I was relieved to pay a visit to Leigh at I-Candy last week to have my tresses redeemed to their former healthy state. Since I got a good tan on holiday, I decided that honey and caramel tones would compliment my skintone more than the lighter blonde brought on by the blazing sun in Greece. Although I was uber conscientious in making sure my hair didn't get frazzled on holiday, I still felt like I needed to lop off the dead wood on the ends. So I had an inch chopped off my hair and I have to say that my hair feels and looks a whole lot better now.
I just wanted to go over some of the products I took on holiday with me that became must have remedies every single day.
I have mentioned this products loads of times before but that's because it really works for me and it saved my face from being burnt to a crisp! It's tinted, it's non-oily and create a great base for any face makeup thereafter. It's Clinique Super City Block...
I tried out a couple of new sunscreens and the best by far was St Tropez SPF30 High Protection For Body with Tan Enhancers. "This luxurious and nourishing lotion simply melts into the skin, helping to protect you from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Formulated with MELANOBRONZE, an innovative ingredient which helps stimulate melanin production, to help enhance your tan naturally. Leaves skin feeling hydrated and softened with the addition of Muru Muru butter and antioxidant rich Vitamin E".
Chris used the Face one and I used the one for the body. It sank into the skin quickly, didn't leave a greasy residue and meant that neither of us got burnt at all whilst on holiday. I also felt like I tanned a lot more than I usually would so there must be something about the 'tan enhancing' ingredients that work! It's £20 for the 150ml Body sunscreen and £15 for the 50ml Face sunscreen. I used up the whole body tube in one week but the Face one was only half empty after the week was up. It's always good to know how much sunscreen to take with you!
A couple of other products I tried for the first time whilst away was the Clarins After Sun Gel Ultra-Soothing and Clarins SOS Sunburn Soother. The After Sun Gel was absolutely brilliant and both myself and Chris used it everyu day after sun exposure. It's cooling, light in formulation and leaves your skin feeling really comfortable and hydrated. I will definitely be buying this for my next holiday abroad! The SOS Sunburn Soother was also great for the days when my skin was a bit pink in areas. A primer example of this was the very top of my forehead. Although it didn't get burnt as such, it looked a little pink at one point. However, after applying the SOS Sunburn Soother at night, the slight redness completely disappeared and there was absolutely no peeling. Love this stuff! It's £17.50 for the 150ml of After Sun and £25.50 for the 40ml tub of SOS Sunburn Soother. I know it seems expensive but to be honest with you, my skin is really important to me so I don't mind paying a bit extra to ensure it stays in the best condition possible.
I was vigilant with my hair on holiday too and the best shampoo by far for a beach holiday is Frederic Fekkai Marine Clean Detox Shampoo. It's a gentle formulation that removes any sea salt, chlorine or other residue from your hair without stripping it of it's natural oils. This shampoo left my hair soft, silky and very lightweight. It also contains a UV shield which helps to protect your hair from sun exposure and colour fading. It's £20 for a 200ml tube and even though I used it twice a day sometimes, it was still half full when I returned home. I also suspect Chris and our other friend were using it too since neither of them had shampoo with them! I also used my old favourite Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment as a conditioner every day to ensure my hair stayed in good condition and was properly hydrated.
The Phyto Plage Protective Sun Veil completely saved my hair from turning to straw. It contains Sweet almond which forms a non-greasy seal and softens the hair. The light-protective sunflower extract it contains strengthens the hair's natural resistance by preventing the production of free radicals. The UV filter protects your hair from the sun's rays. I spritzed my hair with this every morning before going in the sun and took it with me in my beach bag to reapply if needed. It costs £20 for a 4.2fl oz bottle. (the packaging of this product has changed since I got it so it may look different from the pic above).
I took my trusty MoroccanOil with me too to apply to the ends of my hair and keep them supple and soft. I also applied it all over my hair at bedtime on a couple of occasions to give my hair an intensive treatment. You only need a very small amount of this product, especially if you have fine hair so don't go overboard or your hair will end up looking greasy. It's pricey at £29 for a 100ml bottle but it really does last forever! I also liked using the Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves.
"Have sexy hair with Frédéric Fekkai Summer Hair Marine Beach Waves. Hydrating your hair for effortlessly tousled waves it also prevents moisture loss, leaving you with beautifully soft, textured hair.
Formulated with AquaNutrient technology that blends marine botanical extracts:
Sea Kelp to hydrate and block moisture loss for sexy, effortless tousled waves, anytime and anywhere.
Frédéric Fekkai Summer Hair Marine Beach Waves also contains a UV filter to help protect your hair from environmental damage and helps prevent colour fading".
It added texture to my hair, made it look tousled and was a really easy way to style my hair without using a hair dryer. It's £20 for a 150ml bottle.
I took two perfumes with me to Greece, one was the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess scent and the other was the Escada Taj Sunset perfume. The Estee Lauder one was great for the daytime when we were hanging out at the beach because it smells like summer and is quite subtle. The Escada one is more fruity and was the perfect summery, fresh scent to wear at night.
