PREPPING FOR WINTER SUN HOLIDAYS

There’s nothing I love more than sunshine in the middle of winter! All this cold and snow and darkness…a southern hemisphere escape is exactly what this girl needs! But being cooped up in sweaters and booties for a few months means I’m not exactly beach ready. Here are the musts for beauty when prepping for a sunshine vacay in the middle of winter :

HAIR : Before jet setting away to soak up the sun, you’ve got to add some protection to those locks! A quick touch up and trim doesn’t hurt either. I headed to my gal, Laura Wellington at Basecuts Portobello, for a color refresher with Olaplex–the miracle hair care that protects and restores! It’s such an amazing treatment that will leave your hair feeling fresh and renewed but also will add the extra protection you need for the holiday away–think of all that sun damage, chlorine and chemicals from swimming, and even the drying out from just simply traveling!

NAILS : Now holiday or not, my nails are generally always painted but before a long vacay, I make sure to have a gel mani // pedi to extend the life of the polish! I don’t usually splurge for shellac on my toes but especially for beach holidays, a gel polish will last through the sand and salty ocean. And unless you’re one of those people with a standing pedi appointment, most of us tend to neglect our feet during winter when they’re hidden away with socks and boots constantly! A pedicure is basically a necessity for a winter sun holiday 🙂 I headed to Vos Salon in Chelsea for a thorough pedi treatment and a pop of bright polish before my trip. The salon is in a prime position on Kings Road, making the stop off perfect between a tasty brunch at Bluebird or shopping near Sloane Square! Vos is really a full service stop offering hair treatments to nails to massage and waxing…even open for men and children as well! The team is very professional and committed to excellent service and treatments. I highly recommend the pedicures here as well–my tootsies are the perfect pink and smooth to boost! 🙂

LASHES : To be honest, this is my first experience with lashes, ever! I know I am late to the lash party but a few of my friends have raved about the ease of having lashes applied pre-holiday! And specifically for sunshine, beach holidays! I actually have pretty long lashes at baseline and mascara is my jam–like I don’t leave home without it. But the thought of leaving my mascara behind and waking up ready and put together with little to no effort?! Also, no runny mascara post-swimming?! Could this be real?! Ha, I’ll give it a go! I headed to see Linda at Chic Lash for my first ever lash application. She left her corporate job to go full-time beauty enhancer with her own company, at an amazing location on Kensington Church Street. She was so professional and thorough–answering my one million questions about lash extensions! Also, I never thought lash application could be relaxing but she has this amazing, cozy chair complete with a warmer and she snuggled me in with blanket for the hour and half treatment. I have loved the last few days and actually being able to say “I woke up like this” 🙂 Lash extensions would be perfect for that NYE night out…there’s a few appointments left, snag one quick!

WAXING : When I’m setting off on a long holiday, waxing is a lifesaver! It just makes everything easier. I headed to Vos Salon’s second studio in Fulham, right off one of my favorite London neighborhood’s Parsons Green. It is such a charming area and lots of good options nearby for a post-wax latte to recover! The Vos Salon here also offers all the amazing treatments as the original salon with the same friendly and skilled beauty experts! The waxing area is private and relaxed–exactly as you’d want for sensitive treatments. Vos provides a variety of waxing services, including packages, as well as permanent hair removal. They are also offering Christmas beauty packages for those of you looking for last minute treatments and pampering!

TAN : If you’re going for sunshine mid-winter, you can’t overlook the skin! The bonus is there aren’t any strange tanlines from your last vacay to work around. I am using the Vita Liberata line of sunless tanners to prep for the bikini weather! The luxury self tanning lotion includes a moisturizer, which is crucial for dry winter skin! The Body Blur Instant HD Finish is the perfect touch up tool for short shorts or minis. I am also obsessed with the Self Tan Dry Oil with SPF–it’s self tanner with sun protection…the best of both worlds!