Sunshine survival

The Poodle is back! It’s been a while since I posted, but that is because the Paris Poodle has been off location and has been exploring the beautiful island that is Sri Lanka. A well deserved vacation is what every Poodle needs once in a while and the white sands of Sri Lanka were the perfect place to relax, unwind and get tanned – the L’Oreal Tinted Gel has been firmly pushed to the back of the bathroom cabinet for a while! Hurrrah!

Sooo... I’m sure you’re itching to know what I got up to and what perfecting beauty products I used to keep pristine in the extreme? Well, there were a great many things, and I shall be posting a few blogs with a holiday inspired theme in mind, after all, going on holiday highlights so many unforeseen beauty battles to be waged and won. A leisurely beach side lifestyle leads to fearless frizzy – as if that wasn’t problematic enough already! Dry skin, cracked nail varnish, mosquito bites and sun cream clogged pores? Not to mention staying on top of hair removal, tan lines, make up management and split ends. If I wasn’t a crusader to perfection it wouldn’t be a problem, but a Poodle I am and flawless I must be.

The key things which got me through on a daily basis were as follows – pack these with you on your next trip and reap the benefits of a Parisian Poodle’s trial and error!

Simple Radiance Brightening Eye Make Up Remover Pads (30 pads for £3.99) are little circles of eye heaven which not only swiftly removed my stubborn Big Fatty Urban Decay mascara, but they also soothe and hydrate skin whilst the tropical Mango extract brightens the eye area, making you look practically human after a whopping 20 hours of travelling! Suitable for sensitive skin too – which is always a bonus- thank you Simple!

An intense face moisturiser is essential for travelling, plane journeys and night times to protect against dehydrated skin. I chose french brand Terry’s Gelee de Rose Intensive Multi Action Moisturiser because it is the best! I am actually in love when it comes to Terry, and although I find it bank bustingly expensive, it’s of uttermost importance to treat oneself to luxury on occasion (as if a holiday weren’t enough)!

Sun Cream - an obvious beauty must have on holiday, but there are many choices and considerations... mineral or chemical, liquid or cream, spray or dispenser, factor 20 or factor 50? The sun protection that got me through weeks of intense Sri Lankan sunshine was Garnier’s Clear Protect Sun Spray Factor 20 because it’s not too low and not too high, it sprays on as a dry oil, doesn’t go sticky and is reliably waterproof. It was practical and didn’t leak and it wasn’t too expensive – have I sold it to you yet?

Juicy lips are great on holiday – and all you need is a half decent lip balm – I loved this Evolution of Smooth (EOS) one in sweet mint for its deliciously edgeless packaging and its fresh minty clean zing which was unbelievably refreshing in that tropical climate!

That’s it for now, but more to follow on my recent beauty adventures. It was utterly fabulous in Sri Lanka and if you haven’t been you must – you should head to the south in Hikkaduwa for a friendly chilled out vibe and cheap guest houses with incredible cuisine. It’s not only the French who know how to cook!

Here’s a shot of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in the centre of the country where you can watch the baby elephants at feeding time and see the whole herd of meander down the hill to the river for their daily heat relieving wash. Just magical!

It’s great to be back – tell me anything I missed out on whilst I was away!