On a nice summer’s day, the more effort you make and the more layers of skincare and make-up you apply, the worse the whole business will all look after a few hours. Don’t get me wrong – you can do a full face in sunny, hot weather, but it requires careful construction, long-wearing products and, ideally, top-ups throughout the day.
If you’re lucky enough to get some holiday time in warm weather here at home or abroad this summer, I heartily recommend tailoring the products you’re using to the climate and your schedule, and not the other way around. On holiday (if not every day), minimal effort with maximal output is the fastest route to looking good without wasting time.
Sun protection is of course essential, and a facial SPF with a glowing finish will amp up light reflection while doing its work and elevating make-up.
Chanel Sublimage La Protection UV SPF50 (€98 at Brown Thomas) is an indulgent luxury option which leaves skin looking glowing and expensive, but any SPF with a radiant finish will impart freshness.
If you want some foundation but are concerned about it migrating, Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint (€44 at cultbeauty.com) is perfect for hot weather. The "tint" title is slightly misleading – it can be worn as a sheer veil of colour, but can equally be built to medium coverage if you want it. This product garners compliments every time I wear it and always looks just as good after several hours of wear.
Travel means that bag space is at a premium, so if you can cut down on colour products, all the better. Charlotte Tilbury Quick & Easy Makeup (€69 at charlottetilbury.com) comes in three iterations, each with a cream eye colour, lip and cheek product, and a highlighter.
It’s five-minute make-up at its very best. You don’t even need brushes to apply the products – fingers work just as well.
Now, holiday hair is a quandary for most of us. Sure, about 2 per cent of women (I may have invented this statistic) have naturally perfect hair without intervention, but those women are regarded with serious suspicion by the other 98 per cent of us. The intense arithmetic and routine of hair washing and styling is not something to bring on holiday with you. Throw it up in a bun if it’s long enough, but if you like to wear it down and crave that naturally textured look of the elite 2 per cent, scrunch JVN Hair Complete Air Dry Cream (€24 at Space NK) through mid-lengths and ends when hair is quite damp after washing. Don’t forget the top of your head, where fluffy little flyaways tend to reach skyward from the roots and mar the finish.
If you have finer hair, keep product to a bare minimum near the root to prolong time till your next wash day. This product won’t give you a faux blow dry, but it will give you your natural hair at its most fulfilled potential.
Product of the Week
Jo Malone London Wild Swimming Collection (from €64 per fragrance at Brown Thomas)
