Another Suitcase, Another Hall
It’s summer again and we are still falling into the same old habits that will be our undoing. Not applying enough sunscreen, not wearing a hat, not drinking enough water, not leaving early enough for the airport, not seeing our bodies clearly in the mirror and leaving the house looking like Sweet Baby Jane. Note to self, ruffles are for children or flamenco dancers.
The suitcases are out ready to be packed. You are carefully folding the garments chosen for the trip so they will be wrinkle free on arrival, where you will hang them up and at the end of the holiday remove them from the wardrobe. Unworn. Yet again you make the vow to not take so much on the next vacation. You already know this is a big lie. Why do we feel the need to have so many possessions with us at all times? Are we fleeing our homeland due to incoming insurgents or are we spending two weeks at the beach?
The problem is that we are unable to imagine the heat that dictates we will be wearing little more than swimsuits, sarongs and one trusty dress. It’s only when the plane door opens and that first blast of dry dusty heat spirals in that we remember.
Do we really need a dozen pairs of shoes for a beach holiday? Five pairs of flip-flops in various guises. No, we don’t actually, as most of the time will be spent bare footed and in the evening when we dress up and clip clop over to a nearby restaurant our feet will be slightly swollen and the thought of squeezing into those strappy sandals unthinkable.
Now that the weight restrictions at check in are making us think just a little more about luggage content we are having to do serious trimming of excess sarongs. A good holiday maxim is one for on, one for off, one for wash. Seriously, in that heat a cotton T-shirt is dry before breakfast. I do recommend taking a small tube of travel wash although frankly a squirt of shampoo does the same job and means one less thing to pack.
Capsule wardrobes are unrealistic. No one can really make their one-piece swimsuit double up as an outfit for a night on the town with the skilful addition of hoop earrings, a nattily tied scarf and gypsy skirt.
It’s quite possible, though, to have a capsule wardrobe of beauty products. A little time and thought will ensure that everything you take will be worth its weight in gold.
This is a time to give your skin and hair a vacation too. Leave the hot rollers, the straighteners and the curling iron at home. A travel blow dryer is small enough to tuck in and not be too worried about it being excess baggage if you never use it. You hair will be suffering enough from salt, chlorine and the relentless rays of the sun.
Cover your hair up during the day. A big hat with a floppy brim or baseball cap is perfect.
Your foundation can stay at home. Firstly, do not wear foundation when flying, as your face will suck it up for moisture, as your skin gets more and more dehydrated as you climb above the clouds. Stick to tinted moisturiser and concealer for the patches you feel must be disguised. You should leave your face bare as you dare during the holiday giving it a chance to breathe, just slather on a good sun cream with a high factor. A tan will fade but sun damage and wrinkles will not. You can fake a tan on your face easily with all the fabulous products flooding the market.
Wearing that big hat to protect your hair will also shade the top half of your face preventing sun damage that may result in uneven patches of pigment or worse. The shade from the brim will make it easier to see without screwing up your eyes causing more unnecessary fine lines.
If you have been resolutely body brushing then your skin will not be clogged up with skin cells clumped together, waiting to be shed. This makes an ideal work surface for pre holiday waxing. Have a professional do the bikini area. You can, if you wish, have it all done in the salon but it’s simple enough to do your underarms and half leg at home. Get all waxing done and dusted at least three days before departure in case you have a reaction. Especially if you are a fan of hot wax.
If you have made this effort then you will only need to pack your tweezers and a silk mitt in your bag. A silk mitt is a little fingerless glove made of very fine sandpaper that effortlessly removes hair from any area by slipping it onto your hand and rubbing the area with circular motions. Do not grab a piece of sand paper from the toolbox; it will not be graded for beauty use no matter how fine. The wonderful thing about this handy tool is that you can do as small or as large an area as needed. The hair is removed at surface level just like shaving. You can use this in place of other methods of depilation before your holiday, not just for touch ups. You can buy silk mitts in your local high street chemist for hardly any cost at all.
You will need plenty of body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. Sourcing these things in local chemists at your destination is fun and inspiring. You learn a lot about a country from what is to be found in the pharmacy.
It does seem to be true that suntan products cost the earth in other countries especially in resort type areas where the retail community know it’s going to be a top seller. Your chosen sun protection in a variety of SPF’s and textures is vital to the enjoyment of your holiday. This is an area in which to be over cautious and pack far too much. If it remains unopened then it will be fine next year as well.
Other high price items you can avoid buying once you arrive are insect repellent and bite creams. Again it is hard to remember how painful a bad bite can be until it happens again and the blissful relief of your carefully packed creams will be so very welcome.
Instead of packing large bottles of cleanser and toner etc, or trying to decant them into small plastic containers which is fantastically messy, this is the one time when facial wipes and eye make up remover pads are fine. In the evening use a wipe on your face then splash with warm water, pat dry and repeat.
Pack a skeleton make up kit. Mascara, blue eyeliner and a glossy lipstick are more than enough to see you through. Avoid cream formula make up that will melt and cascade unattractively down your face.
A setting sun over the ocean and flickering candles are the most flattering lighting for any woman- and conceal a multitude of sins, so take full advantage.
Sweet Treats – beauty in the kitchen for July 2011:
You may decide to have a snack or a cold beverage, while you are soaking up the sun, on your holiday this summer. Keeping hydrated is always a good idea but it can all go horribly wrong if you make the wrong choices.
Alcohol and the sun do not mix. Drinking alcohol in hot weather can leave you dehydrated and not thinking clearly. Alcohol is a diuretic, which is not going to help with your hydration levels.
When your body temperature rises you sweat and this sweat evaporates to cool the body. In hot, humid conditions the sweat does not evaporate which raises your temperature more so you sweat more and become more dehydrated. The big danger here is heat stroke, which is ghastly & not how you want to spend the day.
Try one of the following to keep
your fluid levels up.
- Make a large jug of green tea, let it cool then add the juice of a lemon and an orange. This will keep for several days in the fridge. Green tea contains antioxidants that help with the healing of sunburnt skin.
- Fill a jug with water. Peel and deseed a cucumber then cut it into long strips. Peel and grate a large piece of ginger. Zest and juice a lime. Add these ingredients to the water and leave overnight in the fridge. Strain, and then add lots of ice cubes.
Both of these are perfect for decanting into plastic bottles and taking to the beach.
As for the snacking part, stay away from fatty, oily or creamy foods and take advantage of all the fabulous fresh fruit available, especially watermelon, which is super cooling. Watermelon contains citruline, which helps with the healing and regenerative processes of the skin. Slice the melon, squeeze over a few drops of a citrus fruit and leave in the fridge for an hour or so before eating.
First published July 2011 By the Dart
