Problem Solvers

Our city-break essentials will ensure you keep your cool

Booked a mini-break in Barcelona? Or a two-day trip to Tallinn? Wherever you’re headed, ensure you’re equipped with our arsenal of spritzes and make up fixes to ensure you look cool while you sight-see…

A priming potion that protects means fewer, skin-suffocating layers as temperatures begin to soar. Emma Hardie’s {Protect & Prime SPF 30} lends clean skin a light-reflective, antioxidant-rich veil to blur the visibility of imperfections, minimise pores and ward against free radical attack. The inclusion of a broad spectrum sunscreen means your skin is safe from UVA and UVB rays (without a chalky film). Perfect for scorching summer days.

A lightweight, skin-perfecting base is crucial. Apply gel or liquid foundation quite sparingly, blending with your fingertips for a beautiful, lit-from-within finish – sunlight can be pretty unforgiving, so forgo heavy powders or full coverage formulas. Pixi’s {Illuminating Tint & Conceal} is virtually weightless, and practically melts into skin for a soft focus effect. The concealer is contained within the lid for touch-ups on your travels.

Set everything with a refreshing (cooling) spritz. Soleil Toujours’ {Organic Set + Protect Micro Mist SPF 30} enhances the longevity of your make up, and is rich in skin-soothing and protective ingredients to shield your visage from the sun and urban onslaught. Or try Verso’s {Anti Pollution Mist}, which boasts a metal-binding polymer to deflect airborne particles and ‘perk up’ midday faces. Pop it in your handbag to create an oasis of calm when you’re stuck in a tourist trap (*shudder*).

If things get er… sweaty, reach for NYX Professional Makeup’s {Fresh Face Blotting Papers} – super-fine sheets which absorb oil and help prevent shine without adding a layer of powdery make up. Contained in a slim envelope, they’re sufficiently streamlined to slip in the daintiest clutch bag – to ensure you look cool as a cucumber when everyone around you is a hot mess #smug.

Make up-wise, become acquainted with a long-wear, multi-tasking stain. BECCA’s water-based {Beach Tints} are colour-pop pigments for lips and cheeks, which won’t slide off when you’re sweating. Or try NudeStix cute {Lip and Cheek Pencils} – the dual-purpose crayons come in a spectrum of shades and apply seamlessly for a subtle, believable ‘flush’. They’re really creamy, easy to blend and incredibly long-wearing.

And when you make it back to your hotel post-lunch-pre-dinner, reach straight for a detoxifying mask. Blithe’s {Intensive Mask – Abalone} has powerful, {anti-polluaging} properties, to neutralise the damaging effects of a full day’s exposure to the city’s toxic fumes, while quickly calming irritation and replenishing much-needed moisture. A summer essential, these sheet masks are a godsend when you need to do a rapid turnaround – cooling and revitalising hot and bothered faces in mere moments (store yours in the mini fridge for maximum refreshment, with refreshments!).

SHOP SUN & TRAVEL >>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Verity is our Content Editor and a Cult Beauty veteran. Currently on maternity leave, raising Cult Beauty’s honorary ‘word nerd’, Tabitha, she speaks fluent ‘beauty’ and loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm (and cleanser and candles… ad infinitum). Nothing can stop her from quoting Nancy Mitford, treating herself to yet another Bella Freud candle for her desk or buying that pilgrim-esque collared or heavily fringed outfit she’s been eyeing. You can trust her to debunk widespread beauty myths and dispense invaluable advice with ease…