Hannah Betts…Better not younger: summer beauty secrets to help you travel light
My inbox is currently full of festival beauty guides, but none of them are very convincing.
Either they’re incredibly complicated (one proponent of “understated” glamor suggests two dermatology kits, legions of hair products, and getting eyebrows and lips permanently tattooed), or they’re of the rainbows and unicorns “dye your hair blue, apply nipple brushes, and party on.
I don’t want to stereotype you, dear reader, but my guess is that the summer festivals you have lined up are more likely to be literary, garden or dog festivals than pottering around in the mud.
Either way, by middle age the goal will be less marauding flower child than looking human – fast – from an easily portable kit, plus the odd element of pure joy.
On real vacations, I crave beauty products that turn a trip into a vacation. However, for a quick getaway, I travel light with mini vials of micellar water, facial oil, and multi-purpose balm.
Hannah’s favorite Bioré UV Aqua Water Essence Sunscreen SPF50 (£15.99, superdrug.com) inspired Superdrug’s biggest waiting list ever when it launched in April
Sunscreen is of course a must. I’m enamored with Bioré UV Aqua Water Essence Sunscreen SPF50 (£15.99, superdrug.com). It inspired Superdrug’s largest-ever waiting list at its launch in April. It’s oil-free, invisible, and inexpensive enough to apply liberally to face, neck, and hands.
You want to keep things minimal and multitask, which I call “tricks and sticks.” For my opening trick, foundation wise, I might recommend the bijou jars which are NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer (£26, narscosmetics.co.uk) and Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer (£34.80, cultbeauty.co.uk) are.
I’d use the former if I was aiming for no-makeup makeup—a soft, matte, blur-free concealer that blends into the most subtle of foundations. The Aucoin gives a more brilliant radiant glow.
Get lost in my brush obsession: Katherine Daniels Foundation & Concealer Brush (£25, katherine danielscosmetics.com).
If contouring sounds too difficult for beauty-on-tour, then you’ve yet to come across the Victoria Beckham Contour Stylus (£32, victoriabeckhambeauty.com).
Our perma-on-the-move heroine was frustrated with the thick contour sticks touted by other brands—hopeless on a nose and bulky on a cheekbone.
Instead, her four pocket pens offer a subtle, flattering stroke. They’re top-notch – giving instant bone texture to puffy features, while also being used as a neutral eyeshadow.
When I add her unyielding BabyBlade Brow Pencil (£30) and then Instant Brightening Waterline Pencil (£24) to open the lower inner eyelids, I’m almost recognizable in a few quick strokes. I say, almost, because even I don’t know who I am without blushing. I’m thrilled with the Studio London Pronk Flawless Cream Blush (£4, superdrug.com) budget brilliance.
I fell for the pink beautiful Embrace and the purplish Captivate. However, a warmer complexion will prefer the tawny Inspire, Coral Passion or Orangey Empower.
I can’t go anywhere without Jones Road Lip And Cheek Stick (£34), the ultimate, multi-purpose color stick that comes in eight shades. And I always have a Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish powder compact (£38, charlotte.tilbury.com) to set.
You will know what your own additions should be. For some, waterproof mascara will be non-negotiable; for others a dark eye pencil. I also throw in a lip pencil, a lip grease brush, and a highlighter because after 40, every nuance helps.
In a hair crisis one can always use a moisturizing cream as a straightening/shaping cream. However, a 30g (£2.44, boots.com) can of Batiste Original Dry Shampoo is irreplaceable if you’re feeling soiled while travelling. Ditto my beloved Dr Bronner’s Lavender Hand Hygiene Spray (£5.49, shop.drbronner.co.uk).
Give yourself at least one fantastic festival that flourishes, played with carefreeness. It could be a glittery eyeshadow – say a single MAC Dazzleshadow (£18.50, maccosmetics.co.uk), or a quad like Revolution Artist Collection Glitter Balm Palette (£6, asos.com).
Or create a sensationally juicy lip with Fenty Beauty Poutsicle Hydrating Lip Stain (£19, boots.com). In Rihanna’s Berry Banger, I’m officially ready to rock — if only in a rock garden.
YOU RACE TO IT!
The Gen Z skin sensation Glow Hub The Scar Slayer Facial Serum (£14 for 30ml, glowhub.com) has sold out five times since launch. Now it’s back in stock alongside a full vitamin C-based Slayer range, including a gel cleanser (£14), moisturizer (£14) and jelly eye serum (£11). Acne scars and dark spots disappear!
MY ICON OF THE WEEK
GOLD ROSH HILL
Golda Rosheuvel, 53, plays Queen Charlotte in historical fiction romance series Bridgerton on Netflix
The stylish 53-year-old plays Queen Charlotte in the Netflix series Bridgerton.
Her colorful wigs are so heavy she wears a neck brace and has her lips match their sorbet shades with Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick (£36, patmcgrath.com).
Finally, she flaunts an apricot-pink blush, on top of sheer layers of Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfection Foundation (£62).
BRIGHT NAILS
COSMETIC DESIRE
I’ve never gotten to grips with Penhaligon’s: fragrances sold through tall tales of characters who are nothing but confusing, while even the 120-year-old Blenheim Bouquet is billed in ‘by Jove!’ conditions.
Still, I’ve found myself using Penhaligon’s The World According to Arthur Eau de Parfum (£220 for 75ml) more and more lately. Launched in 2021, for all its terrifying dragon cap, it’s a discreetly enveloping, woody amber.
The top notes consist of frankincense, vanilla and grapefruit; the middle, musky ambrette and sage; the base, more frankincense, plus the warmth of tonka bean.