summer

At this time of year our inboxes are filled with your burning holiday beauty questions. Our team of beauty experts thought it’s about time we shared a few of our favorite Q&As. Anything we can do to help you all look and feel your best.

Q: I always make sure to get my nails done before I go away, but how can I make my manicure last longer? As soon as I hit the hot weather it’s ruined.

A: Moisture is the key. Hot climates can wreak havoc on your nails and cuticles, drying your nails right down to the root. Our hero product for travel has got to be Nailtiques Cuticle Care Oil, £13. It softens cuticles and seals in moisture. Application with this one is nice and easy as it comes with a convenient rollerball applicator so no mess or excess product hanging around. Be sure to massage into your cuticles before and after swimming. Sand will buff the shine off your manicure pretty quickly, so make sure you pack a high shine top coat to re-apply regularly. It’s also a great way to prevent chips. Our pick is the classic Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, £4.95.

Q: I suffer from hyperpigmentation, as my skin discolours easily in the sun. What can I do to prevent this?

A: Hyperpigmentation occurs due to an overproduction of Melanin in the skin. Melanin is actually a natural pigment that helps protect against UV rays, but it causes dark spots on the skin after sun exposure. In other words, the sun is your enemy. Solution; make SPF your BFF. SPF is a must for anyone with a pigmentation problem and this means applying SPF everyday, even when it’s cloudy. Try Dermalogica Protection 50 Sport, £29.90. This sheer solar protection treatment defends against prolonged skin damage from UV light and environmental assault. Of course there are products out there that can help minimise the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Dermalogica’s PowerBright range of skincare products is designed to help control prevent factors leading to an uneven skin tone. Try their Treatment Kit, £33.70, to see the results.

Q: I’ve got a blunt fringe, which whilst I love it; it’s too high maintenance in hot weather. How can I keep it looking good and non greasy on the beach?

A: We feel your pain on this one. Take it from us, you want to keep that fringe off your face, as sweat will do it’s best to ruin your look. Pin your fringe back with Kirby grips for a sleek look during the day. We know we mention it every blog, but dry shampoo is great for fringe touch ups, to get rid of excess oils. We love L’Oreal Techni Art Fresh Dust £10.49.

Q: I have unpredictable skin, but don’t want a heavy base while I’m in the heat. How can I cover up imperfections without sweating it all off?

A: Even the highest end foundations can struggle in the heat. You want to let your skin breathe while you’re away and not feel like your caked in make up. Why not reach for a BB cream as the alternative. They’re great for going away as you can just use on top of your moisturiser using your fingers, so no need to pack any foundation brushes. Most BB creams also come with SPF so you’ll also be protected. Thalgo BB Cream, £18.50, is our current favourite. It comes in 3 shades so you can colour match to your skin (don’t forget to allow a little wiggle room for any change in skin tone with that tan), it includes SPF 15 and even helps to add moisture and radiance to the skin. Just make sure to top up with some SPF 50 if you’re out in the sun between 11am-4pm.

Do you have a burning beauty question? Tweet us @thesalonlook

For me, summer is all about holidays, enjoying gorgeous weather and a cheeky Pimms here and there. It can’t just be me who’s noticed though that there are some aspects of the hot weather that can really put a dampener on your beauty routine. Whether it’s your hair attracting a bit more frizz than normal or your nail varnish bubbling up because of the heat, summer brings about a few challenges. This has been the hot topic on the salon floor this week, and my clients have been giving me the most crazy, but genius tips that they use to battle the beach beauty woes. I thought why not share them with you on this week’s blog? Remember, it’s not what you know…it’s who you know.

Dust your body with talcum powder when you hit the beach for a sand free getaway. I know you all know by now that talcum powder can act as a dry shampoo to absorb excess oil, it also works wonders at the beach for the same reasons. Once you’ve topped up your tan for the day, sprinkle talcum powder on your feet, legs, and anywhere else where you’ve got sand stuck to you. The powder will absorb the moisture on your skin from sweat and salt water (which is what makes the sand stick to you) and you’ll be able to wipe all of the sand off immediately. Say goodbye to finding sand in your car for the next month. Winner.

The safest way to tan and avoid UV rays is to avoid the sun altogether, but using self-tan lotions like St Tropez means that sometimes there will be mistakes. (It can’t just be me who’s forgotten to wash their hands after…hello orange hands) Apparently all you need to do to remove any streaky or overly orange patches on your skin, mix together baking powder and a bit of water to create a paste. Use the mixture to gently exfoliate your skin where you need to even out the tan and you’ll be set!

Take it from someone who knows, the worst part of heat styling hair during the summer is sweating while you’re styling. We all know the struggle of blow-drying our hair, and essentially needing another shower once we’re done because of sweat down our backs. Yum. Avoid all of this with a simple hack: Spray deodorant to the back of your neck about 10 minutes before blow-drying your hair. It’ll have the same antiperspirant effect on your neck as it does under your arms. Just don’t try this one on your face…you’ll have to stick to your translucent powder for that one.

I thought I’d throw in a tip of my own too. Make sure you apply dry shampoo at night so your hair stays oil free for morning. Dry shampoo is a girl’s best friend year-round, but during the summer, it’s actually better when you don’t apply it in the morning. Spritz your roots with dry shampoo at night to let the product absorb oil (and perspiration) throughout the night. Giving dry shampoo a bit of time to work its magic will give you much better results. My favourite at the moment is L’Oreal Fresh Dust.

As far as I’m concerned, Summer is my one chance to add some white to my wardrobe. I do find though that suntan lotion leaves yellowy stains on any white tops. Combine that with a few sweat stains and it’s not a pretty picture. Lemon juice has the solution. Squeeze lemon juice onto the stains before tossing into the washing machine. The acidity of the lemon will lift the sweat and lotion stains right out of your clothes.

Have you ever noticed how your nail varnishes change consistency in hotter temperatures? And nothing ruins a manicure like bubbles in your polish. During the summer, the heat can react with the ingredients in nail varnish to make it thicker and a bit gloopy. Store your nail polish in the fridge to keep it cool and to help you get a much smoother paint job when you do a manicure. If you can’t fit your entire collection in the fridge (because really, who could?) just put the colours you’ll be using, your base and top coat in the fridge for about an hour before you paint your nails for the same effect.

The amount of weird and wonderful tips that my clients have told me is just incredible. I’ve got lots more to share with you, so if you’ve enjoyed these let me know in the comments and I can make this into a little blog series for you. Enjoy the sunshine!

xoxo