FAKE BAKE talks autumn tanning, London Fashion Week and catwalk vs. sidewalk inspo…..

“Here at Fake Bake we love LFW, as it is a place where innovation meets high fashion. All the best new ideas happen here and get copied the world over. As a brand, Fake Bake can certainly relate to that!”

 James Harknett, our Global Creative Consultant

There’s a chill in the air, apparently. Well, last week it was full blown storms for us in the UK, but it was also a time to think about new season finds. London Fashion Week, as always, gave us fresh ideas and new perspectives. LFW is a place where firsts happen and is becoming an event where more of us are welcome. We saw more diverse models on the catwalk, and a different way of putting together FROW guest lists. It’s no longer all about 6ft supermodels and devils wearing Prada watching on. S/S 2019,  as we got to see it, was more about all ages, shapes, backgrounds and it’s great to see London taking some of the snobbery out of fashion.

Julien Macdonald is the absolute king of glamour when it comes to LFW and this season he took a different approach. Yes, there were some supermodels on the catwalk but it was in the audience we saw a sea change. Julien is a master at knowing his audiences as he designs for both high fashion and the high street. So as well as the usual fashion journos, Julien invited along women who are becoming increasingly powerful in a different way. He knows that someone with over a million followers on Insta is worth an invitation. We spied a lot of Love Island girls, Strictly lovelies and a gorgeous Loose Woman, as well as our friend Stephanie Pratt, who knows London well from her MIC days. Steph is currently working on her own line. She looked at home, and suitably gorgeous, on that Front Row.

To get Steph’s look this season, without having to wait, we’d go for our Fake Bake 3D Face and Body Tanning Contouring Kit, which contains both our Airbrush and Flawless Coconut Serum with full instructions on how to give you that sculptured look, which was everywhere at LFW, so it’s time to get the art of new-era contouring down.

We also though Megan Barton-Hanson looked stunning in this look by JM. Golden skin and rocking curves never go out of style.

Temperley London went for models of all ages, and we love that elegance is ageless.

Riccardo Tisci, the man who made Givenchy a little less Audrey and a little more street style, was the superstar of the week after showing at Burberry for the first time, and we fell in love with his take on looking polished and pretty as well as powerful. We also adored the hair and make-up at this show and even though the focus is next year, of course, we’ll be taking our inspo right now, thanks, Riccardo. This beautifully golden look is perfect for this autumn as well as for next Spring. Our Fake Bake Anti-Ageing Self Tan Lotion is designed to give a gorgeous glow and contains Matrixyl-2000, which has an anti-ageing boost for you skincare lovers. Leather is best suited to our Burberry accessories only - it’s not what we want from our skin texture….

When it comes to pavement chic, the streets of London are definitely paved in gold from what we can see. Not a woolly tight in sight. We always love that approach….

And finally, just to prove that haute fashion works on real women, we spied our super-hot  mate, Ashley Louise James, out and about at so many shows, she’s got that in demand thing going on whilst always wearing something we covet. Proof that you can wear something knitted ready for autumn, look incredible and still show off that tan. Ashley looks like a modern-day Marilyn in this….

If you are not a supermodel, a street star, or a FROW attendee you can still look like you are, you just gotta get creative. Our James Harknett is always encouraging to us to exfoliate. Never mind summer bodies starting in winter, all-year round covetable skin can’t rock a Fake Bake tan if it’s still dragging around last season’s scaly shins. (We admit it, we get them..) James recommends our Fake Bake Coconut Body Polish to keep skin soft and smooth and it certainly works a treat. Now that winter is on it’s way, you may want to curl up in front of great TV but you can still look great whilst you are doing it.

Where to next? Milan is in full swing, and then it’s Paris, so we will be more than happy to keep you up to date with what is going on in those other fashion Capitals. But for the moment we just want to appreciate our home turf. It’s a place where The Queen can rock up and steal the limelight from Anna Wintour, a Peaky Blinder can take the wedding gown spot on the catwalk, someone from reality TV can win just as many camera shots as the fashion highbrows, and where we are always going to bump into some of our fave Fake Bake faces.

Fashion democracy is all about getting us all involved in style, and Team Fake Bake are down with that, darling. Tuck your hair into your jacket, get air kissing and get your shins camera-ready…..

All products featured are available from www.fakebake.co.uk

To follow Stephanie Pratt go to Insta @officialstephpratt

Image of Stephanie courtesy of Instagram

To follow Ashley on Insta got to @ashleylouisejames

Image of Stephanie courtesy of Instagram

FAKE BAKE at Josie Gibson’s Baby Shower: workin’ on the twerkin’……..

We have worked with that many famous names here at Team Fake Bake, we often lose count of them all. But some we can call absolute friends, people who are just so lovely, down-to-earth and inspiring that we stay in their lives. Josie Gibson is definitely in our Golden Circle. Josie first captured our hearts when she won Big Brother 2010, and since then she has stayed in the public eye because women, girls (and guys!) everywhere really relate to her. She’s been open about her life in a way that lets us all feel better about feeling the same - and that sharp sense of humour has taken her everywhere, from The Wright Stuff to The Jump.

We have always enjoyed getting Josie ready for red carpet events and she is always more than happy to share before and after images. But once she hits the limelight she always looks hot. Fact.

When we heard Josie and her amazing partner, Terry, were expecting we stepped in to help organise her Baby Shower. With the help of the team at Piccolino Heddon Street, we packed our spray guns, tan tents, and highest heels ready for a day filled with laughter. 

Knowing Josie as we do, we knew there was no chance of quiet pots of tea and fancy cakes, sitting in a corner. Not a chance. The music was turned up, the shoes came off, and the guests let their hair down. Some of our fave celebs and bloggers joined Team Fake Bake for a memorable day of tanning with no tantrums. What can we say. We only invite the nicest names, including Ashley Louise James and Pink Tartan Dolly.

Our very own Victoria Halliday told us, “As a brand, Fake Bake have worked with Josie for eight years now. Over that time, I have also got to know her really well, and we see her as family. She’s such a warm person, brilliant fun to be around, and the day was fabulous. We know that Josie is going to be a fantastic mum.”

Little did we know that the Baby Shower would make headline news. Josie took on the gorgeous Debbie Bright and her daughter, Lydia, in a dance off and let’s just say they gave it everything they had. As Josie admitted later - twerking at nine months ‘preggers’ isn't always the best idea. But we like to think it helped, as Josie’s waters broke straight after, and later on in the week she gave birth to Reggie-James at Royal United Hospital, Bath.

In a world of picture-perfect celebs, Josie is always a breath of fresh air to us, because she is one of us. She has her gorgeous days, talks candidly about her not so fantastic moments, and always makes us smile with her Bristol banter.

We want to wish Josie and Terry so many congratulations on the birth of Reggie-James and say a huge thanks to every one who attended the Baby Shower, or as we now call it, Waterbreak-Gate. A special thanks to Debbie and Lydia for bringing a huge shot of glamour and warmth, as they always do.

Reggie-James, your world awaits and is ready for the taking. Now we need to do a bit less twerking and a lot more working. It’s a busy time up at HQ. We’ll keep you posted…..

Thanks to all the team at Club Individual and Piccolino Heddon Street for helping us to organise Josie’s Baby Shower - it’s a gorgeous venue!

FAKE BAKE goes Double Dark: high octane glamour with Dani Dyer…

Our idea of a beauty icon is changing. The style world is embracing change and diversity. We love that Tess Holliday has just made the Cosmo cover. Glancing around at our September issues we see women of all ages on prominent covers. One-size-fits-all beauty is part of history and we all have so many choices now. You get to decide how you want to look. Fashion has an enduring love affair with the dark tan, though, although it has changed how we acquire it. We are no longer in love with skin damage. Now we are all about skin health. Welcome to our new arrival: Fake Bake Double Dark.

Fashion seasons are changing. Yes, we have our four Fashion Weeks, but fashion is ever moving, and so that’s why we are going Dark in time for Autumn. And it fits with this new mood. The best in style usually picks on something from the past, too, and this look also nods at the turn of the century. Forget being understated, it’s all about logos-a-gogo. This season, that famous ‘F’ for Fendi is brand new again. It’s inspired by this incredible shot of Gisele by Mario Testino, dripping in dark tan and head-to-toe in Louis Vuitton. Sports-luxe and a defined tan are having another chic moment.

Here’s the thing. Fashion can be very highbrow, but what most of us long for is to just look our best, sometimes with a hint of glam. Jimmy Choo have got the mood right this season by going old-school supermodel style with Rosie, Joan and Lily taking centre stage. Gleaming legs and gold feet? We are in love.

Mrs. Beckham and the Junior Beckhams are on the cover of new issue Vogue and to add to the story, the Spice style icon has uploaded a film to the magazine’s website, featuring some of her most famous looks from the past. Not only is it brilliantly funny and tongue-in-cheek, we have noticed that to look her best VB is going totally dark with her tan. We adore.

And out on the stylish sidewalks the dark tan has never looked better. For an understated dark tan we think Italian fashion legend Giovanna Battaglia has everything on point. This is the perfect way to take your summer look into next season.

At the recent Victoria’s Secret casting, street snappers waited outside to check out who was attending, and to get a glimpse of how they look off-catwalk. Lorena, Cindy and Josie are all rocking that uber-glam dark tan look.

 So what if you are not VB or a VS Angel? Step forward, Dani Dyer, the girl the whole nation fell in love with over the summer, as well as her chosen One, Jack. What is it about Dani? She's a real girl, a team player, she is the kind of gal you want in your corner. She’s a natural beauty who likes a bit of fakery, but just enough to give her an ultra-glossy look. As the new face of In The Style, we were thrilled to send our Global Creative Consultant, James Harknett, to darkly tan Dani for this shot. Saturday night sorted. It’s a look we can try out with ease. As James told us, “This is a tan to absolutely get you noticed. It’s a formula that as a professional I love working with. It’s seamless to apply, and it’s asking for a high octane look to match. On Dani, it looks spectacular.”

When we formulated Double Dark, we wanted an alternative to Gold. We asked for super rich skin tones, a long lasting formula and skin care soothers. Our Fake Bake innovators and creators never let us down. Double Dark was born. When it came to introducing our new wonder we created a campaign with a difference. OK, so for old school dark tan duos it’s back to Gisele and a suitably gorgeous guy.

But for 2018 we wanted our Double Dark on our own duo, Rebekah and Andy, from Superior Model Management. Team Fake Bake wanted to choose two models who aren’t just fashion forward but also fit into your world: gorgeous and relatable.

Rebekah told us, “I had the best time on the shoot. Everyone was so friendly and I absolutely adored the tan. Double Dark itself lasted literally way over a week with the help of Fake Bake’s Coconut Oil Free Moisturiser. I would love to have this tan again!”

Andy told us, “The shoot was great fun, from start to finish. It was my first time getting a spray tan, so I hope guys out there will relate and step forward themselves. The results were awesome and I would definitely recommend going Double Dark!”

This new season, sometimes it’s time to shed your winter woolies and step out. It’s time for metallic accessories, hair that’s the bomb gorgeous, and getting out of work or Netflix mode and approaching it from a different style angle. On a glossy page it’s retro Gisele. Think Double Dark Brazilian Bombshell. In real life, it’s Dani-inspired, gorgeously groomed Double Dark.

After that long, hot summer, we are ready to get Double Dark. Feel free to join us by getting out of the corner and stepping right into the spotlight……

Check out Double Dark at www.fakebakeprofessional.co.uk

Many thanks to Superior Model Management.

You can follow Rebekah on Insta @rebekahwieandt

You can follow Andy on Insta @andy_henderson7

Image of Gisele courtesy of British Vogue and Mario Testino

Catch VB’s Vogue Video at www.vogue.co.uk

Many thanks to Dani Dyer for being such a gorgeous model for our very own James Harknett.

FAKE BAKE’s best returns: The Hills, TOWIE and our very own GOLD

We have got that back-to-school feeling. It’s not quite time to put on a sweater, for Team Fake Bake it’s very rarely a time to reach for tights, but there is something about this time of year that makes us very reflective. What a summer it has been. Love Island was an absolute belter this year. England did quite well in the World Cup. And as a brand we have been super busy with product launches, tanning our best celebs, events and professional shows. There’s never a dull moment.

 One good thing about Autumn is that the TV gets seriously good. X Factor is back, Strictly is nearly back, and we get ready for another round of reality. Did we mention we like a bit of reality telly? How did you guess? And someone on Team Fake Bake is to reality TV what Roy Cropper from Corrie is to trains: a walking, talking, historical fact-finder and all-around anorak. And if you want to trace back where a lot reality comes from then you have to go to LA. The Real Housewives started with the O.C. ladies, which came after the area was made famous by MTV’s Laguna Beach. Some of the stars of Laguna Beach then went forward with their lives and got to star in on of our all time favourites: The Hills. For six seasons, from 2006-2010, we were obsessed with LC, Heidi and Spencer and we fell in love with Whitney Port, who then got her own spin-off, The City.

We’ve missed the show and everyone has moved on but the good news is, The Hills is on it’s way back, and this time it’s relaunching as The Hills: New Beginnings. The show’s return was announced at the recent MTV VMA Awards, and of course, Team Fake Bake sat up and took notice because two of the stars of the show are good friends of the brand. Stephanie Pratt, who has since gone on to more success in the UK, with Made In Chelsea, has been a regular client for us, and Audrina Partridge, who made her own name and is regularly tanned by our Stateside sisters, joined Stephanie for the relaunch and they both looked amazing. Of course they did. And that L.A. glow they are both famous for? It’s not down to the sun. It’s down to us.

While we are waiting for The Hills to return, we are about to settle down to the best of the best: The Only Way Is Essex. This time the gang are in Sardinia, and have left Marbs behind just for a while, although Gemma Collins popped up there recently in her own show - Diva Espana - which we loved, by the way. We are still getting used to just one episode a week, but we know from last season that there are many stories to tell. Will Dan and Amber stay together? How will Yaz and Lockie get on? Will Courtney and Chloe Meadows get it right on the romance front and more importantly, what is everyone going to be wearing? Our fabulous VIP tanner, Rox Tans, has been making sure Georgia’s Fake Bake tan is on point for her adventure, and we think she has never looked better. It never feels quite right without a TOWIE Sunday night, so we are carb loading for Italy in preparation. Bring on the drama. Oh, how we have missed you.

 And in the spirit of relaunching the best of the best: Fake Bake Gold is back! Part of our professional tanning range for so long, it was long established as our luxury tan with the most natural results. When it took a break, you missed it so much that we heard you. So this time we’ve reloaded it with even more luxurious and bang-up-the-minute ingredients. It’s super-moisturising formula is just what you need after your skin has had a summer of fun, and it’s perfect for showing off still sun kissed shoulders and tanned pins. Whether it’s a late summer wedding or just a great night out, sometimes every girl needs a little luxury in her life, and that’s why Gold is back. And our best tanners up and down the land have been busy tanning some famous faces ready for their own camera close up moments.

Katie Piper is getting ready to take Strictly by storm and we’ve been helping her to get ready to shimmer, with the help of our VIP The Tan Expert. She looks gorgeous before she hits the sequins. We can’t wait to see her next Saturday…..

Talking of Strictly, we had fun catching up with gorgeous pro dancer Karen Clifton. We are loving her new choppy bob and we look forward to seeing who she gets partnered with. Lee Ryan would be a match made in heaven for us.

Our fabulous Global Creative Consultant James Harknett has also been busy tanning male supermodel Oliver Cheshire. James has some tough gigs at times but he’s top of the tanning game for a reason. None of us were jealous. Not a single one….

 It’s been one hellavu summer, but it feels like time to turn down the lights, get out some sheet masks and prepare for a bit of change of seasons drama. We have to watch in on screen because we never have any here at Team Fake Bake. Obvs.

And if you believe that………..

 For more details about Fake Bake Gold go to www.fakebakeprofessional.co.uk

The Only Way Is Essex is on every Sunday on ITVBe at 9 pm

The Hills returns to MTV in 2019