Get your skin and hair beach-ready with our Beauty Editor’s top tips

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Humid weather and windswept conditions mean that carefree, beach hair is, ironically, a bit elusive.

Thankfully, the beauty world is working hard to help make it look like you’re made for beach life – clever shortcuts that let you look effortless by the sea to pep up your suntan, tone your hot spots and control locks so you look more mermaid than sea monster.

Humid weather and windswept conditions mean that carefree, beach hair is, ironically, a bit elusive in sunnier climes.

Keep fly-aways in check with Label.m Anti-Frizz Mist (£17.50; labelm.co.uk).

Formulated for finer hair, the lightweight mist will de-fluff and make hair more manageable. Use it on towel- dried damp or dry hair for smoother tresses.

Hair colour hates extreme sun and this dry, weightless mist used prior to sun exposure will lock in your colour and block out humidity and UV rays so you get healthier-looking summer hair

AMY PACKER

Keep your colourist happy while you’re on holiday (and avoid rapid fade-out) by using Rita Hazan Lock+Block Protective Spray (£21; selfridges.com).

Hair colour hates extreme sun and this dry, weightless mist used prior to sun exposure will lock in your colour and block out humidity and UV rays so you get healthier-looking summer hair.

Thought the sheet mask craze had peaked?

Not yet it seems – it has simply moved from faces to bodies, right on time for holiday season. Palmer’s Coconut Oil Body Firming Sheet Mask (£7.99; boots.com) is packed with Brazilian guarana, which has twice the potency of caffeine and the mask promises to tighten skin and eases fluid retention on your targeted zone.

Apply to your chosen swimsuit hot spot for 10 minutes then massage in any excess product using circular motions.

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For a double cellulite attack, commit to daily dry body brushing to boost your circulation.

If that hasn’t soothed your bikini angst, amp up your body-care before your getaways with Elemis Targeted Toning Body Moisturiser (£69; elemis.com).

The combination of plankton extract, red algae and nigari salts – teamed with targeted daily massage, which is key – aim to reduce puckering.

For a double cellulite attack, commit to daily dry body brushing to boost your circulation – it really makes a difference.

Nothing disguises lumps and bumps better than bronzing, so forward-plan your tan (yes, it’s a thing).

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For an external glow booster, try Evy Daily Tan Activator (£22; spacenk.com).

Imedeen Tan Optimizer tablets (£40; lookfantastic.com) work from the inside out to prime skin for sun exposure and protect cells from oxidative stress.

Packed with carotenoids and natural plant extract lutein, take one tablet daily for a month before your holiday (and during) to get a glow that lasts beyond the holiday blues.

You’ll still need to use an SPF while you’re away, though.

For an external glow booster, try Evy Daily Tan Activator (£22; spacenk.com).

Used on face or body, the mousse stimulates the production of your skin’s melanin so you get a deeper tan for longer (again, SPF is still a must).

To reach your optimum glow, start applying one week before you hit the sun lounger and pack it to top up on your travels.

If you’re full of good intentions but never really get your pre-holiday regime under way, take Bondi Sands Protect & Tan Oil SPF 15 (£14.99; boots.com) with you. Combining self-tan ingredients with sun protection, this non-greasy oil is a bronzing multi-tasker.

A subtle golden glow will develop as you read your bestseller – just avoid light-coloured beach towels…

Applying gloopy aftersun can be a chore when you just want to be enjoying a sundowner, so for speedier hydration try Yes to Coconut Moisturizing Coconut Oil Stick (£10; beautybay.com).

Slick on to your face, body and hands to nourish sun-parched skin in seconds.

It absorbs quickly so you can go from beach to bar with minimum downtime.

Finally, nothing ruins the look of a summer outfit more effectively than bug bites.

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Applying gloopy aftersun can be a chore when you just want to be enjoying a sundowner.

Spritz on Mrs White’s Unstung Hero Anti Mosquito (£15; roullierwhite.com), a summer-fresh eau de cologne that also happens to make you invisible to mossies and midges for up to four hours.

The uplifting lemon tea fragrance is unisex, so the whole family can enjoy bite-free, aromatic holiday skin.

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Beauty Counter

Add a splash of colour to your cosmetics routine with the Spectrum Malachite Brush Set (£49.99; spectrumcollections.com).

The 10 lush green brushes include all the essentials for making up your face, eyes and lips.

Totally vegan, the set includes a large domed powder brush, crease blender, angled foundation and brow brushes.

And as part of the brand’s “one per cent for the planet” pledge, every set bought will support environmental charities.

Spa Attraction

With a toddler in tow, I find it hard to brush my teeth and hair before work, let alone start moisturising my legs, which is where lotions for the time-pressed come into their own.

Sanctuary Spa Wet Skin Moisture Miracle (£8; boots.com) locks in double the hydration in half the time and comes in two gorgeous scents: rose and water lily or green lemon and orange blossom.

Apply, dry and go.

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Classic twist

First launched back when David Bowie was topping the charts with Ashes to Ashes and ABBA were singing The Winner Takes It All – that’s 1980 in case you weren’t there – Eau de Givenchy Eau de Toilette (£60 for 100ml; debenhams.com) was created to evoke youth, joy and happiness according to Hubert de Givenchy.

It was certainly a contrast to the headier fragrances f that time.

Now the classic has been reinvented with a hint of Mediterranean breeze blending with neroli and bitter almond.

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I sent some rather bonkers emails as a result of my one and only brush with drinking absinthe back in my early twenties, so I’ve very much avoided “the green fairy” ever since.

But it can bring benefits as well as hangovers, apparently.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is highly antibacterial, anti-fungal and shows antioxidant properties, too.

Organic and vegan, MOA The Green Fairy Absinthe Hand & Lip Balm (£13.50; moa.co.uk) softens cuticles and nourishes chapped lips with a uplifting blend of peppermint, fennel and aniseed.