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Your 10 most-bought beauty and wellbeing products in July
July brought some on the hottest temperatures on record in the UK, and August looks set to soar to equally desert-like celsius readings. As such, your beauty essentials have been on the whole cooling, refreshing and restorative, with the odd sundowner appropriate eye palette and luxe new mascara thrown in. Here’s what you spent your beauty budget on in July.
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Slip Silk Eye Mask, £45
We’ll start with the essentials: getting some half decent shuteye when your bedroom is hotter than a Greek island, thus windows are thrown open and instead of a Santorini sunset you’ve got a street light glaring at you all night. This happens to be my city living situation, which is why Slip is such a saviour- you can barely feel it yet it stays put and blocks light out completely, increasing your chances of dropping off. You won’t wake up with weird pillow creases either, and unlike cotton eye masks, there’s zero absorption of precious eye creams and serums.
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Oskia Eye Wonder, £49.50 for 10ml
Another lightweight eye buy, this cooling serum helps to bring down puffiness and smooth delicate skin around your eyes thanks to a hyaluronic acid , zinc , peptide and niacinamide rich formula. It packs a punch in terms of rejuvenating ingredients and gets rave reviews from the sensitive of skin in particular. Keep it in the fridge and smooth on morning and night, sleep or no sleep, heat or no heat.
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Elizabeth Arden Skin Illuminating Brightening Hydragel Cream, £55 for 50ml
More featherweight skincare suited to sweaty summer climes, this oil-free gel sinks in fast, with hyaluronic acid to help skin to retain moisture and a peptide and vitamin C blend to brighten skin over time. Like a long cool drink for your mug, whether applied under makeup or at the end of a clammy day.
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EOS Smooth Active Pink Grapefruit SPF30 Lip Balm, £6.50
Lip balms don’t come more sun, sea and sport appropriate than this- the sweat and water resistant ‘ball’ offers a decent level of SPF alongside moisturising shea butter and jojoba oil, and the grapefruit scent is a welcome energisier too.
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Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil, £22.50 for 100ml
Like lips, the tops of your ears and your feet, hair and scalp are often neglected in the full glare of the sun, yet UV rays and heat can wreak havoc on your head. A hat is your best bet, but this water-resistant mist helps to protect lengths and scalp from the sun while adding nourishment and sheen thanks to a plant oil rich formula. It also smells like a holiday in itself- skip your EDT and just bring this if liquid allowance is limited.
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Jo Loves Grapefruit A Fragrance Body Spray, £40 for 150ml
Leave all memories of sickly clouds of Impulse in the school changing room/90s where they belong- this elegant can represents a new era of body mist, one that’s mature, refreshing and lingers without overpowering. It’s just the thing after a long day at your desk, flight or stint on a lounger.
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Zoeva Rose Golden Eyeshadow Palette, £18
All you need for a shimmery bronze eye , office appropriate matte or deep and intense bit of evening smoke- this palette is as versatile as they come, and affordable too. Shadows and velvety and easily blendable, and the selection of warm golds, sheeny plums and rich browns suit everyone.
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Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara, £25
If mascara is your desert island beauty product, this golden wand will tick your boxes- it’s a creamy, sooty black, instantly lengthening and volumizing and goes big on impact. It’s drama in a triangular tube, and it barely needs layering, although if you’re anything like me you’ll load it on regardless.
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Sisley Self Tanning Hydrating Facial Skincare, £92.50 for 60ml
Sure, you could probably buy a ticket to the South of France for that price, but this luxe facial tanner has become a cult classic owing to its natural-looking colour, deeply hydrating formula (not always a given with drying DHA) and antioxidant skincare benefits. You only need a small amount of fluid to achieve a golden effect, and you can build it depending on your natural skin tone.
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Weleda Skin Food, £12.50 for 75ml
The final item in your baskets is also a timeless hydrator, albeit a more affordable one. This now iconic green tube has been spotted everywhere from backstage to the back of the bus, and it tackles everything from chapped hands to patchy, dry cheeks, leaving skin soft, noticeably healthier and protected from elements. Sweet almond oil and sunflower seed oil provide instant moisture, but be aware that a little goes a long way to avoid greasy paws.