My Long Haul Flight Essentials

I'm typing up this post just a few hours before I set off on the first leg of my journey to Mexico - the first part is just driving to Manchester as I fly tomorrow (boring!) - but I know I won't be taking my laptop so this will be the final post until I arrive home! I'm not going to lie, I'm not the biggest fan of flying, especially long haul, mainly because I hate being bored, and restricted, so I've tried to ensure my hand luggage has things to resolve these issues.

I'm going to cover the basic, non-beauty items first... So bag wise, I made sure I brought a reasonable size, within the airline restrictions size limit, but still pretty big. I've gone for a shopper from Topshop, there were a few colour available but I went for the light grey. I'll be throwing in sunglasses, my purse, kindle, phone, iPod, earphones, painkillers, tissues, sweets, John Green's Paper Towns, a sleeping mask (you never know when you'll need one of these!) and finally my passport, travel money and of course tickets! I've also been converted this year to bring along a neck/travel pillow, everyone seems to love these but I've never been too bothered, then one time Primark I found this one and I have to admit, I love it, I've even been wearing it around the house!

The standout product though has to be the This Works Deep Sleep Spray and Stress Less Rollerball. This should keep me calm and relaxed during the flight, even when I'm not! For toiletries I'm also bringing Yes To cucumber wipes, my Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist, Super Facialist Eye Cream, Estee Lauder Serum, Carex hand sanitiser, and a Tea Tree Spot Stick.

I haven't really brought a lot of make up with me, as I will have applied what I want on before the flight and when I land I really won't care what I look like, I'll just put my sunglasses on! So the very few pieces that are coming with me revolve around necessity, for instance Carmex lip balm, a tiny 5ml vile of Modern Muse and the YSL Touche Eclat just to touch up and keep me feeling at least a little presentable!

And that's it! Not too much, just the essentials plus a few extras - I told you this was the year I pack light!

Emma xx

My Holiday Make-Up Essentials

This is year is the year I pack 'light'. I've been trying for a while to whittle down my makeup choices and it's something I've been struggling with for this years sunny, tropical, bikini-clad holiday! Now the majority of the day I'll be mainly makeup free, in other words bare faced with a quick slick of mascara... waterproof of course... but in the evenings I'll ramp it up with a full face of makeup - nothing too extravagant, more like a day to day look I'd normally wear at home. When I first grabbed what I thought I wanted to take I had to seriously re-evaluate, would I really wear everything I was going to take... probably not! So this is my very basic, minimal make up collection that will be accompanying me on holiday!

I'm going to be taking a rather large selection of lip products (woops!), but in all fairness they're all different types of lip products. First up is the No7 BB Lips in the shade Blush Coral. Now I know a lot of people say not to wear paler colours on holiday... but that is because those people tan, a lot, I on the other hand don't tan a lot, therefore it's okay! The darkest shade I'm taking is another No7 product, their High Shine Lip Crayon in the shade Tropical Beach, which is a really nice pinky/coraly colour. I've also decided to bring along one of my favourite duos, MACs lipstick in Pure Zen, paired with Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap and Glory in the shade Pink Apricot... Can you see a theme here? I like nude shades! I'm also bringing along the Carmex lip balm in Jasmine and Green Tea as well as a Nivea Hydra Care Lip Balm with SPF 15.

For face I've *tried* to keep it simple; just two foundations, one with slightly more coverage - L'oreal's True Match in Rose Beige and then a much lighter alternative, Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua, both have SPF15 which is always a positive when going on holiday. For concealer I'm bringing along my trusty Maybelline's Eraser Eye Concealer. To take the shine away I've chosen MACs Mineralise Skin Finish Natural and to add definition to my cheek bones I'm bringing the Body Shop's Honey Bronzer in shade 2, and No7's Natural Blush Tint Powder in Coral Flush. I've also decided to bring a base, keeping it a light with Benefit's Porefessional, just because I want to make sure I have primed my skin before I put my makeup on, especially since I'll be covered in suncream all day.

Then for eyes, I'm trying out the No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define shadow sticks. There are so many of these kind of products available but these are a great dupe at half the price of other options such as the By Terry Ombre Blackstick which is £29, while the No7 version is only £8! The shades I have opted for are Glistening Ray - a beautiful golden shimmery shade, Coffee Bean - a rich brown shade, and Cool Mink - a soft bronze based brown.

 

I think I'll also bring along the Naked 2 Palette just so I have some powder based alternatives. As well as these bases I'll bring along my liquid eyeliner of choice, Rimmel's Glam Eye's Liner and then Benefit's Roller Lash which I am completely obsessed with! I've also got a waterproof mascara for the day time - No7's Intense Volume.

And that's it! I swear this is a basic version for me, it was extremely difficult to cut it down and it was a lot bigger before, I promise!! Do you have anything you love to take away with you?

Emma xx

My Travel Toiletry Essentials

I'm currently in organisation overdrive - trying to plan for my holiday to Mexico in a weeks time! I'm at that stage where I'm trying to plan outfits for the week, without wearing anything I want to take on my travels. I want to make sure everything is planned before I leave, so packing next Friday should be (cross fingers) seamless and easy! I'll be doing a few posts about my upcoming holiday, so look out for them, especially if you like planning blog posts - I know I do... I'm such a snooper! So without further a do, here are my top picks for travel toiletries!

Hair:

For my hair I've decided to go for the Charles Worthington Shine Booster Shampoo and the Moisture Seal Conditioner. I find when I go on holiday my hair can become very dry due to the exposure to sun, so these two - although they aren't an original pair - are perfect, the Shine Booster should inject some gloss into my hair and the Moisture Seal should help revive it. I got these both in full size because I'm away for 11 days and I'll probably end up washing my hair most days so I'll need them to be larger than the mini travel sizes. I also picked up the Sunshine Protector Leave In Spray, also by Charles Worthington. It acts as a suncream but for your hair, to help prevent from damage, drying and fading. This is enriched with Moringa Seed Oil to help with moisture and shine, leaving hair protected, replenished and lightly scented. 

Body & Basics:

My body wash of choice is the Dove Go Fresh Body Wash in the scent Blue Fig and Orange Blossom. I love love love the smell of this, it's so fresh and exactly what I'm going to need to freshen up after being out all day in the sun. There's also a few basics like my deodorant, just a basic Soft and Gentle in Lavender and Patchouli, my razor, a Venus Spa Breeze disposable, my toothbrush, toothpaste etc!

Skincare:

I've tried to stick as close as possible to my normal skincare routine, so I've made sure I have my cleanser, eye cream, serum and moisturiser all the same as I have when I'm at home. I ordered the Bioderma Micellar Water as I really didn't want to take my 400ml Garnier version and this was the only one I knew which was small enough. I was also really intrigued to try the Bioderma version, so this small bottle is perfect. The cleanser of choice is of course my Liz Earle original cleanser, I was given this smaller size at an event at work, which is perfect for taking on holiday! The serum is my Body Shop Vitamin E Serum, it's a bit more gel-like than other serums so it's nice and cooling - perfect after a day sunning myself! Next up is my Una Brennan Vitamin C Brightening Eye Cream and my Eucerin moisturiser. I'm also bringing along a small can of the Avene Thermal Spring Water, which I'll use as a toner but it'll also be handy to use in the day to cool off. Finally, I've got a small packet of the Yes to Cucumber Soothing Facial Wipes. These are more for on the plane but should be handy to have with me for whenever, they're also hypoallergenic which is good because I have very sensitive skin at times.

Sun Care:

I've switched up my sun care this year and gone for the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration in SPF 30. I'm also bringing along my trusty Piz Buin Ultra Dry Touch Fluid, again in SPF 30 -I don't know about you but I'm really not a fan of feeling sticky so hence the dry touch suncream! I've also opted for the Dry Touch Face Fluid, this time in SPF 15, but I also have a 30 just in case. For After-sun, I've gone for another Hawaiian Tropic line, one I've used before and absolutely love, the Silk Hydration After-sun Lotion. 

So thats it, an inside look at my holiday toiletry essentials! Is there anything you like to take with you when you go away?

Emma x

The Sunglasses Edit

With summer around the corner and the good weather showing it's face over the past couple of days, I can't help scrawling through the websites looking at sunglasses, especially since I go on holiday to Mexico in two weeks!

I kind of have a thing for sunglasses at the moment, I've found my self trying them on in every shop I go to and my sister having to stop me from buying every single pair! They're a piece you must have in your bag now spring is here and whatever your budget you'll find the right pair for you - from Primark to Whistles to Topshop to Newlook, there's a great selection this year, here are a few of my favourites!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 

March Favourites!

I haven't done a favourites post for a while - but this past month has been a real good one, where I've found myself gravitating back towards the same products throughout the month. I've re-found my true love of nude lipsticks, baked blushes, brow definition and beautiful floral scents, so get ready for it - this is my collection of March favourites!

First up is an old flame - MAC's lipstick in Pure Zen, which is probably the best nude lipstick I have ever come across - so far! The formula, scent, colour and stay power are all positives and make it the perfect everyday shade. It's because of this, that I have chosen it for my favourites - I have literally worn this everyday this past month, so i think that alone makes a deserving candidate for this months favourites.

Along the same theme - the eos lip balm in passion fruit has been a God send - especially when you've got early mornings and need that extra protection for your lips in the chilly weather. I find I use this most in the morning and then apply lipstick just before I go to work, however I'll keep this in my bag so I can grab it if I ever need it.

The Max Factor Baked Blush has been such a good buy, it gives such a dewy, glowy finish to the skin so again, perfect for everyday wear. I spoke about this in my second hauling post so if you want to hear more, just click here.

Next up is the Maybelline Brow Drama - another product discussed in my hauling post from last month. I'd never used a brow wax before but I have to say - I'm quite impressed! I use this along with a liner - just to keep everything in place and it does such a great job. I don't think for a second that this fills in eyebrows well, but for sculpting and shaping on the go, it really is worth buying, and at £4.99, you can't go wrong!

Finally, my all time favourite perfume - Jo Malone's Peony & Blush Suede. I absolutely adore this fragrance, it's so feminine and sophisticated, so if you like floral scents, I would 100% recommend it. With top notes of  red apple, and heart notes of peony, this is a beautifully floral, sweet scent, which I wear for everyday use but could easily be worn simply for occasions. I think this is now my signature scent - I really want a full size bottle for my 21st - maybe in the lace edition bottle, just because that's a little bit more special... but I guess we'll have to wait and see! 

So that's it! Another month over and another favourites post up with my top 5 stand out items. Do you have any favourites this month??

Emma xx