Ah summer – that glorious time where the warm embrace of sunshine and sea is rivalled only by the promising sizzle of a barbecue and that sweet feeling of forgetting what day it is.
At least, that is until your makeup literally melts off your face because it’s so damn hot.
It’s a summer woe as old as time, and despite the many, many things we love about summer, this one irk can get old fast.
But lucky for us, we’ve got plenty of golden hacks to beat the heat from one of the best Aussie beauties in the biz – Rebecca Harding is here to bail us out.
Rebecca Harding is a pro when it comes to summer beauty. (Image: Instagram / @rebeccalharding)
The model and beauty guru who is currently dating homegrown comedian Andy Lee is no stranger to a scorching Aussie summer, and over the years, she’s picked up plenty of go-to hacks to beat the heat.
The evidence is clear – in January alone Bec has attended some of the country’s most watched events: Melbourne’s style spectacle aka the Portsea Polo, and the Australian Open.
With the events flooded with stylish celebrities from Australia and beyond (read: Anna Wintour – need we say more?), the pressure is on to put your best face forward, no matter what the weather. And Bec has mastered it.
Here, she exclusively shares her top tips for beating the heat with flawless makeup, functional fashion, and we hear how Andy feels about it all…
So Bec, what are your best hacks for keeping your makeup in check even when it’s boiling hot outside?
It’s a tough one but I always use my sunscreen as a primer as well. So I apply sunscreen first, then I’ll apply a foundation or a tinted moisturiser over the top. I feel like that generally allows my makeup to hold a little bit more.
In the summer, I also tend to wear a little bit less makeup, opting for a more natural look.
And one of my best hacks is to just stay out of the sun. A few years ago I had a mole removed – it was all okay but it gave me a bit of a scare. Since then I’ve been so careful to keep my face out of the sun as much as possible.
And when it comes to fashion, what are your go-to styles to wear when you’re out in the sun all day?
I love wearing fabrics like linen and silk. For the tennis in particular, linen is the perfect fabric to wear because it’s breathable and cool especially on those hot days.
Plus linen is really easy to wear with sneakers – you can chuck on a pair of white sneakers and a hat and you’re ready to go.
READ MORE: Star gazing at the 2019 Australian Open: The best celebrity moments from the tennis
Bec and Andy will be attending plenty of tennis games at the Australian Open this year. (Image: Instagram / @rebeccalharding)
Who inspires you when it comes to fashion?
My peers and my friends inspire me the most – like [one of my friends] wore a whole lot of hair clips over the weekend so now I’m like, I need some hair clips!
For the tennis in particular I like taking inspiration from global tennis tournaments like Wimbledon’s white, so I might wear a full white outfit for a day at the tennis.
What about Andy, does he inspire your fashion choices at all?
He actually inspires me to be more comfortable and to be comfortable in my own decisions.
He’s very supportive – before the Portsea Polo I was wondering if my outfit was too much. So I asked Andy if I looked like I was wearing a costume and he was like, ‘No you look awesome, it’s something cool and something different and it suits your personality and you look awesome,’ so I was like, ‘Yes! I look awesome!’ [laughs].
Bec’s Portsea Polo look pushed boundaries, and personified her style. (Image: Instagram / @rebeccalharding)
Andy fully supports Bec’s brave fashion choices. (Image: Instagram / @rebeccalharding)
Do you have any affordable and accessible beauty products you thrash during the summer months?
It all comes back to sunscreen – I wear SPF 50 every day and I reapply it when I’m outdoors.
For two in one I love using La Roche-Posay products – they have an amazing tinted moisturiser and sunscreen ($29.95 from Adore Beauty). I just always go back to it.
I also love Bio Oil ($9.99 from Woolworths) – you can use it on your hair and to combat stretchmarks, I reckon that’s amazing. Everyone should have a bottle.
The model and beauty guru swears by SPF 50 sunscreen every day. (Image: Instagram / @rebeccalharding)
And to finish off, which celebrities do you think are killing the fashion game at the moment?
I’ve got to go with Serena Williams – her green outfit that she’s wearing for the Australian Open is awesome.
And by way of tennis she is always pushing the boundaries – she literally broke the internet last year when she wore that tutu which was just epic.
I also really like Elsa Hosk, she’s a Victoria’s Secret model and always picks up on current trends while also injects some of her personality in every outfit she wears.
WATCH: Hamish Blake created a cologne based on Andy Lee’s scent and you can buy it in stores:
