Your Heatwave Tool Kit

Long time, no blog.

I recently met a very well-travelled Swede who advised me I ought to venture to Tulum, Mexico. That night, following several Scandi shots, I decided to Google Tulum in all it's glory. Lush and sun-drenched, it looks like paradise... bar one teeny, tiny detail: it's absolutely scorching, with temperatures regularly topping 35℃.

As a Scottish blonde with translucent skin, I don't do well in such high temperatures, so imagine my horror on discovering that our holiday spot this year (Sonoma, California) is actually hotter than Mexico. 40℃ to be precise. 100°F. I don't really deal in Fahrenheit, but all my American pals (i.e. the lady in WholeFoods who couldn't get enough of my wide-brim hat) tell me 100°F is unheard of.

Pretty. Damn. Hot.

The Cult Beauty Products That Actually Live Up to The Hype

1. NARS Audacious mascara £21.00 here
2. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat pencil £16.00 here
3. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish hot cloth cleanser limited edition pink pepper and mint £20.75 here
4. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder foundation £50.00 here
5. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Apricot Shimmer £18.00 here
6. YSL Touché Eclat Kiss & Love limited edition £21.25 here
Anya Hindmarch makeup pouch, £225.00 at Selfridges (how gorgeous!)

Working in the fashion media, surrounded by magazines, websites, bloggers and Instagram hype, it's hard to know who to trust when it comes to beauty products.

Product reviews are often paid-for, sponsored, or part of a broader brand agreement and it seems honesty is no longer the best, nor the most profitable, policy for bloggers and editors.

I say this as I have spent far too much money on hyped-up products promising me Blake Lively-level hotness overnight, only to wake up looking exactly the same, if a little sad to have spent so much on a teeny-tiny pot of nothingness.

There are, however, a handful of beauty bits that I am pleased to say live up to their cult status and are worth trying out for yourself. Behold; the no-nonsense, hard-working beauty heroes that I simply can't do without.

Daily Detox #4