredible.

2. Always stay hydrated on a long flight. Try to cut back on the free G and T’s and drink lots of water.

3.  On the subject of water, I always take a facial spray with me when I fly. The cabin can get very stuffy and the spray will keep you feeling refreshed. L’Occitane have just released a gorgeous Angelica Hydration Facial Mist which retails for £10. You can of course keep things simple (and cheap) and buy a classic Evian Water spray for around £4.

3. If you’d like a great multi-purpose product to take on the plane, I recommend the Gamila Secret Rosemary Cleansing Bar. This 100% natural, luxurious handmade beauty bar uses a pure blend of plant-based ingredients, including 15 handpicked herbs.  It provides gentle & indulgent cleansing for the face, body, hands & sensitive sun-kissed skin. The Rosemary gives the skin an energy boost - much needed after a long flight! 

4. Long haul flights can be particularly uncomfortable for the ankles and feet due to the build of fluid. The night before your flight pop a Circulation Patch-It  (£3.99 from Holland and Barratt)  onto the soles of your feet to stimulate the key reflexology points to help support healthy blood flow.


5. Before landing is a good time to do a face-mask as it will re-hydrate the skin. One of my favourite moisturising face-masks is Energy’s Resonance Vital Renewal Face Masque .  This organic facemask is full of amazing ingredients such as broccoli oil for moisture and Californian mineral earth to aid toxin removal. The best thing is that you don’t need to remove it and can just allow it to sink into the skin.

So if you’re going on a long-haul flight this summer,  make it your opportunity to do a bit of pampering and start your holiday with glowing skin xx

Dr Bronner Organic Fair Trade Hand Sanitizing Spray

Dr Bronner are releasing their first new product in years this August. It's a hand-sanitizing spray and is 100% natural.

I've got the Lavender one in front of me now and the ingredients are wonderfully simple:

62% organic fair trade ethyl alcohol, water, organic glycerin and organic lavender oil

The thing I like about the spray is that it smells lovely and doesn't dry your hands out like other hand sanitizers can. The fact that it contains pure lavender oil also means that it has a nice relaxing fragrance. In fact, this is the perfect product to use in stressful/germ-ridden situations such as a trip on the London Underground on a hot day like today. 

The spray will only cost £2.99 and will be available at Whole Foods as well as all other Dr Bronner retailers.