Glow safely from sunrise to sunset, advises Sarah Halliwell …
Main featured image via @perfumistress
Summer skincare really means shielding our skin. Most non-melanoma skin cancers are caused by exposure to UV light from the sun. Men should be especially aware, as in general they are less likely to wear sun protection. If you burn even once every two years, you are tripling your chance of melanoma. Wear a hat and sunglasses, and cover up. Skin expert Eavanna Breen notes: “It is essential to wear SPF daily, even when cloudy. The damaging UV rays can age the skin, even when the sun doesn’t feel hot. The sun’s UV rays penetrate the skin and reinforce old damage that might have happened years previously, even as a child.” It’s not just outdoors: damaging rays can penetrate glass, too (i.e. a window or car window). Find an SPF you like wearing and use it religiously and generously. Irish options include Skingredients’ refillable Skin Shield SPF50, which remains one of the nicest to wear (€57 for 73ml), and Finca Organics’ tinted SPF30, a physical sunscreen designed for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin, €30: it’s an environmentally friendly, skin-kind choice with just seven ingredients. I also love Clarins’ wearable UV Plus SPF50 (€40). And a mineral powder is good to take with you for top-ups, as it provides a natural barrier: Clarins do a handy SPF30 compact (€32).
A GOOD GLOW Chanel’s Les Beiges summer collection features three shades of Healthy Glow Sun-Kissed Powder (€75), the light-as-air bronzer, in an oversized compact – a perfect on-the-go make-up companion, with its giant mirror. Ideally, we’d dust it on with Chanel’s equally lavish kabuki brush (€50). The ever-popular Bronzing Cream now comes in a medium bronze, and remains one of the most natural ways to warm up your skin with its light, suedey texture (€46).
FLASH LASHES Lancôme has been known for its mascaras since the 1960s, and new Le 8 Hypnôse, landing late June, is a glam addition to the lineup. Designed to strengthen and condition lashes as well as enhance them (it’s infused with keratin-rich serum), Le 8 is also notable for its glass body, which is recyclable. €37.50 at stockists nationwide.
SAFE SKIN For a daily skin protector – your most vital skin-saver – Australian brand Grown Alchemist’s Natural Hydrating Sunscreen is vegan, reef-safe SPF30, with zinc oxide to shield the skin, and has a light finish. €36; www.grownalchemist.com.
SEEKING SHADES Don’t forget your sunglasses: we spend more time squinting at this time of year, unless we’ve got good sunglasses. To counter the effects, and soothe tired eyes, I’m finding Lancôme’s Génifique Light-Pearl really refreshing, with its cooling applicator, €65.50, at counters nationwide. It’s designed to nourish lashes, too.
COMING UP ROSES? I’ve just tried out some Rose Inc beauty, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s range that’s stocked at SpaceNK. The packaging is lovely, and it’s vegan and cruelty-free. I’m not convinced by every item. Lipsticks (€29) are drying and I find the shades quite murky. I do like the lip/cheek colour (€30), and the low cost of refills (not always the case). Try a tiny smudge on cheeks – it’s quite sticky, so I wouldn’t use a brush, but it blends well. For another cruelty-free option, see make-up artist Rose-Marie Swift’s RMS line, also at SpaceNK, such as Lip2Cheek (€39), in bright red Beloved.
DAY-LONG DEFENSE In the constantly renewing cycle in beauty, don’t forget the classics. There are more than eight reasons to love Elizabeth Arden’s timeless Eight Hour Cream, which is no fluffy bit of beauty frivolity, but a skin protectant that’s been soothing dry skin, chapped lips and even sunburn since the 1920s. We love its medicinal smell and apricot colour and the way it makes your cheekbones gleam. €35.
SEE THE LIGHT I love the soft scent of Jo Malone London’s Elderflower & Gooseberry candle, €56 (sales support mental health charities). Check out their new camomile pillow mist, too. The Wild Swimming colognes are not as exciting as they sound, although Aqua Lemon smells nice; at €64 for just 30ml, they are pricey.
