Royal Ascot: The Beauty and Fashion Edit

Royal Ascot: big hats, fancy dresses, champagne, picnics, horse racing and THE Queen…are there any more reasons that you simply cannot miss this iconic event? I didn’t think so!

This was my first year at Royal Ascot, the most famous horse race in the UK (Ascot.Co) so I was very excited to rock it with a hat and fabulous dress. But first where to shop? As a huge fan of the classy dresses on hand at French Connection FrenchConnection I went there first.

It didn’t take long for me to find the perfect little black dress. French Connection dress cost? £70. Zara shoes? £30. Rocking them both at Ascot? Priceless!

Ascot is all about class and hats…and racing of course! Upon arrival I could see that everyone really made an effort and was dressed to the nines.

    

In keeping with the celebratory nature of Ascot, the only drink allowed into the race is one bottle of champagne or sparkling wine per person, accompanying a substantial picnic and in a cool bag or hamper.

You can buy drinks inside (which is what I did) with a rum and coke costing around £6, a beer around £4 and a glass of wine around £6. Not terrible prices by any means. However, buying a bottle of champagne costs around £50-£70 so if that is your drink of choice, I would recommend bringing in your own bottle.

 

Another great perk of the race is that you get to see the Queen up close and personal as she passes by the Silver Ring. It’s not often you get to see the Queen in person and she was looking particularly chipper at Royal Ascot as she loves horses and racing.

   

 

Of course I couldn’t leave home feeling unprepared. So what was in my handbag? Most importantly was sunscreen. The weather was beautiful at Ascot this year and sunscreen was a necessity. As I am extremely fair, I use a professional, Swiss-made sunscreen called Ultrasun – SPF 30 for the face and SPF 50 for the body. The sunscreen for the face also has an added benefit of being an anti-ageing formula. You can find this at Debenhams.

It’s really important to also protect your lips. I have a great lip balm with sunscreen that I got from Walgreens in the States (similar to Superdrug). Its tropical flavour is yummy.

Other important products? Antibacterial gel. I use a lovely La Source gel from Crabtree & Evelyn (Crabtree-Evelyn)-it smells like the sea and isn’t sticky. The gel is quite thick as well (I hate runny antibacterial gel) and there is no nasty scent of alcohol to be found. Also from Crabtree & Evelyn is a La Source Leg & Foot Mist which keeps feet feeling fresh on a hot day in heels.

Other items in my handbag include thickening hairspray by Bumble & Bumble to keep strands in place, a compact mirror, a small sample-size of Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire, Rimmel London’s Clear Complexion pressed powder and a Lancome brush.

 

The icing on the top of the cake? My Kate Spade ‘supercalifragilipstick’ in a bright, bold red. I never leave home without it.

 

 

So would I go to Ascot again? Most definitely.