Best Of Summer

With August drawing to a close I thought it only right that I compile my most-used, most-loved products of the summer into a blog post - these are all products that just speak 'summer' to me, perform really well and I 100% know I'll be using again next year. 

Firstly, a product that's been on the back-burner which I haven't mentioned thus far is the Hawaiian Tropic Coconut Aftersun body butter. While all other heavy body butters were pushed firmly aside during the warmer weather, this is one I did get a lot of use out of and really loved. Though I didn't go abroad this year or spend much/any time lounging by the pool or soaking up the sun on a beach, this aftersun did come in handy after my daily zip up and down the Bristol-to-Bath cycle track especially when the weather was really hot in July. This is a really rich, nourishing aftersun (containing coconut and avocado oil as well as shea butter) that doubles up as a luxurious body butter for a once-a-week treat. The thick, creamy texture is softer than most body butters but incredibly moisturising, you can definitely feel the natural oils at work on the skin. The scent is of course a lovely tropical coconut with that signature Hawaiian Tropic edge to it - I'll definitely repurchase this next year whether staying in the UK or going abroad (hopefully the latter). I don't really suffer with dry skin on my body due to my obsessive daily-moisturising habit, but my guess is if you did this would work wonders. Another coconut-scented product I've been loving over the summer months is the Soap & Glory One Night Tanned Instant Beach-Bronze Buttergel, a lovely buttery moisturising self-tan that applies like a dream and gives really good colour pay-off especially when built up with a tanning mit. I bought this at the very beginning of the summer when my pasty pale legs were a disgrace to behold, and it has seen me through various evenings out and last minute daytime excursions which called for bared legs, without an orange patch or unsightly streak in sight. 

Next up, a couple of refreshing spritzes. The Body Shop Mango eau de toilette may well be the most raved about product on this blog and for good reason - a delicious, affordable, fruity fragrance to spritz on and keep in your handbag for refreshing top ups throughout the day. I'd go as far as to say that mango is my all-time favourite summer scent, even trumping coconut (but then I love coconut aaall year around). You all know I love the Coconut body mist too so I won't bore you again; suffice to say - Body Shop fragrance, I love it. They just do the best non-sickly, non-artificial fruity scents and I may well have splurged on a few more body mists/edts during the bank holiday flash sale (watch this space for a fall fragrance post). The second summer spritz topping the lists is the Simple hydro-mist; a refreshing, cooling facial mist that doubles up as a travel-size toner (at one point I had two of these, one in the bathroom and another in my handbag to spritz on throughout the day). This has the same light vitamin-enriched scent as the rest of the Simple range (which I'm a big fan of) and is really calming on the skin; great for misting onto bare skin after cleansing, for those times when you get a bit hot and bothered at work, as well as for a pick-me-up on when you're heading straight back out for drinks/whatever after a long, hot, tiring day and don't have time for a full cleanse/make-up re-application (who does?). Also worth a shout out is the travel-size Mac Fix+ currently in residence in my 'beauty basket', with it's calm-the-skin blend of cucumber and green tea, this has been a miracle-worker for ensuring my makeup doesn't slide of completely on my morning cycle into the office.

I mentioned before that I've been really into bright nails this summer and while I've loved many a shade over the past months, these Essie polishes in Sunday Funday and Naughty Nautical really have ruled the roost and been my most used. Coral and jade are definitely my go-to shades for warm weather and these are two brilliant examples; bright, opaque and shimmery, these are so easy and foolproof to apply and the colours are gorgeous and longlasting, I just can't fault them. I'd like to say these are the only polishes I'll wear next summer but we all know that's a promise I can't guarantee to keep. What I will say is that if I could only have worn two polishes this summer it would have been these! Revlon lip butters; oh how I love thee - these have got to be my most-used lip product this summer (bar lipbalm). Juicy Papaya is a gorgeous pale peachy coral while Brown Sugar is a shimmery brown nude, both of which compliment a tan really nicely (a combination of lapping up the sunshine at every given opportunity and slapping on the gradual tan meant I did actually achieve one this year). These again are so easy to apply and pop in your handbag for re-application (sans mirror if you're brave) and are non-drying on the lips. Best of all, these pull together a lazy 'sweep of mascara, dusting of bronzer' face, as well as looking equally good with a full face of makeup.

Last of all, I didn't pick up the Cath Kidston sailing bag until near to the end of the summer but it's had a lot of use regardless; it's the perfect bag for throwing all your bits and pieces into for an impromptu picnic or dash to the shops, roomy enough for all your sunny-weather essentials (suncream, sunglasses, bottle of Fanta twist) and the cute sailing print is just adorable.

What were your most loved items this summer?

Chandra

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