Prepare for Summer ft. bilou Vegan Beauty Products

AD - This post contains PR samples but all thoughts are my own

Summer is just around the corner. Before you know it, the UK will be doused in sun cream, BBQ’s and middle aged men walking around topless. Hurrah! (Sorta) Summer seems to come around every year and I don’t know about you but I’m never prepared for it. So how does one actually prepare for Summer anyway?

As someone who doesn’t actually like Summer very much, I’d say preparation for me is key. I struggle in the heat. Not to mention how houses in the UK turn into an actual furnace at anything upwards of 23 degrees.

But something I love about Summer is taking care of myself and upping my beauty game with lovely products and more pamper time! From fake tan to eyelash serum, you name it, I’ll be using it!

Summer can definitely be a bit of a slug in the UK but here’s how I’m going to (and you can) more effectively prepare for Summer in 2019!

How to prepare for Summer in 2019:

If you don’t like water, find a suitable alternative

Luckily, this is one that doesn’t really apply to me because I love water. I drink so much goddamn water. But we all know how important it is to stay hydrated in the Summer and if we hate plain water, what can we do?

Well my Mum always drinks flavored waters (which I now drink too and absolutely love them) which you can pick up dirt cheap from local supermarkets. Or you can try these water bottles with fruit infusers to really mix it up!

Staying fresh

The products we use can really vary in Summer. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be wearing super thick and heavy creams and make up if it’s going to make me feel gross and sticky in the heat. A great way to prepare for Summer is to have a little declutter of your beauty products and invest in some Summer friendly alternatives.

I was kindly sent 2 products from bilou to try, which I think would be a perfect addition to your Summer products!

bilou Coco Cocktail Bodyspray – £3.99

First of all, I adore the fun, bright and colorful packaging of this entire range. But the first product I tried was the bilou Coco Cocktail Bodyspray. There’s so many exciting scents, it was hard to choose but I love coconut scents so was keen to test this one out.

And as scents go, this is one that you’ll definitely want to prepare you for Summer! It’s VERY Summery and instantly makes you want to be lying on a beach, with an actual Coco Cocktail in hand! It’s also multi-functional as a body spray and deodorant. So ideal for travelling with too.

bilou Pink Melon Shower Foam – £3.99

The second product I tried was the bilou Pink Melon Shower Foam. The scent I chose for the shower foam was out of stock, so I was sent the Pink Melon scent instead, which was absolutely fine because it smells delightful anyway! Although I have a suspicion that all their scents are wonderful.

Again, the packaging is so cute and fun. I’m a sucker for nice packaging. But onto the actual function; well I’ve never used a shower product which resembled shaving foam before but I really liked it! It was unusual but did the job. The smell lingered in the bathroom for ages after I’d finished using it!

Bin out of date sun cream and buy new ones

Arguably one of the most important elements of Summer: sun cream. And how many of us have got crusty, old and dusty sun cream bottles sitting under the sink in the bathroom? Show of hands? Most of us are going to be in the sun at some point during Summer and we don’t want to be worrying about the effect the sun is having on our skin when we’re trying to get on with our day.

So take some time to also declutter your sun creams, bin any which are out of date and invest in some nice new ones. We all want to enjoy Summer but it also doesn’t hurt to be clued up on SPF and do a bit of research into how it works and why we need to use it. Natural and organic sunscreen is always the preferable option!

Prepare your home for Summer

We spend most of our time at home and when that home is 400 million degrees in the dead of Summer, it’s not a pleasant experience. So preparing our home and getting it ready for Summer is important:

• Bring fans out of storage or purchase shiny new ones
• Ensure all installed fans are working properly (as well as other important appliances – like the freezer!)
• Change to lighter and thinner bedding
• Declutter as much as you can and store away things you’re not going to need for a while
• Tend to your garden – you’ll be spending a lot of time out there!

Know how you’re going to take care of those that can’t prepare for Summer themselves

Summer can be a really dangerous time when the temperatures soar for prolonged periods of time. As a young, able-bodied person, I can do all the things I need to do to prepare for Summer myself and ensure I stay as safe and hydrated as I can. But that’s not the case for everyone.

So if you’re able, have some strategies in place for how you can ensure the people around you are as safe as possible during Summer. Check in on elderly neighbors, visit elderly relatives regularly and ensure their homes are cool and they’re drinking enough water and make sure any pets have a cool shady spot to lay in, plenty of water and hydrating treats and aren’t taken out in the middle of the day when the sun is the hottest.

How are you going to prepare for Summer this year? Any neat tips or tricks you can share?