Beauty Blog

How much tan is too much tan

August 13th, 2010
Think you’re overdoing the fake tan but not too sure … well the above chart might be just the thing. Designed by Debenhams to avoid the rather common mistake of looking like an Umpa Lumpa at your best friends wedding.
Naturally looking like Hulk Hogan, Dale Winton and Katie Price can happen to the best of us and the personal opinion of the folks round the L’Onglex beauty desk is that the odd fake tan disaster is nothing to get too worried about and is simply one of those things a girl must endure like learning to no to apply lippy after more than two drinks or not overdoing the blue eyeshadow the first time you go to a nightclub.
For those of us who are repeat offenders simply print out the above chart and hold next to the skin next time you think you might have overdone it …… Simon Cowell please take note !

tan_chart

Think you’re overdoing the fake tan but not too sure … well the above chart might be just the thing. Designed by Debenhams to avoid the rather common mistake of looking like an Umpa Lumpa at your best friends wedding it’s the perfect chart for making sure you can keep a check on your skin tone.

Naturally, looking like Hulk Hogan, Dale Winton and Katie Price can happen to the best of us and the personal opinion of the folks round the L’Onglex beauty desk is that the odd fake tan disaster is nothing to get too worried about and is simply one of those things a girl must endure like learning not to apply lippy after more than two drinks or not overdoing the blue eyeshadow the first time you go to a nightclub.

umpa_lumpaFor those of us who are repeat offenders simply print out the above chart and hold next to skin if you think you’re in danger of having overdone the orange …… Simon Cowell please take note !

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Posted in Beauty dilemmas, Beauty news, Beauty trends, Blushers and bronzing, Fake tan, L'Onglex loves |

The high maintenance guide to festivals

June 22nd, 2010
The high maintenance guide to festivals
There isn’t really I nice way of putting this so we’ll come right out and say it ….
We at L’Onglex are a bit shallow.
We’ll also add to that a certain amount of vanity and a bit of a weird obsession with having things ‘quite pretty’ and ‘just so’.
Now, this isn’t really a problem in our day to day lives but obviously the current buzz of excitement arounf these parts at the arrival of festival season brings us out in a nervous rash at the thought of sharing portable showers and having to have to pee in fields of fellow revelers.
I mean, it’s OK roughing it with the wet wipes and slumming it with the dry shampoo, and when we think about it, we do look quite good in Hunter Wellingtons and woolen ponchos but being as we are the high maintenance sort we just cant bring ourselves to go with the idea of letting it all hang out on the beauty front.
With this in mind we’ve produced the following tips for high maintenance festival folk like us !
Step 1 – The Eyelash Tint
Mascara, mud, sweat and drunken tears are generally a bad combination. Rain, wind and if you’re lucky scorching heat can play havoc with the black stuff and before you even get near the main stage you’ll be looking like an extra from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
If falling asleep in your make-up and smearing your blow-up pillow don’t sound like the sort of beauty regime you’d be looking to endorse might we suggest a quick tint. Frankly, thirty minutes in the salon will save you battling with the wand from the confines of a damp tent.
Step 2 – Wax it
Those of you planning to sit yourselves on the shoulders of a certain muscular someone will almost certainly look toward getting a quick wax before you head anywhere near the main stage. Yup, sitting on someones shoulders waving those arms about might be a sure fire way to get yourself on telly …. but showing those grey patches to a worldwide audience will have you remembered for all the wrong reasons. Trust us, if you’ve ever seen the footage from Woodstock you’ll know it makes sense.
Step 3 – The Twelve Week Blow Dry
Perma-hair has moved on from the days of the beehive and Nancy Reagan which is great news for festival vanity. The twelve week blow dry means not only that you’re hair will look great for anything up to … well … twelve weeks, but that you won’t have to fork out €30 for 15 minutes of pampering in the GHD tent. The protein rich treatment will have your locks smooth and shiny all weekend and as long as you get it done a couple of weeks before you pack your rucksack you will have plenty of time to give the treatment time to settle.
Step 4 – Fake Tan
If your not too keen on messing around with tinted moisturiser and a hand mirror, a light spray tan should give you a lovely golden glow and should also leave you with the added benefit of being able to ditch the foundation. A word of warning here though ladies, make sure the brand of fake tan from your chosen salon is one wish is washable with shower gel as opposed to water only – getting rid of that streaky look aided only by the cold water of a rancid festival shower is not a pleasant experience.
Step 5 – The Hotel
Nothing ruins ones beauty more than a bad nights sleep. Frankly, if camping were so good no would bother building hotels would they ? Yes we know it’s a bit of a cheat but a night between starched cotton sheets in a room with monogrammed pillows beats even the best blow-up mattress. Add to that the small fact that on any festival campsite the odds of the person in the tent next to you not being a student learning to play Wonderwall on an acoustic guitar are extremely slim. Get a taxi. Get a room !

misc-070902-KU05

There isn’t really I nice way of putting this so we’ll come right out and say it ….

We at L’Onglex are a bit shallow.

We’ll also add to that a certain amount of vanity and a bit of a weird obsession with having things ‘quite pretty’ and ‘just so’.

Now, this isn’t really a problem in our day to day lives but obviously the current buzz of excitement around these parts at the arrival of festival season brings us out in a nervous rash at the thought of sharing portable showers and having to have to pee in fields of fellow revelers.

I mean, it’s OK roughing it with the wet wipes and slumming it with the dry shampoo, and when we think about it, we do look quite good in Hunter Wellingtons and woolen ponchos but being as we are the high maintenance sort we just cant bring ourselves to go with the idea of letting it all hang out on the beauty front.

With this in mind we’ve produced the five step guide for high maintenance festival folk like us !

Step 1 – The Eyelash Tint

Mascara, mud, sweat and drunken tears are generally a bad combination. Rain, wind and if you’re lucky scorching heat can play havoc with the black stuff and before you even get near the main stage you’ll be looking like an extra from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If falling asleep in your make-up and smearing your blow-up pillow don’t sound like the sort of beauty regime you’d be looking to endorse might we suggest a quick tint. Frankly, thirty minutes in the salon will save you battling with the wand from the confines of a damp tent.

Step 2 – Wax it

Those of you planning to sit yourselves on the shoulders of a certain muscular someone will almost certainly look toward getting a quick wax before you head anywhere near the main stage. Yup, sitting on someones shoulders waving those arms about might be a sure fire way to get yourself on telly …. but showing those grey patches to a worldwide audience will have you remembered for all the wrong reasons. Trust us, if you’ve ever seen the footage from Woodstock you’ll know it makes sense.

Step 3 – The Twelve Week Blow Dry

Perma-hair has moved on from the days of the Beehive or Nancy Reagan which is great news for festival vanity. The twelve week blow dry means not only that you’re hair will look great for anything up to … well … twelve weeks, but that you won’t have to fork out €30 for 15 minutes of pampering in the GHD tent. The protein rich treatment will have your locks smooth and shiny all weekend and as long as you get it done a couple of weeks before you pack your rucksack you will have plenty of time to give the treatment time to settle.

Step 4 – Fake Tan

If you’re not too keen on messing around with tinted moisturiser and a hand mirror, a light spray tan should give you a lovely golden glow and should also leave you with the added benefit of being able to ditch the foundation. A word of warning here though ladies, make sure the brand of fake tan from your chosen salon is one which is washable with shower gel as opposed to the type which is water only – having your tan run down your legs in the rain  is not a pleasant experience.

Step 5 – The Hotel

Nothing ruins ones beauty more than a bad nights sleep. Frankly, if camping were really all that good nobody would have bothered building hotels ? Yes we know it’s a bit of a cheat but a night between starched cotton sheets in a room with monogrammed pillows beats even the best blow-up mattress. Add to that the small fact that on any festival campsite the odds of the person in the tent next to yours being a student learning to play Wonderwall on an acoustic guitar are extremely slim. Get a taxi. Get a room !

Leave a comment »

Posted in Beauty dilemmas, Fake tan, L'Onglex loves, Make up tips/how to |

SS10 trend: American Nomad

June 8th, 2010

Picture 4

Another day another beauty trend and our current infatuation comes to us courtesy of the Californian Sunshine.
American Nomad is hot hot hot for SS10 but maybe not in the way it suggests. Inspired by lookbooks for Mac and the natural summer looks of 70’s and 80’s natural make-up it’s much more healthy-glow than sunbed-queen – think surf chic meets Farah Fawcett. Blending, contouring and highlighting are the orders of the day here and the idea is to look light, golden and natural.
As the key to this look is to get barely there you’ll need to build colour and tone gently. Avoid shimmers and stick to more natural matt shades and blend, blend blend. As this look is all about light soft colour go easy on the foundation. As a base. a little tinted mosturser should be all that’s required as it’s really about getting a natural finish.
When your choosing a bronzer stick to taupes, dusty sand, coffee and warm earth tones as opposed to full on bronze. Mac’s Bronzing powder in Matt Bronze works a treat at giving a light natural glow.
If building up bronzers doesn’t work for your skin tone try liquid bronzers like Sisleys Golden Dry Oil or MAC’s Lustre Drops. They’re also a little easier to blend and give a soft natural glow. As a final flourish use a highlighter to add glow to the points where you would naturally get more of the sun. Touch in the cheekbones, eyes and forehead.
If your skin is paler try cream based bronzer products which are super easy to blend and work well for lighter skin. Sally Hansen’s Natural Beauty Sheerest Cream Bronzer and Lancomes Star Bronzer Cream are both perfect.
When it comes to the eyes add emphasis with light golds and coffees. MAC’s eye pencil in Coffee is perfect for adding definition and a sweep of brown mascarra like Rimmels Lash Maxx in brown should give your eyes a dusky, sultry look.
Complete the look with this summers ultimate on trend accessory. A blonde, tall, toned and tanned surfer dude which you can pick up at your local beach.

Another day another beauty trend and our current infatuation comes to us courtesy of the Californian Sunshine.

American Nomad is hot hot hot for SS10 but maybe not in the way it suggests. Inspired by lookbooks for Mac and the natural summer looks of 70’s and 80’s natural make-up it’s much more healthy-glow than sunbed-queen – think surf chic meets Farah Fawcett. Blending, contouring and highlighting are the orders of the day here and the idea is to look light, golden and natural.

As the key to this look is to get barely there you’ll need to build colour and tone gently. Avoid shimmers and stick to more natural matt shades and blend, blend blend. As this look is all about light soft colour go easy on the foundation. As a base. a little tinted mosturser should be all that’s required as it’s really about getting a natural finish.

When your choosing a bronzer stick to taupes, dusty sand, coffee and warm earth tones as opposed to full on bronze. MAC’s Bronzing powder in Matt Bronze works a treat at giving a light natural glow.

If building up bronzers doesn’t work for your skin tone try liquid bronzers like Sisleys Golden Dry Oil or MAC’s Lustre Drops. They’re also a little easier to blend and give a soft natural glow. As a final flourish use a highlighter to add glow to the points where you would naturally get more of the sun. Touch in the cheekbones, eyes and forehead.

If your skin is paler try cream based bronzer products which are super easy to blend and work well for lighter skin. Sally Hansen’s Natural Beauty Sheerest Cream Bronzer and Lancomes Star Bronzer Cream are both perfect.

When it comes to the eyes add emphasis with light golds and coffees. MAC’s eye pencil in Coffee is perfect for adding definition and a sweep of brown mascarra like Rimmels Lash Maxx in brown should give your eyes a dusky, sultry look.

Complete the look with this summers ultimate on trend accessory. A blonde, tall, toned and tanned surfer dude which you can pick up at your local beach.

Leave a comment »

Posted in Beauty reviews, Beauty trends, Blushers and bronzing, Eyeshadow and mascaras, Fake tan, Foundations and concealers, MAC, Make up tips/how to, Rimmel, Sally Hansen |

Tantastic – our top picks!

May 12th, 2010
ahhh spring….a stretch in the evenings, all fresco dining, lighter clothing…and the perfect time to get your fake tan disaster of the year out of the way!
Yes, maybe we are indeed alone in our spring time ritual but we find this time of year best for experimenting with the old fake tan….after all if it all goes horribly wrong it’s still cool enough to get away with covering up with a polo neck and trousers until the colour fades away.
Spring time also sees lots of beauty brands catapulting their latest and greatest fake tans to the front of the shelves making it a great time to get your hands dirty with the latest editions!
In the name of research we at L’Onglex have been familiarising ourselves with this years tans and after over a week of testing (our complexions are just getting back to normal) three tans have firmly ticked all the boxes.
Those of you looking for instant results may enjoy the subtle tones of St Tropez’s new wash off lotion. The tan absorbs easily and is perfect for the less experienced tanners among you as it does exactly what it says on the tin – it washes off! This may seem insignificant but if you’re prone to tanning disasters (like me) you will no doubt see the attraction! In true St Tropez style it doesn’t smell too bad either so if it does all go horribly wrong at least you’ll smell delicious!
If you tend to avoid tanning because of the mess Model Co’s new Sun Sponge may tempt you back to bronzer pasteurisers. The handy sponge applucator mean mitts and brown sinks are a thing of the past and the colour guide is pretty accurate so as long as you use long even strokes the sponge should have you beautifully bronzed in no time. Best of all theres no clearing up and the tan develops in eight hours.
Finally, die hard tanners in search of an even bigger kick will enjoy the moussey goodness of Rockstar Tan’s Groupie Self Tan mousse! Designed to last up to seven days there’s no room for mistakes so a mitt and a dollop of patience are definitely needed!  On the plus side if it does go well you will avoid smelling of biscuits, the clever folks at rockstar have infused the mouse with raspberry and almond essence so you should smell as sweet as you look!

tan1

Ahhhh … spring. A delight of long warm evenings, romantic al fresco dining, easy delicate fashions and the perfect time for a fake-tan disaster.

Yes peeps it’s time of year for the annual ritual of thinking we’ll enjoy the weather and get rid of ghost like skin with a quick dab from last years bottles only to mess the whole thing up and have to wear trousers and a polo neck for the one and only week of Irish sunshine we get.

In the name of research, and partly because we had nothing better to get on with we at L’Onglex have been familiarising ourselves with this years best bottle tans and after over a week of testing (our complexions are just getting back to normal) we’ve found three tans that have ticked all the boxes ;

st_tropez_fake_tanSt Tropez Wash Off Lotion

Those of you looking for instant results may enjoy the subtle tones of St Tropez’s new wash off lotion. The tan absorbs easily and is perfect for the less experienced tanners amongst you as it does exactly what it says on the tin – it washes off!

This may seem insignificant but if ( like me ) you’re prone to tanning disasters you will no doubt see the attraction in not being bright, bright orange. In true St Tropez style it doesn’t smell too bad either. Crumbs of comfort in the unlikely event it all goes wrong.

model_co_fake_tanModel Co Sun Sponge

If you tend to avoid tanning because of the mess Model Co’s new Sun Sponge may tempt you back to bronzer pastures. The handy sponge applicator means the routine of one brown mitt and one brown hand, teamed with a brown sink and an argument about the state of the bathroom is now a think of the past.

As the colour guide is pretty accurate you won’t have top spend weeks finding the application and some good use of long even strokes when applying the sponge should have you beautifully bronzed once the eight hours reaction time kicks in. A good tan without the arguments …. what more could you ask for ?

rockstar_fake_tanRockstar – Self Tan mousse

Finally, die hard tanners in search of a big tan fix will enjoy the moussey goodness of Rockstar Tan Groupie Self Tan mousse. Designed to last up to seven days you won’t have room for mistakes on this one. A mitt and a dollop of patience are definitely needed here but on the plus side if you pay attention you’ll get a very good colour.

As the formula is specially developed to get rid of the broken biscuits smell you normally get with fake-tan, you’ll able to smell as summery as you look. A soft fragrance of raspberry and almond essence infused in every bottle !

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Posted in Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Beauty trends, Fake tan, St Tropez |

Fake tan faux pas

March 3rd, 2010
image001I don’t know whether you have noticed this but the days are getting distinctly longer.
I mean, obviously longer days bring the inevitable thoughts of nice treats like holidays, warm summer evenings and perhaps the odd BBQ – but it also brings thoughts of the dreaded tan. I understand why us Irish are addicted to the stuff, on the plus side, god forgot to give us snakes or poisonous spiders, on the minus, he seems to have forgotten to give us any kind of skin pigment. It’s not like we see the sun all that much, winter or summer, to get the stuff naturally, so as a country it’s probably no surprise we all need a touch of the tango here and there.
More than anything, the spritz and go is a recipe for beauty disaster. I mean it’s OK going on, but there’s just too many ways in which to mess the whole thing up. If the lights not right you can’t tell if the colour is merely a delicate shade of brown or more simply Umpa-Lumpa orange. OK, I accept that if your in a rush your bound to miss the juicy bits, but if you leave the lid open for more than ten minutes the stuff dries out making it virtually impossible to apply. Worst of all, for me at least, it’s the elbows and knees, which no matter how I try never seem to absorb the stuff in less than greedy quantities. It would be nice, just once, if I could actually get something that actually looks like a tan.
So just how do you avoid the common mistakes? Here’s our top tips!
Exfoliate
Smoothing away dead skin means your tan will go on evenly. Before you think it’s just another cosmetics industry conspiracy for companies to fool you into buying another product, think again. Some soap and a loufa or shower puff should do what’s needed if you scrub your skin in circular motions – easy!
Tick tock tick
Always wait at least six hours before hopping in the shower even if the product tells you otherwise, the longer you wait the better your chances in the depth of colour and streak free stakes.
Knees Up
It’s the knees and elbows that always cause me problems so I was delighted to hear that a dab of water based mosturiser will prevent over absorption avoiding that patchy look.
Wash your hands
Scrubbing your hands every four – five minutes means you’ll avoid the orange palm look, just remember to apply a light tan to your palms once your finished. White palms are such a fake bake faux pas !
Let there be light
If possible avoid artificial light when checking if the depth of colour is OK. Bright, artificial light works well for spotting the blotchy bits but is useless when it comes to ensuring you don’t leave the house bright orange. Always check the colour next to a window and if you don’t have the luxury of an extra pair of eyes step away from the mirror to check for streaks.
And the biscuits….
Sadly if your using a gradual tan this one cannot be avoided. Fake tan contains DHA which is a chemical often derived from plant sources such as the sugar beets and sugar cane. When DHA reacts with your skin  it releases  a biscuit like smell. Better get used to this ….. it’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
Take heart.
Learning to love fake tan might be for the best afterall. On the plus side, tan in a can is better for you than the sunbed and apart from the odd blotchy facebook photo the health defects are merely cosmetic. A touch of minor embarrassment. When it comes to the side-effects related to using sun-beds I’ll take my chances with the paint rather than in the oven.

image001

I don’t know whether you have noticed this but the days are getting distinctly longer.

I mean, obviously longer days bring the inevitable thoughts of nice treats like holidays, warm summer evenings and perhaps the odd BBQ – but it also brings thoughts of the dreaded tan. I understand why us Irish are addicted to the stuff, on the plus side, god forgot to give us snakes or poisonous spiders, on the minus, he seems to have forgotten to give us any kind of skin pigment. It’s not like we see the sun all that much, winter or summer, to get the stuff naturally, so as a country it’s probably no surprise we all need a touch of the tango here and there.

More than anything, the spritz and go is a recipe for beauty disaster. I mean it’s OK going on, but there’s just too many ways in which to mess the whole thing up. If the lights not right you can’t tell if the colour is merely a delicate shade of brown or more simply Umpa-Lumpa orange. OK, I accept that if your in a rush your bound to miss the juicy bits, but if you leave the lid open for more than ten minutes the stuff dries out making it virtually impossible to apply. Worst of all, for me at least, it’s the elbows and knees, which no matter how I try never seem to absorb the stuff in less than greedy quantities. It would be nice, just once, if I could actually get something that actually looks like a tan.

So just how do you avoid the common mistakes? Here’s our top tips!

Exfoliate

Smoothing away dead skin means your tan will go on evenly. Before you think it’s just another cosmetics industry conspiracy for companies to fool you into buying another product, think again. Some soap and a loufa or shower puff should do what’s needed if you scrub your skin in circular motions – easy!

Tick tock tick

Always wait at least six hours before hopping in the shower even if the product tells you otherwise, the longer you wait the better your chances in the depth of colour and streak free stakes.

Knees Up

It’s the knees and elbows that always cause me problems so I was delighted to hear that a dab of water based mosturiser will prevent over absorption avoiding that patchy look.

Wash your hands

Scrubbing your hands every four – five minutes means you’ll avoid the orange palm look, just remember to apply a light tan to your palms once your finished. White palms are such a fake bake faux pas !

Let there be light

If possible avoid artificial light when checking if the depth of colour is OK. Bright, artificial light works well for spotting the blotchy bits but is useless when it comes to ensuring you don’t leave the house bright orange. Always check the colour next to a window and if you don’t have the luxury of an extra pair of eyes step away from the mirror to check for streaks.

And the biscuits….

Sadly if your using a gradual tan this one cannot be avoided. Fake tan contains DHA which is a chemical often derived from plant sources such as the sugar beets and sugar cane. When DHA reacts with your skin  it releases  a biscuit like smell. Better get used to this ….. it’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Take heart.

Learning to love fake tan might be for the best afterall. On the plus side, tan in a can is better for you than the sunbed and apart from the odd blotchy facebook photo the health defects are merely cosmetic. A touch of minor embarrassment. When it comes to the side-effects related to using sun-beds I’ll take my chances with the paint rather than in the oven.

Leave a comment »

Posted in Beauty trends, Fake tan, L'Onglex loves, Make up tips/how to, St Tropez |