You've gotta Fake (Bake) it to make it!

I pride myself on being natural and try to avoid doing much to myself that makes me look too... Well... Fake. But it's that time of year where I just feel a bit gross. My skin is drier and paler than any other time of year no matter how many corn flakes I eat (because of their high amount of vitamin D, obviously), and I'm well and truly run down. 

Im presenting at the Clothes Show tomorrow for 5 days so I decided to treat myself to a professional spray tan, which was organised by the wonderful Victoria Halloday (@vicfakebake) - massive thank you. Victoria arranged for Rox (@rox_tans) to come to my house and give me some colour so I don't blend into the white walls in Birmingham! Are any of you going to be at the Clothes Show by the way? I'm hosting the Alcatel Behind the Scenes stand at B80 so please come say hi! 

What a treat!  although standing naked in a little pop up booth in nothing but paper pants and cold spray is not for the modest! ;) 

I wasn't sure what tan to go for as I usually DIM (Do it Myself, dur!), but as I was going to be unable to shower for the whole day due to work, I was recommended the Original Spray Tan. This tan develops slowly so you can leave it on for about 8 hours, whereas the 60 minutes Spray Tan is perfect if you're in a hurry to look good as it develops faster and you can wash it off in 60 minutes and have a glowing tan. Rox also used their Oil Free moisturiser on my elbows, knees, ankles and hands, which prevents the absorption of fake tan products avoiding any fake tan disasters. So that's where I've been going wrong! Have you guys got any fake tan horror stories? Please comment below if you do, and even better if you have a picture then tweet me @ashleyljames. There'll be a prize for the best - see the bottom of my post! 

There are a million and one fake tan brands these days. Probably more. So I wanted to know what makes Fake Bake better than all the others. Why should I buy Fake Bake? Well Vic told me there a many reasons, but the most important ones are that their products are Paraben Free, not tested on animals, and full of naturally derived ingredients. In my experience, the reason I would use Fake Bake above another type of spray tan is because it looks so natural. And let's be honest, when you're faking it's the most important thing right?! 

Have you guys used fake bake products before? Let me know your about your experience with the products, and how you compare it to other tans!  

Remember to tell me about your fake tan disaster stories, and tweet your pics to me @ashleyljames! The best tweet I receive will receive a Fake Bake self-tanning set, including the tanning product of your choice with mitt and oil free moisturiser!  

and remember, if anyone asks I've been somewhere really really hot! Shh. Until next time... Xx

www.fakebake.co.uk

@fakebakeunited

@vicfakebake

www.facebook.com/fakebakeunited

Designer labels. High street prices.

My friends are so talented. You might think this is a very bias statement but I'm about to prove it. I have a wonderful friend called Vicky Silverthorn who is a celebrity declutterer. Yes, that's right, she actually organises wardrobes (and houses in general) for people like Ed Sheeren, Nick Grimshaw, Lily Allen, and Eliza Doolittle, to name a few. Her business is called You Need A Vicky, because everybody really does need someone like Vicky. 

Her newest company, which she has set up with her cousin, Katie Silverthorn, is called Tags-On. Tags-On sells preloved designer clothing at very affordable prices. Many of the clothes they sell are brand new, and some once hung in the wardrobe of Vicky's celebrity clients. It gets better! A percentage of every sale goes to a charity called Bundles of Gloucestershire! Are you convinced yet?

Tags-On currently have a pop up store on London's Baker Street. This street is so close to my heart already because it's home to Sherlock Holmes! I popped along today to check out what I could buy. 

I quite often find "designer" pop up stores have not very designer labels so I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a room full of Louboutins, Hermes, John Galliano, YSL, Lucy in Disguise, Chloe, Mulberry... I could go on. What's more, prices started from just £20. 

I like a lot of designer clothing, but I would never spend money on expensive clothes. So I was thrilled to pick up two items for £100. Both items were actually by Lucy in Disguise, I love the pretty vintage feel and the sequins. Have you guys shopped their before? What do you think? And more importantly do you like what I got?!

As an added bonus to the shopping experience they had a hair stylist from Neil Cornelius on site to offer complimentary hair styling, so my hair was treated to a "Manhattan blow dry". Neil Cornelius London's only 24 hour hair salon. I'd love to know what clients come in for a 3am blowdry! Have any of you guys need a late night spruce up? If so what was the occasion?! 

Are any of you guys good bargain hunters? Where do you get your designer labels from? Until next time... Xx

www.tags-on.com

@tags_on

 http://www.youneedavicky.com

@youneedavicky

www.nc1stfloor.com

@nc1stfloor

Beauty meets Bee Venom?!

It's amazing what we do for everlasting beauty. I'm sure we all remember the images of Kim Kardashian covered in her own blood following her vampire facial! Weird!

I was somewhat intruiged when I first came across the SkinChemists skincare range after a Daily Mail article described their products as revolutionary. With a Wrinkle Killer and a Bee Venom range I wondered what it was all about and couldn't help wonder about the poor bees!

I am most definitely up for everlasting beauty: a wrinkle free face and a glowing complexion without any kind of cosmetic surgery is definitely high on my beauty priority list... Just not at the expense of tiny little bumble bees (or any animal to be honest). Don't get me wrong, I wear leather and eat meat occasionally - actually there's a million things I could and should do better in this respect - but animal cruelty for beauty just seems vain and unnecessary. 

So I was delighted when Ani Sultan at SkinChemists quickly reassured me that no animals are harmed at all and they are also against animal testing.

"We never test on animals, in fact we often test on ourselves in the office - after all, why would you test on animals when it's people who are going to be using the products?!"

Quite right, Ani! A bee usually dies after stinging a human because our flesh is so soft that when the sting penetrates the venom sack is ripped out. To create the bee venom products, the bees sting a metal plate releasing the venom but not the sack, so the bee gets to fly away happily! Happy bee makes a happy me!

So what's all the hype about? Maybe it's the Brit in me, but I'm very cynical about a lot of these weird and wonderful beauty products. Is having grandma tears in my moisturiser really going to make me more beautiful (I haven't actually come across this product but you know what I mean!). Skin Chemists products use the active ingredients at the maximum they can, much like salon-strength treatments.

I started with the Bee Venom Facial Serum as it's easy to add into an existing skincare routine: you simply put it on your face before your day / night moisturiser. The active ingredients in this product is bee venom and manuka honey, which when combined are meant to regenerate and heal the skin. I can honestly say that this serum genuinely made a visible difference to my complexion after only a couple of days making it feel tighter and giving me a more flawless complexion. It's become a staple part of my daily skincare regime. The good news is the Bee Venom range is suitable for anyone except extremely sensitive skin and those who have bee allergies.

My cynism put to the side, I went onto try the Venom Mask (I actually have it on my face right now as I type away), which is part of the Wrinkle Killer Range. This range is great for people who are noticing or already have signs of ageing and to prevent and correct fine lines, expression lines and wrinkles. The active ingredient is Syn-ake, which replicates the Temple Viper's Venom. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really bad at remembering to do masks as often as I should, but my skin does feel much better after doing it.

I'm yet to try any products Caviar range, but have been told that they are best for dry skin. As a sufferer of the driest skin ever, especially in winter, I'm working on putting a list of winter beauty essentials together soon so will let you know how I get on with it. Do you guys have any good tips and products for winter? I'd love to hear them.

The SkinChemist products are not cheap, but with such quality ingredients that do make a visible difference to your skin, I think they are a worthy luxury. It's worth pointing out that my Bee Venom is a couple of months old now, and having used it twice a day it's only about a quarter of the way down the bottle. Even better news for you my dearest readers is that I can offer you an amazing 50% off ANY product - just use the code ASHLEY50. 

What are the weirdest things you've done for beauty? And have any of you actually tried the vampire facial? Let me know in the comments, and I may even try out some of the things you recommend. What's more, my favourite comment will WIN the entire Bee Venom range (all comments before 18th December 2013)

I'll leave you with a link to my beauty essential video I did for Clothes Show TV ... Until next time xx

Joules SS14 preview

When I think of Joules clothing, I think of very preppy children's clothing, beautifully fitted tweed jackets (whenever I compliment anyone on their tweed it's from Joules), and those fantastic wellington boots that are oh so perfect for festivals. I'm a big fan of British heritage brands, and so I was very excited to be invited to the Spring / Summer 14 Press Day in central London with my friend and fellow presenter AJ Odudu.

It was a rainy November's day so I was delighted to walk into a room and see a sunny summery festival theme. They had gone all out with fake grass, a man serving pies, mash & gravy (as a Geordie girl, I LOVE a good pie!), cupcakes, and photobooth, and actual miniature pigs. I kid you not! AJ and I were very excited to hear that we could actually hold the little piglets so I could have shown you a really lovely photo ... but the pigs hated us. So here they are on the floor at a safe distance from us...

Anyway, onto the clothes. What are Joules offering us for Spring and Summer? Pretty pastels, florals and cute country hand-drawn prints, and some bloody lovely classic shoes.

There was one particular print I was obsessed with! I like to keep my style quite classic but jazz it up with one statement piece - be it sequins or print. I can see myself rocking these shorts with a fitted black tee (fitted but not tight) and some tan sandals, or the shirt with skinny jeans and brogues. If I wear one loose fitting item, I like to wear it something fitted so it doesn't make me look frumpy and shows off my skinny arms or legs. That said, I do like to wear one part of my outfit loose - be it shorts and trousers with a fitted top, or a loose shirt with skinny jeans - otherwise I feel, well, a little bit slutty. Each to their own of course, if you are one of those people I am NOT calling you slutty - maybe you have an amazing slender figure a la Cameron Diaz. But I have big boobs, and let's be honest, I would look like one. If you are a little more worried about your waisline and anything fitted then the dress is just pefect. How would you guys wear a print like this? Anyone be bold enough to wear the shorts and the top together? Let me know!

Onto the shoes! Brogues, chelsea boots, and a range of colourful wellington boots. I really love the masculine style of the brogues and chelsea boots- I'd wear these with navy skinny jeans and a nice casual tee, or if you're more preppy than me it'd look cool with a colourful jumper and a nice tweed - embrace the British look! The wellies are just perfect for festival season, because come rain and shine they look amazing. I think Joules wellies look really cool with a nice boho style white floaty short dress, or with a top and shorts - NOT those short shorts though PURLEASE - no one wants to see your bum cheeks or  cellulite (and I can say this because that's what I'd be showing)!

I can already picutre myself on a country walk, at a garden party, or at a summer festival... which is both exciting and depressing as I look out of my window onto a rainy grey London day.  I'm SO excited for the sunshine to come back! Do any of you have any festivals or summer events planned already? What items from the collection are on your wishlist? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time... xx