Summer Skincare: Facial SPF's

So as the heatwave continues in the UK I've lined up some tips for upping your skincare routine to accommodate the higher temperature - that's right, we're talking about SPF again.

1. Apply a good layer of a high factor SPF to the face. I personally always wear SPF on my face (even in winter) since I'm really fair skinned. I'd normally reach for a factor 10-15 but in the summer months I never go lower than factor 45 on my face and my favourite is the Kiehl's Ultra Light UV Defence. I'm sure I don't have to go on about why I up my SPF in the summer months, but it's especially important for you if your skincare routines involve any products which contain retinols or chemical exfoliants.

2. If you're wearing makeup in the sun (which a lot of us will be - the sun will still be out when you're walking from the car park to the office and so on) find touch up products with SPF in them. If you're not the type to reach for powder products frequently, I'd just top up with another thin layer of SPF tinted moisturiser. For those who like a matte finish, there's actually a good number of SPF face powders on the market these days. For product suggestions I would recommend Benefit's Hello Flawless Powder Foundation SPF 15 and Esteé Lauders Double Wear Light Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10.

3. If you're really concerned, just try to keep your face out of the sun. All kinds of hats have come back into fashion recently, from caps to big rimmed sun hats, so it's easier than ever to keep your self out of the sun. It's recommended that you try to avoid being in direct sun between around 11pm-4pm as this is when the sun tends to be strongest.

4. So these last two tips are less about avoiding getting burnt and more to do with how SPF can wreak havoc on your skin if you're not using it properly. Firstly, use an SPF that is designed to be used on the face. In the same way that it's not ideal to use your body lotion as a facial moisturiser, SPF body oils and lotions aren't formulated to be ideal for the more delicate skin on your face. If you want to know everything there is to know about SPF I'd recommend you head on over to this video that Caroline Hirons did with Marko Lens of Zelens.

5. And finally: remove your SPF properly. A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that SPF products break them out, and they will if you don't take the time to properly remove them. I always double cleanse if I've applied any products with SPF in to make sure my skin is completely clean before I start with my evening skincare routine and I only ever have problems if I get lazy with my cleansing routine.

So I've Fallen Out With Suncream...

...But there's some other SPF formulas that I'm loving right now.

The sun has (finally) started to show it's face in Manchester, and it's actually been almost too hot. When I went on my annual trip to stock up on suncream I decided to stray away from my usual traditional suncreams and my P20 options in favour of some newer formats and I'm really impressed.

The format that I've been enjoying the most is one that been around for a while: oil. I like oil-base sun protection because generally they're even more moisturising than the traditional cream/lotion based formulas and they're basically goof-proof when it comes to white-casts and streaky application. The oil I've been enjoying this year is the Golden Protect Protective Oil Enriched with Shea Butter from Garnier's Ambre Solaire range. This is a light, non-greasy formula that is water resistant and moisturising on the skin. It comes in multiple sun protection factors, personally I generally go for a factor 30 across the board. I also like that this formula has a subtle sheeny finish to it that gives the skin that glow that we all want in the summer.

Nivea have a brilliant range of sun protection products and the one that really caught my eye was the Protect and Refresh Cooling Sun Mist. This is a super fine formula that is applied to the skin via an aerosol spray can. At first glance I thought that this product would be the perfect answer to the problem of topping up facial SPF throughout the day without disrupting makeup but I was a bit disappointed to find that the directions specify that you can't spray this directly onto the face. I'll still get enough use out of this since it's nice and refreshing on the skin for reapplication but I'd love to see something along the lines of this that is completely safe for use on the face.

The last sun care product that caught my eye this time around was Nivea's Lip Care Sun Protect SPF30. Again, I love Nivea's sun protection range and they're also known for their lip balms so I figured this was a pretty obvious choice. The formula is light but nicely hydrating and the scent/flavour is nice but not overpowering as well. I even really like the packaging with the pop of summery yellow and it's a great one to slip into your handbag.

The Backpacker’s Packing List for Women Who Struggle To Pack Light

WARNING: Very word-y post ahead. Tread carefully.

I've made it no secret on this blog that last year after graduating uni I went traveling around Europe for a month. It was a great trip where I saw lots of amazing things and while there's definitely somethings I'd do differently (up my budget and maybe see less places but stay for longer) my packing list wasn't one of them. Shock Horror. I'm normally that girl. That girl who's going away for a week and came 3g's under the 15kg baggage allowance. That girl whose cosmetics bag takes up half of the physical space in her suitcase. That girl who packs 2 outfits for each day and often doesn't wear half the things she packs. But not this trip.

From the second my friends and I starting planning and booking things for the trip, I was looking up how to pack efficiently and it definitely paid off. My pack was one of the lighter ones, despite having packed all the full sized shower products that my fellow female traveling partners and I planned to share and there wasn't a single thing I needed that I didn't have, or that I had that I didn't use. My packing list looked like this:

SKINCARE/BODY/HAIR

1. Shampoo 
2. Conditioner 
3. Curl Gel 
4. Shower Gel 
5. Suncream
6. Bio Oil
7. Cleanser 
8. Moisturiser 
9. Eye Cream
10. Face SPF 

MAKEUP:

1. High Coverage Foundation
2. Concealer
3. Powder
4. Eye Primer
5. Multi Purpose Eyeshadow/Cheek Products Palette
6. Mascara
7. Red Lip
8. Nude Lip
9. Pink Lip
10. Black Eyeliner
11. Nude Eyeliner
12. Blue Eyeliner
13. Taupe Eyeliner
14. Angled Blush Brush
15. Double Ended Eyeshadow Brush
16. Small Eyeliner Brush
17. Angled Eyebrow Brush
18. Eyebrow Spoolie

CLOTHES

1. Jeans
2. Shorts
3. Short Skirt
4. Maxi Skirt
5. Vest
6. Vest
7. Tshirt
8. Tshirt
9. Kimono/Coverup
10. Hoodie
11. Short Sundress
12. Maxi Dress
13. Strapless Top
14. Oversized T-Shirt
15. Joggers

ACCESSORIES

1. One Belt
2. Sunglasses
3. One Bikini
4. Six Underwear
5. Four Socks
6. Two Tights
7. Three Bras
8. One Evening Bag
9. One Day Bag
10. One Bum-bag (Would definitely recommend if you're visiting lots of busy cities!)
11. Flip Flops
12. Converse
13. One Necklace
14. One Pair Earrings
15. PJ Shorts

MISC:

1. Microfiber Towel
2. Glasses
3. Sarong
4. First Aid Kit
5. Hand Sanitiser
6. Sewing Kit
7. Travel Adapter
8. Travel Detergent

And it worked. The clothes worked perfectly to create a light but versatile wardrobe and contained enough pieces to ensure that I wasn't constantly doing washing but few enough that it wasn't too heavy on my then very weak shoulders. I found that I had things to wear for all occasions and all weathers and my accessories mixed things up nicely without being so much that I'd lose things.

Bear in mind that we were staying mostly in hostels and often in big dorm-style rooms with people we didn't know so I left all my fine jewellery at home (real gold, pieces of sentimental value) just in case. I found it hard to leave for the airport with just 2 pairs of shoes for the month, but I had everything I needed. The flip flops I packed were quite a nice pair that had beading on them and they worked for day and evening alike and they were a great addition to my pack. I took a pair of converse for a comfortable walking shoe but found that I only wore them when it was quite cold, most days/nights I wore my flip flops.

From a beauty point of view, I took a lot of eyeliners and 3 lip colours as this was the most compact way to give me the variety I liked to have in my make-up and it catered to my every need. I then just packed one lot of base products, knowing that the full coverage foundation could be sheered with a blob of moisturiser or missed entirely depending on my coverage needs. The palette I took was The Balm's Balm Jovi Palette, it was nice and compact and had 12 eyeshadows, a blush, highlight and 2 creamy lip/cheek products (that I don't really like for lips). For skincare, I kept it super simple, cleanser, eye cream, moisturiser, SPF and then if I was feeling burnt or especially dry, I just added a few drops of Bio Oil into my moisturiser. Bio Oil was a great addition to my pack as it's a multipurpose oil, you can use it on your face, body and hair and it's great for dryness and sunburn a like.

Travel Detergent is a must for anyone going traveling on a tight budget. I got a 75ml bottle (more than enough for a month) for around £3 inc. shipping and it saved me so much money on my trip. Quite a lot of the laundrettes charged by item (as much as €3 each) and while hand washing things and having to hang them all over the place for a day to dry wasn't the most ideal, with a €40 a day budget (out of which I was paying for my room for the night, food and attractions) I was realistic and knew that there wasn't space in that budget to be paying to wash my clothes. I will mention that I packed light on underwear, and so hand-washing was really convenient for that, everything was a light material and I'd wash them before I started to get ready in the evening and they'd be dry by morning at the latest.

Another budget-saving item I took was a sewing kit. Just a single needle and 2 reels of cotton so it was super easy to put together. I knew that if I ripped anything, I didn't have the budget to go replacing things so this was great. As it happens, I didn't actually break anything whilst I was away but one of my friends did and so this did actually come in handy. Even if you're taking lots of clothes and a brand new backpack I'd suggest a needle and thread. If worse comes to worse you rip your backpack on day 3 of 40 it'll save you forking out a small fortune in a country you don't know for a new one.

Everyone I traveled with had bought a micro-fiber towel and we all agreed they were great for this kind of trip. They're light, compact and they dry really quickly so they were useful for lots of things. Obviously drying after showering and washing your face, but I took mine to the beach to dry myself off after being in the sea too. Another multi-use item that maybe isn't so obvious is a sarong. I took this everywhere in my day bag throughout the trip and it came in so useful. You can use it as a cover for your shoulders if the sun gets a bit strong, a blanket for if it cools down later, a pillow on the trains traveling from place to place, a picnic blanket, something to lie on at the beach, the possibilities are endless.

And finally, what to pack it all in. I chose backpack. I think it's a more versatile option and while you have to carry the weight with you between destinations, it makes you pack light and if you end up somewhere with lots of stairs, you don't want to be trying to lug a heavy case up them. It also means you'll not pack too many things that are overly valuable (heavy cameras, hair styling tools ect) that may end up lost or stolen. And finally, it's much easier to navigate the train stations with a backpack. The only people we saw struggling to get to the platforms in time for the trains were the ones with wheeled luggage.

My Top 3 Nail Picks for Spring/Summer

Despite the fact that it's supposedly spring coming up to summer, in my home town of Manchester, it's currently resembling a particularly botched-up shower in a house with no heating. So in an attempt to prepare myself for the summer that may never come, I've been gravitating to more Spring/Summer nail colours and hoping that the weather would catch-up (a girl can dream eh?).

The newest (and most expensive) colour to land in my collection is Butter London 3 Free nail Lacquer in "Knackered", I picked this up for a wedding I was attending recently and the colour has featured here on the blog before but it's a beaut. I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of it this season as it's that oil-slick effect that seems to be the in thing at the moment, but it's also quite subtle and pretty. Works well on fingers and toes and is chip-resistant to the point that it's a tiny bit difficult to remove, but in a good way.

A shade I've had for years and always go back to is MaxFactor Nailfinity in "Disco Pink", it's the only bright that I really wear these days. A very flattering bright pink shade that comes back every spring and summer for me. I wear a lot of black and navy so I love this to brighten things up a bit and again, the wear time is really good.

And then the go-to goes-with-everything shade is Topshop Nails in "Crystal Clouds". It's a pale gold that's very much a something on the nails but not so noticeable unless it's in the light, in fact I'd maybe describe it as a metallic nude on me. It's not got the lasting power of the other two so you'll have to reapply every few days but because it's so subtle it's not to noticeable when there's tiny chips in it.