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SUMMER SELFCARE.

20 August 2018 3 comments


Although practising self care ought to be a 365-days-a-year affair, there are a few habits that seem especially salient during the summer months.








The importance of hydrating your skin.

To me, face masks and pampering feel like a bit of an autumnal or wintery activity - huddled up under a blanket, candles on the go, all the stereotypical blogger essentials that surround face mask application ;) But my summer skin is arguably a more deserving casualty. Aside from the battles with oily/dry/sweaty skin, hot weather makes me want to eschew my skincare regime and having anything remotely creamy/sticky on my face like a bread-less sandwich (literally saw that on a menu the other day - what is the world coming to). So making time for moments of calm and relative coolness are imperative to make up for unfulfilled skin self care.

Something like Summer Friday's Jet Lag mask is ideal (and what's on my face in this post) as it's creamy without being overbearing and isn't a b*tch to remove like a clay mask - in fact, you need not remove it at all. Just remove the excess and leave the residue to further hydrate your skin.

Others worth mentioning: CellBn 100% Kelp masks, Blossom Jeju Camellia Oil masksGlow Recipe Watermelon Mask, Darphin Camellia Mask, Origins Drink Up mask, Lixirskin Vitamin C Paste





The responsible sun-worshipper and circadian rhythms.

One of the reasons I love summer is the longer daylight hours. I'm not a morning person as it goes but there's nothing like a cold, dark morning in Winter to make me sink deeper underneath my duvet and refuse to acknowledge that it's already considerably later in the morning than I might like..

Morning sun is arguably the best for our bodies, resetting our circadian rhythms so we feel less sluggish and lethargic during the day and sleep better at night (although I use my Slip eye mask to help me in that department - it's really been worth it). I make an effort during summer especially to sit out in the garden in the mornings and soak in a little daybreak - failing that, to sit by my window for the same reason.

Sun-worshipping is all well and good for our happiness/energy levels but I can't mention it without acknowledging sunscreen in tandem.

It's always tricky trying to find an SPF to suit your skin - many are volatile and cause breakouts or irritation, some are too thick, white and creamy, others are gel-like and light but full of alcohol. I did an entire post on how sunscreens have evolved to cater for our every need and budget, but today I'll just give mention to the SPF that I'm using everyday, right now. And that's the Soobooji Sun Cotton (I reviewed it and it's cushion counterpart here if you want to see me looking dopey in the mornings). It's affordable, great for combination skins and has a non-sticky, velvety finish - I really like it.

Others worth mentioning: Soobooji cushion foundation, Dermalogica SPF primer, Hanyul SPF 50 BB cream, Kate Somerville SPF spray, Hera SPF 50



Every body is a beach body.

If you've a body, you've a beach body. We're showered with articles and press every summer - 4 weeks to your perfect beach body etc, but there's really no need to put yourself through a month of low-carb hell to feel happy in your own skin, or to feel accepted by others. Take that from someone who has a) mountains of body insecurity and b) lumps and bumps and flub and squishiness.

I've spoken about being a fashion inbetweener and the Instagram Trap of portraying perfection here on BTB, and have since found great feeds on Insta like @midsizecollective and @inbetweenie_style that share and showcase women like you and I, and I think it's a really great thing. I must give a mention to Anna and Kelli too for their no bullsh*t, wear-whatever-the-heck-I-want body positivity, and I love them.


xx