Seasonal Beauty Edits are some of my favourite blog posts to read and YouTube videos to watch so now I'm back off holiday and it's well and truly Summer, I thought it was time I put together my own! I wanted to wait until I got back off holiday so I could see what I actually used over there and which products could stand up to the heat...
Skincare
Vichy Aqualia Thermale Serum, £22.50
An amazingly light moisture-replenisher is this serum from Vichy. It's water-based so again it sinks in with ease, giving my skin immediate and noticeable hydration.
Body Shop Glow Boosting Moisturiser, £16
Refreshing skincare is something I look for especially in summer and the Body Shop's newest moisturiser fits the bill and is extremely affordable. It has a gel formula, meaning it's light but extremely hydrating, sinking right into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. It gives my dull skin a much-needed boost of radiance and plumps it up a little.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir, £11.50 (30ml)
I'm never sure if facial mists are doing anything that life-changing, however I've found this one so nice and refreshing I really had to include it. A few beauty gurus have mentioned it's quite calming for on flights and I can definitely vouch for this too. It also provides a great boost of hydration, again handy if you’re flying. It's a lovely little perk up, especially if it's 3pm and you’re trapped in a sweltering office all day...
La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Face Ultra-Light Fluid SPF50+, £16.50
There used to be two choices for high-protection facial SPF: slather on some thick, white gloop or splash out on a more wearable formula from a brand like Clarins or Clinique. Thankfully the French pharmacy skincare brands now offer wearable, high SPF protection at very reasonable prices. This is so lightweight (and also slightly tinted to avoid the white-wash look) it barely feels like you’re wearing anything and as long as you wait a little before applying makeup (to avoid the dreaded SPF ‘peeling’ effect) it makes a really great base for it.
Vichy Normaderm Total Mat, £13
When I head to the beach, it's usually just a bit of BB Cream and concealer, however in Croatia I applied this in place of a primer each day and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure how a product can be both hydrating and mattifying but this somehow is! I have combination but dehydrated skin, which is basically a nightmare... This injects some hydration as well as providing a shine-free base.
Makeup & Other Beauty
Cover FX BB Gel Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment*, £35
I won’t go on and on about this as it’s getting its own post later this week however if you have oily, blemish-prone or even just shine-prone skin then this base is going to be your best friend over summer. It’s non-drying, mattifying, great coverage, light and long-lasting.
Maybelline Eye Eraser Concealer, £7.99
I pair this with a corrector under my eyes every single day and it’s especially perfect for summer as it offers good coverage whilst still being light, fluffy and effortless to blend into a lighter-coverage base.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, £17.50
Another great concealer for this time of year is the Urban Decay Naked Skin. Whilst I disagree slightly with it being flawless and full coverage (I would say it’s more medium), I definitely agree with the ‘weightless’ part. It’s good on blemishes and redness if you’re not going through a major breakout, it’s light enough to use for highlighting (I know a lot of people say the Nars is but personally I find it way too heavy and drying for that!) and it’s not too heavy for under the eyes. Again it works really nicely to add a bit of extra coverage to a light base.
Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, £8.99
I won’t bore you too much as this is always my powder pick but for Summer it’s especially important as I get major facial shine. What I like about this is that it doesn’t matter how many times you re-apply it throughout the day, it will never look cakey or drying. It mattifies without dullness, letting your (shine-free!) glow come through.
Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Ginger, £17
I rarely get on with cream blushers (one of the few I really like is the KIKO Stick Blush), they just seem to go patchy on my combination skin so I’m afraid both my picks are powder formulas. The first is this pretty little blusher from Clinique. The compact size makes it ideal for travelling and I just love the flower pattern on the product itself. The formula is so smooth and easy to work with and very long-lasting for hot summer days and nights. There’s the tiniest amount of sheen-y shimmer in there and the pigmentation is just perfect as there’s colour pay-off but it isn’t too easy to go overboard. Ginger Pop is a gorgeous deep pink-peach shade, perfect for medium-deep skintones.
Tarte 12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Captivating, $28
I couldn’t do this post without mentioning this beauty (though I’m afraid it isn’t that accessible in the UK). I really want to get my hands on some more Tarte blushes as the application is smooth and effortless, they’re beautifully pigmented and so long-lasting. Captivating is a bright matte peach that’s well worth adding to your order if you’re planning a Sephora haul this summer.
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Global Glow, £24
This is something I picked up in duty Free but couldn’t resist opening whilst I was over in Croatia. Everyone raves about Soft and Gentle, and whilst it looked nice and would work on my skin tone, I thought the golden-bronze shade Global Glow would be perfect for this time of year. It looks in the pan to be a crazy full-on glittery highlight, however on the skin it’s much more subtle and gives a lovely dewy glow.
Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Bare, £11.99
I have a few of these liquid highlighters/illuminators (see my review and swatches on them here) however my favourite has to be Bare Light (Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal dupe?!) It's just the perfect natural not-too-gold, not-too-pink sheen-y shimmer highlighting shade. At the moment I'm loving using this like a primer underneath my base however it works really nicely mixed in with foundation too. If you want to get on the strobing hype, this is a subtle and affordable option used on top of foundation on the high points of the face where light naturally hits it.
Body Shop Honey Bronzer Powder, £13
I’m not much of a bronzer girl but I make an exception for this much-loved offering from the Body Shop. I maybe could’ve got a shade darker (I chose 04 as it looked warmer-toned than the other two darker colours) however I still love the warmth it adds to the face. It’s a matte formula with just the right level of pigment for when you want ‘something’ but not a full on contour. I just take a big fluffy brush and sweep some across my temples
Maybelline 24-Hour Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in On & On Bronze, £4.99
I pretty much use Colour Tattoos all year round (read about my collection here) and On & On Bronze is my absolute favourite, however these last so incredibly well in the heat! This is the perfect neutral brown shimmer (not too warm, not too cool in tone) and perfect for when you want a little something on your lids but you don't want to take ages about it.
EOS Coconut Milk Lip Balm, £5.99
I’m veeeery late to the party on these! I think I just morally objected to how much more expensive they are in the UK compared to the US, however I’m not regretting caving! Essentially it’s just a lip balm but the fragrance and flavour are both amazing and not too sweet. I find the formula works really well on my lips and the packaging is very travel-friendly.
Fresh Sugar Treatment in Honey, £18
I have a couple of shades of this (see a full review and swatches here) however Honey is the one I took on holiday so I thought it would be the best one to include here. It’s such a great lip treatment; not slippery or thick but very hydrating. It contains SPF 15, which is a plus. On top of that I just love the warm nude shade of Honey. It’s just enough to be something but is still really low-key and natural.
Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in Rose, £7.99
A bit of a surprise love for me! I picked up a few shades in these when they first came out but the others weren’t really doing it for me; they were a bit too bold, I didn’t realise they contained shimmer and bright shade + creamy formula = transfer. However Rose is a really great shade; somehow vibrant but natural. It’s definitely lighter than I usually go for but there’s something about this shade that just pops against a tan.
Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray, £9 (30ml)
I’d never tried any Urban Decay Setting Spray but the travel minis were beckoning and at £9 I thought this was worth a shot. As I’ve mentioned previously, my face has a habit of reducing to an oil slick in the heat but this has been a great help. A spritz or two over even a fairly dewy base staves off the shine for a good while. Whilst eventually shine does start to set in, I definitely get a lot longer out of my makeup using this.
Barry M Sunset Daylight Curing Nail Paint in Fuchsia Generation, £4.99
As I’ve mentioned in my post, I was a little in two minds over the Sunset Daylight Curing range, as I just didn’t feel they lasted as long as they claimed and the topcoat didn’t seem to do much. However, there’s no denying they’re gorgeous shades for Summer and this gorgeous bright-but-deep gel-look fuchsia shade did last on my toes the entire week with no re-applications in Croatia.
1 - Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 04, 2 - MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Global Glow, 3 - Revlon Skinlights Illuminator in Bare, 4 - Clinique Ginger Pop, 5 - Tarte Captivating, 6 - Maybelline On & On Bronze, 7 - Fresh Honey, 8 - Revlon Ultra HD Rose
Body & Hair
La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ Spray, £17.50
Sun protection is something I'm very guilty of overlooking, perhaps because of the awful memories I have of being slathered in this white gloop that never seemed to go sheer as a child... However sunscreen has come a long way since then! I've never tried a high SPF that's so light, weightless and easy-to-apply (the pump packaging is always handy).
Body Shop Honey Bronze ShimmeringDry Oil in 02 Golden Honey, £16
From Nars to Clarins (and heaps more!), every high-end brand seems to do a shimmering body oil however this year I got my hands on a more purse-friendly alternative. Personally this is kind of an 'unnecessary luxury' type of product to me so I wouldn’t spend £30+ just to feel Golden Goddess-y (if I purely want an excellent moisturising body oil then the Palmers one is £5-ish). Firstly, this is incredible hydrating, however it also has a lovely honey scent which just screams 'summer' to me and I love the subtle golden shimmer. Now I'm back in the UK I feel like I'll be whipping my legs out at every opportunity just so I can slather them in this! Do bear in mind though that this has a slight tint to it so maybe avoid wearing white when you have this on.
Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Tan Glow, £9.99
I was in two minds on whether to include this as I love the effect but hate the mess it creates! However I thought that as a non-fake-tanner I’m a little less used to the messiness than others may be, so I went for it. Legs can be pretty unpleasant: blotchiness, veins, KP, old bruises…just to name a few things! This offers a temporary solution to this. You effectively ‘spray on’ the perfect tanned legs and the results are pretty impressive! I would definitely reserve this for nights out (preferably when I’m wearing black) as it’s essentially body makeup that can transfer.
Soap & Glory Fruitigo Body Spray*, £4
I've been trying out a few scents in the Soap & Glory Body Sprays however Fruitigo was The One for me. I realised it reminds me a lot of Diptyque's Philosykos, which was confirmed when I looked it up and discovered the main scent in it is Wild Fig. I used this every day on holiday as personally I don't really want to wear a very pricey scent to the beach or pool so these are a lovely, refreshing, affordable and travel-friendly alternative.
Diptyque Oyedo Eau de Toilette, £75 (100ml)
Fruity scents don’t seem to be the most popular fragrance family out there, however there’s nothing more perfect for summer. Oyedo (review here) is a beautiful citrus and cedar wood scent that’s both deep and fresh at the same time. The main notes are the zesty orange and lemon, however the underlying woodiness really adds another dimension.
Boots Build-Up Removal Shampoo, £3.50
Perhaps it’s the unavoidable sweatiness that comes with summer but I always find my hair is more prone to greasy roots and product build-up during the hotter months. This is a bargain miracle at making your hair last a few days longer without drying it out too much. I have very dry hair so I use a small amount at most once a week, applied directly to the roots (avoiding at all costs my dry ends).
Morocccanoil Curl Defining Cream, £8.75 (75ml)
Curly hair can be high-maintenance when water is involved (usually it just dries really frizzy!) Unless you fancy avoiding the pool/sea all holiday, this is well worth a try. Just brush it through with a Tangle Teezer or Wetbrush when you're done swimming, apply a bit of this and your curls will be soft and defined (but not crispy!)
Lee Stafford Ubuntu Oils Heat Protection Spray, £10.99
It’s been a while since I forayed into a new heat protection spray but this one from Lee Stafford is so nourishing and smells amazingly summery! It doesn’t stay ‘wet’ on the hair for too long or get sticky but I have noticed my hair looking shinier after heat styling following applying this.
Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray, £6.99
Of course dry shampoo is a must for summer, but I’ve made a new discovery this year in the form of texturising spray. Summer can be a time of limp, greasy roots when you really want that voluminous, textured beachy look. This is seriously miraculous! You know it’s good when several non-bloggers come and compliment your hair! The best part is that it doesn’t leave your hair feeling full of product afterwards so it’s fine to use on just-washed hair (which can be the limpest kind!)
Congratulations to those who made it to the end of that epic post! What are your Summer beauty essentials?
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