When the heat is on, it’s not easy to stay beautiful. Here are some tips on looking good and staying fresh in the summer sun.

Summers suit some people (check out the babe with the glowing skin, shiny hair, etc.) and for some it’s a personal nightmare come true! Fact is, the scorching sun and the rising humidity, combined with the pollution and crowded places can make you look a mess. The summer season makes crazy stuff happen — like zits, frizzy hair, smudged or runny make-up, an oily T-zone... the list goes on. So what do you do? Here are some tips on staying cool and looking good.

Skin Sense
Summer is for skin that wears an I’m-in-love flush, not one that feels oily, sticky and sweaty. Not to mention the stinging wind/sunburn feeling. Sometimes your skin does a strange turn and goes all dry on you...(while the heat can bring out an oil slick, it can sometimes sap skin of its vitality, leaving it feeling rather parched). So what do you do? Use products that suit the season, recommend dermatologists.

Begin with a cleanser or face wash that leaves your skin squeaky clean without stripping your skin of its vital oils. Use one that suits your skin; in fact those with natural ingredients are harmless.

Use a toner to lend your skin an extra dose of freshness. And moisturise, liberally!

To smell pretty and fresh get a load on the lightly fragranced shower gels and body lotions. Leaves skin feeling happy throughout the day.
The heavy creams of winter may not be the best choice here, so use a moisturiser, one with a light, comfortable texture, but never leave your skin bare. Use a sunscreen with a high SPF (minimum SPF 15) over the moisturiser before stepping out.

Some great buys for the season are:
* Christian Dior’s Equite Purifying Cleansing Gel and Purifying Toner
* YSL Visible Energie
* Christian Dior’s Ethique Complete City Skincare
* Oil of Olay Anti UV Daily Moisture Fluid SPF 15
* Estee Lauder’s Daywear Super Anti-Oxidant Complex
* Vichy UV Active SPF 20 moisturiser for the face
* L’Oréal Plenitude UV Perfect SPF 40 Porcelain, a tinted moisturising agent
* Lakme Face Magic — Daily Wear Souffle with sunscreen; for radiance every day
* Clinique Moisture Surge
* Synergie’s Skin Quenching range
* Revlon SkinLights
* Biotique and Shahnaz Husain also have products that work just as well.

Making Up
The trick to keeping face is either keeping your make-up really light or using smudge-proof, water-proof stuff. A sheer lip gloss with a good dose of moisturiser is perfect for the day and a stay-on lipstick with a little blush (lip and cheek tints also work rather well), a stroke of eye pencil on your eyelid and some waterproof mascara can take care of the evenings. Finally, also dust on some fine, translucent powder with a large brush to finish the look.

But if you like a more done-up look, especially for the day, go with a sheer, smear-proof base, long lasting concealer, a bronzing powder or light blush and a hydrating lipstick. Choose products that don’t change colour, don’t smudge and look natural.

Also useful are shine-control products which can be used over or under make-up and absorb excess sebum.

Waxy, coloured eye pencils and cream-based shadows are best for the eyes as they work well in humidity and heat, allowing you to dabble with shades and have fun with different looks. Keep your hands off powder shadows that are likely to rub off or fade and get patchy.

To enhance and illuminate the skin just dive straight into the new skin glossies like Lakme’s Let It Shine Skin Shimmer, Bobbi Brown’s Color ptions Shimmer tint All Over Glow or Molton Brown’s Skin Gloss compacts. Mirror-like pools of sheer colour can be used virtually anywhere on the body. If you can’t lay your hands on one, just rub some of your lip gloss wherever you want attention.

And to bring out your girlie, flirty side, wear your nails deliciously pretty, too. Paint on a lacquer in a sugary mix of pinks and corals infused with a delicate golden shimmer.

Hair Hints
Updos make for an ultra-alluring summer style, but do leave a few strands loose to femme up the look.

For romantic appeal, tie hair with floral hair accessories or just wear it in two loose plaits.

If you’ve got curly, long hair and want to wear it loose, then just condition the ends of hair to retain the volume at the crown and muss up using your fingers.


PRODUCTS COURTESY ROYAL STORE, NEW MARKET, KOLKATA