Delve into holiday hair, makeup and skincare hauls of some of our favourite women, plus they let you in on a few rather unfortunate events in the holiday beauty department…
According to research carried out by Blow Ltd in partnership with Mintel , 59 per cent of British women agree that their beauty routine helps them to relax, and given that the frantic pace of modern life tends to lend and limit itself to hurried mascara application on the tube, it’s evident why having a little more time to wind down and actually enjoy the beauty products we’ve bought can lead to a more contented state of mind. Add a summer getaway to the mix and you’ve got the perfect window for both experimentation and taking your time over things, or you know, just ditching your whole beauty regime altogether, because it’s your holiday and you’ll do as you please, merci beaucoup.
With newfound free time and a different climate, location and chemists to explore, here’s how seven high flyers do holiday beauty, from packing to quick evening looks and what they pick up in the local pharmacy...
Fleur de Force, beauty and fashion vlogger
“I definitely make less effort with my makeup when I'm away on holiday, but I tend to make more effort with my body care than usual. That means copious amounts of SPF ( Piz Buin One Day Long is my favourite), after sun by Institut Esthederm , £39.50, and body oils, usually Palmer’s Coconut Oil , £7, or Trilogy. I’ll also add in a waterproof mascara ( Too Faced Better than Sex Waterproof , £19), an eyebrow pencil such as the new Brow Define which is a new addition to my brow range with Eylure, a tinted moisturiser like Sarah Chapman Skin Insurance, £49, and a brilliant powder SPF by Peter Thomas Roth ,£24, for the face.”
“Travel wise, I used to be a light packer, but over the years I've definitely swung the other way! If I'm going somewhere long-haul for more than five days I'll have at least two check-in bags - whoops!”
“On the beach I usually wear a little tinted moisturiser, a bit of bronzer (this summer I've been using Hourglass ) and some waterproof mascara.”
“For summer evenings my look is bronzed and glowy! So far this summer I’m loving using the new Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour and Highlighter for a super quick, sunkissed complexion.”
“As I’m pregnant I've had to stop using my retinol products for the time being, as it's recommended that you don't overdo it on vitamin A during pregnancy, but to be honest after the first month, my skin has been great so I've stripped my routine right back! I use either Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser or Sarah Chapman Ultimate Cleanse , £44, then Sarah Chapman's Skin Insurance tinted moisturiser and a little bit of Zelens Triple Action Advanced Eye Cream , £75, and I'm good to go.”
“Body-wise, I've stepped up my routine as my skin has been getting extra dry, and I obviously want to try and prevent getting stretch marks if I can. I've been using a shower oil from Rituals in place of my usual shower gel, Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner (an old favourite- I'd forgotten how much I loved this!) and a selection of different creams and oils for my body. My favourites so far have been the Trilogy Body Oil as it's all natural, the Palmer's Tummy Butter for an extra rich treatment and the new Being by Sanctuary Chilli, Mango & Tonka Bean Body Butter , £10, in the mornings as it absorbs super quickly so I can put my clothes on straight away.”
“My hair actually loves hot weather and dries really well in the sun, so I let it do it's thing and get all beachy when I'm on holiday. I do love the Aveda sun hair care products though - they have a great protection spray and an after sun treatment I've used for a couple of years.”
“In terms of buying beauty products abroad, It's actually kind of a shame now as you can get the majority of products and brands online some way or another, but I do always love stocking up on Cinema Secrets brush cleanser, Sephora own brand products and Bath & Body Works when I'm in the States. I also pick up eye drops and unusual skincare when I'm in Japan, and of all the places, Reykjavik airport in Iceland has the most awesome duty free beauty section. They have all sorts of brand I've never tried before.”
“As for holiday beauty nightmares, it's always nails... and I never learn! Whenever I get gel nails done abroad I always have a problem with them, either the technician files my nails right down and really damages them, or they chip within a day after paying loads to have them done, or they are impossible to get off once I'm home. I just need to learn to not book in for nails…”
“Finally my desert island beauty product would be Sarah Chapman Skin Insurance tinted moisturiser. If I could wear it anywhere right now it would be South East Asia. I’d love to go to Cambodia or Vietnam, and Bali is a dream destination too.”
Arabella Preston, makeup artist and co-founder of Votary
“If I could only take two products away with me they would be a Votary Body Oil , £65, and an SPF. The body oil acts as my perfume in the evenings too and I even use it on the dry ends of my hair. My routine is very simple on holiday, but I do relish having lots of time to look after myself.”
"I’m generally quite a light packer. I actually enjoy the process of editing down my makeup bag to the key essentials. I take a couple of different lip colours with me so I can change my look easily.”
“That said I’d never wear makeup at the beach- I don't wear makeup at all during the day on holiday. It does bad things to my skin to sweat into makeup. Instead I get my eyelashes tinted quite dark before I go away and that lifts my look enough that I don't feel the need for makeup.”
“For sundowners I’ll have a quick swoosh of Hourglass Bronzer , a lick of Estée Lauder mascara finished with Lipstick Queen Lip Pencil in Metamorphoses . This look honestly takes two minutes, max.”
“Hair wise I tie it up and hope for the best! I do cover it in oil as this stops the ends getting too dry. My hair is super frizzy but I generally can't be bothered with blow-drying it so I just have to keep it in a plait to keep it under control. I did buy a hair mask once in Spain, and I was still trying to wash it out two weeks later...”
“We go to France every year and to be honest, all the french pharmacy finds I used to fill my suitcase with are now available in the UK. It doesn't take away from the pleasure of browsing the shelves though- there is something unique about the atmosphere in French pharmacies.”
“I would really love to go somewhere in South America one day. I think that one day I will have a late in life gap year and go backpacking there.”
“My desert island beauty product is one that doesn’t exist yet- a Votary Body Oil with SPF 50 (give us time!)”
Basma Khalifa, fashion stylist, brand consultant and presenter
“Day to day on holiday I apply Pixi Rose Oil Blend , £26, and depending on what we are doing I will apply Total Control NYX Foundation , £14, a MAC blusher , a small amount of Cream Contour by And Other Stories, my trusty Rimmel Liquid Eyeliner , £4.20, an NYX brow pencil , £8, and a quick coat of mascara such as Maybelline Push Up Drama , £7.99.”
“I probably put in the same amount of effort on holiday as I do normally, but I am lucky that my face doesn't really sweat and I just enjoy the ritual of getting ready. I'm not a sunbather so I don't tend to worry about it falling off.”
“I like to pretend that I pack light but it just never seems light by the time I've packed all the different brushes and palettes I want to take.”
“I do actually wear makeup to the beach (don't judge me) but black skin doesn't get rosy in the sun like caucasian skin does, so I like to apply just a quick brow, and bit of blusher. No foundation though- that's a bit of a sand nightmare. I don't really go on beach holidays, I get restless very quickly.”
“For summer nights my new Huda Beauty Palette , £56, is a go-to- it brightens up my eyes instantly and stays on so well. To this I’ll add a little bit of foundation, brows, liquid eyeliner, blusher and a little bit of contour for definition.”
“Hair styling for me isn’t quite so simple- it’s a bit of a minefield with afro hair. I have two options, and I usually go for the first which is to do a proper blow dry and keep it straight. However, this means no fun jumping into the sea moments but in general it's easier to keep and lasts longer. The second option is to go curls, and for this I would have to twist and set and then blow it out with a strong hairdryer. I have to have hair serum wherever I go because my hair gets so dry. Recently I discovered Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly , £7, which is fantastic for freshening up curls. I won't go away without it. How my hair behaves is completely dependent on climate- if I go somewhere humid I wouldn't even attempt straight hair. I would be attacking it with straighteners every hour.”
“When I’m travelling I’ll pick up Tarte makeup- it's not that easy to get hold of in the UK. I hate having to pay custom charges so I wait for a friend going to the States and have them bring me what I want. I have a list as long as my arm of Tarte products to try.”
“I’ve had plenty of holiday beauty nightmares. A few years ago I went to Brunei- it’s a very humid country. I thought I would take an afternoon to deep condition my hair as I had trekked the rainforest the day before and the humidity had gotten to my hair. The ladies offering to do it didn't really speak English, but I thought I had explained myself well. I hadn’t. They applied the strongest chemical straightening product, which I only guessed when I could smell it. I panicked and back ran to my hotel with the product still in and jumped straight into the shower. My hair washed out poker straight. I cried for days and it took a whole year to grow out.”
“No I keep it simple- coconut oil is a must-have for moisturising both hair and skin. You can’t go wrong there. As for dream destinations on my list I'm not sure I could possibly name just one, I have a big travel bug! I have always wanted to see more of Africa so have my eyes set on Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia. I would love to discover Jamaica, Cuba, Panama and Mongolia too. Okay I failed at this one destination idea.”
Susannah Taylor, Get The Gloss Editor at Large
“Some areas of my beauty regime become more relaxed on holiday while others need ramping up quite a bit! For example, while I have a very simple skincare regime at home (cleanser, serum, moisturiser) I need a lot of products to protect me from the sun when abroad. I also often let my hair go wavy crazy so there’s no hairdryer involved but for that reason it then needs different products to tame the frizz beast!”
“My number one beauty essential of all, however, is sunscreen. I am fastidious about it in hot climates. Not because I'm the perfect beauty editor who stays in the shade all the time (I don't, I love the warmth of the sun), but because I really, seriously burn badly without it. I only have to sit in the English sun for twenty minutes and I'll fry. I have two redhead children too so I'm a nightmare with them too....I slather them top to toe and they hate me for it. I apply sunscreen first thing before breakfast, and tend to do it naked (sorry for the detail!) but this way I don't miss any bits. I find if you try and 'go round' a bikini you end up with flash burn areas. I reapply it a lot throughout the day too.”
“If money were no object I would buy Sisley Sunleya SPF 30 , £165, but Clinique SPF 30 Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream , £18 is also amazing and more affordable. For body I am a big fan of Clarins Sun Care Cream High Protection UVB/UVA 30 , £21, the gorgeous smell reminds me of holidays. Another awesome brand is Ultrasun who take sun protection very seriously. I'm a big fan of their Ultrasun Family SPF 30 , £19.
“My next essential is waterproof mascara- I love Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara , £19 which doesn't budge come sweat, water or sun (and keeps lashes looking pretty spectacular too). I can do front crawl across a bay in it and it literally doesn't budge.”
“I also won't leave home actually without self tan. You may think that its weird I take this on holiday but I've never really gone brown (and hey it's not good to tan) so I apply self tan all throughout my holiday - every night in fact. My absolute favourite is Clarins' Self Tanning Milky Lotion , £20 which is a perfect bronze for me - enough to give me a good colour but not too intense. Plus its has no biscuity smell, just the faint whiff of lovely coconut.”
“I used to take everything but the bathroom sink, but since being charged for overweight luggage many times, much to my husband’s fury, I have learned to decant everything into smaller bottles. That goes for eye makeup remover, shampoo, conditioner, serums etc. My beauty stash is now a quarter of the weight, which means I can take all of it! You can buy little empty bottles in Boots- they’re genius.”
“Do I wear makeup to the beach? Hell yes! I'm just not one of those summer goddesses who can do no makeup and sea salt hair and look like a Victoria's Secret model. When I've been in the sea I look more like a monster from the deep. I would never wear a whole face of makeup on the beach as I feel that's not a good look or good for the skin, but I would definitely use concealer where needed, powder bronzer and waterproof mascara. Just to feel presentable! I would also dye my eyebrows before I go on holiday as they tend to disappear in the sunshine.”
“For evening I would probably do a smokey eye and bronzed skin. If I can fit it in my luggage I will take Urban Decay's Naked Palette £39.50 with me so I can pull off a few different looks throughout the holiday. I might do darker liner one night or a bronze smokey eye on another evening, for example.”
“For lips I'm really into coloured balms at the moment- they look natural but still have a hint of colour. I love Elizabeth Arden's new Lip Oils , £18 which are super silky and come in amazing fruity shades.”
“My hair is naturally wavy/ frizzy but I often tend to leave it to dry naturally on holiday. I always have Moroccan Oil Treatment , £32.85 to hand, so whether I want to blow dry it quickly or leave it to dry naturally, it works both ways. I decant it as the bottle is super heavy. I have a Dyson hairdryer which I do take with me as it's very lightweight- sometimes a girl just wants to feel groomed. With regards to beach hair, I take scarves to tie around my hair and often try a halo braid to keep everything from frizzing (more function over style to be honest).”
“I've just been in the south of France and am constantly scouring French pharmacies for new products I haven't seen before. This time I actually bought shower gels - a Caudalie one and a Nuxe face and body wash. There's something really indulgent about a posh shower gel. I also always stock up on Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution - they’ve always got a good deal on out there!”
“Holiday beauty nightmares...I remember going to the airport once and I'd just had a Keratin hair smoothing treatment on my hair so it looked crazily straight. I had also had a spray tan which was still developing so I was the colour of actual mahogany. My husband looked at me at Gatwick and said, “Sus why do you look like an extra from Eastenders?!” The other one that springs to mind also involves my husband. When I first started going out him (waay back - about twenty years ago), we went on holiday. I think he thought my hair was naturall straight as I always blow-dried it. I remember saying I'd meet him on the beach and I went for a dip. Went he got there he walked right past me as he'd never seen me with curly hair before…thankfully it didn't put him off!”
“If I could jet off anywhere right now I would love to drive down the West Coast of California with my kids, stopping off in LA and San Francisco on the way and perhaps ending up in Arizona. I would also like to see the Amalfi coast. My dream next summer is to take a whole month off and go travelling around the Greek islands. I have a vision of painting under a tree and diving into blue waters (it's good to dream!)”
“Desert island beauty products - can I have two? It would be Clarins SPF 30 (see above) and also a bronzing powder. I've always been a huge fan of Guerlain bronzing powders as they come in brilliant, believable shades to suit your skin tone. One of my all-time faves is Guerlain's Terracotta Light which is for blondes and isn't too orange, too shimmery or too dark.”
Nia Pettit, model and influencer
“I definitely take more time when doing my makeup when travelling as I feel like I have more time. When I'm at home I am always in a rush trying to get everything done. If I'm in a sunny country then I have to deep condition my hair a lot more as the sun can damage my blond curls, but in a cooler country I'll put a lost less time into my hair routine.”
“I am definitely a light packer, I travel so much that I've mastered packing tonnes of outfits and sample sizes of products without my suitcase weighing too much.”
“When I get there and head to the beach, I’ll just fill my eyebrows in and whack on a lip balm- that’s it! For evening I love adding gloss and some highlighter, especially if I have a nice natural glow. Hair-wise I always have to take Skimdo with me- it's a curl cream that saves my curls when they've been fried. Deva Curl is also amazing, but you can’t get it in the UK.”
“My advice to avoid a holiday hair mare in particular would be to never go to a random salon and get a cut or a colour done. Don't act in the moment, especially with someone you don't know!”
“On my travel list next is Australia or South America- I’ve been wanting to go to both places for ages.”
Ruby Hammer MBE, makeup artist
“My day to day holiday essentials include all of the basics in all beauty domains- face, hair and body. I do make more effort than usual because I have the time, and also I can test things properly and leisurely which I love.”
"I wouldn't say that I am a light packer but I try not to take my bathroom with me either. I pack in a methodical way, so that I’m not without the essentials, but I add things that are appropriate for skin, hair and body dependent on the environment I am going to be in. Sea and salt means SPF protection plus soothing, hydrating products. Oils, balms and winter sports mean richer, more nourishing products.”
“I never wear makeup to the beach but I do curl my eyelashes and re-apply lip balms often with SPF for comfort. For evening I keep skin quite fresh by adding a cream blusher, concealer if needed and vibrant yet sheer lip colour, or I’ll add eye pencils in green or blue to the water line. Sometimes I go totally neutral and just curl my eyelashes and smudge a black eye kohl around the eyes.”
“I really love my hair on holiday- the sea and humidity bring out the natural texture and I just go with it. I do use Philip Kingsley Elasticizer , £31, every few days and Aveda Protective Hair Veil , £22.50, everyday.”
“In general I try out the spas and treatments as much as possible when I’m abraod and so far I’ve not had any nightmares. The only thing that crops up is that I love deep, strong massage and I hate when it is wimpy, even after I have told my therapist that I like strong pressure.”
“Otherwise I have only recently started colouring my greys and this is a whole new thing to me- I can see how the sun and salt take its toll on my hair now.”
“My desert island beauty product would be some kind of thick, multipurpose oil or balm that can be used everywhere. It would preferable smell divine too!”
Sherrille Riley, founder of Nails & Brows and The Mayfair Edit
“My holiday beauty essentials would be The Gentle Label Balm , £16, for my lips and cuticles, Beauty Edit Mayfair Brow Filler , £25, an Hourglass concealer ,£25,to cover any blemishes and Environ SPF 15 .”
“I wear less makeup on holiday as I like to let my skin breathe when given the chance. I do up my skincare routine with masks, serums and exfoliator on holiday as I am more relaxed and tend to have more “me time."
“I tend to bring my whole beauty cabinet with me, I tend to pack everything as I’ve got serious skincare sessions in mind! I especially like to try new products when on holiday- I’m a beauty junkie. I also check out duty free at the airport for new products to add to my wish list.”
“I keep it simple for the beach- just my brow pencil, a hint of concealer and lip balm. I always like a natural look, even for evenings. At night I’ll wear a Becca Cosmetics highlighter , £32, Revitalash mascara , £16.50, Hourglass concealer and a Beauty Edit Mayfair brow pencil.”
“I wash my hair more often on holiday and I use more products. My hair tends to get extremely dry from the direct sunlight so I wash and condition it every other day using Charlotte Mensah’s range - it’s amazingly conditioning and smells divine. For styling I tend to use manketti oil which leaves my hair healthy and shiny.
“As for foreign beauty finds, I love the repair body lotion from SebaMed. I tend to stock up when I find it as it's not readily available in the UK.”
“In terms of holiday beauty mare, I once had a massage in a luxury hotel spa in Switzerland and I reacted badly to the oil that was used. It almost ruined my holiday as I became allergic to almost everything I used for a while. It took over a year to clear the rashes I had developed.”
“Next I would love to do a trip to India on a yoga and meditation retreat.”
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Follow Fleur on Instagram @fleurdeforce , Arabella @arabellapreston , Basma @basmakhalifa , Susannah @susannahtaylor_ , Nia @frogirlginny , Ruby @rubyhammer , Sherrille @sherrilleriley and Anna @annyhunter