Top ten summer beauty products

Summer is a time for sun bathing, ice cream, days at the beach, beer gardens and fun in the sun. However with summer also comes dry skin, oily faces, sweaty bodies, beach hair (not the good sexy kind, the sand covered, knotted greasy kind) and the dreaded appointment with a razor needed after a long winter of growing your leg hair into a style even Chewbacca would envy.

Also for those of us blessed without the ability to tan naturally, summer brings months of fake tan induced stress. So I’ve made a list of my top ten beauty buys that you won’t be able to live without this summer!

The first thing on my list is E45 moisturising lotion. I started using this when I was diagnosed with psoriasis, since then I have moved on to stronger skin creams to try tackle the problem, but E45 has remained one of my favourite products for banishing dry skin. It’s great because you can use it on your face and body and you will notice a difference in your skin overnight! You can purchase E45 from most supermarkets, chemists and stores like Superdrug and Boots. Get it from Boots here.

Your hair goes through a lot in summer, you take it from beach to beer garden without giving it a second thought, but that much sun can have a lasting damaging affect, especially to coloured hair. Make sure you condition your hair well during the summer months and try to wash the beach out of it as soon as you can. But for those of us who just want to keep going this summer there is dry shampoo!

The best brand out there is probably Batiste which is great for use between washes. It will help transform the greasy beach hair into fresh, voluminous looking locks. It’s also an absolute must have if you’re attending festivals this year! It’ll keep you looking fresh and party ready. My favourite Batiste product is their floral scented ‘blush’ dry shampoo which you can get here.

The next product on my list is for all you pale lovelies out there! It’s Dove’s Summer Glow moisturising lotion. This is a gradual tanning product that you can use daily to help give your skin that natural summer glow you so desperately crave! I’ve used this product for years and my only advice is that your wear a tanning mitt or glove when applying as it will tan your palms! It comes in two shades ‘fair to medium’ and ‘medium to dark’, if you’re a pale girl like me just looking for a glow I recommend the fair to medium and then working up to medium to dark if you want a darker tan. Get the fair skin option here.

The next two things on my list I’m going to review together. One of the worst things about dry skin is how painful having dry hands and feet can be. Walking around in heels at summer parties and sandals at the beach can really do a number on your heels, this is why I make sure I always have a handbag sized ‘heel genius’ from Soap & Glory at the ready, get it here! The ‘hand food’ from Soap & Glory is also a handbag essential for those of us who deal with dry skin in the summer. You can get that here.

Sweat is easily the most annoying thing about summer, as much as we all want to deny it, us girls get sweaty too in the summer! And sweat does absolute horrific things to our pores, they block them up with sweat and grease and all the perfectly applied make up from the morning will ultimately sweat off and into our pores by the end of the day.

To tackle this I use T-ZONE clear pore anti-bacterial cleanser. All you have to do is dab a tiny bit onto a cotton bud and rub it onto your face morning and night. It cleanses your skin and removes oil, grease and spot causing bacteria. It also helps tackle spots that are already on your face! This product is available on eBay and Amazon but is stocked in Home Bargain stores across the UK, so head to local store ASAP!

Finding a foundation that adapts the way your skin does during summer is nearly impossible and the majority of us can’t afford to buy a new one every time our tan (fake or otherwise) darkens. The best product I have found for this to date is Rimmel’s Match Perfection foundation, it’s a medium coverage foundation which means it still shows some of your natural skin colour underneath. Each foundation covers a shade darker or lighter which is great if you expect to tan during summer! I have shade 010 Light Porcelain which is the palest available – I would not advise buying this shade if you aren’t the colour of snow naturally! Shop the range here.

Next on the list is another Soap & Glory product, it is their wonderful body butter ‘The Righteous Butter’ which is a beautifully scented dry skin formula. After showering all you have to do is rub it onto your skin like moisturiser and you’re good to go! It smells floral and is a beautiful replacement for pore clogging perfumes in the summer months. You can grab it here!

The next product is a super bargain, the Collection 2000 pressed powder is just £1.99 is great for brushing on to help matte out sweaty/burnt summer faces. It can be used on bare skin, with primer or over foundation to help give your make up a matte look. The pressed powder comes in seven shades and the one shown above is shade Ivory 18. Browse the shades here.

The final product on the list is my absolute favourite beauty buy at the moment! It’s one of those products you wonder how you ever lived without after you’ve used it once! It’s the Kleenex shine absorbing sheets which you can use on your skin with or without make up (it leaves your make up completely intact!) All you do is wipe one sheet around your face like a makeup wipe and it gathers all the oil and grease off your skin leaving your face looking smooth and shine free! They are a serious must have for the sweaty summer months and genuinely don’t know how I lived life before these sheets! Get them here!

All the products above are great for summer holidays and most are travel sized or can be purchased in travel sized versions. I hope this post has helped those of you looking for some great summer products, let me know if you try any out! Also let me know what your favourite summer products are in a comment below!