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TWO months ago self confessed beauty addict Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace went into lockdown like the rest of the UK.
With no access to her bikini waxer, hairdresser, nail technician or makeup artist the former Big Brother star decided to embark on a beauty detox and even ditched shaving in the hope to have a healthier relationship with her looks and to be “a little-less shallow, vain and to no longer care what people think.”
But with hair sprouting all over the place and no fake lashes, extensions, fake tan or acrylic nails, does Aisleyne feel better about herself?
“Erm, no! I look a mess!” she proclaimed to Fabulous by week three.
“My armpits look like the Amazon jungle, my leg hair keeps giving me static, my hair turned into one, huge dreadlock and I’m not even going to talk about my bikini line!
“It shows how useless I am. I’m a toyboy, I don’t know how to blow dry my hair, how to do my makeup or how to make my nails look good - which is why I pay someone to do it for me.”
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But as reports then emerge about beauty therapists breaking the lockdown rules to keep clients, like Aisleyne happy, she didn't give in to vanity.
"The people who did that are just selfish," she says.
"Sure, I like to keep up with a beauty regime but not at the sake of other people's lives.
"The NHS are working their socks off to help save as many as they can - they deserve so much respect - anyone who ignores the rules is putting them in danger, as well as those who are vulnerable."
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But while most of us just got on with the normal routine of washing our hair and maybe giving it a blow dry if we were on a Zoom call - this was one of the biggest changes for the TV presenter.
“I washed my own hair for the first time in a year - that was odd - as my hairdresser previously always did it for me."
And it didn't go well. “I looked like a drowned rat and then I had a big bouffant like Monica from Friends when they went on holiday after I attempted to blow dry it.”
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So would she consider ditching the shampoo all together and joining the lockdown #nopoo trend sweeping Instagram?
“No. I didn’t feel liberated by doing things like this - I felt violated and filthy and disgusting,” she proclaimed to Fabulous.
Before going into lockdown Aisleyne, 41, admitted she spent nearly £1K per month on beauty treatments.
What Aisleyne spent £1k per month on before lockdown...
Private make-up artist = £320
Hair exensions and dye = £200
Hairdresser = £120
Fake bake spray tan = £100
Nails, manicure and pedicure = £100
Eyelash infills = £60
Eyebrow tint = £35
Hollywood bikini wax = £30
Sunbeds = £20
As well as having a weekly blowdry to keep her extensions looking pristine, a professional makeup artist would also come to her house twice a week and she’d have a mani/pedi every two weeks too.
Aisleyne would visit the sunbed or get a fake tan at least once a week and always have her eyelashes and eyebrows preened to perfection.
But, by week four Aisleyne faced a dilemma. Her extensions - which cost her £200 per month - had become so matted they were just 'one huge dreadlock' - and she spent a whole day removing them.
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“I smothered them in coconut oil, olive oil and conditioner. We then used this special spray which melts the glue before me and my housemate sat for hours slowly trying to get them out - it was a chore and so painful. I felt naked when they’d gone but my hair needed a break!
“And it paid off. I can run my fingers through my hair and it feels much healthier and no longer itchy,” she now says.
Interestingly, after eight weeks of detox, Aisleyne now seems much more comfortable with her low-maintenance look in comparison to where she was in week three.
“After all this, it is quite empowering to see I can look half decent without having ‘the works’ each week and I saved an absolute fortune which is always good,” she says.
I washed my own hair for the first time in a year - that was odd - as my hairdresser previously always did it for me.
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace
“I have learnt how to paint my own nails, how to style my hair and all the hot weather has meant I didn’t need to bother attempting my own fake tan.”
But will she be giving it all up for good?
“Not a chance,” she says.
“I could live without having my nails done, I think, and maybe less filler in my lips but I can’t wait to get a blowdry and my lashes replaced.
“I look like a mole without my lashes and I’m at the age where my lids are starting to sag which makes me look even older.
“As soon as salons reopen I’ll be doing lashes, then get my eyebrows sorted, then my hair.”
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But while Aishleyne might still need some convincing about her au-naturale look, she says friends have been nothing but complimentary.
“My best mate says I look fresh and younger, and while I might disagree with the ‘younger’ part, I do feel fresher and cleaner - it’s nice not to be caked in make-up all the time and I feel much more confident in my looks.”
So, would she post a photo to her 370K followers on Instagram with no filter now?
“Hell, no!” she laughs.
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