Why faux freckles are kind of annoying for naturally freckly people

I am covered in freckles. I can’t remember a time I didn’t have at least a spattering across my nose, and they have spread further throughout my life; sprinkling along my knees and knuckles, right down to my toes. They fade a little in the winter but resurface at the first sight of warm summer sunlight.

Some are small, light, delicate. Others are darker and blotch a few millimeters wide. The common thing in each of my freckles (and most people’s) is that they are totally random. Which is why the faux freckle trend is kind of annoying.

Natural freckles are caused by exposure to UV-B radiation which increases the production of melanin in the skin. As pale skin is more sensitive to sun, freckles are often (but not always) more prevalent. That’s why red headed people with pale skin (hiya!) usually have freckles.

The faux freckle trend really took off this year. People started dotting them on with eyeliner, or henna for a semi-permanent effect. Some brands even brought out freckle pens to create a sun-kissed look. And to be fair, they do look amazing.

So, my problem isn’t that faux freckles are a thing, I’m buzzing that people think they look cool. I can understand why other freckly people disagree with (or get offended by) them though: It’s like someone getting an A (or 1000 Instagram likes) for handing in the same piece of homework that you got a D for. It’s that people at school called you ginge and laughed at your pale legs and now they’re faking the look they had a go at you for. The same magazines that wrote articles about lightening your skin to get rid of blemishes and discolouration now draw freckles on their covergirls. I get it.

Here’s my problem with it: They always look too perfect. Freckles don’t appear in a cute little patch just on your nose (soz, hun) and they aren’t all tiny, perfect circles. It’s not the faux freckles that annoy me, its that they don’t really represent freckles at all. If you’re gonna draw them on, at least get it right. Make them asymmetrical, different sizes and colours. Chuck a few on an eyelid, or above your lip, somewhere a little less convenient. Respect the natural freckle – the thing that gave you your #inspo in the first place.

Lazy Guide to Long Hair #2: Glaston-braiding

Armed with dry shampoo, glitter, hair crayons and thousands of bands and grips, most festival goers attempt to keep their hair looking rad for a weekend while avoiding washing/brushing it for as long as possible. For me this is pretty common practice for every day. My hair is really thick so it’s a total pain to wash and goes completely fluffy whenever I brush it. My favourite way to get all of my mane out of the way is braiding, which seems to be a hairstyle headliner at Glastonbury as well! Check out these beauties that I spotted while I was there:

I’ve put together a few little guides to my favourite lazy braid styles that can be a lifesaver when you need your hair up but are sick of ponies and buns. Before attempting these I would recommend taking off any rings. There is nothing worse than completing a 5 star braid only to catch your new midi ring in the perfectly constructed style. I would also suggest putting on some chilled out, soothing music (my choice is Alt-J) because braiding requires quite a lot of brain action and can be super stressful. Not kidding.

1. Halo Plait (for frizzy hair maintenance)

This braid always draws a lot of compliments as it looks quite complicated and high fash. It’s actually really easy once you’ve practised a few times.

– Start by parting your hair down the centre and select a small section of hair at the back of your head to one side of the parting.
-Start as you would with a normal braid but after a few folds start to work the braid up the side of your head, adding in sections of hair as you go.
-Keep going all the way around your head and then tie the end of the braid with a hairband, tuck the end underneath where you started and grip in place.
-Make sure you mess the braid up and hairspray it to reduce that milkmaid chic.
-Switching hands around is where this braid gets tricky, so don’t worry if it takes a few attempts at first. Just breathe, let Alt-J calm you down and start again.

I also normally do this as an inverse braid (adding sections underneath rather than over the top of the braid) but either way looks killer!

2. Diagonal braid (when you can’t be bothered but don’t want to look boring)

This is the same as any inverse french plait but goes from one side of your head to the other. If you have a fringe braid it into your hair then pull it out after to avoid those weird strands of hair dangling down your forehead that everyone used to have in the nineties (what actually were they?). I love this because its super fast and if it goes wrong you can just pretend it was meant to look like that.

3. Micro braid (‘the greasy fringe disguiser’)

Because you touch it and tuck it behind your ears a lot, your fringe normally gets greasy before the rest of your hair. Luckily 70s styles are massive right now so you can channel a bit of boho-hippy and tuck all the greasyness into a braid! Rub the braid with your fingers before you grip it back to make it a bit looser.

4. Fishtail plait (If you want to look posh but don’t have time to hit the straighteners)

This braid works for formal events as well as every day, just change how far along you go on the messiness scale accordingly. Keep all your sections uneven and use a toothbrush to mess up the braid once your done to avoid that try-hard Zoella vibe.

– Begin with your hair in two sections.
– Grab a piece of hair from underneath one section and add it to the other side just as you would with a normal braid.
– Keep doing this to the end of the brain, varying the size of the sections you choose.
– Back brush with an old toothbrush and add salt spray for a bit more of a beachy look.

Diary of an Intern [#2]

The last place I expected to go when I arrived at the office this morning was a homeless shelter. After tearing anything relevant out of the daily newspapers, the deputy editor asked us to clear out all the beauty products from the fashion cupboard. The fashion & beauty team are sent products all the time and there are loads of different boxes in the cupboard labelled, hair, lips, skin, eyes, tan etc – and they are all full to the brim. All the products filled two (very) large suitcases.

When I was told that the magazine was donating the products to a homeless charity I was a little surprised. I thought that the people at the shelter would probably prefer the money from selling the products, but when we arrived the staff were thrilled – everyone needs to moisturise I suppose..

The rest of the day was sooo busy and the closet was filled with bags of clothes ready to be returned. I have heard from so many different people that The Devil Wears Prada is nothing like reality. However, today there were a couple of moments when I felt like I was being asked very casually to do rather difficult things. But I guess these people didn’t get this far in their career by taking no for an answer.

Other things that happened:
– I got a free latte from my favourite place to go for lunch, Joe and the Juice.
– A baby on the tube LOVED my glittery nail polish, and was playing with it from Bethnal Green to Oxford Circus.

autumn sparkle

Receiving cosmetics as a birthday gift can be hit and miss. Heavily perfumed toiletry gift sets, trays of eye shadows that sit unused in the bottom of your make up bag, crumbling. But nail varnish is a gift I’m always delighted to get. There’s something about a new pop of colour on my fingertips that leaves me smiling all day. This year I got Barry M Sequin Effect polish for my twenteenth birthday (I still can’t bring myself to say twenty) and it did not disappoint. I got the extra happiness of not only a new colour but also GLITTER to look down at and smile. Make sure you apply a base and top coat as the sequins and glitter combo can be a bit crumbly, and you’ll be feeling very Katy Perry all day long.