The Summer Tag

I've seen The Summer Tag doing the rounds on a few blogs recently, so I've decided to give it a go myself. Here we go...

1. What is your favourite thing about Summer?

I love the long hours of daylight. I feel less like hibernating, have more energy, and love being able to enjoy the warm Summer evenings outside having fun, if I want to. It also makes it so much easier to take blog photos!

2. Do you have a favourite Summer drink?

At the moment, I'm really loving the mango and pineapple smoothies from McDonald's. I discovered them last Summer, and they're so good! I often get one after a trip to the hospital because they taste so good, and help to cool me down. Other than that, I'm pretty boring and am happy with a cold glass of coke with lemon, or a raspberry daiquiri.

3. Is there a special place you like to visit each Summer?

I don't get to visit it every Summer these days, but my special place is Perranporth in Cornwall. It's a gorgeous little seaside village just down the road from Newquay, and in my opinion it has the best sandy beach in the country. It's so beautiful. I spent most of my Summer holidays in Perranporth growing up, and if I had my way, I'd still visit it every Summer. Strike that; if I had my way, I'd just live there! I haven't been since 2010 and I miss the place like crazy. I've made so many happy memories there over the years, and each time I go I make plenty more. I feel more content there than anywhere else in the world, and wish I was there right now.

4. What's your favourite make up look for Summer?

I like to keep my make up quite minimal during the Summer, because most of it just slides off my face in the heat- never a good look! We've all been there, right? On the hot Summer days, I don't wear a base at all, just a little concealer if I need it. I go for a blusher with a shimmer, a couple of coats of waterproof mascara, a little powder on any shiny areas (or I'll use blotting papers instead), and I might push the boat out and wear a little eyeliner or shadow in a bronze or golden shade. I keep it simple and just let my freckles do the talking. Well, I do have a gazillion of them!

5. Dresses or skirts?

Dresses, ob-vi-ous-ly. For me, there is no other answer; dresses are my favourite garment for all seasons. I find them so easy to wear, especially since I don't have to spend ages trying to find a top to match. I can just chuck one on and go. They take the stress out of dressing for Summer, leaving me with more time to enjoy the sunshine. Perfect!

6. Festivals or vacations?

As I've never been to a festival, I'd have to say vacations- or holidays, as we call them in England. There are few things better than getting away from it all for a week or two. I love visiting new places or returning to my old favourite haunts, and being able to forget about my responsibilities for a while. It's always great when I can have some fun, and do whatever I feel like for a week or two before I have to return to normality. It's a chance to relax, maybe catch up on some reading, eat yummy food, go to the beach, see more of what the world has to offer, let my hair down, and spend some quality time with family or friends. What's not to like?

7. What's your signature summer hair style?

I wouldn't call it a hair style exactly; if my hair isn't worn down, I just absent-mindedly scrape it back in to a messy knot or pony tail to keep it off my neck!

8. What is your signature summer scent?

I usually wear Escada's Taj Sunset during the Summer months. It has the most amazing exotic, fruity fragrance, which smells like sweet, orange citrus fruits. I've barely stopped wearing it since I bought the bottle four years ago; I just can't get enough of it. The smell still takes me back to my holiday in New York in 2011, where I first started wearing it, and I get compliments on it all the time, too.

9. Pool or beach?

I love both! I'm a water baby at heart, and I feel so content when I'm in or near water. I'm probably happiest when I'm at the beach, although I'll spend most of the time in the sea having fun. I love to swim and body board, especially on the Cornish coast where the waves are some of the best in the world. I might sit and read a book for a while, but I get bored sun bathing, and would rather go for a dip, or a walk along the beach with my feet in the surf.

10. BBQ or seafood?

I'm not a fan of sea food, so definitely BBQ. There are few things better on a hot summer's day than lounging in the garden with family and friends, firing up the barbie, and eating char-grilled food, watermelon, and strawberries.

11. Do you tan or burn?

I'm very fair, so I burn easily if I'm not wearing my factor 50+. I only tend to tan if I burn, but the sun makes my freckles come out larger and darker, and joins them together, which sometimes gives the illusion of a light tan. I'm 99% freckles.

12. Favourite Summer song?

I don't think I could choose just one; I have many! I love to blast out dodgy feel-good pop and reggae songs from the eighties and early-to-mid nineties during the Summer, and I also play a lot of Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco whenever the sun puts in an appearance; their music is so cheerful! I can't narrow it down, so here's a bunch of my Summer faves...

Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition.

Fall Out Boy- Young Volcanoes.

Arcade Fire- Haiti.

Panic! at the Disco- Time To Dance.

Don Henley- The Boys of Summer.

Madonna- In To The Groove.

Stereophonics- Dakota.

Boyzone- Nothing Without You.

Cyndi Lauper- Time After Time.

Kings of Leon- Back Down South.

Bananarama- Cruel Summer.

Belinda Carlisle- Heaven is a Place on Earth.

Feel free to have a crack at The Summer Tag, if you want to! If you decide to blog about it, leave me your links so I can give them a read!

What's your favourite thing about Summer?