How to extend the summer break feeling
Photos AMC
Words Vadim Poulet
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Extend the summer break.
With September’s coming, and work starting again soon, your mood may not be at its highest. Fortunately, there are solutions to keep that holidays’ feeling, as autumn is preparing its comeback.
Protect your tan
Tanned skin is the unmistakable sign that you enjoyed summer. Therefore, managing to keep your tan is an easy and satisfying way to have the feeling that your holidays did not end with your coming back in town. There are a few tricks to keep the results of long hours spent in the sun: know them, and you’ll always like you’re coming back from a weekend getaway.
Exfoliate (a lot)
No, exfoliation doesn’t hurt your tan. Contrary to popular belief, it prolongs his life. Exfoliation activates blood microcirculation, which in turn improves your skin’s oxygenation and helps you maintain your skin tanning. Besides, exfoliation eliminates dead cells, which only dull your complexion and make your skin rough. But be careful when choosing your exfoliant: be wary of abrasive solutions, and avoid the horsehair glove. Prefer exofliating products which moisturises as well, exfoliate your body 48 hours after your return, and then aim at a slower pace, once every ten days.
Stay hydrated
Moisturising is paramount in any situation, like any member of the Horace team would tell you. That’s why moisturising cream will be your best friend at the end of August. Attacked by salt and chlorine, sun, sand and wind, your skin’s hydrolipidic film is damaged. Hydrate your skin and face with a nourishing care to repair and give a second life to your tan. If you want some help, forget self-tanning pills, UV cabins or any other artificial solution, and favour a after sun-care that will extend your bronzage. Still using it in October is ok.
On top, forget moderation, and drink water. It is advised to drink a liter and half (which amounts to a certain quantity of ounces, do the math), but you can also chose a watermelon juice, binchotan-filtered water, or make your own juices, as long as they are cold-pressed. Drinking is an essential habit to pick up : it helps maintain the suppleness and the resistance of your skin by helping your specialised cells produce elastin and collagen.
Don't change your diet
Summer is not just a state of mind or a destination: it can also be found in your plate. Red and orange fruits and vegetables (strawberries, apricot, pepper, tomato, cherry, carrot), and food rich in beta-carotene and antioxydants (melon, spinach, parsley, lettuce, mango), which neutralise free radicals, will help your tan stay on. Recipes like gaspacho, grilled food, paired with a glass of rosé will warm your heart without a doubt, and fatty fish, rich in omegas, will strengthen the skin barriers fighting dehydration. And they are delicious.
Embrace the getaway
September is your chance: Indian summer is full of occasions to expose yourself to the sun rays. Cafés and their terrasses, parks and public gardens will soon be your favorite places to spend time to keep on making your colleagues jealous of your tan. And if faking a week-end away is not enough, maintain the spirit of the holidays by seizing every opportunity of a getaway. A few days of escape will cleanse your mind and give your tan a boost. Tangier, Corsica, Biarritz, Portofino, or Ibiza… there are many destinations that will recharge your batteries and your melanin stocks.
Don’t forget to exercise
Finally, don’t forget to take care of your body as well as you take care of your skin. Swimming in the open hair is one of the opportunity offered by many cities, and the sun, the water and physical activity combined provide a sensation of well-being unrivalled. But you can also keep on running in the morning, or get back on that bike, to keep a spirit of vacationer in a tan body.
Summer break is not over yet.
