Beauty Hacks to Get You Beach Ready

beach

As you’ll know if you’ve read my Winter Growler Guide, I’m keen on getting seasonal grooming right. With that in mind, if you have a holiday booked this summer and you don’t feel beach ready and that’s important to you, don’t panic. There’s still time to perfect your look so that you ooze confidence whether you’re taking a splash in the ocean or hitting up the beach bar.

In this blog post, you’ll find three beauty tips that are guaranteed to make you feel fab just in time for your upcoming trip. The good news is, you can easily purchase the products you need to get gorgeous from online retailers. For example, you can order toiletries from HiHouse and have them delivered straight to your doorstep. 

  1. Prep Your Skin in Advance

So that you’re totally holiday ready, it’s important that you prep your skin – especially if you plan on strutting around in a bikini. Before you jet off to your destination, get rid of dry, flaky skin using an all over body exfoliator with a pair of scrubbing mitts. Each time you hop in the shower, gently rub your skin from top to toe, focusing on the areas that are particularly prone to dryness, such as your elbows, knees, ankles and heels.

Afterwards, use a rich moisturiser to hydrate your skin. Doing this in the run up to your holiday will ensure that you’re ready to strip down to your swimsuit when you arrive at the beach.

  1. Get your Beach Tan Off to the Best Possible Start

Sometimes, it can take a couple of days for the sun to work its magic on your skin, leaving you feeling a little pasty at the beginning of your holiday. So to get your tan off to the best possible start, and to give you the confidence boost you might need to feel your best on the beach, why not faux your glow? Fake tan is a great way to give yourself a little bit of colour, and it’s a much safer alternative to lying out in the sunshine.

There are a variety of different types of tan on offer, from tanning mousse, to gradual cream, to in-shower lotions. You could even treat yourself to a professional spray tan. The tanning product you use will determine how long before your holiday you should bronze up. For example, if you’re planning on using a gradual tanner, you may want to start using it in the weeks leading up to your trip, while a spray tan should be done a couple of days before to make sure it lasts you all holiday.

  1. Schedule in Enough Time for Hair Removal

There’s no doubt you’ll want to be fuzz-free for your beach holiday, so it’s essential that you schedule in enough time for your hair removal session before you leave. This is especially important if you plan on visiting a salon. It’s likely you’ll need to book an appointment, so make sure you give them plenty of notice. Leaving it to the last minute could mean that they’re unable to squeeze you in.

If you’re taking your hair removal matters into your own hands, it’s just as important that you time it right. For example, if you’re going to be using wax, you should allow your hairs to grow as long as possible for optimum results, so it might be a good idea to skip a few shaves in the run up to your holiday.

As long as you feel great, there’s nothing holding you back from having the holiday of a lifetime. If some extra preparation and grooming does that for you, these tips area good place to start.

Overnight Oats: Dairy Free & Delicious

overnight oats,

I struggle with breakfast, not least because I’m diabetic and have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (more on what that means for me here). 

A diabetic-friendly breakfast isn’t actually too hard to come up with. When you have major food restrictions due to IBS it narrows your choice. I am dairy free and I don’t do well with cereal or bread (at all). So that’s cereal out, toast out… it’s pretty damn limiting.

I’ve spent years eating things like eggs and vegetables for breakfast and while I’m ok with that, it gets a bit boring at times. I’ve tried porridge with soya milk but didn’t find it at all satisfying and it gave me horrific indigestion, so I’ve never revisited it.

At the end of last year I had the opportunity to speak to a dietician because I was miserable, hungry and needed some help with my diabetes. I have to tell you, she was a wonder. She recommended the Calories and Carbs book which has made a big difference, she helped introduce some new foods to my diet, she  worked to deprogramme me of everything slimming groups have taught me and gave some ideas for breakfast.

One idea was to make up my own breakfast muesli etc, something I am considering. One was to retry oats but with yogurt. Honestly, I wasn’t convinced but ever the optimist I gave it a go and this morning enjoyed a brilliant breakfast of overnight oats with Alpro Coconut Yogurt, raspberries and blueberries. Oh my days, it was delicious and incredibly filling. I ate half of the amount pictured and have saved the rest for tomorrow, assuming it stands up to the test of time in the fridge and is still as nice tomorrow.

What’s more, it was a grab and go breakfast. One of the more annoying things about being diabetic and having to be careful with certain foods for other reasons is that grabbing something quickly may be a little harder. We all know that convenience foods are often packed with rubbish but when a quick sandwich or bowl of cereal is a no-go, it can be frustrating. This breakfast took a minute to prep the night before and was popped in the fridge. This morning I opened it up and ate. As quick and simple as that.

Now I’m an overnight oats convert I’m looking around and seeing numerous other overnight oats related recipes. What’s your favourite oats breakfast?