www.rouje.com

Having said that, I am also a frizzy-haired, makeup obsessed, jewellery addict, and being poolside can also make me feel a little…..bare.

Being the skincare obsessive that I am, I never wear makeup around the pool (maybe just the occasional slick of waterproof mascara), I do like to wear tinted spf on holiday, but topping it up can be an issue – I haven’t found a formulation that doesn’t look orange after 2-3 tops-ups. What I have found (and this is not holiday specific) is Les Filles En Rouje, La Crème; an ultra-light moisturising gel-cream with a light, pink tint. The ‘pink’ looks quite bright in the bottle, but after gently massaging into the skin, you are left with a soft, rosy glow – totally natural but just enough of a hint to make you feel less exposed. It is also packed full of Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E and Rosehip Oil – so again, although not a sun-specific product – these 3 moisturising and antioxidant ingredients, are just what your skin wants during a day in the sun.

www.gatineau.com

That’s the face covered (or tinted, I should say) but what about the body when you are a non or undedicated sunbather? I went from a 90s Tanning Shop addict to a tee-total, shade-loving spf50 wearer, and it shows. As soon as the swimming pool chlorine starts wearing down my fake tan, I look far pastier than I knew I could be. In recent years, I’ve started to spend more time in the sun again – around half an hour or so, spf-free for a vitamin D hit, before applying (and reapplying my spf 50 all day) *this is just my personal thing and isn’t necessarily medical or derma advice.

Anyway, after so many years of avoiding the sun, I really don’t tan well at all anymore, and reapplying fake tan on holiday isn’t ideal, so I thought I’d give the famous Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion a try. This cream has a bit of a cult following and has recently been revamped to prepare, boost and prolong tanning. You need to start applying the cream a minimum of 2 weeks before sun-exposure, and then apply daily during and after exposure. This is so easy to do because it is a dream to apply; it sinks into the skin in seconds and leaves you feeling so silky smooth, and it has a very soft fragrance which doesn’t interfere with your perfume.

I did as instructed and applied daily for over 2 weeks before my holiday, and I applied it daily on holiday in place of an -after-sun. I wouldn’t say I have a deep tan by any means (there is too much umbrella and spf 50 to get through to achieve a deep tan) but I am most certainly more golden than usual which I am very happy about. More interestingly, there was one day I didn’t top up my spf properly (the shame of it!) and I burnt a little (a perfect red line at the bottom of my cleavage….) for me, this would usually become very sore and stay red for at least 5 days, but this time the redness subsided in 2 days and wasn’t sore at all??!! I can only put it down to the Gatineau.

www.nikitabyniki.com

My last little trick for feeling a bit more ‘me’ when I’m poolside (and don’t judge me for this) is to add a bit of jewellery. I work from home, yet I wear jewellery every single day without fail. I have loved wearing jewellery ever since I was a little girl, and I don’t feel dressed without it. So, when I’m on holiday and barely dressed anyway, it feels nice to add a few accessories! I wouldn’t wear my ‘good’ jewellery poolside, but pre-holiday, I’ll often pick up a few bits of what my nan would have called ‘costume jewellery’ to wear in and around the pool (i.e cheap and doesn’t matter so much if they tarnish). Tarnishing I can cope with, but a dirty green neck from cheap jewellery, is not for me, and this has happened on a couple of occasions (both times I’ve ended up rubbing the fake tan off along with the green necklace mark – all in all, not a good look). The Nikita by Niki range of jewellery is dubbed as ‘empowering jewellery for women’ as each piece is centred around mantras and positivity, with necklaces named ‘I am Fearless’, ‘I am Secure’ and ‘I am a Queen’ to name a few. I went for the tiny Elephant pendant ‘I am Strong’ representing resilience, I absolutely love it, and it is dainty enough to suit any beachwear.

The collection is waterproof and sweatproof, keeps its shine and doesn’t cost the earth. I’ll be back for more – after all, a little bit of layering looks good whatever the occasion!