Perfect weather is on its way and the beach will have its second coming. During the calmer months of the holiday season it’s important to be armed with nothing but the best.
Hair apparent
The sun can be quite the bitch when it comes to tresses. Murad understands this and has developed a hair-strengthening triad (shampoo, conditioner and serum) called Professional Scalp Treatment that encourages hair growth and soothes sun-parched scalps.
Available at Essenses, Rustan’s.
Face it
Even the most avid sun worshipper knows that the face is the most vulnerable when it comes to playing. Look at Brigette Bardot, if you don’t believe me. A few special products make it on the hit list when it comes to seeking shelter. Juice Beauty’s organic Mineral Light Moisturizer with SPF 30 has a rich anti-oxidant pomegranate extract to keep skin, well… juicy! Philosophy also has a few tricks up its sleeves. Whether on holiday or not, Shelter keeps skin protected with a no-nonsense SPF 30. Hope In A Tube keeps skin extra firm from the evil world. Lastly, protect those lips with J.R. Watkins Natural Aloe Lip Balm with SPF 23. We’ve all come home with black beach lips at some ignorant point in time.
Available at Beauty Bar.
The smell of grace
Beach scents are tricky. Keep those potent musky scents in the city.
The heat intensifies any aroma so stick to a light but intriguing scent. Inner Grace perfumed body spritz does the job without knocking anyone out.
Available at Beauty Bar.
Burt knows best
It takes one to know one. Once formulated for the nature lover, Burt’s Bees’ language of tough love has bled into the urban jungle as well. The beach is a paradise for lovers and flies! Be sure to equip yourself with the Bug Bite relief stick for those unexpected buzz killers! Spray on the All-Natural Herbal Insect Repellent (no death-wish DEET in it, so it’s safe even for kids) to keep those pests away!
The Res-Q ointment is perfect for everything else, even goatee burns on your cheeks from that unexpected holiday fling! Slather on some Aloe and Linden Flower After Sun Soother after sunset sessions to calm sun-drenched skin. Nourish yourself with the Miracle Salve on more sensitive parts — works wonders, especially on burns!
Available at Beauty Bar.
Sleep well
The beach blanket Babylon can take its toll on your fragile self. So be sure to rest up to live up to your brilliant tan. I’ve never slept without an eye mask on, and when times get hard I rely on my Hermes Twilly to do a double duty as an eye mask. However, no eye mask is more luxurious than the Earth Therapeutics Dream Zone Sleep Mask. Made from the softest silk, it puts you into a sensuous slumber. The beach means many cocktails and sometimes even cigarettes — calm yourself with Earth Therapeutics Anti-Stress Mind Repair Pulse Point cream before you sleep and mist your room with the amazing Watkins Menthol Camphor Breathe Easy Relief Mist.
Available at Beauty Bar.
Go Brazilian all over
You know those people who just do everything right — down to eating at the best sushi place to staying at the most obscure but hip hotels? Well, they are the ones that travel with L’Occitane. The Eurobrat fave has created a line just for sun worshippers. It’s formulated with ingredients from sexy Brazil. With sunning products enriched with Buriti, the after-sun skincare range with organic Cupuacu and — my personal favorite — the sunless tanning range with castanha do para.
Available at Essenses, Rustan’s.
Kits, please
Travel kits are the best for any seasoned traveler and for essentials that deliver premium care, no one does it better than Clarins. The French beauty company that has been an Asian hit for decades has come up with compact but effective kits called “The First Time,” to make sure you’ll look your best for “beach season deux.” The discovery-sized products give you two weeks’ worth of magic potions to keep skin delicious and sun-pampered. Kits are unisex and one is specifically for men.
Available at Rustan’s Department Stores.