We're Not Lazy - We're Overstimulated!

What an absolute joy to welcome one of the stars of the very first series of RuPaul's Drag Race onto the podcast. My guest in this episode is the amazing Divina De Campo!Divina is in the midst of one of the most challenging roles of her career (well 14 roles in total). She's taking on the role of Amanda in the one person musical monologue Amanda - The Night Before Me. (Tickets are available here)During the episode we chat about Amanda which is a musical that takes place in the hours before her gender affirming surgery. As the clock ticks, she relives her entire life which is portrayed via the 14 different characters that Divina plays so brilliantly.As well as delving into Divina's performance of a lifetime, we talk about their own life, journey to self-acceptance and escaping society's expectations. I learnt SO much from them about being bold, brave and about a book that gave them the courage to be the amazing person they are today.If you feel stuck or that you are struggling to be the person who you really want to be, then I guarantee that you'll feel different when you've listened to this!

*This episode is part of a wider partnership with Gatineau Skincare*In this episode I'm chatting to the amazing Heather Berry. Heather is the Sales and Marketing Director of Gatineau Skincare and a woman who I have been getting to know over the last few months. (She's funny, outspoken and authentic...a true Outspoken Beauty!) During the episode Heather tells me the story of Jeanne Gatineau, a woman who was way ahead of her time and founded her business in the 1930's when she was in her mid 40's. Jean was an aesthetician who truly understood skin and her legacy lives on to this day. We go on to explore what makes Gatineau such a special brand .... the science, the independent clinical trials, the feel of the products, the excellent results AND the way it uplifts women. This is a brand that I rate incredibly highly and the more I use it the more I don't want to be without it. We'll talk you through some of their icons and explain why they're so good.Keep listening as you'll also hear from four members of the Outspoken Beauty Trialling Panel. We've had 100 Outspoken Beauties trying the new Multi-Acid Resurfacing Pads and Bec, Zara, Lucy and Lauren will be giving their honest thoughts about them.This is a great episode about one of my favourite skincare brands. I hope you enjoy getting to know them.

Perdi Nouril is the Beauty Editor of Women's Health and I'm so lucky that she also joins me each week to do deep dives into the beauty industry, ingredients, trends and more. I also love the fact that she's not afraid to be outspoken.This week we're having a much needed chat/reminder about why Vitamin C is such a good skincare ingredient and why. We're also talking about the different forms of Vitamin C, the one that is best for sensitive skin and brands that we really rate when it comes to formulating with this proven and brilliant ingredient.In an industry that is brimming with newness and can feel very over-whelming, it's nice to go back to basics in this episode.

In this week's Outspoken Review I'll be telling you about some of the incredible things that I've got planned for you over the next few months.I'm also going to give you the final clue for the Win £1000 Worth of Beauty Products competition. Finally I have a list of favourite products of the week, will report in on some Festive launches I've been to and also need to tell you why I think there are too many advent calendars around this year.

Feeling exhausted and just want to sleep the whole time?In this episode I'm chatting about my realisation that whilst I thought I was switching off, I was actually bombarding my brain and totally over stimulating myself which I think has led to a general feeling of exhaustion.I'll tell you about something simple that I'm going to try and do in to make sure that my poor nervous system has a break.

My guest in this episode is beauty royalty. I'm really excited to welcome author, speaker, co-founder of Green & Blacks Chocolate, On The Scent Media AND The Beauty Bible, Josephine Fairley.In this episode, Jo and I are delving into her brand new book, The Beauty Bible, Iconic Edition.Jo and Sarah Stacey launched The Beauty Bible in 1996. The idea was to get women to independently trial products and give their honest opinions (much like the Outspoken Beauty Trialling Panel). The results were then shared via their first book The Beauty Bible and later on their website beautybible.com. Now, 30 years later, they've published their final book which features products that have stood the test of time, lots of tips and hints and interviews with some of the industry's greats. It's a book that every beauty lover will adore!During the episode we chat about Jo's career, her Beauty Bible journey and how the beauty industry has changed over the years. We also delve into the book.There is nothing about beauty that Jo doesn't know about. She's a true doyenne of the industry.

Beauty editor Perdita Nouril is back and we're chatting about some of the amazing and incredibly inspiring beauty launches we've been to plus why we all need to rediscover Dr Haushka!

In this week's Outspoken Review I'm telling you about:The most stunning liquid eye-shadow from MAC and why it beats all the others I've triedA GP's tip for living longer and helping just about every aspect of our healthAutumn fashionWhy I've fallen back in love with Laura Mercierand lots more....The third letter in the big beauty competition will be revealed on Sunday xx

Bryony Blake is back for our fortnightly catch up and we've got lots to discuss including September resets and Bryony's amazing experience at the Practical Magic Premiere. We're got some lovely makeup recommendations too.If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning £1000 worth of makeup goodies make sure you listen out for this episode's letter. Once you have all four, work out the word and leave a comment on @outspokenbeautynicola or DM me. The winner will be picked at random and announced on 30th September 2026.

In this week's Outspoken Review I'm giving you the first of four letters that you'll need to collect in order to be in with a chance of winning £1000 worth of beauty goodies. This is all in celebration of 8 years of the podcast!!*I'll also be talking about the new Trinny London Fearless Skin Drops and a beautiful illuminating base from the brand Votary. Plus I'll be telling you why The Body Shop are doing some incredible things at the moment and why notepads are so important to me!Download wherever you get your podcasts.*Competition t's and c's:Listen to this and the next three episodes of Outspoken Beauty to collect four letters that make up a word linked to the podcastEither DM me the word or leave a comment under a post about the competition over on my Insta @outspokenbeautynicolaTag a friend who you'd like to share the prize with and make sure they're following meThe winner will be picked at random on 30th September 2026.