Summer Makeup and Skincare Tips

Summer is over. Holiday time has past. You’re looking…and feeling a bit grey. Don’t be depressed! Susannah Taylor is here to uplift your spirits, and your looks – with remarkable new beauty products.

Looking in the mirror can be a terrifying experience at this time of year. If you’ve ever stuck out a summer in the UK then the lack of sun has probably left you pasty-faced; if your hair is anything like mine it might well resemble that of an old English sheep dog and your long-hidden body could well be gathering dust (tights already anyone?).

Equally, if you’re lucky enough to have grabbed a week in the sun, your post-beach hair might well be fried to a crisp; your skin shedding itself like fish scales and your tan so blotchy you’ve booked a doctors appointment for fear of a serious skin condition. Add to this the fact it’s too rainy to wear your sundress but not cold enough to wear next season’s trends and we’re all left in some sort of weird, depressing style limbo.

Thankfully, there is a light. The easiest way to perk up your looks and boost your spirits at this time of year is to add some glamour-inducing treats into your beauty regime. Beautification has been proven, throughout historys toughest times to raise morale – in WW II women were advised to ‘Put their Best face Forward’ at all times – and with the credit crunch munching away at our pockets a few beauty products become way less expensive than investing in an entire new wardrobe.

Everyone will benefit from a radiant, glowing complexion. If yours is somewhat lacklustre then give it the kiss of life with an active ingredient loaded moisturising cream.
Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizer SPF 6 and
Korres Wild Rose Instant Brightening & Illuminating Vitamin C Mask 1.35 fl oz.
is a great place to start – containing Wild Rose oil, a natural source of Vitamin C, it reduces and prevents the appearance of brown spots, clarifies skin tone and provides deep hydration leaving skin renewed in weeks.

Whether your body will be hiding under a Burberry mac all summer or whether it’ll be exposed in the skimpiest of string bikinis, I find the best treatment is a top-to-toe exfoliation (let go of the tan girls, pale skin will be in for the autumn).
Korres Olive Stones Natural Scrub 40 ml contains olive stones, calendula extracts and wheat germ oil, giving you smooth, peachy skin in minutes. For particularly parched skin, follow up with Philosophy Hope In A Jar Therapeutic Moisturizer For Dry Sensitive Skin
, which contains a cocktail of nourishing ingredients from blemish-defying lavender oil to nourishing cucumber and anti-ageing chyamomilla Recutita. Too good to be restricted to shins – I recommend slathering it anywhere that feels crocodile-like.

When it comes to make-up and hair trends, this month try eschewing dramatic style statements – you’ll derive the best feel-good factor from making yourself look as healthy as possible before the autumn/winter trends hit. To bring abused hair back from the brink try
John Masters Organics Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor 4 fl oz which uses organic essential oils of honey, lavender, pink grapefruit and ylang ylang to help reconstruct brittle ends and leave hair gorgeously glossy.

For the face, invest in the Becca Cosmetics Avalon Palette, a suits-all make-up treat containing the brand’s best-selling bronze eye shadows, rose tinted blush, fleshy lip creme and a dazzling clear gloss for the ultimate wholesome, no-make-up look.

Sunshine? Who cares.