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10 best beach beauty products

Look your best on the sand this summer with our pick of the products that can stand the heat

Monday 14 November 2016 11:08 GMT

Get a healthy glow on your holiday

There may be no such thing as being 'beach-body-ready', but you can at least fill your wash bag with water- and sweat-friendly make-up, sun protection for hair and skin, and body products to buff your winter-scaly skin into shape to give you a helping hand. And relax.

1. Nars Laguna Liquid Bronzer: £27.50, Feel Unique

Nars has relaunched its famous Laguna bronzer in liquid form this summer – a much-appreciated addition for those who struggle to apply powder bronzer without patches (plus, anything that can be applied with fingers rather than requiring a brush is great for packing light). It's quite thin so you'll need to work fast to stop it dribbling between your fingers, and blends to a gorgeous golden bronze. Mix a little in with your base for an all-over boost.

2. Bobbi Brown Nude Finish Tinted Moisturiser: £29.50, Bobbi Brown

No one wants to wear a full face of make-up in summer-holiday heat, but if you're not quite brave enough to go properly nude, Bobbi Brown's new tinted moisturiser is the perfect middle ground. Lightweight and creamy, it blurs out imperfections and redness with a dewy finish for the ultimate barely-there coverage.

3. Benefit BadGal Waterproof Mascara: £17.50, John Lewis

Sadly, our favourite mascara (Benefit’s Roller Lash) isn’t waterproof, but luckily our second favourite from the brand is. The huge wand coats every lash without requiring countless coats and doesn’t flake or budge in the pool (or sweat).

4. James Read Sleep Mask Tan Body: £35, Marks & Spencer

If you’re anything like me, you need a little help to take the blue tinge off limbs that spend 90 per cent of the year well wrapped up. This overnight tan gives gorgeous, sun-kissed colour to super pale skin, doesn’t transfer onto clothes or sheets and is buildable to get the colour you want. Very fake-tan-virgin friendly.

5. L’Oreal Color Riche Nail Polish in Festive Orange: £3.99, Superdrug

Nothing makes your hard-applied tan pop quite like a bright summer nail shade, and this poppy orange is our absolute favourite for summer 2016. The brush is slightly flatter and wider than usual, making neat nails pretty easy, and the formula dries shiny and true-to-colour. Finish with our favourite Seche Vite topcoat for a mani that will last all week.

6. Clarins Ombre Iridescente: £18, Clarins

Considering most eye shadows hardly stay put for a day in the UK, Clarins's new waterproof formula is pretty impressive. Unusually, it is a thick liquid formula, which you blend over lids with your fingertips (another that doesn't require a brush). It didn't budge after a swim and had only minimal creasing after a long day of sight-seeing. Available in four shades, but our pick is Golden Sand.

7. Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Oil: £35, Cult Beauty

Initially only sold for use in spas, this indulgent oil proved so popular that Elemis caved in to pressure and brought it to the retail market. And thank goodness it did. It has a heady, almondy scent (much like Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse, minus the glitter) and leaves skin soft, glowing and really improves condition. It goes solid in the bottle, so you will likely need to warm it on the radiator or in your bath water before using.

8. Clinique Mineral Sunscreen Fluid for Face: £22, Clinique

Sunscreen is the most important thing you can do for your skin any day of the year, but particularly on holiday when you’re exposed to more sun than usual. This lightweight, gentle sunscreen is oil-free, great for sensitive and leaves no trace on the skin so it is a great base for make-up. In SPF30 or 50.

9. Philip Kingsley Citrus Sunshine Swim Cap: £13, Philip Kingsley

Chlorine, humidity, salt and sun aren’t kind to hair, especially if it’s coloured (no one wants bleached locks turning green). This clever conditioning treatment from Philip Kingsley, which you apply to damp hair before swimming and wash out afterwards, protects from UV and chlorine. The limited-edition version has a lovely bright citrus and bergamot scent, too.

10. Aveda Beautifying Radiance Polish: £36, Aveda

This is admittedly a pricey choice, but we’ve not found a body scrub like it anywhere else. Salt crystals polish while plant oils melt into the skin, leaving skin smooth, moisturised and ready for revealing. On the less glamorous side, it’s particularly good on keratosis pilaris – those little bumps that a lot of people get on the tops of their arms – and for preventing ingrown hairs.

Verdict

Our favourite new launches for beach beauty this year have to be Nars's Liquid Laguna and Bobbi Brown's Nude Finish Tinted Moisturiser, with golden-oldie BadGal in close third.