Summer beauty: holiday essentials

Multi-use products are perfect for those summer holidays where you want to travel light or free up room in your suitcase for that extra pair of heels! We all have the following essentials in our handbag but did you know their multiple uses?

Let’s start with bronzer. Bronzing palettes are great for adding colour to warm up your complexion and leave a sunkissed glow to your skin - but did you know bronzer can be used anywhere on the body? It looks lovely swept down the shins for a touch of tan on those legs or as a quick fix to deepen the colour of your legs on an unexpected sunny day. Bronzer can also be applied to eyelids as an eyeshadow which really complements a sun kissed beach look.

If your bronzing palette has different shades then why not try using the lighter shades to highlight the under brow and the deeper shades in the eye crease for contour and definition? I would recommend St Tropez Bronzing palette.

Next is the highlighter pencil which has so many uses. Applied to the brow bone it can make your eyebrows appear more defined and make your brow bone pop. Applied to the centre of the upper and lower lip gives the illusion of fuller lips. Try it over your existing lip colours to alter and lighten and transform them into completely new shades; have a play and be creative.

Use on a blemish as a concealer, down the centre of the nose to contour or above the lip in the cupid’s bow to create a fuller looking top lip. You can even apply to your inner eye along the water line as an eye opener to make the whites of your eye look brighter.

Did you ever think you can use a lipstick as a blusher? Apply to the apples of your cheeks and blend well using your fingertips. If you have red/orange lipstick you can use under the eyes to conceal dark circles! Less is more and blend well, try it and see!

If you have a setting powder, you can use this to set your foundation and remove excess shine. It can also be applied over a lipstick to mattify or can be used under eyes as protection when applying a smokey eye.

We all need an SPF to protect our skin all year round. To save space for your holiday essentials why not use a CC Cream with a Factor 50 SPF (I would recommend PAYOT or Juliette Armand). This can then be used as a tinted moisturiser with a light coverage and at the same time protect you from the sun and its harmful rays.

Emma Fitton

Beauty Columnist / The Retreat