Summer is here! The question is… are you ready for a ‘glow’ rious summer?
Let us remind you how to get ‘glow’rious’ with some tips that will have you glowing from head to toe.
Exfoliate
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: exfoliate before thinking about which body lotion or face cream to use!
Well done if you have been diligent about exfoliating over the last few months, but if your body has been bundled up in winter gear and you haven’t seen your body scrub for months, then read on.
As you know, exfoliating regularly removes dead skin cells, so moisturisers can do their job more effectively. But it also helps to smooth bumps and rough dry skin, (Dead cells make skin look dry and dull) boost circulation, increase skin cell turnover and reduce the occurrence of ingrown hairs on the body.
It is important to not skip this crucial step. If your moisturiser doesn’t seem to be working, then try exfoliating once a week and you’ll notice a difference.
Top tip: don’t forget your hands and feet: extend your scrub to give your hands and feet some TLC and then smother them in moisture – this works well at night.
Body Exfoliators you’ll love…
Ameliorate Smoothing Body Exfoliant
This product both combines the physical ‘scrubby’ part of a scrub with a chemical exfoliation through Lactic Acid – making this a great treatment product. This is something that we’d recommend you use only a couple of times a week. It would be abrasive on the skin for everyday use. Find out more about this exfoliant here.
Skin Alchemists The Chocolate Cove Nourishing Body Exfoliate
When is a body scrub more than a body scrub? When it’s the Skin Alchemists Chocolate Cove Nourishing Body Exfoliate! This luxurious jar of yummy will leave your skin so super soft, silky and moisturised that you may not need to apply a moisturiser afterward.
R&R Luxury – Shea Sugar Scrub
Shea butter is the superstar ingredient in this body scrub. Raw shea butter is rich in fatty acids which help to keep the skin well-moisturised & plump and sugar grains provide gentle but effective exfoliation for the skin… gorgeous. This lovely scrub is 100% natural and sourced from Ghana, West Africa – the home of Shea.
You’ll love the R&R Luxury scrub from R&R Luxury
Jane Scrivner Perfecting Body Polish
If you’ve tried Jane Scrivner’s Whipped Butter Polish… you’ll love this! This beautiful body scrub contains phytosterol rich butters and oils, stimulating pumice powder and spices together with moisturising and softening salts all come together to make body care a luxuriously nourishing experience.
Buy the polish from Jane Scrivner
If you prefer you can always use a sisal mitt or exfoliating glove.
Moisturise
It is important to moisturise after exfoliating to achieve a more consistently glowing complexion. By removing the dead skin cells by exfoliating, moisturiser is more readily absorbed and long-lasting.
You can easily forget that your hands and feet also need to look healthy, moisturised and glowing! After the last few years of constant hand washing combined with the use of alcohol-based hand gels, they are in need of some extra care. Try using a moisturising hand gel to disinfect and slather on a nourishing hand cream at night. If you can, give your hands a treatment by applying a nourishing hand cream and put on a pair of treatment gloves.
Top tip: you’ve heard of double cleansing… well if you are prone to very dry skin on your arms and legs try ‘double moisturising’: after bathing. While skin is still damp, massage some body oil in, leave for a minute and then apply your body lotion or cream.
Body moisturisers
Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion
This body lotion is particularly good for those of you who have dry /sensitive skin. Sometimes those skin types find actual scrubs a little too harsh – or for those with ingrown hairs or Keratosis Pilaris.
It’ll gently exfoliate the skin whilst hydrating it at the same time. This lotion is clinically proven to significantly increase moisture levels in the skin for up to 12 hours. It’s certainly a winner in our book. Skin is left feeling soft and smoother after a few uses.
Buy the Transforming Body Lotion from Boots
Urban Veda’s Body Oils
I love the fact that these products are sensory delights designed to work not just on our physical body but to boost our wellbeing thanks to the use of specific essential oils each chosen for its therapeutic qualities as well as actives from nature such as turmeric, calendula, ginseng, and gotu kola blended with skin nourishing base oils like sweet almond and olive oil.
Every one of these body oils smells absolutely gorgeous and I use them according to my mood plus the fragrance lasts, so once you’ve bathed and anointed your skin with your oil you have the pleasure of enjoying the long-lasting fragrance. We’ve reviewed all their body oils here.
Buy Urban Veda’s Body Oils from Urban Veda
R&R Luxury Shea Oil – Serenity
Delicately scented with lavender, bergamot & ylang ylang, this luxurious shea oil is 100% natural and sourced from Ghana, West Africa – the home of Shea. A treat for the skin and senses! Deep nourishment and luxury in a bottle.
No Secrets Four Hand & Body Butter – Sensual & Calming
Love this luxurious body butter! This is so lush, more of a cream than a butter. Shea butter, coconut oil, aloe, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, lactic acid, vit E all combine to make this super nourishing cream. Plus the fragrance includes neroli and ylang ylang to help calm and soothe amongst other aromatherapy powerhouse oils. A little goes a long way.
Buy the butter from No Secrets
Weleda Skin Food Body Butter
This lovely scented (sweet orange, lavender & benzoin) rich body butter penetrates the skin well without being greasy. The effects last all day, skin feels nourished thanks to the beautiful butters like shea and cocoa. A little goes a long way and this is great value for money.
Glow-tions
Of course, after all that preparation, you’ll want to enhance the beauty of your skin with products that add shine, especially on your arms, shoulders, and legs. This is my favourite step – giving your skin that extra boost of glow through a body glitter! It can help enhance the look and really add a special touch.
All of the ones we’ve mentioned also smell gorgeous, adding to the whole experience.
Glow Body Products
Kadalys Sublime Precious Oil
This is a dry ultra-fine oil blend of skin loving plant oils that are all known for their intensely nourishing and deeply moisturising abilities. The oils in this blend include avocado oil, jojoba oil, Rose Muscat, green banana and green tea this oil is easily absorbed leaving a soft shimmer on the skin and has a light gentle fragrance.
97.5% of the total ingredients are from natural origin.
27% of the total ingredients are from organic farming.
Guava and Gold Paradise Found Shimmering Body Oil
This is like a vacation in a box… a very pretty box of turquoise and gold. This beautifully scented oil is rather addictive, you just have to smell it to know that the brand founder is passionate about tropical places.
This gorgeous body oil utilises macadamia, sweet almond, avocado and coconut oils.
It’s housed in a glass bottle in recyclable packaging.
Made in England.
Buy the shimmering body oil from the DOR Beauty Edit
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multipurpose Golden Shimmer Oil
This oil is one of the originals. It’s smooth, silky, gorgeously scented and it is easy to use. The golden particles are finely milled so it means a very subtle golden shimmer on your skin but still very noticeable. 95% natural and is a blend of 7 precious plant oils- namely:
- Nourishing and anti-ageing Tsubaki oil
- Softening sweet Almond oil
- Moisturising Camellia oil
- Anti-wrinkle Borage oil
- Soothing Hazelnut oil
- Nourishing Macadamia oil
- Repairing Argan oil
Nuxe’s Shimmering Body Oil is available from Marks & Spencer
Hands and Feet
Keep those hands manicure ready and your feet soft and ready to be out in the sun.
79 Lux Intensely Restorative Protective Hand Cream
First of all the gorgeous scent rose geranium which apart from its elegant fragrance, which leaves your hands gorgeously scented for ages which is very much needed as we all suffer with alcohol gel hands. This is not called deeply restorative and protective and cream for nothing, it leaves your hands feeling nourished, looking loved and smelling gorgeous. And I’d imagine that long term you’ll notice a difference in the quality of your skin… this protecting hand cream will help keep the skin plump, soft and moisturised.
Discover more about the hand cream in our review
Buy the hand cream from Cult Beauty
The Body Shop Hemp Hard Working Foot Protector
This is an absolute classic product and it’s an icon for a reason. Enriched with pure hemp seed oil and rich in essential fatty acids, our Hemp Foot Protector provides blissful moisture for your hard-working feet.
Buy the foot protector from The Body Shop
Nails Inc Thirsty Hands Super Hydrating Hand Mask
Yes, you read that right, a hand mask! Slip these onto your hands for a rejuvenating, hydrating experience. Put them on and sit back, relax and let it do its magic!
Buy the hand mask from Nails Inc
Starskin Magic Hour Exfoliating Foot Mask Socks
Like the above, this is another mask… but this one is for your feet! This innovative exfoliation technology contains lactic acid to gently and effectively remove calluses and dead skin without any harsh scrubs or physical exfoliation. Its unique proprietary blend of 35 botanical ingredients includes soothing rooibos, softening soybean, brightening Acerola and calendula to rejuvenate tired feet.
Sun protection
One thing that we’ve learnt that is essential to optimal skincare is SPF, including deeper skin tones, yes, I’m looking at you! Even with all of that glorious melanin we can still burn in the Sun and in fact, the incidence of skin cancer amongst black people is high. If you’re going to be exposed to the sunshine, then make sure you use plenty of SPF to avoid causing any sun damage. These ones will not leave any sort of cast and absorb into the skin without any residue.
Face SPFs
Eucerin Dry touch sun gel cream oil control SPF 50
This lightweight gel cream is oil free and feels really good on the skin. It has Glycyrrhetinic Acid which supports the skin’s own cell repair mechanism. Sebum-regulating Oil Control technology with L-Carnitine and absorbing micro-particles give the skin an immediate dry touch finish and a long-lasting anti-shine effect of up to eight hours.” suitable for most sensitive skins. You can find out more about this SPF here.
- Fragrance-free
- Finish: matte
Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30
This lovely SPF feels moisturising on the skin and it also dries completely clear which is fab. Love that it features skin loving ingredients Avocado, Jojoba and Cacao so you really feel like you’re treating your skin as well as protecting it.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen
This SPF is something special… it’s a combination of mineral and chemical SPF without a white cast…fab! Love the added benefits of niacinamide and the fact it’s factor 50… a lovely pocket-sized SPF for on the go. You’ll be glowing!
SPFs body
Supergoop Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50
This has a delightful texture that leaves your skin with a subtle sheen plus it’s waterproof! Combining skin nourishing sunflower extract, rosemary and rice extracts – it works to protect your skin from dehydration thanks to its moisturising properties! All of that plus its SPF50, perfectly translucent and smells lovely and fresh.
Saltee Active Sun Lotion
This SPF is easy to use with a silky texture that absorbs beautifully once rubbed in. There’s no white cast, just a nice satin finish. moisturising thanks to coconut oil. Contains ingredients to help with hyperpigmentation and a tan accelerator …perfect for a beautiful glow.
Vichy ideal soleil Sun protection water SPF 30
A beautiful body and face water SPF… such a unique texture but it works! Enriched with Vichy Mineralising Water, broad spectrum UV filters and hydrating hyaluronic acid to deliver high protection in a lightweight, quickly absorbed formula.
(*PR gift/sample)
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