Sun Effects
Upon returning from the land of sun I have to battle many things:
- Being back home and having to return to work.
- The fear of losing your tan before you see a significant amount of people.
- The never ending job of moisturing your ENITIRE body, morning, night, lunchtimes...
- None of your foundations being the right match for your skin tone.
So we could say this post is my top tips to defeat these and then some. Obviously I can't help with the return to work fear, and how sociable or unsociable you are, but the beauty part, I can give it a go.
I normally like to spend every waking hour frying in the sun when I’m on holiday(slathered head to toe in SPF obviously) which means my skin on my face and body can get so dry! Lancaster’s tan Maximiser after sun is my saving grace. It’s lightweight enough to not make you feel greasy or hot, but has enough ‘oomph’ to actually leave your skin feeling hydrated. I only use this product for my body, as I like to layer lots of products on face.
The skin on my face is that irritating combination of very dry and oily, so when I have come back from holiday it’s even more of a chore to find the right group of products to achieve fresh hydrated skin without exacerbating areas of oiliness. By layering products you can create a more bespoke skincare routine that cater to all your needs. Step 1, what cleanser do I use? I love Emma Hardie Moringa Balm. You take a small amount into the palm of your hands and warm up until it transforms into an oil then massage into the skin, if you have an oily t zone like me, just lightly apply to that area. Then grab the cloth and run under warm water to remove the cleanser. Overall it leaves the skin super clean, hydrated, due to the oil based formula, and gently exfoliated aswell so your skin remains smooth, but your tan intact. Step 2 Serums- Your serum is where you tweak and alter your skincare routine depending on what time of day and what any extra boosts your skin may need. I have a few favourite go too serums. FaceGym the latest facial craze boasts a plethora of skincare products available at their locations from a variety of brands including own brand products made in store. My favourite of these is their Gin and Tonic face oil for congested skin, just a couple of drops of this before my moisturiser leaves my skin hydrated and comforted for the day, it also smells incredible(juniper and lime!). If I’m wanting something more lightweight especially before I apply my makeup, Pixi’s Caviar Essence absorbs instantly into the skin and feels so refreshing. Nighttime is when your skin actively repairs itself so using a serum that caters to this is a must. Aurelia Cell Night Repair Oil, with neroli, lavender, rose and mandarin cocoons and comforts the skin whilst also helping your body to relax for sleep. Step 3 Eyecreams- You cannot forget your delicate area. BeautyPie’s Plantasic Youth Guard Eye Cream has so much hydration to it that it really is a miracle cream pot, your put on at night and wake up a with eyes of a 12 year old! Royal Fern is an amazing brand that uses ‘highly effective substances from nature and modern anti aging cell research’ their Phytoactive eye cream is amazing for the day with its super lightweight texture it’s perfect for pre makeup application and it works, it’s also perfect for even the most sensitive of eyes. For those of you that wake up with bags making you look like you have suffered a mild allergic reaction during the night the Jade Eye Roller from Cult Beauty is your best friend. Step 4 Moisturiser- the most basic of steps, and one that is essential for moisture starved skin! Royal Fern to the rescue again! Phytoactive anti aging cream is heaven, you need the smallest amount to transform your skin, and your skin remains hydrated throughout the entire day! A cheap and cheerful option is Garniers Botanical Balm soothing moisturiser, you can use day, night and as a mask! Can feel a little thick so for those with combination skin like me really warm it up between your fingers. Step 5 the Facial Mist- I have only recently started using these Tatcha’s dewy skin mist is glorious. The one rule when using this, you have to spray like the influencer you all are. 💁🏽♀️
So thank you my little skin care warriors 🙏🏽
It’s not just my skincare that I have to totally change when I return from the sun, but my makeup too. Most people’s skin texture and colour change post holiday so getting your base right is so important. I have to wear a more dewy finish foundation, and I have to wear less coverage. Your skin on your face has so many different colours that if you wear a full coverage foundation you will look like your wearing a mask. Chanel’s Vitalumiere foundation is amazing, it’s a medium coverage and you can apply a lighter layer in areas where you don’t need full coverage. It’s dewy finish also mimics the skins surface, giving a natural glow to the skin. Now buying a foundation shade that matches your skin perfectly when you have just returned from holiday is a total waste of time as your tan will constantly fade for the following days. Cover fx do custom drops which you can use to deepen the colour of your foundation to suit your skin tone. I also have been using BeautyPie’s gel contour sets to do this as well, I pump a bit of my foundation onto the back of my hand a squeeze some of the contour gel and mix the two. I love the colour of the contour gel as it’s a cool brown tone which suits my natural tan colour really well, and stops you looking as though you have gone overboard with the bronzer! Very important to remember is if you have darkened the shade of your foundation, use a darker shade of concealer because a bright white under eye isn’t too flattering and will result in a intense panda eye look.
For my eye makeup I keep it very simple as I can look a little ‘drag’ if I have a tan and then wear an intense eye look so normally I like to add a wash of the bronzer I have used on my complexion all around the eye, this gives a super natural smokey eye. Chanel’s Les beiges powder in no 50 is my go to bronzer because of its deep earthy tone. I will then normally add a little bit of kohl liner on my top lash line and buff outwards, this helps to intensify the feline look for the eye. Adding a pop of highlighter around the tear duct gives a cute little twinkle to eye and helps to wake up the eye area aswell, Anastasia Beverly Hills x Amrezy highlighter is like powdered gold.
Then to finish with the lips. No matter what your brain tells you, ignore the urge to apply a super pale colour to the lips, this is just going to look wrong and unflattering. I do quite like to sport the 90s lip trend. I use a deeper brown, chestnut tone around the edge of my lips then buff into the centre, Nyx Cosmetics does a great range of reasonably priced lip liners that are soft and easy to use. Their retractable waterproof liner in 01 Nude is a staple, then their suede matte lip crayon in Brooklyn Thorn for a deeper tone. I finish with a light wash of a lighter colour in the centre, this helps to give a plumper pout. Hourglass’s nude retractable lipstick range is beautiful and with varying shades you can easily find the perfect tone for you! I use no 4.
Well I’ll this is my first post, feedback is always appreciated and I do hope you enjoyed it or learnt some things(like how awful my grammar is 🙄)
Big Love
G
x
