As a beauty editor who hates summer, these are my hot weather essentials

Golden hour, warm sea dips, sandy toes, salty hair, rosé all day, catching flights not feelings (insert millennial cringe emoji here). Every bone in my basic body wants to be the embodiment of these carefree live, love, laugh summer clichés as soon as the warmer months hit, but alas I am not. Yes, I’m a beauty editor who hates summer.
Don’t get me wrong, I live for a holiday — the feeling of sun on my skin is second only to the taste of the season’s first gelato — but there’s a large part of me that dreads the summer too. The admin, the cost, the confronting sense of physical self during these warmer months has me crying into my exfoliating mitt as soon as the clocks spring forward.
You see, I sweat. A lot. A few stops on the Central Line and I’m reaching for tissues to dab my brow. My index finger is pretty much permanently attached to my upper lip trying to innocuously swipe the beads of perspiration away — and my raging PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) means my body hair is both wildly unruly and unwanted. The fact that I am seemingly so much hairier than those around me (and those online) makes me so self-conscious that I won’t risk anything skin-baring despite my constant overheating. Laser hair removal? I did it, and it didn’t work on me. So here I am with waxing costs coming in as steep as my energy bills, and blazing through exfoliators at such pace I fear I may be erasing my fingerprints.
Yes, the maintenance feels relentless — and recent stats stand this up: British women typically spend £323 and 54 hours “preparing” for each holiday, according to research by the travel insurer Staysure.
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On a recent group trip to Ibiza the average amount of cash dropped before we had even stepped on the plane was more than £250 per person — and that’s tier one maintenance (mani/pedi/wax/tan). Looking like you’ve done very little to yourself, well, it actually costs a hell of a lot. Come December? Cheap as chips. A layer of great foundation, an oversized coat and 100-denier tights to hide the lack of leg wax, and she’s good to go.
What I really need during the summer months is a therapist (friends would argue this should be a year-round investment), one that buffers me to believe I am “summer ready” at any instance — even with the torrents of sweat, the unruly hair. All that said and done, there is of course the saving summer grace, the thing that sort of negates this summer plight entirely. The fact that everyone is so high on life, soaring above the clouds on those sunshine fumes, distracted by that blissful feeling of long days and longer nights, that they don’t notice any of the details I’ve been plaguing myself with anyway. C’est la vie.
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Philips Lumea IPL 9900 hair removal device (£540) While my run-in with professional laser hair removal didn’t end well on my body, the Philips Lumea hand-held, at-home laser device has made a huge impact on my facial hair. Consistency is key here.boots.com
Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF 50+ Brightening Sun Serum (£38)No beauty editor worth their (bath) salts would dare leave the house any day of the year without sunscreen, but in summer I need something lightweight and effective. Enter the Australian brand Mecca Cosmetica’s latest offering, the best sunscreen for oily skin. meccacosmetica.com
Gisou Honey Infused Hair Mask (£20)Curly girls will know the warmer months add extra layers of frizz to the hair and this nourishing Gisou mask is the solution to my problems. Plus, it’s the only product that truly gives me a slicked-back bun. cultbeauty.co.uk
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