Summer is officially in full swing and the temptation to hit the park, pour an Aperol and dine alfresco has, before you know it, become an evening occurrence. Festivals are coming thick and fast, which means booze, sometimes narcotics, and chain-smoking a deck of Marlboros – or it used to, anyway. More and more young women are eschewing a season of debauchery in favour of a sober, healthier summer, so is doing a dry July the new Dry January?
Recent research shows that in the UK, we’ve been known to flash up to £7,000 per annum on beauty products and services and, at this time of year, when we're waxing, buffing, moisturising and preening more than usual anyway, why not indulge in a fix that doesn't result in a hangover and caffeine jitters? And actually leaves us looking and feeling better!
Whether you’re living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget or straight-up ballin’ through, here are our favourite 'naughty' health and beauty picks to see you through 'til autumn.
Malin+Goetz is an NYC-based, family-owned beauty and apothecary company, responsible for dousing us in dark bay rum eau de parfum and a cannabis oil that won’t get you high but will make your scent soar. Our favourite? The tobacco soy wax votive is laced with tobacco leaf, basil and vanilla with 16% eau de toilette, for a smoky aroma that’s fresh not stale. Perfect when putting on that Sunday night face mask and chilling the fuck out.
Malin+Goetz Tobacco Votive, £16, available at Malin+Goetz
Where would we go for the trustiest, freshest ingredients on the high street if it wasn’t for Lush? We all love their organic ingredients and cruelty-free ethos but did you know their Ocean Salt Scrub contains fresh limes steeped in vodka? The alcohol in the recipe helps soothe blocked pores, blackheads and blemishes, while creamy avocado offsets any harshness for a hydrating finish. Make ours a double, please.
Lush Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub, £15.50 for 250g, available at Lush
While typical face and body scrubs enlist the help of coarse salt or sugary grains to help banish dry and flaky skin, Pixi's Peel and Polish is infused with sugar cane and sugar maple to give you a sweet fix without the crash that comes after eating three slices of Victoria sponge on a weekend afternoon. Plus, its radiance-reviving formula, natural fruity extracts and a healthy dose of lactic acid will make even the greyest complexions glow.
Pixi Peel and Polish, £24, available at Look Fantastic
Can’t open your eyes until you’ve gulped down at least one strong coffee in the morning? We feel you. But what with the caffeine-induced jitters, coffee breath and the fact it’s doing our pearly whites no good whatsoever, we're packing it in for Frank's Insta-approved body scrubs instead. Every single product in the range is packed with beans and laden with skin-energising properties that stimulate blood flow. As Frank says: “Every babe needs something to undo the fact she hasn’t slept in 10 years.”
Frank Body Coffee Scrub in Original, Cocoa, Coconut and Peppermint, from £12.95, available at Frank Body
Ah, you dedicated tea drinkers thought you’d got away with it? A good old-fashioned brew may help us to relax or concentrate – or just act as a cosy liquid blanket – but excessive consumption can cause cardiovascular stress and send your heart rate through the roof. Fortunately, Fresh’s Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum (and their equally luxurious Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask) will firm, smooth and provide elasticity to your visage, without the need for milk and two sugars.
Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum, £63, available at Harrods
From popping bottles in the club to a cold glass of Friday fizz, the bloating and throbbing headaches that feel like a pneumatic drill come Saturday morning are enough to put us off the champagne lifestyle altogether (if our bank account doesn’t slam the brakes on first, that is). Cue Leahlani skincare’s ultimate Champagne Serum, a potent mix of nutrient-rich chardonnay grapeseed oil and calming rose geranium, camomile and lavender to counteract redness and irritation. Better to get sensually soothed rather than totally trolleyed…
Leahlani Champagne Serum, £32, available at Leahlani.com
Italians do it better, and Parma-based brand Davines leaves the competition to eat dust with its Tobacco Alchemic shampoo and conditioner, for both dyed and natural chocolate hues. Formulated to bring brunette brilliance to the fore, these products are enriched with milk proteins and pro-vitamins that enhance natural colours and tones to enrich and protect.
Davines Tobacco Alchemic Shampoo, £15.20, and Conditioner, £19.60, available at Liberty
South Korean beauty is all the rage right now and Tony Moly’s super-cute yet functional skincare is a hit with bloggers and beauty bars alike. The I’m Real Mask Sheets come in a variety of scents to help different ailments, with purifying, moisturising and nutritional serums. Our favourite is the Red Wine mask, formulated to care for your pores. Malbec without the puffy eyes and breakouts? Count us in!
Tony Moly I’m Real Mask Sheets, £2.26, available at YesStyle.com
First come the words “I’ll quit chocolate for New Year!” followed by “I will after Lent, promise!” and then, before you know it, summer is here faster than you can say “Iced Mocha”. Can’t deal without your creamy choco goodness on the reg? Evolve’s award-winning, 100% natural raw cocoa mask has you covered, with over 80% organic ingredients. Apply a thick layer for five minutes and you'll feel and smell good enough to eat.
Evolve Radiant Glow Organic Face Mask, £20, available at Evolve
The Body Shop’s Hemp High Moisture Expert Set leaves your skin feeling drenched rather than bone-dry (as is often the way with the green stuff). Derived naturally from intensive hemp oils, rather than containing molecules of THC – the stuff that gets you high – this ultimate skin kit includes the bestselling hemp body butter, hand protector and lip conditioner. With five-star ratings aplenty and reports of soothing eczema and those unbearably scaly dry patches, these products bring a whole new meaning to the words "skin up"...
The Body Shop Hemp High Moisture Expert Set, £25, available at The Body Shop
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