Dove Photoshoot

The long awaited Dove Photoshoot story .............

I had booked off the 8/9th September way back in June when I found out I had been shortlisted for my beauty tip, now if i could only remember which of the following three it was

a) for a warm rosie glow to a dull complexion try drinking three cans of merrydown cider
b) Before going to bed at night try taking off your clothes
c) If you have leftover Vitamin E capsules pierce one with a badge and mix it with your normal face cream before you go to bed at night. It gives you a vitamin boost the most expensive face creams include but at a fraction of the cost.

Oh ok, I reckon it is c), but in my experience a or even b work just as well.

Now, I haven’t read the small print I wonder if they want to include me in me big pants and off white bra for the photoshoot and put the group snap on all the stage coach buses in Manchester, now that’s what I call pissing off my kids. For that reason alone I will so sign that permission slip, Dove bring it on………………


I was met at Euston by the girls who worked for the marketing team handleing the Dove account, she even had a board with my name on it! There were an overall of 21 winners in attendance for the next couple of days, our first thing was to get taken to our hotel, we checked in at around 5.00pm to the Kensington Hilton, checked out my room (took me 10 mins to find the light switch then realised I had to use the card I used to get in the room to keep the lights on) made myself a nice cup of tea and opened the complementary (or so I thought) water that had a price on of £3.95, these London folk obviously haven’t experienced the pleasures of quality save/Home bargains – depending where you live in the country.

We were to meet up in the bar for pre dinner drinks and to get to know each other at 7.30pm, this was very nice, we were given badges with group 1, 2 or 3 on but could sit anywhere we wanted for the meal, we were all loosened up by a few glasses of white wine and we met up with the Marketing team handling the Dove account, A unilever scientist, the photographer and others connected with our photo shoot experience the next day. After the lovely meal which consisted of goats cheese and tomatoe flan with salad for starters, main dish of five spiced chicken with mash and green beans, finishing with chocolate and orange torte, quaffed down with more white wine.

We were all given a bar tab and a goody bag (how wonderful to receive both in the same sentence, I was in heaven).

After a couple of pints of lager and a good old chin wag with the last gals standing I finished with a double amaretto at the bar (which was almost the price of a bottle of the stuff wholesale from Costco!) I tootled off to bed at around 2.00am, and foolishly showered and washed my hair ready for the shoot, I awoke to my wakeup call on the phone at 6.45am and did wonder where I was for a second or two, then i wondered why my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth, ah yes, that wonderful bar tab, a full cooked breakfast was waiting for me and I didn’t have to so much as crack at egg on the side of a frying pan, wonderful. I enjoyed it in a way only an off duty mum can enjoy being looked after, I had two large mugs of coffee and read a paper, and all this before the pampering was due to start! I had a chat to one of the other finalists who told me she actually liked cooking (I am always a little shocked at such a statement, then I found out she worked part time, which more than explained it)

The coach collected us at 9.00ish and we went on our way to the Worx in Kensington, past all the nannies and bodyguards dutifully taking their charges to school, straw hats and satchels, the area was very leafy. Once inside we were given a talk about the day, it would include us splitting into our groups, group one (my group) was to go to hair and makeup then wardrobe before our shoot, this involved us heading to a huge studio wear we were given fluffy bathrobes and slippers with Dove/Asda Campaign for real beauty embroidered on (oh yes I felt part of a very important team, forget the CIA forget MI5 I have arrived!) bowls of chocolates and posh bottled water and lots of copies of all the top mags awaiting us as we chilled and waited our turn.

I wasn’t nervous, which is to say I saw professionals whose sole aim was to make us look passable and knew that’s what they would do (who says you cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear?) after what I saw that day I know you can indeed

The shoot was fun, the warm up of moving about on the spot in different poses (like when you wait ages at the bus stop and keep moving cos your legs have gone fizzy), hands in front jeans pockets, back, jump up in the air, (I was dying to say, “hey whats my motivation”, but didn’t) it was much fun.

We broke for a lovely lunch of various wraps and French fries, lots of nice juices and cake.

Back upstairs for some group shots moving around, the clothes speck was jeans with bare feet and white/grey/pale blue tops and for us to look natural and unmade up so all jewelry and watches were removed. ALthogh the unmade up makeup look was strong, i looked like a baddy out of an old black and white film, they put brown powder on my eyebrows, I was assured this was so i didnt disappear into the white backgroud, like casper?

Finished the shoot and it was time for the pamper room, back and shoulder massages, manicure, pedicure, full arm and feet massages all whilst eating minstrels and quality street and looking through the September/October issues of the finest fashion magazines the shelves at w h smith has to offer……… I didn’t want it to end, but end it did, as I collected by stuff and headed to the car I ended up with more Dove products than enough which were gratefully received by my daughter on landing back in my real life.

Thats all I have to say about that

Mahoooo