SOLAR FLAIR
Whether home or away, it’s time to let a little sun into our beauty routines.
Products that give you a beautiful glow COVER
SUNSHINE SKIN
Time spent outdoors has long influenced our beauty goals, from the subtly rouged cheeks of the 1950s to the mahogany tans of the 1970s, all indicating an active lifestyle. Today, armed with more information than ever about what the sun does to our skin (it’s the prime cause of premature ageing, for one), deeper tans are falling out of vogue. These days, we want to look as if we’ve caught some colour while taking a long walk rather than sunbathing for hours, giving us skin that appears lit from within.
GOING FOR GOLD
‘The modern approach to self-tanning is all about getting clear, even and very naturally bronzed-looking skin,’ says self-tanning expert and celebrity facialist Nichola Joss. And self-tanning brands are delivering in myriad ways, from including cutting-edge skincare ingredients that ensure skin looks bronzed, as well as plump, bright and healthy, to using slow-release, colour-correcting and illuminating technologies that create the most believable and bespoke colour yet. Nichola is a huge advocate of colour-correcting ranges, which use subtle pigments to neutralise any fake-looking tones in your tan. ‘They give a glow that’s as sympathetic to your own colouring as possible,’ she says. Super-smart self-tanning brand
Isle of Paradise (a GH favourite) does just that. New this summer is Glow Clear Self-tanning Mousse in Light, Medium or Dark (4), £19.95 each, with colour-correcting peach pigments to illuminate, green to cancel out redness and lilac to counteract yellow tones. For speed, try Vita Liberata phenomenal Organic Tan Infused Cloths (2), £15 for eight. These biodegradable cloths use slow-release technology to drip-feed tanning ingredients into the skin over four to eight hours, developing in a way that suits your skin tone. ‘At Vita Liberata, we talk about the glow rather than the tan; I personally prefer something light and healthy looking,’ says the brand’s founder, Alyson Hogg. For the face, new Tan-luxe Super Glow Hyaluronic Self-tan Serum (3), £35, combines a smart self-tan complex with the hydrating magic of hyaluronic acid, giving a hint of bronze alongside juicy, rested-looking skin. If you prefer to get your bronze from a palette, try the new Matte Bronzing Powder (1), £40, by Cosmetics à la Carte. Fine-milled and lightweight, it comes in five shimmer-free shades (think sun-kissed, not sunbaked).
✻ Clinique Moisture Surge Sheertint Hydrator SPF 25,
£30. Part moisturiser, part make-up, this gives skin a lightly dewy look and a well-hydrated feel.
✻ Givenchy L’intemporel Blossom Fresh-face Compact Day Cream SPF15,
£45. Lift your complexion with this marvel; it’s like applying a silky halo to the skin.
✻ L’occitane Cherry Blossom Shimmering Lotion,
£24.50. In search of an all-over alabaster glow? Try this iridescent body lotion for size.
The enduring appeal of highlights shows just how much we love the lightening effect the sun has on our hair. That gentle ‘lift’ in tone here and there gives dimension, depth and a sense of fullness, while brightening the skin. ‘For a polished version of that sun-kissed effect, ask your colourist for balayage-style highlights with a glaze on top,’ says Zoë Irwin, creative director at John Frieda Salons. ‘Balayage is painted on by hand, so can be used in a more bespoke way than foils, lightening particular areas around the face to create a flattering glow.’
Think soft, warm tones of honey and caramel, adds Zoë, and ask for a warm glaze over the top (a conditioning treatment that adds shine). ‘This will give a very different finish to the cool, ash toners often applied to lightened hair,’ she says.
SUMMER SLIDES
Try these hair embellishments for a summery vibe
Okay, not literally, but fragrance is as close as it gets. After all, if there’s one sense that can transport us from hail-battered Bristol to a sun-drenched island in the Indian Ocean, it’s smell. And while the scents we adore as individuals vary, there are some that are almost universally guaranteed to trigger a sunny mood. ‘We all have our own personal smell patterns based on our experiences,’ says Ioannis Kontaris, head of neuroscience research at fragrance company Givaudan. ‘But we also have collective smell experiences: for example, flowers that only bloom in hot weather or seasonal fruit that we’ll often only smell in the summertime,’ And because our scent receptors are linked so closely to the parts of our brains that deal with recall and memory, smell has the power to be extremely evocative. Try the following to bring out your inner sun child…
CITRUS FRUITS AND BLOOMS
If you’ve ever walked through a Mediterranean citrus grove, you’ll understand the associations between lemon, lime, bergamot and sunshine. In a perfume, these crisp notes cut through a humid day, brighten up a cold one, and do for the nose what an ice-cold gin and tonic does for the taste buds. FIND IN Louis Vuitton Sun Song CP (1), from £185. A refreshing, chic lemon cologne, mellowed with orange blossom and musk.
WHITE FLOWERS
What do jasmine from the south of France, gardenia from the Far East and tuberose from Mexico all have in common? That intoxicating, heavily perfumed quality that only emanates from white flowers found in baking climates. FIND IN Sana Jardin Jaipur Chant EDP (3), from £95. A heady blend of Indian tuberose and Moroccan jasmine; soft but powerful.
SUN-KISSED SKIN
After a day soaking up the sun, skin takes on a sweet, warm scent so good it can make you giddy. Perfumers have long used musk to conjure up a cosy, skin-clinging feel and are now mixing it with brighter holiday notes for summer-appropriate scents.
FIND IN Byredo Sundazed EDP (4), £110. A fragrance for pleasure seekers, bursting with sun-soaked notes of citrus, jasmine, musk and candy floss.
THE BIG BLUE
From a salty sea breeze carried on the air to diving into a crystal-clear pool in the midday heat, our summer associations with water are endless and brought out by lighter, airier fragrance formulations. FIND IN Tocca Stella EDP (2), £68. The flirty floral heart of blood orange and spicy lily is lifted by sparkling aquatic ingredients.
COCONUT
What idea of an exotic holiday doesn’t include some kind of coconut? It’s been a suncream mainstay for decades and, when done right, can be truly dreamy in a fragrance: relaxing, regenerative and, most importantly, fun. FIND IN Issey Miyake L’eau d’issey Shade of Sunrise EDT (6), £44. This sultry little number combines frangipani flower and jasmine with powdery heliotrope and just a dash of coconut sweetness.
OR TRY
Shiseido’s new summer scent, Rising Sun EDT (5), £52, is not only inspired by the sun but created for it. With cheery lemon, inviting musk, romantic jasmine and ylang-ylang, and fresh coconut, it ticks all our summer boxes. It has also been formulated without known photosensitising ingredients, so if your skin often reacts to the combination of fragrance and sun, this could be the one for you.