How to prepare for a race weekend if you are not a racing car
In September, Madrid comes back to life, and it does so with the roar of engines. From 11 to 13 September, the capital welcomes Formula 1 for the first time in 45 years. A new MADRING circuit next to IFEMA, the final race on Sunday, three days of speed, noise and light.
And this will not be just another Grand Prix. Cameras will be everywhere: in the grandstands, in the paddock, at dinner, at parties and, of course, in stories.
But there is one detail people usually do not talk about.
The tickets are bought. The outfit is planned. But after August, with sun, sea, flights and late dinners, the skin sometimes makes itself known in a less than flattering way. The tan remains, but freshness, hydration and tone do not always come with it.
In Formula 1, nobody waits until the final lap to set up the car. It is checked in advance. The same should apply to yourself: an important weekend requires preparation, not panic two hours before leaving.
In Justicia, there is a place worth visiting before the start: Honta Beauty. There is no conveyor belt here and no attempt to sell everything at once. First comes the diagnosis, then the solution. They look at the skin, listen to it, and only then suggest what can genuinely work.
Before a big weekend, I would pay attention to three things:
— Biorevitalisation, if after summer the skin feels dry, dull and thirsty.
— A ceramide treatment, to restore the protective barrier damaged by sun and air conditioning.
— Lymphatic drainage, especially after flights and lack of sleep. It helps reduce puffiness and brings definition back to the face.
But the main thing is not to choose a treatment by name alone. Sometimes the skin needs something completely different. Diagnosis first, then the decision.
Then comes the part of preparation that will be useful for anyone spending three days among people, cameras and endless photographs.
— Styling. So the hair looks alive for more than the first half hour. After the sea and sun, it especially lacks smoothness.
— Brows. A small detail that can change the face dramatically. No experiments before the weekend: just a clean shape and natural colour.
— Makeup. The kind that can handle heat, a long day, movement and an evening continuation. Fresh skin, precise accents and no mask effect.
— Manicure and pedicure. Open shoes, a glass in hand, the phone, the steering wheel and close-ups. Hands end up in the frame more often than it seems.
In short: skin, hair, brows, makeup, hands and feet. All the things we usually remember at the last moment.
That said, it is not necessary to do everything in one day. Some treatments are better planned in advance, so the skin has time to recover. On race day, leave only the finishing touches: styling, makeup and manicure.
At home, no laboratories needed. The basic set is simple: gentle cleansing, a good moisturiser, SPF 50 and a vitamin C serum. Especially SPF, even if in the morning it seems there is no sun. In an open grandstand, it will find you.
What I like about Honta’s approach is the absence of panic. Nobody says: “Urgently, or it will be too late”. They calmly explain what can be improved in one visit, what needs a course, and what is better left untouched before an important event.
Like a good race engineer: quietly check what needs tuning, and do not touch what already works.
On 13 September, there will be no time for salons. Grandstands, engines, heat, a long day and almost no sleep.
If you want to meet this weekend in your best shape, take care of yourself now, while there is still time.
Honta Beauty
Argensola Street
Justicia, Madrid
Consultation bookings are already open. On race dates, free slots will be scarce, almost like places on the podium.
P. S. If you come with a friend, both of you will receive an express hand treatment. A small thing? Maybe. But when there are so many cameras around, the whole image is built from exactly those details.
