Beat the heat with beautifying treats. We reveal the products to keep you cool
Home or abroad, a dramatic rise in the barometer can mean chaos for your beauty regime.
There’s the make-up meltdown, sweaty complexion and an odour that’s far removed from your usual signature scent.
More than 50% of women said that sweating knocks their self confidence, according to a recent survey by Soft & Gentle deodorant.
Unless you’re lying on a beach with personal fan wafter and frozen grape feeder, the heatwave season can be uncomfortable. But don’t sweat it – keep your cool with these heatwave beauty saviours…
DESK SOS
When the air is humid, perspiration and oils on your face can’t evaporate as easily, and instead, collect on the skin’s surface. Opt for melt-proof make-up formulations that will stay put during the morning commute.
If you still want flawless summer coverage, apply a waterproof, sweat-proof foundation that won’t succumb to perspiration or humidity. Try Oxygentix Oxygenating Foundation, which is transfer and water-resistant but still allows your skin to breathe, £45 (www.facethefuture.co.uk). Avoid panda eye streaking with Pur Minerals Big Look Waterproof Mascara, £15 (www.marksandspencer.com).
Keep your cool under deadline pressures with a refreshing spritz in your desk drawer to rehydrate your face and refresh your make-up. Mist on Ole Henriksen Balancing Cucumber Face Tonic, £21 (www.lookfantastic.com).
VACATION CHILLS
Holiday heat overseas can feel more oppressive than the breezy British air. Try and keep your SPF and after-sun products in a cool, dark place before applying.
Nivea’s Protect & Refresh range is the SPF equivalent of a dip in the pool. Apply the Invisible Cooling Mist for an instant skin cooling sensation – ideal if you’re suffering from a touch of prickly heat, from £16, available in SPF20, 30 or 50 (Boots).
Pack a holiday spritz with a tropical scent that will mentally transport you back to your sun lounger when you’re on home soil. Punctuate book breaks with an ice-cold cocktail and Orico’s Streetwise Coco Spritz – a refreshing toner with coconut water to hydrate thirsty skin, £18 (Debenhams).
WORKOUT COOL DOWN
Attaining a pre-holiday bikini body means extra hours of exercise. The more intense your workout, the faster and higher your core temperature rises, meaning you can feel even sweatier in stuffy environments.
After a cool or tepid post-workout shower, use an antiperspirant that will keep working long after you’ve pressed the stop button on the cross trainer. Right Guard Xtreme antiperspirants feature ‘sweat detect technology’, which are odour neutralising capsules that anticipate sweat before it starts. Try Right Guard Xtreme Ultra Cool, £2.39 (Boots).
Keep that just-showered freshness all day long by replacing a heavier fragrance with a crisp, refreshing scent. Try Clean’s Shower Fresh eau de parfum, £59 for 60ml (www.beautybay.com).
HOME REFRESH
After a long day and a sweaty commute, kick your shoes off and blow an industrial-sized fan through your hair to cool off.
Sip on an iced tea and soothe a puffy complexion with Skyn Iceland’s Hydro Cool Firming Face Gels. Store the sachets in the fridge for an extra cold sensation on application and leave on for 10 minutes for an intensive muscle relaxing treatment, £30 (www.marksandspencer.com).
If you need to cool down your body before bedtime, ice baths are best left to athletes. Lather up with a refreshing shower gel, like Palmolive’s Ocean Vitality Shower Gel, £2.49 (Tesco). Try turning the dial to cold for the last 30 seconds of your shower to regulate your temperature and improve blood circulation.