Every year, I share some of the summer products that I’m loving using, and todays the day ( a little earlier than usual) I wanted to share this years. I think because the weather has been so darn good, I’ve had to switch to some of those summer things a little earlier. I can’t complain, it’s so darn lovely in the UK at the moment, I hope it is wherever you are in the world.
Here’s a few of my old round-up posts, written on products I love to use at summer.
Summer Holiday Essentials – SPF face creams and Suntan lotions – 2017
Summer Beauty – 2016
4 Great Summer Hair and Beauty Finds – 2015
Summer Hair and Beauty Must Haves – 2014
My Holiday Essentials – 2013
*Calypso
I don’t think I can remember using this much sun screen by the 1st of July ever! We had a few left over from last year, but they are all gone now and so I’ve been on the look out for some others. This is a brand I’ve not used before, but is really competitively priced, and has impressed all of us. I settled on these three products to give a go :
- Kids Coloured Sun Lotion Disappearing Blue Roll-On 30SPF – £3.99
- Calypso press and protect sun lotion 30 SPF – £7.99
- Scalp Protection 30 SPF – £4.49
A special mention to the Kids Coloured roll on sun lotion though. We all know how tricky it can be to get children to wear sun cream, but this has really saved us so many tears in the morning when we need to get to school each day. Miss A is able to apply it herself and rub it in, she doesn’t even need to be asked to use it, I just double-check she’s put it everywhere. It’s not sticky, and hasn’t discoloured her clothing either.
The blue cream before it’s rubbed in.
It starts off as a blue quite thin cream, that you apply with a roller ball. The colour vanishes as its rubbed in. It smell deliciously sweet, like bubble gum according to my 9-year-old. It’s a special water-resistant formulation that protects against UVA and UVB rays and is ideal for children with sensitive skin. We’ve used coloured sun tan lotion before and my girls have had reactions to it, no such issues with this one, so it’s a total winner!
Calypso sun protection is available to buy in Home Bargains, B&M Bargains, Bodycare, TJ Hughes, Well Pharmacy, Semichem, Asda, Wilko, Aldi and independent pharmacies.
*Waldo Vitamin Contact lenses :
I was asked if I wanted to try these by Waldo, and I was so intrigued by the idea of them. Do you suffer with dry eyes? I do all year round, but they are even worse in summer, especially with Hayfever. I try to wear my glasses as much as I can in the summer, but I much prefer wearing contacts, it’s just so much easier for when you need to put sunglasses on. I try to go for the lenses that are for dry eyes, but nothing really helps that much, and my eyes can feel gritty, heavy and dry.
Waldo is a site that you can buy daily lenses on, delivered to your home, you just need to order your current prescription. I’ve used them for the last week, and they are hands down the most comfortable contact lenses I have ever worn! Currently Waldo sell two different types of lenses, the original and the vitamin ones that I am using. They are £16 per box of 30 lenses. You can see in the photograph above each lens is in a slightly pink coloured saline solution formula with Vitamin B6, B12 and E. Waldo explains that these nutrients can reach the eye to leave them feeling refreshed and rejuvenated throughout the day. I’ve worn them for varying lengths, including 14 hours (the longest) and they still felt comfortable.
What are the other benefits are wearing Waldo lenses?
- UV Protection – Waldo lenses have got you covered. Our daily lenses have a Class 2 classification which blocks 70% UVA and 95% UVB rays.
- Super Fine Edge Design – Designed for comfort, our lenses have a tapered smooth edge that enables low-foreign body sensation when blinking.
- Optimum Moisture – Waldo lenses are made up of 58% water and have Multilayer Moisturising Hyaluronic Acid agents, allowing our wearers to enjoy maximum moisture and comfort all day long.
- High Optical Design Technology – with aspheric lens design, which mimics the design of the eye’s cornea, mean our lenses offer outstanding HD vision.
- Oxygen Permeability – An oxygen transmissibility (DK/t) of 21 is needed in order to prevent any ocular changes to the eyes. Waldo lenses have a DK/t of 25, ensuring Waldo wearers are fully protected.
I can’t recommend these lenses enough, best contacts I have ever used and I will be definitely be buying more for my holiday later in the year.
Ohh, and I nearly forgot, use the code THEANAMUMDIARY 20% off their first two months of your Waldo contact lenses.
Nuxe – Reve de Miel
I’m not great at wearing anything on my lips, including lipstick. This summer I’ve noticed my lips are not only dry, but they don’t feel as plump (sign of my age I think) so I’ve been testing out a few lip balms. None of them seem to really work, or I just forget to use them, this however I am obsessed with! It’s not like any lip product of this type I’ve ever used before. It’s slightly grainy and is a very thick and has dry paste texture. It’s a little pricey in the UK at £10, but its half that price in France where I stumbled upon it, so it might be possible to find it cheaper. I think my lips are a little plumper and much less dry and soothed after being in the sun since I’ve been using this. So if you are looking to try something a little different, definitely give this one a go.
Weleda Birch Oil – £25.95
This is something I had to include in this roundup. Again its a new product to me, but one that I’ve been really impressed with. I mentioned last week that I went to visit Weleda, and I was told to by the pharmacist that this should be a product I gave a go for my Keratosis pilaris. It’s a very common skin disorder affecting people of all ages. Keratosis pilaris creates a “goose bumps,” or “chicken skin” appearance, and mine has (over the last few years) gotten really bad on my arms. The goose bumps have virtually disappeared from the tops of my arms, and are considerably less on the bottom. I’ve been using it on the backs of my hands too, and I think they look much better, less dehydrated I think.
It also smells amazing, a bit like lemon sherbet.
Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo, 200ml
I’ve been using this since January of this year, and this is my fourth bottle. I visited my hairdresser for my usual cut and colour, and we chatted about the terrible state of my scalp. It was hot to the touch, radiated heat and was so sore, a little bit like I’d sunburnt it. I’d tried a few different things, but nothing made any difference. She recommended trying the Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo. After I’d gotten over the fact it was £15 for a small bottle, I ordered some on amazon to be delivered the next day. It instantly soothed my scalp, and after around three washes (I wash my hair every 2 days) my scalp went back to normal. When I visited France earlier in the year I didn’t use it, and immediately my scalp flared up again, so I am convinced that this is my scalp saviour.
My hairdresser ( who I will love forever after helping me with this) did say that she thought this could be a symptom of me being peri-menopausal, so I thought it could be useful to anyone who reads my blog who is currently having the same kind of problems. Yes its £15 (for some reason I hate paying a lot for shampoo, I think it’s because it gets washed away?) but its worth every single penny. I’m not going to add a link for this one, as it seem to go out of stock really quickly, but if you google it you should be able to find it.
So that’s this years summer round-up. As this is so early, if I do find anything else I will add it separately. I’ll be heading abroad this summer with my family and one of my favourite things is to find new things whilst I’m away, so I’ll be sure to share anything cool that I find and recommend.
* These items I was sent to review, the opinions I’ve given are honest.
ooh i get bumps on back of my leg wonder if this would work?
Have you had them for a long time Becky?
Thanks for sharing it…