Summer is
nearly over, but I can’t possibly wait till next year to share this since it
proved to be such a life-saver for me. So, how do you keep cool when it’s over 40C
where you are? I managed it with the help of floral waters!
I use
floral waters all the time in my beauty routine; as a toner, as a mixing medium
when I want to use an eye shadow wet, I spray my face with them when my make-up
looks cakey, etc. I loved using orange blossom water in the summer because it
smells so refreshing that I thought, why limit its use to when I am at home.
Why not put some in a spray bottle and spray myself when I am out and it’s too
hot. Frankly, it changed the way I feel about the hot summer days in Greece
As I
mentioned, I prefer orange blossom water because I find the smell more
uplifting and cool, but you can also use rosewater, kevda water, lavender water
or whatever else pleases your nostrils. It’s worth trying to find a
spraying bottle that provides a good and even distribution of liquid; you want
a refreshing mist that won’t interfere with your make-up, not the water hose
effect. Nobody wants the water hose effect on top of all the sweating unless they are desperate.
Additionally,
you can use essential oils with your floral water. Some lavender adds to the
uplifting effect and a little bit of jasmine can calm any storm that might be
going on in your head. If you’re really into essential oils, you can even dupe
Caudalie’s famous Beauty Elixir since it is
essentially a mix of orange blossom water with essential and synthetic
oils. I hadn't thought of mixing peppermint oil prior to smelling the Beauty Elixir as I
don’t really like peppermint oil-I overused it to help me concentrate as a
student-, but I tried it and it works fine.
If you do
use essential oils, remember to shake the mixture vigorously before every use.
Oils don’t mix with water so you need to shake it every time to get an even
distribution. I find that when they mix well, especially if I’ve added sambac jasmine, the mix looks a bit milky and pretty.
A final
word of caution: do not use any citrus essential oils, ie no lemon, orange,
mandarin, neroli, grapefruit or petitgrain. They are notoriously photosensitive
(sensitive to natural light) and you could end up harming your skin. Always
check whether the essential oil you are planning to use is photosensitive.
I hope you
give it a try and let me know how it went. It was a life-saver for me as it made the heat
more bearable and my skin felt so much better at the end of a hot day than it
did before I started using it.
xxx
Elysse
