Summer is supposed to feel sexy: all bare skin, tousled hair and sensuous insouciance. It is an irony that to get to this place can take resolutely unsexy graft.
This is the case at any age: witness TikTok’s obsession with the hashtag #unsexybeauty, in which twentysomethings thrill to the benefits of, say, Vaseline as a cure-all.
However, it is never more apparent than in midlife, when a few days without upkeep can mean feet that are hoof-like, or exhausted-looking weepy eyes. Here’s how to tackle summer’s unsightliest beauty horrors…
Lip lurgies
I suffer from angular cheilitis when run-down: those painful, inflamed cracks at the corners of the mouth that are a complete b*gger to get rid of. First off, check that you’re getting enough vitamin B2 and iron. Second, stop licking your lips — it only dries the skin more. Third, I apply a single, tiny amount of an anti-bacterial substance such as tea tree or lavender oil to the areas, then baste my lips in Blistex MedPlus (£2.69, superdrug.com), deploying lavishly thereafter.
To prevent cold sores, take a lysine supplement. Sun exposure can ‘wake up’ the virus, so use Blistex Ultra Lip Balm SPF50+ (£3.79, amazon.co.uk).
Sticky eyes
Contact-lens wearers should always carry antihistamines and drops in summer, as a mere change of scene can set matters off. De-gloop with a cotton bud, then rinse eyes morning and night with Boots Contact Lens Eye Drops (£3.49).
Non-lens wearers can avail themselves of Boots Brightening Eyes Eye Drops (£3.25, boots.com), which encourage blood vessels to contract to make eyes look extra sparkling.
Pesky boils
Hormonal chin eruptions flourish in sultry weather. And let’s not even go there on where else they might appear.
To zap boils, I admire Clean & Clear Advantage Rapid Gel (now £3.27, boots.co.uk) as a gentle, but potent overnight fix. Or carry e.l.f. Blemish Breakthrough Fighting Spot Gel (now £2.65, superdrug.com) in your bag — a roll-on to nip sweat-induced pimples in the bud.
Seasonal back and chest acne can be zapped with Bioderma’s Sébium range (now on offer, from £10.40, boots.com) — they are as speedy as they are effective.
Frightening feet
People can be revoltingly shameless about their feet. I long to send these public menaces to Margaret Dabbs for her Medical Pedicure (from £85, margaret dabbs.co.uk).
Her 45-minute medi pedi just sorts matters: a chiropody-style treatment with a podiatrist.
My budget recommendation would be Soap & Glory’s The Heel Deal Foot File (£10, boots.com). A foot fetishist’s favourite, it boasts three hard-working heads: a nuclear-level filer, finishing polisher and pull-out section for tricky-to-reach zones. Then, apply foot cream, a layer of Vaseline, and socks overnight for as many bedtimes as you can bear it.
Body blights
At this time of year, surrender your body to the scrub gloves. Specifically, Hydréa London Bamboo Carbonised Exfoliating Shower Gloves (£6.49, amazon.co.uk). Bamboo is naturally antibacterial, which means these long-lasting scourers remain mildew resistant.
Regular exfoliation with these babies will allay ingrown hairs, so-called ‘chicken skin’ (bumpy keratosis pilaris at the tops of arms, where dead cells block hair follicles) and scaly limbs; knees and elbows included.
Then, apply Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion (£22.55, boots.com). Its abundance of exfoliating, yet hydrating, lactic acid will magically erase bumps and roughness, leaving only softness in its wake. Or try The Inkey List PHA Exfoliating And Hydrating Body Water Cream (£13, uk.theinkeylist.com) for a cheaper, polyhydroxy acid take.
RACE YOU TO IT!
British budget stalwart Q+A has just launched its Collagen Body Butter (£10) exclusively at Boots, along with eight other hero body products. It’s a big pot of instantly skin-softening squalene and peptides, with a pear and grape scent. A glorious antidote to the parching effect of sun, sea and sand.
MY ICON OF THE WEEK
The actress, who turns 51 this week, says: ‘No thread lift, no Botox, no laser, no filler. I do have platelet-rich plasma facials to boost collagen and microcurrent for skin tightening.’ She’s a fan of microneedling, red-light therapy, and microdermabrasion, and uses SkinMedica HA 5 Rejuvenating Hydrator (£139, amazon. co.uk) and always SPF60.
FIVE MANI MUST-HAVES
(now £22.45, lookfantastic.com).
Use twice daily for six days of keratin-building, menopause-nail rehab. Minimises the appearance of damage.
(£6.99, boots.com).
Searches for this fungus-defying, antimicrobial treatment are up 80 per cent this summer.
(now £7.20, ocado.com)
A brilliant, one-stop restorer and fashionably shimmering varnish.
(£12.99, superdrug.com).
An attention-seeking neon yellow in a clever crack- and chip-resistant finish.
(£5.95, lottie.london).
Looking for lazily low-key bling? Add instant glitz with these fun little silver stickers.
COSMETIC CRAVING
For women who hate that ‘made-up’ make-up look — and for those seeking a lighter glow for August — there is one very beautiful choice: Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Highlighting Fluid (£47, chanel.com).
Available in Sunkissed, a radiant bronze, and Pearly Glow, a gleaming ivory, this cult illuminator is the secret to that fresh, ‘French’ skin Parisian women are famous for. It is lightweight in texture and can be used on the face and body, added to foundation, or applied instead of base for a gorgeously glazed effect.
Thanks to its formula of 72 per cent water enriched with hyaluronic acid, plus photo-adaptive and light-reflecting pigments, your complexion will look strikingly lustrous for up to eight hours in any light.
