If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed that I’ve been conspicuously absent from this blog for the past couple of weeks. No, I haven’t just been lying on the couch, eating Oreos and watching E! Channel instead of diligently coming up with ideas for posts. Instead, I’ve been sunning myself in Rarotonga, the biggest of the beautiful Cook Islands. So, if you switched out the couch for a deckchair, the Oreos for cocktails, and E! Channel for the beach, it’s practically the same thing.
What can I say? I’ve been a bit lazy.
Definitely not hot dogs
Anyway! Rarotonga is a phenomenal place and, should you ever get the chance to visit, I’d highly recommend you go there. The sea is sparkling clear, the beaches are lovely, and the people are incredibly friendly. And the weather! Oh, the weather was just perfect. Hot, a tad humid, but with a slight breeze; my idea of perfection.
When I was packing my make-up bag for Raro, I debated long and hard over what to bring. After all, I didn’t want to bring anything that was too large for my hand luggage (because, as you likely already know, international flight safety regulations dictate you can’t take bottles 100mls or more on flights) or products that would be too heavy on my face for hot weather. Because, let’s be honest, no-one wants their face products melting off at the beach!
After a bit of ummm-ing and ahhh-ing, I decided to buy a few new products to trial while I was away to see whether they lived up to the hype.
Without further ado, I present to you: Analiese’s tropical makeup bag!
(From left to right: Palmer’s Coco Butter Gentle Daily Cleanser; Garnier’s BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfecter in Light; Benefit’s Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola; and Palmer’s Coco Butter Daily Facial Lotion)
Palmer’s Coco Butter Gentle Daily Cleanser and Daily Facial Lotion
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have finally found an inexpensive supermarket brand which leaves my face feeling super supper and soft AND has no adverse reactions with my skin type. Hallelujah!
I purchased these 15ml bottles (along with a night cream, which i’ve yet to try) for $8 NZD from good ol’ Postie Plus. Having used Palmers Coco Butter Moisturiser on my legs in the past (to great effect) i thought they’d be no harm in trying these products on my face whilst I was away. Besides, I reasoned, if they made me break out in a rash I could blame the heat and they’d be very few people around to witness it.
As you may have guessed, it turns out that my fears were unfounded and the results were wonderful. The cleanser, which I just used during my shower routine, lathered up into a creamy foam and removed all of the day’s make up and sunscreen. Afterwards my skin was left soft and not feeling remotely greasy or sticky.
Likewise, the one evening that I decided to rock a full face of make-up, the Daily Facial Moisturizer felt lovely and light under my foundation. The combination of coco butter, milk proteins and evening primrose meant that the ingredients calmed my slightly sunburned skin and the SPF15 contained in the formula ensured that no further sun damage occurred throughout the rest of my trip.
Since I’ve come back, I’ve continued to use both these products and my skin is feeling as though I’ve had some sort of elaborate facial treatment. Not that I have a terrible time with wrinkles (yet) but I swear these products have reduced my smile lines
Benefit’s Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Hoola
“Oh no” I thought as I saw this lip product nestled amongst my sample sized products from Benefit. “It’s yet another Juicy Tube-esque product that will sit, unused, in my makeup bag for all eternity. I love Juicy Tubes, don’t get me wrong. They’re fun, they smell nice, they’re gently tinted, and they make your lips look almost glassy. But I seriously dislike how sticky they are and how quickly they wear off. And I own 1,000 of them.* Nonetheless, I decided that, since it smelt like a tropical cocktail in a tube, I’d bring it with me and give it a go.
Hoola, as I discovered, is not like other lip glosses. It smells divine, like a tropical holiday in a tube, goes on smoothly and isn’t remotely sticky. It’s a bronzy-nude colour, so if you apply it sparingly it’s not immediately evident that you’re wearing lip gloss. Better yet, it has just the slightest hint of colour, so it doesn’t look like you’ve been eating a Chocolate Paddle Pop and have forgotten to wipe off the remains afterwards.
It also has a fine shimmer, which I love because I am, effectively, a magpie.
Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfecter in Light
Caity had a really bad run with this product a couple of years back when the two of us were flatting together. Her skin effectively cried “MUTINY!” and she suffered from terrible breakouts as a result. That in itself put me off trialling any kind of BB Cream until, on a whim, I picked up a bottle just before leaving to go on my holiday. It had sunscreen in it, which was what I was actually at the shops to buy, and it looked as though it’d give me some coverage without me having to apply my usual, good ol’ powder foundation, because no one wants to look too done up at the beach now, do they?
Besides, it was on sale for $10 at The Warehouse. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything. But I was willing to take the risk.
The gamble paid off. Although I found that I needed to apply a little moisturizer underneath my BB Cream so that my skin didn’t dry out, I was seriously pleased with the results. The cream corrected my colour, made me look suitably sun kissed AND protected me from harsh UV rays.
It did have one or two drawbacks, though. I found it a bit tricky to get perfect coverage with this product (as it can be a bit gluggy), but I was generally very happy with how it looked on and the way in which it suited my skin tone. It was a little darker than my usual foundation (I tend to like my foundations pale) but it wasn’t so dark as to make a stark contrast to my natural colouring in photos on in natural light.
So those were the tropical treats I trialled while I was away! What sort of products do you swear by when you’re visiting warmer climates?
Analiese x
*Slight exaggeration. It’s more like nine.
My Flatmate's Wardrobe 