Today’s skincare routine matches Meghan Markle’s Wimbledon outfit yesterday. I hope you appreciate that I keep your visual palette for the weekend consistent. I realised yesterday that my current skincare favourites are all blue, and they are all products that I am happy to recommend, so here you are. (Please note that I didn’t buy them to match each other and look cute in a picture together. Also, I wanted to photograph them with a blue hydrangea from my ​jardin, but the blue variety has gone on partial strike and is not blossoming evenly.)

Cleansers:

​Ceramic Slip by Sunday Riley. French Green Clay and Rice Oil Esters to pull whatever dirt off my face. As Sunday Riley’s stuff generally, this one is extremely efficient yet gentle, as in it does not strip the skin. A creamy gel I would call this, with a very subtle earthen scent, firm consistency and a decent grip, as in it’s not runny on the face. Rinses off. Says it’s suitable for all skin types, which is always a bold statement, but mine is reactive and dehydrated, and I’m totally fine with this.

Blue Aura Cleansing Water by Odacité. Blue micellar water by one of my favourite all-natural brands. It contains holy basil (a regular, secular basil probably would not cut it), neem and salicylic acid, and makes for a nicely refreshing morning cleanse. I follow the cleanse with generous spritzing of toner to ensure hydration. So as not to waste the product I usually apply Blue Aura Water to an already moistened cotton pad. 

Serum: 

Dr Dennis Gross “Hyaluronic Marine Booster”

As the name says, this is a hyaluronic acid -rich hydration booster. I was at Space NK browsing and was going to buy a very different kind of serum by a new, more obscure brand. The salesperson recommended me to get Dr Dennis Gross instead, for its hydrating attributes apparently were much superior to the product I was planning on buying. This rarely happens, so I was intrigued (I’ve always thought the salespeople are to fiercely recommend whatever they happen to sell in the shop). Having known Dr Gross’ other products, I made the purchase and really like it. 

I’ve been using oils for such a long time that applying the light-blue, watery booster first felt like “meh”, but it does deliver a fantastic layer of hydration under makeup without any of the greasiness of an oil. Thus a perfect product for summer when we want to go hydration over nutrition.

NB: The booster contains alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which can make the skin more sensitive to the sun. Thus always always sunscreen, girls!

The booster smells fantastic. An added bonus.

Tatcha Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen SPF35

This is one of the NYC-purchases and not easily available in Europe. An absolutely beautiful, blurring moisturiser that I use daily under makeup. It is mixture of physical sunscreen (zinc oxide) and chemical sunscreen (octisalate) and it is a very effective, pleasant product that does not cause a reaction and/or block pores. Tatcha’s products are formulated in Japan and made in the USA. Because of the Japanese product development, the brand has excellent skincare products for pale, sensitive skins. 

I am still far from doing what Nicole Kidman does, which is to use SPF100 in the summer. I also listened to Californian interior designer guru, Kelly Wearstler, give her advise on avoiding the sun: when she turned 50, she had sunlight-obscuring, tinted windows fitted in her car and on top of that always carries a silk scarf to wear around her neck when driving, as well as gloves, to shield her skin from the sun.

Chantecaille Just Skin Anti-Smog Tinted Moisturiser SPF15

I have a weakness for Chantecaille makeup. Maybe I buy into their “let’s save the elephants” -narrative, or I just really like their products. Just Skin is a very light, tinted cream that glides on like a dream and does a good job covering all kinds of imperfections. One of the best tinted moisturisers I’ve ever had. Contains only physical sunscreen (because elephants) and Butterfly Bush Extract (which, I imagine, is added to justify the price tag). Their selection of shades is not mind-blowing and clearly targeted to the very pale segment of population only, given that the shade I wear, Nude, is not even the lightest.

I had to reference Meghan’s outfit in the beginning, because she’s been getting so much flak again this week. Give the girl a rest, people. She’s scolded for not making a public appearance, but Lord almighty when she does. She’s wearing the wrong things! She’s given her kid the wrong name! She’s holding her baby wrong! Is she trying to suffocate him or what, letting his head loll around like that? Phew, clearly nannies look after him, given that she can’t even hold him correctly! Why is she attending the Lion King premier in London? Why is she not attending it? Should she pose with Beyoncé, or should she not? She’s such a silly control-freak, that woman! Why is she so wrong?