Body Language: Al Fresco Fiesta

From gardenscaping to wardrobe and hair, Olivia Falcon plans her al fresco fiesta for the summer.

Body Language: Al Fresco Fiesta

As the tidal sands of the pandemic continue to shift and we flip-flop between red zones, lateral flow tests and endless airport queues, I’m setting my sights on a carefree summer of entertaining in the garden. I have already spent a small fortune on party prep: pimping up the begonias with festoon lights (thesolarcentre.co.uk) and supersizing our seating with a gorgeous Ethan table and curved benches from Green Meadow Furniture (from £5,000 greenmeadowfurniture.co.uk). Meanwhile, my husband has gone all Games of Thrones with his custom fire pit (ironworksuk.co.uk) that comes with a chain for hanging large joints of meat, and is great for keeping warm on chillier evenings.

Stage set, I now turn to the most important issue – how does one groom for garden glam? If you’ve got lawns, barefoot is best so a good foot cream is essential. I’ve tried all the fancy brands but by far the most effective is O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Foot Cream (£8.49, superdrug.com). I found it stocked at my local garden centre and it miraculously turned my cracked dry heels buttery soft in a matter of hours. Just accessorise with a slick of Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Égérie (£24, chanel.com), the prettiest dusky rose.

Wardrobe-wise, I’m championing small British brands. I love Feray London’s pretty broderie anglaise fitted sundresses (£180, @feray_london) and Silk & Cotton Trading’s sustainably-crafted smocked dresses and kaftans (from £75, silkandcottontrading.com). I’m wearing sunscreen, of course – the new Pixi Sun Mist (£18, cultbeauty.com) is brilliant as you can simply spray under or over make-up throughout the day. My current go-to look is a slick of Stila’s Stay All Day mascara, (£20, stila.co.uk), a tubular formula with maximum staying power and Armani’s new Lip Power in Friendly (£32.50, armanibeauty.co.uk) a pretty coral colour that’s fortified with moisturising oils.

To give hair elegant swish – and fumigate barbecue smoke – all you need is a spritz of Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner (£24, cultbeauty.com), which cuts through knots, glosses up dullness and hydrates dry hair.

Finally, for those tight on green space, bring the outdoors in with an Anada at-home spa experience, a three-hour indulgence of massage, meditation and ritual cleansing. A team of two therapists will treat up to four guests with the brand’s own products, which include herbal bath bags, body oils and creams, from £150 per person (anada.co.uk).

Featured image: Getty Images

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