Outspoken Beauty

Bryony is back and this week we're catching up about:

• Bryony's Bridgerton experience and why it was very nearly ruined by a duck
• Hilarious smear tests
• Why Bryony can never look her chemist in the eye again
• AI and deep fakes

And we also have some excellent makeup products to share with you with lots of great advice from Bryony thrown in for good measure xx

In this episode I get to chat to the wonderful content creator Helin Doski.

Helin, who recently moved to Dubai, is followed by hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok and Instagram and on paper lives a dream life with incredible press trips, luxurious events and a wardrobe to die for, not forgetting her ability to influence more people than most politicians.

During the episode Helin talks honestly about the ups and downs of influencer life and why it isn't always as perfect as it looks. She shares her father's reaction to her career choise (she gave up a future in medicine to create content), the reality of influencer events in Dubai and why people don't always get how much work goes into what she does. She also talks about her own insecurities.

Helin also talks about what she loves about her career and we do get to talking about beauty and some of the products that she has discovered and adores since entering this world.

I loved getting to know Helin and am so grateful to her for painting a rounded picture of a job that many people covet but don't always fully understand.

In this week's Minipod I have two summer scents that are both fabulous but couldn't be more different.
I'll also be telling you about an overnight mask that provides fantastic hydration, a lip balm that doubles as a gloss and I'll be reading a section of the book Pixel Flesh that has really resonated with me.

It's half term and all is a little bit bonkers in the Outspoken Beauty household so for your midweek episode I'm chatting through five books that I think are bloody brilliant and have all taught me so much in different ways. I also have a bit of a wild card for you. I'm currently reading it and it's about a woman who gets to a bit of a impass in her life and decides that the answer is to make her marriage polyamorous. (I'm absolutely hooked).
Enjoy Outspoken Beauties xx

Over the years I've had the honour of interviewing some strong, inspiring and at times life changing women and one of the very best has got to be Jane Wurwand, founder of Dermalogica.
I wanted to revisit this episode as it was meeting Jane that propelled me to leave the security of radio and start my podcast fulltime.
I believe that we all have the power to make change in our lives. It can be so bloody hard but when you do it, a lot of other things fall into place. If anyone can help you harness that power, it's Jane. xx

Bryony Blake is back. Now I'll start by saying that we got SO many amazing beauty questions from you this week and we get round to answering lots of them in the second half of the episode.

In the first half though, you can expect talk of:

• The strange thing my mum wants me to do with her ashes
• The best teabags in the world (according to Bryony)
• Eyeball licking (literally don't ask!)
• Being naked at home
• Extreme sex therapy

And more....

Hope we make you smile and giggle and that you get some great beauty tips xx

This episode is in partnership with Made of More

I'm so excited to publish this episode which is definitely going to make you feel better about things if you, like me, are in a world of hormonal uncertainty.

I met Jackie, the founder of the wonderful skincare brand Made of More, at an event a couple of months ago and I instantly adored her. Within moments we were talking openly about our kids, husbands, the challenges of our lives and perhaps most importantly, our hormonal journeys. Hearing Jackie's story I totally got why she launched Made of More and hearing about what she has put into the brand and the quality of her products made me certain that I needed to do this podcast.

Jackie wanted this episode to be a combination of advice and education (cue a BRILLIANT opening segment with hormone specialist extraordinaire Dr Sohere Roked and an insight into hormonal skin with Dr Dhesi) and also a chance for you to hear her story and reason for lauching a brand that really does stand apart from all the menopause noise and in some cases BS on the market.

If you'd like to explore Made of More then here's a link for you. 
I think that their Rescue Balm is a sensational product that truly saves skin that is in a bad wayand their Brightening Day Shield is a thing of wonder. If you do decide to go ahead and buy anything then use code NICOLA20 for 20% off sitewide.