FAKE BAKE talks Normal People obsessing and pale skinned beauty hints for summer…

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

 While Connell finds his way in the end, Marianne says exactly what she thinks from the start. She is a whip-smart, kick-ass young woman. Often what she is thinking is wildly inappropriate and that makes her even more powerful.

#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