Beauty products I can't live without in Mexico

In Mexico, my beauty needs are quite different to when I'm in the UK. I'm not particularly high maintenance when it comes to make up, but here, between the heat, pollution, and tiring life style that I have, I need products that I can rely on and that do their job well. So here are my tried and tested favourite products.

The sun is pretty strong here and my British skin burns super easily; Most days in Guadalajara the UV rating is 11, so I need to protect my skin from the harmful rays. Nothing says tourist more than lobster red sun burn too and I like to try and blend in as much as I can! I use Soltan factor 30 on a daily basis, even if I'm working at school, because I have found that even being in the sun sans sun cream for 20 minutes leads to sun burn. This cream is also great because it has a built in insect repellent....

Which leads me to me my Jungle Formula Maximum Protection. Mosquito bites are the bane of my life and I cannot stand itching all the time. Although this part of Mexico is malaria free, there is the risk of dengue fever which can make you very sick. The Jungle Formula spray is pretty potent but it provides up to ten hours protection and I have found it to be much more reliable than just citronella. 

Benefit's Erase Paste is my morning saviour! I am not a morning person at all and the Erase Paste is one of my go to beauty products to help give me that fresh faced glow. I love the coverage and blendability of this product; it provides a good coverage without being heavy and it's so easy to blend in. I don't wear foundation or even much concealer here as my skin feels suffocated in the heat, so this high lighting concealer gives me a little bit of brightness when I am tired. 

Another highlighting product I love is Benefit's High Beam. Again, it is one of the products I use to make me look fresh faced and awake when I feel anything but that! I blend a small amount of this beautiful pearly pink highlighter into my cheek bones and brow bones for an immediate pick me up. It gives a little shimmer to the skin without being too glittery. My bottle has lasted me forever too. Great value for money.

I only really wear a lip stick during the day to give my face a little pop of colour, and my favourite is MAC's Chatterbox. A beautiful creamy lipstick in a bright but pastel pink: it has good staying power and is subtle enough for day wear but with more of a punch than a nude shade. 

Living in Mexico's second biggest city means that there is a lot of air pollution and this can have a real dulling effect on skin.  My skin is also really sensitive to any kind of change and often has break outs, even though overall, it's quite dry. I love The Body Shop's sumptuous chamomile cleansing butter.  I use this in the evening to rid my skin of make up and daily dirt and grime. It's simply wonderful! It's a pleasure to apply and easy to wash off; I wash it off when I jump in the shower. Afterwards, my skin feels clean, looks bright and clear, and isn't tight at all. The Body Shop is easy to find here in Mexico too and is reasonably priced so it's a clear winner for me. 

Finally, as I said, the heat can have a real drying effect of the skin and it's important to keep it moisturised and hydrated. My current favourite is a Neutrogena body lotion: it was actually in the Hilton in Florida but we loved it so much we brought all the miniatures back to Mexico to use! It's a lightweight cream but hydrates the skin well. It also has a delicious fresh and clean smell. I really hope I can find it back in England!