MINIMAL BUT EFFECTIVE HOLIDAY SKINCARE

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It's hard to decide on the right skincare to take away with you on holiday, but over the years, I feel like I've honed things down to a fine art! Today I'm sharing the fundamentals of my holiday skincare routine and why they're great, to give you an idea of what you might like to take away with you this summer...

The gentle cleanser: Monday Muse's the Cleanser | £28 | full review

I personally always end up taking more showers and washing my face more often on a summer holiday, simply because I'm hotter and I'm putting on a lot of sunscreen. So, I repurchased a favourite for my travels this summer, because I know it's gentle but it works. This is a non-foaming creamy emulsion; it's like a very lightweight gel with ingredients like soothing aloe (an aftersun favourite), moisturising hemp seed oil, plenty of lipids and just a little bit of salicylic acid to help fight post-heat blemishes. This melts onto the skin and gives an effective cleanse, taking away any sweat and sunscreen without stripping my skin of its natural moisture. I use it AM and after removing my makeup at the end of the day (plus before I get ready to go back out for dinner!)

The quick face mist: Laneige Cream Skin Mist | £19 | full review

Face mists are amazing for a quick boost of hydration and just to help cool and calm the skin (if you have a mini-fridge in your hotel room, I highly recommend storing your face mist there so it feels even more amazing!) This formula is one of my favourite products in a mist bottle; Laneige's milky toner. This all-in-one can act as a toner, serum and even a moisturiser if you have oily skin because it's formulated with both water-based products to boost hydration levels (such as glycerin) but also fatty ingredients to soften and moisturise the skin (including meadowfoam seed oil and Vitamin E). It refreshes the skin and boosts hydration levels all day long. 

The active moisturiser: Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser* | £42 | full review

An active moisturiser condenses your serum and moisturising steps into one and provides an effective all-rounder formula quickly and easily. This moisturiser was a go-to for me on my recent travels because of all the brilliant ingredients it contains and the fact that this + SPF was all I needed, saving me time and keeping things nicely lightweight without compromising on results. It's a kind of gel-cream that melts into the skin beautifully; despite the lightweight texture, it contains just about everything you need from a moisturiser. For the base, we have ceramides (a component of the skin's lipid barrier), topical collagen (to moisturise and hydrate), fatty acids and alcohols (to nourish and replenish the skin), Vitamin E (a fat-soluble antioxidant) and moisturising plant oils. Then the active components are niacinamide and peptides. Niacinamide is a great all-rounder to help prevent discolouration, regulate oil production and boost the skin's barrier function by encouraging ceramide production. Peptides are hydrating, plumping short-chain amino acids that could also help increase collagen production in the skin, which is what keeps our skin looking full and bouncy. This moisturiser is great under makeup and enough for my drier skin type without being too much for hot days.

The makeup-friendly sunscreen: Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating Skinscreen SPF 50+ | £34 | full review

There are plenty of great holiday sunscreens for beach days, such as the ones I covered here, but for this post I thought I'd include the trickier find: a sunscreen that has a high level of protection but works under makeup. I use this on holiday during days when I'm walking around a city, for example, when I have makeup on, or before I glam up a little to head out for the evening. This formula is a peachy-toned lotion; not pigmented enough to only suit some skin tones but with enough to give visible light protection and just a little bit of colour correction. It's hydrating (so best for dry skin, though normal skin types may enjoy it if they skip the moisturiser), it absorbs easily without leaving behind a cast and it provides a perfect base for makeup. Usually, the best you can hope for is a sunscreen that doesn't pill up and destroy your makeup, but this actually enhances makeup by leaving my skin soft, smooth and glowing. Plus, it's a broad-spectrum SPF 50+ tested to stringent Australian standards with modern filters to minimise any potential irritation to the skin and eyes.

What skincare do you reach for on holiday?

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