SKINCARE & BEAUTY FOR A LATE SUMMER HOLIDAY

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Today I'm sharing the skincare and some of the general beauty products I'm taking with me for 5 nights on the French Riviera, as a realistic lineup that will still cover all of my bases! I'll focus on why I chose to travel with these products and link my more detailed reviews if you want to know more about any of them...

Let's start with the two cleansers I'm taking with me. I'd only been using it a few days when I packed for this trip, but I decided the Skin Rock Gel Cleanser* | £39 | full review coming soon | was going to come with me! That's because this is just the kind of product I find easiest to use as a first cleanse when I'm travelling. It's a thicker gel formula that comes in a tube; you massage it onto dry skin and it melts down into an oil, removing makeup and waterproof sunscreen. When you splash your skin with water, it then transforms into a milk which can be washed or wiped (gently, with a damp cloth) away easily for a gentle first cleanse. It's been really effective so far, even against a mascara I sometimes struggle removing. As my second and morning cleanse, I'm packing my trusty Monday Muse the Cleanser | £28 | full review. This is a gentle creamy-gel glycolipid formula that's lightweight and non-foaming. It's very balancing for my skin barrier and leaves my skin feeling soft, fresh and hydrated after use. I must be on about my 5th or 6th tube of this, which I think might make it my most repurchased cleanser... 

I'm also going to be taking one toner for AM and PM, which is going to be the Ordinary Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner* | £12.40 | full review. This is a wonderful, skin-softening hydrating toner that always leaves my skin looking and feeling plump, happy and healthy. I'm not packing a heavy-duty exfoliant (this product has very mild exfoliating properties) because I did a peel before leaving, so I expect this to work as general maintenance whilst I'm away.

For serums, I'm taking two, though I did accidentally forget to include one of them in the image! For the morning, I'm going to be using the Skin Rocks Antioxidant Serum* | £20 | full review. This contains a reparative peptide alongside a Vitamin C derivative and other antioxidant boosters and it feels nice and hydrating on my skin. It delivers the glow and obviously contributes towards long-term skin health, and it's very gentle so I thought it would be a nice all-rounder for my travels. For the evening, I'll be using the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6 Serum* | £69 | full review. This is my holy grail retinoid, and retinoids are my holy grail ingredient for my PM routine. The tube and pump packaging also make this light and travel-friendly. This product keeps my skin smooth, clear and plump, without causing any irritation. Some people say you shouldn't use retinoids in summer but I very much disagree; I think they work best as part of your daily (or as close as possible to daily) routine. If you need to, of course you can reach for a gentler retinoid during the months you'll be getting more sun exposure, but as long as you keep your routine gentle and restorative and stay on top of your sunscreen application and reapplication, there's no reason why they can't work as part of your summer skincare routine.

I've packed a moisturiser for the daytime and one I'll use for overnight, but also if I just find my skin wants something a little richer (there's nothing PM-specific about the actual formula). For my morning routine, I have my trusty Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream* | £35 | full review. This is a melting water cream packed full of hydration-boosting humectants, antioxidant extracts, squalane to replenish the skin and leave it feeling soft and niacinamide to help with discolouration and boost the skin barrier. This moisturiser provides hydration that lasts and it feels incredibly lightweight on my skin, plus it leaves things looking and feeling fresh, plump and hydrated. I am also taking a travel mini of the Trinny London Bounce Back Intense Peptide Moisturiser* | £20 | which is so cute and stackable with the rest of the travel-friendly products in the range. This is the more nourishing moisturiser option from the brand with soothing Beta-glucan, four different peptides (to hydrate the skin and help boost its collagen production), squalane and oat lipids for nourishment and hyaluronic acid to draw moisture into the skin. I love this kind of all-rounder that packs a lot of good stuff into a single skincare step, which is why it's a great travel option.

I'm going to be packing three sunscreens that are primarily for my face and I'll just share with my mum when it comes to body sunscreen! The sunscreen I expect to be wearing most of the time is the Ultra Violette Fave Fluid Ultralight Skinscreen SPF 50+ | £37 | full review. This is such a light melting lotion sunscreen and it really feels like nothing on the skin. It's not shiny, it's pretty traceless and this makes it perfect for applying and reapplying throughout the day. It provides a very high level of protection that's met the very high standards of Australian-made sunscreens. It doesn't pill and it's really comfortable to wear on hot days; whilst it doesn't advertise itself as water-resistant, I don't find it runs or gets into my eyes. For when I'm wearing makeup, I'm prboably going to be reaching for my beloved L'Oreal Bright Reveal Dark Spot UV Fluid SPF 50+ | £19.99 | full review. This is a moisturising, high-protection sunscreen with added benefits to help discolouration and it leaves my skin feeling silky soft and smooth but it's not greasy or shiny-looking. It doesn't pill and my makeup glides over it perfectly. Lastly, for sunscreens, I'm going to bring the Thank You Farmer Mugwort + Camelia Matte Sun Stick SPF 50+ PA++++* | £16 (15% off with code JASMINETALKSBEAUTY). This is going to be like an on-the-go top-up product rather than something to apply as a base layer; it has a matte finish and kind of glides over the skin. It can be used over makeup but I also apply it on other areas; for example, if I decide to tie my hair up, I can swipe this on the back of my neck to protect that exposed skin, or if I'm feeling like my shoulders or neck need a top up but I'm out and about so don't have my body sunscreen to re-apply, I can just use this.

Next, we have a fragrance and a deodorant pick. For my fragrance, I've packed the Kayali Capri in a Bottle Eau de Parfum | £28 (10ml) | full review. This is a gorgeous sugared lemon scent that evokes Aperol Spritz on the Amalfi Coast! It's gorgeous and has ended up being a surprise favourite from this collection for me. For deodorant, I'm bringing the Fussy Natural Deodorant in Pistachio Gelato | £10 for a case, £5 per refill. My gut feel is that I don't think this deodorant is quite as effective as the Akt formula which I reviewed here, but I am finding it more affordable overall and they have a lot more fun and varied fragrance options, like this gorgeous limited edition summer scent; Pistachio Gelato, which is sweet, nutty but nothing too sickly once applied. This works well as a deodorant, though for my personal sweaty-ness level! But bear in mind that since it's not an antiperspirant, it won't stop you from sweating.

For body care, I'll be packing a body oil and a hand cream and my mum always brings a full-size body wash, so I'll share that with her. I can't get enough of the L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil* | £40 | right now! It's nourishing on my dry skin, it leaves it feeling soft and gives it that holiday glow. Plus the spray bottle makes it quick and easy to apply after showering. It's formulated with nourishing and incredible-smelling ingredients like rosehip and sweet almond oils. My hand cream of choice is Rituals Mehr Recovery Hand Balm* | £12.90. This is nourishing but not greasy or heavy (despite being deeply moisturising); don't be put off by it being a 'hand balm', because it absorbs really easily. This comes in a bunch of different scents depending on your preference but Mehr is a gorgeously-aromatic blend of cedar wood and sweet orange.

Finally, for products I'm discussing in this post, I'm packing two lip balms. I've packed the Ordinary's Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm* | £8.50 | full review coming soon | because it's effortless, nothing heavy or glossy and it still works really well for my lips, so perfect for when I just want a boost of hydration. Then I have my beloved Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm | £23 | full review | which is a blend of deeply nourishing plant oils and butters to seriously soften and moisturise dry lips. This is what I'll be using overnight when I want something richer.

What are your favourite summer holiday beauty products?

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