Now that I’m no longer pregnant and my hormonal skin isn’t allergic to everything on the face of the planet, it’s been lovely to rediscover beauty products again! Here are some of my top beauty must-haves for this summer.
OPI Nail Lacquer
OPI keeps coming out with amazing colours all the time, but I gotta say I love the traditional girly colours from their standard range for summer. My nails are semi-permanently coated in ‘Do You Lilac It?’ and ‘It’s a Girl’. Plus their lacquers are some of the only nail polishes that I find don’t seem to chip the second you’ve finished your manicure.
ModelCo Supertan Instant Self-Tan
My skin may look deceptively tanned at any given time, but the half Kiwi in my tends to burn to a crisp easily so I prefer to lather up in sunscreen. As I’m anti-tanning beds I prefer to get a spray tan done, but it’s always good to have a self-tanner available to use at home (and to hide the tan lines that come up randomly throughout the summer time). The colour from this Supertan looks natural on my olive skin and the foaming mousse is easy to apply – just make sure you use an applicator mitt or massage evenly to keep it streak-free.
Essano Organic Rosehip Oil
My skin may not be allergic to everything any more but it’s still not perfect. When I get dry skin patches or eczema flare ups, this rosehip oil seems to help restore them back to normal. Also love it that the Essano products are made in New Zealand.
L’Oreal Professionel Mythic Oil nourishing hair mask
My hair gets very dry in the summer time, so I always give it an extra boost with a deep conditioning treatment. This hair mask smells amazing and leaves my hair feeling revived every time.
Pure Fiji Lip Balm and Hydrating Body Mist
Got a couple of travel-sized miniatures in a gift recently and have fallen in love with these products. My favourites are the lip balm (for some reason, many lip balms leave my lips looking oddly white, this Pure Fiji one doesn’t!) and the body mist (cooling and smells deliciously of coconut).
The Body Shop body butters
I’ve had an obsession with these from way back. If you’re lucky you might be able to track down my favourite limited edition Vineyard Peach from winter this year, but if not every other body butter that they do smells amazing and feels luxurious.
M.A.C. Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
This is a great product to take away any shine from your face whether you have makeup on or not. It’s lightweight and invisible so your skin won’t feel weighed down. It works so well, I used it in the humidity of Rarotonga over my wedding makeup. I use a kabuki brush to apply a little all over my face, concentrating more on problem areas where my skin is more oily.
Kio Kio Chamomile & Harakeke hand and body lotion
I’ve always got a general body lotion parked by my bathroom sink, and this New Zealand-made one was sent to me a while back. With a natural scent, this body lotion does a great job of hydrating skin and the natural emollients in it leave it feeling soothed.
Karen Murrell lipsticks
The gorgeous lippies from Karen Murrell are crafted from natural ingredients and smell like cinnamon. Although there are some great natural colours in her range, I’m in love with the bright and bold shades – I’m particularly fond of Red Shimmer and Fuschia Shock.
Sebastian Professional Drynamic
It took me a while to come around to the idea of a dry shampoo, but rather than using it to go for days without hair washing, I feel this is a great product in the summer time if you’ve just been out for a walk in the park, or sitting in the sun for a picnic and your hair could do with a bit of a freshen up. I’ll be having this on hand over the coming months.
Image / NZ Real Health