Jo's Winter Sunshine Loves
Oh, so many reasons to love a winter sun getaway. (And yes, Jo realises just how lucky she was to escape to the sunshine, in gloomy mid-winter.) One of those reasons isn't quite so obvious, though: it's having the time to try out and even shop for new products, properly at leisure. Because even though, as beauty editors, we're lucky enough to be sent many things to try, we do really still like truffling out great products when we get the chance. Here are the fabulous finds Jo made, on her holibobs.
Dolce & Gabbana Solar Glow Healthy Glow Cushion Makeup
Who forgot to pack foundation? And tinted moisturiser? (That's how two years of lockdown will get you out of the habit of packing properly.) So: off to the mall, where Jo found this baby (above): a dewy-textured 'summer' foundation, with a little sponge (though her preferred application is to touch a finger to the sponge-y 'cushion' itself, and apply direct to skin for a natural effect). It lasts really well in the heat, looks super-natural but has a buildable coverage that's good for evenings. And that compact! So D&G! It's sold separately to the cushion foundation, actually, so you can slip in and out the right shade depending on whether your natural colour deepens a bit. (As it invariably does on holiday, even when you're religious about keeping your face out of the sun.)
£40 for compact – buy here
£45 for cushion foundation refill – buy here
Bastien Gonzalez Révérence de Bastien Black Diamond Scrub
We'd ALMOST forgotten quite how wonderful a Bastien medi-pedicure is. (Back in the UK, Jo will now be heading to London's Mandarin Oriental, where we are reminded these incredible foot-smoothing treatments are on the menu.) Anyway, first day at the glorious One & Only Royal Mirage, she enjoyed a session with Guillaume, who trained with our old friend Bastien himself, ending up with feet that were smooth as marble, soft and silk (and with toenails expertly painted by Brenda, at the end). To keep up the good work, she splurged on a pot of this luxury foot-buffer: a hefty pot of mineral foaming scrub for use once or twice a week, with scruffing particles of black volcanic sand, mother of pearl and (yes!) diamond dust, in a luscious base that hovers somewhere between a gel and an oil, taking foot-scrubbing (with which Jo is obsessed) to another level.
£85 for 200 ml – buy here
Coolea Classic Face Sunscreen Fragrance-Free SPF50
The sunscreen Jo packed (again, a try-out) turned out not to be quite right. So it was back to the mall to pick up a trusty favourite: a just-rich-enough-but-not-heavy formula that's unscented and really effectively protective, as Jo knows from previous experience, and with a properly effective SPF50. Doesn't irritate her sensitive skin, either, unlike many sunscreens she's had holiday run-ins with, and is nicely sweat-proof. Probably the most important product you'll take on vacation, of course – and she promises not to forget this next time. (While meanwhile marvelling at the number of women on the beach exposing their faces to the midday sun! Which if you WANT a complexion like leather, in the future...)
£30 for 50 ml – buy here
CHANEL Rouge Coco Bloom
Now, Dubai (with its utterly perfect winter weather) is a seriously high-glam-factor holiday location. Lipstick on the beach? Absolutely, darlings! Having somehow mislaid a much-loved Chanel Rouge Coco Shine en route (hate it when that happens!), Jo scouted out one of these as a replacement, which hit the mark for a swipe of poolside glamour: another addition to the fabulous Rouge Coco line-up, intensely pigmented, super-glossy, surprisingly long-lasting (a tint remains after the gloss finally disappears), and with just a whisper of metallic gleam in Jo's particular chosen cherry red (118 Radiant). It has an almost balm-like texture but is very pigmented and a touch will do. V-e-r-y comfy on the lips, meanwhile.
£33 – buy here
Dr. Barbara Sturm Anti-Aging Body Cream
And THIS came into its own once back in Blighty, to keep skin from flaking and peeling. From the A-list facialist-to-the-stars, Jo got a generous sample tube of this in a Liberty London try-me kit, and is super-impressed (wouldn't have spent this much on an unscented body cream, normally – but that's why sampling is soooooo effective!) Based around shea butter, olive oil and infused with vitamin C, it also apparently features an active ingredient from the purslane plant, to help skin's protective barrier, but it's helped keep skin nourished, bouncy – and helped hang onto her light tan. The Dr. Barbara Sturm product, meanwhile, is also available in a MAHOOSIVE 500ml bottle, so it clearly has serious devotees.) (Liquefied organic coconut oil, which Jo puts on the radiator in the mornings before massaging into limbs, is also an effective part of her anti-peel regime – and is a super-cheap body treat – but skin needs moisture, not just nourishment, which the cream delivers.
£85 for 200 ml - buy here
