Summer Series: Barcelona Beach

Hello all

Welcome to my new Summer Series. It looks like I won't be having a summer holiday, as its far cheaper to go out of season! However, to ease the pain of the inevitable smiling summer holiday photos, I thought I would create the 'Summer Series'. I will be putting together outfits that I would wear at different holiday venues. They won't be everyone's style but they are what I would wear to these places. Expect to see beach, city breaks and maybe the odd clubbing venue thrown in!

First off, Barcelona Beach!

I'm planning to go to Barcelona later this year,as its the perfect combination of beach and city break.

Clockwise from top left: Topshop Lip Bullet in Rockabilly | Topshop Bikini top and high waisted bottoms | Smashbox BB Cream with SPF 35 | Converse in Red | New Look Cat Eye Sunglasses | H&M Skater Dress

I tried on this bikini recently and oh my it is flattering! I felt like a 50s pin up, not sure I looked like one, but feeling it was good enough for me! Keeping with the fifties feeling, I would add some cat eye sunglasses and a slick of red lipstick. I had to include something with skulls, of course, so this light H&M skater dress is perfect. I don't particularly like my feet, or sand, so sandals aren't my best friend. These Converse are more streamlined and lighter, so more feminine so I would definitely wear them to the beach. I would suggest getting a size or half size bigger as for me these came up quite small.

I have previously stressed the importance of SPF, and on holiday it's even more important. I don't tend to wear face products on holiday, although eyeliner and lipstick are musts! This BB cream is light enough in colour and texture and has one of the highest SPF numbers for a BB cream.

I hope you liked this new series! Look out for more Summer Series destinations!

 

The Importance of Sun Protection

Hello all!

As Summer finally appears to be here, I wanted to do a post stressing the importance of protecting your skin from the sun. I am incredibly pale & use factor 50 even in England. We are all told of the dangers of sun exposure to the skin & most do wear sun protection whilst on holiday. but many neglect this when at home.

You can still burn & damage your skin in England!

Although adding sun cream to your daily routine may seem a hassle, having fresh & youthful skin definitely outweighs a few extra minutes in the morning! Loads of moisturisers, BB creams and foundations have SPF, UVA and/or UVB protection in them, which makes protecting your skin even simpler. 

Best moisturisers & BB cream's with SPF:

SAVE Rimmel BB Cream SPF 25, in Light, £6.99

SPEND MAC Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 in Light, £21

SPLURGE Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 in Fair, £27 

Best foundations with SPF:

SAVE Sleek Foundation Creme to Powder SPF 15 in White Rose, £7.99

SPEND MAC Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 in NW15, £26

SPLURGE Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA SPF 15 in 12 Beige Rose, £32

I have found it incredibly hard to locate body moisturisers with SPF! It's mad that beauty brands stress the importance of wearing SPF on your face, why is the body neglected? With a moisturiser for pretty much everything else (firming, bronzing, anti-aging etc) I don't see why they don't include a SPF in them too! Of course sun cream is an option, and shouldn't be neglected, but the often have the typical 'sun cream' smell, so it would be nice to have it added to a lovely moisturiser. However until this is created, ensure you wear a sun cream on exposed skin.

For pale people like me, I always use a sun protection of over SPF 20, so the Rimmel and Smashbox BB Creams are great with such high protection. It is a common mistake that if you have darker skin, you do not need to wear SPF. This is so untrue. Every skin tone needs to be protected, so no matter how light or dark you are check that you are protecting yourself at some stage in your make-up routine all year round, not just for Summer!