SPRING CLEAN YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE

I spent the weekend attempting to do some serious de-cluttering, cleaning and DIY. As I procrastinated by playing with make-up worked on clearing out my make-up stash I got to thinking that this really is the perfect time of year not just to have a clear out of your make up and beauty products drawers but also to give your beauty routine a spring clean.

Brighten up: Let’s start adding some brighter colours to our beauty routine. Whether it’s a bolder blush, brighter lips or some high impact nail colour – spring, and the promise of some better weather (or at least a holiday to escape the drizzle of England), is a great time to dig out those shades that have been languishing at the bottom of our collection over winter. I’m tempted by the new Lancome Juicy Shakers and I adore Gelish nail polish in Tiger Blossom once I have a bit of a tan.

Get the glow: Warmer weather makes a face full of heavy make-up no fun so this is when I start to look for lighter, dewier options (I’ll refrain from making any recommendations here because I think that my version of “dewy” really isn’t the same as most people’s. I’ll never fully stray away from a pretty matte make-up look because my combination skin often manages to introduce enough of an oily “glow” without any help!). I also aim to avoid using powder products where possible in the warmer months and try to opt for cream product options for contouring, bronzer, blush and highlighter. The NYX Wonder Stick is great for contouring as I mentioned here and I raved about the Sleek Barekissed Illuminators in this post.

Wake up and smell the roses: …Or whatever your spring / summer scents of choice are. Now is the time to put away your heavier scents and pick up something lighter. I love Jo Malone’s English Pear and Freesia for spring and Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess is an eternal go-to option for summer.

Stay protected: Now hopefully we all know the importance of SPF and are incorporating into our existing beauty routines already but once the weather starts to pick up it reminds me to consider the areas that often get overlooked but are exposed to sunlight just as much as our faces, like my hands, chest and if I’m wearing my hair up the tops of my ears and hair parting. Despite the fact that I know up to 80% of the sun’s harmful UV rays can penetrate clouds, so it’s not just blazing hot sunshine that can damage you’re skin, I’m definitely guilty of neglecting SPF in winter months. #BadAmy.

Silky smooth: I can get a little bit lazy with keeping on top of hair removal in the winter knowing I’m buried under a tonne of layers, so the arrival of spring is always a reminder that Yeti really isn’t an attractive look on me! Sorry for the TMI aspect of that sentence by the way…
(And YES disclaimer time, obviously no woman should feel obliged to remove body hair because of societal pressures so, if you like yours and don’t want to remove it, then absolutely don’t – no judgement here! But personally I do want to.)
To keep any pesky ingrown hairs at bay I love the Bliss Ingrown Eliminating Pads and the TendSkin Roll On for Ingrown Hair.

Soft and gentle: Again, the promise of warmer weather reminds me that I’ll soon be baring a bit more flesh than I have been over the past few months and to take a little more time in the shower to exfoliate my skin and not to skimp on moisturising post-shower. I also like to make sure my feet are looking their best, as I mentioned in my February favourites post. I swear by the Soap & Glory Heel Genius and the Scholl Velvet Smooth Diamond Pedi Electric Hard Skin Remover to keep my feet in tip top condition.

Say goodbye to Casper the Friendly Ghost: I am currently the palest it is possible for a human to be before you start to look blue (possible mild exaggeration there but…). I like to start adding a gradual tanning moisturiser into my beauty routine at this time of year – having a hint of a tan just makes me feel so much better and definitely helps put winter behind me.

Not-A-Sweaty-Betty: As anyone who has ever had to endure the tube in rush hour during summer months can testify, warmer weather = sweating.So.Much.Sweating.
My weapons deodorants of choice to battle summer sweat are solid stick deodorants. Both Mitchum’s Ultimate 48Hr Protection and Dove’s Maximum Protection anti-perspirant deodorants are amazing and on an average day (i.e – not exercising) are pretty much guaranteed to make sure that I’m not sweating, regardless of the horrors of crowded public transport! I’m particularly fond of Dove’s Green Tea and Cucumber one because it smells incredible.

Any products jumping onto your wishlist for spring? Let me know if you have any tips for updating your beauty routines for spring and summer in the comment section below.