If you’re thinking of taking up running, or even if you’re already a regular runner, beauty products might not be at the forefront of your mind when you’re lacing up your trainers and heading outdoors. But protecting your skin from the elements is vital if you don’t want to age prematurely. So today I’m sharing my beauty essentials for running with you.
In the warmer months my skincare regime of choice is Murad’s Essential-C range. The Essential-C Day Moisture SPF30 has a broad spectrum sun protection, which means it shields skin from both UVA and UVB rays. The Advanced Active Radiance Serum contains a high level of vitamin C to protect against free radical damage and boost collagen. It also claims to help cells resist environmental stresses including UV exposure and chemical aggressors and prevent future pigment formation. You can read my review of the Essential-C range here.
I also use the Essential-C eye cream to protect my peepers as well as a snug-fitting pair of sunglasses. My favourites are not the typical sporty type (I find the lenses are too small) but a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo shades I bought from TK Maxx years ago. They fit nice and snuggly without slipping and I’ve yet to find any others that I prefer. A high factor sunscreen is a must for any exposed parts of the body – I always use SPF 50 in the summer.
One thing that really can ruin a run is chafing. Sports bras, trainers and clothing can all rub, which is made worse if you sweat a lot…I discovered that the hard way! Vaseline is cheap and effective at preventing chafing, but if you fancy something a little more luxurious I can highly recommend Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream – both to prevent and treat any sore spots. The Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant stick is also perfect for preventing dry and chapped lips. You can read my thoughts on the Eight Hour range here.
Hard working feet will appreciate a soothing and nourishing foot cream such as Soap & Glory’s Heel Genius after a tough session. Regular running can cause a build up of hard skin, which isn’t going to do those pretty summer sandals justice!
Now I don’t know about you but I just can’t bring myself to leave the house totally barefaced…vain I know but feeling pretty and working out are not mutually exclusive. Over the years I’ve put quite a few products to the sweat test (Clinique’s City Block and Benefit’s Benetint are firm favourites) but recently I’ve stumbled across some truly fabulous finds. The one area of the face which is relatively sweat-proof is the eyes so I like to define my brows and lashes. In my previous post I reviewed the L’Oreal Brow Artist Plumper which is now one of my running beauty essentials. It has fantastic staying power and costs just £5.99!
When it comes to waterproof mascaras I’m not too fussy, mainly because they tend to dry out before I get much use out of them, so I don’t like to spend too much on one. I picked up the L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes on a bit of a whim, which at £10.99 was quite a splurge for me, but I was really pleased with how it applied. It adds length and volume to my lashes with just a few strokes.
As well as mascara I like to wear just a little eyeliner on my upper lash line for added definition, and right now there’s only one eye pencil for me. The Eye of Horus eye pencil, which was included in my Dream Box 3, is probably the best thing I’ve ever received in a beauty box. I can’t praise it highly enough. For me it ticks all the boxes – it applies with the lightest of touch, delivers amazing pigmentation and does not budge.
I’ve posted a picture of me which was taken about an hour after I finished the Paris Marathon last Sunday and as you can see the eye makeup is still on. There’s just the tiniest smudge of mascara under my left eye but given that it was roasting hot and I got completely soaked several times running under the water sprayers I think these products deserve a medal for going the distance too!
