My failsafe summer hair-saving trick used to be to smother the lengths and ends in a deep conditioning mask before going out in the sun. Then, at the end of the day, I’d simply rinse out the conditioner and all would be silky and well.

There were a number of problems with this approach, however, the biggest of them being the fact that the hair mask would set like concrete by lunchtime, making it feel as though I was wearing some sort of papier mache helmet. En route to the concrete state, the mask-saturated hair would pass through several phases, including “squidgy” and “fly-paper” – a very specific kind of stickiness that attracted flies, sand particles and bits of broken shell and invited them to take up residence in my slicked-back ‘do, turning me into a sort of human A-level art project.

Anyway, helmet-head no more, for this summer I have discovered PhytoPlage Protective Sun Veil from excellent hair brand Phyto. It’s a brilliantly lightweight, transparent hair mist that protects against the effects of excessive sun exposure, salt water, chlorine and whatever else is knocking about when you’re on holiday. (Or out in the garden, which is about as exotic as my life is getting this year.)

I have been a fan of the original PhytoPlage for years – it’s an oil with quite heavy-duty effects, protecting coloured hair from UV damage and keeping it smooth and shiny even when you’ve been frazzling your head under the Ibizan sun. But the oil was always just a tiny bit too much for my fine hair, weighing it down if I wanted to use it anywhere but on the very ends, so the Protective Sun Veil, the non-oily little sister, is just perfect for me.

Prices for these moisture-saving, hair-smoothing wonder sprays? The oil is a very decent £16 here and the veil, £15 here. However, I have FIVE sets of PhytoPlage to give away to UK readers (sorry world readers, issues with sending sprays overseas, apparently), each including the oil, the veil and a very special bag featuring the Queen of Beach Hair, Brigitte Bardot.

To be in with a chance of winning a special set, leave a comment (one per person) before noon next Friday (12th August 2016) and tell me where you’re going on holiday. (If, indeed, you are going on holiday at all.) All the details, please – go on, make me jealous!

The post Bardot, Beach Hair and a PhytoPlage Giveaway appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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After mentally compiling a “best of 2015” list but then completely forgetting to actually write up a post, I thought that I might work my way through and do some standalone reviews. At any rate, the Creme Puff Blush from Max Factor deserves its own page here on A Model Recommends; I probably use it more often than any other face powder product. (Or it definitely ties with Chanel’s Les Beiges!) Partly because it’s incredibly petite and compact and therefore a permanent fixture in my makeup bag, but also because the shade I use – Nude Mauve – is the most perfect “do-it-all” part-bronze-part-blush powder.

If you’re a fan of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush then you’ll know the joy of a non-shimmery, maximum glow cheek colour. We’re talking subtle luminescence, here, and not full-on highlighting, but the final effect is one of a beautiful wash of colour that somehow lifts and brightens the complexion. Max Factor’s Creme Puff Blush powders have the same multi-tonal idea; Nude Mauve combines swirls of a flattering bronze with a kind of Bonne Mine shade. Healthy glow. The overall effect is just that, though it’s slightly too dark for me to use as I would a complexion enhancer – I either sweep it over my cheeks for a sunkissed look or build it up beneath the cheekbones for more of a sculpted effect.

Read about the best nude makeup products…

For me, Nude Mauve is just one of those shades that you can’t go far wrong with. The hint of mauve stops it from being too flat and adds the tiniest bit of outdoorsy flush, but if you want to use the powder strictly to sculpt (in a low-key way) then the warmth doesn’t interfere. Here I’ve used it beneath the cheekbones (Bobbi Brown’s Face Blender brush for this):

And you can (hopefully) see that the wash of colour is just gorgeously nude and understated. If you like to look polished rather than obviously “done up” then it’s a great little blush/bronzer to have in your bag.

Equally, if you’ve been lusting after the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushers in the pinkier/coral tones then you could do a lot worse than to check out Alluring Rose and Seductive Pink from the Creme Puff range. When I find them in the quagmire of makeup that litters my office floor I shall take some photographs – in the meantime, you can find them all online here.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Nude Mauve is £8.99 from Boots.com

The post Creme Puff Blush: Understated Nude appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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