If you
haven’t seen Normal People yet, go
to the BBC iPlayer, binge-watch it, and then return to us. If you have seen it,
well, then, you’ve seen it. We could be here all day talking about the love
story between Marianne, the posh girl from the big house, and Connell, the
quietly popular boy who also happens to be the son of Marianne’s family
cleaner, Lorraine. Ah, Lorraine. Lorraine is the mum you want in your corner or
the possible mum-in-law you want on your side. She is grand.
Taken from
the award-winning novel by Sally Rooney,
Normal People has smashed iPlayer records and broken our hearts. If you
didn’t go to bits and cry at the end of episode three, then you don’t have a
human bone in your body or indeed a soul. Why has it been such a huge hit?
While it is about a relationship, it is quite simply, about all of our
relationships. Everyone has felt like Marianne or Connell at some point. We
have all felt on the outside, or that we didn’t fit in, or that someone else is
better than at us.
Of course,
we could be here all week talking about Connell, Connell’s chain and everything
else about him that makes fans go nuts, but here at Team Fake Bake, we are fixing our gaze on Marianne. Played quite magnificently by the talented Daisy Edgar-Jones, she is the tall,
elegant beauty with a mind of her own and a now legendary fringe. She’s already
inspired miles of column inches from the fashion press and we do love the fact
that she’s a bit different. Her wardrobe is being talked about in hushed tones:
it’s 60’s, it’s 70’s, it’s 80’s, it’s 90’s. If you take your average Love
Islander and think of the exact opposite, then Marianne is exactly that.
Here’s why
we adore her…
#1 She says what she thinks a lot of
the time
#2 She manages to say what she thinks
whilst wearing that fringe
Come on, you
know you’ve done it. You’ve piled your hair high and then pulled a bit around
the front to see if you’d suit a full-on fringe. A few brave souls have chopped
one in themselves. We are waiting for the hairdressers to be back on duty
before we decide but even then, you can never be sure. If you are blessed with
Marianne’s bone structure, then you’re in.
#3 She develops her style, and
doesn’t conform
It takes a
rare person to make a school uniform look chic. Marianne made the cut. She
blossoms at Trinity College, and suddenly she is wafting about in ankle length
satin skirts and cute blazers. Her accessories are luxurious and subtle but
it’s her holiday wardrobe that kills us. You know when you are abroad and feel
hot and bothered and your sundress is all wrinkled and your wedges are killing
you? Not so, our Marianne. She manages to make a simple black dress and
kicked-about pumps look full-on Audrey Hepburn, but with a contemporary twist.
#4 She proves that a smokey eye works
for 24/7
Marianne’s
make-up isn’t pristine or camera-ready. There are often a few smudges. But she
has that absolute gift of looking like she’s just walked in from the most
decadent all-night party, even when she hasn’t.
#5 She is absolutely and brilliantly
real
If Marianne
wasn’t at Trinity, in real life, she could be a supermodel, but she doesn’t
give off VS Angel vibes. She’s every tall, super-slim mate you have ever had,
who has no idea she is model material at all. Sometimes when we talk about body
positivity we forget about our slender sisters, but Marianne lets us celebrate
them.
We are not
going to try and kid you that Marianne goes from pale beauty to bronzed goddess
during a summer holiday. But she does get a bit of colour in her cheeks and we
know from talking to you that when you go out into the sun, sometimes you just
want a hint of something. Step forward,
Fake Bake Fair Gradual Self-Tan.
Here at Team Fake Bake, a lot of us have fair
skin and burn when we go near the sun, but Fair
is our warm weather rescuer this summer. It packs less of a DHA punch than
our other self-tans, so that you get a subtle glow. If you want to dial it up a
little, then simply re-apply on prepped skin the following evening. Always
remember to prepare your skin each time, and use one of oil-free moisturisers
to maintain your newly softly tanned skin. Just add lots of dark eyeliner, for
a little Marianne flourish.
Don’t
forget, we haven’t forgotten we are nowhere back to normal yet so we are still
running our Quarantan offers so that
we can do our bit…
What to
watch next? We are really loving Killing
Eve Season 3, even though that’s about to end, and we are tuning in to The Real Housewives of Cheshire every
week. We used to be jealous of the mansions and the handbags. Now we are near
to tears watching them have coffee. In a restaurant. Because it reminds us of
the good times of 2019 when we could walk out of our front doors and be free to
roam, order a latte and go mad in the mascara aisle. If you are looking for
something totally new, then Little Fires
Everywhere on Amazon Prime is for you if you loved Big Little Lies.
Our thoughts
are with you all. We hope it’s not long until we can sit in the sunshine
together again, because we’ve realised that’s what being truly rich is all
about. Villas in Italy are very nice though.
If you are
re-watching Normal People, do
remember the basic etiquette. Whatever you do, don’t view it with a single
member of your own family.
Even if you
have a mum exactly like Lorraine.
To check out Fake Bake
Fair and our Quarantan offers go to www.fakebake.co.uk
Normal People is
available to view now on the BBC iPlayer
