Considering I was on the road for every single day of last month (and still am) these favourites are more than just products I enjoyed using, they are ones that worked hard to protect and perfect my skin, as well as make me feel like “me” as I bounced from city to city.

ASTER AND BAY BRIGHTENING TONER $26 (update: discontinued)

Distilled water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, glycrrhiza glabra (licorice) root extract*, lactobacillus/kelp ferment filtrate, dead sea salt, vegetable glycerin, zingiber officinale (ginger) oil*, citric acid. *organic.

I bought this toner quite some time ago from the (randomly) very well curated beauty section at Urban Outfitters but only really fell in love with it these past few months. Sea kelp and licorice root are excellent brightening ingredients and I found this to be the perfect summer “do-it-all” toner. It brightened as well as hydrated and purified through its great mix of other ingredients – aloe vera makes it soothing, while the dead sea salt (packed with multiple essential minerals) will help to treat, heal and detoxify the skin. This has quickly become one of my favourite toners. It definitely smells like the sea (thanks to the sea kelp and salt, duh) and I love how it treated the skin without being drying and hydrated without adding a heavy layer. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time tracking it down online so hopefully it’s just out of stock and not being discontinued but I will update this post when I have more information.

KYPRIS CLEARING SERUM $62

Water/Aqua, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Oil, Glycerin, Zinc PCA, Syringa Vulgaris (Lilac) Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Sarcosine, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Phospholipids, Larrea Tridentata (Chaparral) Extract, Asiaticoside, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugarcane) Extract, Phragmites Communis Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Montmorillonite,  Sclerotium Gum, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil,  Phytosterols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lecithin, Squalane,  Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ceramide NP, Sodium Levulinate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Maltodextrin, Sodium Anisate, Limonene, Linalool.

Kypris is such a wonderful green beauty brand and this serum was definitely one of those “on the road life saver products” that helped so much to keep my skin in check and prevent any crazy blemishes popping up along the way. This potent little bottle of magic is packed with so many excellent skin loving ingredients and while I won’t go too much in to it right now (full blog post coming soon), it worked wonders at treating, healing, calming and soothing the skin all without causing any dryness or irritation. If you are looking for something to treat blemishes or tackle acne prone skin that won’t be too harsh, I can’t recommend this enough. Love, love, love!

NUDE PROGENIUS OMEGA TREATMENT RESCUE OIL $68/£58

Isoamyl Laurate, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Squalene, Bakuchiol, Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Citral, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool.

NUDE Skincare are absolutely one of my all time favourite brands and this oil is currently my most loved and most used. I mentioned it in my birthday wish list and was so lucky to receive it thanks to the wonderful Fenny (Fenztastic/Poshified Beauty). This oil has a sheer, light texture and can be worn day or night. It works to treat, clarify and refine the skin and has an interesting mix of ingredients. Bakuchiol is a natural alternative to retinol, coleus root extract is a natural purifier and hibiscus flower extract and papaya fruit extract work to gently exfoliate the skin for a bright, even skin tone. This oil is hardworking and will leave you with soft, satiny skin. Because it’s so light, it might not be enough to hydrate for the coming colder months, especially if you have dry skin so I would recommend layering it with the Treatment Milk serum during the day and the original oil at night.

TARTE TARTEGUARD 30 SUNSCREEN LOTION $32

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 3.36%, Zinc Oxide 4.13%. Inactive ingredients:  Water, butyloctyl salicylate, coco-caprylate/caprate, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, diheptyl succinate, polyglyceryl-6 distearate, propanediol, jojoba esters, glycerin, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, polysorbate 20, polyhydroxystearic acid, polymethylsilsesquioxane, potassium cetyl phosphate, phenoxyethanol, alumina, diethylhexyl syringylidenemalonate, xanthan gum, tocopherol, glycine soja (soybean) oil, capryloyl glycerin/sebacic acid copolymer, citric acid, triethoxycaprylylsilane, lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower extract,  trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, chlorphenesin, fragrance, stearic acid, ethylhexylglycerin, passiflora edulis seed oil, lonicera japonica (honeysuckle) flower extract, algae extract, pseudoalteromonas exopolysaccharides, sodium hyaluronate, sodium salicylate, propylene glycol, sodium dehydroacetate. 

As I have mentioned before, it is really hard for me to find sunscreens that I want to use so when my sister recommended this one to me I was pretty skeptical. Thankfully, she was right and now I love it! It is a light, physical sunscreen that contains the brand’s signature maracuja oil to treat the skin as well as protect it. It has a thin texture despite containing zinc oxide and titanium  dioxide and spreads easily and absorbs quickly. It left my skin with a slightly matte but hydrated finish and there was no dreaded “white cast”. The packaging is travel friendly and easy to use, thanks to the pump bottle and I definitely recommend this if you hate heavy/thick physical sunscreens because this is nothing like that.

JO MALONE NECTARINE AND HONEY BLOSSOM $65/£42 (100ml)

I wore this scent exclusively all through September and got so many compliments on it. It is light, fruity and floral without being too sweet or cloying and is one of my all time favourite scents. It has a top note of cassis, middle note of acacia honey and base note of peach, which together just smell delicious. Having this as my signature travel scent gave me a sense of consistency as I made my way across the country and beyond and I loved that it lingered in my luggage because having that familiar scent made me feel more at home. I have now moved on to English Pear and Fressia (stolen from my sister) because it’s the perfect transitional scent that is fresh yet warm and not too sweet or fruity.

There were so many other products I loved which can be seen in my Summer Favourites, but these are the ones that really stood out to me and the ones I reached for day after day.

Arly

SaveSave