beauty spot: summer holiday essentials

Summer holiday season is upon us so I thought it was a good time to share my summer beauty essentials. Whether you’re splashing in the surf, lazing by the pool or strolling around an exotic village, there are a few things every girl needs to carry in her luggage.

Sunscreen is obviously top of my list and with skin as lily white as mine, frequent reapplication is a must! I recently picked up the Peter Thomas Roth Mineral SPF Brush (1) and I am now obsessed with it! There’s an SPF30 version that is also designed to blot oily skin, and there’s an SPF45 version for anti-aging as well (although it currently seems to be sold out almost everywhere). I managed to nab the very last SPF30 one in Sephora and if you can get your hands on one, I highly recommend it for those pre-lunch-in-the-sun touch-ups.

Of course, I want to make sure that I have a solid base of sunscreen on my face before I head out. This isn’t just a rule on holiday for me, but I do like to make sure I’m wearing a particularly high SPF when I’m planning to be outside. I like to layer up my products to make sure I don’t miss any spots and at the moment, I’m loving the combination of Benefit Big Easy BB Cream (2) over a base of Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Defense (3). The layering doesn’t increase the SPF, but it does reduce the chance that I’ve missed part of my face, as I don’t use particularly thick layers of either. I’ll then add a dab of Perricone MD No Blush Blush (4) along the high points of my cheeks to provide extra protection right where the sun hits, and the swipe on some Fresh Sugar Lip Balm (5). All the products have in-built SPF to make it easy to remember and best of all, the formulations aren’t at all greasy.

While I make all efforts to protect my face, the sun, salt and inevitable cocktails take their toll so a moisturising mask helps keep everything healthy. I love the Bioderma Hydrabio Mask (6) – usually I’ll slap it on before I go to sleep and wake up with lovely, rehydrated skin ready to face another day.

And, last of all, a good quality sleep mask should always be in your bag. The sun rises so early over the summer that if the curtains in your holiday room aren’t thick enough, you could be awake just mere hours after falling into bed! I wear my Holistic Silk mask (7) to help me catch up on some much needed rest.

What are your summer essentials?