I could give the Lady Boys of Bangkok a run for their money – Hayley Matthews

With kids full of the cold, a bit of pampering – in the shape of ‘Lady Boys of Bangkok’ ice cream and self-tan – was just what the doctor ordered for Hayley Matthews.

Something fruity from the Lady Boys of Bangkok - a special ice-cream. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The summer cold hit us hard last week and, to be honest, it’s all been a bit of a blur with a few nights of sleeping in 20-minute blocks. You see, babies have no idea how to blow their noses so until they can communicate and I can tell baby Oryn to blow his nose, we’re left sucking bogies out at 3am each night using the dreaded aspirator.

Let’s just say the aspirator is no one’s friend, the bogie-wheeching, schnatter-sucking device is dreaded every time I whip it out. The ironic thing is that, when I use it to sook the bogies out, the tears and tantrums that come with the process, mean there are more tears and snot than we had to begin with. We’ve all been a bit stir crazy so when a few invites came through at the start of the week, they were ­gratefully received.

The first event was to celebrate the Lady Boys’ incredible 21st year appearing at the Edinburgh festival. We were invited to Luca’s at Morningside to see the cast of the Lady Boys of Bangkok and to taste their specially created ice cream called Showgirl.

I won’t give too much away as you really need to go and taste it for yourselves – but I can tell you that it’s nut-free! My seven-year-old enjoyed it and even baby Oryn got a wee taste to help cheer him up.

The other invite was for some sheer indulgence and I wasn’t going to knock that back in a million years. Amanda Harrington, self-tanner to the stars, was up in Edinburgh launching her self-tan range in Harvey Nichols and was offering to tan some lucky people in The Edinburgh Grand hotel next door. The thought of getting some self care was very appealing.

I love self-tan, but since having baby No 2 I never get the chance to do a full hair-brushing, let alone a full-body self-tan and it does make me feel so much better when I look a golden shade of J-Lo.

The closest I’ve got to that recently is buying on recommendation some lovely Isle of Paradise tan drops from Boots to add to my moisturiser and that’s as much as I’ve had time for. They are lovely and golden and I adore how they are vegan. It’s also a quick way of sneaking your tan into your routine if you don’t have time for a full body one.

But, seriously, being a busy mum of two, my to-do list is endless, although I did manage to turn up to the Edinburgh Grand showered, shaved and ready to meet Amanda to chat. She was delightful to meet in the flesh, very beautiful and excited about me being tanned.

Kelly Mendola, one of her experts, took me through to the luxurious Directors Suite and explained the process. Standing starkers in a hotel room suite whilst a stranger brushes self-tan over your body might sound daunting for some. However, it was just what I needed. Kelly explained the three-step process and used Amanda’s brushes to apply the tan in shade Olive. I have to admit I felt really spoilt and within an hour had been transformed into J-Lo – well, in my head I look like J-Lo.

Amanda’s tan range is now available in Harvey Nichols and she explained how the brush comes with her face and body sets so customers can apply tan using her technique.

I have to admit I feel more confident now after my all over body glow and could even give the gorgeous Lady Boys of Bangkok a run for their money in the glam department!