Go On Now Glow..
There comes a time when we all need a boost. Having grown so much chest hair that I could have been mistaken for Burt Reynolds circa 1979 (all be it a rather inferior and pallid version) I decided to have a grooming intervention.
I had been sent the Nair Exfoliating Hair Removal Cream some time ago and decided to give it a whirl. Being mixed race (Ethiopian / Eritrean / Scottish), I have relatively coarse body hair. The instructions suggested applying the cream to the desired areas and tugging at the hairs after 5 mins to gauge whether removal time was imminent. It isn't recommended to leave the product on for more than 10 mins. If like me, your hair is thick, you'd be better off allowing for the full 10 mins before grabbing a towel / wash cloth and gently rubbing the product (and your unwanted body hair) away. As with all hair removal products, the scent is rather foul - but it does what it says on the tin and leaves skin super smooth. I even discovered I still have abs, not bad considering I haven't hit the gym since December (FYI I'm tensing my stomach really hard in the pic above - we all have our insecurities). I'm also wearing my M&S pyjama bottoms but alas I haven't tapped into the SS12 pyjama chic catwalk trend, I simply wanted something loose-fitting that wouldn't leave me streakier than a rash of bacon.
Having exfoliated my body religiously (with a Body Shop exfoliating mitt and regular shower gel), I allowed my body to dry fully and only applied moisturiser to my elbows, hands, knees and feet, in preparation of hitting the bottle hard (the fake tan bottle). I'm pro faking it, well, in the tanning sense at least, so I turned to TanTruth Rapid Tan to achieve that "I just got back from a lovely holiday" tan, the kind that develops overnight and lasts up to seven glorious days. There are so many positive factors RE faking a tan as opposed to baking thyself to the extreme and potentially damaging your skin and health permanently. No age spots, no break down of your skin's natural collagen and no skin cancer. This product has a gloriously fresh scent and miracle of miracles, it doesn't have that rancid generic fake tan chemical aroma. Furthermore, if you follow the steps above, then apply the product judiciously with the mitt provided, you can pretty much guarantee a deep, Barbados-esque glow, devoid of streaks or the dreaded "Tango Effect" (who wants to look like Snooki??). My favourite tan guru James Read recommends exfoliating every three days so that the tan wears off naturally. Once you're back to normal, simply repeat the process to get your glow on.
I have to say I'm super pleased with the result, so much so that Sade's Smooth Operator has started playing in my head. LOL.
Nair Exfoliating Hair Removal Cream
RRP: £4.99 - £5.90 depending on retailer.
Available from all major supermarkets and high street chemists
www.naircare.co.uk
TanTruth Rapid Tan 200ml - £10.99
www.beautyexpress.co.uk
If you're a tan enthusiast, check out tan guru James Read's Tantalist blog. He's the UK's leading authority on tanning and counts the likes of Victoria's Secret Angel Rosie Huntington-Whitely amongst his celebrity clients:
www.thetantalist.com
