Your holiday wardrobe lies in neat, colour co-ordinated piles on the bed, ready to be packed. But your skin, sun and haircare is a whole other story. So here you have it, the ultimate beauty edit, everything you need for your summer beach holiday from skin-soothing SPFs and nourishing hair revivers to texture enhancing shampoos and multi-tasking heat-ready make up that will perfectly offset a tan. . .
La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Dry Touch Gel-Cream SPF 50+, £16.50 Boots.com
Formulated to protect even the most sensitive and sun-shy skins, the latest high-factor sunscreen from La Roche Posay combines broad spectrum sun protection with cutting-edge dry-touch technologies for instant traceless, shine-free application.
Bioderma Photoderm Bronz Invisible Sun Mist SPF50, £12.50 Escentual.com
We’re partial to a spritz of sun protection, because, where creams can often feel icky to reapply beachside, this barely detectable mist applies effortlessly without excessive need for rubbing. Pairing a full spectrum high factor protection with pigment-activating technologies, it also allows for the safest, deepest natural tan.
Bumble and Bumble Surf Foam Wash Shampoo, £18.50 Spacenk.com
If you love the texturising tonic that is Bumble & Bumble’s iconic Surf Spray, you’ll need this in your summer suitcase, and your hair, pronto. Featuring the same blend of minerals and sea botanicals as the salty spritz, the Surf Foam Shampoo cleanses and hydrates your tresses whilst creating those effortless ocean-waves.
Alterna Bamboo Beach Summer Sun Recovery Spray, £14.90 Lookfantastic.com
After the sun has set and before the cocktails have been ordered, spray freshly washed hair with this moisture-infusing spray. Not only will the Organic Bamboo and Tahitian Coconut extract keep you smelling suitably exotic, they’ll also boost the strength, flexibility and moisture level in sun-parched hair.
Dr Sebagh Repair Serum, £86.50 Spacenk.com
After a long day basking in the sunshine (albeit under an umbrella whilst slathered in a high SPF), skin requires a hardy hit of reparative ingredients overnight. This heavy-duty repair serum packs a 50% hyaluronic acid punch, plus other vital vitamins and minerals, to replump and hydrate.
Clarins HydraQuench Cream Mask, £33 Selfridges.com
With a duo of Hyaluronic Acid, and designed for dehydrated skin, surely there’s no better time to slather this quenching mask onto your still-sun-warmed skin than post-beach, balmy summer evenings? Daub the velvety-rich hydrating mask onto face, neck and décolleté, sip an icy cold Corona, and then rinse to reveal bouncy, moisturised skin.
Lancaster After Sun Tan Maximiser, £22 Selfridges.com
There’s nothing quite like the scent of Lancaster aftersun to revive or indeed prolong that holiday feeling. But more than that, the brand’s post sun exposure products are also legendary for their tan-prolonging capabilities. Exclusive technologies work to intensify skin’s melanin production thus helping to boost a tanned skin tone for weeks after sun exposure.
Kora Invigorating Citrus Mist, £32 Net-a-porter.com
Cooling, soothing facial spritzes turn luxe with this super-fine mist from Miranda Kerr’s eco, ethical line. An energising blend of bergamot, orange and aloe vera; spray over skin at every possible opportunity to keep it hydrated, supple and refreshed.
Wella SP Hydrate Mask, £20.25 Lookfantastic.com Hair gets ravaged during the summer. Those sun-bleached, surfer-girl looks paired with the wear and tear of seasalt, sun and chlorine makes for a veritable hair ‘mare. Restore it to its former sheeny, malleable and glossy glory with this intensive hair mask. Apply to the mid lengths and ends in the morning, wrap loosely into a bun, disguise under a headscarf and come your al fresco lunch, after a cold water rinse, hair will have been transformed from straw to hi-shine.
Denman Detangling Brush, £3.50 Boots.com
Without snagging or tearing, work through those seasalt and sand matted tresses poolside with this Ibiza-bright detangling brush.
Nivea Sun Protect Lip Balm, £3.29 Boots.com
Easily forgotten when it comes to protection, lips require a slick of hydrating SPF, so slip this little balm into your Samudra clutch and slick over lips regularly.
Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink, £18 Selfridges.com
Creamy formulas work best against warmed skin in humid temperatures, blending into skin and mimicking its’ dewy texture. This multi purpose pale pink pot imparts a subtle flush of colour to both lips and cheeks, no tools necessary.
Max Factor Lashfinity 3-Day Mascara, £18.99 Boots.com
Sitting somewhere between a lash tint and a waterproof mascara, this long-wearing formula coats lashes in the deepest darkest black pigments and stays there for up to 72 hours. Which means no more fretting over sparse lashes poolside or, worse, inky mascara-smudges upon emerging from the sea.
Estee Lauder Pure Color Cheek Rush, £24 Selfridges.com
This succulent cheek tint is your-skin-but-better-beauty at its best. The water-based gel formula glides over skin, emulating that sexy, healthy flush of tanned cheek after a couple of lengths of gentle breast stroke across the infinity pool.
Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads, £6.50 Hqhair.com
Don’t let awkward post-wax regrowth spoil your body baring. Instead, pack these pads in your cosmetics case and swipe over depilated areas daily to banish unsightly ingrowns.
Givenchy Mister Radiant, £25.50 Debenhams.com
Since its launch, very few Summer days have passed without a daub of this tan-and-shimmer-pigment-in-serum bronzer finding its way onto my face. The glow-enhancing texture works in harmony with the Mediterranean heat and creates the most seamless, skin-imitating tan tone that can be built and blended as your tan deepens.