With the sun out and holidays (hopefully) on the horizon, I have selected my edit of this summer’s most desirable beauty fodder: from flawless scents, to refined glow givers, perfect poolside makeup and hardworking SPFs. The pleasure’s all mine, of course...
Scent to transport you
Italy is this summer’s olfactory destination of choice. For a hit of dolce vita without the plane ticket try Jo Loves With Love from Como A Fragrance (£135 for 100ml, joloves.com ) which conjures up quiet summers by the lake with juicy grapefruit, basil and cedarwood.
Yearning for Capri with its sapphire seas, lemon trees and sun-bleached villas? Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Capri in Love (from £99, boots.com ) is an elegant and fruity treat that will scratch the itch. For me, on the other hand? It’s got to be Santa Maria Novella’s Acqua di Sicilia (£125, uk.smnovella.com), an olfactory love letter to my beloved sun-drenched Sicily with Calabrian bergamot, bitter orange, neroli and rosemary ... Take me there!
So fresh and so clean
I’ve yet to stop cooing at Acqua di Parma’s flawlessly scented, seriously limited edition Mirto di Panarea, Fico di Amalfi and Arancia di Capri soaps (£52 each, selfridges.com), which have been sculpted by designer Dorothée Meilichzon. Forget the bathroom refurb, this is the (marginally) cheaper glow-up your shower needs this summer.
The flawless self tans
Over the decade and a half that I have been working in the beauty industry, I’ve been on a mission to find the crème de la crème of glow-givers that can be tolerated — even adored — by the most reluctant tanners like me. Now I won’t be without this clever quartet.
For the face: Isle of Paradise Drops (£13.62, amazon.co.uk ) which are best mixed with your serum or moisturiser for fantastically easy use. For an instant glow: Vita Liberata Body Blur (£33, vitaliberata.com), which is as close as it comes to an Instagram filter for your limbs. For a seamless finish: Sunless by Jimmy Coco tinted tan soufflé (£29, jimmycoco.co.uk) is infused with hyaluronic acid and utterly foolproof. The gradual: Tan-Luxe The Gradual Illuminating tanning lotion (£25, cultbeauty.co.uk ) delivers beautifully honied skin within the hour.
Good to glow
Parched city skin? Try these complexion-quenchers to restore bounce and dewiness, fast. RéVive Melting Cleanser (£65, reviveskincare.com) removes make-up, sunscreen and summer grime with elegant speed and ease, while Medik8 Hydr8 B5 liquid rehydration serum (£45, cultbeauty.co.uk ) leaves even the most lacklustre skins supple and plump.
Hot new South Korean import Belif The True Cream — Aqua Bomb (£23.95, beautybay.com) satisfies the thirstiest skin, or for an instant hydration hit while on the go try Inkey List’s brilliant and handbag-friendly hydro-surge dewy face mist, (£11, cultbeauty.co.uk).
In need of a speedy glow-up post-flight or pre-party? Mario Badescu’s Hydrogel under eye patches (£24, mariobadescu.com) are a neat solution that will do just the trick.
The cool collab
An elegant, refined and perfectly packaged meeting of minds, the Diptyque x Susanne Kaufmann lip oil (£36, diptyqueparis.com ) works to soften plump and soothe with meadowfoam seed, jojoba and sunflower oils, while its zesty citrus and mint scent uplifts the senses. Put it in your pocket pronto.
The holiday hair heroes
Depending on your destination — and the forecast — summer can be challenging for hair. From humidity to harmful UV rays, drying chlorine and sea water, the hurdles keep on coming. Still, there needn’t be a price to pay for your time in the sun. Here’s what to add to your arsenal.
Hair by Sam McKnight Sundaze Sea Spray (£26, sammcknight.com ) contains heliogenol to protect hair from the UVA and UVB rays that can cause colour fade, frizz and dry brittleness. Moroccanoil high shine gloss mask (£28, uk.moroccanoil.com) combines the benefits of a deep-conditioning hair mask with a professional gloss service. Struggle with frizz when humidity hits?
Kerastase Glaze Drops (£38.80, kerastase.co.uk ) deliver instant and irresistible smoothness and shine. Frustrated by fading? L’Oréal Paris’s Elvive Colour Protect shampoo and conditioner (£4 each, boots.com) help protect your colour and shield hair from UV aggressors.
The makeup must-haves
Summer colour should be sheer, balmy and easy to apply, delivering an elevated you-but-better finish. These three make-up staples are bang on the money. Victoria Beckham Beauty colour wash blush in coral (£44, victoriabeckhambeauty.com, from July 15 ) gives a flawless al fresco flush; Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter in black cherry (£33, selfridges.com ) makes for plumped, kissable, low-maintenance mouths; Fara Homidi essential bronzer compact (£74, farahomidi.com) sculpts and adds glow.
The body booster
This year’s hottest body import (in my opinion) is Uni. Fresh from Australia, it distils the spirit of the sea into a body care range with a zero-waste philosophy.
My pick? The 24-Hour Body Serum (£43, spacenk.com ), with its lightweight but thrillingly hydrating formula inspired by results-driven facial skincare. Powered by the brand’s proprietary Marine Complex — a punchy, hardworking blend of ocean-sourced minerals, antioxidants and nourishers — it delivers 24-hour hydration and glossy, gleaming limbs.
Rehydration station
Too many margaritas? No problem! Swiish Recharge Hydration + Electrolyte sachets (£20 for 20, swiish.com) are formulated for hydration and recovery, working to replenish lost electrolytes fast. Pop one of the handy, single dose sachets into your water bottle and pretend it’s wellness, not survival.
For flawless sundown skin
Is it the perfect evening light, my (ahem) divine and naturally flawless complexion, or the micro-pixel pearls and skin-smoothing squalane in this sensational highlighter that are currently lending my skin its angelic gleam? We all know the answer…Prada’s ravishing Beauty Light Glowing Powder in champagne (£50, selfridges.com ) is the one.
Tipped for success
Butter yellow nails are going nowhere fast and for me it’s got to be Chanel Le Vernis in Ovni (£30, chanel.com — 2) for the win.
Let’s go outside
Sure, it’s a bit of an indulgence, but one you (and your neighbours) won’t regret. Loewe’s stunner of a ginger outdoor candle (£200, libertylondon.com) casts its irresistible spicy, citrussy, high-impact scent far and wide to elevate your evening activities just so.
The spf with benefits
I ask my SPF to work hard for me and these multitaskers deliver time and time again. Ultrasun Body Tan Activator Spray SPF50 (£32, ultrasun.co.uk) is a lightweight gel, proven to increase the skin’s natural tanning ability by 40 per cent over 10 days, while Garnier’s versatile vitamin C brightening over make-up UV SPF50+ mist, (£8.66, boots.com) may be worn under or over make-up while working to brighten the complexion.
The sparkling new, antioxidant-rich SunsolveMD ZnO+ mineral care Detox + Shield SPF50 (£77, sunsolvemd.com) is ideal for us city slickers waging a daily war on London dust and pollution. Last but by no means least, Mecca Cosmetica Lip De-Luscious SPF20 (£20, meccacosmetica.com). boasts shea butter, pomegranate oil, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid for a plumped, protected pout.
And glow...
One final drumroll for Nuxe’s cult and ravishingly scented Huile Prodigieuse Or (£26, uk.nuxe.com ), now available as a roll-on. Sweep it along limbs and collarbone to look like the shimmering, glimmering icon you are.
