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

Hauling #2

So this week I headed to Boots for some cotton wool pads, toothpaste and shower gel, however somehow I left with a lot more than that! I picked up quite a few new purchases, and  of course  the essentials mentioned above! I've also realised there are loads of new products coming out at the moment... so I'm sure another trip will be happening very soon!

I think my favourite item out of this lot has to be the Maxfactor Creme Puff Blush. This is a new product launched by the company and is said to be a really good dupe of the Hourglass version at a fraction of the cost! There are six shades to choose from - which was a very tough decision (I was standing in the aisle for ages until I decided!!), however I chose to go with Lovely Pink. Now in general me and baked blushes get on like a house on fire, and from what I've seen so far, the Maxfactor version is no exception. It's lasting power is strong and the formula is beautiful - soft, buttery and goes on perfectly.

Next up is another recent addition to Boots and many other drugstores - the Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude. This is another budget buy dupe - a water based foundation - not dissimilar to the L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint or the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. The product is air whipped with the same velvety, feather-like texture of the Dream Matte Mousse and claims to be 12 times thinner than your average foundation. It's got great buildability and offers a flawless, natural looking finish and also has SPF20 in - which isn't a bad thing!

A few repurchases included my trusty Stay Matte Powder by Rimmel in Translucent, the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser and the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works. I only discovered the eye eraser this year but I absolutely love it! I'm already running low on my first tube so a repurchase was definitely necessary. As for the Deep Sleep Spray, this is another product I first purchased towards the back end of 2014 and again, fell in love and wanted to get the full size version as soon as I could. I know it's just a spray but it honestly helps me relax, so something I will be taking away with me next month, especially on the plane!

A new discovery for me -- yes, I've probably been hiding in a hole to have missed this -- is the Brow Drama from Maybelline. This 'sculpting brow mascara' has been the perfect addition to my make up bag. I have quite big eyebrows -- kind of Cara Delevingne/Tanya Burr-esque -- they're a statement piece and I use them to sculpt my face so this product is doing a good job so far for me, however I have heard negative reviews, especially over the round brush, which doesn't seem to a hit with those girls who have smaller eyebrows. So something to have in mind if you're thinking of purchasing!

Next I found Soap and Glory's Bright Here Bright Now Instant Energy Balm. I've heard mixed reviews on this so was a bit cautious to try it, but it's been a few days and I haven't seen any negative side effects! It's meant to give you a nice glow and works sort of as a moisturiser for when your skin needs that extra pick me up, like mine has this week while I've been suffering from a cold (boo!).

Finally, a little treat for my nails from Sally Hansen -- The Complete Care extra moisturising 4 in 1 nail treatment. You can use this as a ridge filling base, strengthener, growth treatment and glossy top coat. It's a little on the pricey side but for all of that I'm not going to complain!

There were of course a few other items including the bog standard cotton wool but also a few holiday products which I kind of hinted at a bit in the post... more details on that very soon!!

Emma xx