Ad | My Travel and Summer Beauty Essentials from Boots

There are two things I do with my beauty routine when summer rolls around: 1. Increase SPF to protect my skin, and 2. Decrease the amount of makeup I wear because… Summer.

This is a paid partnership with Boots. Full disclosure

Having been an avid sun worshipper for all my life up till my early 40s (when the reality of my baking-in-the-sun days hit me in the face with forehead pigmentation from hell), I’ve somewhat gone the other way and now make sure I Protect My Skin At All Costs. Now, despite me saying that I wear less makeup in summer – I do – it doesn’t mean that I drop it altogether, oh no.

I will never be one of those “I woke up like this!” girls with bright eyes and glowing skin, so there are a few items that I couldn’t do without, and would never want to do without, even in hotter weather or on holiday when I want to make minimal effort but get maximum results. (Yes, I want the impossible.)

I’ve chosen three essential items from Boots because they’ve got travel and summer beauty essentials down to a fine art (you know it, I know it, everybody knows it). I’ve put these products through their paces and can tell you that they’re the bumblebee’s knees. Plus a couple of bonus items that I selected randomly, or not so randomly once you know that these beauty products are my (literal!) desert island products, if you will.

So if you’re going away on holiday (lucky you) or a staycation here in lovely Blighty or EVEN enjoying your back garden or local park, I can highly recommend these products. They’re also reasonably priced, no outrageously expensive designer products here. And without further ado, they are…

SPF foundation

It goes without saying that we need to protect our skin from the sun all year round, not just in the summer. I’ll wear SPF15 moisturiser in winter and then as soon as spring hits I switch to SPF30 or 50. But did you know that you can get SPF foundation? Why did nobody do this before? It’s a genius idea. So as well as my SPF50 moisturiser I’ll wear a foundation that also gives me protection, and the one I’ll adore forever more is IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream SPF50. (To stay fully protected ensure you’re using your regular SPF and reapply regularly.)

Now, do NOT be put off by the fact that they describe it as “full coverage”… it is, but it doesn’t look it, or feel it. I honestly don’t know how they’ve managed it but this foundation really does cover well – so much so that I haven’t worn concealer since I first started using it – but somehow, when you’re wearing it your skin still looks like skin. And I promise you that’s the case, because I am generally not a fan of foundation. Given the choice of no foundation with uneven skin tone and blemishes showing, or heavy, cakey foundation with full coverage, I’ll always choose the former.

It doesn’t cover my freckles but it evens out my skin tone (and the colour Light is the best foundation colour match I’ve ever found). I love it and you’d be hard pushed to get me to change to another brand.

Waterproof mascara

I think most women would agree that mascara is the one thing they can’t go without, and for me, it has to be waterproof mascara. I am forever on the hunt for the holy grail of waterproof mascaras, and the NYX Professional Makeup Worth the Hype Waterproof Mascara comes close. It was new to me, but with all its glowing reviews I thought I’d give it a go.

Two things to note about why it’s so great: Firstly, it’s not all over the top of my cheeks halfway through the day. It doesn’t smudge or run (I should hope not, being waterproof!) or flake off which I find many waterproof mascaras do. And secondly, it makes my lashes look incredible. I know that should be the number 1 priority, but I’m the sort of person who’d rather have subtle lashes if the mascara stays where it should, i.e. on my lashes. With this, you get both. Just look at the picture of my lashes: as I said, incredible. Maybe the best bit: IT’S LESS THAN A TENNER. Fabulous.

Waterproof eyeliner

Now I wouldn’t have considered eyeliner as an essential before I discovered the one that I tested for this blog post. If you’d have said But what about waterproof eyeliner, I might have said, Go on, I’m listening…!  For me, I don’t mind my eyes without eyeliner. Mascara yes, that’s a necessity (who doesn’t want big, long lashes?). Eyeliner, I’m happy without. But I chose to test the NYX Professional Makeup Epic Wear Long Lasting Liner Stick (yes, NYX again), and ERMAHGERD it’s a game-changer. I have vowed to find the extra minute or so every morning to put this on because – waterproof? Check. Wide range of colours? Check. Reasonably priced? Check. Goes on softly [doesn’t drag older eyelid skin], blends beautifully without disappearing and perfectly pigmented? Check, check, check.

The combination of the NYX mascara and the NYX eyeliner is a match made in summer makeup heaven, because these two ain’t going anywhere whether you’re swimming, sweating or sunbathing. And above all I think they make my eyes (for want of a better phrase) look pretty. Pretty eyes that don’t slide down my face in hot weather? I’m in.

My desert island luxury extras

As well as the three essentials I chose from Boots’ list of SPF foundations, waterproof mascaras and waterproof eyeliners, I chose two products that I ADORE and think you’d like to know about as well. I’ve written about both before, and they both come highly recommended.

Self-tanning lotion

First up is the Dove Summer Revived Self Tanning Body Lotion – another bargain at under a tenner. But the results are worth much more than that: I use the Medium to Dark colour, and if you’re on the paler side like me then don’t be put off by the shade “Dark”. You won’t go orange, you won’t smell of biscuits (it just smells like a lovely moisturiser) and you’ll get a subtle, glowy colour overnight. I use this before bed after showering and make sure that I apply SPF sun cream before going outside in the morning. And you’ll be moisturised to the hilt. Win, win, win.

Light summer fragrance

The other product is the delicious Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Crush Cheirosa 62 Perfume Mist: if you’ve ever smelt this you’ll know what I mean when I say it smells like a golden age summer. It’s a light body mist that smells like sweets, sun cream and cocktails all rolled into one. Its actual smell is pistachio and salted caramel, and as it’s my life’s purpose to try every single salted caramel-flavoured foodstuff in the world ever, then it’s only right that I wear this in summer to continue that sweet-flavoured theme and keep smelling myself because I smell goooooood.

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A word about sun protection

Although I mentioned wearing sun cream before, I want to reiterate the huge importance of protecting your skin from the sun. Your face will thank you for it; your [future] health will thank you for it. Baking yourself outside is not worth the risk when there are so many incredible fake tan and self-tanning products on the market as well as the all-important sun creams with high SPF. If you’re going on holiday – home or abroad – or just staying at home, then please make sure you practice #SafeSun.

But above all, enjoy yourself and enjoy your protected, waterproofed and gorgeous-smelling self!

Your turn – what are YOUR travel and summer essentials? Are you a waterproof mascara and self-tanning product fan like me? Share with me in the comments below!

Thanks for reading xoxo

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